Feed Your Skin

As our awareness increases about the importance of what we eat and the effects of our environment upon our bodies, we become more interested in what we use on our skin. Organic skin care is part of a holistic approach to health and well-being. If you choose to eat Certified Organic food, why would you nourish your skin with anything less? The skin is the largest organ of the body, absorbing chemicals and nutrients and eliminating toxins. What we absorb through the very permeable surface of our skin should be pure and healthy, full of antioxidants and nutrients. Angelina Organic Skincare supports your skin's ability to take care of itself and unveil its natural radiance.

Our Philosophy

Our guiding principle at Angelina Organic Skincare is a lotus flower. The lotus begins humbly in the marshes and waterways of the world, rooting in the dark earth and using all available nutrients. The core spirit of this bloom is the one of ahimsa - the yogic practice of non-violence and love toward all. With humble roots and pure and beautiful products, Angelina Organic Skincare is dedicated to health and vitality. In the spirit of love toward all, every product, ingredient, and process is thoughtfully created and chosen to help your body, your communities, and your planet thrive and flourish.

Fresh

Every product available from Angelina Organic Skincare is as fresh as possible. We believe fresh products work better and use fewer preservatives. We buy our ingredients in small quantities from the closest sources available. All of our oils are certified organically grown and are either cold pressed (without the use of solvent, hexane or alcohol extraction) or are completely unrefined (processed by mechanical extraction and screen filtering). This ensures that the oils retain the highest level of nutrients and antioxidants possible for your health. Our botanicals are organically grown, harvested in their prime with gentle, loving hands and tested for purity.

Fair Trade

Our shea and cocoa butters are harvested and processed entirely by hand in small cooperatives. Members of these cooperatives set their own fair prices and are able to continue living a traditional lifestyle, while earning excellent wages. We also buy whenever we can from local organic farmers. For example, we have chosen to purchase our beeswax and honey from a local family owned farm. Although it is not currently "certified organic", it is organically made. This small enterprise is saving up to pay the expensive fees to obtain their certification and our patronage will help them do that. Your purchase ensures that small villages and farms like this one will thrive, not merely survive. The farmers we work with love what they do and many are continuing down a path that several generations have built before them. We are honored to be able to share their lifework with you!

Our Commitment to the Earth

We believe that we are connected, in a way, to every living thing on this planet. Our daily choices affect not only ourselves, but everyone around us. We started by purchasing "Green Tags" through our local power company and now our products are made with 100% wind power. We have purchased (and will continue to purchase as funds become available) the most energy efficient appliances that we can find. Our minimal packaging is made of recycled and recyclable glass that you can use over and over. All of our literature is printed on sustainably made paper, with soy-based inks. You may receive your products by mail in recycled boxes (we use them whenever we can). We've even gone so far as to purchase a diesel delivery car that now runs on pure vegetable oil! Check out our "Live Simply" page to find out fun, easy ways you can tread a little more lightly, and our "Community Projects" section to see good things happening in Central Oregon!

A Note from Angelina Swanson

I live in a cozy log home, nestled in a quiet ponderosa pine forest just outside of Bend, Oregon. All of your herbal products are made in my clean kitchen in small batches, using fresh, natural organic ingredients. When my customers and friends arrive, they love to remove their shoes and wander quietly through the spiral garden. They walk in thick carpets of fragrant thyme, and the aroma rises up to mix with a myriad of other scents. In the spring, the garden comes to life with crocus and tulips. Summer sees sunflowers and yarrow and the fall brings brilliant yellow calendula and purple echinacea blooms. Tasty mints, rosemary and lemon balm are growing almost out of control all year.

Inside, we are surrounded by rows of fresh herbs that I hung up to dry. Jars of wildharvested arnica and St. John's wort line the windowsills, allowing the sun to gently infuse their healing properties into pure organic olive oil. The refrigerator is full of fresh squeezed aloe vera juice and floral waters and the pantry shelves are lined with jars of fresh herbs, honey and essential oils, stacks of beeswax, organic vegetable oils, the latest shipment of shea butter, sacks of organic sea salts and much more. Everything is simple, raw and mostly edible. I spend my days hiking deep into the mountains to gather herbs, growing and harvesting flowers from the garden, connecting with other growers around the world, and of course, crafting your products. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Angelina Swanson