This week 30 May -3 June, is Bee Week. Learn more about what the amazing honey bee does. More than one third of what we eat is the result of intensive pollination by bees! The National Beekeepers Association’s website has loads of really interesting info about the humble bee.

Quite a few of Ree Rata’s body products contain beeswax or honey. Type these into SEARCH on the Red Rata homepage and see what comes up.

Beeswax is a substance secreted by worker honeybees from four pairs of glands on the underside of their abdomens, and it is used for the construction of the honeycomb. Young worker bees secrete droplets of wax called “scales”. One pound of beeswax consists of approximately 800,000 scales. Bees must consume 8 to 10 pounds of food stores to produce one pound of beeswax.

Nutrients in honey promote skin growth, draw moisture to the skin and have a natural antibacterial action. Manuka Honey specifically contains a unique active compound that makes is exceptionally high in antimocrobial and antiseptic properties which make it the ultimate skin healer.

My favourite products that contain beenswax and honey are Tui Bee Balme which is the ultimate for dry skin and baby’s bottoms. I also love the Tui Massage Waxes. Clean Earth Soaps have a fantastic Manuka Honey andCalendula Soap which is devine.

So this week, pop some delicous honey on your toast, use some gorgeous natural body products with beeswax or honey in them and think about those industrious workers that have created these incredible ingredients. Go the Honey Bee!!

Sadly I have no more Herbal Slections Bubble Fun Bubble Bath, lucky last customer will enjoy these wonderful natural bubbles with her littlies

But fear not I have a large supply of the fantastic Made4Baby Bubbles Bubbles bubble Bath, just waiting to bubble up your bath for some fun. And bubble baths aren’t just for kids, adults are allowed to relax in bubble soaked bliss too. Made4Baby natural bubble bath doenst contain any nasty ingredients and comes either fragrance free or a light citrus fragrance.

A huge 250ml bottle is $18. There are millions of bubbles waiting in these bottles so they last a very long time.

Find out more about Made4Baby natural bubble bath here.

Let your mum know she is the best with a special treat, maybe something she wouldn’t buy for herself. Get her some natural chemical free face, hair or body products from Red Rata. All made in New Zealand.

There is a great selection of goodies to choose from, but the Pamper Pack for Her is always a hit. Plus every order for Mother’s Day is gift wrapped and includes a handmade gift card. If you wish it can be posted directly to your mum. Don’t forget we do post overseas!!

Check out the treats we have for your mum and some gifts that are on special this week here. Order now so she gets it before Sunday 8th May.

Oh and Happy Birthday to all fellow mums who share their birthday with Mothers Day this year!  Hope you are in for an extra special treat as I am hoping for xx

Red Rata has stocked Mother-well baby products right from the beginning. I found the gorgeous Tiny Tangerine Baby Wash and the Blissful Babe Massage Oil, when we had our first wee bundle of baby. It was always such a treat to use these products, plus I knew her baby fresh skin wasnt getting anything harmful put on it. I also loved the smell created by the yummy blends of oils.

Mother-well have sadly stopped making these delicous products as they are incorporating a medical practice under their natural health clinic in Auckland.

So if you would like some Mother-well while it lasts, I have 4 Bubble Bee Soaps $2.50 each and one Tiny Tangerine Baby Wash $19. Thats all folks, all thats left, thanks Morella and Mother-well, we wish you well.

Rosehips are the fruit of the rose plant, the round ball full of seeds, left after the plant has flowered. There are quite a few things you can do with Rosehips. You could let the seeds fall to grow more roses. You can make oil from the seeds of selected plants and rub onto your skin which heals scars and rejuvenates skin. Rosehip Oil is in quite a few of Red Rata’s natural body products.

But I found another use for Rosehips today and am now rewarded with a super yummy drink and dessert.

Rosa Canina (Dog Rose) is a scrubby bush that grows everywhere around Central Otago and further afield. I only need to walk across the road and am welcomed by bushes groaning with bright red berries, and leaves that are starting to turn yellow and fall. I picked a kilo of these berries, beware you need gloves. They are basically a ball of red skin, no juice at all, seeds and prickles.

I brought them home, chopped them up, boiled then in water, strained, boiled, strained, boiled, added sugar and wallaaa, had myself 4 beautiful bottles of Rosehip Syrup. It has a fragrant unique smell and taste. Its naturally quite sweet and packed with Vitamin C. Its thick and very tasty. So I can now add water or soda and make a refreshing drink. Or make Nyponsoppa. Yum. This is a think sweet dessert from Sweden that I enjoed when I lived there years and years ago. It would be served in a shallow bowl with a generous helping of vanilla ice cream. Jattegott!! Here is the recipe that I used for Rosehip Syrup.

Here is a fantastic product that Red Rata have just added to the range under HAIR. Botanica’s Mr Nits, removes headlice and lives eggs in just one application. My kids have yet to encounter these creepy crawlies but nevertheless I have heard only good reports as to how effective Mr Nits is.

Mr Nits is free of Permethrin, Alcohol, Chemical Insecticides and Organophosphates. It contains a variety of oils that these wee critters obviously dislike tremendously (coconut, sunflower, jojoba, canola, wheatgerm, balm mint, geranium).

The directions are really easy, apply a small amount of Mr Nits to cover the hair, use the free long-toothed metal comb and comb out the lice and live eggs. Shampoo, then comb again when wet to remove any more lice and eggs. For long hair or stuborn dead eggs, use the included  treatment cap and leave on for up to an hour.

Read more about how effective Mr Nits is in removing headlice and what effects other chemical ingredients can have here.

Headlice is easy to get, especially when children are close to each other such as at pre-school and school. Keep a look out in their hair, tell the teachers if you see any so other parents can be on the alert, and have Mr Nits handy at all times.

Go forth with confidence and say good bye to headlice.

Red Rata welcome fantastic Botanica natural products to our range.

Botanica make a brilliant variety of natural products to soothe, heal and prevent.

My favourite would have to be the Scratchy & Itchy Soothing Gel, ideal for taking the ‘ow’ out of sunburn, bites, minor burns and stings, a must-have, close at hand.

I also love the Botanica Baby Balm with contains zinc oxide to protect precious skin and manuka honey to nourish and heal.

The SPF30 Sunscreen is really handy and zinc oxide based. There are two, one comes in a small tube, the other in a roll on.

One fantastc product is the Botanica Hayfever Gel, incredible!

The Insect Repellent is all natural and it works, tried and tested recently by the whole family at sandfly populated Kidds Bush, Lake Hawea.

Check these natural goodies out under the Body and Baby pages. We would love to hear your thoughts on these, or any products, so please be in touch with your feedback.

Find out what natural ingredients go into your body and home care products, many seem good enough to ea!!

Plant and Nut Oils Rosehip, Olive, Sweet Almond, Arnica, Carrot, Jojoba, Avocado, Apricot Kernal, Sunflower, Castor, Tamanu. These lubricate, nourish and portect your skin and are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. One or a combination of these are used in just about all of Red Rata’s products.

Honey Nutrients in honey promote skin growth, draw moisture to the skin and have a natural antibacterial action. Manuka Honey specifically contains a unique active compound that makes is exceptionally high in antimocrobial and antiseptic properties which make it the ultimate skin healer.

Read more on the website here under Why Natural?

Here is one of our latest additions to our great range of Red Rata natural essentials, the popular and all natural Made4Baby Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubble Bath. A non-irritating, long lasting bubble bath, free from all things nasty.

This bubble bath makes lots of bubbles that last. Kids of all ages love them, even adult kids! Choose a fresh Organic Citrus fragrance, made up of a blend of essential oils, or the Fragrance Free Bubble Bath, ideal for sensitive skin. since becoming a stockist of Made4Baby bubble bath, we have had loads of positive feedback.

“I love the Made4Baby Bubble bath. The bubbles just last forever and my little one has heaps of fun. Plus I know she is safe with no bad chemicats sharing her bath time fun.” Mary from Auckland.

Find out more about Bubbles! Bubbles! Bubble Bath here.

We can now post your parcels overseas. Our new shopping cart will automatically work out postage costs, depending on the weight of the items you buy and which country it is going to. Prices are worked out in 0.5kg increments.

So easy for you to buy a gift at Red Rata and we will post it directly overseas, and include a gift card if you wish. Or if you live overseas, you don’t need to miss out on using your favourite New Zealand made chemical beauty products. If you have any questions about posting overseas then please be in touch