Herbs and Plants for Personal Hygiene Products
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.
She 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
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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
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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
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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
