Reem Al Khalifa always had visions of living in a secluded cave and concocting different potions all night long like a druid. “I wanted to have a huge cabinet filled with plants and scary, potent essences that can manifest into magic,” she says proudly. With this dream embedded deep in her spirit and armed with a love for herbology, Al Khalifa founded Green Bar, an online store for natural face and body oils. All the products are based on plant-based oils which are then infused with nature’s best, before then being aged “so that all the ingredients become friends.”
Representing a crossroads of Middle Eastern ingredients and old world knowledge about the almost magical healing properties of plants, Al Khalifa equates her passion for plant life to the supernatural. “They’re ethereal, they seduce me, and I can’t understand them,” she says paradoxically. Then again, if there is someone who can tease out the mystery and power of plants and their scents for the benefit of society, it is Al Khalifa, who has trained in California with Mandy Aftel – a leader in the field of natural perfumery. “Plants have so much to offer, not just a fleeting scent but a lot of blessings too, which is why I work with the natural essences exclusively,” says Al Khalifa. “Only the natural can bring on abundant blessings.”
Certainly learning the art of natural perfumery in new age California rather than traditional France was a distinguishing characteristic of Green Bar. “I knew France was wonderful but it’s such an old institution and I am unorthodox in my passion,” she asserts. “I found out there was a movement that had started in – where else – California and I followed my instincts there.” She has also spent much time learning about Eastern healing methods such as in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, both being cultures which boast a wealth of ancient knowledge and healing power with respect to plants, herbs and fragrances.
Undoubtedly, Al Khalifa’s spiritual twist regarding her work was inspired to a certain extent by her eight years of yoga practice that is still going strong. In her own words, practising yoga has lead her to “create alchemy for our moods and take matters into our own hands to encourage better vibes.” She insists “Green Bar is not only about a superficial glow, but to get people glowing from the inside and outside too.”
In her quest to upgrade the quality of her life and everyone else’s in the process, Al Khalifa sums up Green Bar as a “genuine product to inspire a more genuine approach to life.”
There may be a safer side to these products as well, since they use simple, all-natural ingredients. “I believe in working with the elasticity and oil is much safer on the glands and very comforting to the nervous system,” says Al Khalifa. Overall, Green Bar’s uniqueness is due to Al Khalifa’s resolve to keep it simple and completely natural. “Any thing else will give you a lie and will give you what you ‘think’ you want, which is dangerous.” She is confident that a more authentic approach always delivers “pleasant surprises” in terms of real benefits.
Even with so much to offer, Al Khalifa is deliberately keeping Green bar a small affair. A team of three to eight people work with her to put together these potions. “I get such a kick out of working in this field, and it feels very productive.”
Initially sceptical, the family has rallied around her, helping to administer and manage the business. “It was a lonely place at first. No one was interested in my curiosity and I had to venture out on my own.” Indeed, none of the people who surrounded Al Khalifa wanted to spend time with her in a botanical garden or hours in a pharmacy in order to truly understand the wonders of these products. But the universe had other plans for her, “the discovery of one’s purpose usually sets everything straight in your life, and all of a sudden you have a feeling of what it feels like to be in tune with life and your whole life experience starts making sense.” A friend and cancer survivor encouraged Al Khalifa to pursue her dream, and soon all her friends and family were solidly behind her. “I believe that we are all – with time –attracted to only one thing, and it’s the truth.” While women in the Middle East and beyond have embraced Green Bar wholeheartedly, a surprising number of men have climbed on the bandwagon, reflecting changing attitudes about cosmetics and the trend to select all-natural products. “A lot of women tell me that their husbands are using up their body oil.” (Green Bar’s face elixir has proven particularly popular with Bahraini men, who are happy to solve the problem of tight skin in the country’s harsh weather conditions).
Overall, the Middle East features strongly in Al Khalifa’s concept and marries well with Green Bar. In the meantime, high demand for the products is encouraging her to think seriously about expansion. Al Khalifa is currently conducting research into local and regional ingredients that can be incorporated into her concept. “I plan to support local producers of essential oils and plant oils, fostering Middle Eastern productivity and creativity, as I believe channelled creativity is the only tool that can bring peace to the world.”
Green Bar products are sold directly through the website and by telephone, as well as at select health stores and high-end boutiques. Al Khalifa also has plans to feature her products in notable pharmacies across the Middle East, and is open to cooperation with interested parties. If more of us think the way she does, we could be living in a utopian Arabian paradise.
HYPERLINK "http://www.greenbarinc.com" www.greenbarinc.com
