By Michelle Talsma Everson, May 2020 issue.
Photos by Chanelle Sinclair / iamchanelle photography
Gretchen Weidman,
like most of us, wears a lot of hats.
She’s a proud mom, the creative director at
an East Valley salon, and now, a small business owner. In a time when most of
us could use some help relaxing for even just a moment, Weidman created Bone
& Basil, her one-woman shop for bath brews and salves that promote self
care.
“I’ve always been a cook and a big believer
in plants, herbs and things of the earth,” Weidman says. “In my own personal
beliefs, I am a Reiki master and have shamanic practices, so that energy and
knowledge goes into everything I do.”
Weidman started her small business as a
casual hobby; she’d make bath brews and gift them to friends. “There’s a long
history of baths not being just to get clean but to promote relaxing and
self-care,” Weidman says.
Once she started to make her bath brews in
earnest, she noticed they were becoming more and more popular. She then
realized that she had a legitimate business model literally in her own hands
and Bone & Basil was born. Just launched in January, Bone & Basil
already has a growing following on Instagram (@bone_and_basil) and the products
can be found at Abundant Space in Scottsdale.
“I’m 41 and on my feet all day but there’s
going to be a point where I can’t do this forever,” she shares. “I’d love to
see Bone & Basil become something bigger so that I can help people and have
something when I retire from hair.”
With big dreams of her own small shop in
downtown Phoenix — a place where she’s lived for more than 15 years after
moving here from the East Coast — Weidman is passionate about her products.
“I’d love to have a small store downtown,
somewhere cozy with plants, crystals, and a coffee nook,” she shares.
Right now, Bone & Basil offers four
bath brews and two salves, all of which are hand mixed at home for each person
when they order them. She says that the most popular bath brew is her Relax
Brew and the most popular salve is the one for pain.
“I put Reiki energy into each product; I
believe that there is universal energy and I am the conduit for it,” she
shares.
The ingredients that Weidman uses in her
brews and salves are all-natural. She uses organic herbs from Mountain Rose
Herbs and other similar businesses, and she sources from Starwest Botanicals as
well.
Her products most often include four main
elements: magnesium salt and pink Himalayan salt (to absorb trace minerals out
of the feet); arnica (to help bruising and heal skin); and calendula (to keep
skin soft and smooth and can also be used as an anti-inflammatory).
With each item being made by hand, how does she know which brew or salve a
person needs the most? “I just talk to them — that’s what I love about
Instagram, you can get to know people and have a genuine conversation,” Weidman
says. “You can learn a lot just by genuinely asking someone ‘How are you?’
whether they become a customer or not.”
A single mom to a busy preteen, Weidman
includes her daughter in her growing small business. “She helps me put labels
on bags and other tasks like that; I think it’s a good lesson for her to see
her mom hustle and stay busy and motivated,” she shares.
Weidman considers herself an ally and
supports the community in any way she can.“ Equal rights, including LGBTQ+
rights, are huge to me,” she says. “I have family members and my closest
friends identify under the LGBTQ+ umbrella — I will always be their ally in the
biggest way.”
Weidman hopes that those who try her brews
and salves come away with “a better sense of self care for themselves.”
“Sometimes, self-care can be as simple as a
bath,” she notes.
“Especially during this pandemic, when you
can’t go to a spa, you can physically relax your body with a bath and brew. The
brews I make touch four out of the five senses — all of them besides taste,”
she says.
With social distancing in mind, Weidman is
happy to drop off products at a customer’s doorstep while such measures are
needed.
“For those who are open to the holistic end
of things, my bath brews and salves can be a different and fun way to breathe
deep and relax — something we all need right now.”
To learn more about Bone & Basil, follow or direct message Weidman on Instagram @ bone_and_basil or e-mail boneandbasil@gmail.com.
