Frequently Asked Skin Care Questions:

Q. Is the lecithin you use in some of your products soy or corn derived (or neither)?
A. The Lecithin we use in our products is soy derived.

Q. I am seeking organic skin care products for two people who can not have any soy ingredients or any ingredients derived from soy. One is a breast cancer survivor, and any soy products (including Vitamin E derived from soy) are deadly to her, because her particular cancer feeds off of any soy. The other is my for my mother, who suffers from horrific migraines brought on by soy products.
A. We do use a soy protein in some of our creams and lotions. I would go for the Seven Facial Rejuvenating Oils! They are fabulous-it is what I use. Also, Kukui oil is already USDA certified organic. The cleansers, mask and toners, including mist are all soy free.

Q. What’s in the Lily’s Homemade Almond Oil Soap?
A. Lily’s Homemade Almond Oil Soap contains; water, almond oil, sodium hydroxide and herbs (the herbs just depends on which cleanser it is)

Q. I am interested in your sensitive skin care line. However, I test allergic to almonds and soy – does this mean I should not use products with almond oil or soy protein?
A. I would try one of our other products, Kukui oil wrinkle treatment or oil free skin conditioning serum. We are thinking of replacing almond oil with sunflower so we can grow it ourselves..

Q.I was trying to think of some other products to use. I’ve purchased products from you before and loved them. I found out that I had rosacea and was looking for products to use?
A.I would recommend the balancing toner and oil free skin conditioning serum or Kukui facial oil for rosacea! I love the oils, but the herbs in the first two are highly anti-inflammatory, healing, etc.

Q: What exactly do you grow on your farm? Everything in your products?
A: It varies greatly what we grow on our farm, due to availability of USDA certified organic seeds and seedlings. To be USDA certified organic, you cannot grow anything that is not USDA certified organic. This year we grew, tomatoes, feverfew, comfrey, peppermint, nettles, marshmallow, yarrow, zucchini, pumpkins, calendula, jalapeno’s, green chiles, sages, cucumbers, and more.

Q: How many hours a day do you work on the farm vs. in the lab?
A:Like any small business owner, I go where I am needed that day. Usually, I work more on the farm doing actual farm labor then in the lab. I have really great people in the lab that have worked with me for years so they know what they are doing. We had some unexpected insect problems this summer so that took a lot of my time.

Q: Who tests your products? Are you always the guinea pig?
A: Of course, I am always the number one guinea pig!! Friends and other employees, Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage staff are also always a big help.

Q: We know acne got you into skincare, but what made you stay?
A: Like every other woman in the world, I want my skin to look good. I think that is my greatest motivator, pure vanity! I am a 7th generation farmer, since before the American Revolution, so I have a deep love for the land and Mother Nature. I love my customers at the stores, it is just my life now.

Q: What’s life like on the farm? Can you run down a day in the life of Lily?
A: I cannot run down a typical day on the farm or in the company, because there are none. Everyday is different. In the spring and summer, I have to spend a lot of time with the plants. I spend a few days a month in Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage stores, servicing our stores. Right now, we have a lot going on with company organization. I spend a ton of time answering emails, supporting our staff, improving our website, improving our internal systems, and right now I am spending a lot of time getting all of our products USDA certified organic.

Q: How big is your team (marketing, packaging, distribution, etc)?
A: We have two people in handcrafting, a farm hand, a sales rep, and two part-time marketing and clerical people. We are still a very small company.

Q: Are you in any retail stores?
A:We sell to all Whole Foods Markets and Vitamin Cottages in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. Well sell to some smaller natural markets around the country.

Q: What’s the shelf-life of your products, since they are so pure? Any special care instructions?
A: Since we make our products up fresh, and they don’t sit around in warehouses, etc. they have a 1 year life. In extreme heat it extends their life to keep cool.

Q: What is your daily beauty routine?
A: Right now I there are many days I do not leave the farm, so I use the balancing toner and Seven rejuvenating oils day and night and the Seaweed cleanser and mask in the shower. In addition, I use the kissable lips and mist all day long. I switch off and on with products, except these I always use!

Q: What five products can you not live without?
A: That would be it the Mist, kissable lips, balancing toner, seaweed cleanser and mask!

Q: What’s your favorite product you make?
A: It is hard to say just one, but I have used the balancing facial toner twice a day no matter where I am in the world for over 25 years, consistently! That would have to be it!

Q: Beauty and skincare are a way of life for you … should they be/are they for everyone?
A:. If love is a verb, then so is self love. What a better way to express it to yourself than the rituals of skin care. The act of applying a lotion or giving yourself the gift of doing a mask.

Q: How do you define beauty?
A: Beauty is who you are and what you do. It is expressed inwardly and outwardly, it was important to the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and it is important to us today.

Q: I have a question regarding your treatment oils. Comparing Kukui Oil and Seven Oil, we think that Kukui oil has this bit of treatment oil smell. On the other hand Seven Oil has may be less scent? What do you think? Do you think that Kukui may have little treatment oil smell (scent) and Seven Oil is less scented?
A: The kukui is not scented. That is the natural scent of the kukui. I am not crazy about the scent, we use to have a scented one with lavender oil and it did not sell because people wanted unscented. I agree it has a weird scent, but you cannot really smell it when you put it on. The Seven oils we put essential oil of lavender. The real difference is 7 oils is a blend and a lot heavier, kukui oil is a much lighter oil.

Q: Does the vegetable glycerin contain soy or coconut?
A : The vegetable glycerin does not contain any soy or coconut.

Q: What goes into the Organic Kukui Sensitive Facial Oil Treatment (ingredients), etc?
A: Our U.S.D.A. Certified Organic Kukui Facial Oil wrinkle treatment is 99.5 % Kukui oil. It is from a nut from Hawaii and the other .05% is anti-oxidants, vitamins. Kukui oil has had many uses in Hawaiian medicine. It has been tested and rates among the best of the polyunsaturated oils. It is high in linoleic and linolenic acids, which are essential fatty acids beneficial for healthy skin. Kukui oil helps smooth, soften and relax irritated skin. It has a great reputation for being excellent for the treatment of superficial burns, healing dry and chapped skin and reducing the look of fine lines.

Q: How about anti-aging?
A: Keeping your skin completely moisturized at all times, day and night is the key. Using only plant derived ingredients. Pure fixed oils such as, Kukui, Almond, primrose, rose hip seed oil, etc are the best.

Q: Any new products in the works?
A: Not right now, we are working on getting our present products U.S.D.A. certified organic and that is all we can deal with right now. The farm work and making up the products every week is very time consuming, and as much as I would love to develop more products, we just cannot fit it in right now.

Q: How did you get started in creating natural cosmetics? Which came first the organic farming or the skincare?
A: I had severe acne at 13 years old. It was devastating and shaded my entire existence. My parents took me to the dermatologist, but could never quite afford to buy the, “medicines,” which at that time was antibiotics. I ended up being extremely lucky that they could never afford to buy it, as you probably know, taking antibiotics as a child, has given many women years of additional health problems. Growing up on a farm, I had worked hard for every nickel I made, and I was happy to spend, whatever the cost to clean up my acne, but I could not understand why the department store brands were $30 and the supermarket brands were $3, so I wrote all the ingredients down of both and soon discovered, by looking all the ingredients up in chemical books my Dad had, that even by chemical definition, they would not clear up acne. About the same time, my sister would drag me into health food stores and I would read their ingredients and saw lavender, chamomile, etc and read that they historically did work as skin treatments. After being disappointed by all brands, I decided to start making my own lavender steams, applesauce mask, strawberry toners, and I actually saw results for the first time. When I started Lily Organics in 1986, I tried to get organic ingredients, even as late as 1990 I still could not get rose, chamomile, calendula, and comfrey certified organic. It is at that time I decided to grow my own.

Q: You have your own lab on the farm. What is your favorite part of the creation process? Farming, harvesting, lab work, dreaming up new products, other?
A: I love all the work, sometimes, there does seem to be just a bit too much of it! I love working with the plants, plotting them in the ground, watching them grow and produce. When you think about it, it is magical. I love dreaming up new products, but I don’t get to do it that much! I love talking to our customers, often times they say things that are so kind, it is heart warming. I like interacting on our website and facebook. I like to write and I like the marketing, too. I like it all.

Q: You are a published author, can you tell us a little bit about your book?
A: They say if you really want to learn about something, write a book about it. I think that is what I did. The book has over 30 flowers/herbs and essential oils, that have been used historically to treat skin problems. It has over 100 recipes on how to make your own kitchen and garden cosmetics at home. It also has information on many natural healing therapies I have tried, from Acupuncture to Zen. I like to think it is a good introduction to the natural lifestyle. It is simple to read and understand. I named it Beauty, Health and Happiness–A way of life, because, I think Beauty, Health and Happiness–IS a way of life, it is the way you live, it doesn’t have to be God given, we can all create it in our lives.

Q: How big an impact do you feel herbal therapy and natural living have had on your health and general well-being?
A: I am a type A personality, without all these practices and health full ways of living in my life, I would be insane. I have to really practice relaxation, I have to work out, do yoga, and meditate and walk every day just to keep myself normal. It is not an option for me to not do these things every day of my life. So, to answer your question, I would say, this lifestyle I have embraced IS my general well-being, I have to work very hard to keep my well being. It has not come easy for me. It is everything to my well being, and it doesn’t take a lot of money or anything else to bring it into your life, it does take the discipline to do it everyday.

Q: Why is gluten-free important?
A: Many people really do not react well with gluten, however, I am not expert in this area.

Q: You have trademarked, “Purely Botanical,” what exactly do you hope the phrase conveys to consumers?
A: I would hope everything we do and say would convey to consumers that plants are where quality ingredients come from, and that ingredients are everything in a skin care product. All the pretty packaging, all the hype and clever words will not clear up your acne or diminish your wrinkles!

Q: You, basically went to herbal college to find a cure to your acne. Do you have products in your line targeted specifically for acne?
A: We do! Our complete normal/oily line is designed for people who are suffering from blemishes. The mask is highly anti-bacterial. The balancing facial toner has over 15 different healing herbs, most of which I grow, all to heal the skin. The oil-free skin conditioning serum has over 19 healing herbs for the skin.

Q: You do a lot of community and global work. Tell us about that.
A: When I was 22 I founded the Association for Senior Citizens in Denver, since that time, it has helped over 1,000,000 Senior Citizens in poverty. We provide eviction prevention and heat assistance, a food bank, as well as many other services to Denver’s elderly poor. It is a wonderful organization. I served as Founding Executive Director and I was on the Board of Directors for 28 years. www.associationforseniorcitizens.com Lily Organics has been very involved over the last 24 years in supporting Tibetans, relocating in camps in Southern India, we support 5 Tibetans every month, and Lily Organics was a major sponsor in bringing the Dalai Lama to Colorado. Now, I am most interested in helping foster kids. After adopting my son when he was nine years old from the foster care system, and mentoring another young man, I can see so clearly how difficult life is for these kids. There are over one million older kids, over 7, waiting to be adopted in the foster care system. Another area of my interest is to help foster kids that are aging out of the system. The just are put out on the streets at 18 years old. I would like to see Lily Organics provide housing for these young people and job training, to help them transition into adulthood, when we make enough money.

Q: Could you please share product info with us, which products are best for what and why?
A: We have products split up into 3 different skin types. Sensitive, Dry, and Normal/Oily. Due to all the toxic chemicals in skin care products, many people have developed chemical sensitivities, some people are also highly allergic to many plants, in our sensitive skin cream, I put as few ingredients as possible. Our Kukui Facial Oil for wrinkles, is U.S.D.A. certified organic and a wonderful light treatment oil. Our dry skin line is wonderful, my favorite product in that line is our Seven Rejuvenating Facial Oil, it is super rich, with primrose oil and rose hip seed oil.

Q: Can you share any skincare tips with us?
A: Yes, in my book I have over 100 recipes on how to make your own kitchen and garden cosmetics, that would be my best tip, is experiment, have fun and make your own! It is very empowering to make your own skin care products. Additionally, I would not buy any skin care products that have any synthetic chemicals in them. I would only buy skin care products from companies that actually make their own products in their own facilities. The best tip I can give, to looking good, is being happy, make sure you do a lot of what you love!

Q: If you went away for one week and could only take one skincare product with you, which would it be?
A: That is a tough one! If I could only bring two, it would be the balancing facial toner so I could simply clean my skin with a cotton ball and the Seven Facial Rejuvenating Oil so I can moisturize my skin, I will be 52, so I have got to have my moisturizer!

Q: For those teens starting out with skincare who may also be dealing with acne, what advice can you share?
A: Acne is so difficult, both to have and to treat. Acne is completely hormonal, so there is very little we can do to have great impact topically. Our products help keep blemishes away, but if a teen is suffering drastic acne, it has to be treated hormonally, which is very hard. The greatest myth, is that giving up a chocolate bar or pop will clear up your acne, it wont. Of course, the better general overall health you are in will help with hormonal balance, but to think eating a good nutritious diet will clear it up is just not true. I went 10 solid years with out chocolate, pop, or a chip, and it did nothing to clear up my acne. You have to balance your hormones, thru herbs, vitamins, etc. A great website is www.womentowomen.com

Q: I was wondering if all of your ingredients within your products are organic and if they are non-gmo.
A: I cannot think of any of our ingredients that could be genetically modified……most all of our herbs we grow on our own USDA certified organic farm.. Then we buy almond oil, etc…

Q: I was told by a salesperson at Whole Foods that one of your face creams contains a natural SPF and was wondering which that is. Also, does one of your face creams contain an ingredient that fades age spots?
A: Shea butter is a natural sunscreen, but we cannot SPF our products, and I would not recommend it, in terms of serious sun protection. We don’t feel fondly toward most, almost all, sunscreens as many are just synthetic chemicals that aggravate your skin. Better to wear hats, stay in the shade, etc. The best thing for age spots is to take liver building herbs internally, such as milk thistle. Also, my book has homemade remedies, such as, fresh grated horseradish mixed into a paste with buttermilk and apply.

Q: I would like your suggestion about your products. I am using your Rose Toner for cleansing face before acupuncture. In order to disinfect the area for needling, I have to put arnica gel which contains alcohol after that. Do you have any toner for disinfection or any suggestion? I used to use apple cider vinegar toner.
A: We cannot recommend our products to disinfect before a treatment. The Rose toner is wonderful, we do not make an apple cider vinegar product.

Q: Have one little comment regarding your Facial Creams, which is that as cream amount in bottle lessened it was more difficult to get out of bottle. I cut off stem of push button top which helped for a while. . but am now unable to get last 1/4th or so out. Might you consider putting this product in a jar type with opening top lid thus enabling us to use fingers, gathering from bottom, rather than push button top on this more narrow bottle?
A: Because our products are so fresh, so pure, and so clean, we do not want you to introduce your fingers into the product, due to potential contamination. I sometimes will place the product upside down to get the last bit out. Take the cap off and all the product will be there. I am sorry if this is an inconvenience, however, having people put their fingers in the product is not a sanitary option.

Q. What purpose does the soy protein serve in the Lavender cream?
A, The soy acts as a natural emulsifier. We do not yet, have an organic source. Thank you for your support of USDA certified organic growers.

Q. For your Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum you say that “Laminaria dries easily with amazing shrinkage” what does it mean?
A. It is a seaweed and when you take it out of the water and put it in a jar it dries, up to twenty years later you can reintroduce water to it and it will retain up to 200 times its own weight in water. Amazing….

Q.What do you recommend as far as sun protection. I read that you don’t recommend titanium dioxide nor zinc oxide!
A. Dear Della, they both can be nanoparticles, which are thought to be potentially very dangerous. I use big brimmed hats, shade, helmets, etc. I also think a good dose of sun everyday can be very healthly, just of course, not over done. Have you tried our products or read the section in my book about the sun? Lily
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Q. Do any of your ingredients contain corn or corn byproducts or hemp?
From what does the vegetable glycerine come?
A. We don’t use hemp or corn and the Vegetable glycerin comes from the by product of soap making. Lily’s book is chock full of this kind of information.

Q. What is the real truth on Grapefruit seed extract?
A. I hear your pain. Yes, it is deliberately made confusing for the consumers so they cannot figure anything out and will just be happy with continued use of synthetic chemicals!!
The Grapefruit seed extract was created my a German born Dr. who was literally a rocket scientist. He came to America and came up with this process that uses ultraviolet light and grapefruit seeds along with vegetable glycerin that will usually preserve products for about 1 yr. I spoke to him on the phone back in the early 80′s his English was difficult to understand over the phone.
A few years ago his US Patent expired and other companies could start making the grapefruit seed extract. This is where I think the confusion begins. There are a couple other companies that now manufacture the grapefruit seed extract and they may being something differently.
I however have a signed document by the owner of the original company with the US Patent who states they never use anything synthetic.
Unless you make your own products, some preservation precautions need to be taken, that is why we use the grapefruit seed extract. But what most people don’t understand, is there are many natural preservatives that are effective, for one month or one year, but not for 25 years. Parabens, methyl glycol, urea, etc., will make products last your entire lifetime. Grapefruit seed extract is only good for about a year. If it had parabens in it, it would last 25 years. That is one way all of my customers know my products are truly natural, they go bad! We only guarantee them for one year. I hope that answers your questions. Our products are not only synthetic chemical free, they are made fresh weekly on our own organic farm! We make the best products in the world. Lily

Q. How do you obtain your essential oils?
A. We purchase our essential oils already distilled. We have over 100 suppliers.

Q. Why is there sometimes a sediment in your products?
A. Since our products are purely botanical, we make them with herbs, and strain them many times by hand, sometimes you will have residue sediment, frankly, that’s a good sign and a indication of a purely natural product.

Q. Do Lily Products have a shelf life or do they need to be refrigerated?
A. We guarantee our products will have a one year shelf life to our stores. That means if they deteriorate, we will replace them for the store. Since we make our products up fresh every week, we recommend stores only purchase what they can sell in a month or so, that way you will always have fresh product. We want people to use our products up right away, you can keep them in a refrigerator for extra freshness, but if you buy them and use them, it should not be necessary.

Q. Where does the unusual scent of Lily Products come from?
A. All of the Lily Products are scented with pure 100% essential oils. Lavender and Ylang Ylang are my favorites so therefore, you will find many of them with those essential oils. The Oil of Kukui and Herbal Moisturizer are not scented at all, the scent of the Herbal Moisturizer is simply the natural scent of the blended herbs, and the Oil of Kukui is just the natural scent of the oil. The reason many people do not recognize the scents is because most of the scents these days are synthetic and most companies do not go to the trouble or expense of using pure oils.

Q. Are all of the herbs in Lily products grown organically?
A. No, I wish. While organically grown herbs are becoming more plentiful, they are still not widely and consistently available, we do not want to put “organically grown” on our products and then have trouble keeping that promise. However, we are 80% organic and have our own certified organic farm!

Q. What skin types are Lily products formulated for?
A. We have many products that are for specific skin types, but the American consumer does not seem to be ready for the concept that many natural products do not need to be limited to specific skin types. For example, Lavender historically has been used for oily skin and then again for dry skin, it has been used as an aphrodisiac and then again to remain chaste, the point is it is balancing. Herbs and essential oils are composed of the same chemical compounds as your body. Synthetic ingredients are designed by man to do one specific thing. For example, detergents are made to reduce surface tension and do so very effectively and part of that process is to strip dirt and oils. So, maybe you would use a detergent on oily skin, but never never on dry skin. Botanicals are not like that. Soapwort can be used on any skin type, but then it doesn’t lather enough, and we have been cultured to believe that soaps should lather.

Q. What are the active ingredients in your products?
A. Every ingredient is an active ingredient in any product. Every ingredient you put into a product is going to change the chemical consistency of the product, whether you want it or not, whether you plan on it or not. So the question comes from a person who has bought into a commercialized mindset that doesn’t believe that every ingredient is already active. You see, I am of the mind set that a product can not perform better than its ingredients.

Q. What make this product work? The fancy packaging, the big price, the cetyl alcohol, the parabens, the propylene glycol or what?
A. This is how I got started. I wanted to know the difference between Oil of Olay and Clinique. Is Clinique worth paying five times as much for? Does it work better? O.K., Why does it work better and what ingredient makes it an effective moisturizer, an effective treatment for acne? What specific ingredient in this jar makes it work? Every ingredient we put in every product not only is active, but is placed in the preparation for a specific purpose, to function as it has historically. For example, our mist contains seaweed to soothe and attract moisture, Lily because it helps reduce scares, Chamomile for its anti-inflammatory action, Calendula for its antispasmodic and skin relaxing action, Comfrey for its self proliferation properties. The Vegetable Glycerin helps the skin produce and retain moisture, Essential Oil of Lavender is antibacterial and balancing on your skin, Ylang Ylang is an antidepressant and the Grapefruit Seed Extract is high in Vitamin C and a preservative.

Q. Will Lily Organics products make my skin look better?
A. Yes, when you improve your general health two fold, by not putting toxic chemicals on your skin and add healthful, nourishing, healing, herbs and oils to the skin it will look radiant!

Q. Are all of your products pH Balanced?
A. We do not routinely do pH testing, we usually do it in developmental stages and as part of the overall testing in the beginning, prior to putting the product on the market. When you make a natural and clean product, a purely botanical product, you can not guarantee 100% consistency. You can only do that with synthetics. When you make fresh salsa or green chile, or vegetable soup, it is never identical. It depends on where the tomatoes are harvested, how much rain fall that year, how much care they had. Did they have a freeze that season? How much were they watered? What was the consistency of the soil? Were they grown in sunny California or overcast Michigan? What variety? When were they harvested? Are they Ripe? Did they ripen on the vine? In your refrigerator? Have they been in cold storage? For how long? Mother Nature has many variables, the synthetic manufactures do not, and that is why more people do not make pure products.

Q. Are your products non-comedogenic?
A. A product is only its ingredients. So, you would need to look down the ingredients list and independently decide what ingredients you think are safe.

Q. Why we do not have any “eye” products.
A. The FDA has strict regulations regarding any product with the word, “eye” on it. They have a list of powerful chemicals that must be in the product by law. It is against the law to make a synthetic chemical free eye product at this time. If it has the word, “eye” on it, by law it must have synthetic chemicals in it.

Q. How did you come up with the idea of using household items to create skin care products?
A. I came up with the idea to make my own plant based skin care, out of process of elimination. I had terrible acne and I could not find anything to work. I grew up on a farm so trying plants came naturally.

Q. What are the benefits to using organic and all-natural products on your skin that you make yourself?
A. Making your own is far superior, because you can control the ingredients. Most all commercial brands have synthetic chemicals that are downright harmful. You can be sure all ingredients are plant based and fresh. Plants have the best properties for wrinkles. For example, comfrey actually helps your skin grow and re knit.

Q. What makes the ingredients you are suggesting so beneficial? Why did you choose them over other ingredients?
A. In my book I outline about 20 different herbs and what exactly they are used for over hundreds of years to benefit the skin. For example, lavender has over 10,000 documented uses. Plants are truly healing. I pick each herb for each product based on its performance in the product. For example, many herbs are highly anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. This is very important in making a skin care product. Often what makes us look older is puffiness or inflammation. Many herbs, like comfrey, are cell proliferants, that regrow or reknit the skin.

Not only do we make skin care products that benefit your skin, but we also make products that benefit Mother Earth, the soil, and the environment in general. You cannot get more green than being an organic grower!!

On the other hand, synthetic chemicals are not only often toxic to our bodies and harm our skin, but they also harm the environment. There is no lasting benefit to most mass produced skin care products. The ingredients are many times harmful to the skin and the planet. Look up the ingredients in your favorite skin care product and see for yourself, is what I recommend. A product cannot perform better than its ingredients!

Q. You are a seventh generation farmer, what is your best advice for women in regards to skincare? Sun protection?
A. Regarding sun protection, I recommend that you never wear sun screen unless you really need to. For example, if you are very fair skinned or you will be outside for long periods of time that is one thing, but most sun screens are highly toxic and harmful. Nano-particles are a new technology that breaks down ingredients so small they actually enter the blood stream and they are not even sure just how harmful they are yet, but they do know they wreck havoc on the body. I also recommend you wear a hat, super light weight organic cotton shirts, try to stay in shade, etc. The average American spends very little time in the sun, yet wears make up, etc. with sunscreen daily.