We recently connected with Ruby Oland and have shared our conversation below.

Ruby, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

My business is named Rabbit Brush Goods. Rabbit Brush is the common name for Ericameria nauseosa, also known as Chamisa. It grows in large, lovely, mustard flowered bushes across the high desert of Northern New Mexico, as well as other arid regions of North America. When I started my business I had gone through multiple names that didn’t quite work out. Luckily, my branding was minimal and I only purchased one LLC for $100. While brainstorming what the next incarnation would be, Rabbit Brush hopped into my mind.

Perhaps it seems a bit random. After all, when you google “rabbit brush”, you mostly find pictures or Reddit columns about combs for bunnies. That being said, we are the only hair care company that pops up under that name, and it sets us apart.

I’m also a songwriter in my spare time, and I love to be clever with my words. Rabbit Brush works on multiple levels.

1. “Hair” and “Hare” is a nice play. We say on Instagram, “Helping you on your “hare” care journey”.

2. We sell brushes designed for distribution of our product. Tying in the second word of the company.

3. There is a connotation to rabbits, especially in the cosmetics industry. If a company is “Leaping Bunny Certified”, it means that their products are not tested on animals. Our logo is a leaping rabbit (albeit more of a wild jackrabbit than a cute lil fluffy bunny), and that lends a familiarity to cruelty free practices that is nice to have as a visual reminder.

4. Rabbit Brush is a stunning color, a goldenrod kind of yellow. We use this color all the time in our branding, along with other colors you might find in the territories that Chamisa grows. Rusty reds of Earth and grassy greens of stems remind customers that their product is natural.

Plus, I just love that plant! We’ve been using that name for four years now and I love it more each day.

Ruby, 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?

WHAT IS RABBIT BRUSH?

Rabbit Brush Goods makes non-toxic, cruelty free & organic hair care for everyone!

Radically understandable & accessible styling products made in Santa Fe, NM.
We strive to educate customers on the harmful effects of toxic chemicals in most store bought beauty products.
Rabbit Brush is committed to environmentally friendly practices, we use biodegrading-able packing peanuts & plastic free tape on our packages. Our goal is to create non-toxic, high quality hair products that everyone can feel comfortable and confident using.
Sustainability & environmental consideration is at the core of our business- we continually adapt & improve our practices to reflect that.

We commit to these values by:
-spearheading SBBC (small businesses for big change) dedicated to helping small businesses implement sustainable practices
-donating over 1% of profits from plastic items to conservation & reforestation efforts
-donating to politically relevant topics on a case-by-case basis
-adopting plastic free shipping & biodegradable shipping materials
-using recyclable glass packaging

ABOUT ME:

Hi! I’m Ruby, the woman behind Rabbit Brush Goods.

I’m a musician + plant person in Santa Fe, NM. I’m originally from Salt Lake City, Utah & spent my childhood in the high deserts of the Rocky Mountains, where Chamisa (Rabbit Brush) grows. I am constantly inspired by the land, and consistently expand my sustainability efforts to reflect that in my business.

While working at an herbal apothecary in the summer of 2019, I began Braided Root (my old business name) beginning the line with our signature Dry Shampoo. I have been using this formula on myself for years, originally creating it when I recognized the need for a natural, non-aerosol Dry Shampoo that was dark enough for my hair.

This brings us up to the spring of 2020, in lock down for months, I began developing Rabbit Brush full-time.

I’d known for a long time I wanted to have a small business, but ruled out retail pretty quickly because I saw a shift in buying habits. I made a lot of “mistakes” on my earlier incarnations of my brand- and it took me a couple years to really find my confident voice. My brand has turned into a collaborative effort, which I love. It’s not just my voice now- it’s all of my customers, the creative women I choose to work with, etc.

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

I make all Rabbit Brush Goods products by myself, in house. I label each individual item, pack it up and ship it out!
I’ve always loved making my own products. For my body or for my house, because of curiosity or budget. I’ve been making the first product we ever released for years and years. Before I even knew I wanted to start this business, I was subconsciously doing R & D.
I love manufacturing our product. It is rather time consuming, but it takes me out of my head and into my body. I have to use my hands and focus on a “menial” task, which is such a nice balance to taxes and marketing!

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We sell through our website and fulfill all orders in house! We use Shopify for our host and love it. We have a label printer, which cuts our time at the post office, and really empowers us to do everything ourselves.
I decided to have an Ecommerce/ wholesale business structure when I worked for multiple small businesses and realized that this model lends to the most flexibility with regards to personal life balance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rabbitbrushgoods.com
• Instagram: @rabbitbrushgoods
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rabbitbrushgoods
• Other: https://pinterest.com/rabbitbrush

Image Credits

Hayley Harper