What do we mean?
This is a common enough phrase although we usually see it in terms of modern psychology when we think about nature OR nurture.
But this common phrase strikes a chord in another way for us here at ASC.
Central to all that we develop and make is the belief that there is wellbeing in nature. This, of course, is not new news! There is something in all of us that feels better for a little bit of fresh air, a walk, some connection with the outdoors. Wherever we can grab it; in a garden or the local park, or in the hills, the beach, a river, the woods.
Henry Thoreau wrote: “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees,” and he was right! In Japan, the practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest-bathing, was established in the 1980s as a way to combat tech-boom burnout, encouraging people out of their offices and into nature to reconnect with the country’s forests. Subsequent research proved that time around trees did significantly reduce the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, reducing anxiety and low mood. Research has also shown that chemicals called phytoncides, released by plants and trees, strengthen our immune, hormone, circulatory and nervous systems when we breathe them in (Woodland Trust).
What does this have to do with ASC?
We decided from the start that our products would be a way to bring this feeling of nature home. We are very lucky to live in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but how to achieve the feeling that this County evokes in a handy take home form?
Scent was key; a deep breath of sea air, the camphor scent of pine and warm woodiness of the forest, the peaceful floral notes of the big parks and gardens. Breath in, breath out, feel better.
So we turned to Essential Oils; not manufactured fragrances but pure plant power. Highly concentrated extracts of plants and flowers, many of which have been used for centuries for their healing properties. Essential oils are the bridge between nature and product, or, as a clever guy commented to me recently, our products are the delivery system for nature’s stimulating plant oils.
Using nature to nurture us.
So in our soaps, bath soaks, shampoo bars and skin salves we have blends that soothe frayed nerves, blends that help promote sleep, blends to restore a sense of balance or revive a fatigued mind, blends to invigorate and boost energy levels. Like a walk in the woods, a blast on a windy beach, a sunbathe in a sunny garden, these oils can deliver the feeling.
But that wasn’t the end of it. Once we had the ‘delivery system’ it became increasingly obvious that nature shouldn’t just nurture us, but we should nurture it. Because if we don’t, if this relationship is just one sided, then we’re going to have nothing left.
So another decision was made; we would strive to reduce our use of plastic wherever we could. Our soap boxes, tins and glass jars are plastic free and recyclable, our suppliers are UK based and have been chosen for their reduced use of plastic. Our postal boxes, tape and void fill are plastic free. We reuse what we can, recycle what we can, refuse to use cheap, long distance suppliers.
And we kept going; our products should be free from microplastics, free from harsh sulphates, free from cruelty to animals because, why not? Kindness all round. Nature nurtures us, we nurture her right back.
So when we say nature nurtures we hope that in buying our products you take home a sense of that, breathe a little of it in when you wash your hands and soak in the tub. Because nature can bring us back to ourselves.
The last word goes to John Muir, Scottish born American naturalist and 19th century environmental philosopher:
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out til sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”