I met Julie before I started These Two Hands at a market and bought a jar of her amazing Argan Balm and that was that. She has been a big part of my collection since I launched 2 years ago and I’ve gradually stocked more and more of her amazing smelling and beautifully natural soaps, skincare and balms. I only use her products on my skin and I’m so glad I found her!
Her business has grown hugely since we met and it has been amazing to see. She has been a huge support to me from the start and she is an incredible, inspiring woman. I wanted to know a bit more about how she got started and how she comes up with so many amazing products!
What made you decide to become a maker and how did you get started?
I have always made my own home remedies, even when my children were young I would whip up balms to soothe nappy rash or a bicarbonate concoction the clean the kitchen with.
I realised early on that there is this excess of harmful chemicals flooding our households; an abrasive foam for the oven, a spray for the sink, all these products that have been marketed for separate things when they are all essentially the same. I wanted to find a simple, natural alternative that didn’t cost the earth. So I started making my own, simple and often multi purpose solutions.
Eventually I moved into the world of soap making, and just couldn’t stop! I was making too many bars to just give away to my family and so I started selling them at markets and never looked back.
What inspires your products and scents and has that changed over time?
All of our products were formulated because they are things that we actually use in our everyday lives. We wanted to keep things really simple, so we don’t formulate bath bombs or bubble baths because we just don’t use them in our house. As my daughters have got older our range has expanded the accommodate this; they weren’t that interested in clay masks when they were young!
I have edited the recipes or improved on them as my knowledge grew, but they are essentially the same as they were when I first made them. As for scents, we only use essential oils. The healing properties of Lavender make it a staple in our house, and so it features in many of our products. But I’m always on the lookout for new oils to experiment with, for example Safflower oil is a new favourite of ours, it isn’t in any of our products yet but we’ve been experimenting with it in the workshop.
What are your favourite products from your collection?
I would have to say the Argan Beauty Balm. The blend gives just the right level of moisturisation without being too heavy. I just can’t get it enough of it, it works perfectly for my skin and I guess that’s why it was one of our first balms to go on the market.
What do you love about being a maker?
My favourite part about what I do is formulating new recipes. Experimenting with new carrier and essential oils and learning all about all the benefits of new plants, herbs and blends.
How important is the space you work in and what do you love about your workspace?
When I started Wild Sage I only had one small room as a workshop, so now that we’ve managed to expand into a larger space I feel like my workshop is my little haven
Why is sustainability important to you as a maker?
Sustainability is important to me because we only get one earth! The most important thing for me has always been to leave as little impact on the environment as possible.
For our packaging, we use biodegradable and recyclable materials wherever we can and we offer naked soaps now too without any packaging at all.
What would you be in another life if you weren’t doing what you do?
My dream job would be gardener/herbalist. Juliette de Bairacli Levy is my inspiration. Although her first love is for veterinary herbalism, the depth and breadth of her knowledge is outstanding.
You can find Julie’s amazing soaps, balms and other pampering treats in my Wellbeing section.