Dapur Alami The Natural Kitchen

So what is this business we are up to? Well currently twiddling our thumbs while waiting for the department of manpower computer system to start functioning so that our working permit applications can be processed. Hence us heading back to Blighty in the dead of winter so we can earn some moola and see friends and family before things kick off.

But when that magical thing happens? Offering Natural Skincare Making Classes in an idyllic island setting of course 😉 .

Here’s the official blurb… Our goal in setting up Dapur Alami The Natural Kitchen was to share with others how easy it is to make your own 100% natural products with no artificial chemicals, preservatives or other nasties, in sustainable and reusable packaging.

We’re not chemists, aromatherapists or beauticians, our experience comes from life.  We’re a couple who had been struggling with reducing the amount of disposable plastic we bought and used for a number of years and found one of the hardest places to make the change to a more eco-friendly, sustainable way of living was in the bathroom.  Shampoo, shower gel, body and facial moisturisers, cleansers, toothpaste – practically everything we used in the bathroom came in plastic.  Plastic that although is billed as being recyclable, we knew wasn’t being.  Conservative estimates are that only 9% of all plastic waste is actually being recycled, The rest? It ends up in landfill or in our oceans.

We were also fed up with the amount of artificial chemicals, preservatives, and other mystery ingredients, with names we couldn’t even pronounce, in the products we were using and so began seeking out more natural, sustainably packaged alternatives. 

The products we discovered did as good a job, and in most cases better than the artificial, chemical packed ones we had been using.  Sure, some took a while to get used to, toothpaste for one!  But to be plastic free?  Totally worth any adjustment and we both now prefer the more natural options we use. 

The only downside was that a lot of them came with a hefty price tag.  Which led us to the logical question, in our minds anyway, of ‘How easy would it be to make our own?’  In most cases, pretty easy as it turns out, mostly cheaper and a whole lot of fun too. 

There really is no limit to the toiletries you can make at home such as facial balm, soap, shampoo, lip balm, conditioner, moisturiser, deodorant, body scrub and even toothpaste. 

As the people behind Dapur Alami The Natural Kitchen, we are doing our best to leave as little negative impact on this wonderful planet as we can.  In stocking the classes we have used as many repurposed, recycled and second-hand items as possible, and where hygienic to do so.  We made our aprons from my grandma’s unused curtain fabric.  Our hand towels are cut down from discarded ones.  Our knives from a charity shop.  We are far (so very far) from perfect, but if we all tried to make more sustainable choices, the difference we could collectively make would be mind-blowing. 

If you want to know more we have an Instagram account set up @DapurAlami.TNK and a website page which will be set up soon but currently forwards to the hated FaceBook www.DapurAlami.Com

Once we are up and running Dapur Alami The Natural Kitchen will donate 5% of all profits to Paws of Lembongan, a wonderful not for profit organisation running a vaccination and sterilisation programme for the dogs and cats on the island. www.gofundme.com/f/paws-of-lembongan-vaccinations