Brooke's and Company

About me

I am a wife and a mother. I am a free thinker and an advocate. I love my family and my life, and for that reason, I started Brooke's and Company. I want to live a healthy and happy life. So I began looking at what I cared for the most. That is my family, myself, and my home. I thought about what I could do to protect us from unhealthy living. I look at what we are eating and drinking by reading labels, and thought, "I can do more." Like most mothers I was cleaning our house a lot. I did the research and found those chemicals that I was spraying to keep us clean, were in fact, harming us.  The detergent I was using for our clothes was full of chemicals. The skin care we were using was also toxic. I noticed the sunscreen that I put on my daughter everyday to protect her from the sun, was dangerous. I became very concerned and determined. I looked at my grandparents and what they did, I looked at simple but safe combinations, I looked at nature. And that is how I came up with my products. I made sure they are safe, both for us and the environment. I made sure they get the job done effectively and without harm.

Think you are clean?

Everyone who thinks their soap is getting them clean and fresh, raise your hands. Not so fast those of you that use store bought, mass produced soap. Some of these soaps contain some gnarly ingredients. These include: sulfates, which are used to produce lather and bubbles. Unfortunately, sulfates also strip skin of natural oils. Another ingredient are parabens, which are estrogen mimickers and can spur reproductive issues. Phthalates, which are disguised under the umbrella of "fragrances." These have been found to impact our central nervous system. Think these are bad? The US Food and Drug Administration does not regulate or limit the use of chemicals in personal care products, or require that all ingredients even be listed on the label. Yikes! The European Union has banned synthetic colors that are often found in our soap, due to those dyes being suspected of having carcinogenic properties and some linked to ADHD in children. The European Classification and Labeling Committee consider these synthetic colors to be human carcinogens. After finding all this out, it was pretty easy for me to ditch our store bought soap. I began making our soap from goat milk, olive oil, coconut oil, natural colors (think turmeric, lavender, activated charcoal, and tea) and organic essential oils. I want my family to be clean, but also keep chemicals off our largest organ, our skin. 

Why I started this...

After a long night of dealing with a sick toddler, I cleaned her room, armed with bleach and other household cleaners. I scrubbed and scrubbed. Every surface and item was clean and germ free. I put her back to bed and as I left, I reached down and accidentally dropped the cleaning supplies and bleach. Of course they were opened and spilled onto the carpet. The fumes started to hurt my eyes and I rushed my daughter out of the room. I called Poison Control and they instructed me to ventilate the entire house. It was late. My husband and daughter headed to grandma's house to sleep and I sat out on the porch for 5 hours with every window open in our home. During this time I began to think if just breathing these fumes in is so harmful, why am I spraying this stuff everywhere and everyday? During that chilly period out on my porch, I started to read up on the effects of chemicals that we use everyday. By the time my family got home, every chemical from our house was gone. I want to protect us, not harm us. I educated myself on natural alternatives to disinfect and clean up everyday messes. That is how my brand evolved,  because I care about our future. 

Here comes the sun...

I want my kiddo outside as much as possible. Soak up that sun little one. Oh wait, let me first cover your entire body with this sunscreen. But one day I came across an article from The Environmental Working Group, saying that 84% of sunscreen products are harming the consumer. What? So I began reading our label. Looking each ingredient up,  I was shocked. Here are some of the alarming things I found. Oxybenzone: purpose is to absorb UV light, but some research shows it can be absorbed into the skin and is linked to hormone disruption and potentially to cell damage that could provoke skin cancer. Phthalates: a synthetic preservative that is carcinogenic and linked to dangerous reproductive effects and liver damage. Parabens: another synthetic preservative known to interfere with hormone production and release of hormones. Um...no thank-you. I ditched that stuff  and never looked back. I now needed to find a healthy alternative. And I did. I combined natural products that have SPF and skin promoting properties. Zinc Oxide covers the surface of the skin to physically block or reflect the sun's UVA and UVB rays. Carrot Seed Oil, which is an antiseptic, detoxifying, anti-carcinogenic oil that is rich in carotenoids which help provide natural protection from the sun. It is also rich in Vitamin E and C which help hydrate the skin. Yes please!