Why I changed a career in Conservation-Restoration to focus on Natural Health

The while that took me to come back, so many things changed. One of the main happenings is this one:

I am saying «see you later» to Restoration and Conservation to follow another path, again.

Even though the knowledge prevails I felt as if my path was bringing me in another direction. I believe that sometimes, even trying hard, your life never goes as planned. Or maybe there is something that feels off, i.e. a bit forced.

Whatever it is I asked the wise ones, and along with my intuition I thought: it’s time to leave it behind as an active part of you. In the meantime, active life stopped. So I took the chances to go on regular walks, watching clearly and in detail the plants around me: The shapes and colour they had, how quickly they changed within the season. 

How and idea became an inspiration looking at others ahead

Close people were planting herbs, flowers and plants in their garden. In my case, I took a step back: instead of killing more herbs from the supermarket, I prefered to focus on foraging wild plants.

I ended up doing Herbalism courses about local Irish plants and its benefits. I also moved into making more of my cosmetics at home to go natural and handcrafted.

My point here is that instead of banging my head against the wall I prefered to walk a new path, one that kept me interested and not anxious. In other circumstances I wouldn’t have minded the constant learning but I guess it didn’t click in that way.

I decided to recycle myself again

The reason I get from this is that this knowledge could help people now, instead of working with belongings. Health was more important for me than possessions, in these moments something secondary. I don’t mean bad to the professionals in this realm but as I said: for me something was off. My options weren’t the best and other paths became brighter. I wanted to discover my world through my surroundings, understanding the real reason I never left this country. Trying to get into the magic that makes so many people come back with no clear explanation.

What happens now?

I am working on many things but I am glad to say that magic comes in every day to who knows where to look for inspiration. And maybe that’s the reason I did not want to leave this country yet. 

The experience of beauty has for the most part a particular force. There are times when beauty is shy and hesitates until it can trust the worthiness of the beholder.

John O’Donohue: «Divine Beauty».

Details on my work at the moment

For the moment I focus on my Art in many ways. But I started my own company of handcrafted cosmetics, specially body soap. 

Although the details of that will be revealed in another post. <3

© María M. Mayorga

My care and personal experience with homemade natural cosmetics

This year has been tough for everyone and some of us had seen ourselves in need to be more creative than usual towards an adjustment into saving the little money coming in or the savings already acquired.

Money takes so much effort to get and sometimes not precisely by doing the best job you want to do. My experience has been to save all I could for future times, being alert on where everything goes but not stopping myself from enjoying it.

How did this start for me?

Balance is needed by my point of view and experience to value the things that really matter in my life and give energy to those in particular.

This is an example for cosmetics. I was never a big fan of it. I never used more cream than the summer one. Until my 31 birthday I got my first natural cream from my friends. «What a joke»- I thought. I was lucky to have inherited lovely smooth skin from my grandmother’s side. And by not abusing the use of make-up, it stayed quite stable for a long time.

But years come and I took this present as a part joke and part reminder. The time came when I tried and I loved the sensation before going to sleep. The good thing is that it lasted me almost 2 years! It was expensive but it came a long way and it made me think of the necessity of cherishing my skin in the future years.

How does this come into my personal low-waste movement?

I started making some house products and changes from 2018. The homemade beeswax would come, followed by my micellar water -which I still use- and my deodorant.

Some products are still part of my routine. Others needed adjustment to find my liking. The important thing here is that once I tried some changes it got me creative to either reuse some to my advantage or to acquire the ones I couldn’t make for the moment.

Reminding here that the low-waste movement is one to take lightly, every change has to come when your previous product is gone. I am not implying to throw away all and start anew to look like the Instagram feed you follow. This movement goes into your circumstances. Some people will buy, others will reuse or make what they can.

The main message here, as I always say now, is to basically enjoy the process of discovery.

What kind of products I’ve done so far

Curiosity and love of crafts made me want to explore the products I used and I’d like to make by myself. This would save me tons of money on indie products and the consequent shipping costs from other countries. When I tried local products but did not go with myself I had to look further.

1. Shampoo bar

This is the example of my first shampoo bar, infused with rosemary, nettle and peppermint. It is fresh and it ladders perfectly. And the best part is that it does not leave my hair super greasy as the others did.

After trying 2 or 3 commercial bars I needed to go back to understand my hair and what I was missing. And after some tutorials I learned that I needed to focus on my hair loss and need to reinforce the roots. More nourishing but less greasy oils were considered and used, following a recipe that after trials would give me my first personalized shampoo.

Even though some specialization is needed in the ingredients to add and  the better way to use herbs’ properties, I felt empowered with my effort.

2. Castile Soap

I remember when I saw this one being made in a rural town, with ladies stirring huge wooden barrels in the plain air.

It seemed hard work so I never tried until years ago. First tries are rarely good but at the second one, with a bit more wisdom taken we got the product base. This bar would clean our floors, dishes and hands in an extreme need. Even clothes if I get my mind to it one day!

Basics are needed to understand to unravel the way of making the rest. And this case is the best example to show for my beginnings.

3. Goat’s Milk Body Soap

Ok, maybe the jump was high after getting a shampoo bar and a castile soap in the second try. But the rules were integrated the same way, with exception of subtle changes in the making by integrating the milk.

After 5 months, my skin cannot be more grateful for this new integrant in the family of homemade products!

4. Laundry Soap

I have to admit that I saw many videos of the matter and I was not very keen on trying until I made sure that the results were shared by more people.

After giving my trust to a cosmetic club and a person who spent her time looking into the benefits of a gentle product, I decided to try.

My partner has very sensitive skin and the product needed to be trusted. So when this seemed to be one of the principles along with the biodegradable concept, I invested in it. No complaints afterwards.

5. Body Mist

I never was a fan of smelly perfume that numbs my senses and gets me nauseous.

In time I found some body mist bottles in Tesco and I used them all on those days in which my natural odour needed extra help.

In time I learnt that by mixing essential oils with water and conserved in alcohol I was getting an easy and personalized solution for such a problem.

6. Hand – Face – Body Cream (solid and whipped)

A convert who used to not be a big fan of creams until it was really necessary: I’d use cream for my legs in summer when they were really dried by the spanish sun. Or here in Ireland I found that my hands needed extra moisture due to the cold weather.

With an online course entered in 2020 (great year of learning process) I covered my needs to make solid products that would not require jars. One of the best told once was a hand and face cream.

«Solid? This is a new concept of natural products that is not soap!»- I thought internally while watching a live presentation of the course to come.

I gave my money and time to this course and I learnt so much by just getting to understand all the ingredients. Every product I got made the result more professional and less considered a remedy.

And as a present I got an extra recipe of how to make whipped cream! Now there’s no way to stop me from experimenting…

7. Deodorant (solid and cream)

The products I used were always gentle on my skin. But the reminder here is to know that I have strong genes that adapt well to shitty products.

So this also needed to change, even if back then I saw it as a way to reduce plastic (it’s overwhelming to realise how these two terms go together most times).

I created various recipes that nourished my armpits and did not leave traces on my dark clothes. The mentioned course solved the problem by giving me a way to make my own solid one.

But by creating my creamy version I also get away with no using much water to activate the solid formula when in a rush.

8. Toothpaste (solid version)

The greatest of the greatest disappointments has been to change into this product in particular. And I mean the commercial one. I mentioned in my last post on my Instagram feed how a brand in particular damaged my teeth until a point in which I needed my first filling in life.

Thanks to this lovely Course I made my first solid product that goes better on my. Although, it does not have fluoride so due to fear of going through the same experience again, I use it with a irish natural source tube that will give me peace of mind.

This is the one subject I feel I need to do more research into to get one single product that gives me total confidence. Time will say and I am glad to start a new adventure by getting to know better what it goes into my system.

What kind of products I will need to make in the future to cover my necessity

1. Lip balm
2. Eyeliner and mascara
3. Liquid Toothpaste
4. Dishwasher liquid soap
5. Home cleaning soap
6. Shaving Soap or/and Cream
7. Lavender infused or/and clay Soap

Which products I learnt by chance and now I am glad to have as part of my Care Routine

1. Morning Oil Serum scented with orange (own recipe)
2. Night Solid Serum with Vitamin C
3. Activated Charcoal face soap
4. Micellar water with argan oil, aloe vera and rose water

Which products I did by chance and it’s nice to use but I’d barely use on me and why

1. Make-up base with sun protection
2. Instant made soap and shampoo
3. Conditioner bar

I feel this my life’s work to discover more

I don’t know where I will go from here but I don’t stress (now) about that. The main principle was to create and research according to personal or relatives needs. Shouldn’t it all about that after all?

I also know that this path is not my main one but a very important one that frames my days and makes me more creative and inquisitive in other ways.

Let’s see where the path is to guide me towards. Until then, I hope that you enjoy yours and incorporate something new every now and then.

Have a good one!

© María M. Mayorga

Becoming a Low Waster

Back in Summer of the 2018 I had an awakening - call it an epiphany - after seeing a video that would travel the world into what it woud be called as the Zero Waste. For some people, seeing a turtle suffering because of a plastic straw stuch in its nostrils would mean nothing. Maybe some would react to open bird's bellies full of plactic items taken as food.

I have been recycling since I remember, and from the I started Art and Conservation School I got used to reuse items for other purposes as a clever way to save money, or just out of non-existence of specific items for the matter. I was used to reused jars at home as a way to store food or leftovers. I grew up seeing my grandmother using soap bars in the bathroom and "towel gloves" instead of body sponges. But I did not pay much more attention to the matter until that 2018 I realised that the problem was getting serious. It is really comfy to live in ignorance, right?

Well, the fact of me opening my eyes to the problem made me look closer to my waste plastic bin. Here in Ireland you pay for the recycling services a certain amount twice a year and they pick it up every other week so you can imagine the waste - and the smell if not clean properly - generated in the bins, always bigger than the food waste.

Focus, María, that you are wandering too much, how did you start the process after looking at your waste?

1. Reduced the single use plastics (plastic bags, banned the straws and the water bottles. I never really had coffee to go but I kept it in mind to be reduced)

2. Researched on-line and I made a list of the items that I could get instead of my plastic ones, not going crazy to get all of them but just once the current ones were about to be discarded. And I used what I had before investing my money. Let's be clear, some of the items are expensive but can last forever if well taken care of.

- Aluminium water bottle (Hot/Cold Beverage)

- Metal Tea Infuser

- Candles in glass jars to reuse

- Cloths intead of paper towels

- Wooden picks for laundry

- My first Conditioner Bar

- etc

3. Buy Local and in bulk to avoid package

I used to buy everything in the same supermarket. It was easy and handy, and I would get deals with lots of fruit and vegs that I had to rush to eat. Also, meat and fish would come packaged and with not more flavour.

But I wouldn't realise that until I tried the organic products in my local market every Saturday and Thursday.

Months after, a bulk shop openned in my area, with lots of eco-friendly goods to buy. I could not be more happy, even if the price was a bit higher but I would get exactly what I needed. No package involved.

4. DIY Recipes.

I am an artist and a conservator so I have pretty much learnt to make almost every product from scratch, combining elements to make the perfect cleaner, adhesive or pigment. This part of the journey was a real discovery and real fun to make.

Out of need, my sister and I started once a week to make after reasearch some of the recipes that would use the same main ingrediens:

- Deodorant

- Micelar Water or Make-up Remover

- Beeswas wraps

- Soap (one attempt)

- etc

5. Crafts/DIY/Reuse for daily use ittems.

I remember the items my granny used to have in the house and I could not get anymore in shops so I made it myself:

- Bread cloth bag out of a cotton cloth

- Grocery bag out a cotton dress

- etc

6. 2nd hand shops to ban Fast Fashion

Thrifting for cheap used things became a game when I went down town. I am luchy to have at least 4 charity shops that take any item not wanted and sell them for a tiny price. Even the options on-line would be more appealing than going to fast-fashion shops.

7. Minimalism

It came to a point that I realized I had too much stuff I would take from friends leaving the country. And not all of them were used. So once or twice a month in my cleaning routine I would start a decluttering habit that it would make get happier with the things I really wanted in my life.

8. Do not try to change all at once, enjoy the process of every new discovery and do what it is in your hands and according to your savings.

© María M. Mayorga