Words with our founder, Reidin
As spring is beginning to unfurl, we thought it would be nice to reintroduce our journal interviews with those that inspire us. For the first one, we decided to do something a little different, so our marketing manager Jordan asked me some questions about the inspiration behind Daughters of Flowers, wise women traditions and natural beauty.
Daughters of Flowers was launched last year (2021), a growing-up of sorts from Warrior Botanicals. What inspired you to make the change?
Warrior Botanicals - which I started in 2016 - grew around our first and still best selling Warrior Deodorant. The name was inspired by arrowroot, one of the key ingredients that we use in the deodorant, which at one time was used by warriors to treat wounds from arrows, hence its name. As our collection of offerings grew, using Warrior our brand name no longer felt right so last year I made the decision to relaunch and was able to give space to a softer and more classical aesthetic; which I feel honors the whole collection much more and represents my vision for the business.
Daughters of Flowers denotes all our studio made potions that are inspired by and made with botanicals, but also those of us that use them and are touched by the beauty of flowers. Each potion is an ode to the traditions of wise women. This comes through as a subtle nod with the ingredients, potions named after a goddess or historical figure, and within the process itself, infusing herbs over the moon cycle.
How did you come to learn these natural beauty ways and recipes?
The wise woman tradition is the school of herbalism that I studied. Unlike many other forms of the practice it centres whole plants as opposed to isolates like essential oils, as well as using local plants that grow in our gardens and hedgerows. At its core is the understanding that herbalism is a tradition that mainly women have been practicing since the beginning of history and as such, long-standing methods and techniques are preferred. The kind that were carried out in homesteads and still rooms by our great-great grandmothers. In our studio, you’ll see bundles of garden grown herbs drying from the rafters and oils slowly infusing by gentle sunlight on our windowsills.
Another core is the nourishment approach which influences everything we create here. Instead of detoxing, clearing, cleansing and such, the first response to any ailment in the tradition is to nourish. This is central to our formulation process in our studio made infusions that offer deep and long lasting benefits. I like to think of our products as antidotes to the ‘quick fix’ ingredients found in many modern beauty brands.
Many moons ago I also studied history and history of art, specialising mainly in early modern women’s history. The recipes and traditions from that period caught my attention for their simplicity and efficiency. A handful of our potions are named after figures from classicism that grace the canvases of Renaissance painters, or the pages of the Romantic poets.
What Daughters of Flower potions do you have on rotation? Are there any you love and use every day?
I like to begin the day using our Oenone Cleansing Oil, steaming it into my pores with one of our botanically dyed cloths. I then follow with one of our serums which I blend with a little floral water in my palm before applying. I tend to rotate them, using Sunlight Alchemy in the summer, Winter Starlight in the winter and Titania throughout the rest of the year.
I love to soak in the bath, so I often apply Mellonia Rose and Honey Balm as a mask to my skin and Mellisae Hair Elixir to my hair while I bathe, at least once or twice a week. My other favorite potion is Flora Breast and Body Oil which I routinely apply everywhere and add to the bath. I use it to nourish and protect my skin whilst sunbathing in the warmer months too.
Each potion is handcrafted in the studio. Tell us more about the process of making Daughters of Flowers skincare…
Everything is made slowly using analogue methods with the utmost care. We make all of our infusions in-house which forms the bases for all our skin care products. Inspired by biodynamic farming techniques, we follow the moon cycles to create the infusions - they sit for months on our studio window sills, slowly extracting the botanical constituents before being blended into potions. We make everything in small batches by hand on a weekly basis to ensure freshness and many of our products are made seasonally when the botanicals we use are in bloom or fruit.
When not in the studio, how do you spend your days?
Walking along the country roads with my little dog Oats, or pottering about my house. I’m quite a homebody and find relaxation in simple things like folding laundry and mending clothes. In the summer months I spend most of my spare time tending to my cottage garden that encircles the little gate lodge where I live. I love to grow heirloom perennials and roses as well as herbs for the studio. In the winter months I love to read novels and to sew and quilt. A family friend taught me how to make traditional patchwork quilts when I was thirteen, as you sew by hand I only tend to make one a year.
What's next for Daughters of Flowers?
This year we’ll be slowly expanding our skincare collection. Introducing a new facial mist and beauty balm as well as a few others that I have been perfecting. This spring we will be creating a special apothecary box containing our favorite potions for the season. We’ll also be adding to our ‘offerings’ shop which offers carefully selected homewares and botanica including our first vintage drop this spring which is mainly made up of Edwardian cotton dresses and homespun linen smocks that I’ve carefully handpicked.
