Our favorite West Michigan city is Saugatuck so it is apropos to name our summer farm to skin line after our favorite city. What’s not to love in Saugatuck? It has the pristine Oval Beach, a fabulous Farmers Market at the contemporary Center for the Arts, quaint shops, locally owned restaurants with big city cuisine and the most captivating vibe!

What is in THE Saugatuck Summer Skin Survival Sack?

Say that 10 times really fast 🙂

Lavender & Chamomile Sensitive Skin Foaming (baby) Wash
Lavender Lip Balm
Rose Geranium Lotion
Rose Geranium Hydrosol
Lavender Hydrosol
Skeeter Spritz
Lavender & Frankincense Skeeter Bite and Sunburn Relief Balm

All of these products are made with either our farm distilled hydrosols and/or the oils are infused with our herbs.

How will Aromatherapy in THE Saugatuck Summer Skin Survival Sack Assist with Skin Issues?

We have carefully chosen our products that have worked well on us and our treasured customers who share their experiences. I (Renee) have also taken intensive aromatherapy classes to be knowledgeable about what types of hydrosols, (same properties as essential oils but gentler,) and carrier oils work as natural alternatives to chemicals.

We have used our products (for years) for relief against the worst things summer has to offer in Michigan!

This sack of goodness may assist with:

Skin hydration through the use of natural humectants
Insect Repellents
Insect bite relief
Sting relief
Sunburn Relief
Poison ivy rash relief

Just like with all aromatherapy, YMMV (your mileage may vary.) We included so many types of our herbs so you may test to see what works for you. Switching up the different products will also help prevent you from becoming sensitized to one thing (for example, lavender!) This means, if you use the same type of aromatherapy product, your body may become sensitized and you will no longer reap the benefits of that herb.

How We Use These Products for Relief of Summer Skin Issues:

Lavender & Chamomile Foaming Baby Wash:

Formulated for babies, wonderful for sensitive skin. The base of this skin wash is our farm distilled Roman Chamomile & Lavender Hydrosol. The farm curated castile soap in this recipe has an abundance of skin loving olive oil sourced directly from friends who own an olive farm in Greece. Gently wash stings, rashes, bites and burns with this 3-4 times a day.

Lavender Lip Balm:

You may apply several times a day on healthy or burned lips. I am a lip balm freak and cannot get enough of this lavender lip balm that took two years to formulate and perfect!

Rose Geranium Lotion:

A Saugatuck resident/friend of the farm is the one who requested this formulation. She even picked out the oil out of our selection of oils. I have to say, she nailed it with her choices! Our first market after we created it, we sold out.

We use our distilled rose geranium hydrosol and infuse the apricot kernal oil with rose geranium to give you a double dose of the benefits of rose geranium! Rose geranium is a natural humectant (hydrating) and analgesic (topical pain reducing.)

Give yourself spot treatments on your stings, rashes, bites and burns 1-2 times a day.

After a day of fun in the sun, generously slather all over your body after you wash with the foaming baby wash to assist with skin hydration.

I am a biting bug MAGNET, or as Paul calls me “sweet meat,” and I use these products personally for relief. I do alternate each product to avoid sensitization.

Rose Geranium Hydrosol:

Again, rose geranium is a natural humectant and analgesic. It is also a natural insect repellent.

Spritz on to assist with hydrating your skin. Use all over your body or on your face as a toner. Perfect for dry or aging skin.

Spray all over your body after you get out of your morning shower to help repel insects! You must spray on your skin, as it reacts with your body chemistry, to receive the benefits. Spraying it on clothing will not help. Rose geranium is my #1 protection against mosquitoes. I love it because my skin feels moisturized, from the humectant properties, afterwards.

Quick spot treatment for stings, rashes, bites and burns.

Funny story on how we figured out this worked on hornet stings. Paul was watering the garden one night after dark and a hornet crawled up his pants. I grabbed the rose geranium and sprayed it on his booty in three different spots where he was stung. He realized instant relief. The next morning, he had a spot that was in pain and it turned out that he had four stings (not three!) The other three stings were minimal, with very little pain and swelling, by the next day. The one that was missed was swollen and painful. We knew this stuff worked! Fast forward to the next year, he got stung again and I immediately put the rose geranium hydrosol on the sting and he had relief with a quick healing.

While I am the every biting bug magnet and Paul seems to get into hornet nests, fortunately we have not had poison ivy. We have had feedback from our amazing customers, that our rose geranium hydrosol does provide relief for poison ivy.

Lavender Hydrosol:

Lavender hydrosol pH mimics the human skin’s pH so to me, this is a perfect hydrosol for EVERYTHING! You can use it for insect repellent (same instructions as rose geranium hydrosol,) burns, bites, stings, you name it. You can also use it in your hair as a next day “no poo” alternative or after a long day at the beach for a detangler and refresher/purifier.

It is so amazing that we have written an entire blog post about the “22 Secret Uses of Lavender Hydrosol.” We definitely invite you to read that post. We have it labeled as “linen spray” since that is the most common use. Our linen spray is 100% lavender hydrosol!

Skeeter Spritz:

Our “Skeeter Spritz” is a citronella geranium and lavender blend. Both are excellent natural repellents. You do need to apply it directly to your skin to allow it to react with your body chemistry. Spraying it on clothes will not help with repelling insects.

Lavender & Frankincense Skeeter Bite and Sunburn Relief Balm:

Formulated as our “Winter Hands Rescue Balm” and recently discovered that it works on bug bites. It was the closest thing so I tried it and found instant relief. Lavender and frankincense are natural healing oils so it just made sense. I was pleasantly surprised that the itching and swelling was gone by the next morning. I also got a sunburn the same day mostly on my nose. Gone by the next morning. So here we are, a great product used on dry and chapped skin, re-branded to be used for burns and bites. Maybe my hornet magnet will not disappoint with another sting and let me test it out on him. I will report back if there is success!

Hydrosols Explained:

Hydrosols are the co-product of essential oils in the steam distillation process. When a botanical, such as Lavender, is steam distilled to produce essential oil, it also produces a water called “Hydrosol”. Hydrosols process the same therapeutic properties as essential oils but are more gentle and less volite than their co-product essential oil. You do not need to dilute hydrosol for topical application the same way you would with essential oils. They are also known as “floral waters” or “hydrolats.”

What are Hydrosols used for?

Household cleaning, diffusing, facial toner, hair product, laundry (main wash or rinse,) essential oil diffuser (no need to dilute,) light and natural perfume, linen sprays, first aid kits, natural insect repellents, insect bites, burns, rashes, pain.

If you are pregnant, nursing or have any underlying medical issues, please seek advice & guidance from your doctor or medical professional prior to using hydrosols.

Discontinue use if you experience an allergic reaction to the hydrosols.

THE Saugatuck Summer Skin Survival Sack

About Saugatuck, MI