I first went looking for organic replacements for my moisturizes a year ago after reading about the harmful effects of preservatives that are often present in moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, and almost any other thing that has a shelf life past one year. Most organic products are expensive, and it can be hard finding affordable ones from trusted brands, especially since a lot of big name brands in cosmetics and body care are showing no hints that they are planning on coming out with organic lines soon. So it was a good thing that I stumbled upon Human Nature. Human Nature is brand under the Gandang Kalikasan, a personal care company that offers all-organic hand, body, hair, and facial care products. Aside from these, HN also has a great line of organic baby stuff. A quick look at their website will also tell you that they also now have a line of organic coffee.
However, I only got to buy my first HN products while serving as a Gawad Kalinga volunteer in Amlan in the early part of 2012. Human Nature had set up a booth there, manned by Ate Minnie and Kuya Oliver, and that's where I came face to face with the moisturizers, lip balms, and sunflower oil that I now truly love. Other personal favorites include the sunflower beauty oil, which is great as an evening moisturizer, and the citronella bug spray, which I also use as an excellent aromatherapy essential oil.
The good thing about HN products is that they do not contain preservatives, and those products that should contain at least some form of preservative contains the tiniest amount, just enough to keep the product from spoiling for a shelf life of one year.This is good news for everyone, since most preservatives are chemicals that could accumulate in the body over the years the longer we use the products that contain them. The least amount of chemicals and preservatives you apply on your body, the better.
Aside from being an affordable source of organic beauty loot for me, I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Human Nature is closely linked to Gawad Kalinga and works in partnership with the AIDFI or The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. In fact, the raw ingredients used in HN products are taken from the GK communities where livelihood programs have been set up. Every time you are buying from HN, you are basically helping these livelihood programs and these communities thrive! Kewl eh? (*insert victorious fist pump here*) Social enterprise is fast becoming an attractive option for a lot of entrepreneurs, and for a good reason. It's really good that business people are now becoming less profit-oriented but instead are now thinking of ways to use business as a way to grow and improve communities. Gawad Kalinga and Human Nature are excellent examples of this, and frankly, we need more of these programs in the Philippines. This is perhaps the reason why Human Nature products are less expensive compared to your typical branded organic products. The focus is more on getting people to use products that are healthier for them, and this means making these products more affordable. However, these manufacturers are also working with local and independent farmers, so the trade is supporting our local growers as well. Consumers get more affordable organic products while supporting the livelihood of local farmers, and everyone benefits.
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Say hello! Coffee, perhaps? :)