Olga Dumkina: “I feel like a mediator between nature and man”

- Olya, what was your passion for herbs and, as a result, cosmetics from natural ingredients born of?

- I have been with herbs since childhood. We have no grandmothers, healers and herbalists in our family, we also have tea with herbs, until I began to make tea preparations, no one drank. Well, maybe the lime color is brewed with a cold - that's all the herbs. As a teenager, I somehow began to buy literature on herbal medicine and encyclopedia on the treatment of folk remedies. I read, wool, swept out recipes that required some plants unknown to me; tested those compounds for which all the ingredients could be collected in our forest. Cosmetics came as a result. I made my first cream on beeswax as a child from infusion of chamomile and butter. Fortunately, completely different oils, floral waters and natural emulsifiers are now available. From this, completely amazing creams and other care products are obtained.

- Is it possible to look after yourself only with the help of natural remedies?

- I don’t really think about preserving beauty, I am more concerned with the general health of the body. A person cannot be beautiful if something in the body is sick. And good nutrition, an active lifestyle and a good mood make us healthy. And also minimizing the use of chemical and synthetic products in food and care products. And again, I repeat, now there are completely natural alternatives to deodorants, hair spray, and even makeup. Not to mention creams, tonics and cleansers for the face and body.

- Tell me in detail how is the manufacture of cosmetics? Where do you get recipes and technology? How long does it take?

- The manufacture of natural cosmetics is a special ritual that requires careful preparation, space, and this can only be done on special days of the year. Just kidding, of course. But there is some truth in this joke. Indeed, preparation is needed - knowledge; clean, we can say, sterile space and a considerable amount of time. Knowledge can now be obtained in aromatherapy and cremation schools. At the school where I studied, many hours are devoted to the study of physiology, and recommendations are given not only on the creation of skincare cosmetics, but also on the means for the prevention of various diseases. Also studied in detail the composition of oils, both base (grape seed, jojoba, macadamia and others), and essential. They also teach how to work with various natural emulsifiers, talk about the norms for introducing active substances and about compatibility, the effect on the body and skin of natural essential oils. And after graduation, self-education does not stop.

Now I make creams and skin care products both according to my previously created recipes, and by individual order. I work at home, I have a specially equipped place there, I sell the results of work through my website.When it comes to an individual recipe, I ask you to fill out a questionnaire, where there are questions about age, skin condition, the presence of chronic diseases, lifestyle and preference for aromas, because the smell that you like has the most effective effect. Answers to all these questions allow me to create a cream that is ideal for this particular person.

- What, according to your observations, is now in great demand among women in terms of natural cosmetics?

- In anticipation of the summer, sunscreens are actively being asked. Always in the trend means to cleanse, tone and nourish the skin. Many switch to natural shampoos without SLS, other aggressive detergents and parabens. Natural deodorants, by the way, have recently gained particular popularity.

- As far as I understand, you are not familiar with medicinal herbs from books - now you spend a significant part of your time in the village and, you can say, communicate directly with nature. Where is the starting point when a resident of a metropolis turns into a villager for the summer?

- The starting point was the purchase of a house in the village in 2000. In 2001, our daughter was born, and with her I spent the first six months in the village. Fresh milk from a cow, berries from a branch, vegetables from their garden, a dream in the openwork shade of trees in the garden, long walks into the fields - what of this can be realized in the city? Then I became interested in gardening and gardening, took courses in landscape design and could not wait for the next season to enthusiastically translate botanical ideas on my site. I began to grow medicinal herbs that do not grow in the wild nature of our area. To make tea preparations, tinctures and infused oils (macerates), and extracts that I use in the preparation of cosmetics from herbs. In the village I do what my soul lies to. Only there I can live a full life. But I love the city. In the city there is an opportunity to attend training courses, seminars and simply take a breath between the seasons, changing active physical activity to creative.

- A significant place in your "cosmetic creativity" is occupied by funds based on beekeeping products. And you have your own apiary. Tell me about her. Why do you need bees? This is very troublesome.

- An apiary is our inheritance. My husband and I are beekeepers in the fourth generation. They took matters from my father, and he from his father, and so it was before, here we had no choice. As far as I can remember, all the time there are bees, I can not imagine life without them. Yes, and my husband and I like beekeeping. And what's not troublesome? Any business is time, physical strength, attention, excitement and joy, all this is life. Yes, beekeeping requires year-round attention. In March, it is necessary to put the bees out of the winter hut, relocate them to clean hives, then monitor the swarming for a month and constantly monitor the condition of the families, then pump the honey, prepare the bees for winter in October and prepare the hives and frames before spring.

I really love the moment of transfer of honey from hand to hand to customers, I feel like a mediator between nature and man. After all, honey is something special, unique, living life force that nature shares with people.

And in addition to honey, bees give people a lot of other multi-useful products. Do you know about a natural antibiotic that acts only on pathogens without causing dysbiosis, unlike synthetic ones? This is propolis. Do you want multivitamins that are 100 percent absorbed by the body? - This is bee pollen. Beeswax for the manufacture of ointments and creams for dry skin is simply indispensable. Well, how can I not do this? It's all mine-mine.

- Do your family and friends help you in your work?

- Yes, we have a completely family business. All family members are somehow involved in any business. At the apiary, my husband and I are actively helping my husband.I think that soon he will completely replace me, and then I will devote myself to herbs and cosmetics. Only I do cosmetics, I don’t allow anyone into this sacred action. And my daughter and mom are my most active users and the first testers.

Recipes from Olga Dumkina: natural cosmetics available to everyone

First of all, try washing your face with honey! Washing with honey is also suitable for dry. For sensitive and oily skin. Honey cleanses pores, softens and moisturizes the skin, does not tighten. Sugared honey also acts as a scrub.

How to wash with honey

Apply about half a teaspoon of honey previously rubbed in the palms of your moistened skin. You can massage slightly and leave for a while, and then rinse. The procedure can be performed both in the morning and in the evening. But there are contraindications: an allergy to beekeeping products and rosacea.

Wash with rose water

In summer, rose water tonic will help a lot. It is quite easy to prepare it, it is suitable for any type of skin, and instead of roses you can use rose hips. To prepare, take a couple of opened buds and fill them with a glass of hot (not boiling) water. After 20 minutes, strain and pour into a spray bottle. The shelf life of such a tonic is 1-2 days.

Infusion of herbs against hair loss

If there is a problem of hair loss, then treat the hair by rinsing with an infusion of herbs. Herbs can be picked in the summer by yourself or bought at a pharmacy. The composition is: nettle leaves, hop cones, field horsetail grass, oak sage leaves, hypericum flowers, yarrow flowers, pharmacy chamomile flowers.

Two tablespoons of the collection pour 500 ml of boiling water. Add a teaspoon of natural vinegar and let it brew for an hour. Vinegar here is an important component, it helps to draw more nutrients from herbs, and the infusion is more saturated. Plus, the infusion will have an acidic pH, which is necessary to protect hair and scalp health. After cooking, strain the infusion, rinse their hair and wrap your head in a warm towel. Another option is to rub the infusion into the scalp before washing.