Guest Blog Post time! This is quickly becoming my favorite activity each month. I love highlighting voices of people who should be heard more. I also selfishly love the side conversations I have with my guest bloggers—talking about writing feels like the most authentic version of myself. Today I’m honored to bring you a post by Mel.
I met Mel several years ago and was immediately struck by her ebullience and genuine kindness. She’s someone you just feel like you know as soon as you meet her. There was one quarter during my clinic training when, like clockwork, I’d see her right before a difficult shift. I can’t fully express how our tiny interactions were little bursts of sunshine, ways for me to feel grounded when I needed it the most. She is dedicated and committed to her dreams.
This post is unpaid and not part of a promotion or marketing campaign—I just love Mel and her products. Mel makes handmade botanical products featuring unique infusions that support skin health, inspired and informed by her Native roots. I personally use her products and have recommended them to friends. Every time I come home from the outside world, I wash my face with her oatmeal soap bar. It’s gentle enough for my very sensitive skin and helps me ground myself. I also use her calendula facial oil and love it! [Author’s note—dear me, I just re-read this and it sounds so much like a commercial, maybe I should get paid LOL]
Without further ado, here’s Mel!
Mel (she/her)
Her mission is to provide products that promote healthy skin and bridge evidence-based botanical research with her Native roots. She aims to provide products that are not easily found in stores to support skin health for those with more melanin and for those seeking to support skin health in the presence of hyperpigmentation, scarring, and other conditions. She has a V-DAY sale happening NOW! Info at the bottom of the page.
“My love for botanical medicine started at a young age, when my Native American grandmother expressed the power of plants. I remember my grandmother telling me about the uses certain plants has on the body. One plant that I recall from years ago was Calendula (Calendula officinalis). This plant was vibrant with the most beautiful leaves. ''This is the heal all plant” is what I was told as a young child. It could be used to treat a variety of ailments. I didn’t understand this concept fully as a child, so I decided to take courses to deepen this knowledge.
For my undergraduate degree at University of Washington, I obtained my bachelor's degree in environmental science with a minor in restoration ecology. While in this program, I had the pleasure of learning about plant biology and their common constituents/properties, plant identification and restoration practices. I learned how to incorporate herbs into my daily life, while I learn the positive impact they have internally AND externally. During this program, I decided to start my skincare line, Naturally Me by Melody. I started making organic body butters, then slowly started making infused facial oil for troubled skin. I suffer from both cystic acne and chronic post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). I tried commercial products, but they made my conditions worse. My goal was to provide natural products that were for various skin textures, tones, and level of sensitivities. In all my infusions, I add both Chamomile and Calendula. I believe the use of Calendula brings back good memories of how I use to use it as a young child. It is quite a sentimental plant to me. The amount of benefits this plant provides is unbelievable. To name of few, Calendula can help with maintaining oral health (in the case of gingivitis), wound healing, reducing the appearance of scars, helping support a healthy inflammatory response externally and internally (ie. ulcers in the GI tract). This plant does so much, and I am honored to use it.
Being able to infuse oil and whip up body butters keeps me connected to the medicine and keeps these practices close to me. The saying “use it or lose it” always comes to my mind when I spend time away from herbs. I will always have a connection to herbs but being able to use these herbs regularly keeps my passion going, while it continues to sharpen my knowledge.”
There’s a sale happening NOW at my store! www.NaturallyMebyMelody.com
My Vday sale is on rose oil for the entire month of February. All size bottles of rose oil are 20% off for the entire month of February using the coupon code "Vday20" at checkout. I formulated this rose oil to help support skin health & hydration in the presence of scarring, hyperpigmentation, and certain other skin conditions. It may also help support skin for those with more melanin.