by RENEE PATRICK Cascade Business News Feature Writer
Volcanic rocks, minerals and clays have incredible detoxifying properties. By absorbing toxins and environmental pollutants, the natural substances promote healing. Lava Love is a new company which has integrated these three volcanic elements into a range of products including soap, facial masks and bath powders.
“I created Lava Love soap as a way to spread the word about the healing power of planet earth,” explained Portland-based Founder and Owner Elisabeth Dunham. “I had been diagnosed with Lyme disease and other health issues and been sick for many years. I had healed my body pretty dramatically using dietary changes and other natural methods, but it wasn’t until I started taking clay baths that my healing really accelerated…As I detoxed, my immune system rebounded and my body was able to fight off the Lyme infection – and I healed rather quickly.”
Dunham partnered with Bend Attorney Jennifer Clifton in the business and the two have had their products snapped up by more than 12 businesses in less than a month. “We are getting calls from California and the East Coast from people wanting to carry it,” Dunham said. “It’s an amazing soap in that it contains these detoxifying and exfoliating substances from lava but it’s really just a first step in the line of lava products we are hoping to eventually market.”
Lava Love’s ingredients include Bentonite, an absorbent and detoxifying clay from volcanic ash; Zeolite, a type of volcanic mineral with a cage-like molecular structure that binds to toxins and removes them from the surface of skin; and Pumice, a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass acts as an exfoliator and removes dead skin cells.
The products, made in kitchens in Bend and Portland, are sourced from Northwest volcanoes. Their signature Lava Love “Volcano” soap is designed to exfoliate and detoxify by scrubbing away impurities from the surface of the skin. The facial mask draws out impurities and can also be used as a poultice by placing directly on sore joints or over the liver or stomach for a strong detox. The bath powder is a gentle cleanser that draws toxins from the body through the pores on the skin.
Volcanic ash has a negative charge that strongly binds to heavy metals and other toxins, and Bentonite clay in particular is very good at pulling heavy metals and other environmental toxins from the body.
“We live in a very toxic world, which is why we see the increase in so many environmental diseases among humans,” Dunham explains. “Using chelating substances such as bentonite and zeolites is a great way to rid the body of toxins we breathe in every day and which contribute to disease and prevent and reverse illness.”
Lava Love products can be found in Central Oregon at Newport Market, CE Lovejoys, Namaspa and Mother’s Juice Bar as part of their juice cleanse packages. Look for other locations soon.
503-926-4654, www.lavalovebend.com
