The focus on nature, biodiversty and organic
Since the beginning of the pandemic, nature, sustainability and biodiversity are all topics that I have taken a greater interest in. Prior to the pandemic although I was aware of nature, I didn’t really ever fully slow down or stop enough to appreciate just how important nature is. During the summer of 2020 when we were all forced to stay at home, the time spent sitting out in the garden, listening to the birds were those little moments of joy that I had never genuinely appreciated before.
It is because of the pandemic that we signed up to veg boxes. Each week with the box we receive a lovely little leaflet that talks about not only the veg inside the box but also about nature, sustainability, biodiversity, climate change and regenerative farming. From these little leaflets I started to learn more and more about organic farming and how much it is not only better for us in terms of nutrition but it also a lot better for the environment in terms of biodiversity, climate change and sustainability.
BY SELINA and organic ingredients
Over the next few weeks, I started to look at the BY SELINA range. I had aluminium bottles instead of plastic, I had rock paper labels and degradable postal packaging too, but what could I do to make the formulations and the product inside the bottles more sustainable. I had become fascinated with organic and so started to look at the oils in the formulations. One afternoon I turned to my partner Sam and said, I need the oils in my formulations to be organic. They are so much more sustainable and from that moment on, I set about a project to start moving the oils in my formulation from non-organic to organic. I am proud to say that nearly 12 months after that initial conversation, the BY SELINA Scalp & Curl Cleaning Shampoo uses 100% organic oils https://byselina.co.uk/shop/curl-cleansing-shampoo/ (that is organic essential oils and organic, soil association castor oil too). You will also find 100% organic essential oils in the BY SELINA Curl Cleanser & Conditioner https://byselina.co.uk/shop/curl-cleanser-conditioner/and the BY SELINA Defining Curl Gel https://byselina.co.uk/shop/defining-curl-gel-with-citrus-notes/. It is not always possible to source organic oils for certain oils but where possible I am.
Why orgainc is better
- Organic farms do not use artificial pesticides or fertilisers. Did you know that non-organic farms use on average ~300 synthetic pesticides whereas organic farmers use just 15 naturally derived ones and most will use none at all
- It is estimated that because of pesticides and fertilisers there has been a 75% reduction in our butterfly population and 8/25 bumble bees are threatened
- Organic supports biodiversity and on average organic farms have a whopping 50% MORE wildlife
- Food is nutritionally different, organic contains 68% more antioxidants as plants have to produce them naturally to fight off disease. This means organic food is so much more nutritionally dense. I for one have noticed that since we have been having veg boxes I no longer suffer with rosacea on my skin. This could be because we are eating a lot more veg, but I do also think it has a lot to do with how nutritionally dense the food is.
The cost of organic
Organic certainly is a lot more expensive than non-organic and when it comes to organic cosmetic oils, organic can also be up to 1000% more expensive (no that isn’t a typo). However, I have always said I want to put planet over profit and I think this is another step in the right direction and my commitment to you to being a business that is as sustainable as possible. Because of your amazing support is why I have been able to make these positive changes. Your support means that not only can I grow the business with new and exciting products but I can also make these incredible and amazing sustainable changes too.
It is possible to have fantastic looking, healthy curls and look after the planet too.
Selina X
Check out the BY SELINA Instagram video talking organic ingredients
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