"Made With Love" Event: The Orange Owl Review and Giveaway Ends 7/24 (US/CAN)

~This post is part of the handmade "Made With Love" event. All giveaways run from July 18th-24th. View all 29 sponsors on my blog and visit additional co-hosts for this event HERE~

About the Designer...
I was born and brought up in India and came over to the US in 2003 for my Master of Science in Biochemistry. My topic of research during this period was the effect that environmental toxins, allowed by regulatory standards, have on our immune system. This was my first introduction to how chemicals can really have a lasting effect on our genetic makeup. From there I moved to upstate NY where my husband chose to go to chiropractic school at New York Chiropractic College. While he was at school, I worked at the University of Rochester in their Center for Neural Development and Disease studying the evaluation, diagnosis and lasting inflammatory effects of traumatic brain injuries. Though all this work was satisfying in the sense of being innovative and novel, I still didnt feel like I had achieved my main goal of being able to help people on a very basic level. This is when my husband's mentor suggested I give their Master of Science in Applied Clinical Nutrition program a try. All the years of biochemistry finally clicked into place in my head. Overall, I realized that we are what we put on and in our bodies. Hence came about the two businesses I am involved in - The Orange Owl which offers people options for skincare products that are good for them and the environment, and Alternative Roots Wellness Center (www.alternativerootswellness.com) where my husband and I offer chiropractic and nutritional counseling services.

What do you make? I make 100% natural skincare products - no chemicals, no fragrance oils, NOTHING BAD! All our products, except the lip balms are 100% vegan. The Orange Owl is ecofriendly with all packaging made from either post-consumer recycled or completely recyclable materials. Starting ingredients are purchased from vendors that practice sustainable harvesting methods and are of the finest quality. The company is setting up to be carbon neutral which should be achieved in the next few months. This actually started out as an easy answer to one of the projects I had to work on in nutrition school. Since I was studying part time and working full time, I needed a project which would fit in with my philosophies as well as not be too difficult to work on. So, I made a soap infused with ginger which is supposed to help increase extremity circulation for diabetic people. I was hooked! This was also a time I had set a challenge up for myself - replace all cleaning solutions etc in the house with more ecofriendly versions. This included all the skincare products I used and I couldnt believe how effective something I made with my own hands was. Needless to say, I haven't stopped since!

How did you get started? As I said, it was for a school project. I have to give credit to my aunt here - growing up I never believed I had any creative bone in my body. In fact a lot of my friends from school are now amazed at all the projects I have come up with! It was just not anything I ever participated in. When I got married and moved to upstate NY, I was busy applying for jobs but didnt hear back anything for a few months. It wasn't the best time self-esteem wise and so I went to visit my aunt, figuring that it would be more fun to hang out with her and waste her time. She saw through my plan and instead introduced me to making beaded jewelry. I first laughed at her belief that I could do something like that, but was quickly shocked by the fact that I was making pretty nice things! If it hadn't been for that experience, I dont think I would have tried to make soap for my class project. That gave me the confidence to think a bit outside what was normal for a biochem geek like me. 

Who or what inspires your products? My products are mostly associated with various memories and that makes them all very personal to me. Aunt Z's Lemon Bar is a tribute to my aunt who makes the world's best lemon bars. She tried to teach me how to make them, but I am terrible at baking (you would think someone who has run science experiments for 6.5 years of her adult life would be able to follow a baking recipe properly!). So, I made a soap for her. Masala Chai is a thank you to a very close friend of mine in India. Our ritual when I go back home now includes a steaming cup of spice tea over which we catch up on our lives. The flower I chose for our wedding in India was the marigold or calendula which gave rise to the Festive Suds. Until I met my husband, I had never truly appreciated the outdoors and our hikes along some of the best trails in New England inspired the Walk in the Woods. The body butters and lip balms are an offshoot of these memories. Some, like the Cinnamon and Spice lip balm, were just complete serendipitous events - I was trying out a bunch of spices together and drops of cardamom and cinnamon essential oils just happened to fall in the same spot and I fell in love with the smell. I am a big foodie, so recipes also influence me - I cant wait to try out two soaps - one after an apple coleslaw I ate on my trip to Toronto and another one after a particular Creme Brulee I had in Vermont.

How long have you been doing this? I started making soaps for my family about 2 years ago now. The Orange Owl came together in fall of 2010, so it is fairly new.

Anything else? Yes, the fact that I know how lucky I am - I have two jobs and I get to make people happy through both of them - I love the feeling. I help out people with their health issues individually through my wellness center and people smile when they try out any of my products :) I have the world's best family that has supported me unconditionally through this. One of the aspects that I am truly proud of is the collaboration between The Orange Owl and The Schooling Project, run by one of my closest friends in India. 5% of all sales go directly towards funding the education of underprivileged children. When I was working on The Orange Owl, I knew I wanted to give back to society as I moved ahead - but I was not really sure of which direction to move in. Then I remembered my grandfather telling me that education is the basis of everyone being able to live to their best potential. My friend had just set up The Schooling Project which was doing wonderful work with children who are not as lucky as all of us and so we decided to work together.

Review...

Using simple ingredients, The Orange Owl has a lot to offer for those looking for natural skincare products. You'll find fabulous scent combinations, luxurious lathers, and a company with an eco-friendly bottom-line too.

Here's a little more about their products (from The Orange Owl website):

"Care is taken to use only essential oils, spices and herbs to scent and color the merchandise – no synthetic fragrance oils, scent blends, phthalates, sulfates, parabens, dyes, petroleum products or silicones here."

I received a bar of Sugar & Spice soap and also a tube of Citrus Splash lip balm. The soap smells so delicious, I could almost eat it! You can definitely smell the undertones of chocolate. To me it actually smells like spicy chocolate milk! The ginger is a little more dominant, giving the bar it's spicy scent. The bar gets quite slimy, allowing for a great lather to occur. My hands feel soft and somewhat moisturized after washing too. The bar is a little small at only 3 ounces, and maybe a bit pricey at $5.99, but The Orange Owl certainly cares about using only the highest quality ingredients, and bringing its customers a luxurious, natural product.

The lip balm I also received is fantastic! It goes on very smooth, and has a wonderful orange scent. There are no unnecessary ingredients in this lip balm either, and includes beneficial ingredients like organic jojoba oil and vitamin E. I LOVE this lip balm and would love to try some of her other scents like Cinnamon & Spice, or Minty Fresh.

I really like the interesting and creative scents The Orange Owl has for it's soaps. They are very different and most have a personal story behind their creation. Their website is beautiful, and each product's photo really drives home the scent and feel of each one. I also love their commitment to natural, chemical-free bath and body products. That's become increasing important to me over the last year as I've researched ingredients more and more over time. The Orange Owl also has Bath Salts and Body Butters that look heavenly!

Using eco-friendly packaging is very important at The Orange Owl. The soap is wrapped in paper made from 100% recycled material, and can be recycled by you too. The packaging is also printed using non-toxic inks.

Win it!

One winner will receive TWO soaps and a lip balm of the winner's choice from The Orange Owl! ($15.47 Value!)

How to Enter:

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Thanks for entering and good luck!