Solo Exhibit & Giveaway: Herbivore Botanicals!

Update: Our winner is commenter #79, Jamie! Thank you so much to Julia for this refreshing giveaway!

Visiting Herbivore Botanicals, I was immediately struck by a sense of calm and peace. Soon I realized that the photography echoes the shop’s philosophy: simple, pure, and restorative. A college of natural medicine graduate, Julia uses only high quality vegan ingredients to create her thoughtful cold process soaps and bath products.

Her bath bombs are made with lightly moisturizing sweet almond oil, french white clay, baking soda, citric acid, witch hazel, essential oils and herbs. Look at the way she tops them with special touches like rose petals, lavender, and Himalayan sea salt. This listing allows you to choose from 8 scents to create your own gift set.

I love the idea of her tea soaps made with tea leaves and infusions and filled with antioxidants. This sampler set uses Green, Red, and Chamomile Teas and comes in a sweet muslin bag. Wouldn’t this make a lovely (and much appreciated!) hostess gift?

I never leave home without a lip balm (ok, usually three or four) tossed in my bag and I am swooning over Julia’s. Made with moisturizing shea and avocado butters and available in peppermint, rose, tangerine, and lavender, they come in a generous .33 ounce tin.

Curator V: How did you get your start making bath and body products?

Initially, I started making soap to help my boyfriend Alex with his skin issues. He had terrible eczema/psoriasis and was not finding much relief from his visits to the doctor. We wanted to make something natural for him to try. I remembered back to an aromatherapy class I had taken at Bastyr University where I went to college. I remember that we made an all natural salve in class one day. This got me thinking about how to make natural products on my own, so Alex ordered me a soap making starter kit and I loved it. He uses the French White Clay and Chamomile + Calendula soaps that I make now and he has virtually no eczema left!

Curator V: You are the daughter of an esthetician-educated skin care specialist, and day spa owner. How has that impacted you and your creations?

My mom has been a huge influence on me. She is really passionate about skin care and has passed on a lot of knowledge to me. Growing up in and around the spa I have sampled hundreds of top of the line products. I get my love of natural products, essential oils and aromatherapy from my mom, something that I apply very much when creating my line. After trying many skin care products over the years my favorites have always been the natural ones. This influenced me to make a line of products that are 100% natural. I have found that artificial ingredients are stronger but not better. In other words, the scents are stronger, but often give you a head ache. Artificial products may last longer due to the chemicals and preservatives. Personally, I like the natural, light scent of an essential oil much more than the chemical scent of a fragrance oil. I also like knowing that I am not exposing myself to chemicals through products I apply directly to my skin.

Curator V: Do you have a best selling item? What do you think makes it so popular?

My best selling items are my clay soaps. I think this is because they are really wonderful soaps. The clays are full of natural healing properties and are highly detoxifying. They have a silky smooth texture and do wonders for you skin. Of course, they are 100% natural and get their beautiful subtle colors from the beneficial minerals present in the clays. These soaps are really great as facial or body bars.

Curator V: You let your soaps cure for a minimum of four weeks. What does that do for the soap?

Like a fine wine or cheese, soap gets better with age! They are still totally usable within a week or so after you make them (once they have gone through the saponification phase and the lye is no longer present in the soap). Though after 4-6 weeks the soap becomes top quality, lasts longer and lathers beautifully.

Curator V: With so many bath and body product sellers on Etsy, how do you stand out from the crowd?

I really try to focus on quality in all aspects. I think Etsy can be super intimidating because you search for “soap” and hundreds of pages of choices come up! So, at first I was like “how will anyone ever find me?” But, I believe a combination of a quality product that people want to buy and good photography will get you noticed. I think the fact that my soaps are all natural and vegan is appealing to a lot of people. I also try to make them pretty! I am lucky that Alex is around to help me. He is a video and photography expert so that has been really helpful (especially at first when I had no idea how to take photos).

Curator V: What can we expect from Herbivore Botanicals in the future?

My main goal is to make more products. I have so many ideas that it is hard to find the time to do half of them, but I am always trying to! Currently, I am working on new mini soap sets (travel packs for camping, summer travels, etc). and wedding favor soaps. Clay masks, creams, lotions, and mens products are all coming up some time in the near future. Stay tuned!

Enter to win Julia’s best selling item: a bar of Cambrian Blue Clay Soap! Featuring Cambrian Blue clay and lightly scented with high quality essential oils of French Lavender & Peppermint, this soap will both clarify and soften your skin. To enter, visit Herbivore Botanicals and feel the relaxation wash over you! Then return here and leave a comment with your favorite item. One winner to be chosen at random next Sunday, March 11th.

(Reading this via a feed? Here’s a direct link the giveaway.)

Tagged as: bath goods, giveaway, handmade