We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Cummings. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Hi, my name is Ashley Cummings and I am an Oncology Registered Nurse in NYC. My business, Natural Ash started from my experiences as a nurse. My patients are treated with chemotherapy and oftentimes are left with dry and brittle skin. Many of the patients I care for begin to see changes in their skin as a side effect of chemotherapy. The changes range from mild dryness to more severe skin conditions. I started to pay attention to some of the products they use when moisturizing their skin, some were many that I have used. Once I started to look at the ingredients, I realized that many products on the market contain harmful chemicals. At this moment, Natural Ash Body was formed. I wanted to provide a product that was moisturizing for someone experiencing the side effects of chemotherapy, as well as anyone with skin.

Ashley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Natural Ash was created by me, Ashley Cummings, RN. As an Oncology Registered Nurse, I noticed the challenges patients faced around skin care management after receiving chemotherapy, radiation and other treatments. Many patients experience dry skin, itchiness, discomfort and are self conscious of these physical changes.

I noticed that many patients did not have strong skin care practices prior to treatment and/or were not using non-toxic skin care products. Many products used by patients contain alcohol, fragrance, and chemical preservatives. These ingredients can further dry and irritate sensitive skin.

My intention is to create and offer body care products to patients that are natural and milder on the skin, omitting exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. My passion for nursing and patient care lead to the creation of Natural Ash – to nourish and protect the skin of patients and everyone. Natural Ash’s mission is to change the face of skin care products in healthcare facilities. Patients should be provided natural products to promote healthy skin and better patient outcomes. In the same way, everyone should have access to clean and natural body moisturizing products.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

People that undergo chemotherapy, radiation, as well as other cancer treatments suffer from side effects which include dry and sensitive skin. Chemotherapy kills dividing cells and damages skin cells that are constantly renewing themselves. Patients are then left with dryness, sensitivity or a prior skin condition exacerbated due to chemotherapy treatment.
From my experiences as a Registered Nurse, many patients do not have daily skincare routines and do not moisturize their bodies daily. Therefore, the effects of treatment are more detrimental since their skin is not prepared beforehand. The lack of daily moisturizing causes skin to be dehydrated, flakey, have a rough texture, become itchy, and/or painful. Excessively dry skin that cracks is an entryway for bacteria, which can lead to infection. As you can see, skin health is very important and affects our overall health and well-being.

Many skin moisturizers contain ingredients such as parabens, heavy metals, and toxic fragrances to name a few. These ingredients have been linked to cancers. Many mass produced products contain ingredients that strip away our natural and necessary oils and nutrients from our skin. Products are advertised as “natural” and only contain a non-substantial quantity of non-chemically derived butters and oils. Seeing how cancer patients and survivors are more at risk for developing new cancers, it is important that clean and safe skincare products are available. It is important that skin is treated well before, during, and after treatments. Natural Ash body butter is made with natural plant oils and butters that help lock in moisture, penetrate the skin and hydrate. This is a simple routine using one product with straightforward ingredients that are easy to understand.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Our products are all handcrafted by me. I started experimenting with different techniques to make product. As I grow, I have the goal to expand my manufacturing. I am currently researching how to do so.

Contact Info:

• Website: naturalashbody.com
• Instagram: naturalashbody