As you will probably imagine, Cocoaloha Surf sunscreen wasn’t born overnight. Going through one of the roughest patches of my life, I created CocoAloha Surf and was able to turn my life around and continue my one passion: SURFING.. Let me go into a little more detail so you will be able to see that CocoAloha is so much more than just organic sunscreen.
My name is Gita, I am originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, now calling both Hawaii and Bali my homes. I am a surfer girl who grew up in a city. This was to change when I moved to Bali in 2008. It was not long after that when I found myself on a surfboard for the first time, feeling the power of the water, the thrill of surfing down the face of the wave, being one with the ocean for the very first time. I was hooked. All I wanted to do was surf, so I quit my job to jump into the ocean every day. Since then I have kept my work flexible to be with the waves as much as possible.
Back then, nothing was organic. I hadn’t actually thought about the ingredients of the products I was using much, until someone who later become my husband introduced me to the organic lifestyle. I learned all about the ingredients of my face creams, soap, shampoo etc. – and obviously my sunscreen. Reading about the chemicals and all the bad effects they have on my skin and the environment inspired me to make my own products. I didn’t want those chemicals on my skin anymore. Have you ever thought about why all sunscreens have that distinct sunscreen smell? Yes, that’s thanks to the chemicals they all share – the chemicals I wanted to get rid of as much as possible.
In 2015 I moved to Hawaii. I started taking birth control pills, which my body was going to make me regret for a long time to come. Completely throwing my hormones out of whack, my face started getting dark patches. Changing the contraceptive pill, using different kinds of skin care, switching my diet, quitting the pill – nothing helped. The more time I spent in the sun, the worse it got. I went to see doctors, read up on everything there is to know about my skin condition called “melasma”. I started using chemical sunscreen again – SPF 50+, SPF 70, SPF 100, spent fortune on face care cream – nothing worked, it just got worse. I was heartbroken. I was grumpy. I was sad and frustrated. I didn’t want people to see my face anymore. I barely left the house. I nearly gave up surfing, thinking I should avoid the sun at all cost.
After months of research I found out about thanaka powder & Annatto. I experimented with the ingredients, using several kinds of natural sun protection as you can see on CocoAloha ingredients label.
I used the sunscreen I made day in, day out. For surfing, for gardening, for everyday life. After a while I finally saw what I had been waiting for: the blotches on my face started to fade. I had found a solution. I was able to live my passion and found myself in the water every day again. Thanks to my homemade sunscreen my skin condition was under control. I was happy again. I left the house again. I surfed again. I lived again.
At that time, I just made the sunscreen for myself, I was just happy I had found something that worked for my skin. Until some of my friends tried it and asked for more. It wasn’t just good for my own skin condition, others enjoyed the benefits of my organic sunscreen as well. This made me even happier. In 2017 the first batch of CocoAloha Surf sunscreen was made, with just ten tins. After receiving incredible feedback from friends and friends of friends I started making more. I first only had CocoAloha Surf sunscreen in my own skin tone, but wanted to offer something for every skin type, so I started making white and beige ones. After all it’s not just about my own skin anymore, now I want to show everyone the great benefits Cocoaloha Surf sunscreen can have for their skin.
Sometimes it’s the bad times that make you rise up higher than before. Sometimes the rocks life throws in your way are simply stepping stones to a brighter future. Sometimes everything in life just comes together, even if along the way you struggle to see it. Sometimes the worst things in life turn out to be the best damn thing that ever happened to you. This is what happened to me. I went from almost quitting my one passion to making Cocoaloha Surf sunscreen that doesn’t just help my skin condition but actually also helps others and helps protect the environment. What more could I ask for?
Do you want to be part of the Cocoaloha Surf journey? Get your CocoAloha Surf sunscreen and give your skin and the environment a treat!!