The story behind Native Self

Native Self was born from a journey of discovery of both body and mind.

Creating these all-natural skin care products was a large part of that journey and helped me realise the importance of self-care.

Learning to embrace my body, stretch marks, and scars encouraged me to explore the best way to take care of it, so Native Self began.

Hello, I'm Steph, the founder of Native Self 👋🏽⁠
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Self-care has never been as important to me as it is now. ⁠Perhaps I took it for granted before I had kids. I think back to my youth and how unincumbered and selfish I was with my time – it always seemed like it would last forever.⁠
Society also has this weird way of looking at mothers like martyrs. ⁠This beacon of strength, selflessness, and a constant river of love and goodness, like we aren't actual people anymore, with our feelings and ambitions outside of having a baby. After my second baby, this was when I began the Native Self—the beginning of a complete and holistic healing process.⁠
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I thought about my childhood, my unrealistic expectations, motherhood, what it means to love, and most importantly, what it means to love yourself—something I had never even thought about. I began becoming more aware of my thoughts, feelings, and body. I started to understand the importance of self-care and how much better I seemed after taking the time for myself—how much more of myself I had for everyone else. I took more notice and care of what I was putting into and onto my body.⁠
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I first started making bath bombs for my son's eczema-prone skin, and after seeing the results, I made different products, from lip balms to creams. Knowing what I was using on my skin brought me so much joy; I formed a new relationship of respect I had never had with myself.⁠
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It’s now clear what forms of self-care work for me. Spending time alone, reading, or journalling helps me clear my mind. Exercise is vital to staying on top of depression. Cold showers are the fastest way to release pent-up anxious energy. But most of all, treating myself with care and compassion has changed my life.⁠
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If there is one thing to remember from all this, self-care is not selfish; it’s necessary. Self-care is, after all, self-love.⁠
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That's why here at Native Self, we are all about empowerment, health in both body and mind and self-love through self-care. We are here to help you heal in more ways than one 🤍