When my older daughter started wearing a Whoop to track her training and recovery for her college ski team, I immediately developed Whoop envy. If you’re not familiar with the Whoop, it’s a wearable device that tracks data such as your resting heart rate, your sleep (light, deep, and REM), your heart rate variability, and your respiratory rate. It gives you several scores every day, including recovery, sleep, and stress. A green score is good, yellow is okay, and red is an indication that your body is working hard to recover but might need a minute. This all sounded right up my alley. I love d ..read more

While most green beauty customers are women, we want to spread the word about the amazing products we create that make great gifts for the men in your life, from brothers to partners to dads to friends. We know there are plenty of men out there who dig organic ingredients, value hand-harvested ingredients and are highly conscious consumers. And we also know there are lots of guys who REALLY love the scents of Colorado. We have even heard from reliable sources about a few "Osmia Thiefs," who are sneaking into bathrooms to steal Osmia products from their gals when they think nobod ..read more

INGREDIENT: Ginger  WHAT IS THE FANCY LATIN NAME? Zingiber officinale  WHY DO WE LOVE GINGER? The welcoming warmth of ginger paired with its Latin seal of officinale approval for use in herbal medicine invites all sorts of uses in aromatherapy, skincare, and home remedies.  WHERE DOES GINGER COME FROM? Ginger can be found all over the world today but originated in China and Southeast Asia. Its role in promoting gut health made it highly regarded in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine since good digestion is one of their shared basic rules for promoting longevity and good health. Over ..read more

INGREDIENT: Lavender WHAT IS THE FANCY LATIN NAME?  Lavandula angustifolia WHERE DOES LAVENDER COME FROM? Lavender is native to the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean, but is now grown all over Europe, Australia, and the USA.  Lavandula angustifolia is considered "true lavender, and has a sweet, pure scent with very little camphor. Spike lavender, which grows at lower altitudes, has a camphorous odor, and is sometimes used to adulterate the more expensive true lavender essential oil. (Osmia does not use spike lavender, in case you're curious.) We grow some of our own, organic ..read more

INGREDIENT: Palo Santo Essential Oil WHAT'S THE BOTANICAL NAME FOR PALO SANTO? Bursera graveolens WHERE DOES PALO SANTO COME FROM? Most Palo Santo comes from Mexico, Central America, and South America, where it has been used in indigenous rituals and ceremonies for centuries. We use one from Ecuador that is made from aged, dead palo santo wood gathered from the forest floor, making it an especially sustainable wood to use for essential oil production. PALO SANTO BENEFITS Palo santo oil and wood have many benefits, from aromatherapy to skin benefits to use in cleansing rituals. Burning th ..read more

Ingredient: Eucalyptus Essential Oil WHAT'S THE Fancy Latin Name? Eucalyptus globulus Where Does Eucalyptus Come From? Eucalyptus trees and shrubs come from Australia and Tasmania but have been naturalized in many other countries. The essential oil is steam-distilled from its leaves and has a thin and clear appearance with a medicinal, woody scent. The beautiful Eucalyptus globulus grows rapidly and ranges from a shrub to a hundred-foot-tall evergreen tree with a large open crown. Eucalypt forests comprised of three genera—eucalyptus, corymbia, and angophora—dominate Australia’s landscape with ..read more

INGREDIENT Cypress Essential Oil WHAT'S THE FANCY LATIN NAME? Cupressus sempervirens WHY DO WE LOVE CYPRESS ESSENTIAL OIL? The ancient romance of the cypress tree offers many modern day uses—and a unisex, spicy, resinous aroma.  HOW DID CYPRESS BECOME POPULAR? These conical evergreens towered over the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean where their slender, statuesque shape struck the imaginations of the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. Cypress became associated with practices surrounding death and mourning, but this is in part to the tree’s Latin name—sempervirens, which means “alwa ..read more

INGREDIENT:  Borage Seed Oil FANCY LATIN NAME:  Borago officinalis WHY DO WE LOVE BORAGE SEED OIL? In short, because borage seed oil makes your skin stronger and healthier! That’s why it’s in all of our body oils, including our Craft Series oils. (In case you’re new to Osmia, we choose all of our ingredients for specific reasons. We don’t just throw stuff in a bottle and hope it works!) WHERE DOES BORAGE SEED OIL COME FROM? Borage is an annual, flowering herb that is native to Syria and some other Mediterranean countries. It is also referred to as starflower, and has soft, fuzzy st ..read more

INGREDIENT: Black Spruce Essential Oil WHAT IS THE FANCY LATIN NAME? Picea mariana WHY DO WE LOVE BLACK SPRUCE?  Aromatherapy, aromatherapy, aromatherapy. Say it three times fast and it’ll summon a vial of black spruce essential oil for cozy winter days.  WHERE DOES BLACK SPRUCE COME FROM? The black spruce tree is native to the Northern United States and Canada. The species name, mariana, means “of Maryland” in Latin. Which is a bit odd considering that the species does not naturally grow there. The man who named the species, Philip Miller, believed that Maryland epitomized North A ..read more

When people search the internet for black soap, they are usually looking for African Black Soap. It’s an ancient, specialty soap, made using centuries-old recipes and methods passed through generations, from the hands of elders who have done it since their parents taught them. What Is African Black Soap? African Black Soap is made mostly in West Africa, specifically Ghana and Nigeria. The secret is in the ashes of cocoa pods, plantain leaves, and palm fronds, in various combinations, which are mixed with honey, shea butter, and other oils, and then stirred in the African sun for seve ..read more