Looking Beyond the Label
If you've ever walked through a health food store, you've probably done exactly what I used to do.
I'd pick up a bottle that said natural, organic, pure, or botanical and immediately assume I was making the healthier choice. I didn't mind spending a little more because I truly believed I was paying for better ingredients and a better product.
The problem was... I never turned the bottle over.
Like so many people, I trusted the marketing on the front instead of the ingredient list on the back.
As the years went by, I became more curious. I started asking questions. What exactly is this ingredient? Why is it in here? Does it actually benefit my skin, or is it simply making the product less expensive to manufacture, easier to preserve, or more profitable to sell?
The more I learned, the more frustrated I became.
I realized that beautiful labels don't always tell the truth. Pictures of herbs and flowers don't necessarily mean a product is rich in botanicals. Words like natural and organic aren't always as meaningful as we'd like to believe. Sometimes the ingredient a company proudly advertises is only present in a tiny amount, while the rest of the bottle is filled with ingredients that do very little for your skin.
I wasn't upset that companies made different choices. I was disappointed because, as a consumer, it was difficult to know what I was actually buying.
So I started turning every bottle over.
I spent countless evenings researching ingredients I couldn't pronounce, learning what they actually did, why they were included, and asking myself one simple question:
"If I were making this product myself... would I put this ingredient in it?"
I've always loved nature. Long before Back to Basics Log Cabin existed, I found joy in gardening, growing herbs, spending time outdoors, and learning how plants have been used for generations to support health and wellness. The more I studied both traditional herbal practices and modern ingredient science, the more convinced I became that nature already provides many incredible solutions—we simply have to respect them.
The more I learned, the more I realized I wasn't looking for the newest trend or the prettiest package. I was looking for products made with ingredients that had a purpose.
That became the foundation of Back to Basics Log Cabin.
It wasn't about creating the largest product line. It was about creating products I could confidently recommend because I understood every ingredient that went into them and the purpose each one served.
As more people found their way into our little log cabin, they brought their own stories with them. One customer struggled with eczema. Another was looking for relief from headaches. Someone else wanted help with dry skin, acne, sensitive skin, menopause, bug bites, or simply finding products they felt comfortable using on their family.
Every conversation became an opportunity to learn. I'd spend hours researching ingredients, reading scientific studies, learning from herbal traditions, and experimenting with formulations until I found a combination I truly believed could help. Those conversations didn't just inspire new products—they shaped the company Back to Basics Log Cabin has become today.
Our product line wasn't built from a marketing plan. It grew one customer, one question, and one solution at a time.
Today, that same philosophy still guides every decision we make.
Before a new ingredient or product becomes part of Back to Basics Log Cabin, I ask one simple question:
Is this truly the best choice for our customers?
As Back to Basics Log Cabin grew, so did the trust our customers placed in us. Every recommendation we made, every product we handcrafted, and every ingredient we selected carried a responsibility. We weren't just creating products anymore—we were helping people make informed decisions about what they put on their skin, their bodies, and into their homes.
That trust is something I have never taken lightly.
When the world changed after COVID, many of the raw ingredients we relied on had been steadily increasing in price while also becoming harder to source consistently. I kept thinking the market would eventually settle down, but it never really did.
Then came the moment that convinced me it was time to make a change.
Frankincense essential oil—an ingredient we use in many of our products—had already been steadily climbing in price for years. Then, within just a few months, its cost nearly tripled.
That wasn't just a price increase. It was a wake-up call.
I realized I couldn't continue sourcing ingredients the same way we had for the past 15 years. If I was going to ask you to trust what carried the Back to Basics Log Cabin name, then I needed to know more than what a supplier's catalog could tell me. I needed to meet the people behind the ingredients, understand how they were grown, harvested, distilled, and produced, and see that quality for myself.
If I was asking my customers to trust Back to Basics Log Cabin, then I owed it to them to ask harder questions, look deeper, and never stop searching for better.
