Fireweed - The Respectful Harvest
It's important to me to listen to plants and to the land with respect and build relationships. I only harvest when the plants are ready (not when I need to) and I only harvest the amount that the plants are willing to offer. This means that sometimes I have very limited amounts - or none - of a certain product. Working in integrity with these plant friends is more important than pumping out more items to sell.
This means that each Mae Botanicals product is special. As a user of Mae Botanicals products, you can connect to the plants that are in each bottle and the land they came from, and start to build your own relationships. I invite you to start by sitting with the phrases written on each label. These are stories and phrases from each plant, words they have offered to you.
Restoration Facial Oil
Restoration Facial Oil is such a special product. It is one of the original line up and is inspired by a very specific location that I have been visiting for about eight growing seasons. The forest was clearcut at some point, and I have had the pleasure of watching the land regrow and recover. In that time, fireweed has grown prolifically and exuberantly on this land. It’s the only place I have harvested fireweed for Restoration Facial Oil.
As I have watched over the years, the landscape dominated by herbs and fireweed has slowly been replaced by more and more douglas fir. The land and plants are moving into a different phase in recovery from the clear cut, and fireweed has provided the needed restoration to this little patch of land.
I visited this year for my annual harvest, and as I sat to talk with the plants and listen to the land I realized that my time to harvest fireweed from this place was over. The land communicated to me that while I am always welcome to visit, it is time to celebrate the new growth of trees with a final harvest of fireweed.
This means that until Fireweed introduces me to a new area to harvest, this will be the last batch of Restoration Facial Oil. And so with this last batch (for now) I honor the land and fireweed, and I bless you with this Restoration Facial Oil. Join me in the celebration!
*9/2022The Bolt Creek Fire has likely affected this area. I will add updates here as I am able to visit the land.
*5/2023 this patch of land was not burned in the fire but only by about mile, there was a huge amount of destruction with this fire on land that I have been visiting for a long time. I am hoping to start visiting new fireweed patches in 2024!
If you love Restoration Facial Oil, I highly recommend you try out Radiance Facial Oil as a substitute, it is more floral but has the same oil blend will absorb and be on the face in the same way.
