Greensong is a labor of love. It is an opportunity for me to share a spiritual practice. For me the bath is a sacred place. Soaking in warm, fragrant, nurturing water has often brought insights and allowed my murky thoughts and feelings to become clear. Many hours have been spent warming my chilled bones on cold winter days while sipping peppermint tea and catching up on my latest novel.
It started for me in my early teens when I would create my Sunday bath each week. Sunday baths required that I do something special for my hair and skin. Sometimes I would put eggs or mayonaise, lemon or avocado on my hair or face. 
Sometimes I would give myself a pedicure. Always there were oils and bubbles in my bath and I would lay back and let my mind wander beyond my daily teenage trials and tribulations. It is a ritual which has continued for me all my life. When I was in college I would reward myself with champagne in a bubble bath when I had a good term. There have been times when I could not leave a place I had been living because I could not bear to leave a beloved tub behind. My point here is that I take the bath experience very seriously. And, as you will see, there are very good reasons for doing so.
Our skin is made up of connective tissues which provide its strength, structure and flexibility. When we are young the fibrous proteins that make up the connective tissues, such as collagen and elastin, are healthy and being produced regularly so our skin is smooth, elastic and supple. But there are many things in our lives and environment that affect our skin. For example, 15 minutes of unprotected exposure to the sun can causes free-radicals to form on your skin. Air pollution, environmental toxins, unpure water, and various chemicals interacting with each other can also cause free-radicals to form.
Our skin is continually being subjected to attack by free-radical and over time it becomes damaged. One result of this damage is that our connective tissues become hardened losing their elasticity and strength. Our cells, in effect, lose the ability to hold themselves together. Our skin begins to sag and wrinkle. Proteins such as collagen and elastin which are found in our skin also support and connect tissues in the lungs, bones, tendons, muscles, cartilage and blood vessels. So the sagging and deteriorating we see in our skin is also happening to other parts of our bodies.
Anti-oxidants can neutralize free-radicals. Anti-oxidant oils, whether you eat them or put them on your skin, are a good way to help your body repair damage done by free-radicals and to protect it from further damage.
Bath salts and body oils are well suited to this task because natural oils are absorbed through the surface of your skin into the cells of the connective tissues. Along with anti-oxidants natural oils contain vitamins, minerals, and EFA’s which the body cannot generate for itself. All of these essential nutrients are delivered to the cells carried in by the oils. This nourishment supports cell metabolism and the continuous process of cell regeneration just as the food you eat every few hours provides the energy and raw materials for your body to function. Putting things on your skin is another way of feeding your cells especially those that make up the skin. Many oils also have inherent natural anti-bacterial properties which further help your body to fend off damaging effects of the environment and to be healthy.
Our bodies are designed by nature to heal and regenerate themselves. The best thing we can do for our skin, for our bodies in general, is to support the natural processes and functions of our cells. It is primarily when these processes are disrupted or damaged that problems occur. Oils have been used in skin care preparations for many centuries by many cultures. I am happy to carry on this wise old tradition and to offer these natural plant and oil combinations for the benefit of all of us and for the sustainability of our life on this incredible planet.
All of the raw materials used in Greensong Botanical products have been carefully chosen to be as close to their natural state as possible. They are produced in all stages using ethical and sustainable practices which include respectfully working with the people who grow the plants. I truly believe that by choosing to support those businesses who practice sustainable, ethical, respectful policies we can change the world. Indeed it may be the most powerful way to create change that we as individuals have available to us.
Mahalo Nui loa.
