Sourcing Local Ingredients

One way to ensure that products are more environmentally friendly is to cut down on the air-miles of the various ingredients. In this article, I'll be giving a sneak peek into where some of my essential oils and extracts come from. 

Local ingredients have become a bit of a trend lately across many industries. There is a growing movement across consumers to prefer local produce, which is generally a good thing for the environment. In skincare, it can sometimes be more complex, however. Essential oils in particular require vast amounts of plant matter to produce, and due to the limited amount of sunlight we have in the UK, it can sometimes mean that to grow enough of a plant for commercial essential oil production would take a huge amount of land, which could be better used for other purposes. In climates with more sunshine, each flower or leaf produces more essential oil, meaning that it takes less plants to produce the same amount of oil. It's worth bearing this in mind when considering local ingredients. 

There are some cases, however, where I feel the most sustainable choice is to go local. As luck would have it, I live close to Banstead, where you will find this fabulous lavender farm. 

The Mayfield Lavender Farm is an organic and sustainable farm based in Banstead. The site has been used for growing lavender since the 18th century. Over the years, sadly, the demand for lavender became less commercially viable than building over the site, so the fields shrank. In 2002, a dedicated team restored the farm and began producing lavender for sale again. 

It's a lovely place to visit in the summer, and it's where I buy all my lavender essential oil. They grow a mix of traditional English lavenders at the farm, as well as Grosso, which is a natural hybrid of Lavandula angustifolia and spike lavender. 

Me with my mother at the Mayfield Lavender farm

​You can really see evidence of the organic farming methods used when visiting the farm, by the sheer amount of bees buzzing around. There's also a cafe on site where you can sample all sorts of bizarre lavender infused products, including lavender ice cream, lavender fudge and lavender shortbread. Definitely an unusual culinary experience! 

The Mayfield Lavender Farm is one of a couple of local farms in Surrey where I source my ingredients. I'll be sharing more about these in future articles. 

You'll find locally sourced lavender essential oil in many of my products, including: 
- Nourishing Cuticle Oil
- Marvellous Mineral Bath Salts
- Solid Shampoo Bars 
- Kitchen Soap 
- Gardener's Soap