Like completely natural and organic products blended lovingly by hand? Then keep reading!

Lisa Rodgers is an inspiration. She left the financial security of a Fortune 500 job to make soap. Nine years later, her company Cactus & Ivy bubbles up the best organic bath and spa products in the indie beauty market. Her hand-blended (yes, hand blended!) goodies are cruelty free, Vegan and are tested on humans, not animals. Cactus & Ivy also formulates exclusive products for upscale spas, using indigenous ingredients based on their location, which is really cool.

BeautyOlogy recently did an email Q&A with Lisa about the inspiration behind Cactus & Ivy, her products and being a stand-out leader in the indie beauty brand community.

Want to recreate a spa experience at home with her incredible creations?  She’s offering BeautyOlogy readers an exclusive 15% discount, on top of her already insanely reasonable prices. Visit Cactus & Ivy online and use code BEAUTY10 at checkout. Speed on over there–the offer expires on March 31.

• What sparked you to create Cactus and Ivy?

I got started in natural spa products after I left a micro manged job to persue something on my own but what that was, I didn’t have a clue.  I was interested in natural products and curious as to how they were made.  I started selling/making natural soaps for a company in Seattle that was in need of independent reps. Later, the owner was no longer interested in the business so I decided to create Cactus & Ivy.  Now, here I am, 9 years later. I am still learning and taking it all in.  Going into business for myself was the best move I’ve ever made.  Well, second to my marriage.  I wouldn’t be in this business had it not been for the love and support of my husband.

• I have this fantastic mental image of you in a kitchen elbow deep in ingredients! Did you formulate on your own? How did you learn about the process?

After I was given the formulation and instructions on how to make soap for the Seattle company, I began researching other products online and in bath and body books. Trial and error of ‘this’ ingredient mixed with ‘that’ ingredient yielded a lot of fabulous products and some that needed to go back to the drawing board.

• Do you personally hand blend your products?

I personally make all of our products by hand, with the exception of our lotions and body wash.  I have not mastered the art of either product and until I do, I will not offer my customers an inferior product.  Our lotions and body wash products are some of the best on the market and we have received great reviews! Creating the other products in our line is a way for me to remain close to my creations.  A lot of love, care and pride go into every product created and nothing makes me happier than to receive feedback from a customer saying they love Cactus & Ivy!

• Were organic beauty products important to you before you created Cactus & Ivy, or did you begin to pay attention to it during your research?

I’ve always been conscious of what I put on my skin, however, I wasn’t as knowledgeable then about ingredients as I am now.  From the beginning, I knew I wanted to offer products free from harsh chemicals, artificial flavors, colors and fragrance.  I’m a lover of feedback and when customers last year indicated they would like to see products scented with fragrance oils, I obliged.  After all, the customer is your market and there are those who use products scented with fragrance oils.  We only use phalathate free fragrance oils.

• Do you find a difference in consumer’s knowledge about and interest in organic, chemical free products from when you started until now?

Customers are definitely more savvy in their ingredient knowledge than they were 10 years ago.  Natural and Organic are becoming the mainstream in the beauty industry.  As a manufacturer, I believe in complete transparency.  I can’t assume that every customer can read an ingredient label and understand it.  All of our products include a complete, easy to read, ingredient listing on the labels and website, as required by the labeling guidelines of the FDA.  We have also registered our products with the VCRP (Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program) with the FDA.  Cactus & Ivy has absolutely nothing to hide.

• As an indie manufacturer, what makes Cactus & Ivy stand out from the large scale cosmetics companies who are all going “natural”? Why is it  important to support independent product makers? What do they bring to  the table that the large company’s do not?

Since 60% of what is applied to skin is absorbed, we want our products to be as natural as we can make them while offering a longer shelf life.  When creating a product, we look at the benefits of each ingredient used and how it will compliment the products application/use.  I take pride in providing products with a purpose!

Supporting the indie manufacturer is very important not only to our economy but I firmly believe we know and understand the beauty/cosmetic customer.  We care how our products will be received and don’t see the customer as just a number.  If Cactus & Ivy became the #1 small business in the beauty industry tomorrow, I would not change my interaction with my customers.  My door is open to all forms of feedback – good, bad or indifferent.  It’s the only way I know if I am hitting the nail on the head or I need to go back to the drawing board.

Indie manufacturers bring real life to the table.  We listen to our customers and create products with a purpose and not just because it may be a fad.  Every product we create is created with the customer in mind.

• What are you most proud of in building Cactus and Ivy?

I am most proud of creating a company that is completely transparent in every aspect.  I believe good customer service is the backbone of any company and we stand tall.  I stand behind our products 100% and I would not offer a product to the consumer that I wouldn’t offer to my mother!

• Where can people find the Cactus and Ivy brand?

Cactus & Ivy products can be purchase from our website (http://www.cactusandivy.com).  We are in several specialty shops and spas.  I am working hard at gaining more shops, resort/destination/day spas as well as a distributorship in the Czech Republic.

• Do you have a particularly favorite ingredient?

Oooo, that’s a hard one.  I would have to say sweet almond oil.  I have Fibromyalgia and weekly massages are a must to keep my knots at bay.  Sweet almond oil is a great emollient for softening and conditioning the skin and hair.  It is rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins, has fabulous slip, a non-greasy feel, is highly moisturizing and penetrates the skin extremely well.  You can find sweet almond oil in many of Cactus & Ivy creations!

• What’s your all time favorite product in the Cactus & Ivy line?

My all time favorite product is our Peppermint Tree Foot Balm. The tingling and cooling sensations coupled with the moisturizing ingredients is a must have to keep your feet in tip top shape and feeling refreshed.  Peppermint Tree Foot Balm can be used daily to revive tired, dry feet or as an intense overnight treatment for really worn out tootsies. The oils of apricot kernel and sweet almond penetrate the skin easily, emollient and great for dry, inflamed or irritated skin. Menthol gives it the fantastic tingling and cooling kick! Antifungal properties of tea tree oil and the pick me up relief from peppermint oil, round out this fabulous product.

Follow Cactus & Ivy on Twitter or visit them on Facebook. And remember, shop at the website and use code BEAUTY10 for 15% your order, exclusive to BeautyOlogy readers! The discount is good until March 31!

I am so getting the Peppermint Tree Foot Balm. What are you going to try?

My daughter inherited my sensitive skin–it nicely welts right up when she comes in contact with something too irritating. And, of course, being an esthetician and skin care freak, I have tried every baby and kid product imaginable since she was an infant. My only criteria was that the product be haz-mat free.

When organic-minded new moms gave a thumbs up to California Baby, I gave that a whirl, but I found the products kind of drying (particularly their hair care). So when I stumbled on Weleda at an organic esthetician’s skin studio while we were on a long beach weekend, I picked up a bottle of their Calendula Cream Bath for my kid.

As a sensitive skinner myself, I have always been partial to Calendula. It’s anti inflammatory and incredibly gentle and healing. The base of Weleda’s Calendula Bath Cream is sweet almond oil, which is easily absorbed and very moisturizing. It protects the skin barrier and keeps the skin super smooth.

Weleda is an organic brand that has almost invincible staying-power. Eighty years ago, they pioneered the concept of Biodynamic farming, which is only now being used as trendy organic buzz words in the beauty biz today. The company was founded on the principle that the products support and enhance the body’s own natural healing tendencies.

Since my kid’s the one using it, I asked her to provide her review of the product during bath time tonight:

I like it. It makes me smell pretty and I love how it feels really soft. My skin feels nice and soft after. If I don’t use it the night before, the next day my skin feels all wrinkley. But when I do use it… Not wrinkley!

And isn’t that what we all want from our skin care products?

I have seriously needed new shampoo and  conditioner, and I have spent  the last few months  gazing longingly at Alterna’s Hemp Organics line at the spa. The stylists kept telling me how awesome it was, but I have had such unfortunate experiences with organic shampoos (including hemp based ones) that I was really skeptical. Last weekend, I took the plunge and purchased the repair shampoo and conditioner for my color treated hair.

In a word, phenomenal! It is hydrating, shine boosting, and keeps my hair tangle free. Big bonus is that it is sulfate free, and the goodies (including white tea and avocado) are free from pesticides and fertilizers. Highly recommend!