The market for natural skincare seems to be growing every day, and every time I turn around, there’s a new brand offering “natural” products. The problem I’ve run into with this is two-fold: The products either have ingredients that are not natural, but claim to be, or the products are super expensive.

I do not mind paying for good skincare, because my philosophy is you only get one face, so you should take care of it. However, at this stage of my life (recently finished grad school, still looking for full time employment in education, student loans are about to kick back in), I was really in need of something good that I could afford.

My first encounter with Silver Market Co. was through Tulsi, a local health market. Silver Market Co. is based out of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and the owner, Kelsi, is a serious badass. I love following her on social media and seeing what she is up to within the business and within life in general. The owner of Tulsi, Erin, introduced me to the brand when I was eyeing the facial mist. Kyle and everyone else who knows me even a little bit will know my affection for face sprays. Make fun all you want, there is nothing more refreshing than a spritz of botanical oils on your face. So when Erin told me how much she loved the Hydrating Face Mist, I was sold.

Since then, I have tried several products, all of which have been incredibly impressive. Some of them have been gifts from Kyle or co-workers, so I suppose people know I love it! One thing that has been a pleasant surprise from these products is how fresh they smell. I have used some natural skincare products that might be truly natural, but man do they smell weird. When you’re putting things directly on your face, you kind of need them to smell nice, right? Kelsi, the owner of Silver Market Co., does a great job at making sure her products smell amazing - so much so that she even has natural perfumes!

Here is a list of products I have tried so far:

I couldn’t link everything there, because some things are out of stock on the Etsy page. If you are a local, there are several stockists in the area/state. You can follow Silver Market Co. on Instagram for more information on where to find Kelsi’s products.

I’m also dying to try her Lime and Grapefruit Body Scrub, Cocoa and Mint Dry Shampoo, and Blue Cuke Polishing Mask. She also makes these awesome Probiotic Deodorants that I really want to try, and honestly the only thing stopping me is I’m just trying to get through my other deodorants first. Waste not, want not, and all that.

Another important reason I want to support Silver Market Co. is that it’s a small, local, female-led company. It’s a business that promotes many of the values that I support, but also, by purchasing Kelsi’s products from local businesses like Tulsi, I am supporting my state’s economy, the people of my state, AND women business-owners. All of those things are super important to me, and here’s one reason why.

I just recently heard an amazing statistic about female-led businesses on Rachel Hollis’s podcast “Rise.” She interviewed one of the founders of the company Able, which is “a lifestyle brand focused on ending generational poverty through providing economic opportunity for women.” Barrett Ward talked with Rachel Hollis about his mission with Able and being inspired by the poverty and need he witnessed while living in Ethiopia. Through Able, he and his wife started working with women in Ethiopia to overcome poverty, and now they also work with local women in Nashville with overcoming addiction. Today, his business has a payroll of 86 people and 81 of them are women, and he said this:

“From a solutions, ending generational poverty side, you have to create jobs, and you have to do it for women. That’s not just a heart issue, that’s a socially, scientifically proven fact. When a woman is given a job, we understand the impact that she has. She reinvests 80% of it into her family, in her community, whereas a man — sorry, guys — it’s only 30 to 40%.”

Did you see that? Women reinvest 80% of their income back into their own economy. That’s huge. That’s why we need to support women-led companies and give women more jobs. Yes, we want to bridge that pay gap and gain truly fair payment and treatment in our workplaces. But, women are also a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to poverty.

It’s no secret that West Virginia struggles with poverty, and when it comes to trying to figure out how to fix that problem, it can be incredibly overwhelming. Is buying natural skincare from a woman in my state going to fix all of our problems? No! But will it help? Will it make a step in the right direction? Yes. Not every single business or product is going to be for you, but I think it’s vital to the future that we find some that do work for us. Just taking that step to support local people can make a big impact.

I think it’s important to be mindful of what is in your products, where your stuff is coming from, and who it’s supporting — and, really,, that’s true for everything. I’m not a perfect consumer, but I try to be mindful of those things when I shop, and I would encourage you to do whatever version of that is good for you, too.

And of course, I would encourage you to try out Silver Market Co. if you can! If you want to know more about the products I’ve tried, please go watch my videos on IGTV. I have a two part series on her products and you get to watch me wash my face. Fun times.

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Natural Skincare: Silver Market Co.