Origins
Deep Roots
I have been enamored with the natural world since I was very young. Going outside was where I sought refuge and solace to cope with my difficult childhood and continues to be true in my adult life today. I pursued a degree in Environmental Policy and Planning in college and eventually my husband and I started a permaculture farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian region of the United States. Between our farm and woodland property and our house that is adjacent to an 800-acre nature preserve, my family and I spend every day in communion with the earth. I balance my work time between my botanical skincare offerings and my art.
My Skincare Journey
My interest in natural and herbal skincare began when I wanted to make my own clean, environmentally friendly and chemical-free household cleaners, candles and body products for my husband and I. With a voracious appetite to learn about all things natural health, over time this evolved to include the practices of herbalism, wildcrafting, foraging, and green witchcraft.
I founded my herbal business in 2018 and named it after my love of an object from folklore, the seeing stone. A seeing stone is a rock with a naturally formed hole that gives you the ability to see the magic of nature (such as faeries.) Other legends claim their powers center around divination, and/or protection and prevention of harm. I like to think of my offerings as doing all of the above, providing us a foray into the healing magic of plants and the natural world.
Evolution
Due to challenges with the covid pandemic and getting pregnant, I decided to put my skincare business on hiatus for a number of years. Upon getting pregnant with my son, I also developed a sensitivity to synthetic fragrances and essential oils and had to go totally fragrance free in our household. This sensitivity has continued to the present day and has been a significant change in my life to navigate. In the winter of 2023-2024, I decided I was ready to bring back my herbal skincare business. However with my new fragrance intolerances I realized I would have to do things differently this time.
I decided to use this as a creative challenge to craft luxurious, herbal products with no added scent. I call myself a person who loves scent but can't stand fragrance and use this to inspire each product I conjure up. Everything I make still has a lovely, natural aroma created from the organic oils, butters, beeswax and plant extracts.
Leveling Up
In 2024 I also decided to pursue an online diploma program in Organic Skincare Formulation to level up my skills and confidence in creating natural, effective and safe skincare products.
The products I develop are not only born out of treating me and my family's everyday needs, but are inspired by the creative challenge to use and focus on herbs and medicinal plants naturally growing around us. Appalachia is a mountain range that contains some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Simultaneously it's also home to a culturally rich pocket of folk medicine, music and slow living.
Now with our toddler, my family and I spend many hours learning, growing, harvesting, foraging and practicing folk methods for harnessing Appalachian plant magic to create luscious and nurturing skincare offerings.