Text by Shirin Mehta
Turmeric leaves
How does “farm-to-dressing table” sound to all you lovers of natural products? Well, that is what skincare and cosmetic brand Deyga Organics is offering – products that are all-natural, free of harmful chemicals, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, vegan and made lovingly by hand. And based on Ayurvedic principles and recipes, just like your grandmother used to make. But neatly encased in modern, sustainable packaging. Erode in Tamil Nadu, also known as “Turmeric City” or “Yellow City”, is the country’s largest turmeric market and home of Deyga. “Even before the inception of Deyga, I had affirmed in the concept of sustainability as the only way to protect nature,” says founder Arthi Raguram. “Deyga, being my innovation, is just a reflection of the thoughts I have grown up cherishing.”
Most of the raw materials that go into the brand’s variety of skin, hair, bath, baby care and men’s grooming products come from its own farm, directly from farmers or are procured from organic sources. Turn to the Instagram page of Deyga Farm and discover a bevy of images of fresh green turmeric plants, a myriad of coconut trees and the “74-years-young” Raakimuthu Thatha who shimmies up trees to fell coconuts. There are flowers and berries and seeds – their goodness radiating out of the photographs. “Different products deal with different ingredients. But what I find to be most important, frankly speaking, is ‘knowledge’. It gives birth to fantabulous combinations of natural ingredients that hold the power to surpass the nastiest of synthetic chemicals,” maintains Raguram.
Besides practising ethical sourcing, Deyga Organics also believes in being dutiful towards farmers, reciprocating the love that nature showers with being kind to animals and “being humanitarians in the first place”. Recently, the brand shared tips on starting a kitchen garden during the lockdown, took part in tree growing efforts and generally tried to keep up with its social responsibility ideas. “Besides, minimising the wastage of natural resources, creating products that do no harm to either people or the environment, encouraging afforestation ceremonies, spreading the word about #VocalForLocal and #GoGreen initiatives are some of the ways we are contributing our bit in safeguarding nature. Thus by not using but utilising the natural resources we are blessed with in a wiser way.”
Taking heed of the environment and making much of what nature provides are products like aloe vera gel, beetroot lip balm, herbal hair pack, shea butter lip balm, hair growth oil, charcoal bath bar, coconut milk shampoo bar and a signature acne vanishing combo. So, turn to mother nature for your needs and let Deyga Organics pave the way….
We look at some of the brand’s bestsellers….
Ylang Ylang Mist
The exotic, floral scent of ylang ylang is preserved in this special face mist. When the flowers at the farm turn yellow and highly fragrant, they are picked and placed carefully in baskets, ensuring that the best qualities are retained. Harvesting and weighing complete, the distillation process commences. After about one-and-a-half hours of firing up the still, allowing the steam to penetrate the flowers at a density above 0.955, the ylang-ylang oil is poured out of the tap and collected. This “floral water” is now ready to become the much-loved mist, which is a useful remedy for oily skin.
Charcoal Bath Bar
Charcoal is a great ingredient for cleansing and for removing excess oil from the skin. This bath bar aims to do that and more. Sourced from their own farm, the charcoal is crushed and mixed with lye (sodium hydroxide), along with oils such as olive oil, castor oil, tea tree essential oil and extra virgin coconut oil. While charcoal is known as a drying ingredient, the oils replenish moisture and keep the skin fresh. This vegan, paraben- and fragrance-free bar is cold pressed, pure and 100-per-cent natural. Once the soap mix is ready, it is poured into moulds and shipped worldwide.
Beetroot Lip Balm
Pout-ready, nourished and soft lips, that’s what the Beetroot Lip Balm is all about. This stellar treatment is made with super-fresh beetroot extract and infused with a rich blend of avocado oil, almond oil and jojoba oil, with shea butter and beeswax to soften and hydrate the lips. Once the ingredients are mixed, they are refrigerated to attain a soft, creamy texture. Beetroot juice is also believed to be a natural way of dealing with acne, pimples and oily skin.
Turmeric Healing Face Mask
The turmeric stem and root
The turmeric is harvested by hand from the Erode farm, then cleaned and dried. Some of it is used for making turmeric oil. The remaining is given a “good sunbath”. This dries out the moisture while retaining all the other good properties. Turned into powder, it is then used in several products including the recently launched turmeric face mask. Its gel-like consistency makes it super easy to apply. Designed to improve skin health, the mask is meant to lighten scars and provide a healthy glow. It is an effective concoction of ingredients like turmeric, pure aloe vera, vetiver hydrosol and guar gum, and it also has a natural preservative.
Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe vera plant
The wild-grown aloe vera on the farm is harvested and cleaned, the skin peeled off and the white jelly chopped into bits to ensure that it doesn’t dry out. A cold-process method then converts it into a pure, crystal-clear gel. The gel is stirred slowly to give it its smooth, rich consistency. One of the brand’s top-sellers, it helps prevent acne, hydrates the skin and may even be used to moisturise the scalp.
Hair Growth Oil
A coconut tree at Deyga’s Erode farm
The core ingredient of the nourishing hair growth oil is pure coconut oil. It also has castor oil, grapeseed oil and rosemary essential oil, and strong ingredients like hibiscus and fenugreek.
Sourced fresh from farms, the pure coconut oil forms an integral part of Deyga’s hair growth oil. It is also used in other products like their oil to treat premature greying and coconut milk shampoo bar. Extracted from the milk of the coconut, this oil does not undergo any refining process like regular coconut oil does. It therefore retains all its nutrients, making it a highly potent ingredient.
Pure coconut oil has the property of forming a protective layer over hair strands to help prevent breakage and split ends. It leaves hair feeling healthy and nourished.