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Talking to a new friend yesterday who reminded me of a very important and well established definition: organically grown. There is no organic anything, per say. No such thing as an organic coconut tree, or organic essential oil, or an organic cup of milk. When an item is certified as “organic”, that item has been grown naturally. That means it was grown without chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. For better or worse, things that are not fruit, vegetable, or again, cup of milk, can be certified as organic if they are processed in certain ways. Question 1: Are you a purist? Do you believe only organically grown PRODUCE should be able to receive an organic certification? So why is there organic orange juice, ice cream, eggs? This is the second part of the organic certification journey which even many of our organically grown produce must take. If a farmer brings produce to the market and wants people to know it’s organic, he has to have a it certified. This means that a certifyer audited all of the farmers paperwork, farm, equipment, and anything else that comes into contact with his produce to verify he used natural growing methods. It means that there is proof from a 3rd party, an outsider to both the consumer and farmer, that the farmer actually grew all his produce naturally. Awesome! Farmer gets his produce certified, we get pure and natural produce, everyone’s happy. They were, for a while at least, until people wanted their orange juice, eggs, and other processed food to be chemical free. Sounds simple. Lets take a look at the semi- less than simple implementation of that standard. Question 2: Do you believe only FOOD ITEMS, minimally processed, should receive organic certification? Now even I must state a subjective opinion in that there is some bureaucracy and headache because of some ambiguity in the way the USDA has defined non-produce organic certification. As you know, there is organic milk, organic eggs, and organic candy. Of course there is no organic candy flower, no organic milk plant, and no organic egg tree. So how are they certified as organically grown? (or with an exclamation point, for those who prefer from question 1.) Here’s a quick food distribution overview, from a large scale manufacturing point of view down to a one person operation with minimal equipment. Juice, milk, eggs, breads, and anything not sold in the market in the form in which they are harvested, are processed foods. Put another way, they don’t grow on trees. (Remember the burger patches from McDonalds in the 80′s? I digress) From an everyday point of view, you or I would have to break out a wooden citrus twist stick- technical name?- to get the juice out of the orange. As we extract the fresh juice and smell the fresh zest, we can picture the citrus grooves and already taste the sweet, slightly tart, refreshing flavor on our tougue. We might wonder why our friends and family don’t make their own fresh squeezed juice. It tastes so great, they would definitely enjoy a glass with me if they were here now. I might think to myself how I would sell fresh squeezed organic orange juice at the farmers market… Wait, can we sell that as organic orange juice? Sure, as long as the USDA or some 3rd party can certify we meet ORGANIC PROCESSING standards in addition to ORGANIC GROWING standards. As you will recall from linear algebra, we have a 2 x 2 matrix now that there is the 2nd variable of processing added to growing. But, we can quantize the field by using a non-abelian operator…. Just kidding, it’s not THAT complicated. Organic PROCESSING standards are applied to food items that must undergo a few steps that some (question 2) might consider unnatural. Remember, the growing AND processing must be organic. To protect the integrity of both steps while allowing non produce to be certified organic, the USDA has 3 tiers of purity: 100% Organic: Made with 100% organic ingredients Organic: Made with at least 95% organic ingredients Made With Organic Ingredients: Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30% including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms) Products with less than 70% organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel of the package, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package. Again, this doesn’t mean the packaged sale items are organic. Like we mentioned in the beginning; nothing is organic. Only the growing methods can be called organic. By now, we decided we want bread made with organic wheat, fruit punch made with organic fruit juices, and candy made with organic sugar. But, we also find there is hesitancy on behalf of some. Why? Because of the process. Again, on a large scale, industrial equipment is used to squeeze orange juice. This equipment has to be ONLY for organic orange juice, not organic and pesticide orange juice. So that extra step in certification would apply to me just to juice and sell an orange? Yes, even for orange juice, which is why many people stop at question 2. And what about the milk? Is it from an organically grown cow? Of course not. There are many many rules, and the quick and dirty story is people break the rules. But not us, we want the whole story because we know there is a happy ending! I will conclude this topic and wrap it up in a nice bow in part 2 where I will discuss how all this ties in with the demand and standards for pure and chemical free bodycare. I’ll leave you with question 3 to chew on until then. Question 3: Would you rather have personal care items that use organic ingredients, or personal care items that are certified organic? Trick question? You tell me. We’ll find out soon…
I’d like to share a helpful distinction to empower you as a consumer, or just interested in taking care of yourself naturally. Its good to know the benefits of using organically grown and natural items on your skin. As the skin is nurtured by the natural ingredients, it feels better and looks better. Of course, the added benefits of supporting agriculture and farming that operates without polluting the earth is wonderful. Those are great advantages and something that feels good to be part of. But what is the big difference between an organic bodycare company, and a chemical company like Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, or Toms of Maine (Colgate palm olive)? Wildflower Organic Bodycare is an organic company that avoids any and all chemicals. The other brands are chemical companies, that might rarely add only a little amount of organic ingredients to their product lines. So it’s really in what the company is about. Those chemical companies utilize chemical extraction methods, fragrances, preservatives, and the like. Then they wrap it up pretty and call it “premium”. A recent glaring example is the “natural/ premium” line of cosmetics from Wholefoods. The company sells personal care products with ingredients that are unnatural and grown with pesticides, herbicides, etc. Then it touts it’s line of bodycare as “premium”. Their product might contain an organic ingredient or 2, but the rest of the ingredients cannot even be made my man, let alone the earth! They are created by highly pressurized machines and chemical extraction processes. No, I don’t think they are “bad”. I wish all businesses success. Every one of us works with some business and is proud of our jobs. I don’t badmouth. I must make it known to you because I respect your intelligence and want the best quality for you and your family. Everyone does, I want the same for myself and my family too. That’s why it’s important to know that many companies say they are natural, but are not. They say they are organic but are not. They are simply chemical companies, not bad. But who wants “not bad”? The great news is that since Wildflower Organic has been completely organic since day one, we are making the business model easy for others to model. It is in fact possible to make truly organic products! Any one can have the same high standards if they wanted to. But that’s the catch, isn’t it? A company has to want to follow certain standards and do things in a certain way. Some companies get caught up in themselves and don’t even do that! They are in the news, and that’s a wake up call. The truth is that if a company is in business “To sell products that are accepted as natural”, they are going to do a lot of shuffling because people get smarter everyday. It’s hard to change a whole organizations values. When the Wildflower Organic company started, I knew we had to be completely organic from day one. I knew at first glance and without enormous marketing or advertising, the difference between the quality of our products and the rest out there would seem like a small difference. Yes- the ingredients we use are higher quality, the price is great, and so on. But I knew when people saw the difference between the standard of integrity in this company and all the others, the difference would be clear. The difference is huge. Now picture the scenery: Wake up, see 3 email suggestions, requests, and feedback. “I like “xyz companies” product, but it has too many preservatives, soy, an animal ingredient! Can you re-formulate it organic and naturally?” “Gerts Teas’ is ok but it’s too thin, too fluid”… “Panic Organics is ok, but it’s too coarse, too grainy”… “The Wildflower Organic soap was great, but it’s too strongly scented”, my favorite complaint That means 1 thing! Dig in a book, work in the laboratory, and create a prototype to give what someone requests. The end? No just a start. All personal care companies should accept as much constructive feedback. I love getting it just right- customizing,formulating for an allergy, it’s all good. Once I forgot to calculate our shipping special for Canada… Dang, no prob! 4 days later, another happy customer. Worth losing 2 bucks? Oh hell yeah! I am so grateful for not having to compete in the chemical/ personal care industry. I get to fulfill heart warming requests for animal rights lovers, those recovering from post op and cancer treatment, children and adults with skin sensitivities… It’s truly a blessing to be able to stay busy making people happy by providing them a beneficial solution to their wants!
Here’s 3 reasons why being the President, founder, and Director of R&D at Wildflower Organic Bodycare makes me an expert on natural, organic bodycare. 1: Wildflower Organic Bodycare is the 1st, and to the best of my knowledge ONLY bodycare company to use STRICTLY organically grown, vegan, and cruelty free ingredients. All while making the products available at a price point that is universally considered “a good value”. 2: After no less than 1 year of formulations, Wildflower has the bubbliest, gentlest, cocoa and shea butter enriched organic soap. The longest lasting, most soothing vegan lip balm. The fizziest, deeply relaxing organic bath bombs. We also have another first in an actual anti-oxidant, nutrient rich, revitalizing skin tonic in our Revitalux toner. Our products are high quality, effective, and uplifting. In other words, they rock. 3. We love all our costumers and treat them like friends and family. I have the wacky idea that I am in the customer service business. So my goal is to share my years of industry, product, and scientific research on this site, and get the awesome organic goodies out to you as fast as intestate commerce legally allows What does this all mean for you? Ask me ANYTHING. Want to know particulars of this industry? Ask away. What is a certain funky named ingredient? Where does it come from? Why do companies sneak it in there? I can’t wait to tell you! Why do we do things in a certain way? My favorite. Let’s keep this interactive. I’ll keep this blog up to date with what Wildflower is developing, releasing, and all the news that’s worth mentioning in the natural personal care industry. You just let me know if you like it or not, what you want to hear more of, and any other topic I haven’t thought of. Thank YOU! I love washing soda! It’s a natural mineral, part of the baking soda family. An oz. added to my last wash neutralized all odor. You might recall the many great health benefits of olive oil. There are also many different qualities of olive oils, some higher than others. Refined oil is on the lower end, and on the other there is organic cold first pressing extra virgin olive oil. The first is used for things like oil lamps, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals while the latter is used for such things as great tasting foods and health enhancing antioxidants. While you definitely shouldn’t eat any Wildflower Organic soap, we just want you to know- yes, we use only organic cold first pressing extra virgin olive oil. This is our way of making all our products; always organic and always selecting the most beneficial choice in quality. When washing up remember- you are also getting all those antioxidant benefits because Wildflower Organic is always adding the most beneficial ingredients to your bodycare. WHAT WE STAND FOR: Gladly friends. At the drop of a hat, any time any where, any way you like it. Natural. Pure and simple. Are we organic? Yes. And not just organic. Because “organic” in legal terms, according to the USDA, means having 70% or more of the ingredients certified organic, leaving the last 30% allowed to be garbage. They let petrochemicals, preservatives, artificial colors, and scents in to save a penny or 2. We are “Wildflower Organic”! And proud. What is “Wildflower Organic” ?- It means pure. ZERO chemicals. None. It means no animals at all. No milk, no animal testing, no fur oil, no honey or bees wax, no crushed beetles for color. It means no chemical emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives, none of that. No “organic scents, colors or flavors”. Have you ever seen an “organic scents” tree? Me either. No ever has, ever. It doesn’t exist. “Natural scents” and anything like that is a clear and distinct sign of a company abusing their legal parameters. Never us! Instead, we stand for awesome ingredients that work. Still befuddled? Don’t be. Black and white HD picture for you: Organic and natural is hard and takes some determination to get right. They don’t- we do. The veil has been lifted. Take care of yourself naturally… Sunscreen today. History. Physical SPF vs. chemical SPF. Chemical SPF is truly no different than physical SPF. The one and only reason chemicals are ever used in place, or without consideration to, natural/ non-chemical items is this- Effectiveness. They work. Chemicals do what they say they will. But on the other hand, natural items do the same: Natural solutions work naturally. Chemicals have the reality of exerting other effects on human health that must be fairly but seriously weighted when choosing either one. Organic SPF? (1) “Some need skin protection from the sun, so make it as safe and natural as possible.” Here, I would recommend minerals. You say you must be in the sun with no physical protection? Can’t wear a hat or clothes, such as a lifeguard? Then choose a physical protector which also contains a mineral protector. This would be something like a coconut oil with titanium dioxide included. This would give you an SPF around 25 or 35. Strong enough to reduce your occupational risks without the troubles caused by chemical SPF’s. (2) Worried about skin cancer, but only go a few hrs. a week being in the sun without protection for extended periods? Then take heart. Please enjoy your day on the beach, in the field at play with friends and family, wherever you are outside having fun for a few hours a week. You will be ok. Don’t let the scare tactics make you feel worried. Instead, wear a hat, loose fitting clothes, and enjoy yourself. You are actually at very low risk to skin cancer from over exposure to UV rays. Don’t get burned laying in that chair for too long! Listen to your body. If you feel like you are getting a little warm, toasty, feeling the sizzle? Relocate under the umbrella Risk and rewards. By elements, I do mean minerals. See minerals are tiny, tiny crystals. Lets remember the table of elements. There are 2 types of everyday elements: metals and organic elements. Organic is just the carbon, oxygen, etc. I only mention this because of things like aluminum, a mineral/ metal. Aluminum, the active ingredient in most commercially available anti-perspirants, is shaped in such a way as to clog your under arms pores, which in effect block perspiration. These tiny crystal minerals can be problematic. That is why Wildflower doesn’t add titanium dioxide, a whitening and brightening mineral, to our soaps. I don’t want you to scrub your face with potentially pore clogging minerals. Cindy Crawfords bare minerals make- up brand? Well, It’s just on the surface and not rubbed in, so I hope it has been tested to not cause more than minimal or negligible pore clogging effects. I just wouldn’t be straight up and honest unless I gave all the info that everyone on the inside knows on the subject of minerals and skincare. Overall, Chances are you will be on the right track taking the common sense approaches to skin care in regards to the sun. Chemical brands and alternatives? Well, no need for that. Not worth the worries. Might as well get something that actually increases the quality of your skin while protecting it naturally. Thanks for reading. Come back as we will keep the helpful info rolling, along with updates on all the insider knowings and goings on in organic bodycare. Hey hey hey, organic deodorant on the way! The other day, about a week ago, I realized I was just about out of deodorant. How can that just sneak up on anyone, right? Well it’s because I had 2 open deodorants at one time. One was honey suckle and rose geranium I believe, and the other was unscented. When I got the last bit out of the unscented (it fell out the tube while I as applying the last swipe) I was thinking to myself how much these products sucked! I mean the smell was good, but didn’t last long. The price was ok, and the unscented one felt like I was applying Elmers glue to my pits; not fun. I thought, hot diggity dang! We have a dedicated R&D team, let’s find out why no one has created a descent deodorant yet! Some research is slow and difficult, some is obvious, and in organic bodycare, usually it’s a mix of both. Usually, we simply have to find an organic reputable supplier, work on a great formulation, which can take many many months, but worth every second. Finally, we prototype and get feedback. But that’s just insider stuff, let’s get back to the sneak peak! The short end of this tale is that most deodorant is cookie cutter, petroleum based, shellacking perfume. The common wisdom is to seal the pits pores, and add fragrance. Some products work fairly well. Those usually have aluminum and garbage that many people can easily detect as ingredients to stay away from; far far away. Research shows that the smell of “oats and goats” isn’t from the sweat, but the bacteria feeding and excreting the sweat. The perspiration usually overcomes the attempts of sealing close the pores. Therefore, our solution is to make the best use of this knowledge, and create an all natural solution that WORKS! So in about a week or 2, expect to have a fine deodorant that absorbs moisture and subdues bacteria, with natural powder fresh scents in their place. Something that you know is helping you because of the beneficial organic ingredients, and never effecting you in any way other than supporting your health. Stay tuned, because it’s a pretty darn effective product and as with everything else, it will be priced right! |
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