Made from pure coconut wax, pure olive wax, dermatologically tested skin and hair grade fragrances, refined botanical oils and pure essential oils, Zee Haus & Co skin and hair care candles are the hydrating, slow-care answer to your dry skin ailments, scarring, fine aging lines and damaged hair. Their unique products are pure luxury on your body, rich in fatty amino acids and vitamin E. When you light their candles, the waxes melt into a pure condensed form of coconut and olive oil, then proceed to infuse and blend seamlessly with the essential oils, botanical oils and fragrances, whilst enhancing the air around you with soothing scents. Here, Zee Haus & Co founder Samar El-hennawy talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, her biggest breakthrough, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I was inspired by my family, my children, by motherhood and by wanting to be a role model to my children to follow their dreams, despite how busy and eventful life may be. My passion stems from being a candle lover and an avid skin and hair care advocate with a dedication to clean and sustainable practices. I had a genuine desire to create an affordable, toxin-free product that fellow parents can trust to provide a safe and nurturing environment around their loved ones: a product that prioritises purity and eco-friendliness that doesn’t just offer delightful indulgence but also fosters a sense of responsibility towards our planet’s well-being.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I researched everything in excessive detail about the product I wanted to create. I bought all the basic materials I could afford at the time, and I practised and tested my product relentlessly until I was able to create the product I had envisioned all along. And so it began: during the day, I was on full-time mummy duties to my three children and from 7:30pm onwards every night, I would transform my humble kitchen into my very own creative lab, where the experimentation and the implementation took place. I would make my treatment serum candles, and, on the weekends, I would sell my serum candles at craft and vegan markets as my amazingly supportive husband would care for our children.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The innovation was the realisation that I can create a clean and tremendously beneficial body and hair treatment serum product in the form of a candle. The ingredients of my treatment serum product are made up of olive oil, macadamia oil, sunflower seed oil and abyssinian oil. I was just missing that last ingredient that bound all these oils together and gave them a platform to be warmed up, therefore maximising their absorption rate into the body and hair once applied. And then it struck me! Pure coconut wax was my final missing ingredient. Pure coconut wax is derived from coconut meat and once melted, becomes a condensed form of pure coconut oil. Coconut wax is used as a natural base for a multitude of skin lotions and hair masks. Furthermore, it is known to aid in the treatment of acne, scarring, fine ageing lines, eczema, dry skin, dry scalp and hair ailments.
I have created seven treatment serum candles within my range made of the same core ingredients. The only difference between them is the amazing range of essential oils and dermatologically tested fragrances. The essential oils add an extra treatment factor to each of the different treatment serum candles. For example, California sunrise serum candle is created to aid with skin and hair ailments but is also created to boost the strength of hair roots and aid in hair re-growth due to the incorporation of Californian blood orange essential oil and mandarin blossom essential oil.
The way it works: when you light your treatment serum candle, it melts all the five core oils, blends them seamlessly, warms them up and thins them out. This means when you blow out your wick and apply your body and hair serum, the oils in its thinned out and warmed up form will be absorbed at a tremendously higher rate. It’s important to note that when you blow out your wick, your oils will not be hot. In fact, they will be a pleasant warm body temperature.
The treatment serum candle was created to fulfill the role of slow, indulging self-care, however, to match a fast-paced lifestyle, which is the realistic lifestyle we all lead in today’s age.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
By the aiding power of the ‘Juice of the Gods’, otherwise known as coffee. I also eat healthy snacks and fit in morning runs. I find when I adhere to this structure, I tend to have more energy and patience to juggle the daily challenges of being a hands-on mother to three very boisterous, amazing children, and the demanding lifestyle of a small home-grown business in its early stages of growth. Some days are hard, some days great, but what I know to always be consistent is that when the babies are fed, loved and in bed, and my serum candles are made, poured and set, I kick back on my couch, and I revel in gratitude at the adventures of the day and at the opportunity to be able to do what I love the most every day.
