6th December 2019
Designer Spotlight: The Plant Lab Bath & Body
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My name is Jo and I'm the sole creator and maker of The Plant Lab Bath & Body. I formulate and hand make plant-based bath and body products, including face balms, oils and scrubs, body scrubs, balms and oils, and botanical bath salts.
I love working with fair trade Shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter and plant oils. I like to think of them as Mother nature's skin elixir.
In our busy world self care is very important, and I wanted to create a range that inspires wellness. I believe daily rituals hold the key to injecting a little self care into our lives, and these rituals can make all the difference to our wellbeing.
Ever since I can remember I've had an interest in natural skincare products. When I was younger, I suffered from bouts of eczema and dermatitis. I quickly worked out by applying natural soothing balms and oils to my skin my flare ups healed quicker, decreased in frequency and my skin was no longer dry and vulnerable to the external elements.
Maintaining good skin integrity is really important, as dry skin can really be problematic. So when my youngest daughter had her first outbreak of eczema, I started formulating my recipes and experimenting with different natural ingredients to make the skin balms, soaps and body oils that form part of my range today.
I live in a leafy riverside suburb of Sydney, with my husband, our 2 daughters and 9-year-old bunny, Molly. I work from my home and I'm constantly inspired by my surroundings. I love the fragrance of the lemons, limes, lavender, rosemary, and sage growing in my garden... the smell of the surrounding eucalyptus trees and native flowers... and the fresh salty breeze.
These are the familiar aromas which are my surroundings and remind me of 'home'. All of these elements influence my work and how I feel when I'm working with essential oils in my products.
Pure essential oils are used to scent my products, I like to describe them as 'subtly scented'.
I believe scent should compliment and not dominate the other ingredients. Just like in nature there needs to be a balance.
I love living in an area surrounded by bush and nature. We are perched up high and have views of the bush, glimpses of the river, and beyond in the distance is the city.
I also sew eco-friendly shower caps which I hand-make using laminated cotton. These can be found in my Madeit store. I started making shower caps about 8 years ago as I was in search of a pretty water-resistant shower cap which was also eco friendly for my daughters. I love that they are still part of my bath range.
I also enjoy making macramé wall hangings and plant hangers. I use 100% unbleached cotton, and I love the texture of the knots. These can be found hanging up on my walls in my home, but soon I hope to start selling my creations on Madeit!
I love selling on Madeit, it's gives me the opportunity to be apart of and connected with the Madeit community and support networks; to be able to reach out to fellow sellers and ask questions is so important when you work alone. For me, Madeit is a valuable Australian selling platform, essential for small handmade businesses like myself. Madeit enables me to reach local customers and grow my business in a domestic market.
Visit The Plant Lab Bath & Body to find more natural handmade skincare and self-care accessories: ThePlantLabBathBody