why I went "all natural"

Our American culture is obsessed with convenience & instant gratification. We’ve lost our patience in the process & care more about seeing immediate results without an acknowledgement of how those results happen & don’t even consider the long term effects of some of these ingredients. 

I used to be one of these people. I spent a good chunk of my life using body care products based on what they were advertising or how they smelled. They were full of dyes, synthetic fragrances, tiny pieces of plastic, & chemicals I had never heard of (some of which are cancer causing).

Starting in my late teens & early 20s, I was all of the sudden drawn to people who were very knowledgable about mother nature’s gift again. I went on a little beach/surfing trip with my best friend Mikayla at age 18, where the surfers we were staying with only used Dr. Bronner’s for shampoo, conditioner, & body wash. I had a nutritionist at age 21 who only used coconut oil as moisturizer. Then I spent two weeks in India at age 22, where I was immersed in a culture that is massively in tune with the Universe, Mother Earth, & using natural elements for fragrances, body care, & the immune system. Even still, I was half-assing most of it. I still bought the lotions that advertised “will cure cellulite” or eye serums that promised results with a list of ingredients I couldn’t pronounce for the life of me.

It wasn’t until I went to Burning Man + had my dad diagnosed with a hormonal cancer that could not be cured that I woke up. 

You can read all you want about Burning Man — you can talk shit about it, you can blast it for “being a party scene” now. You can say you’re too good for it, or that you’ve moved on… but no matter what you say, its 10 principles are something you cannot f*ck with.  One of them is “leave no trace” & this includes your perfume, body/skin care & your GD GLITTER. By having this principle, you are forced to acknowledge that the things you put on your skin still effect the earth, no matter how small or unpronounceable. 

Then, my dad was diagnosed with a cancer that cannot be cured. Hearing this news shook my existence to the core, making me question life as we know it. But… it also made me dig deeper. WHY did this happen? HOW did my dad get this? He is one of the most healthy humans I know: drinks occasionally, eats lots of fish, little red meat, small amounts of fish, has done over 10 ironman triathlons, countless marathons, & has a stress level so low it would surprise yogis world-wide. After all of the research (not my own, but scientific research), I found that a lot of ingredients in our daily beauty & skin care products can significantly change our hormones. Ranging from synthetic fragrance to degreasing agents to foaming agents to preservatives, even the most healthy person could use them & it would still trigger a hormonal response resulting in cancer diagnosis. This means that no matter how much we avoid other toxics that disrupt our natural hormone regulation, we could be smothering carcinogens on top of our skin. 

So I started learning how to make natural, handmade, "of the earth" skincare with ingredients that still address skincare needs without the crazy, CARCINOGENIC chemicals. 

I wanted to created something for all of US… something that doesn’t mess up Mother Earth’s perfect system of balance, but helps us connect with her more. At the same time, I wanted to address our skin care needs, such as sun damage, wrinkles, fine lines, acne, & moisture retention, without sacrificing our long term health.

It's been easier to just buy something off the shelf than to make it yourself, until now. ALMA ONDA is a skincare line that I feel good about putting on my own body every single day. I feel proud & trust that my family, my best friends, & the community using this product is safe from harmful chemicals & isn't damaging Mother Earth.