For most of us, personal care products like toothpaste, hair products, and skin care just need to have a great smell or taste, be priced low enough to afford regularly, and give us the result we want. Some time ago, the same was true for Ivy Lawson, founder of Ivyees, a natural line of products featuring raw honey. But as her children began to develop severe allergic reactions to nearly everything, she began to look more closely at the products she was using at home.
“I like to say my boys were born perfect, but by the time they turned 2 to 3 years old, they were allergic to everything,” Lawson told We Buy Black. “So I started looking into products. I couldn’t believe that I couldn’t recognize any of the ingredients.”
That discovery set Lawson on a path that ultimately led her to begin researching how to make her own products. Today, she is the owner of Ivyees, a natural care brand with a bestselling line of honey-based toothpastes, shampoo and conditioner, lip balms, face creams, and much more.
According to Ivyees, honey is perfect for dental care, containing a host of minerals including magnesium and potassium. Honey is also rich in antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins that are great for your teeth and gums. Ivyees says honey can even help fight tooth decay and reduce dental cavities.
Ivyees sources their honey from New Zealand, Greece, and Jamaica. Lawson relocated to Jamaica, leaving behind a lucrative career in engineering, to start the business. Being in Jamaica and immersed in the culture helped Lawson source her honey more easily, and also helped her discover a rare ingredient she uses in her hair products. Rosewood oil, extracted from the rosewood tree, is a powerhouse oil known to be effective in treating eczema, dandruff and hair loss. However, just as Lawson discovered the ingredient, the tree was becoming extinct. Now, each year, she donates nearly $2000 to conservation efforts and she is proud to say, the trees are thriving again.
Many today are promoting natural products, but when Lawson speaks about the dangers of chemicals, she knows exactly what she’s talking about. Early in her journey to creating Ivyees, she returned to school to become a chemist, so she would have the proper knowledge needed to formulate her products.
“I had to,” she says when speaking about becoming a chemist. “It was challenging because I didn’t understand molecules, and I needed to understand [the science behind] everything to be able to make a substitution to the chemicals.”
Lawson stands by the effectiveness of her products, although she admits; if you’re someone who is used to using conventional, chemical-based products, making the switch to all natural will take a little time.
“I always tell people about my toothpaste; you’re not going to like it at first, but give yourself three days to let your brain forget about the taste of the sweeteners and chemicals and to adjust to the natural ingredients,” she said. “A chemical will make you look good in the short term and start wreaking havoc on your body in the long term. My products are the reverse.”
Ivyees Company Website: https://www.ivyees.com/
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