​Giana, the smiley giggly baby that I was honored to call my daughter was born with a severe skin disorder. Eczema, but worse. Of course we tried steroid treatments that were prescribed by doctors but nothing really helped. Nothing gave her the elasticity her skin desperately needed. When steroids thinned and discolored her skin, I knew there was a significant need in the marketplace to help kiddos or adults with skin in a more natural way since products were not readily available, were too expensive or just as bad as the steroid treatments. 

With my background in biology and chemistry and as a daughter to parents that were both microbiologists, I grew up in the natural world of cellular structure. I took the knowledge I often took for granted and started scraping and studying my daughter's skin cells. I would find specific oils and extracts that would be attracted to her microbiome and cellular biology. It is the assumption all oils are moisturizing and all oils can be combined together, but my research proved otherwise. I scientifically wrote the recipe Hydrating Body Butter and within a few days of bathing my daughter, lightly toweling her off and applying the thick butter, her skin started to repair itself. I watched as her broken, dry, raw skin started mending itself back together. I believe we are wonderfully made and at times we need the right microenvironment on our skin to create a place of mending and repair in which all ModernRoots products have the same basis of development. Her skin started to look normal, even better than normal, glowing. Those with really dry skin typically, will always have dry skin and using the correct topical daily after bath or shower will give relief, beauty and elasticity back to the skin as it did with Giana. 

While finding the correct oils to formulate a recipe based on skin cells, I started growing and caring for the medicinal herbs we use in many of the products today. Along with my four kids and husband, we also raise Nigerian Dwarf goats for their amazing ability to produce high levels of sodium lactate, a key ingredient for skin cells to retain moisture. It was a great focus of mine to keep the best and freshest ingredients since it directly impacts the results of our products. 

In the early beginning of the ModernRoots journey, I started writing for natural living magazines like Grit Magazine and Mother Earth News. I took the time to explain the benefits of specific oils and how they worked together based on different skin cells. In an overwhelming response, people were excited about my findings, including doctors from Mayo that personally wanted to use my products for their skin. It was an interesting concept to me, selling my products since my intent was not to sell the product. As the economy was shifting, and the inability to find any products remotely similar on the market did not exist, I headed to my local farmer's markets to sell my handmade, beyond organic products. I found a plethora of people that needed help with their skin but were also interested in addressing their issues naturally.

Over the next few years I scraped skin cells, studied microbiomes, acid mantels and structure. I also used the farmer's markets I attended as my focus group until I felt I had a clear understanding on how skin cells work. It was important to my research and product lines to address sensitive skin issues, but also pain relief topicals, anti-inflammatories and healthier products everyone should be using. As markets went on, it became difficult to bring all my products. It was time to find more space, a space customers could enjoy shopping in. Fast forward fifteen years and ModernRoots stores have grown to help other communities, dermatologists and doctors bridge the gap between effective natural and western philosophies to help customers with their skin needs.