Handmade Skincare & Consciously Made Goods
We’re a small maker of handmade goat milk soap + skincare in Alaska that is focused on providing you products that are fragrance free and whole plant infused.
There are no artifical fragrances or essential oils, just plants!
Along with skincare we carry products from like minded businesses based in the US. Zero waste products, eco friendly pet goods, and items for your home + self can be found here!
Ingredients
All of our products are oil based, not water based. Everything is made by infusing plants + resins directly into oils over the course of 4-6 weeks, possibly longer depending on the plant/product. This allows the beneficial plant properties to infuse directly into the oils that are used to make your skincare products. Plants aside, the majority of our products are grass fed tallow based. You'll also find other oils specifically chosen for dry, sensitive, acne prone skin.
Every ingredient included is meant to soothe and protect irritated skin.
Many of the plants and resins used in our infusions are foraged here on our own property or surrounding areas in Alaska. We never over harvest and do our best to forage minimally.
We encourage you to research each ingredient for yourself to know the benefits of each. These products are good for all skin types, including acne prone.
Hi, I'm Ashton
Owner and maker behind The Wood Fern. I started hand making my own skincare products after spending (literally) the majority of my life trying to find an answer to my horrible acne. It turns out drying out your skin isn't the answer like the skincare world of the 00's taught us. My skin NEEDED moisture and oil. I know that sounds odd if you've also dealt with acne + oily skin your whole life, but when your body is without, it'll produce more. More sebum = more clogged pores = acne. If your skin is balanced it doesn't feel like it needs to overproduce oils and in turn clog your pores.
On top of needing more oil on my skin (and in my food) I also found that I was extremely sensitive to fragrances + essential oils. They make me break out and give me headaches. After realizing all of my sensitivities and skincare needs I started making my own soap, as well, using goat milk from my own dairy goats.
And that was how The Yellow House in the Woods (now The Wood Fern) was born. Most of you have found me on Instagram and followed my homesteading journey up here in Alaska. I've since moved on from that for my own mental health but still source my goat milk locally + make all of my products exactly the same.
I've studied with Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine and Formula Botanica to continue to grow my knowledge in skincare formulating + working with plants.
If you ever have any questions or need recommendations, don't hesitate to reach out!
Zero Waste Goals
Living in Alaska makes it hard to go completely waste free because of shipping, but we're doing our best to eliminate as much waste as possible. All of our products come in glass for easy recycling and reusing. The majority of our jars are mason jars so when you're done with your product you can wash and reuse! We've chosen to use paper labels that easily break down when wet. This isn't ideal for bathroom products but stickers are just plastic and do not break down easily. Packaging used to ship your orders is 100% biodegradable. Most of our packaging is paper, cardboard, and dissolvable plant based packing peanuts!
Sourcing materials from companies that are US based is a priority. The less travel a box has to do, the better it is for the environment. Our herbs are US grown and our grass fed tallow is sourced from small farms in Montana. The hydrosols we use in our toners are sourced from a small maker/herbalist in Washington state.
In the future we'd love to offer a reusable container program where you can drop off your containers so we can reuse them, but we're not quite there yet.
If you're local, please keep your eyes out for zero waste shopping here soon! We're hoping to offer a few products that will allow you to come fill your own containers, reducing waste.
