GET TO KNOW :: Earthbody Organics

Handcrafted organic products, inspired by Ayurveda

{photo courtesy of Earthbody}

For those of you who have been around the blog for a minute, you might remember this feature I did on my lovely friend Denmo Ibrahim, Founder of Earthbody in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco.
Because I’m such a fan of Denmo and all that she creates, I wanted to dig a bit deeper into her newly re-launched collection of holistic face + body care products.
I’ve personally used several of her products including the trio of body oils as well as her body scrubs. They’re beautiful crafted and smell heavenly!
Let’s all welcome Denmo back to The Girl Who Knows {yaaay!}. I think you’ll enjoy this short Q+A. And be sure to read on for a very special giveaway!

~

I’m curious, why did you decide to create your own line of Earthbody products?

That’s a really good question. I honestly never intended to create a skincare line. But when I opened my private practice, I searched for clean products to use in treatment. I found that even the most natural products were mass-produced, loaded with cheap filler, and without a therapeutic purpose. So I made my own.

All of our products are made without the use of a single filler which is huge considering that’s the majority of an ingredient list of a product. Our products are free from water, wax, alcohol, glycerin, preservatives, emulsifiers, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. When you look at the back of a product, you’ll find it has between 4 to 10 ingredients — that’s it. We believe in the power of less is more. And that nature can teach us how to heal ourselves.

Here’s a little video where Denmo talks a bit more about why she created Earthbody Organics

The product line is deeply influenced by the principles of Ayurveda. Can you explain a bit more for readers who aren’t familiar with that?

Sure! So Ayurveda is a system of healing from ancient India. It teaches how to maintain and/or return the health to a person. In our skincare line, Ayurvedic principles guide our process from formulation to finished product, from private consult to crafted treatment. Ultimately its about using traditional ways to unite body and mind.

The guiding principles are:

#1 The healer is within
In Ayurveda the definition of health, written 5,000 years ago translates to:

Our holistic line of skincare strives to support overall health by bringing mindfulness to each day through the power of self-care. We believe that cleansing, bathing, and self massage are essential tools to awaken the healer within.

{photo courtesy of Earthbody}

{photo courtesy of Earthbody}

#2 Imbalance is the root of disease
Ayurveda holds that the 5 elements – space, air, fire, water, earth – that create the universe also is what creates us.
In other words, we are an embodiment of the universe. This principle, also known as Tridosha Theory, is the heart of Ayurveda. The three doshas are a way of understanding how balance and imbalance arise. We are often a combination of the three doshas, with a primary and secondary dosha prevailing.
The dosha’s are:

VATA (air + space)
The qualities of Vata skin are dry, rough, cold, wrinkled and thin with fine pores. Vata skin may age faster, and tends to be dry, rough and flaky when out of balance. Vata nature is creative and restless.

PITTA (Fire + water)
The qualities of Pitta skin are fair, sensitive, soft, warm, and of medium thickness, less tolerant to hot food and burns easily. When out of balance, Pitta skin can flare up in rashes, rosacea, acne, or sunspots. Pitta nature is passionate and sensitive

KAPHA (water + earth)
The qualities of Kapha skin are oily, cold, heavy, soft, dense, dull, lubricating and thick with a tendency towards large pores and proneness to cysticacne. Kapha nature is calm and supportive.

Balance is based on one’s original constitution. To be out of balance can occur through extreme emotions, seasonal changes, persistent stress, poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and unprocessed grief. This is why daily self-care is so vital to health.
We believe bodycare can be a direct way to reconnect to self. With a loving touch and a simple intention, it is possible to uplift, calm, or energize the body and mind.

#3 Nature has a remedy
Plants hold medicinal properties that have effectively treated a wide range of ailments for the body and mind. This is why we only use certified organic plant oils, pure flower essences, and whole roots and herbs.

Earthbody treatments produce zero waste and we proudly source fair-trade organic linens and towels. Our holistic skincare line is handcrafted by healers. We never add water, wax, alcohol, glycerin or use extracts, emulsifiers, parabens, preservatives or synthetic fragrances. Handcrafted in small batches with love, our formulas are concentrates of goodness, to restore balance once again, just as Mother Nature intended.

Personally, what are a few of your favorite scents (essential oils, florals, or otherwise)?

I absolutely love the body oils. They’re really unique in the sense that they work with your body and mind.
Ground was made for those who deal with anxiety. It helps to calm the nerves.
Inspire I made for myself and its excellent for those who feel sad, heavy, or low. Inspire sweetens the mood and brightens the mind.
Move is excellent for those who get tight physically and mentally. This oil warms and encourages flow.
All our body oils are infused in herbs for three weeks in pure botanical oils. They’re incredible nourishing yet absorb easily and naturally rich in essential fatty acids to feed your skin from the outside in.

If you had to pick one must-have product from your line, what would it be and why?

That’s a tough one! Well if I had to choose just one product it would probably be HEAL – it has like fifty million uses.
It mends minor wounds like bruises, calms sunburn, is an amazing moisturizer for dry hands and lips and also is a great facial balm for irritated blemishes. It has a very subtle note since its major powerhouse is in the herbs and butters. I usually carry it with me everywhere.

~

A big thanks to Denmo for sharing this amazing knowledge about Ayurveda and healthy, clean body + skincare with us. I’m such a product junkie and I will say that Denmo’s body oils and scrubs are among my favorite. I will definitely be trying the full line at some point soon! Find out more about by visiting the Earthbody online shop.

As a thank you for being here + reading this post ~ Denmo and I are giving away a trio of luscious body oils to one of you!

All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what your all-time favorite body care product is and why.
Bonus points if you tweet out about this giveaway by clicking here.
That’s it!

I’ll be announcing the winner on TUESDAY May 28, 2013. So be sure to hop to it and leave us your entry comment below!

CONGRATS to the lovely Heather Mullin – you’re the lucky lady who’ll be receiving the body oils from Earthbody Organics. Check your email for all the details!

Thanks to everyone for entering – and stay tuned there are more fab giveaways + goodies coming your way soon.

xo

Tagged as: beauty, conversations, get to know