Love of natural products inspired by memory of baby Realta

THE tragic loss of a premature baby girl, who she named Réalta, prompted Castlebar cosmetician Stephanie Kilkelly to name her handmade skincare company in memory of the tot.

Now Réalta Naturals is scenting success with a wide range of products for sensitive skins, writes Tom Gillespie.

Stephanie, from Derryharriff, Castlebar, works as manager at the Tobin Health Care Centre, Castlebar, three days a week and devotes the other four days to her passion.

“I have a love of all things natural,” she says. “The scent of nature gives me goose bumps, from the smell of the sea or freshly cut grass to lavender plants in my garden. Nature brings me to somewhere pure, natural and safe, which is exactly what my skincare range is.”

Having used essential oils for as long as she can remember, she has always made potions and blends to heal skin conditions. She became an aromatherapist to fully understand the therapeutic effects of essential oils.

Stephanie explains how it all came about: “I wanted to use moisturiser that was as natural as possible, but I couldn’t find one that I was happy with, so my quest began. I took out my bowls, whisks and spatulas and got to work. My goal was to make luxurious, natural skincare without all the nasty chemicals at a price everyone can afford.

“My skincare range is filled with all kind of goodies, from beautiful nourishing oils and therapeutic essential oils to natural anti-aging ingredients.”

You can buy her ‘ready-made’ natural skincare range off the shelf or from the website, or you can custom order your own products.

“You request it and I will manufacture it for you,” she said. “You decide whether you would like your moisturiser to be thin or thick in consistency. You decide whether this month you would like it to have a scent of roses, oranges or lemons or whatever your favourite essential oils are. You decide what skin benefits you need. I will, of course, be adding in the therapeutic oils for your skin benefits.

“If you have allergies, inform me so I can omit the oils that you cannot tolerate.”

Réalta Naturals offers customers a natural skincare range, with products that are freshly made in small batches. If you have very sensitive skin, are allergic to fragrances or if you have a skin condition such as eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis, Stephanie will make a bespoke product for you.

She added: “A lot of people ask me to make a certain produce. Someone asked me to make them a chilblain cream because they couldn’t get one to suit them. Someone else asked me to make one for their child who has eczema and is allergic to almost everything. So I tried to make her something. I probably don’t get it right the first time but I will keep trying and maybe get it right on my fifth attempt.

“People need to have a service like this out there that is different. I custom make stuff. If you can’t get a product out there then I can make it for you. I buy Irish where possible but what I can’t get here I get from England.

“When I give my creams out to people I advise them to patch test them first because there might be something that does not suit you and if it doesn’t work I will make a different one and tweak it. ”

Stephanie explained the selection of the name for her company: “I lost a baby at 17 weeks and I named her Réalta. This is a lovely way for her to live on and for her to grow and for everyone to talk about her.”

She added: “There is no need for ‘nasty’ chemicals in the products we use. We need to become more health and skin aware.”

The product range includes cleansers, toners, moisturisers, multi-vitamin creams, anti-aging serums, body butters, lip balms, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, salt scrubs, bath salts, natural soaps, and goat’s milk soaps. The men’s skincare range includes moisturisers, after shave spritzers and shaving soaps, to name but a few.

Stephanie also uses the latest anti-aging ingredient, hyaluronic acid, which is known as the ‘fountain of youth’ - it’s like magic for wrinkles.

Her products are for sale in Henaghan’s Healthfoods, Castlebar, and Staunton’s Pharmacy on Main Street, Castlebar. You can contact Stephanie at (087)1328323,  email steph@naturals.ie, or see www.naturals.ie and Facebook.

 

Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.