Two Comox Valley women are hoping to look more than just skin deep.
Recently, the David Suzuki Foundation released a list of a 'dirty dozen' industrial chemicals commonly found in everyday personal-care products and urged individuals "to pull back the shower curtain” and take a good look at what consumers are putting on their skin.
Dana Hook and Natalie Brennan are two entrepreneurs who have both formulated healthy alternative skin care products that nourish, protect and heal the largest organ of the body.
Hook, has been located in the Valley since 1998 is an active, busy young mother of two and is also a certified herbal practitioner with 17 years of experience in the field of natural health.
Hook's business, Healing Bliss Botanicals, is committed to providing completely chemical free herbal skin care products. Made in small batches to preserve freshness, she grows and uses locally wild harvests 90 per cent of the herbs she uses.
Her product line includes the Healing Bliss Rescue Salve, Arnica Sore Muscle Rub, and Natural Sunscreen. Hook also carries skin care products for pets.
Brennan, a native of England, came to Canada and realized she was tired of reading the empty promises splashed across her commercial beauty products and resolved to do something about it.
The result is The Botanical Soap Shop, purveyor of wholesome, natural and earthily sensuous soaps, facial masks and polishes, and bath bombs. The facial products are made with mineral rich clays that improve skin circulation, leaving it toned and revitalized.
Like Hook, Brennan uses combinations of locally harvested herbs and veggies for her soaps. Hand milled, with elegant, minimalist packaging, the soaps are allowed to breathe their natural aromas into a bathroom and the soaps themselves serve as décor objects before use.
Both Healing Bliss Botanicals and The Botanical Soap Shop can
be foundie online or at the Winter Farmers’ Market, 9 a.m. until noon at the Native Sons Hall, downtown Courtenay every Saturday.
— Comox Valley Farmers' Market