Get Pretty: Juniper Ridge

Photos courtesy of Juniper Ridge

This is a guest post from Lily Betjeman of New Growth Project. 

I like lots of brands. I love few. But I love Juniper Ridge—their stuff is just too good. The Berkeley, CA-based brand sustainably harvests scents from the wilds of the Pacific northwest, northern California and the desert southwest to make soap, incense, tea, room spray and "backpacker" cologne. The result? An outdoor lover's Elysian fields.

The brand is special for so many reasons, not the least of which being the founders are hikers with a capital H. They care so much about the planet that they donate 10 percent of profits to nine different wilderness conservation groups. Every summer the staff does trail maintenance with the groups they support, but ethics aside, the products hook you emotionally because smell is one of the most evocative senses, and their ingredients come from places where happy memories are made.

The wilderness smells are gender neutral, so guys go nuts over these products. A friend literally described his morning shower with a bar of Big Sur soap as a meditation on his love for plants. My top choice is the aforementioned bar soap, but the Steep Ravine room spray and Pinon campfire incense are great, too. For now I'll experience the magic in my home, but I'll definitely pack some Juniper Ridge with me the next time I head out—I hear using this stuff on camping trips is wild.