The Journey behind Parama Naturals

As with every great idea or invention, Parama Naturals was born out of necessity--the necessity to banish the innumerable chemical-laden products in our day-to-day life and embrace the pure, nourishing and holistic gifts of nature instead.

The Wake-Up Call

The birth of my daughter, Sanchita, was what pushed me to reconsider all the products that we consume or use.

Random things would trigger allergic reactions in her. Sanchita was highly allergic to even some of the most popular baby oils and skin-care products, which would make her break out into a hives-like rash. Her asthma would act-up in response to some strong fragrances in cosmetic products that I used or even some floor-cleaning liquids. Moreover, I became mindful of their effects on me too. I remember buying an age-defying cream by a leading brand as I turned 40. Just a single use led to an almost instant onset of a headache.

All of this, and more, forced me to take a serious look at the labels on every product we used. I realized that there must be many more harmful changes occurring within our child that were completely unknown to us. So I would watch out for the slightest of reactions to any chemicals going into her body directly or through a fragrance. We started evaluating this on a variety of fronts- foods, condiments, preservatives, allergens, personal products, household cleaners, you name it!! 

Read More about deciphering product labels in our blog 'Reading and Understanding Product labels'.

I knew I had to make a drastic change and switch to products made of natural ingredients. However, even products from renowned, international, and so-called ‘eco-friendly’ brands contained some or the other kind of artificial preservative or fragrance despite claims of using 'natural or herbal' ingredients. So, while many of Sanchita's reactions reduced considerably, they would still get triggered.  

The First Step

Our quest was inadvertently answered when my husband and I decided to invest in a company making pure plant extracts using a chemical-free process, approved by the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia. We experimented with creating different things with these extracts of natural herbs and spices. These extracts were absolutely pure without any trace of pesticides or heavy metals, yet retaining the best active ingredients.

I simply loved the turmeric oil that we made, which had phenomenal benefits as per Ayurvedic texts, traditional wisdom and also as per modern scientific research. It was so versatile and seemed to work on most aspects of skincare and wellness. 

Applying the core concepts of Ayurveda, I made a turmeric-based generic, multi-purpose face and body oil which each of our family members could use in order to keep it simple and fuss-free. Now I knew every ingredient going into the mix and was sure that my family and I were getting the best and purest products possible. We began using this oil on a daily basis. Apart from it not causing allergic reactions for my daughter, it helped my husband and mother-in-law with their dry and itchy patches, which they had developed due to psoriasis. The turmeric aroma of this oil was, interestingly, very soothing and relaxing. Moreover, it did not linger on for too long for it to be unpleasant, nor did it  interfere with any other perfume that I occasionally felt like applying. Slowly, our entire household had made the switch and since then, there’s been no going back. 

Sharing the goodness

I soon earned the reputation of being a repository of natural healing solutions among our friends and they would often ask me for remedies for their health issues. A couple of them complained about some unpleasant reactions to the skin-care products they were using. One of my friends got an allergic reaction on her face due to the chemicals in cosmetics. Another was unable to safely use sunscreen and a rash broke out all over her arms every time she did. Yet another had become allergic to her regular lipstick.

Highly comfortable with our own products and sure of them being completely natural and safe, I gave one of them the face and body oil that I made, hoping it might help her the way it had helped my family. And soon enough, not only did her skin issues disappear but others began to notice the improvement in her complexion. When she told them about how she had benefited from the "Oil that Geeta made", a bunch of others requested the same face oil for themselves. 

The feedback from the friends who used my Turmeric oil was encouraging and gratifying to say the least. According to them, the benefits they got from that one single product-- the turmeric face oil (with coconut, sesame, almond oil)-- were what that they would have otherwise got from a combination of many products like moisturizers, night creams, lotions, toners and serums. 

I advised them that they could get the same results using home-made face packs too. However, it soon became clear that just sharing knowledge was not enough. DIY solutions using homemade packs was far too inconvenient, time consuming or messy because most people lead busy lives. So, despite knowing the ill-effects, people still resorted to commercial skincare products, something I had experienced during my own hectic corporate career and busy jet-setting lifestyle.

My friends egged me on to make more of such products for them to buy. Since I had long felt a calling for integrative healing, and realizing that skincare was a core and important part of wellness (Abhyanga or oil application is an Ayurvedic routine recommended for all on a daily basis, Dincharya), I decided to go ahead and share the benefits of my oils beyond my friends and family too.

Taking the Leap

I was apprehensive about starting a business in skincare products because I was neither a doctor, nor a cosmetologist and also lacked a typical entrepreneurial mindset. However, the cause was greater than my apprehensions. So we discussed the idea with some doctors, had them use the products, took their feedback, incorporated their suggestions for improvement, and decided to bring our products to a larger audience. 

Armed with the positive response about the wide spectrum of benefits that people got from our turmeric oils along with the conviction that skincare and wellness are closely linked, we finally took the plunge and thus was Parama Naturals born. 

Use it to believe it. Try out the Parama Naturals range of products for yourself. We promise you'll fall in love with them and come back for more. Click here to explore the choice of face and body oils offered by Parama Naturals.

Read here to understand how the power of Turmeric benefits your skin and overall health. 

Happy customers have happy stories to tell. Read about their experience with Parama Naturals Products here.