News / Dry cheeks

If winter weather leaves your hands cracked and dry, especially if you wash your hands often, there  are a few things you can do to soothe dry hands.

Use a mild soap for hand washing. Preferably natural or organic, without the harsh ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). An organic soap has milder sulfates that won’t dry your skin or harm the environment.

Apply hand cream after washing your hands. Use a natural organic one. The synthetic soaps are often based on mineral oils which come from petroleum. Not good for our skin or the planet. Body buddy lotion also works really well as a hand lotion.

Use an overnight hand mask. Apply an extra thick balm/ointment such as All you need is me balm on your hands which will nourish and work during the night when your skin is in repair mode. If you feel that it’s too sticky, use thin cotton gloves.

True organic of Sweden

Organic and natural skincare products made in Sweden in sustainable packaging. True Organic of Sweden is a multi award winning brand for people who want effective skincare that is kind to the skin and the planet.

When my son was born I had just finished a degree in science of natural health. My son had diaper rash and I had sore breasts from breastfeeding. I searched for any ointment relief, even the organic certified ones had ingredients that I would never use on my son. They could have as little as 5 percent organic ingredients and the rest could be anything. How can this be?

I was living in Switzerland at that time, and when I moved back to Sweden, my home country a few years later, I started looking around for how to actually produce skin care. I found a wonderful organic and natural skin care guru.  Together we created the first product:  All you need is me balm. Two weeks after launch, All you need is me balm won its first award of many. It’s 100% natural and 95% organic in a compostable tube made of sugarcane. I was very happy and content with my accomplishment of such a unique, pure and effective balm but then people started to ask me “What is your next product “? Next product ?! I asked. After this I followed by  producing my own wish list of my dream skincare products. True organic of Sweden skincare brand was born.  True organic of Sweden skincare products are with as few ingredients as possible, as high in organic content as possible and ingredients that you recognize, at the same time very effective products that bring results. We have 7 products today and developing more.Our customers are loyal, we have a 60% return rate. http://trueorganicofsweden.com

Now we sell all over the world, to distributors, retailers and directly to consumers.

Starting as a one person company has been a challenge. Both financially and time wise. I have never wanted to employ lots of people but instead used freelancers and distributors responsible for their areas. The distributors have bought in bulk, have exclusive rights to their country but in return also been responsible for getting the products into retailers and conduct marketing, sales and PR. Some distributors have been better than others but as a small unknown brand it’s even difficult to get a distributor to look at your products. So if the distributors ignore their obligations there’s not much you can do other than remove the brand from them but then you might not fin anyone else willing to take your brand in that market.

Another challenge has been in the sourcing of ingredients and creating products that are efficient, as high in organic ingredients as possible, 100% natural using only planet friendly ingredients in sustainable packaging. Not all ingredients can be found grown organically. Most products have water and water can never be organic. This brings the organic level down. Organic produce is grown without synthetic fertilizers, genetic engineering, irradiation or pesticides. The plants need to grow at a certain distance from any farm that is not organic so the bees cannot fly in between. Our mission statement is  to create top quality skincare products with the highest levels of organic ingredients. We are committed to protect the planet, its resources and all those who populate it.

The skincare business is big and competition is fierce but the more of us organic and natural skincare producer there are, the better it is for our environment.If natural, organic products in sustainable packaging become the norm, the better it is for all of us, our children and the planet.

Looking towards future opportunities there is a very positive awareness that there is no planet B and everyone needs to do their bit.

With so many natural disasters around the world it’s difficult for even the most climate change deniers to ignore facts. People are looking for ways to do their bit to help our planet. More are turning to organic and natural products. We are becoming aware of sustainable packaging and getting upset when an item is packaged in far more plastic than needed. Luckily we see that innovation is buzzing and sustainable solutions are presented in every field.

With the pandemic we had to rethink like everyone else and concentrate our efforts more to the online business instead of retail stores. Our distributors who had mainly retail stores were suffering while the ones with online businesses were thriving. http://trueorganicofsweden.com

A business is a living thing and one needs to nurture it and be flexible because change is constant. Wether it’s a pandemic, war or inflation. Being a small business it may be easier to make a quick change. We for example had Rosewood essential oil in our deodorant Undercover agent. I found out that rosewood is endangered so we could quickly change to ho leaf essential oil instead with a similar scent.

Talking about being flexible and change, I have decided to take on a partner in the business. It’s one of our distributors who has more economical muscle and is an established skincare distributor. Together we will be able to create new products faster and more cost effective. If you take on a partner it’s important that you have the same vision and values. For me it’s not an unknown partner, I know and have worked with this company for several years.

The advice I can give anyone wanting to start a business is just do. You can have market research, plans and preparations for years but I say just start. Take a first step and then the next one. I have to say, everything takes much longer than you think and more expensive than you thought.

If you go ahead, do something you are passionate and interested in, feel the excitement and have fun! That’s what I always have said, I will do it as long as it’s fun

Cold weather and frequent washing of our hands wreak havoc with the skin on the hands. What to do about those dry hands? Here are a few tips: As soon as it starts getting cold, protect your hands with gloves, after you wash your hands make sure they are totally dry. Use a gentle soap, not a harsh antibacterial one. Moisturize with a  lotion after every time. At bedtime apply All you need is me balm on your hands. Thin cotton gloves optional. You will wake up with baby soft skin. All you need is me balm has castor oil that helps pull moisture from the air to the skin. Beeswax hydrates and protects skin creating a barrier. Olive oil locks in the moisture, Shea butter nourishes and soothes skin. The Vitamin E helps to seal the cracks in skin caused by dryness.

Blueberry seed oil contains oleic acid which is a permeability enhancer, it increases absorption and making the active ingredients even more powerful. There is no water in All you need is me balm, all the ingredients are active and anti inflammatory.

Stay away from petroleum based products, they are harmful to your skin and our environment

Beautiful photo by @organicsmix.sk

Sending love and compassion to our friends in Ukraine 🇺🇦

Walking may be the simplest and most underrated form of exercise.

There is a lot of information out there about the positives of running and lifting weights, but the simple activity of walking can provide a whole host of benefits too.

Walking is simple, free, and nearly any able-bodied person can do it.

As well as burning calories, studies show that brisk walks may help to reduce the intake of high calorie snacks by half. Walking increases bone strength, every step counts. People who walk at least 1,5km a day have a higher bone density than those who don’t.

Walking is just as effective as running for fighting major diseases.

Regular brisk walking may help to maintain a healthy weight, prevent various conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and stroke. Improves your cardiovascular fitness level, strengthens bones, muscles, and improves muscle endurance. May improve your mood, sleep, balance, and coordination. Builds up your immune system and reduces stress. Researchers found that walking for 30 minutes, 3 times a week for 3 months had the same mood boosting result as antidepressants.

As for myself, I have a dog who is a very fast walker, come rain or shine, I’m out there walking. I have noticed that my normal winter lows are not as bad since I got my dog Spencer. If it’s very cold or harsh weather I protect my face with All you need is me balm. Since it contains no water but let’s your skin breathe, it’s perfect for protecting the face. My best ideas and thinking also happen out there on the walks.

See you out there :)