Leslie Jane Naturals
Retailer: Serenity Salon & Spa, Burlington
Leslie Collings’ cupboards and closets of her Stanwood home are packed with boxes, jars and jugs full of essential oils, Pro-Vitamin B5, extracts, aloe and coconut derivatives. It’s clear she’s on a mission.
Leslie has had three kinds of cancer and every single person in her immediate family has battled cancer. Yet she has none of the genetic markers that would make her vulnerable to the disease. In her quest to eliminate any environmental cause, she googled the ingredients in her household cleaners and discovered how toxic they can be. She followed that research by re-creating every home and personal care product in her household. Cancer was the catalyst for the company, but the abiding belief that people should have access to products that are truly natural and healthful was motivating.
Leslie Jane Naturals now has a fairly complete line of home spa products, lotions, salves and home cleaning products — all made in small batches. The Cucumber Mint Face Wash is a gentle face cleanser; the Blood Orange Vanilla Conditioning Hand and Body Polish not only smells divine but it is a fabulous exfoliator; and the Lemon Meringue Hand and Body Lotion absorbs so quickly without ever feeling oily. That’s just for starters. She has lip balm, herbal rescue balm that sells out every time a customer posts a Before-and-After picture; foaming hand soap; facial toner; hand sanitizer and men’s beard oil and shaving supplies, as well as household cleaning products.
Leslie traces every element in every batch and tests the final product for purity before sending it to a customer. Being a small batch producer gives her more control over quality, but it also gets in the way of sourcing. When the pandemic hit, more companies hopped on the hand sanitizer band wagon, limiting both her supply of sanitizing alcohol as well as the bottles she needs for packaging. So, if you look to purchase from her online and something is sold out, shoot her a message and have a little patience. Your personal spa day will be worth the wait.
Everyday Natural Products
Reishi mushrooms, packed with polysaccharides and potentially responsible for possible anticancer and immune system benefits, are Matt Danner’s friend. He said he believes they helped him beat Stage 4 Lymphoma. They also brought Matt to a partnership with Azmyth Kaminski, whose father beat Stage 4 prostate cancer. Together, the two started Everyday Natural Products of Snohomish to create holistic solutions from hemp and mushrooms.
Most of their products are intended to help with sleep, stress, pain relief, immune system support and to act as anti-inflammatories as well as neurologic support. Their quest to make the CBD bioavailable resulted in a water-based version that they very wisely put into a bubble bath formula.
Papa’s Apothecary
Kevin Gilbert, of Papa’s Apothecary, was inspired by his grandfather to begin anew. Kevin believed “Papa’s” last days may have been delayed or at least improved with more options for his care. Kevin was miserable in his work at the time, and the year of Papa’s last life that they spent together, along with his heartfelt advice, convinced Kevin to change course. He went to Bastyr University in Seattle to become and herbalist and “fell in love with formulating products.” Kevin’s wife is also a Registered Nurse, and the two often work together to formulate herbal remedies for face care and sleep-enhancing products.
Papa’s Apothecary’s Sandman’s Gift Sleep Oil is a dream away when rubbed on your feet. The daily face wash is a blend of dry herbs and clay. Mix a bit with honey for your daily face wash or with the fruit of an avocado for a face mask.
The face oil with collagen, comfrey and calendula is also great for overcoming any negative impacts of prolonged use of face masks, part of the nation’s pandemic experience. Despite the economic impacts of the pandemic, Kevin has seen an uptick in sales. Return customers, especially, are finding what they want in Papa’s Apothecary offerings.
Twin Mountain Botanicals
Retailers: Muse Salon, Stanwood
Kym Johnsen’s garden is full of the goodness she uses in her lotions — lemon verbena, black elderberries, Swiss mint, chamomile flowers. The resin filled leaf buds of Black Cottonwood are soaked for a year in almond or olive oil to release their anti-inflammatory and anti-viral goodness. Her Devil’s Club she harvests from a 50-acre property to ensure it’s not near pollutants.
For years Kym has loved plants, finally deciding to pursue her passion by attending Alderleaf Wilderness College in Monroe and perfecting her craft by taking a class on lotion making at Otion in Bellingham. Kym is all about working with her customers to formulate what they want — even taking one customer’s herbal tea to make a lotion out of it. Everything she does is very small batch and custom orders are very common for her.