I have finally decided to reveal the real reason behind the inspiration for BareNaked Balms...
As the image notes, today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Today also would have been the day I brought my first baby home. Unfortunately, I lost my pregnancy around the 7 week mark in February of this year. This was actually my second pregnancy loss, having suffered a very early pregnancy loss at 5 weeks in June of 2012.
Our journey to start a family began in May of 2011. When things seemed to be taking longer than expected (i.e. after not getting pregnant the first month), I soon turned to "Dr. Google" to see how we could speed things up. I quickly learned that beauty and skincare products, chemical sunscreens, processed foods, BPA in plastics and canned food, and conventional fruits and veggies were all likely contributing to hormone imbalance, mostly in the form of estrogen dominance. While there are many reasons miscarriages occur, I was determined to do as much as I could to reduce my risk. This is what lead me to make the switch to organic food and nontoxic beauty products in an effort to achieve hormonal balance.
Jumping ahead, when I lost my second pregnancy earlier this year, I was home from work for a week. I had my time to grieve, but knew I had to move forward. I longed for a way to just let go and stop obsessing over the idea of getting pregnant - the process had truly consumed my every waking thought. It was while I was browsing through Pinterest that I came across a pin describing how to make your own solid lotion bar. I had never heard of a solid lotion bar before, but soon became obsessed with the idea that I could make this for myself without any of the "junk" found in conventional moisturizing products. I soon found myself "googling" "organic oils and butters" instead of the typical topics related to trying to conceive. Within a day of discovering the "solid lotion bar", I had come up with a name and formulas for tons of different products. I was hooked! Finally, trying to conceive was not the only thing I was thinking about!
I hope that by sharing my story, it will inspire others to break their silence. Miscarriage and infant loss should not be something to be ashamed of. We cannot blame ourselves. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. While it may be difficult to realize that reason sometimes, I was fortunate to discover mine. And as the saying goes, "when one door closes, another door opens". Had I not lost my pregnancy I likely never would have started this skincare venture. And while I still long for the day that I get to hold my baby in my arms, my passion for now is creating and growing my product line and spreading awareness about the benefits of going chemical free.
In honor of this day, I will be lighting a candle at 7pm to show my support for pregnancy and infant loss. Show your support by doing the same. Thanks for listening and feel free to share your story with comments below!
As the image notes, today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Today also would have been the day I brought my first baby home. Unfortunately, I lost my pregnancy around the 7 week mark in February of this year. This was actually my second pregnancy loss, having suffered a very early pregnancy loss at 5 weeks in June of 2012.
Our journey to start a family began in May of 2011. When things seemed to be taking longer than expected (i.e. after not getting pregnant the first month), I soon turned to "Dr. Google" to see how we could speed things up. I quickly learned that beauty and skincare products, chemical sunscreens, processed foods, BPA in plastics and canned food, and conventional fruits and veggies were all likely contributing to hormone imbalance, mostly in the form of estrogen dominance. While there are many reasons miscarriages occur, I was determined to do as much as I could to reduce my risk. This is what lead me to make the switch to organic food and nontoxic beauty products in an effort to achieve hormonal balance.
Jumping ahead, when I lost my second pregnancy earlier this year, I was home from work for a week. I had my time to grieve, but knew I had to move forward. I longed for a way to just let go and stop obsessing over the idea of getting pregnant - the process had truly consumed my every waking thought. It was while I was browsing through Pinterest that I came across a pin describing how to make your own solid lotion bar. I had never heard of a solid lotion bar before, but soon became obsessed with the idea that I could make this for myself without any of the "junk" found in conventional moisturizing products. I soon found myself "googling" "organic oils and butters" instead of the typical topics related to trying to conceive. Within a day of discovering the "solid lotion bar", I had come up with a name and formulas for tons of different products. I was hooked! Finally, trying to conceive was not the only thing I was thinking about!
I hope that by sharing my story, it will inspire others to break their silence. Miscarriage and infant loss should not be something to be ashamed of. We cannot blame ourselves. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. While it may be difficult to realize that reason sometimes, I was fortunate to discover mine. And as the saying goes, "when one door closes, another door opens". Had I not lost my pregnancy I likely never would have started this skincare venture. And while I still long for the day that I get to hold my baby in my arms, my passion for now is creating and growing my product line and spreading awareness about the benefits of going chemical free.
In honor of this day, I will be lighting a candle at 7pm to show my support for pregnancy and infant loss. Show your support by doing the same. Thanks for listening and feel free to share your story with comments below!
