Our Story
Hello!
I'm Amy, founder of Renegade Botanicals.
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I grew up on a horse ranch in Northern California. My mother grew most of our food and medicine. I was raised with knowledge of wild foraging, subsistance farming, food processing and artistic expression. The marriage of these things has become Renegade Botanicals- the creation of unique formulas for health made from medicinal herbs that can be found in your backyard. Simple, clean, effective products with no preservatives or fillers. When I started sharing with others, the brand took off.
Why We Make Things
In this crazy world of products that we are told to buy, it's often discouraging to try and know what goes into the products we use. Ingredients are confusing and hard to pronounce. I didn't like that, so I decided to start putting things on and in my body that I knew exactly where and how they were made; by making them myself. I want to extend that to you, without putting you to work in my kitchen.
I have been testing things out for a long time, and developed products to sell that I decided made the cut. I wanted to share the things that are effective, healthy, and more enjoyable to use than artificially colored, chemically creams and sprays that you find in most households. I want you to be as healthy as I am!
How We Make Things
It's very important to me that people know how things are made around here. I don't believe that using microwaves is healthy, and that's why I don't own one. Every salve, balm, serum and spray I make is done old fashioned, and contained in borosilicate glass and stainless steel ONLY. I never heat any of my products to boiling, which diminishes the beneficial properties of the herbs, and try to keep ingredients at low temperatures using a double boiler-- just above melting so I can mix everything together.
My ingredients are stored in glass jars, many of which are made of Miron glass. This is a very special type of violet glass developed by Swiss engineers. It lets in only Ultraviolet and Infrared rays, which actually improve the bioavailability of nutrients inside. They protect herbs and oils from decay and keep thing fresh up to 10x longer than regular glass.
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Sourcing and Ingredients
Although roughly 70% of my ingredients are Certified Organic, I don't call my products "organic", because that indicates a system of labeling monopolized by the USDA certification process. It's expensive, and I don't believe their standards are up to par with what I think is a healthful product. By nature, all herbs and anything of this earth is organic. I choose every single ingredient that goes into my remedies by hand, and never use anything that I wouldn't put on my own body.
I avoid anything that appears to have been heated and pasteurized, grown with chemicals, or that uses unfair trade practices for farmers. I go for oils and herbs that have been harvested from sustainable sources, or right from my own garden. I only use Certified Therapeutic Grade essential oils, which are safe for topical application, and those that are labeled as such are safe for internal use.
I also don't use fillers in any of my products. Most things I make are either oil based, or based in a mixture of vegetable glycerin and aloe vera gel. The carrier oils I use include fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and avocado oil. All of these have beneficial properties for the skin, and are purchased raw and unrefined.
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Eco-Packaging
From a young age, I was taught that as stewards of this beautiful land, it is our obligation to care for it as best we can. Ours was a recycling and re-using household, and I continue to be committed to this way of life as I share my products with the world. My packaging containers come in stainless steel canisters, glass jars and bottles. You can wash these and recycle or re-use them for many things like storing herbs and spices, craft supplies, office supplies or even make your own product! I also offer redemptions on returned tubes. Several products, for preserving reasons are in plastic tubes. These are 100% recyclable, and can also be washed out and used for travel shampoo or other items bought in bulk. For more info about upcycling our packaging, click here. You can fill them by putting product in a plastic bag (recycled from one of the many that come packing all the things in our lives), cutting the corner off and squeeze into the tube.
Also, I use recycled shipping and packing materials for online orders.
Thank you for caring as much as I do!
Love, Amy
