FAQ
You talk a lot about sustainability and being a "sustainable apothecary." What does that mean?
As long time tree huggers and warriors for encouraging people to take even tiny steps in making more environmentally sound decisions, being as sustainable as we can is of the utmost importance to us. Obviously making any non-essential item is not exactly the most eco-friendly approach to protecting our planet. That said, we acknowledge that we are human: we crave comfort and appreciate luxurious touches even when those things are not necessities. To meet those needs and provide beautiful, useful items for your home and bath, while making the most sustainable choices we can is our goal. As we mention elsewhere - this is a journey not an endpoint, and we will continue to improve on this.
We use minimal amounts of plastic and only where we find it absolutely necessary (like spray pump mechanisms, and packaging for bath products that we don't want to become slippery and shatter in a place where you are almost certainly barefoot and naked). We take advantage of the generosity of our local newspaper to allow us to use paper bound for the recycle bin to wrap and protect items for shipping. We use recycled paper products for just about everything else - 100% recycled whenever possible.
Our Forest Foraged Firestarters are created using almost 100% diverted materials - the only "new" things we add are the cupcake liners and the foraged botanicals which are sustainably harvested right here on property.
What do you mean by Wood Witch? Are you really a witch?
The name comes from the fact that we are located in the woods of Sonoma County's west coast in California, where we mix up all sorts of potions, elixirs, soaps, and waxy things using natural, botanical ingredients - some harvested from our own organic garden or foraged on property. We imagine that 400 years ago, our little cottage in the forest would have been avoided by all the local children, for fear of what went on inside (the most intimidating thing being the homemade elderberry cold remedies we make for our own personal use, or the horribly failed attempts at baking). Surrounded by blackberry thickets that seem to swallow the entire meadow in a single season, an abundance of poison oak and nightshade, and poisonous newts, we certainly seem to fit the bill. We admit to following the phases of the moon to assist with our intention setting, and have certainly been known to howl at it from time to time.
Why don't you have candles? I thought I was going to be able to buy candles.
We're working on that - promise. The safety of our customers and their surroundings is not something we take lightly and sending fire hazards into your home requires 100% confidence that they've passed thorough testing. We are still doing that testing, but we promise to let you know via twinkly instagram, facebook and email announcements as soon as our candle line is ready to roll. The good news: people who don't want (or can't have) an open flame in their home - due to curious children, pets, lease agreements, or careless roommates, will love our wax melts - as will anyone else. All the wonderful fragrance, none of the impending doom! Unfortunately we don't carry electric warmers but there are countless designs on the market so you can choose the perfect one for you.
Are your waxes safe?
We took our time selecting the wax we felt most comfortable using (see our blog post on that topic for more details), and we reserve the right to change our mind as women are famously afforded the right to do. We made the choice to avoid paraffin for many reasons though solid scientific evidence that paraffin is more hazardous to burn than any other wax was not among them. To date we've found one scientific study comparing the toxicity of various waxes when burned, and seeing as it was sponsored by the soy industry, well, it was taken with a grain of salt. While paraffin may not be any more toxic to burn, the procurement, transportation, and processing of it is not our ideal.
We use American grown and processed soy, supporting our farmers and their families. Many people prefer soy since it is a natural, renewable resource.
How about the fragrances?
We use blends of fragrance and essential oils that go beyond the minimum standards set by industry organizations (IFRA & RIFM) and are free from phthalates, carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive/organ/or acute toxins. As such, none require the dreaded Prop 65 warning. Hooray!
Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and exposure to phthalates has been linked to breast cancer, developmental issues, decreased fertility, obesity, and asthma. (https://bit.ly/33nLTw4)
In addition, in some of our luxury home goods we will also use natural fragrances - which are extracted directly from plants but aren't quite as close to nature as essential oils. While an orange essential oil may be the distillation of the oils directly from the rind of the orange containing hundreds or thousands of unique compounds to make that citrusy aroma, a natural fragrance oil is made from chemical isolates, and may be a single compound of the orange oil mixed with single compounds of other plants to create fragrances you wouldn't find in nature. It's all quite mad scientisty and cool. The benefit of natural fragrance oils is that they are more naturally derived than fragrance oils, but not as expensive as pure essential oils.
Unfortunately, yes. Brevity is not a strength.
