Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal comes from bamboo and is known to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-microbial, giving it amazing healing properties. Due to its porous structure, activated charcoal is able to draw toxins from your skin, making it helpful for those with skin irritations such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and dry, cracked skin.
Alkanet Root Powder: Alkanet root powder is a natural colorant that gives soaps and products a beautiful purple hue. Therapeutically, alkanet root is known for its astringent and anti-microbial properties, but is typically utilized for its deep, rich color.
Apricot Kernel Oil: Apricot kernel is a heavier oil, but absorbs quickly making it great for all skin types—especially those with sensitive skin. Apricot kernel oil won’t leave a thick residue, as the skin easily absorbs this conditioning and moisturizing oil.
Arrowroot Powder: A plant starch often used as a substitute for cornstarch, arrowroot powder is often used in body care for its absorption properties. It can also impart a silken texture that will soften and sooth skin irritations.
Avocado Oil: Expeller pressed from the avocado fruit pulp, avocado oil is highly therapeutic and great for those with dry, dehydrated, aging and sun-damaged skin. With an abundance of Vitamins A, D and E as well as amino acids, avocado oil is supremely healing and deeply moisturizing.
Baking Soda: Even though most of us are familiar using baking soda in the home for cooking or cleaning, it is also a great addition to bath and body products due to its clarifying properties. It absorbs excess oils on the skin and hair, and detoxifies when used in a soak.
Beeswax: Beeswax, which is harvested from honeycombs, is known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral benefits. The wax forms a light yet protective barrier on the skin that prevents damage and draws in moisture.
Bentonite Clay: Bentonite clay is known to have astringent and cleansing properties, which makes it great for absorbing excessive oils, sweat/odors and toxins from the skin. As an additive in our shave bar, benotnite clay makes the lather nice and slick—perfect for avoiding nicks while shaving.
Calendula: An incredibly soothing plant, calendula has been used since ancient times for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. This yellow flower, also known as pot marigold, calms skin irritations, inflammations, redness and dryness, and is delicate enough for those with super sensitive skin.
Cane Sugar: Cane sugar is an exfoliating agent that helps remove dead skin cells, leaving your skin feeling rejuvenated. The gentle scrubbing action will soften your skin and give it a soft, healthy glow.
Canola Oil: A penetrating oil that is great for imparting a deep penetrating moisture to the skin. Canola oil is often used in hair care due to its conditioning properties, giving hair luster and softness.
Castor Oil: Produced from castor seeds, castor oil is known for its humectant properties. This means it is able to attract and lock in moisture to the skin. Castor oil is super thick and moisturizing which helps create a nice creamy lather in soap.
Chamomile: Often found in tea to soothe the mind before bed, chamomile used in body products has the same effect on the skin. Chamomile contains natural anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and muscle relaxing properties, which helps it to calm minor skin irritations such as rashes, redness or sunburn.
Citric Acid: Derived from citrus fruits, citric acid is largely used to help balance pH levels in body products. We use citric acid in our lotion formula to ensure a more stable final product.
Cocoa Butter: Due to its hardness, cocoa butter is able to form a protective layer on your skin that locks in moisture. Cocoa butter is emollient, which means it softens and soothes rough, dry and cracked skin. In soap, it makes a nice hard bar with a rich and creamy lather.
Coconut Oil: A Mama favorite, coconut oil is deeply penetrating giving your skin extreme moisture. Coconut oil is often a key ingredient in cold process soaps because it lends a rich, thick and fluffy lather to the bar. Either used on its own, or mixed into soaps and products, coconut oil leaves your skin feeling hydrated.
Coffee: Not only a great way to wake up in the morning, coffee has super deodorizing powers. The caffeine found in coffee helps absorb and neutralize stinky smells on your skin from the kitchen and elsewhere such as garlic, onions, fish and plain ole sweat. Also, coffee grounds added to soap is a great way exfoliate the skin.
Comfrey Root: Comfrey Root has been used for centuries to heal muscles and sooth the skin. Due to the prominent levels of mucilage—a gel like substance that is used to soften—and allantoin—a compound that is known to regenerate skin cells—comfrey root is known to sooth swelling and bruises, as well as ease skin inflammations and irritations.
Cornmeal: Cornmeal gently exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells and leaving you soft and glowing. Due to its mild characteristics, cornmeal as an exfoliator will increase blood flow to the skin without being abrasive.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a powder that is used to soften the skin. When used in bath and body products it can impart a silky texture to bath soaks, as well as help to absorb excess oils from the skin and hair.
Emulsifying Wax: Emulsifying wax is used to bind the moisturizing carrier oils and water in our lotion recipe. This combining action ensures our lotions stay thick and creamy, without separating.
Epsom Salt: Typically used in a bath or a foot soak, epsom salts are known to ease muscle and joint pain, sooth skin and relax the body. It is also said to have detoxifying properties, clearing your skin of irritations.
Himalayan Pink Salt: Himalayan Pink salt is known to help those with skin irritations such as psoriasis and eczema, due to its detoxifying properties. When used in a bath, this pure salt can help sooth a variety of skin irritations, bites and blisters.
Honey: Rich in vitamins C, D and E, honey is known to hydrate and deeply moisturize the skin. Having anti-septic, anti-bacterial and astringent properties means it is great for healing. An added bonus is that honey is a humectant, which means it locks in natural moisture, leaving your skin super soft.
Jojoba Oil: Although we call it jojoba oil, it is actually a liquid wax that mimics the structure of our skin’s sebum—an oily substance secreted from the skin for hydration. Jojoba oil is deeply moisturizing, yet gentle which makes in great for those with sensitive, acne prone or aging skin.
Lavender: Well known for its calming properties in aromatherapy, lavender is also a wonderful herb for soothing the skin. Due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties lavender can ease inflammation, irritations, redness, bites and minor scrapes.
Lemon Balm: Lemon balm has been used for centuries to aid in the healing of various skin irritations such as bug bites, redness and itching. The leaves of the herb can be used as a mild astringent, but is typically used for its calming properties.
Mango Butter: Mango Butter is a great moisturizer that is rich in essential fatty acids. Mango butter is great for those with dry, aging or sun damaged skin, and its emollient properties leave your skin feeling nice and soft.
Marshmallow Root Powder: When used in products, Marshmallow Root powder lends a gel-like or slippery consistency due to high levels of mucilage found in the herb. This gel will sooth, soften and help to heal skin irritations such as redness, rashes, minor burns or dry/rough skin.
Oatmeal: The soothing, calming and softening benefits of oatmeal are numerous. When added to a bath, oatmeal will soften the water to relieve dry, rough and itchy skin. When added to soaps, oatmeal provides a very gentle exfoliation that is suitable for any skin type.
Optiphen Plus: Optiphen plus is a synthetic, paraben-free preservative we use in our lotions. Water, a main ingredient in our lotion recipe, has the potential to harbor bacteria. To ensure our lotions are bacteria free and less prone to rancidity, we choose to use a very small amount (less than 1% of the recipe) of optiphen plus.
Olive Oil: Skin care gold, olive oil attracts moisture to the skin without clogging pores. It forms a nice light barrier on the skin that holds moisture close without being super heavy. Olive oil is a great moisturizer for all skin types.
Palm Oil: The primary use of palm oil is to harden cold process soap, and is rarely used on its own. The added hardness from palm oil makes for a longer lasting and more durable soap bar that won’t just melt away. **Due to the harmful effects palm oil cultivation can have on the environment, we only use organic, sustainable palm oil in all of our soaps.**
Peppermint: For centuries, peppermint leaves have been used to help relive a variety of ailments. The menthol found in peppermint provides a cooling effect on the skin, and also provides antibacterial properties. Peppermint is known to help sooth muscle and joint pain.
Pink Kaolin Clay: Derived from granite, pink kaolin clay is known for its purity and gentleness. Pink kaolin clay will detoxify the skin by removing toxins and dirt, without excess drying. This clay can be used on all skin types, and it will leave your skin feeling super smooth.
Pumice: Pumice is a volcanic rock that when ground transforms into a super fine exfoliating agent. Although the powder is soft, pumice is nice and scrubby, which makes it perfect for getting rid grime and grit.
Rosemary: Although we typically think of its culinary use, rosemary is also great for body care. This herb is said to increase blood flow to the skin, which can help alleviate muscle and joint pain.
Safflower Oil: Great for use on normal skin types, safflower oil will smooth the skin. Safflower oil is very moisturizing and is known for its nourishing qualities.
Sage: Not only great in the kitchen, sage is used on the skin for its astringent properties. Often used as a toner, sage will leave your skin feeling clean and smooth.
Sea Salt: Full of minerals that help enhance your skin, sea salt is a wonderful addition to your soak in the tub. Sea salt is known to rejuvenate by softening, exfoliating and replenishing the skin.
Shea Butter: A super thick butter, shea is used to repair and protect irritated skin. It is said to reduce the appearance of scarring, and brings much needed moisture to dry or sun damaged skin. Shea butter can be used on all skin types providing deeply moisturizing and softening benefits.
Soy Wax: Providing cleaner air quality when burned as a candle, soy wax does not give off carcinogens and produces 95% less black soot than paraffin wax candles. Soy wax is also super absorbent allowing for more fragrant candles.
Spinach Powder: Used to give soaps and products a light green hue, spinach powder also imparts valuable vitamins and minerals to the skin.
Spurilina Powder: Derived from algae, spurilina adds a deep green color to soaps and products. Spurilina is known for its antioxidant properties, and it is full of amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
Sunflower Seed Oil: With a high content of fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants, sunflower seed oil is one of the most deeply moisturizing and regenerative carrier oils. Due to its extra moisturizing properties, sunflower seed oil is best for dry, mature, or damaged skin.
Sweet Almond Oil: This light oil is easily absorbed by the skin, so can be used on all skin types. Sweet almond oil is known for its softening and conditioning properties, and it is often used to relive dry, itchy skin.
Turmeric: Typically identified by its bright yellow/orange color, turmeric has many healing benefits for the skin. Known for its anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and antioxidant benefits, turmeric is great for soothing redness, irritations and inflammations on the skin.
Vegetable Glycerin: Vegetable glycerin is typically used for its humectant properties, drawing in moisture from the air and locking it into the skin. We use vegetable glycerin in our lotions for added hydration and moisture.
Vitamin E: A natural preservative, vitamin E is an antioxidant used to prevent rancidity. Vitamin E is also said to aid in healing scars, minor cuts and other skin irritations.
Wheat Germ Oil: Wheat germ oil is great for your skin because it is loaded with vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants. This nourishing oil will rejuvenate the skin, leaving it soft and full of moisture.
Yellow Mustard Seed: Though typically used for making a favorite condiment, yellow mustard seed is full of vitamins and minerals that are great for your skin. The anti-fungal properties of yellow mustard seeds are known to keep infections at bay.
Zinc Oxide: A white powder that is insoluble in water, zinc oxide is known to repel water, making it great for use on damp areas of the skin. When mixed into a salve, cream or lotion, zinc oxide provides a protective barrier on the skin that will lock in carrier oils it is mixed with, while keeping unwanted moisture at bay.