​Cold weather got you down? So many people find January, February and March a mentally challenging time due to cold weather and limited time outside. I know I personally struggle with not getting enough sunlight but boosting my spirits with little items that make me think of warm sand and the tropics helps tremendously. Items like Cocoa Butter & Mangos lotion, Ray of Sunshine body Spray and smooth moisturizing soap will transport you onto a tropical island.
Cocoa Butter & Mango Lotion: Nutty, fruity and moisturizing for skin. I created this beauty after a trip to Puerto Rico. The sun mixed with cocoa butter topped with smooth mangos was begging me to mix it into a lotion. Also available in a moisturizing soap bar.
Body Sprays: Ray of Sunshine, White Peony & Ginger and Egyptian Goddess to name a few spritzed all over body will having you thinking pina coladas and mai tais. Try matching soaps Ray of Sunshine and Cedarwood Musk.
Glo Minerals Makeup: Change up your makeup routine. Add a splash of Papaya Blush or grab a skin like Cream Bronzer to give yourself a boost in the healthy tan department. I really love the contour packs too. Start playing around some new makeup and techniques. Stop by any of our locations at Stillwater, Wayzata or Buffalo for expert tips and tricks.
Bath Bombs: Relax in magnesium and repair oils while your worries fizz away. Selecting a spring or summer scent like coconut lemongrass, lavender rosemary, ray of sunshine, orange honey, or sea foam will help you reminisce about warm summers with your feet in the sand. I love using bath bombs in cold winter months because the combination of warm bath water and the scent of summer really enhance my positive thoughts.
Even though many of us can get “cabin fever,” boost your spirits with some fun, tropical products. Bundle up, and get yourself to a ModernRoots Natural Soaps & Body Care. Enjoy some time smelling our wonderful handcrafted lotions, soaps & body sprays.
 
 
 

​Seasonally fall products like the Earthy Essential Oil line for diffusers, Salted Caramel Bubble Clouds, Pumpkin Bread Candle, Vetiver & Shea Candle and Nutmeg Soap are sure to be a perfect fall product for everyone.
Essential Oils: Wonderfully crafted and steam distilled, all ModernRoots oils are therapeutic and deliciously blended to give you or your home a warm, inviting feel this fall.
Bubble Clouds: A super bubbly experience. Toss into tub while the water is running. Most bubble products on the market contain sodium lauryl sulfate or sulfates of some kind in addition to FD&C colorants that can leech into your skin causing a host of endocrine issues, but not at ModernRoots! We only use natural colorants and say NO to sulfates. This product is a fun one you can feel good about as your kiddos (or yourself) enjoy a soothing bubble bath.
100% Non-GMO soy candles:  Soy provides a really nice clean burn and does not make the air we breath toxic like many other candles that produce large amounts of soot. In addition, I believe soy should be burned, not consumed ; )
Natural Soaps: Packed with Non-GMO organic oils, these soaps will have you feeling fresh but also moisturized. Pick from many fall scents!
Just a glimpse of our seasonal fall products, come check them out before this wonderful season passes you by!
Meg
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​As rhubarb spikes, so does my appetite for this tart, slightly sweet herbaceous perennial. June lends delicious comfort in growing rhubarb and I harvest as much as possible for rhubarb custard pie, rhubarb juice and rhubarb tart before July hits as this herb quickly gets too woody to work with. Historically, rhubarb was first used as medicine primarily for gastrointestinal issues and stomach pain but quickly became used for cooking as this tangy rhizome (stalks only, the leaf is poisonous) is quite addictive.
This has inspired me to make some products with rhubarb in it! Introducing our first ever bath bomb with berries and rhubarb. A scrumptious, nostalgic scent paired with oils that linger on the skin, replenishing much needed moisture. I absolutely love wearing a maxi dress after a ModernRoots bath bomb bath, the oils make your skin shimmer and light reflect.
You can toss the bath bomb in the tub for a relaxing soak or get the bath bomb wet and rub your legs and body down for an exfoliating experience. Especially great for this time of the year to get those legs looking extra glam for shorts and skirts!
Rhubarb not your thing? We have lots of other bath bombs including coconut lemongrass, bohemian vanilla, rose geranium, honey love, Egyptian goddess, ray of sunshine and more! Come sniff us out.
Meg

​The comfrey plants are pushing through the soil and into their beautiful emerald green leaves, soon to be harvested and made into so many nourishing products at ModernRoots.
Comfrey, in medieval times was known as “knit bone.” Often used during war to wrap wounds and broken bones. We now know that comfrey is high in allantoin, a critical ingredient for skin and wound care. The specific allantoin content in comfrey promotes skin cell regeneration, helps stimulate the growth of new cells and helps sensitive skin to become more resilient. I grow a very specific variety of comfrey that is sterile, Russian comfrey Bocking 14. I also sell cuttings of this online and in the Buffalo store so you can grow your own too! It is one of the best plants to provide for bees.
I typically get three to four harvests of comfrey per summer which supplies the needs of the store for the products that have comfrey leaf, root or extract in them. I even steam distill the plant to use the hydrosol in lotions and more. Comfrey is one of our key ingredients at ModernRoots, featured in our comfrey salve, herbal salve, comfrey tea lotion, after birth healing soak & our nourishing herbal soak.
Customers LOVE the comfrey salve for bruising, minor cuts and scrapes, radiation sites for cancer treatments, sunburn and to use after getting a fresh tattoo.
The herbal salve combines seven wild herbs in addition to comfrey to really boost healing. Customer’s have healed fungus outbreaks (including all over face), deep cuts and patches of red, rashy skin areas.
Comfrey tea lotion is a favorite I have created. With fresh comfrey and comfrey hydrosol added, this lotion is super moisturizing and earthy. I love the way it makes people’s skin glow and look well cared for.
The after birth healing soak & nourishing herbal soak both contain comfrey leaf and root. They are pre-loaded, large tea bags ready to place in the tub with you. Either after you have baby or traumatic accident, these both provide soothing herbs to soothe wounds gently.
Our focus at ModernRoots is to nourish and care for the communities in which we serve. Comfrey is an ingredient that really allows us to accelerate this process.
We have more products with comfrey! We’d love to show you them.
Meg

​Spring is in the air and so are the bees, emerging from their hives to take their first flights for some
much-needed fresh air. The ModernRoots farm does “inventory” of the bees and how well the hives did
through the winter. Honey is an important ingredient at the store and the bee’s health is priority for us
to continue to harvest this delicious amber gold.
I specifically hand spin the honey from the honeycomb to retain its raw anti-microbial benefits. This is
incredibly important to provide the best natural products that are also highly effective. Honey has been
shown to help with allergies and inflammation, specifically honey produced within 200 miles of less of
your area. Minnesotans celebrate, because the honey we use is produced in Annandale, MN on the
ModernRoots Farm which is central Minnesota, so beyond the anti-microbial properties you also get the
best anti-inflammatory attributes for skin too!
Raw, fresh honey drizzles into our Almond Milk & Honey Lotion. Handmade almond milk starts this
smooth creamy lotion, along with nourishing oils to replenish dry skin. If you have not tried this lotion,
you need to, it will complete you.
Sweet Honey Bee Soap also sports a decent supply of raw honey added the last moment before pouring
this earthy sweet soap into the mold. The very next day this soap is ready to cut and cure for a month. A
favorite among the hippies and the hippies at heart.
Propolis Face Lotion is packed, with you guessed it, bee propolis. A substance bees mix from specific
tree sap, royal jelly, and honey to create a perfect “glue” to mend their hives. As you have it, this glue is
an amazing anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. I blend this into the face lotion for those that breakout easily
and need a light lotion.
ModernRoots has lots more products with raw honey in it. Come check them out, we would love to chat
with you about our natural products.
Meg

I have formulated with BTMS for years now and it has been brought to my attention that there are claims that it is a "4" on a scale of "10" on the EWG (environmental working group skin deep) site.
First and foremost, the EWG is made for consumers that want a guideline for healthy products. What the EWG does not do is differentiate product ingredients that can be similar. They lump them all into one category, so it is assumed all are bad. As a natural product developer, this is frustrating as I spend countless hours researching ingredients and formulating many of my own based on safety and how our bodies process ingredients. In my opinion, WAY beyond "skin deep." 
So let's get to the point... There are two forms of BTMS. BTMS 25 and BTMS 50.
BTMS 25 has cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol (combined, these two are cetearyl alcohol), and behentrimonium methosulfate  (colza oil, wax extracted from the rapeseed plant). 
BTMS 50 has cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate and BUTYLENE GLYCOL. This is specifically the one that whole foods says they don't allow in their "premium" products. Yet, they do allow BTMS 25 - most companies label it out differently because they don't want to be lumped into the BTMS 50 category. 
Let's go on a Whole Foods rant for a moment... If you think that Whole Foods and the products they have are all safe for you and your family, you are highly mistaken. They use tons of gmo soy, gmo wheat, gmo produce and hundreds of self care products that have awful ingredients that upset our endocrine systems. Now that is not to say they don't also have a few items that are healthier options but they are not fully "clean." End rant.
Ugh, life as a developer can be frustrating! Especially with sites like the EWG yelling "fire!" when not all ingredients are on fire. Really looking into the individual ingredients is best, but they have not allowed that on some ingredients. I believe they will get better though, especially after my email of facts they need to be aware of regarding like named ingredients.
Now, with all that said, I have let my customers drive my business. I care. I care not only about them but my skin and my children's skin as well. Our skin is a giant sponge absorbing chemicals through the air, products and water (yes, the flouride and chlorine in your city water is absorbed into your skin- get a filter) every day. Keeping that load at a minimum is important. With that said, regardless of the safety of BTMS 25 (butylene glycol free), I am re-formulating my emulsifiers with my own proprietary blend, ultra mild and zero toxicity load. And for those that use the EWG site, rates no higher than a "1." I These changes will take effect immediately. 
***Update: I have made several other products without BTMS -25 all together but have decided after much research and development to keep the original products the way they are. Pure as I intended from the beginning and safe for all!

​The best way to spread Christmas cheer is giving ModernRoots products, far and near!
As Christmas is celebrated all around the world, the coziness of winter and the holidays in Minnesota is like nowhere else. Snow blankets the pine trees like a fine Victorian lace and beautiful Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals pop out against the white snow. We take refuge in our warm homes as winter is here.
Carolers in the street, making snow men, and Christmas scents are some of my favorite things this time of year. Everyone has their favorites that makes them think of home, warmth and family. Some of the most important things to be grateful for this season.
Christmas at ModernRoots is a time of year we get excited to celebrate and are happy to help you pick out the perfect gifts for your family and friends. We’ve found that people love to give ModernRoots gifts in stockings too. A stocking with Christmas soaps, lotions, bath bombs and massage oils for some or beard balm, shave disk, and lip balms for another. With over 300 handmade products, locally grown and made in Minnesota, options are endless and fun to pick out. You may even find a pre-Christmas gift for yourself ; )
The store is packed full of Christmas goodies including our winter soaps. Come sniff out these favorites!
T’was the Night Before Christmas: an earthy, woodsy, pine sweetness.
Santa Baby: Gumdrops and pixy dust make this a unique soap that is a favorite every year.
Frankincense & Myrrh: Healing oils and gentle goat’s milk combine with rich frankincense and myrrh essential oils all topped with ground resin. An amazing biblical gift to share.
 
From all of us at ModernRoots, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Meg
 

Wayzata is close to opening! Permitting, design, product creation and build build build. We are excited to share this evening with the existing and new ModernRoots customers. 
We will be serving our delicious Chai Chaga tea and will have free product giveaways, a gift basket valued at $200 to draw for, makeup consultations and more! 
Make your calendars for September 8th from 5-9pm and bring a friend  :)