Geoff McCabe

Herbs and Plants for Personal Hygiene Products

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Fennel Flowers for Pollen

Fennel Flowers for Pollen

A friend of mine, Kelly Perkins, visited the farm a few days ago, and she was curious as to what we have growing here that could be used for personal hygiene products such as lotions, scrubs, soaps, shampoos, insect repellents, and other face and skincare products.

Spinster Sisters Logo - Face and Skin Products CompanyShe was asking about this because she has a successful company producing these types of products for over 100 stores in the U.S., and is rapidly growing. She’s looking for sources and ways to expand her business with high quality essential oils, tinctures, and ingredients. Kelly’s company is called Spinster Sisters Company, and you can find it by clicking here.

A short conversation with her determined that we already grow several useful ingredients for face and skincare products that could be made for sale locally, for export, or perhaps in our spa in Anamaya. After a bit of research about what’s commonly used in such products, I found that we have quite a few already here, and many more could be grown in this climate if we can find the seeds. Here are some lists:

What’s Growing Now

    Aloe
    Arrowroot
    Basil
    Beeswax
    Borage
    Calendula
    Cane Sugar
    Citronella
    Cucumber
    Fennel
    Ginger
    Gotu Kola
    Grapefruit
    Hibiscus
    Honey
    Lemon
    Lemongrass
    Lime (various species including key lime)
    Mint
    Neem
    Orange
    Oregano
    Papaya
    Passionflower
    Peanuts
    Peppermint
    Plantain Leaf
    Rosemary
    Sage
    Spearmint
    Stevia
    Thyme
    Vertiver
    Ylang Ylang

We are also growing, and will have in the future these

    Avacado
    Cacao
    Carrot
    Cayenne Pepper
    Cinnamon
    Coconut Oil
    Coffee
    Macadamia Oil
    Vanilla

We hope to grow these in the future, and theoretically should be possible here

    Acai Berry
    Black Pepper
    Goji Berry
    Green Tea
    Henna
    Patchouli
    Sesame

Not sure if we can ever grow these in this climate, and we’ve tried unsuccessfully

Chamomile / Manzanillo
Lavender

Conversion to Use

Of course, just because we can grow a plant doesn’t mean it’s useful in these types of products. Many of them require a tricky process of distillation, extraction, etc. Some are fairly easy with the right equipment, and others are very difficult. Other challenges would be dealing with fungus and the tropical heat that may spoil what we produce.

Sources

A very useful list of hundreds of natural ingredients was found here: http://www.healthfoodemporium.com/index_natural-ingredients.php