NEWSFLASH: First time customers-
Get 20% Discount at karma~naturals with code NEWCUST807.
Q&A with Owner/Creator, Kris Ash
Kris: Lots of people have asked why we use the word karma (our company is called karmic klutter, and our products are called karma~naturals). Well, it has a double meaning. First, we feel it's our fate, purpose, or karma to help others find the opportunity to bring their lives into a more natural existence. And secondly, it stands for Kris Ash Really Makes All (naturals)...and I happen to be Kris Ash, the visionary and primary entrepreneur of this little family company.
Kris: It always bothered me that I could not pronounce the names of most of the ingredients in the products I was using…and, with my severely dry skin, I used A LOT of them. Worst of all, up until about 5 years ago, I hadn’t even bothered to read labels. Once I did, I was horrified to see how unnatural and toxic these products were! No wonder so many of my friends and loved ones were dying from cancer. Why would I put something on my skin (which drinks in these chemicals), when I wouldn’t dare consider consuming it? I felt stupid and determined to find a better alternative so I could rest at night with peace of mind. So, with my husband’s scientific background and my little bit of chemistry knowledge, I took on the task of making skin care products about which I could feel safe and use.
Celeste: Name 5 benefits women should know about when using your natural products.
Kris: Five benefits of using our karma~naturals products….
1. You can pronounce the ingredients within our body products, so you know what you’re placing on your skin. The formulas are simple, giving you only the ingredients you really need without any inert ingredients so common in big company products. The products contain no parabens, phthalates, or petroleum based products. And, the ingredients are listed in a reader friendly format.
2. Most of the oils we use are organic. So, you can rest at night knowing your skin care products contain plant based ingredients that weren’t grown with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
3. Unlike big companies, you can talk to me personally. I am the person who creates, packages, and processes your orders. I am there every step of the way (although my family members help throughout the process). I know I’m making my items for a person….and I keep this personal relationship in mind during the entire process.
4. The reason I create my products is for body benefits….not profits like big companies. I make these products for myself, my family, friends, and associates….so, they make your skin feel great! And, the only skin they are tested on belongs to me and my willing human volunteers…. NO animal testing.
5. My husband and I are eco-conscientious. We reuse all of the packaging materials which accompany ordered supplies as they arrive at our home. We recycle any of the cardboard, paperboard, glass, and plastic containers and packaging we find we can’t use. Also, we clean our home (and the company processing rooms) with eco-conscious cleaners. Best of all, we donate a portion of our income to eco-conscientious and environmental causes…..like Wilderness Society, World Watch Institute, Zero Population Growth, Missouri Botanical Gardens, and League of Conservation Voters. Our long distance carrier is even WALD (Working Assets Long Distance). All of this we do….so we can make a difference.
karma~naturals Nourishing Lotion Bars
Celeste: What inspired you to start making your own organic cosmetics?
Kris: We are a very small family operated company with a big mission in mind...
Leave this world better than the way we found it!"
And, this is just what my husband and I have been doing on our journey throughout this life together with our three children. Thus, as we have watched ourselves getting older, we began questioning many of the assumptions we were taught growing up... like our skin was a protective covering that hindered outside forces (such as chemicals) from affecting our precious interiors. How wrong we were! With the advent of medical patches, it is perfectly clear our old assumptions are just plain wrong!
So years ago, we began purchasing earth-friendly products from companies like Seventh Generation and Gaiam to protect ourselves from harmful exposure to chemicals. Who knew that the very cosmetics and lotions we'd been putting on our faces and bodies were just as toxic as the cleaners we'd been using to clean our home! And, with all the media attention drawn to parabens, phthalates, and petroleum products (and the harm they do to our bodies), I became personally concerned as I watched so many of my friends and family members die from cancer within the past handful of years. I was especially concerned for my own safety since I have exceptionally dry skin and use tons of creams and lotions on my own body!
Thus, the adventure began (three years ago)...
And, here we are creating organic and natural body products that our friends, relatives, co-workers, associates, and neighbors have told us are wonderfully delightful, body safe, and positively indulgent. At their request, we began selling to them, which led to the launching of our eBay store and online website. Finally, we were able to offer even more people the opportunity to enjoy these carefully handcrafted products which we call karma~naturals.
Kris: Because our inspiration was to produce body products that were safe to use since we were using them ourselves, we make products that contain ingredients that are earth and plant based. (After all, if you can’t actually eat/drink it, why would you put it on your skin?) Therefore, they’re basically safe to consume orally (though I wouldn’t recommend it since they don’t taste all that good!) Most of the oils we purchase and use are organic, and, although most of our products are not vegan, we do currently carry a lip balm and lotion bar that are. And, as each day passes, we are consistently experimenting and producing new products that are organic and natural with some vegan alternatives.
Celeste: What went through your mind when you discovered your cosmetics and personal care products you were using (before you started making your own) were toxic?
Kris: It always bothered me that I could not pronounce the names of most of the ingredients in the products I was using…and, with my severely dry skin, I used A LOT of them. Worst of all, up until about 5 years ago, I hadn’t even bothered to read labels. Once I did, I was horrified to see how unnatural and toxic these products were! No wonder so many of my friends and loved ones were dying from cancer. Why would I put something on my skin (which drinks in these chemicals), when I wouldn’t dare consider consuming it? I felt stupid and determined to find a better alternative so I could rest at night with peace of mind. So, with my husband’s scientific background and my little bit of chemistry knowledge, I took on the task of making skin care products about which I could feel safe and use.
Celeste: Tell us about your journey with essential oils.Kris: Shortly after my son was born in 1994, I began working in a new age bookstore. Here my adventure into essential oils began. At that time I began using them for my own emotional, spiritual, and health benefits (as well as my family’s benefit). When I began making my own organic & natural body products three years ago, I included many of them in quite a few of my products. Throughout my association with some of my dearest friends in the alternative medical profession, I learned that due to the lack of regulations within the U.S. cosmetics industry, the essential oils made and sold in the United States are mediocre at best. Recently, I have had the opportunity to experience and explore Young Living Essential Oils. It was exciting to learn that they are produced within European medicinal standards and their health benefits are unbelievably substantial. These superior essential oil products have helped me create essential oil products that offer wonderful emotional, spiritual, and health benefits that make living a joy!
Celeste: Do you literally make your products in your kitchen?
I started my first lip balm experiment in my kitchen….and it worked! The product was creamy and delightful. But, as my experimenting expanded and the line of products grew, so did our online orders. It became too much to work my experimenting and order filling around feeding my family, so we built a laboratory production room in our home’s lower level. That initial experience eventually expanded into an additional storage room, and shipping area (which is where we currently are today).
karma~naturals Sheer Lip Gloss
Kris - is there anything else you would like to share with our Go Green With Celeste readers?
Kris: Time has been my greatest enemy as I’ve worked to create body products I felt I could safely use. As a result, while working on my own recipes, we have also offered natural body products that we don’t make ourselves yet still reach our high level of green standards. They are natural products I have discovered and decided to use myself since I want to avoid the toxic alternatives until my own creations have been perfected.Currently, we are carrying several creams and eye liners which are all natural, but not of our own creation. However, I am most excited that I have recently perfected a recipe for body lotions and creams that use drinkable hydrosol waters. The lotions & creams are luxurious, fabulous smelling, and above all – natural & organic! We still need to finish our 6 month testing period, but they will be coming out shortly after the New Year!
Check out all the karma~natural products now!
NEWSFLASH: First time customers-
Get 20% Discount at karma~naturals with code NEWCUST807.
