A personal business that offers quality, natural, homemade health and beauty products, and seeks to help raise awareness about a range of mental illnesses; 10% of profits will go to To Write Love on Her Arms. I was living with a good friend who suffers from Lupus, an extremely painful disease that causes the body to become confused and fight the good parts of the body rather than the bad. As Yule and Christmas neared, I worked to find a meaningful gift for my roommate for the season. After being given a few recipes for homemade products such as lip balm and body balm, I decided to do some extensive research into essential oils for pain relieving properties. When my roommate got her Christmas gift and got to try it, I couldn't have imagined the amazing results. Over the next few weeks, we and some of the people closest to me tried this salve for various things and found a surprising number of uses for it: sunburn relief/healing aid, anti-inflammatory, migraine relief, sore muscle relief, bruising pain relief/healing aid... I was stunned! If I hadn't tried it personally, I wouldn't have believed it myself. This drove me to do more research into essentials oils, and the making of more natural health and beauty products. Over the course of 2016 I worked on my formulas and began working on a plan to get these awesome, natural products out there. As a new mama, I had very little time to do much to make a few things, research, and plan. While I spent the year trying to set my business up, I doubled my efforts in fighting my Depression and Anxiety that I've struggled with my whole life. I began to share my story with others and work on seeking help for myself again, hoping to raise awareness and to let others know that they are not alone in their battle. By the end of the year, I realized these two ideas do not have to be mutually exclusive. Why not make a product that can help the physical while both coming with information to help the mental/emotional, and donate a part of the proceeds to an organization that works to help others with the same struggles and issues? Healing Mama Hands is dedicated to providing quality products that come with information on help for mental illnesses, suicide prevention, and addiction; in addition, 10% of all profits will go to To Write Love on Her Arms", a nonprofit organization "dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide."
