April 24, 2015

Nature’s Pathways, meet Qet Botanicals

Qēt Botanicals nature's pathway magazine

Shared from the April 2015 issue of Nature's Pathways, a magazine whose mission it is to provide relevant information on personal wellness by connecting healthy living experts with the communities they serve.

Two years ago this month, Qēt Botanicals was born. Before their launch, it was several years of working behind-the- scenes formulating, researching, developing and testing a bevy of premium and organic ingredients. All of this was done in an effort to find ways to have a care routine that would be effec- tive, feel nurturing and simple to use, but also be safe and not harmful to hormones or health.

Let's back up a bit. This wasn't a path that was intended, but it is a path that Lisa Brill, the founder and product developer of Qēt Botanicals, is glad she found. After having a change in health, devel- oping Rosacea, adult acne, new skin sensitivities and then having radical swings in thyroid levels, she knew something had to be done. It was then and there that Lisa decided to eliminate all of the toxins and unrecognizable ingredients out of her bathroom. "I had a feeling it was the few ingredients at the bottom of the labels in my 'natural' products that I used every day that was tweaking my system. I couldn't find anything that really worked for me, was safe or that I liked to use. Being able to stop taking the oral and topical meds was something that was really important to me," she says. Slowly Lisa started to develop solutions that would work for her skin - first to cleanse, then to treat and heal, then to hydrate, and on it goes.

After Lisa decided to take her health into her own hands, almost immediately she saw and felt the change in her skin and hair. "There are so many women that develop thyroid changes and suffer from premature aging or minor skin upset; if avoiding the synthetic ingredients and harmful chemicals could have anything to do with disrupting the endocrine system and causing hormonal swings that we can experience, then there is no place for them in our morning and evening rituals," she says. Researching and using only proven and safe ingredients, and then feeling and seeing the difference herself, she knew she had to share her findings. It was a need that turned into an inspiration that developed into a deep- rooted passion. "We're so proud that all of the Qēt Botanical prod- ucts are found in Environmental Working Group's (ewg.org) Skin Deep database, and all of them are ranked in the safest category. It's like getting a really big hug," Lisa says. Now their list of core prod- ucts is more than 40, and she focuses on those products that stay on the skin, scalp or body. It's why Qēt has the variety of products that they do: hair finishing products, cleansing oils, facial serums, skin healing treatments, herbal exfoliants and even natural deodorants.

Qēt Botanicals is all about botanical oils, specifically plant and seed oils. The benefits that we get from our botanical oils is not made, it's grown. Serums offer deep, penetrating hydration that feels light and doesn't smother the skin. We formulate clean, non-come- dogenic, healing, hydrating and sumptuously nurturing serums, and we formulate them for various skin conditions. Our entire line is free of waxes, lotions, creams and extracts, as well as the long list of "offenders" typically found in many skin and haircare brands.

Qēt addresses the current skin condition rather than skin type, and focuses on the healing and nourishment that it needs. We weren't born with oily or dry skin, but it's our condition that changes, and it's oils that can bring it back into alignment. Whether it's skin producing too much oil, is suffering from breakouts, is sensitive, combination, dry, has rough patches, is uneven, or is tired and just needs a little pick-me-up, we have an oil for that! With our friendly oils like argan, avocado, calendula, carrot, cranberry, evening prim- rose, helichrysum, lavender, rosehip, raspberry, sea buckthorn berry, thyme, and the list goes on - who can have skin enemies?

Qēt is entering our third year in business. In our first year we received an Earth Day Beauty Award for our skincare, as well as a Sustainability Award for our unique packaging, reduction of waste and half-box implementation. Our customers are now all over the country, and we even ship overseas. We're moving out of our dedi- cated lab that is tucked away on our property just west of the Village of Cross Plains to a place right on Main Street in our community where we'll have all of our treatments to discover, a botanical bar to test and a window to peek into our lab where we formulate and ship our fresh products on a daily basis to our Qēt friends and partners.

Every change we make, whether large or small, can make the difference in our health and well-being, and it's never too late to do it. The future is bright, and we're excited about the new adven- tures and discoveries that lie ahead.