A Visit With GARA
Welcome to the world of GARA.
Based out of the East End in the bucolic Southern California farm town of Ojai, GARA is more than a natural skincare line.
Emilee Dziuk-Barnett and Paul Barnett, the founders are dear friends of mine and active in the holistic healing community in Ojai. Emilee and Paul use locally sourced ingredients only and handcraft their tinctures, oils, tonics, hydrosols, serums, balms and creams out of their studio themselves. Emilee is deeply connected the medicinal qualities of the surrounding plant life and this connection and understanding infuses the products she and Paul lovingly make. When they first began GARA, the focus was on the healing qualities of CBD, and subsequently branched out to other important healing plants. Guided by sacred geometry, traditional herbalism, modern science and ancient wisdom, GARA was born from their love and curiosity of medical plants. I have used their products for years and swear by them. I have included their CBD tinctures and balms for relaxation, pain and sleep regimen. I adore their orange blossom hydrosol which I gently spray on my face to lock moisture in and their whipped hemp butter is my fall and winter staple for dry hands and feet and now I have begun use their hydrosols in the kitchen.
I developed a Pear and Fennel Soup where I spritzed their latest batch of fennel hydrosols, distilled from fennel seeds, onto each individual bowl, adding a beautiful kick of aromatic fennel. It was such a cool addition. Stay tuned as I will be posting this recipe in the next couple of days. GARA has also offered a limited discount to Amalgam Kitchen followers. I have also included the link for the (fennel hydrosol). In a couple of days I will be doing a give away for their CBD infused travel set, a value of $60.00.
Enjoy the Q and A with Emilee, and the photos from when I visited their magical space.
1. Tell me what the name GARA means?
“ GARA is an abbreviation for Grass And Root Apothecary. I had been working with cannabis for many years and always wanted to bring this incredible medicinal plant out of the shadows of our culture into modern herbalism. In 2016 when CBD went mainstream, I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to bring forth the knowledge and experience I had gained from working with it on a personal level. It was my intention to highlight CBD but to also focus on the integrity and potency of other herbs in conjunction with cannabis.”
2. What does GARA create?
”We create organic, handcrafted personal care products, many of them featuring full spectrum CBD. We make seasonal tinctures and tonics along with freshly distilled hydrosols for mind, body and spirt.”
3. What brought you to create GARA?
“ GARA was created out of the love and curiosity we have for medicinal plants. Paul and I started making products for ourselves, then friends and family. One thing led to the next and here we are today with a full line of personal care products and seasonal tonics. “
4. What is a hydrosol?
“ Hydrosols, also known as hydrolats, distillates or floral waters, are aqueous products of steam or hydrodistillation. They contain micro-particles of essential oils, plant acids, and other water-soluble compounds found in the plant that is distilled. Our hydrosols are produced seasonally using fresh plant materials grown organically in the Ojai Valley. Many of the first alchemists believed that all of the healing potential of a plant is stored in its cellular water and through distillation, the cellular water from the plant could be extracted. This precious water, containing all of the genetic information and healing properties of the plant itself, IS the essence of the hydrosol.
As they are naturally acidic, these healing waters protect and repair the skin while providing nourishment and balance. We distill fresh plant material, harvested in season, with a copper alembic still. Each hydrosol is unique and contains a multitude of applications and uses. As we do not dilute or add any preservatives, many of our hydrosols are edible in moderation.
We distill specifically for hydrosols rather than essential oils, and thus the distillate differs significantly from commercially produced hydrosols. As byproducts of the essential oil rather than the main distillate itself, most hydrosols on the market are an impoverished version of a true hydrosol, which is often milky or cloudy in appearance. We distill at a low temperature to ensure that the delicate compounds from the plant are extracted with integrity and not destroyed in the process. “
5. Can you talk about the process of making a hydrosol?
“ Distillation is a journey of the senses which incorporates the elements of earth, metal, fire, water and air. From the smell of the first drops of distillate to the silky-smooth touch and feel of the finished hydrosol, distillation is an act of care and creativity. We first harvest the plant, asking for permission and taking only what we need. We fill the basin of the still with plant material before adding pure, oxygenated water. Then, we secure the still with a traditional rye flour seal and slowly turn up the heat. As the steam rises up through the plant material, it carries with it essential oils, plant acids and other water soluble compounds. The steam then passes through a condenser, returning to a liquid in its new incarnation as a hydrosol.
Distillation is a process requires all five senses. We listen as the still begins to boil and the distillate emerges with a gentle drip .. touching the basin to sense temperature and heat. Taste and smell as the distillate continues, all the while watching the still hum along, transforming, transmuting and translating. It’s a full body experience, evolving over the course of a several hours. A meditation of sorts that starts with intention, requires attention and once finished, reflecting upon what is retained in the distillate. It’s pure science, beauty and magic. This vessel has much to offer, both in function and in metaphor. ”
6. What herbs or spices or natural healing modalities do you take or use in your life?
“ I am a plant person, a green sprit if you will, intrigued by the scent of flowers and power of plants, ever curious about the natural world around me. One might say I am an enthusiast of many things, from sacred geometry and ancient technologies, to traditional herbalism and modern science. As I spend more time in my garden and in nature herself, I am more and more interested in using materials that are in my immediate vicinity. I have found that by working with local plants that are in season, I am much more fulfilled than if I turn to some kind of outward source. I truly believe that by living seasonally, and much more locally, we can heal not only ourselves but the culture we live in. I tend to lean towards the weeds, the plant that are abundant and self propagating in my environment for my own personal healing. I like to blend both ancient and modern healing modalities, always listening first to what my intuition is guiding me towards.”
7. Where do you see GARA going?
" I would love to see GARA grow and will continue to work towards this in the coming year. Our goal is first for the earth, for the well-being and health of the plants we incorporate in our creations and the ecosystems that support regenerative agricultural practices. We grow most of the herbs we use in our formulations and firmly believe that the direct connection we have with this process is essential. We source all of our ingredients directly through small, organic cultivators, and meticulously vet each ingredient for potency and purity. All of our formulations are plant-based, 100% organic and handcrafted. I truly believe there is a way to scale ethically by supporting both local agriculture and our local community. Above all, we value the integrity of our ingredients over quantity and I believe this shines through in our formulations.”
8. What are your favorite Gara products and why?
“ It’s hard to choose a favorite but I would have to say, I use the Youth Serum, Rose Geranium hydrosol and the Zen Cream EVERY SINGLE DAY. I don’t think I could live without this dynamic trio. I am also partial to the Tonic, a daily CBD oxymel made with 100% local ingredients from the Ojai Valley. There is no other CBD tincture out there on the market like it. Additionally, we just launched a small batch of the Sage Spray, which is also a local formulation for pain and inflammation. “
9. What is your skincare routine?
“ My skincare routine is fairly simple and changes slightly from season to season. I stopped using soap-based cleansers over a year ago and my skin is noticeably happier without the daily pH disruption. Soap-based cleansers are highly alkaline, which is the opposite of our natural skin biome that tends to be more acidic. Just as a healthy gut biome contains a diverse make up of bacteria, so does the skin biome. When you cleanse with soap, you are destroying the good (and the bad) bacteria. The skin biome then has to work much harder to come back into homeostasis which can result in oily or dry skin. Oil cleansing helps to gently remove excess oil and dirt without disrupting this delicate balance. I oil cleanse morning and night with pure Ojai olive oil, followed by a seasonal hydrosol and the Youth Serum in the morning, Zen Cream each night. I try to use a clay mask once per week rather than exfoliating to draw out toxins and rarely wear make up. ”
10. Where do you see yourself in 30 years?
30 years from now I hope to have as much energy and stamina that I have today. I see myself doing yoga, spending time with the ones I love and ideally working on some sort of plant-based project!
www.garaskincare.com | @gara_skincare
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