On Hand Lotions - On Hand Lotions

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PLEASE HELP US BRING OHL HOME TO BRISTOL!

Handmade from blossom to balm

HANDMADE FROM BLOSSOM TO BALM

Skin care featuring Finger Lakes botanicals

Zero Waste body care solutions

soap shampoo bar

SOAP & SHAMPOO BARS

natural deodorant

NATURAL DEODORANT

body care assortment

SHOP ALL BODY CARE

SOAP & SHAMPOO BARS

NATURAL DEODORANT

SHOP ALL BODY CARE

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FLOWER CITY LILAC

truly natural lilac scent

HAND & BODY SCRUB

OHL first took root in NYC and coastal Connecticut, finally blossoming in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

Read more about who we are, what we make, the plants we grow, and why.

Sweet Rice Facial Cleanser

Naples Brewing Company Beer balm in tin

Thirsty Face and Thirstier Facial Serums

soap gift set with bristol woods, green tea, soap loofah, soap dish

Join our list for sales, specials and announcements

onhandlotions

natural skin care + body care ::: 100% handmade from blossom to balm in Upstate New York

Another lilac season winds down beneath an impossi

Another lilac season winds down beneath an impossibly blue sky. Despite the odd weather and late frosts, this year's flowers were spectacular: early, prolific, intensely fragranced. There's a little more jasmine than last year and a lighter layer of honeysuckle, plus a low spice note that remained elusive until this batch.

Many, many thanks to the friends who have allowed me to gather these blossoms each spring. I'm excited to share the final pomade with you soon.

By next week we will have fresh lilac scrub, and 2023's lilac soap will be ready by late summer. There are a few bars of 2021 and 2022 lilac soap available now, too. 💜

After months of waiting and more than a year in th

After months of waiting and more than a year in the making, fresh soap is UP! The newest designs evoke rainbows, mountains, oceans and smoke, with some solid shades mixed in as well. Many are made with maple water and all are colored and scented with our @bristolbotanicalsny-grown herbs, flowers and roots. Scents range from sweet basil to mountain mint, patchouli to palo santo, white pine to Wassermelone brandy. Our Naples neighbors and friends at @komorebi_kombucha, @hollerhorndistilling and @fruition_seeds are represented in our bars this round. Love, love, love.

Speaking of love: Our trans, NB and queer fam are in danger. A portion of proceeds from the Out of the Fog rainbow soaps will go to @trevorproject, an organization working toward "a world where all LGBTQ young people see a bright future for themselves" through direct support, research, public education and advocacy. Love is love, yes, and when our loved ones are in need or in danger, we support and stand with them. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

A couple notes:

✨ Going Bare: With the exception of Camper’s Favorite (jewelweed) and our branded collaborations, all of our new bars are shipping bare to reduce waste. Even compostable wraps require energy and resources to produce, apply and then mail to you, all of them ending up in a slow compost heap or landfill. These are also a bit larger than our original soaps and would require even more materials to package, compounding the benefits of going bare.

🔥 Komorebi’s Palo Santo Birch Bark soaps: This is one of my favorite batches ever. These gorgeous bars are available for preorder with shipping in early June, and they’ll soon be available at Komorebi as well. All other varieties are shipping now.

Images:
Collage of new soaps
Bristol Woods
Out of the Fog
Indigo Jade
Mountain Mint
Bristol Lavender

Today brought several significant gifts: renewed c

Today brought several significant gifts: renewed connection to this land; patience with this broken body as it heals; deeper love for the plants and the creative production work itself; and, most of all, overwhelming and immense gratitude for the people we serve and the people who have continued to support us. We've been so humbled and moved by your generosity and caring messages these last few weeks. Thank you. ❤️

In the photos:
We're expecting windy, freezing temps again on the hill after dark, even chillier than last night, so I'm out spraying fermented yarrow (second photo) and valerian tea on the plants that are particularly cold-sensitive or harder to cover. Admittedly, many biodynamic practices elude me, but this element has served us well for a few years now. Fingers crossed for undamaged fruit, leaves and flowers in the morning.

I love that this is my job. ❤️ I'm thankful for the chance to continue, and the chance to learn and hopefully share so much more. 🙏🏽

These 250 tapers received their satiny finish coat

These 250 tapers received their satiny finish coats and are finally en route to you! Cutting the candles from the dipping frame leaves a rough bottom edge and sometimes visible layers on the wick end, easily smoothed by one last dip. Second photo is before, first photo is after. Seeing these all lined up is so satisfying. It reminds me of a warp-weighted loom, or maybe bobbin lace.

They've cured for 2-3 weeks now, ensuring a long and even burn. This round of beeswax smells especially honeyed to me. I love it — let me know what you think when you get yours!

Our spring days are filled with all things plant-related, prepping new garden beds, site cleanup, and the kids' schoolwork. Shop hours are still pretty sparse as the drive is rough, but as of last night we are caught up on shipping everything that's ready. The last of the preordered soaps are sooooo close to cured. Thank you for your continued support and patience. ❤️

The first two are objectively better, but the thir

The first two are objectively better, but the third—taken by a friend in a chilly downpour—is my favorite. It's true to life as we were soaked and muddy, buoyed by the love of friends, and laughing at my terrible idea to take a photo in the rain. 🤦🏻‍♀️😆

We've contracted for sitework and hope to break ground soon, weather permitting. Thank you for your support and generosity. We appreciate every share, order and donation and are thoroughly humbled by your kind posts and messages. Please know that this is possible only because of you!

In the meantime, nearly all pre-ordered items are ready two weeks ahead of schedule and will begin shipping tomorrow. A few thousand plants are in the ground or waiting to transplant. New work is coming soon as well.

Six months ago, the outlook for my family looked bleak and very different. Sheer gratitude to be here; for you and your support; for all of it.

Xoxo,
Hayna and family

P.S. Oliver says Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you.

📷 @moonrabbitpress

Candles start shipping this Friday! 🔥 From ren

Candles start shipping this Friday! 🔥

From rendering bayberry wax to hand-dipping candles, some processes are still decidedly and delightfully low-tech, requiring far more time and careful handling than tools or power.

Heritage crafts teach me patience (!), renewed reverence for seasonal natural materials, and the flexibility to work well with them. Coaxing the full amount of fragrant wax cleanly from raw berries, without overheating or damaging the wax and scent compounds, took several bayberry harvests to learn.

Similarly, bayberry is a notoriously brittle wax for candles and is best blended with beeswax to temper its hardness. The amount of beeswax is adjusted per batch to accommodate bayberry's variability.

This season I've spent solid time trying to develop a feel for the textures, scents and wicking to make the most of each batch. The resulting candles—finally offered to you here!—have made the effort more than worthwhile.
✨🌿✨

"Wow, Mama, that's a lot of fun stuff!" -my 10 yea

"Wow, Mama, that's a lot of fun stuff!"
-my 10 year old

Thanks to generous sponsors, Tim and Ricky, this super-stocked gift basket is headed to the @embracewny Buffalo Brunch auction on Sunday!

"embrace Western New York is a local, non-profit organization comprised of LGBTQ+ and allies that are members of the Western New York community."

"The Buffalo Brunch honors individuals, groups, organizations, and businesses that help celebrate and embrace the LGBTQ+ community within the greater Western New York community. The Brunch is also the principal fundraising activity for embrace Western New York, which firmly believes in “Giving local, supporting local.” Proceeds from the Buffalo Brunch are disbursed through embrace Western New York in the form of community grants and sponsorships, as well as educational scholarships for local post-secondary students receiving an education at a local college, university or trade school."

If you'd like to attend the Brunch, tickets are available through embraceWNY.
🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️

A little surprise: The amazing @jmvceramics has ge

A little surprise: The amazing @jmvceramics has generously offered to take an assortment of OHL goodies to @maydayunderground tomorrow, including a basket of Gardener's Lotion Bars. Our little section will rep the Big Green (that's Naples 💚) through collaborations with @fruition_seeds, @hollerhorndistilling and @naplesbrewco, and ingredients from @timbertrailsforestfarm 🍁, @malcolm_makepeace 🍓 and @auroralavenderfarm.

Mayday info:
📌 Village Gate Atrium, Rochester, NY
🗓️ Saturday, April 29
🕙 10a-6p, and tickets for art-stocked swag bags start at 9a for the first 50 people (psst grab a coffee and get there earlier)

Big thanks to Jessie and the Mayday!Underground organizers for this gesture. We appreciate it. 🙏🏽💜

Thank you all for your kind words, contributions a

Thank you all for your kind words, contributions and campaign shares. We are humbled and uplifted by your support, and woke this morning with renewed hope that our shop and work will continue. ✨

Last night I began potting up these Rubia tinctorum (madder) seedlings and was struck by their tiny roots: At only a few weeks old, they already have an unmistakable red-orange color. In three to five years they'll be as thick as pencils, ready to be dug and processed to create natural dye.

One of the oldest anthraquinone-based natural dyes, Rubia tinctorum yields a range of hues, predominantly reds and pinks with possibilities of orange, gray and brownish purple. End dye color is dependent on processing techniques, mordant selection, and substrate. There is also some pigment variation among plants. In cold process soap, powdered madder root and extract present first as brilliant red, mellowing through saponification into earthy reds to blush pinks depending on pigment concentration and soap making technique.

Madder roots' characteristic intense orange-red color comes primarily from the compound alizarin. Last year I had the opportunity to do some really fun alizarin experiments using supercritical CO2 extraction, a cleaner and more ecologically sound extraction process than high heat or conventional solvents. There are significant challenges to scaling up for commercial applications, but it's still exciting to be one step closer to an eco-friendly, plant-based red dye.

With a minimum growth of three years until processing, planting new madder feels like a leap of faith. Fingers crossed we get to nurture and dig these roots together as a family. 🌿

Dear friends of OHL, I'm humbly asking for your h

Dear friends of OHL,

I'm humbly asking for your help to bring OHL home to Bristol. ❣️ While my health has improved steadily enough that I can (happily!) garden and create new work again, vision loss and spinal pain from metastases make the half-hour commute to our shop in Naples untenable most days. If we can't move the shop, we will be forced to close. It's difficult to ask for help and yet I'm incredibly grateful to be here for all of it.

In early April we quietly celebrated OHL's ninth anniversary, a milestone I could barely imagine when we first launched from our friends' home kitchen years ago. Thank you!!! Your trust, support and friendship have made all of our work possible, sustaining us personally and professionally even through our recent difficult circumstances.

Together, the OHL community has given generously to organizations that support human and civil rights and environmental conservation; donated products and food to families in need; and helped ensure the everyday dignity of basic personal care products for unhoused and vulnerable people. I'm proud of our collaborative efforts to make a positive difference, and empowered by our collective courage to speak for what's right. I hope you are, too.

My family and I appreciate all of you and are thankful for every effort to keep our work and livelihood going. 🫶🏽💛✨

Thank you for your consideration,
Hayna

Link in stories and highlights

Happy Earth Day! We are prepping beds, potting up

Happy Earth Day! We are prepping beds, potting up medicinal and dye plant babies, and chitting (hopefully) enough 'taters to feed our family and stock our local food stand through next winter. So much gratitude for these good long days and the beautiful planet we get to call home. 💚🌍🌎🌏🌿

P.S. Most future plant, garden and dye posts will be on @bristolbotanicalsny. Thanks for your patience; I'm still sussing out how to transition between the accounts. 😅

Quickest way I've found to close a batch of tins!

Quickest way I've found to close a batch of tins! 😅 I'm making more herbal lotion bars for @fruition_seeds and reflecting on the seed and plant magic that happens on their farm. 🌱 Every Naples collaboration, whether mine or others, deepens my appreciation for the many growers and makers tucked in the hills around this small town. I feel lucky to be surrounded by such incredibly creative minds and good people. ✨

After almost three years, Bugscreen spray is back!

After almost three years, Bugscreen spray is back!!! ❌🦟❌

This longstanding favorite features lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, geranium, citronella and other actives in a base of organic distilled witch hazel, cold-pressed soybean oil and our apple cider vinegar.

The lightweight metal bottle is easily reusable and recyclable. I'm working on refills next. 🌿

Quick note that the new soap preorders are live! B

Quick note that the new soap preorders are live! Blue Skies Again, Indigo Jade, Out of the Fog, Solstice, plus one more made with lavender, white pine, maple water, alkanet, purple and rose clays. Pics soon. 💜

🌈 A friend recently remarked that they would hesitate to use (and, presumably, use up) a pretty bar. And yes! I understand this as some customers do save rather than use them. Part of the beauty for me is the overall transience, and the little smile of everyday enjoyment from a simple thing like soap. ❣️

Ahhhh this sweet new bar is such a happy reveal! T

Ahhhh this sweet new bar is such a happy reveal! The Gardener's Lotion Bar is a collaboration with our dear friends at Fruition Seeds. Ben and I stopped by the seedhouse this afternoon intending to drop the bars and head right back out, and instead soaked up a warm and lovely chat with Petra and Sylvia. We left feeling seen, loved and loving, and so fortunate to have them as neighbors. I think all who visit the farm might feel this way. Amazing. 🌱

This solid lotion features a soft, soothing scent created from four of our favorite garden plants: lemongrass, clary sage, lemon balm and vetiver, each nurtured organically and processed in Bristol and Naples. Gardener's is available through the OHL site and in person starting this weekend at @fruition_seeds.

And! Nearly all of the new soaps are available for preorder through OHL, shipping by June. ✨💛✨

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