- Hands - Weird Beard
How did you come about discovering this recipe?
Ketura Ellison: I've always had sensitive skin. I was on cortisone cream as a child. During the winter, the backs of my hands would be black from dry, cracked and bleeding skin. When I married my husband, I married into a family of beekeepers. So I had access to some of the purest, most natural honey and honeycomb available.
One day at a market a lovely lady casually mentioned to me an age-old remedy for dry and sensitive skin; olive oil, beeswax and honey. While pregnant with my first daughter, I had time to experiment with this recipe. I used it first on my cracked heels and it worked a treat!
When my daughter was born, and screamed when I put sorbolene cream on her skin, and realised she also had my sensitive skin. I tried every other cream on the market, as she also developed a nasty nappy rash and cradle cap. After a few weeks of frustration, I tried my concoction. The results were instant. After six hours her skin looked almost completely healed. I have used it ever since on her, and she has beautiful clear skin.
Because the ingredients are so simple, and I use the purest and most natural available, Baby Balm works on a variety of ailments. (In fact, it would be perfectly safe to even eat it! Not that I would really recommend the taste...a little bland.) I no longer dread winter, and my skin is the healthiest it is has possibly ever been.
What is the individual significance of honey, olive oil and beeswax for the skin?
Ketura Ellison: Organic, untreated Australian honey is excellent for retaining moisture in the skin. It is also naturally antiseptic when applied to the skin. As I use natural, organic honey directly from our beekeeping family, it is loaded with all the goodness straight from the bees. Real honey soothes and heals wounds. It neutralises chemical burns and can prove to be effective when antibiotics and drugs have failed.
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade available. It is soothing, moisturising and enriching.
The inclusion of beeswax gives it that extra protection, or sealant. It helps provide a natural barrier layer over the skin, while still allowing it to breathe and sweat naturally.
Why is it important for ingredients to be pure/organic?
Ketura Ellison: With very sensitive skin, even a tiny bit of preservative, fragrance or even essential oil can burn like fire. Unless a Baby Balm is 100% natural, pure and organic, it may not work for everyone. I have been making and offering my Baby Balm for over 3 years with a money back guarantee...so far, it hasn't failed yet.
What is the general shelf life of the Nude Butter /Baby Balm, considering the fact that it has no preservatives? And are any of the ingredients natural preservatives?
Ketura Ellison: I still have some of the original batch of Baby Balm, now three years old, and it is perfectly fine. Honey and beeswax keep indefinitely...honey has been found in Egyptian tombs, still perfectly edible. Officially, olive oil has an 18-month to two-year shelf life. However, when blending it with honey and beeswax, it appears to significantly add to its life. It is important, though, that no bacteria is introduced to the balm; always use clean hands.
Elika Bahramrad - Elika is currently studying at the University of Sydney after recently finishing her Diploma in Journalism at Macleay College. She's ...
