Who we are
We are the Hammonds! Jeff and I, Elise, are both stubborn DIYers and tree hugging nature enthusiasts. Our baby Gwendalyn is the latest Hammond addition. Hammond Herbs was born in 2016 out of my concern for toxic ingredients in personal care products, my many DIY experiments, and my growing concern for the amount of waste I realized the average American makes while working in the food and beverage industries. Jeff is a beekeeper and hopes to one day produce enough beeswax for our business and Gwendalyn is the business supervisor! Everything we sell we use ourselves on a daily basis and we would like to share them with you!
We believe in the importance of sourcing ingredients sustainably and using biodegradable or recyclable packaging. We also believe in using only natural ingredients in caring for our natural bodies. Personal care doesn’t have to be about leaving a slew of synthetic chemicals and plastic behind. We can all make simple changes to our routines that are better for our bodies and the earth.
In 2022 we made the cross-country move to the hills in the heart of Appalachia Kentucky. Appalachia is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever lived or been to, but ironically, it’s one of the most littered places we’ve ever seen. The Appalachian people are some of the strongest and most kind-hearted people we’ve ever met, but this area is one of deep poverty. It’s our goal to help clean up and give back to our community. Our dream is to one day see the rivers and rolling hills of this beautiful land clean and pristine, and the people, happy and prosperous.
Jeff and Elise Hammond
Our Mission
It is our mission to share our love of natural personal care, herbs, and low waste lifestyle with you!
Hammond Herbs was founded on our commitment to use natural and naturally derived ingredients to care for our natural bodies. Many synthetic chemicals that are found in cosmetics make their way through the skin and into the bloodstream or down the drain and into environment. Many of these are known carcinogens and with many, it’s unknown how they affect the body or the environment that they end up in. Of course, not everything natural is safe, but we are committed to using either traditionally used natural ingredients or naturally derived ingredients that have been proven to be safe. We also do our best to research how ingredients are produced. We use organic, Fair Trade, and non-GMO ingredients wherever possible, and avoid any that are unsustainably produced. Check out our FAQ page for more info on our ingredients.
Our society has become completely dependent on plastic. While plastic has many useful applications, it’s not biodegradable so it ends up in the landfills or making it’s way into the rivers and oceans. For instance, did you know that worldwide, humans buy a million plastic bottles a minute, 91% of which is not recycled? The cosmetic and personal care industry is a huge part of the problem, but it doesn’t have to be that way! There are many alternatives to plastic consumables and many of them are much higher in quality, last much longer, and are less expensive than their wasteful counterparts. Many of the best solutions to our wasteful habits involve looking into the past to see how our ancestors used to do things as well as looking at modern innovations and combining them. At Hammond Herbs, this is what we aim to do.
