So, we're at a place where we begin to share our stories with the world! We hope our story inspires you to take your self care routine seriously, and probably encourage a few more people to embark on an entrepreneurial journey to Natural Self Care formulation. It is an immensely rewarding and satisfying experience, to be able to bring safe, effective and traditionally inspired beauty therapies to the world at large.
It all began many years back with my affinity to understand how natural ingredients help our skin and hair. I grew up in the eighties in an India which was very different from what it is today. When liberalization had yet to happen, and many international beauty products weren't yet available. Self-care was a sacred ritual and I used to be fascinated with it, as much as I still am.
Regular oiling of hair with cold pressed oils, slightly warmed with herbs and roots was a twice-a-week tradition in most households. Organic coconut oil was probably the only hair styling product used by many. A blend of lentils were painstakingly ground to a fine powder and mixed with skin conditioning ingredients to be stored on the kitchen shelf for use as cleansers and bath powders. Shampoos and conditioners were a luxury item, hardly heard of. Hibiscus, Amla (Indian gooseberry), Shikakai powders were the go-to products for cleansing hair. Cooked Rice water, which is a rage in the beauty industry today, was the hair conditioner that we used twice a week. Life was simpler, healthier too! Beauty and health problems were not as rampant as they are today.
Today, we overload our skin with chemicals, many of which are very harmful to our health when used over a period of time. Our skin absorbs almost 60 to 70% of what we put on it, yet many of us do not even read the ingredients on our product labels. Even the word natural has been used rampantly, yet irresponsibly. It was my utter disdain at the total ignorance or dumping of our traditional beauty therapies in favor of current trendy products laden with harmful chemicals, that led me to start Ru Naturals.
In 2017, when I decided to take a break from a long stint in the corporate world, my interest in natural skin care tugged at the heartstrings and implored me to pursue those remedies in greater detail, understand them and bring them to you in a contemporary avatar. What followed was a rigorous research and study, with a professional certificate course in formulating preservative free products. Blending this knowledge of formulation with ancient traditional knowledge gave birth to this wonderful brand called Ru Naturals.
I decided to dive deep into the knowledge that I gained during my growing up years from my parents and other elders in the family about the various ingredients that can naturally treat skin and hair problems. I spent hours after long hours researching the scientific properties and the effects of using these ingredients and the associated benefits. My mom has been an indispensable part of this journey as she patiently answers all my questions and shares her immense knowledge on the subject.
I hope that our products bring you utmost joy and happiness as you use them, and bless you with abundant good health. Until next time,
Stay healthy and stay beautiful!
Kavitha Balasubramanian
Founder, Ru