Introducing: The Wild Heart Apothecary
This is a post long one. So grab a cup of tea and get comfy. I have so much to share with you.
I am beyond excited to share with you all that I am starting my own business!! An apothecary business! I have been dreaming about this moment for awhile, and I am over the moon that it is here. And to be honest, I can’t believe I am writing this. This post, this moment, this milestone… all of it has been a long time coming.
Let me back up a bit. As you may know, I went to school to be a naturopathic doctor. During my journey, I learned a lot about natural and holistic health. While in school, I found myself becoming very drawn to herbal medicine. There was something about the way it was taught, with knowledge and passion, as well as the fact that I could make my own medicine from plants that felt extremely empowering. That plants had specific constituents with varying medicinal actions in the body. That there was a plant remedy for almost anything. It was novel to me at the time. I had had some interaction with it before, but I never understood what a powerful form of medicine it was. All I wanted to do was to immerse myself in it. Of course, during school there was very little time for immersing in anything because it was all about survival. But when I reached the student clinic, I found myself reaching for herbs very often with my patients. And it was there that I learned to listen to my intuition and allowed it to play a vital role in the way I chose treatments and created formulas. I lived for the moments when my clinic supervisor would show us how to connect with the herbs we were choosing. To smell, to breathe them in, to really feel their essence. My heart would skip a beat when I would finalize a formula with equal parts love and equal parts scientific reasoning. And I absolutely loved handing my patient my creation and telling them with confidence that this piece of medicine was made just for them. I felt like there was so much energy in that little bottle or bag of tea. And I could find a way to address physical concerns as well as mental/emotional ones in one remedy. That versatility of herbs is what continues to amaze me.
So I’m sure you can see that my love for herbs is deep. I feel it in my core. Since completing school, I have dabbled in herbal medicine. But as my practice evolved, I found that I was using herbs in supplements vs. in their whole form. Although supplements are very beneficial, that wasn’t truly how I wanted to experience herbs nor was it how I wanted my patients to experience them. I wanted my patients to connect with herbs. To find ways to infuse them in their daily life. To allow them to feel the empowerment that is possible when you connect with the earth through medicine. To use herbs in teas, tinctures, skin care, etc. To really allow herbs to work their magic.
Cut to about a year or so into practice. I started to feel a pull towards something different. I always knew that I was going to do something different, but I couldn’t place my finger on what it was. Something in my gut told me that naturopathic medicine in the context of a clinic wasn’t the end for me. Fulfilling? Yes. Important? Absolutely. But I needed more. My little entrepreneurial spirit needed to be let out. I wanted to create a business with a central focus on listening to your heart. I wanted to create something that had naturopathic medicine and herbs at the forefront, but also was a business that stood for something. That represented something deeper.
And so… The Wild Heart was born.
And wild she is.
What is The Wild Heart?
The Wild Heart is an online self-care shop with items I have handmade and formulated myself using herbs and other natural ingredients. It is a modern apothecary for the modern woman. I created this shop to make herbs more accessible. To make herbs a part of your daily ritual. To allow for connection with oneself without compromising on the things you care about. And to bring more intention into products you use on a regular basis.
This little shop is starting out with one product - a herbal lip mask (see all the deets here). However, I hope to expand that into all the luscious self-care things. Such as hair oils, scrubs, serums and much much more. All using simple, natural and local ingredients wherever possible.
Why the Wild Heart?
The Wild Heart is my dream. It is who I am. I have always felt like I had a bit of a wild heart. I couldn’t find where I belonged. I fit in many places but also didn’t really fit anywhere. I have had a longing deep inside me that I was meant for more. That I wanted to be free and wander wherever my heart chose. And for so long, I kept myself hidden behind what was expected of me. But that is no longer. From now on, I choose myself. I choose my heart. I choose my wild. And I will follow that wild heart wherever it takes me. Right now, it has brought me here. This shop, this business is a love letter to myself.
And perhaps just like me, you too may have a wild heart. A heart that is asking for more. That needs more. That deserves more. And that my friends, is what this shop and this space is. It is a place for your wild heart to be whomever and whatever it desires.
It’s time for your heart to embrace all of your wild.
About my first product: LIP LOVE
I’ve always tried to use clean skincare products on my face and I found that after my whole routine was completed, I would end up putting a non-natural product on my lips and something about that didn’t feel right. Especially when reading the ingredients and seeing the amount of toxins in some of those products…I just wasn’t impressed. I had tried natural lip balms in the past but didn’t feel like they worked the way I wanted them to. I like a thicker product, with staying power and therapeutic value. So I decided to create it!
Instead of making a seal on the lips like most lip products, I wanted something that would add moisture, nourishment and healing value to the lips. Especially living in a place like Alberta where it is chronically dry, it is necessary to have hydrating products that work! I found it really frustrating when I would use lip products that had amazing staying power, but the minute they wore off, my lips would be back to feeling dry and chapped. I needed something that would be working nourish my lips long-term not just hydration in the moment. The herbs in this product have been specifically chosen for that. And the rest of the ingredients help establish a mask-like consistency.
This mask can be used in the traditional sense: applying liberally as your last step in your skincare routine at night before bed (there is an applicator included too), or you can use it as a regular lip balm throughout the day as needed. I have personally tested and re-tested this product (especially under face masks) and I have already seen a difference in the nourishment of my lips. They consistently feel hydrated and nourished and I am reaching for balms much less because I don’t really need them. If you struggle with dry or chapped lips, then this will be your new best friend. And the best part is, it is a feel-good product. So you don’t have to worry about what you are putting on your body. I have done all that work for you :)
Shop
It’s here. It’s live. Check out The Wild Heart Shop Page for more.
Can’t wait to hear what you think.
xo.
“The Wild Hearted woman is a force of nature. She knows her power. She knows her worth. She’s kind. She’s beautiful chaos. She wants to taste every drop of life. She’s made of magic. She’s a mystery. She’s perfectly imperfect. She follows her heart wherever it takes her. She goes all in.
And she will always be wild at heart. ”