Skincare is my Love Language

I began formulating with natural ingredients in my kitchen in 2008. Although, I had been cooking and baking since elementary school, skincare was a brand new challenge and one that would take a few years of trial and error before I would produce the first products in the Zoe Organics line. There were no natural skincare courses back then, and I was told by multiple labs that all-natural products wouldn’t work. I ordered a few hundred dollars worth of oils, butters, beeswax, herbs and essential oils and got to work; my heart leading the way.

I was a young mom with 2 boys; an infant at a toddler, and my focus was to make gentle cleansing and moisturizing products with ingredients grown and processed without harmful pesticides and sourced ethically. There were very few natural brands on the market at that time and what I did find, didn’t resonate with the “modern conscious mom”. I shared my formulas and made notes of feedback, determined to create something really special.

In 2011, I became pregnant with my 3rd baby; a girl. I was excited to formulate products for my own changing, stretching skin and once more, developed formulas that nourished and conditioned the skin during one of life’s most magical seasons. Motherhood was my world and creating beautiful products for those I loved and my community gave me purpose and energy.

For 14 years of Zoe Organics, I was in and out of the lab; creating, discovering new ingredients, delighting in my favorites blends, brainstorming ways to improve our processes and scale. For many years, I had a production team, but I was never far from the line. I felt so lucky to be doing work I loved and building something impactful.

I’m not exactly sure when it happened. Maybe it was after years of not dealing with the trauma of the Valley Fire that took our home in 2015, or the pandemic in 2020, or our move across the country from California to Tennessee in 2022. Maybe it was a combination of all 3, combined with rising 3 kids and living in a constant state of stress. But I burned out. In a big way. What was once my passion that energized me, became a chore that drained me. I felt disconnected and that we weren’t making a difference anymore. The days of connection and growth and meaning felt far away. The business took a big hit during the pandemic and we really struggled to recover financially, but so many things were working against us; including my mental and physical health. In 2024, I made one of the most difficult decision of my life - to close Zoe Organics.

I wasn’t prepared for the outpouring of messages received from moms who have used my products and couldn’t imagine having to find alternatives. These words tugged at my heart strings. Each one shining a little more light on a part of me that had gone dark.

During the 6 months that followed, I allowed myself to grieve, to discover who I was apart from my business, to play and create, to dream again. I found myself longing to get back in the lab; to roll up my sleeves and get my hands messy. To create intoxicating aroma blends, to share my art. I got back to my formulation studies; playing around with emulsions and new-to-me ingredients. I made winter candles that I passed out to my friends on winter solstice, I created and launched the Camino Beauty Oil, inspired by my solo trip to Portugal and Spain in October to walk the Camino de Santiago. I figured out how to blend a dear friend’s favorite scent and made her a body oil. I have new products I am working on inspired by the needs and desires of those I love.

Then it hit me. Skincare is my love language. I can’t escape it. It’s one of the ways I love on people; helping (if even in a small way) to make their lives better. If you have ever been on the receiving end of any of my products, I hope you felt my love. Truly. There has always been something bigger at play than some herbs and oils. And I have a feeling there is a lot yet to come.

xo, Heather