THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO
After all these years, even in mid-March, when we’re still encased in ice and snow and it seems like spring will never come, I yearn to go out and harvest - first, comfrey and a little later in the season, all the rest of the beautiful plants.
From day one, my plant mentor, Diana, told me to keep things as close to the earth as possible - wild and local herbs, wooden spoons, glass pots. 25 years later, these are still my tools.
By day two, I fell in love with the ancient medicinal salve-making process from Egyptian times - from chopping the beeswax and gathering the herbs, to infusing them in olive oil. The alchemic transformation of oils meeting well water had me on edge, and I was mesmerized by its magic.
To this day, when my team and I have whipped up a full bowl of cream, we often dream of what it would be like to be up to the neck in a vat of beautiful jasminey body butter whilst drinking a fine cup of tea.
This is what’s at the heart of what we do, simple, old fashioned handmade skin care, we hope you love wearing it as much as we love making it.
COMMUNITY, my numero uno!
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my passion for plants and handcrafted skin care with diverse community groups from the Ottawa Valley and Toronto, as well as in Mexico, Guatemala, and France. One of my proudest moments and best life adventures was in 2017, when I collaborated with the Young Entrepreneurship program at Entre Amigos Community Center in San Pancho, Mexico, where we co-created a skincare line Essencia Naturales using local ingredients—salt, honey, coffee, aloe vera, and bruja (a medicinal plant known as “witch’s broom”). This program focused on fostering knowledge, skills, and self-sufficiency. Essencia Naturales continues today, with 100% of the proceeds supporting higher education for the teens. If you are interested in working with me to create a micro skin care business for your non-profit, please be in contact!