| Personal Care Corner | |
W.S. Badger Company
by Carrie A. Corson, from the March 2004 newsletter
Certainly one of the perks of this job is getting to buy fun stuff from great companies. W.S. Badger is one such company. I always look forward to receiving their latest catalog—one of the few that that I actually sit down to read cover to cover. There is always a cute little Badger graphic on the cover and lots of fun on the inside. Pictures, testimonials, stories, it’s all here. But the thing that really stands out, are the ingredient lists for these products. No dimethyl phthalate, dimethicone copolyol, or meroxapol (actual ingredients in some cosmetic products*) to be seen. The most difficult to pronounce words I found were “Litsea Cubeba” which is actually a type of tree grown in Eastern Asia from which an essential oil is produced. Badger uses simple, all-natural ingredients, including Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, beeswax, castor oil, herbal extracts, and essential oils. A majority of these are certified organic, organically grown (not certified), ecologically farmed or wild crafted.
W.S. Badger Company came about in the mid-1990’s when company founder Badger Bill decided to mix up a balm to help his cracked fingers—the result of working as a carpenter in the harsh New England winter. His formula worked well and soon Badger Healing Balm was on the market. It can be used for everything from cracked fingers, to windburn, dry patches, scratches, and scrapes. Heck, according to Badger Bill, you can even use it to take care of your leather items and to clean up tools. They say you might even be able to polish your pet iguana with it. (I’m not sure I could make that recommendation. But maybe if I had a tarnished iguana it would be worth a try.)
I’d be hard pressed to name my favorite Badger product. I might have to say it’s the Ginger & Lemon lip balm. It smells yummy enough to eat, but even better is how effectively it works on dry, cracked lips. Then again there is the healing warmth of the Sore Muscle Rub, or the relaxing scent of Sleep Balm, and man, that Foot Balm feels good on my beat-up, sandal-wearing summer feet. Of course, there is the Anti-Bug Balm, “Good for the skin—Bad for the bug.” What did I tell you? Hard pressed.
Badger Bill says, “We mean what we say. We believe in growing our company slowly and well, so when we say something like “100% Natural” we actually mean it. We love what we make, and I for one, would never sell you something that I didn’t love to use myself. Of course, I am a balm fanatic and a pushover for things like Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Wild African Shea Butter or Ecologically produced Madagascar Ginger…. Our stuff smells great! We have fun with essential oils, we source and use therapeutic-grade pure and naturally processed oils and formulate for excellence and healing power…not for price.”
If all that weren’t enough, here are a few more reasons that we are happy to sell products direct from the Badger mines here at the Moscow Food Co-op: Badger products are “cruelty free;” actually they are kind to animals. Just ask Abby the Dog, proudly posing in the staff photo (it’s cold so she has a coat on).
W.S. Badger Company gives a minimum of 7% of before tax profits to socially healing causes.
And last, but certainly not least (from my standpoint as a buyer), their service and support is impeccable.
So, whether you’re a Badger loyalist or just itching to try their products for the first time, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to win the awesome gift box we’re giving away this month. All you have to do is join the Co-op or renew your membership during the month of March and you are automatically entered to win. Good luck.
*Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, Ruth Winter, M.S. 1994. Three Rivers Press.
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