JOURNAL

To keep cool in the midsummer heat, we often seek places to bathe our bodies or even just our feet: the ocean, lake, river or pond become highly desired destinations of the hottest months. Immersing ourselves in water is one of the most universal human rituals, as it frees us of our weight and leaves us feeling pure. When we take the time to soak — not just to cleanse but to relax in water — we can find a meditative space that is both calming and refreshing.

This month's Collective features my first proper bath salt blend, the Summer Soak. A true fusion of East + West, the Summer Soak combines salt of Hawaii with seasonal botanicals of the Northeast. Hawaiian Sea Salt, solar evaporated from the surrounding pristine waters of the Pacific, is a mineral rich detoxifier that pulls impurities out of the skin and reduces inflammation by improving circulation. Salt is known as Pa‘akai in Hawaiian — pa‘a means hardened and kai refers to the ocean — and salt water plays an integral part in their healing traditions that rely on the ocean’s ability to maintain health and relieve illness. The coarse salt is infused with Roses, Lavender flowers, Elderflowers, Honeysuckle flowers and Spearmint sourced family’s sprawling gardens of Massachusetts. This is where I first fell in love with the flora around me and was inspired to choose the path of an herbalist: while my soul is at home in Hawai‘i, a large piece of my heart remains with the land that nurtured my earliest escapades into the realm of plant based beauty and medicines.

The Summer Soak is intended to give you an excuse to draw a bath, and to take your time in it: let the troubles of the day melt off of you and into the pool. The cooling herbal allies infused within help to keep you grounded when the days are hot: Summer Soak will quiet the mind, lighten the body, and rejuvenate the skin — now, it is time to take a bath!

The July 2018 Elixir Collective Box includes a 2 oz clear glass jar of herbal bath soaking salts, and was wrapped in strands of hemp with a personalized stickey & detailed card printed on 100% recycled banana peel paper. You can read the card here. 

We embrace the summer and all its warmth with open arms as the most vibrant and abundant time of year. The flora is in full bloom, thirst quenching fruits and veggies come into harvest, and the days are at their longest. It is the most ‘yang’ season — hot, expansive and full of energy. We can smell the summer florals releasing their alluring aromas and hear the faint hum of pollinators in the eve. Life becomes its most alive, and we owe it all to one cosmic force that allows us to thrive: the Sun. Because it lingers longer each day, we stay up later into the night, and because it heats up the earth, we can bathe in its blanket of light.

SUN SPRAY is the featuring offering of the June Elixir Collective, and is a refreshing aqueous version of my newest All Over Oil blend dedicated to the solar body. This spray is like a sip of floral lemonade your skin can drink. The base consists of Hawaiian Lemongrass hydrosol, the infused water byproduct of essential oil distillation, with a bit of pure Hawaiian Lemongrass essential oil added to enhance the citrus tones. On top of that are Ylang Ylang essential oil and organic Lavender essential oil, to give floral depth and brightness respectively. The final touch — a Clear Quartz mini point charged in the Hawaiian sun — will help facilitate the free-flow of energy. The result is a light, hydrating mist to keep you fresh throughout those long summer days. Shake gently and spray onto your face, body, hair, clothing and the air around you to reinvigorate your space.

SUN & MOON ALL OVER OIL samples are also here for you to try! These are my two new blends that can be used literally ‘all over’ to nourish & soften your hair, hydrate & glisten your skin, refresh & perfume your bod. Both share a common base of Hawaiian Macadamia, organic virgin Coconut & organic extra virgin Olive oils. SUN features the same blend as your new spray, with Hawaiian Lemongrass, organic Lavender and Ylang Ylang essential oils to provide you with a dose of liquid sunshine regardless of the time of year. MOON is the scent of flowers in bloom on a warm Hawaiian night, with Hawaiian Sandalwood plus Jasmine & Pikake absolutes {two different types of jasmine both from the Jasminum genus}. Both of tropically exotic scents are available in their full size iterations under the Hair & Body Oils collection!

The June 2018 Elixir Collective package included a 2 oz bottle of Sun Spray and a 2 dram glass dropper vial of each Sun & Moon All Over Oil. A hand-decorated colorful card detailed the subscription box contents & ingredients, and can be read in full here. 

If you've ever smelled the sweet scent of Mango Ginger, you know exactly why I dreamed of infusing this unique rhizome into an elixir. Little did I know before researching it, Mango Ginger {botanically Curcuma amada} is actually a much loved Ayurvedic beauty secret for its skin-nourishing properties! Looking more like turmeric, it is a member of the Zingerberaceae {Ginger} family and smells remarkably akin to a fresh mango. My friend Travis, who works with Mana Farmacy on the Big Island, sent me a bag full of these precious rhizomes and I was inspired to create something sweet for the start of summer ~ and therefore, mango season here in Hawaii! 

The Mango Ginger Honey Scrub is made with a few of the islands sweetest ingredients and will leave your skin glowing! Fresh Mango Ginger rhizomes were infused into Hawaiian Honey and Organic Coconut Oil, and this hydrating base was blended with Maui Cane Sugar to create a gentle, nourishing exfoliant for your body. This scrub is currently available on its own in the Limited Batch collection until it's all out. 

The May Elixir Collective package included a 4 oz amber glass jar of the Mango Ginger Honey Scrub, a small thumb of Mango Ginger for you to try at home {as a tea or in cooking}, and a detailed 100% recycled card which you can read here. Both the card and the small recycled envelope which enclosed the rhizome were stamped with a piece of fresh Mango Ginger dipped in ink.  

The creamy cleanser offered in the April Collective was first dreamed up when I received a batch of Hawaiian Orange Hydrosol from Vetiver Farms Hawaii. Hydrosols, or distillate waters, are the majority byproduct of essential oil distillation, and often carry with them the same scent and properties as the concentrated oil but in a more mild aqueous form. This particular Orange Hydrosol smelled like a fresh orange soda, and reminded me of a citrus cleanser I made once upon a time. 

The Coco & Citrus Cream Cleanser is a dreamy face wash designed exclusively for the Elixir Collective. It combines the Big Island grown & distilled Orange Hydrosol blended with emollient Condensed Coconut Cream, organic liquid Castile soap, and essential oils of Neroli, Green Mandarin & Organic Sweet Orange. The result is a refreshing, delightfully scented & gentle face wash that both protects delicate dry skin and balances oily complexions. This item is available only as part of the May subscription until they are all out. 

The April Elixir Collective included the Coco & Citrus Cream Cleanser in a 1 oz glass bottle with a dropper, as well as a card describing the inspiration & product details that you can find here. The 100% recycled paper card was stamped with an actual citrus fruit dipped in ink. 

Show off your Indigo Elixirs! Post a photo of your potions in your Instagram feed or share your favorites via your story and receive a $5 off coupon that can be used anytime this month! I will send you a direct message with a unique coupon code that is valid for any purchase from my website through April 30th. Please mention @indigoelixirs & tag me in your content so I’ll be sure to see it! I can only give out one coupon per person but I will try to share as many of your posts on my stories as possible.

I hope this lovely image of Ukulele Goddess @taimanegardner showing off my #BlueMoonBalm can provide some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing! Photo shot by Shaun Goo.

 

So unbelievably stoked for this article that just came out in Organic Life Magazine! The profile also includes a recipe on how to make your own floral-infused botanical hair & body oil so be sure to check it out on my blog!

One correction worth mentioning: I was finally able to overcome my dependence on western meds for recurrent (and severe) poison ivy that plagued my northeastern youth with the miracle that is Jewelweed {Impatiens capensis}, also known as poison ivy’s antidote. This herb was one of the first to instill my faith in plant medicine when I drank & doused myself in it before harvesting Hawthorne berries from an ivy patch as part of my first herbal apprenticeship. After having poison ivy twice already that summer [both times in my eyes], I was certain I’d be doomed – but alas! Despite my skepticism, the Jewelweed protected me perfectly. Endless thanks to all of my herbal teachers & schools who are mentioned here ~ this lineage is built on the minds & skills of knowledge keepers that pave the way for each new generation of healers

How to Make a Healing Body Oil in Your Slow Cooker

Stoked about this shoutout in the San Francisco Chronicle!