Alpenglow Skin Care

A taste of summer harvesting 🌿🌸

It’s been a beautiful summer here in Homer/Anchor Point, although a slow start to the season means some of our harvesting is a little behind schedule.

One of the things we love most about making Alpenglow 100% natural products is working with plants. We grow a wide variety of flowers and herbs organically in our high tunnel and gardens, starting them from seed indoors in March and moving them outside at the end of May. Throughout the summer, we carefully tend to our plants and harvest them at their peak, when their beneficial plant compounds are at their best. We then dry or freeze our harvest to preserve that goodness.

We also wildcraft—sustainably harvesting plants from the Alaskan wilderness, including wild Alaskan roses, yarrow, horsetail, cottonwood, nettles, and more. 🌿

The plants we choose aren’t random. Each one is selected for the unique phytonutrients and beneficial properties it contributes to a particular product. This concentrated, readily absorbable plant nutrition is a big part of what makes Alpenglow products so special.

Our organic products are made entirely by hand, from scratch—from seeds and garden to wilderness and finished product.

What could be better? 💚

We frequently get asked by our out-of-state customers what’s it like to live here. Life is what you make of it and I wanted to share some photos from this summer and the outdoor adventures Patrick and I go on with our family and friends. There is so much to take care of around our place with the business, our high tunnel and gardens on 4.5 acres. We could easily spend every weekend at home taking care of our land and house. But we make sure to take off on 3 day weekends 3 out of 4 weekends per month during our short summer season. We love biking, hiking, camping, kayaking, pack rafting, staying in back country public use cabins and just enjoying each others company (and our dog Truffle) in this incredible place we are lucky enough to call home. I love my business. And I love recreation as well. Balance is so important (and difficult to maintain) a business owner. Ask me what it’s like to live here in January and well, let’s just say June, July and August are my favorite months. 💕

HIRING PT YEAR-ROUND ASSISANT at ALPENGLOW SKIN CARE

14-20 hrs/week, possibly more if great fit and desired (on rare occasions less).

Love the idea of working for a small family-owned company that makes 100% natural skin and hair care products?

Do you like crafting/working with your hands and are you detail oriented/very accurate but also naturally efficient/fast worker? Both are necessary for this job.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

*Processing orders – printing invoices, pulling precise product and packing boxes to ship, involves basic computer work, and also filling orders to stores in Homer.

*Help with production/manufacturing – filling and capping bottles and jars, labeling product, slicing soap, assembling gift bags, wrapping soap, cleaning.

*Help with gardening and wildcrafting (not in winter).

*Social Media – collaborating to create posts in Canva for FB and IG - if desired (not necessary).

REQUIREMENTS:

*DETAIL ORIENTED - only apply if you are very PRECISE and OBSERVANT, able to fill bottles to same level, apply labels very straight...

* EFFICIENT – accuracy is essential, but so is speed. We are looking for a naturally detail oriented person, who is very productive, naturally efficient and fast paced = absolutely essential.

* FLEXIBLE: Hours are not set, they change week to week. You work 2 or 3 days a week, but never on weekends, never at night. We need someone available b/w 10 am – approx 5/5:30 pm M-F. Typically you work b/w 6-7 hours, your day is done when work is done.

* Good at Systems / Organization / Thorough / Following precise direction.

* Able to work INDEPENDENTLY and quietly (ear buds are great as you label bottles or slice soap for 3-5 hours).

* STRONG - Must be able to lift 50 lbs. And sit or stand for extended periods of time, don’t tire easily. This is a requirement.

* Must have a reliable winter vehicle and able to drive here and to town with orders.

* No smoking, no drugs.

Job involves lots of variation and is FUN, very fun. This type of work feels more like a livelihood than a job. It’s being part of our family team. The work is very rewarding and you learn a lot.

Pay is not dependent on experience; pay is dependent on efficiency balanced with precision and independence. A can-do attitude is appreciated. Happy to pay well for excellent work = quick, accurate, motivated to hustle.

Job is located on south end of North Fork Rd (l5 min from Anchor Point, 18 min from Homer).

Please only apply if you meet each of the requirements above. This is an EXCELLENT, YEAR ROUND PT job for the right person.

Please email a resume and explain why you are a good fit based on precise job description to [email protected]. Thank you!

Our friend Helen down the road raises goats on her farm along with geese, ducks, meat chickens, and egg layers. Farming in Alaska is not easy. But her three blue heelers help take care of the place. She provides us with fresh goat milk rich in nutrients that makes the creamiest, high-lather soap. We pasterurize the milk before freezing to withstand the soap making process.

Today we made another batch of magic... Goat Milk Soap for your face, your body, your nose (only essential oils / no fragrances and nothing artificial ever) and spirit.

Oh, yeah, it cleans really well too. 💓 No store bought or powdered milk ever used.

Go get yourself some long lasting bars of Alpenglow Goat Milk Soap and you'll be happy you did.

Lavender Fields, Tundra Spice and Fireweed - three natural scent choices.

A concentrated, multi-use, long-lasting solid bar for hair, body, and shaving — perfect for home or travel.

Cleanses naturally and thoroughly without residues that weigh hair down, allowing for less frequent washing.

Multi-use: shampoo, shave, and body wash - use head to toe.

No SLS/SLES, silicones, or plasticizers - creates a rich bubbly lather naturally.

Leaves hair light, clean, and full of volume—no waxy buildup.

Plastic-free, travel-friendly packaging and biodegradable (great for camping).

Pairs beautifully with Alaskan Herbal Hair Rinse.

Handmade from scratch with organic extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut oil, organic fair-trade shea butter, castor oil, pristine Alaskan water, sodium hydroxide, organic jojoba oil, organic essential oils (Aurora = lavender and rosemary, Alaskan Cedar = cedarwood essential oil), rosemary extract (natural antioxidant), kaolin clay. That’s it.

Keeping it simple and natural is the path to the healthiest, easiest, and most beautiful hair.

What a cold wet spring it’s been. Planting the garden sooo late and feeling like it’s risky considering we keep dropping into the 30s F at night. But my starts have been getting root bound and I’ve been antsy to get my hands in the dirt. 72 calendula starts planted, peonies kinda barely popping up, big flat of mint separated and planted, rhubarb always does fine. Flower bed gets attention next week.

Patrick, Cassie and I planted the high tunnel earlier this week. Didn’t take any pictures. But the 42 lavender starts looks great. I started all my seeds mid-March, inside our house under grow lights. I moved them to the greenhouse to acclimate around May 10. We still had snow a few times since then.

Boy I love working with plants. Veggies, flowers, fruits, herbs. We really take care of our soil (look how dark and rich).

The midnight sun = fast growing plants once it warms up a wee. And lookie at brand new moose calf in our driveway.