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

Alright, Kristin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Our mission is to provide safer, natural alternatives to the commercial self care industry, and to promote health and wellness for the whole person.

The importance behind our mission can be explained more in depth in our story, but it comes down to the importance of safe self care, health and wellness, and the knowledge of what you are putting in and on your body. When I first learned about essential oils, I started learning things about the commercial self care industry that made me sick. I couldn’t believe what some of the ingredients in my favorite products (at that time) actually were and how they were impacting my health. I couldn’t keep putting these things on my body and on my kids’, so I made the choice to change that. That is when our company came to life. I continued to follow that passion as I began my Natural Health journey. I have always felt my purpose in life was to help others, so I combined that with my passion for Nature, and decided to take the path I am currently on.

Kristin, 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?

I have always been drawn to herbs since I was a little girl. In fact, my cousins and I would make up our own “potions” with different grasses and plants we would find in my yard. As I got older, I always wanted to learn more about that side of medicine but the timing was never right, I couldn’t find a program near me, or the cost was too high for me to afford. I wanted to help heal others, so I decided to become a nurse instead. While attending nursing school, a classmate introduced me to the powerful world of essential oils.

I dived head first into learning everything I could about essential oils – how they were created, how they worked, what I could do with them, etc. – and it lead me down a rabbit hole of information regarding the bath and body industry. I was appalled at what we were putting on our bodies and I didn’t want to continue doing that to my family, so I started creating products for us that were safer and didn’t contain all those toxic additives that served no beneficial purpose. As I was doing this I realized I needed to share what I learned with everyone else and give them the same opportunity/alternatives. This is when Essentially Unique was born.

Essentially Unique was created to provide others with self care products that were not only safer for our bodies, but also to utilize the wonderful ingredients that Mother Nature was already providing us. Nature has a purpose for everything and there are so many benefits out there for our bodies. We create products for the whole family – soaps, lotions, bath goodies, wellness products, and more. I started this off as a hobby following Pinterest recipes and eventually evolved into a full scale business, becoming a Certified Organic Skincare Formulator and creating my own formulas and ideas. My passion is formulating an array of luxurious products that will nourish your body and soul. This company has become one of my babies. My heart and soul have gone into making this company what it is today, and what it will eventually grow to.

During this time, I had also found an amazing natural health school finally – and it was only an hour away from me! I started on my journey to become a Naturopathic Doctor in 2021 and I graduate in July with my first certification as a Natural Health Educator. Natural Health goes beyond the surface of just addressing symptoms. Instead, we look at the root cause of why and focus on the person as a whole – mind, body, and soul. The skills and knowledge that I have gained, and continue to, are utilized in formulating our products, as well as providing health services to clients of all ages. I expanded our organization and created Essentially Unique Wellness last year to start providing services to clients of all ages. Currently, I provide Natural Health Consultations, Reflexology sessions, Therapeutic Bodywork (massage), and Yoni Steaming.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Honestly, this whole journey involves a lot of resilience. I am a mother of 3 boys (11, 14, and 19), a wife, a full time nurse, a student, and a business owner. I feel like I am being pulled in different directions all the time, but somehow I manage to make it all work. Throughout this journey, I have ran into many obstacles. I have had months where not a single product was sold, numerous formula and product failures, people not knowing who we were or what our company represented, financial difficulties, and more. Working full time also makes it difficult because I have to balance a set work schedule with shows, product development, school schedules, and homework, while trying to fit in time to spend with my family. However, I think the passion I have for what we do is what continues to drive me. I love creating new formulas and product ideas, and guiding our customers to safer selfcare options. I love being able to help my clients get to the root cause of why they are experiencing the symptoms they are and how they can live healthier lives. I have an amazing partner, both at home and in the business, who is there every step of the way, helping to make all of this possible. He is a huge part of the success that we have today. While it may seem like some days I’m overwhelmed, I wouldn’t change a thing because this is what my purpose is.

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

Absolutely. With the exception of the essential oils themselves (for now), soap accessories, and crystals, every product in our store is handmade by us. It is not an easy process, both in the beginning and even now. We pride ourselves on being transparent with our customers, and want everyone to know that we are human too – we make mistakes, we learn lessons, and we can all grow.

When I started making products for the family, Pinterest and online “diy” sites were a common thing for me. I used to find all these recipes I thought were fun and exciting, and I wanted to make them. I won’t do into detail how many failed attempts and wasted ingredients I went through at that time. I was still in the hobby stage at that time, so our products were mediocre and looked thrown together. I didn’t have a clue how to properly do things and it definitely showed in a lot of things. I started to feel that I wasn’t doing what I sought out to do in the first place. I wasn’t using any artificial fragrances, but I also wasn’t using the best I could in terms of ingredients. I started taking formulation classes and doing more research.

Soon, that paid off because our products took a turn. I started using only organic plant based ingredients, botanicals for coloration, and made a promise to only use ecofriendly packaging. Instead of relying on Pinterest for recipes, I started making my own formulas – and even despite many failures, they were still better. Our labeling started to look more professional, as did our setup as a whole. I took a hobby and turned it into a full fledged business operation. This doesn’t mean everything is perfect though. I make messes – more often than I’d like to admit. I misspell things, put labels on upside down, take a million notes and then sometimes forget where I put them LOL Throughout it all though, I keep the same values and passion during the entire process. I may have been doing this for over 6 years, but I am not perfect – none of us are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.essentially-unique.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/essentiallyuniqueproducts
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/essentiallyuniqueproducts www.facebook.com/essentiallyuniquewellness