Natural Wonder Living - All Natural Skin Care Products

What if you could clean your home and family using non-toxic, non-synthetic, completely natural products? No, not the so-called "natural" products from the big chemical companies; I mean truly natural elements, oils, and components produced directly by Mother Nature (not substances synthetically produced in some laboratory). Did you know that baby oil is nearly 100% mineral oil (a petroleum by-product; it's sometimes called "liquid petroleum")? Ditto petroleum jelly (a/k/a "vaseline"). I started wondering one day -- hmmm, which mineral produces oil? -- so I looked it up; to say I was "surprised" is understatement. Natural Wonder Living is the result of my frustration at being unable to clean the bathroom or kitchen or windows without breathing noxious fumes. My pets literally ran from the room when I used common commercial household cleaners. They normally want to be all over me, but if I've used a commercial hand lotion or cleaning product, they actually avoid my touch. That "breezy" fabric freshener will keep my furbabies out of the room for days. The commercial bathroom "air fresheners" will have the cats searching for a litter box in a different room. The commercial "carpet freshener" will have Taz (one of my mini-mutts) scratching and sneezing for days.

Natural Wonder Living says: "No More" -- no more skin reactions from harsh chemicals; no more toxic fumes to breathe; no more artificial scents, soaps, or lotions. Several essential oils kill mold and mildew as well as bleach. Several essential oils are effective degreasers, as is washing soda (not the same as baking soda, check your grocer's laundry aisle). Many essential oils are natural fungicides, disinfectants, degreasers, antiseptics, insecticides, anti-depressants, stimulants, relaxants... more info here and here. They're naturally produced using Mother Nature's recipes, and they smell good, too. Do you really want that "chlorine burn" in your sinuses? When you're cleaning windows, do you really want to breathe vaporized amonia, 2-butoxyethanol, and whatever other synthetic substances are in that spray you're using?

I love relaxing or meditating with softly burning candles all around. The petro-chemicals used in commerical candles for everything from the artificial fragrance oil to zinc wick bothered me. Instead, I make my own candles and scent blends the Natural Wonder Living way. Our container candles are made with 100% soy wax. Soy wax is too soft to stand alone, so non-container candles (pillars, votives) are soy wax blended with botanical oils or palm wax. We use cotton wicks, and only therapeutic grade 100% essential oils (not fragrance oils) for scent and aromatherapy benefits. (I am surprised by the number of web sites offering soy candles scented with fragrance oils -- synthetic fragrances have no aromatherapy benefit as far as I know!)

Natural Wonder Living cleaning products won't make you choke when you use them. Natural Wonder Living personal care products (soaps, cremes & lotions, bath salts and oils) won't make your skin itch, dry out, or clog your pores when you use them (soap & lotion base ingredients). Natural Wonder Living makes aromatherapy candles, special request candles, home cleaning products and air freshener sprays that won't make the family pet want to run away from home.

Our condensed cleaning products should NEVER be used without following the label dilution instructions. More concentrate, less dilution does NOT make the product work better. All natural essential oils contain volatile natural chemical compounds. Be sure to follow the instructions provided with each concentrate. And, do not mix our cleaning products with commerical cleaning products -- we don't know what's in them that may react with the essential oils. You may mix our cleaning products with each other if indicated on our label. Browse our products from the list at the left.

About Me
I am not a nurse, doctor, clinician, or medical practitioner of any sort. I am a keenly interested observer of the natural world. I've been using essential oils for many years. I know that gently "sniffing" one of my essential oil blends will sometimes prevent the migraine from occuring, or ease it if it does occur. A different blend works better against a "regular" headache. I know that my "kitty calm" or "cool cat" blends will help my cats overcome territorial behavior issues. I know that my ravensara blend helps my husband's wrist pain (carpal tunnel). I know that my tea tree blend works better against ringworm than anything the vet prescribed (long story involving a rescued kitten litter). I know that my male mini-mutt has serious allergies to commerical cleaners, fabric, carpet, and air fresheners, but doesn't have sneezing or itching reactions to my natural essential oil products. I know that some essential oil blends are conducive to romance, some are conducive to open communication, and some are more effective at protection, concentration, or attraction. I know I find some essential oil blends invigorating and some blends calming and relaxing. I use some blends to ground myself and "open" my mind for meditation, other blends to stimulate and sharpen my mind and senses. When we have a party or other gathering at home, I use my own disinfecting, anti-viral blend air fresheners before the event, often keep candles burning during and after the event; we very, very rarely catch a cold or have the flu. I've begun using my essential oil blends in lotions, cremes, and soaps (never was much at using commercial lotions or cremes as they seemed to either exacerbate the dryness of my already dry skin, or make me feel like a "greased eel" -- yuck). When I say "essential oil blend", I'm talking about my own proprietary blends of 100% therapeutic grade essential oils, not something purchased already blended, adulterated, or diluted.

Over time, the quality of essential oils available has improved, and organically grown, sustainably harvested oils have become more readily available. Essential oils are either steam distilled or cold pressed from the plant. An "absolute" is solvent extracted, usually using alcohol, and is used more for scent than its' aromatherapy benefits. I use only therapeutic grade 100% essential oils, and the occasional absolute, certified organic (according to the seller) when possible. I do not use 10% such-or-such in some carrier oil. If my formulation includes olive, grape seed, jojoba, or other oil, it will be listed on my product label. I use vegetable, not animal, glycerin. I use polysorbate 20 (also called "Tween 20") to emulsify the oil and water -- while not totally natural, it is derived from sorbitol and vegetable fatty acids. Without an emulsifyer, oil and water do not mix, as I'm sure you know.

I've had little success with reed diffusers (maybe I'm using the wrong kind of reeds), but great success using my oils in candles, home cleaning, and body care products. I'm allergic to peanuts especially, but am wary of all nuts. There are very few nut oils or butters (shea, macadamia) in my products. I've recently met someone who is allergic to the scent of cinnamon (I didn't know that was possible, seems such a shame), so I list all the essential oils in the product on my labels. Be sure to read the label before buying to assure you are not sensitive to any oils used in the formulation.

I am offering my all natural ingredients products to others who are tired of synthetic living. In preparation for consistent production on a larger scale, I purchased precision laboratory measuring tools, including a precise to .01 gram digital scale; specially denatured alcohol (not isopropyl, Everclear, vodka, or similar); and other natural "base" ingredients. Of course, I also bought end-user containers appropriate for each product. Different size dropper bottles make different size drops -- the label will indicate how many drops for this size dropper bottle. Your purchase will always contain at least as much product as the label indicates. My products will be consistent in formulation from batch to batch. However, the raw material essential oil will certainly vary slightly in color or aroma from batch to batch, depending on weather conditions during any particular growing season.

More about me
I photograph, paint, and draw the wonders of nature. Pop over to Natural Wonder Art to browse the gallery or buy a painting. I use natural ingredients to produce Natural Wonder Art pieces (linseed/flax seed oil, turpentine, artist oils, pastels, colored pencil). Natural Wonder Art site also has a link to 'Backyard Nature' pages -- for several years our previous property was a 'Certified Wildlife Habitat' by The National Wildlife Federation -- we sometimes got interesting visitors.

I feed and Trap/Neuter/Release (TNR) neighborhood stray and feral cats. Sometimes the kitty isn't really feral, and should be Rescued instead of Released. Most often in early spring and summer, but throughout the year, I have kittens and/or young cats available for adoption to good homes. Visit DobsonTNR to see more about my rescue, and get tips on pet care, links to low cost spay & neuter resources, and ideas on ways you can help prevent overpopulation of our companion animals.

Together with my partner, I design and develop custom software solutions for business. Our company, PC HotShots, Inc. hosts this website and provides related internet services.