Role Models: Sarah Villafranco of Osmia Organics. Entrepreneur, doctor, mother!
Osmia Organics had been on our radar after Lucy received some of their amazing smelling oils and bath salts as a gift. Osmia was one of our gift bag sponsors for our incredible Wild Precious Life Retreat in Aspen and now we can't get enough of it! Some of our favorite products are the milk bath, foaming facial cleanser, face lotion, the Whisper lip gloss and the Cedar Smoke natural perfume oil (so sexy and grounding! Perfect for this time of year). Turns out we have a lot of synergy with Sarah Villafranco, the founder of Osmia whose beauty formulations are grounded by her years as a medical doctor. After a type A lifetime in Washington, DC (sounds familiar!), Sarah left her medical practice in DC for the mountains of Aspen and a new career. We wanted to know more, so here you go!
Firestone Sisters: 1. What was the inspiration for starting Osmia? How did the company actually came into being?
Sarah: I was a practicing ER doc, and really loved the work in many ways. But, a few important things were missing. I wanted to get involved in people’s lives and encourage them to make healthy choices before they ended up as patients in the ER. I wanted to inspire people to stop focusing on the negative and embrace all that was positive in their lives. That’s a hard thing to do in a pressured ER setting, where people are stressed and worried. And, I missed creativity. You can’t exactly say: “Mr. Smith, I’m going to give you 17 milligrams of Lasix rather than the usual 20 because, well, 17 just FEELS good to me today!” So, while I cherished so much of the work, I started to wonder if there could be another path out there for me.
I suppose the birth of my second daughter and subsequent death of my lovely mom joined together and brought me to a turning point. I had been obsessing over the idea of creating a luxury, natural skin care line for a couple years. After my mom died, the timeline of my life seemed compressed: a realization that we have only a finite time on Earth, and that none of us know how long that time will be. I decided to put all the passion I feel for natural skin care and perfumery into action in a more focused way. It was really hard to let go of the official practice of medicine (though I still maintain my license). It involved turning the volume on my ego way down, and the volume on my heart way up - an exercise I still try to do every day. When I think about it, I’m practicing a broader form of medicine now – medicine for me, for our customers, and for the planet.
2. How does your history as a medical doctor influence your product line?
It made me a pretty fast learner when it came to formulating our line. It also makes me an awfully savvy consumer when buying raw materials, which translates to less work for our customers. I can read studies on efficacy and toxicity and know whether they are valuable or just advertisements. I don’t buy into the trends because they’re trendy. I research each ingredient, evaluate it, test it, and then decide if it makes the cut. Additionally, I think I have a unique, West-meets-East understanding of how the essential oils I use can affect people. While I believe in some aspects of aromatherapy more than others, I really love the way these oils, and the rituals of self care that accompany our products, can help people tap into their own abilities to heal themselves. That is some seriously powerful medicine.
3. What are your two favorite products in your line?
You know that’s an impossible question to answer! At the moment, I’d choose the Black Clay Facial Soap and the Osmia Body Oils. The Black Clay Facial Soap seems to help so many people with their problem skin – I really love it for that reason. Plus, it lasts an incomprehensibly long time. The body oils are my favorite way to incorporate a little whiff of the sublime into your daily routine – each one smells so different and touches a different set of emotions. When used on wet skin, they are more economical than body lotions, with fewer chemicals and greater potency. So, they cover a lot of bases.
4. Aside from your awesome products, do you have any personal rituals or tips for healthy glowing skin? Something you eat? Exercise?
I make myself a big glass of green juice almost every day – there’s a post on our blog about how I spruce it up with banana and sunflower seeds. I eat an obnoxiously healthy, plant-based diet, for the most part. And I work out 5-6 days a week, which gets my blood flowing and packed with endorphins, which makes me happy. And that shows in my skin.
But, my biggest tip for great skin is NOT stressing out about your skin! The more you freak out about it, the more it will freak in return. That is the gospel truth. So, if your skin is misbehaving, do all you can to support it with good diet and clean products, and get your stress levels under control with some yoga and a daily perspective check. You have water, food, shelter, and people who love you. The skin stuff will work itself out if you give it time.
5. Where are you most excited to travel to this winter (destination/hotel)? Tip for keeping your skin flawless while traveling?
Every year, we go to a place called Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Colorado. It’s a cross-country ski resort – did you even know such a thing existed?? The location is beautifully remote, and the rooms are perfectly done – like Robert Redford helped them pick all the finishes. We go with a group of friends, Nordic ski a few hours a day, sit in the giant hot tub, and cook dinner in our favorite cabin every night. Heavenly.
As for keeping skin happy while traveling, my best tip is to keep using the products that work for your skin! There is a whole lot of the unfamiliar during travel – sheets, water, humidity, diet – so keeping your skin care routine constant is your best plan. Oh, and take Osmia’s Spot Treatment with you everywhere. Nothing worse than a zit in a prominent spot while you’re supposed to be out enjoying your vacation!