In 2000, I had a health scare
that had me doing research every waking moment. I thought I ate pretty healthy most of the time and I also exercised regularly.
The first website I read contained information about organic food, fluoride and other toxins, dangers of using a microwave
and mercury fillings. This was all new to me and I continued to search. The medical information I found did not make sense
to me. Why would I want to add more drugs or chemicals to my body when it seemed that this was the cause of some of the problems
I was having? I decided to check out one of our local co-ops. I felt that I had a pretty good understanding of the food I
should eat but I had many questions about the body care products I was using. I bought a book on chemicals and started researching
the ingredients listed on my body care products and soon realized I didn't want those chemicals on my skin. They were
absorbing into my body! I had a hard time finding products without propylene glycol, parabens, sodium laureth sulfate or petroleum
products. These are only a few of the most common chemicals I found in the products sitting on my shelf, and many of them
were labeled organic. I decided that the only way I could control what I used on my skin was to make my own products. I had
made soap over the years, so that was a start... but I had much to learn regarding all the other products I wanted to make.
And so my journey began.
In February, 2006, my daughter, Erin, was in Arizona. She called me from a farmers
market and was very excited because she had an idea for my passion. Erin wanted us to start a business making healthy body
care products. Her excitement was contagious! I knew many people were looking for healthy products. I had shared many of my
handmade products with family and friends and they loved them. In March, 2006, we started Olsen Naturals. We were very excited
to be given the opportunity to sell our products at the Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis in the fall of 2006. The mission
of the market to promote local, sustainable and organic was a fit for Olsen Naturals. Our belief is that products used on
the skin need to be as healthy as the foods we consume. Ninety five percent of our ingredients are certified organic and the
remaining five percent are grown without chemicals or they are wild harvested. We use oils that have been processed with the
least amount of refining or heat to maintain the healthy properties of the oils. All our ingredients are purchased from companies
with a strict emphasis on sustainable agriculture.
Our first products that we sold were our beautiful handmade
soaps. As we visited with our customers, we found that they had much interest in the other products I made for our family.
We then decided to add our body butter, lip balm, tooth powder, facial cleansers, aroma spray/toners and our organic herbal
bath. We also have wooden soap dishes, exfoliating soap saks and beautiful gift bags made from banana leaves and bamboo (100%
compostable and Eco-friendly.) Look for our baby care products coming this summer.
Olsen Naturals is a small
family business located about 30 miles west of Minneapolis, MN. All of our products are handmade in small batches with lots
of love!!
Denise Olsen - Owner
