A few years ago a client asked if I had anything to help her ward off the bad energy left behind when a toxic co-worker left the office.  Although, at the time I didn't, I knew exactly what she meant about left behind energy.  Sometimes negative energy is so thick, no matter what you do to try and move on from it, or how far away the source of it is, you continue to feel the way it affects your life.  Poor sleep, fidgeting and restlessness, anxiety or depression, and obsessive thinking are all signs that you may be experiencing stagnant negative energy in your space.  Staying calm, taking a walk, or meditating are all ways we can reduce the physical impacts of unwanted negative energy on our body.  Cleaning and decluttering our space is also helpful if the negative energy is happening in our homes or offices.  Recognizing and staying away from toxic people is advisable whenever possible. Finding separation, whether it's in real life or in a digital space, is key to ensuring our own mental health.  One of my personal go-to's when I am feeling a build up of negativity in my thoughts and environment is to engage in the Art of Smudging. 

What is Smudging?
Traditional smudging involving the burning of sacred herbs or resins and has been practiced for centuries by indigenous cultures.  I remember attending Catholic church as a child.  Towards the end of mass, the priest would sometimes come around wafting the smoke of burning frankincense resin throughout the room as a way to atone the sins of the congregation.  In the same way, many cultures burn different kinds of plants, herbs, and resins in ritual ceremonies to cleanse the energy of the participants.  While there is scientific evidence that smoke and heat can sanitize the air and repel bugs, the art of smudging is done as a form of spiritual purification, and should always include the setting of mindful intentions.   

What Should I Use?
Any herb or burnable plant that has spiritual value to you can be used.  Although white sage, palo santo, and cedar leaves are both common and a few of my personal favorites, there are a few other things to consider when choosing your smudging application.  In the US, white sage has become a commodity that has led to over harvesting in unsustainable ways.  Consider purchasing pre-bundled sticks from local growers in your own community rather than buying them from stores offering mass-produced bundles.  Consider the plants in your area.  Just like eating local honey offers the best defenses from local allergens, burning local plants can have a positive effect on our bodies and we naturally have a deeper connection with them on a spiritual level.  I grew 2 varieties of sage in our garden this year, white sage and garden sage, and incorporated both into bundles along with home grown botanicals like calendula and lavender, and herbs like thyme and fennel.  Not only did these make beautiful bundles (as seen in the cover photo), but they also diversify the scent of the smoke.  All those things considered make me happy, which is the ultimate goal of smudging.

Besides leaves and stems, natural resins are also fantastic alternatives to commercial incense for burning.  Frankincense, myrrh, and opopanax resin can all be burned using charcoal tabs as a catalyst for the smoke.  I like the natural smell better than incense sticks or cones which seem too artificially fragranced for me.  If that isn't the case for you, burning incense in any form can also be used as a way to cleanse your space and bring about a more positive experience.

If smoke is too intense or lighting a fire isn't an option, using a smudge spray may be a better way to go.  Some people experience headaches or have respiratory issues that make burning plants undesirable.  A spray option that has been intentionally created with plant-based oils and natural ingredients is an excellent alternative, and can be used most anywhere, including on the body, clothing, bedsheets, and furniture.  Certain essential oils, like lavender, are great at moving stagnant energy around.  Many oils have uplifting, calming, and restorative aromatic qualities that can help with restoring energy to a positive state.  I created a line of chakra essential oils to help with moving blocked energy through the 7 major chakras in the body.  Created with the intention of energy flow in mind, these oil blends make excellent smudging sprays that can help us connect our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual natures for overall wellness.

Things to Consider
Because smoke attaches itself to the negative energy we seek to get rid of, smudging with the windows open not only helps with de-intensifying the smoke so it doesn't get overwhelming, but it also allows the energy an "escape" from the room.  Be careful not to inhale too much smoke, as this could lead to respiratory issues.  Be considerate of people around you with allergies, asthma, or respiratory illnesses.  Move the smudging stick around your body or space with intention, even speaking out loud the purpose for the cleansing.   Carry a small heat-proof bowl or shell with you, placing it under the burning bundle to catch any ashes or smoldering plant material.  Before you discard your bundle or leave the room, make sure it has ceased burning...safety first!

Want to purchase one of my homegrown white sage or botanical bundles?  Click here!
Interested in a smoke-free chakra smudge spray?  Click here!
I'd love to hear about your smudging adventures!  Contact me here!

Oh Man!
It’s true, men have skin.  Their skin is just as subject to the pollutants and toxins in the air, damage from UV rays, moisture depletion, and potentially harmful chemical ingredients found in personal care products as women are.  Unlike women, who are targeted everyday by advertisers to look younger and more beautiful, and easily attracted to a wealth of products to help them achieve that, men tend to keep it simple; detergent soaps in the shower, cheap shampoo, and highly fragranced shaving creams, colognes, and deodorants they don’t even realize might be compromising their health and wellness.   Often I hear men say, "I don't need the luxury, I just need my soap".  I agree.  I don't see our quality, fresh-made products as a luxury at all, this is the baseline.  This is the way all products should be made all. the. time.  It's right for the person, it's right for the environment.  It's just the right thing. 

Because women in this country still spend 70-80% of consumer dollars, it’s important for wives, girlfriends, mother’s, and sisters to make sure the guys we love know what’s available and where to find the best skincare to maintain health and wellness.  If we can take the time to educate ourselves on the dangers of putting off a healthy skincare routine and using products with unsafe ingredients, we have a better chance of  long, productive lives in our skin!

What things should guys be doing everyday to take care of their skin?  Ladies, this is going to sound familiar, but when is the last time you saw your guys use toner?  Men should be using a safe cleanser, toner, and moisturizer EVERYDAY.  

Clean, Tone, and Moisturize!
Cleansers with charcoal, clay, botanical extracts, humectants, and skin-nourishing oils can help to keep the skin free of toxins and bacteria without stripping the natural moisture.  Including skin-loving essential oils over fragrance oils offer benefits without the risks that chemical fragrances well-known to be carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors.  Fragrances containing phthlates have a lot of links to long-term health and reproductive issues in men.

Toners help to freshen and brighten the skin, giving a youthful glow.  They also help to restore the pH of skin and tighten pores.  Witch hazel, astringent shiitake mushroom extract and willow bark extract can have the benefits of reducing fine lines and wrinkles, spots from sun and age, and enriching the skin with antioxidants while improving the skin barrier.  They can be used even on sensitive skin.

Lotions help to keep us moisturized while protecting the skin from environmental toxins.  A good moisturizer helps retain the moisture that's already in your skin. It also helps to replenish the moisture you lose on a daily basis, whether that's from showering and washing your body or from sitting in the sun. In fact, men need to use moisturizers for all the same reasons women do.  But on top of that, men shave, and shaving is a form of exfoliation. Moisturizing after exfoliation can help soothe the skin as well as help to restore its protective barrier.  We should always try to avoid moisturizers and other water-based products, like shampoo and shower gel, that contain parabens.  Parabens are chemical preservatives that have been linked to increased estrogen production, which can be dangerous to men’s reproductive health.  Increased estrogen levels can lead to other issues for men, as well, like increased likelihood of urinary tract infections and increased abdominal fat (which has it’s whole own category of risk!).  

The Art of Shaving!
Besides all of the things women do that men should, too, they also have specialty skin care needs that require special products.  Because men shave their faces or grow facial hair, they require creams, butters, grooming products, and soaps especially for these purposes.  Almost anything that lathers has the potential to contain sulfates, which is a big cause for irritating skin conditions and allergies.  Chemicals can be seen by the body as toxic, and when we continue to tax the body with toxins it has a hard time getting rid of, we tax our immune system and leave ourselves susceptible to illness and disease.  Using natural soaps or sulfate-free cleansers are gentle on skin and help us avoid unnecessary irritation.

Do Better!
Other places men (and women) often find chemical ingredients are in oral care, anti-bacterial soap products, underarm deodorants, body spray, and shampoo.  The same types of chemicals that are bad for bodies also tend to be bad for our environments.  Our fishing lakes, hunting grounds, drinking water, and food sources can easily be contaminated with the products we discard down our drains.  It’s better for everyone and better for the earth if we all (women AND men!) take an interest in personal care that feels good and does good.

Your Homework!  Go home and look at the ingredients on the products our men are using.  Check for words that end in “paraben”, “sulfate”, “fragrance”, and “triclosan” to name a few.  Become aware of the alternatives and give a try to safer, cleaner, higher quality options.  

Over 50 years ago, a Wisconsin Senator made Earth Day official.  Since then communities all over the world participate in earth-loving activities, advocacy, and spread positivity about the longevity of our planet the 4th Thursday of April every year.  Bringing awareness to the issues of climate change, fossil fuel overuse, and landfill waste is something we can totally get behind.  We love celebrating Earth Day, we love connecting with our customers on this important day, and we love sharing all the things, big and small, we do at YB Urban? to show our love for this giant rock we have the privilege to call ours.
Our pride and joy, our refill center
Watching the same product go out over and over to the same person, each time in a different container was a frustration that needed to be addressed.  With the help of a grant, a permanent shop space, and some creative sourcing we were able to create our refill center in July of 2020.  When restaurants were switching from reusable to disposable dinnerware in the name of sanitation, we saw an even greater need to control our own landfill footprint.  So much of the beauty industry waste sadly never gets recycled.  And, although maybe in the broad scheme of things it seems small, we are proud to report that our little community has come together to save over 200 containers (and counting!) from ending up in the landfills since we opened, simply by returning to our shop to refill their containers.  We think that's pretty awesome.
Stepping up to the bar
As our refill center was becoming a dream come true, we discovered a few other ways to keep waste low.  We purchased a shrink wrap system to wrap all of our bar products using a 100% biodegradable shrink film that can be composted rather than trashed.  When plastic goes into a landfill it stays there for up to 500 years.  The shrink film will biodegrade on average in 15 months in a compost pile.  That's a big difference!  Not only are we huge advocates of natural bar soap, we have also added shampoo and conditioner bars to our line up of amazing products using ingredients that are safe for disposal into the environment.  Since we hear on a regular basis that our shampoo bars are the best people have ever tried, getting our customers to switch from bottle to bar has been no problem. at. all.
Bring us your packing material
We ship supplies in and product out, and we see no need to toss all of that wonderful packing material!  Recycling the packing materials that come in our own shipments is one way we give second life to otherwise single use plastic and foam.  During busy times of year, we don't always have enough material to keep up and it would be heartbreaking to have to spend money on things like bubble wrap and packing peanuts.  Luckily, because our retail partners, customers and community members are the best on this beautiful planet, they save up their materials, too, and bring them our way!  What a beautiful circle of reuse and savings for everyone...the way community should be.
Goodbye paper invoices, hello vintage bank thank you notes
After cleaning out the safe at the new shop and finding pads and pads of the coolest vintage deposit slips, I decided to say goodbye to printing paper invoices to put into shipments and hello to sweet, handwritten thank you notes.  Since everyone receives a copy of their invoice electronically, it didn't seem necessary to continue to include them in the packages.  I have received more than one remark from customers who love receiving a handwritten note instead, with the vintage aspect being an important bonus.   Beyond just repurposing these notes, we have found numerous other items in the shop to use in our displays that bring a uniqueness and help us avoid mass-produced items that will eventually end up in a landfill.  
Chalkboards rule, stickers drool
What may not seem like a big concept has saved us tons of waste in price tags and paper signage.  We use chalkboards all over the shop so we don't have to constantly be printing new price signs or use wasteful stickers to price our products.  I wish I would have thought of this when I was doing festival shows, the number of tags we went through was insane!  Not to mention that placing a sticker on the product can take away from the presentation and is a big time suck.  Our little chalkboards travel easily from shelf to shelf, we can update them with the swipe of a towel, and, let's face it, there is a certain charm in the contrasting of white, handwritten print on a black background.  Though our kids may never appreciate it, it certainly takes us back to our nostalgic schooldays.

There are so many ways we can show appreciation and concern for the future of our planet.  From limiting container waste, to recycling packaging material, we are always monitoring our use, trying our best to find new purpose for old things, keeping our shopping as close to home as possible, growing as much of our own food as we can, and creatively using everything that comes our way.  We love Mother Earth and will never take her for granted.  Happy Earth Day!

Our bodies are really nothing more than big balls of energy that require balance to stay moving.  From our physical bodies, to the function of our mental mind, and the deep feeling emotions in our spirit, we can make connections that encourage us to listen to this energy and empower us to nourish and care for all that we are.  If we only focus on our physical health, we may find in time that we suffer mentally and emotionally.  Vice versa, if we don't spend enough time making positive choices for our body through proper nutrition, exercise, and environment, we will become mentally unsupported, stressed, and even depressed.  Thanks to Eastern philosophies that have recognized the need to bring all aspects of our wellness together, we have been gifted the Chakra system and the tools it takes to keep the energy flowing in ways that help us live our best life.  We should take time each day to focus on the health of our seven chakras.  Through meditation, aromatherapy, and yoga poses we can find routines that elicit the flow of positive energy, make us aware when things feel "off", and bring us back to the simple ways we can care for ourselves and others.  The following meditation is one way we can slow down and listen to our being, reminding us we are whole, and we are connected.

Spend time reciting the following mantras for each chakra.  Then, put on some relaxing music, close your eyes, find stillness, picture the color and location of the chakra in your mind, and feel the flow of the healing energy.
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Muladhara, the Root Chakra (The Color of Red, Located at the Base of the Spine).  I am safe and supported.  I am grounded in my life and I have the ability to make others feel safe, secure, and grounded, as well.  I am able to meet all of my basic needs, and I am able to move seamlessly with the ebb and flow of life.  I do not fear my existence.  I am connected to nature, I trust in natural laws, and I know I will always be provided for.  I am. 

Svadhisthana, the Sacral Chakra (The Color Orange, Located 2 Inches Below the Belly Button).  I feel creative.  I feel passionate and enjoy the things that bring me pleasure.  I feel good about my relationships with others, and strive to make them feel good about their relationships with me.  I feel at peace that I have enough, and I am enough.  I share my feelings easily and willingly.  I feel.

Manipura, the Solar Plexus Chakra (The Color Yellow, Located 2 Inches Above the Belly Button).  I can be powerful and strong.  I can use my personal power in healthy ways to express my self-worth and feel centered in who I am.  I can help others recognize the warrior within and express their power, as well.  I can accept the world around me and thrive to live in a place of peace.  I trust, respect, and take responsibility for myself.  I can.

Anahata, the Heart Chakra (The Color Green, Located in the Center of the Chest).  I love and accept myself completely.  I love and accept others, using compassion, hope, and trust in my interactions with the world around me.  I cultivate joy easily, and my actions of love and kindness are genuine.  I deserve to be loved completely and unconditionally for all that I am.  I love.

Vishuddha, the Throat Chakra (The Color Blue, Located at the Base of the Neck).  I speak my truth and follow my dreams.  When I speak, I say what I mean and I mean what I say.  I express myself easily and authentically.  I know when to speak, and when silence will better serve me and others.  I use my words to positively impact the world around me and always weigh the impact of my ideas  before I put them into the universe.  I speak.

Anja, the Third Eye Chakra (The Color Indigo, Located Between the Eyebrows).  I see myself both inside and out.  I trust my inner vision and act upon my intuition.  I see what cannot be seen, that beyond the physical world.  I see others and am open to their thoughts and ideas.  I see my past experiences as guides to a better future, and I see the future in a wave of light and love.  I see.

Sahasrara, the Crown Chakra (The Color Purple, Located on the Top of the Head).  I know I am connected to something greater than myself.  I was created with divinity, the same divinity that is present in all of existence, divinity that comes from God.  I know who I am in my body is not my true self, for my true self exists beyond the physical form.  I live united with others in my knowledge that we are all connected.  I know.