Striving4Zen

Given that her first love is teaching children to grow vegetables and fruit, Lisa Ludwigsen knew that if she was going to have her own body care line, ingredients picked straight from nature had to be at the heart of it.

As a result, School Garden Co., the Petaluma, Calif.-based body line that Ludwigsen is just now taking nationwide, is filled with things she would ordinarily find in her own garden.

“I’ve been working with schools and kids since I first became a parent 17 years ago,” said Ludwigsen. “I’d always been interested in gardening, and after I had children I became a fanatic.”

While running a garden program for children at her local school, Ludwigsen started to take herbalist courses and experiment with plants in potions.

“As part of a school project, we started to make salves from plants,” she said. One of the first successes, a lip balm, was named “lipchap” by one of her eight-year old students — and the line was officially born.

The collection is now at a compact six stockkeeping units, although Ludwigsen is planning to add a body oil and other body care products, as well as candles.

But she said the most important factor was to eliminate parabens, phthalates and preservatives from the line entirely, and to use only fresh and organic plants, herbs and oils. As an example, the Handhelp hand cream is made from extra virgin olive oil, lavender, rosemary, calendula, vitamin E and lavender essential oil. The Superhealer salve is designed for scrapes, burns, insect bites and eczema, and contains yarrow, comfrey and white sage. There are three bath salts — Simmer Down, Brighten Up and Soothe & Soak for sore muscles — which contain sea salt, Epsom salts, sweet orange, grapefruit, eucalyptus and geranium. Prices at retail range from $3.50 for the lip balm to $15 for the salts. Still connected with school garden programs in her area, Ludwigsen said that aftertax profits are given back to that cause and to help educate children about growing fresh produce.

“It harkens back to a time when we knew about the plants in our backyard, and packaging evoked an old-fashioned yet modern look. I just wanted to stay away from plastics. And I really wanted to use the plants that spoke to me, things that I knew to be effective healers,” she said.

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Labels: calendula, innovative, natural products, new product, School Garden Co., skin care

Heal scars naturally with these tips from Seattle-based naturopath Tamara Cullen, ND:

Want to Prevent a Scar?
Manuka honey’s antibacterial properties actually lift dirt from the bed of the wound and help battle infection—a key to preventing a scar from forming in the first place. Manuka’s particularly high vitamin C content also leads to a faster rate of tissue regeneration and inflammation suppression.
Applying aloe vera to a cut also works well when it comes to scar prevention; the allantoin in the aloe plant stimulates new cell growth.

Have a New Scar?
Calendula cream, which is high in flavonoids, helps strengthen skin. Use it along with vitamin E oil; its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties soften skin and promote healing.

Have an Old Scar?
Once scar tissue forms, there’s not a lot you can do. But Barbara Close, author of Pure Skin (Chronicle, 2005), recommends trying products with frankincense, which has been shown to soothe aging skin, and geranium, which has anti-inflammatory components that heal and regenerate skin.

For Stretch Marks: Try gotu kola (Centella asiatica), an ayurvedic herb that offers antibiotic and wound-healing properties. Take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of a tincture daily, or 300 to 400 mgs a day in capsule form.

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Labels: aloe vera, calendula, gotu kola, scars, skin care, Vitamin E