In November 2009, I introduced you to the Canadian natural personal care product company – Green Beaver.

This month, I shared with you in our monthly review, that I had a another good company to tell you about. That company is Mountain Sky.

It is so hard today not just to find a natural company, but one that actually means what they say – one that actually uses natural products and does not hide various chemicals in between some plant extracts.

Well, Mountain Sky qualifies as a great natural personal care product company, and it is also Canadian, for those of you who live in Canada and are increasing your awareness about the benefits of buying local.

Thus today, I will share with you some background about Mountain Sky, give you an overview of their products and let you know about more exciting things that will be featured in March where this company is concerned.

Discovering Mountain Sky

So how did I discover this company, well unlike with Green Beaver, where their products caught my eye, Mountain Sky discovered me.

Thanks to Nina George, the co-owner of Mountain Sky, who contacted me a few months ago and introduced herself and her company, I got to find out about Mountain Sky. I always take an interest in anyone that claims to be “natural” and research it, their products and ingredients to learn about it and discover what it stands for and is really based on.

And I have to tell you, I like what I found, or else I would not be doing a feature on Mountain Sky and sharing it with all of you.

Mountain Sky was started by Raynald Losier and Nina George as a family business in 1993 to stay home with their kids, Malaya Mountain and Rahel Sky. They first started producing their own soaps in the home, and slowly expanded to other products. Over the years the company has grown to be housed in its own large facility, as their reputation grew and more people discovered their wonderful products.

The company is based in British Columbia, Canada – hence for anyone that lives out west, you will most likely find their products more abundant there, as opposed to here in Ontario.

I really like the philosophy behind Mountain Sky, because like Green Beaver, it is family and nature oriented. Their mission statement focuses on 3 key areas: putting family life first, care for the environment and interacting within the community.

I have to say that how Raynald and Nina approach family life, their nutrition, and wellness, is very much how I myself live  as well, and am currently rearranging my lifestyle to fit that even more so. They live surrounded by nature and make growing and preparing all of their own food a priority.

Their products are based on essential oils, natural colours, food based exfoliants and vegetable oils, avoiding synthetic detergents, artificial fragrances, and toxic preservatives.

Why Mountain Sky

For me Mountain Sky makes sense for a number of reasons:

1. It is a Canadian company, and today I focus on buying local in all areas of my life as much as possible. If you live in Ontario or central Canada, it may make more sense to use Green Beaver products. However, if you live out west, I highly recommend Mountain Sky products.

The wonderful thing about the two companies, is that their product lines really differ. Green Beaver has a larger product line, but they actually do not specialize in making hard soaps or castile soaps. Where as, Mountain Sky does not have all of the products Green Beaver has, but has amazing soaps. So both companies can be very beneficial for the naturally health oriented Canadian household. And of course anyone in the US or international can also take advantage of their products, especially that Mountain Sky offers shipping worldwide, but of course finding a local company is usually more cost efficient, and supports your own local economy.

2. Their ingredients are ALL natural. That is right, we are talking no chemical fillers, additives, flavors or preservatives. And I don’t think it gets any better than that. If I am going to put something on my body, or for any of you who have kids, on their bodies, than I want it to be as natural as a bottled/boxed product can be.

3. They have great products, but especially amazing soaps. Both the castile soaps and hard soaps, work really well, are all natural, smell great (for the scented ones) and just plain feel good to use. The soaps are also produced using a cold process. Cold process soaps retain their glycerin and do not need chemical preservatives because the oil is not boiled.

4. Their products are reasonably priced. For products that are all natural, they compete really well with others in their category, as well are even less expensive than some products from the typical big, chemical companies.

5. Their products are not tested on animals and vegetarian friendly. Some of the products do have some animal ingredients, so not all are suitable for strict vegans. There is some added some milk in the Mama’s Oats & Milk soap, honey in the Honey Almond soap and beeswax in all our lip balms and body butters.

6. Their  products are environmentally friendly. In fact, Mountain Sky has an amazing sustainability program to which their company adheres to, and in today’s times that is a big must for environmentally conscious consumers. As well, all their products are “river friendly“, meaning biodegradable and thus can be used in homes, in septic tanks and while camping without harming wildlife.

6. Their products are made with love. It may sound funny, but I have no doubt that small companies, especially those who start their business for the right reasons, always take pride in their products and make sure to deliver the best. It is nice to know that these products are not manufactured in one of many huge factories, but in a place where the whole family gets involved from start to finish.

Mountain Sky Line of Products

Mountain Sky offers the following products:

1. Hard Soaps
These come in over 12 varieties, and smell as good as they look.

2. Liquid Soaps
These come in about half a dozen varieties, including unscented, and are extremely versatile.

3. Massage Bars
These come in 3 varieties, and are for moisturizing the skin.

4. Lip Balms
These come in 4 varieties, including unflavored.

5. Body and Foot Rubs
These come in 4 varieties, and are for moisturizing various parts of the body.

6. Various gift boxes and gift bag sets of their products.

Where To Buy Mountain Sky

1. Products can be directly ordered from the company, using the Mountain Sky website. While there, don’t forget to check out the sale section.

2. Products can be found across Canada in various health food stores. There are numerous retailers who carry Mountain Sky products across Canada and you can see the full list here.

3. The easiest place for Canadians to order Mountain Sky products from is also from Well.ca – as they feature free shipping to anywhere in Canada. US and international orders can also be placed there, and shipping can be free with a minimum order.

4. Products can also be purchased on HealthHarmony.ca – which features free shipping with minimum order, and slightly higher prices of the products than above locations.

Conclusion

So what do I really think of these products? Well that will all come in the reviews section. Throughout the month of March, I will be reviewing each product separately and talking about each product’s ingredients, scents, how they work and more!

In our monthly feature of Mountain Sky products, I also have a special treat to share with you, and that is an interview with co-founder of Mountain Sky products – Nina George.

Join us then, as Nina and I sit down to talk more about Mountain Sky and the safety of personal care products today.

About the author:
Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.