Meet Sarah – the natural deodorant goddess behind the luscious Little Mango brand

Oh Natural: Hi Sarah! Thanks for making time to chat to Oh Natural – our customers are big fans of your natural deodorant and I’m wearing your vanilla scented Little Mango RIGHT NOW! Still smelling scrumptious at 2.30pm on a frantic Friday. Thanks for creating this little wonder!

Sarah: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me! I’m glad you are happy with our natural deodorant.

Oh Natural: We heard that you first took a really hard look at what chemicals you were using on your body when you began breastfeeding your first son. How did this spur you to action? And why was deodorant first on your list to detox?

Sarah: As soon as I had my first born I looked hard into everything I put into and onto my body. Deodorant was a big thing for me, as I was breastfeeding I really didn’t want to apply chemicals so close to my breasts and my baby’s milk supply. It just felt wrong. I tried every natural alternative out there, including splashing apple cider vinegar under my armpits. Nothing worked at all. So I went without deodorant for months. It was pretty bad. Especially with visitors coming to see the baby.

Oh Natural: Well, we and the hundreds of others who have benefited from your natural deodorants thank you for your dedication to creating a really great solution. Your Little Mango deodorants are smooth, cruelty free, vegan, and completely natural – applause! What was your main challenge in creating a natural deodorant that ticked all these boxes?

Sarah: Yes, all of our deodorants are made from pure, natural plant-based ingredients or natural compounds. There is no testing on animals, no synthetic fillers, aluminium, or harsh chemicals. We fragrance our natural deodorants with essential oils and natural fragrance so your body isn’t dealing with synthetic fragrances and the petrochemicals involved in those either. The biggest challenge we faced was getting the absolute perfect formula. My first batch was simple and hard as rock. From there it took me 6 years to get it to a smooth and creamy consistency that also didn’t stain clothes. It’s taken a lot of late nights and hard work!

Oh Natural: Six years! Your natural deodorants honestly do have a super creamy feel, which makes them soft to apply and easy to rub in. We love your packaging in glass jars with recyclable plastic lids – but we hear even better things are planned?

Sarah: Being waste free is really important to us! What we do today determines the world we leave for our children. We have recently changed to a local distributor of jars. It hasn’t completely cut out the plastic lids, but has reduced our carbon footprint and cut the plastic used by half.

Oh Natural: That’s fantastic! Right, now for the big questions – How do we use it, why does it work, and how long will a jar last?

Sarah: Take a small pea-sized amount and rub it under your arms, as you would a moisturiser. You only need a small amount for all-day protection. You may want to use slightly more if you’re going to have a physically intensive day. It’s all about what works for you.

Our specialised Little Mango blend of butters, oils, aluminium-free sodium bicarbonate, tapioca and essential oils create an effective natural deodorant. They don’t block your pores with aluminium like anti-perspirants, instead they allow you to sweat naturally, but it is completely odourless. You only need to use a small amount of natural deodorant, so a jar is likely to last 2-4 months, maybe more.

Oh Natural: Your natural deodorant is just $17.99 in our store, and you make it in New Zealand! We love NZ made, but we’re impressed that you created a well-priced all natural product right here in Aotearoa. Why were you determined to keep it kiwi-made, and was it tricky to make this work?

Sarah: Not at all. There are so many wonderful facilities in New Zealand that support small business. Being New Zealand made, and being a small business is actually one of my stand-out features.

I’m really proud to put ‘NZ Made’ on my product, it really means so much more.

Oh Natural: So, just like Jenna, you have three boys. Kudos! Which scent are you planning to recommend to them when they reach their teens? And which scent does hubby wear?

Sarah: My husband is a pretty manly man, but actually he uses anything that’s available in the bathroom – so often he’ll leave the house smelling like sweet geranium or vanilla! But we have managed to convert even the most anti-natural, old-school men, including his father, to natural deodorant. They use cedarwood as it’s an earthy, woody scent and the most ‘manly’.

  

Oh Natural: What’s next for Little Mango? By the way, cute name, how did you decide on that?

Sarah: I actually wanted a cute, catchy name and mango (as in mango butter) is a star ingredient in our deodorants – so that was it! There are so many opportunities in this space and so many ideas, but for the moment I have big goals to take Little Mango to the top of the natural deodorant world.

Oh Natural: What are your sons’ favourite ice cream flavours? Maybe a possible new fragrance?

Sarah: Ha ha! Goody goody gum drops with marshmellows on top. I have already had several children and a dog get into a natural deodorant and eat them. I don’t think I’ll risk it with that flavour…

Oh Natural: We’re super excited to be sending out a free Little Mango sample to our lovely customers with all orders in December* – thank you very much!

Sarah: Great stuff! If we can get more people using a NZ made product, and a natural product, then that’s a great thing!

* While stocks last!

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