We're going to take a moment to talk with JP from Natureofthings, makers of natural personal care products. Their soaks, scrubs, creams, blankets, immersions, drinks, treatments and kits are all produced with a responsible ecological footprint and use science to prove their efficacy. The natureofthings company is based in Newport Beach, California (and you know how we feel about beaches called Newport). So let's chat.
So we read that - while Natureofthings offers body scrubs, face treatments, bath immersions, alpaca textiles, and other care products - we're really being directed to a ritualistic moment. It sounds like an experience that involves tender personal care and also, uniquely, incorporates time. So what does a passing ritualistic moment look and feel like for you?
At least twice a week, I treat my bathroom as a sanctuary of self care and take an hour to be fully present with myself and have a moment of pampering. Usually this includes dry brushing my skin followed by a nice pre-shower/rinse with our Cleansing Body & Scalp Polish before stepping into one of our soaks or baths. Usually after a few minutes of quiet and calming my thoughts, I’ll usually take time to read a few chapters of a book I’ve been working through as a part of my herbalism studies, currently it’s either Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer or The Shaman’s Book of Living and Dying by Alberto Villoldo. Lastly after steeping in the soak, I’ll move to the vanity where I apply our Nourishing Body Creme to my body and our face essentials. It’s a total mind, body and spirit reset for me.
Down here in the southern hemisphere we won't be coming into Summer for a while - it's always excruciating to see the fun people are having in the States in July! Can you direct us to look out for some go-to body care products we should try as we emerge from Winter? Can you tell us about some of your own favourite products in your range right now?
Cleansing Body & Scalp Polish is my winter go-to for keeping my skin and scalp gently exfoliated and prepped for the summer months. It’s gentle enough to use often. I use it about 3x per week, some times more in the lead up to waxing appointments as I’ve learned the product works well to prevent ingrown hairs. Restorative Floral Bath is also wonderful for the winter months as it brings in the spirit and sensorial feeling of summer to the bath. We actually include the two aforementioned products in an Endless Summer Ritual on our site combined with Nourishing Body Creme to banish the winter blues. Our newest product Revitalizing Mineral Soak will also have that effect in a different way, conjuring an aromatic forest hot spring escape instead of a tropical floral one.
We just love your digestibles - elegantly flavoured drink powders that use potent ingredients from Ayurvedic, Indonesian and Chinese traditions, among others. They can have a brain-boosting effect on those who drink them, and we love how your range covers the mental aspect of human wellness. In developing these products, have you learned some interesting truths about the folk medicine of different cultures?
The internal and external loop of wellness is equally important and at the foundation of our philosophy. So much of the pain or discomfort that we feel on the surface level of our bodies have to do with our mental state or that of our nervous system, so treating the skin alone is treating symptoms without an understanding of the root cause. For this reason, helping to alleviate stress, anxiety, pain and inflammation whilst beautifying the skin is core for how we formulate our products to work, whether used alone or together.
We haven’t leaned on one specific truth in folk culture, but rather root our products in the ancient wisdom of nature and that partnership that has been forged for thousands of years of our history from around the world. Certainly there have been cultures and traditions that are gatekeepers for this information that may have otherwise been lost with modernization. I think the more advancement that we make in time, the more we also understand that the answers have been there all along in that symbiotic relationship of our planet.
How good is it when a brand you connect well with, encourages you to re-use their packaging? Given that Natureofthings uses packaging that can be repurposed, we wonder if you have some stylish ways of repurposing jars and packaging at home."
We designed our package to be beautiful when positioned alone or stacked and most importantly with branding that fades into the background to allow for more exploration of reuse. We are launching an aluminum refill system that is the primary way of repurposing, but we’ve often encouraged clients to reuse some of our liquid jars as bud vases or creme jars for storage of everything from pocket change to jewelry. I often use them as storage for various teas and herbs that I’m using in my home apothecary.
Thank you JP for speaking with us. Shop NATUREOFTHINGS products here or click above pictures.