My journey to natural skin health began in August of 2010 after a revelatory visit to a new store in our local mall.......but more about that in a moment. Let's go back 7 to 10 years before this time when I was in my mid to late thirties. It seemed out of the blue that I began to develop headaches whenever I applied a perfume, scented lotion or even a scented soap - the stronger the scent, the stronger the headache. Eventually, this reaction intensified to varying degrees of migraines that I could not lessen with medication. If I made the mistake of applying a scented product and did not wash it off right away, odds were I was curled up on the couch for the rest of the day with my head under a blanket!

I had to dramatically change my habits. I learned to avoid the perfume counters at department stores because even walking by one could trigger a low-grade migraine. Forget going in stores like Bath & Body Works or Yankee Candle where the combined scent of all their products would blast me at the door! No matter how much I loved their products, I learned that I had to wait outside for my friends while they finished their shopping. I had to be flexible about where I sat in church because if a woman was doused in perfume I had to stay far away - this was also true at work, in restaurants, waiting rooms, cars, airplanes............although there wasn't much I could do about the last two except suffer!

I didn't know why I was different but just accepted that I had to live a scent-free life. But then, my skin began to react to products, scented or not. Rashes, redness and itchiness would come and go. OTC and prescription medications would mostly not work or sometimes make things worse. Arghh! What was wrong with me??

This was my state of mind (and body) in the summer of 2010. A new store selling natural soaps and body products had just opened in our local mall. As I was walking by, I immediately noticed how wonderful it smelled in there and I thought to myself...."ok Darlene, maybe you can just pop in for a few seconds and see what this store is all about...."  So I decided to take a chance and went in and smelled around. A saleslady told me that they used mostly essential oils for scenting their products and she went on to explain why natural skin care products were becoming so popular. I was fascinated, but the big revelation was this......... I was in the store for an hour and I didn't have a migraine!!

So I began my research into all things natural and this is how my journey in creating my own natural soap and skin care business began. Look for future blogs about why I believe that my migraines and skin issues were triggered by sensitivities/allergies to artificial scents, detergent-based soaps and chemical-laden body products.