Kirsty exudes gratitude for Mother Nature and the present moment, practicing what she preaches with her business, Second Nature Botanicals. Creating natural cleaning and beauty products is her calling. From up-cycling to composting, Kirsty shares her top tips for living with less waste and making sustainable choices everyday. In her words- “every little step we take makes a difference.”
KIRSTY, WHAT'S THE IDEA BEHIND SECOND NATURE BOTANICALS?
We wanted to create beautiful natural products to be used in the home that were safe for our kids, pets and planet. We want to inspire our customers to live a greener lifestyle by thinking about what they put on their skin, in their bodies and their environment!
HOW DOES YOUR PASSION DRIVE THE CREATION OF PLANT AND MINERAL BASED PRODUCTS?
Well first up, I am slightly obsessed with essential oils! They are such versatile little bottles of magic and my favourite part about creating Second Nature Botanicals products. The whole house smells amazing while I am creating the products as the essential oils waft through our home. We love sharing our green living message through running fun DIY Workshops and sharing our tips on our blog and monthly newsletter- come join our community!
TELL US, HOW DO YOU SHOW GRATITUDE, AND WHO DO YOU SHOW IT TO?
I feel huge amounts of gratitude towards our Mother Earth. All of our ingredients come from our Earth because that is what “natural” actually means, as opposed to chemicals made in a lab. I show deep respect by treading lightly on our planet through composting, gardening, and moving towards a zero-waste life.
A lot of us feel so disconnected to the earth we live on, and can you blame us? We spend so much time scrolling Instagram, updating statuses, and stuck inside offices with artificial lights and air-con. The simple act of walking barefoot on the grass or barefoot at the beach is a wonderful way to slow down and connect.
WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF INSPIRATION?
My very first source of inspiration towards living a zero-waste lifestyle was Lauren from 'Trash is for Tossers'. She makes all of her home and beauty products from scratch, which inspired me to dabble in DIY.
Right now my biggest source of inspiration is definitely my wonderful customers. Hearing how using our Laundry Powder helped clear up somebody's skin issues, or how a new mum wants to use more natural products now that they have a little one. This is super inspiring to me!
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO INCREASE KINDNESS AND APPRECIATION?
Sloooooow down! While we are rushing from A to B, worrying about being late we are cutting drivers off and pushing past others in the street. If we can become more present with what is happening around us then this will automatically make us feel more appreciation, smelling your coffee and savouring every sip, playing with your kids or pets, watching a sunrise or sunset. A lovely ritual to complete every evening over dinner with your family, partner, flatmates or cat is to share three things you appreciated about your day. It’s often not until we reflect that we can actually appreciate the little things!
HOW DOES SECOND NATURE BOTANICALS SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY?
We have spoken at complimentary events such as 'Wellness Wednesdays' with our local Chiropractor. We like to spread the message of how to reduce chemicals in the household and how every little step we take makes a difference. We love sharing natural DIY Recipes such as Sugar Scrubs, Eco Wood Polish etc.
Donating our products for fundraisers or giveaways at charity events is how we feel we can give back to our community.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE SUSTAINABILITY ELEMENT OF SECOND NATURE BOTANICALS?
Very much so! We love our beautiful planet and we have decided to try and live in harmony with mother nature rather than against her. This for us means living with less waste, consciously buying materials that are plastic-free (or even better- biodegradable), upcycling, reusing, composting, and getting creative! Yes, we are self-confessed sustainability nerds! On our journey we've realised there is no 'away' when the rubbish truck comes. By having less waste in the first place we do not have to rely on out-sourcing a solve.
Unlike natural materials like glass and paper, plastic never fully breaks down. This means that every piece of plastic that we use in our life-time will still be on this planet in many generations time. Choosing to be mainly plastic-free by using glass bottles designed to be refilled and reused is a huge part of our sustainability ethos. Additionally, every aspect behind-the-scenes in Second Nature Botanicals has been considered to reduce our ecological impact, from our suppliers through to our packaging. For example, our paperwork is shredded for packaging, composted or put in the worm farm to create beautiful nourishing compost or worm castings to put back onto our veggie patch. For more information on sustainable practices, read through our blog for more ideas!
HOW IS SECOND NATURE BOTANICALS MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE?
We are helping our customers get back to simplicity, from the natural products we choose to use in our homes, what we put on our skin to how we choose to live our lives. We encourage people to become more aware of their plastic use, and we love sharing tips along the way. It is exciting when the enthusiasm for sustainable living is apparent amongst our community, and our customers share their journey with our products, and how it has benefited their lives.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 4 TIPS FOR BEING MORE ECO-CONSCIOUS IN THE HOUSEHOLD?
1. What are the three cleaning and home products you use the most in your home? (For me, it’s our Cleaning Spray, Hand-wash and Floor Cleaner). It makes sense to switch out the most-used products and look for a simple, safe and natural replacement. Are the brands that you’re using listing the full ingredients on the container? If not, do you feel like you can trust this product in your home? It’s up to you whether you feel the urge to ditch them straight away or phase them out by using up the nasty supermarket product, and then buying a natural replacement. Your journey. You decide.
2. There are obvious toxic culprits to stay away from, like fly-spray, however the things that make our home smell nice like fragrance candles, air freshners, perfumes, are also extremely toxic and disrupt hormones. I have some gorgeous natural and safe alternatives to offer instead-you could try Essential Oil Diffuser’s, burning beeswax candles, create your own bamboo diffusers, pick or buy fresh blooms or herbs, tie some Eucalyptus in the shower and let the fresh smell diffuse.
3. Grow your own fruit, veggies, and/or herbs. Connecting with the earth, and getting my hands into the soil is incredibly grounding. Understanding what to grow for the different seasons has helped me slow down in my busy life. Plus I find it is so satisfying sourcing vegetables and herbs out of the garden to cook with! It may be a sprinkle of rocket over the home-made pizza, chillies to add to a stir-fry, basil for pesto, or fresh mint to your mojito. If you’re a gardening virgin, go to your local markets or gardening store and start with the herbs that you use the most in your everyday cooking (you can’t go wrong with basil or parsley)!
4. Turn your food scraps, leaves, grass clippings, paper, cardboard toilet rolls, boxes, tissue boxes, into nutritious compost that your plants will love. If you’ve got a small space or apartment check out Bokashi kit that will fit under your kitchen sink.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR SECOND NATURE BOTANICALS?
We are about to release a new product: The Wanderer Oil! It is a roller oil that will fit into your handbag or bag, created for a bold and strong adventurer, with fresh citrus top notes of Lime to spicy and woody base notes of Kanuka, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, and Cedarwood. Both men and women will love this! Apply throughout the day to wrists, neck, chest. Join our mailing list to be the first to know!
Join the Second Nature Botanicals Community:
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE (20% OFF): ALLNATURAL