About us
Salt Habit Skincare is an indie, handmade beauty manufacturer located in Oriental, the sailing capital of North Carolina. Our eco-conscious, seaweed + herb-infused skincare is designed to soothe, moisturize and protect skin that's been out having fun on the water.
OUR MOTTO
Keep it simple
We believe the best care for skin is simple: Not too many products, not too many ingredients in each product. This can actually overwhelm and irritate sensitive skin.
We design our skincare with minimal, natural ingredients so they're as gentle as they are effective.
THE FOUNDER
Hi, I'm Shay
"Salt Habit" is my pun for getting hooked on sailing.
Herb grower and natural skincare maker for 20+ years, I took a YouTube sailor's advice to "get off the farm and go sailing" (true story), but you'll never find me away from the herbs for long. Plants are my North Star.
When not talking about herbs, seaweed, or my ever-expanding appreciation for plant butters, I'll be haranguing you about taking the time to read the ingredient label on every single thing you buy.
OUR STORY
For love of water
THEN: We (me & my husband, Hawkeye) started with a backyard garden in Western Massachusetts, which we expanded into a small farm.
I was studying Traditional Western Herbalism while learning to grow herbs, and got really interested in using herbs topically.
Body oils, salves, face creams, scrubs and masks, toners, tub teas, even soaps and perfumes. I put herbs in everything and was fortunate to be able to share my concoctions at a farmer's market, our local food co-op, and a Whole Foods Market.
We loved farming but we were getting older and it was wearing us out.
In 2020, after several years dreaming of running away to the water, we were finally able to take one of our favorite YouTube sailors, Yosh's (Sailing Nandji), advice. We moved 700 miles south to the inner banks of North Carolina and bought our sailboat, a sweet Bayfield 32C.
NOW: Sailing inspired me to explore using vitamin and mineral-rich seaweed in my skincare, and though I'm still learning to enjoy eating it, I love what is does for skin.
I leaned into improving my technical skills too, studying organic skincare formulation for 2 years at Formula Botanica, the award-winning online cosmetic formulation teaching institution.
⚓︎ Get your free copy of "Seaweed for Weather-Stressed Skin"
Join the list and receive a .pdf about what makes seaweed so perfect for skin and how to use it- with instructions and recipes to make your own skin and body care- as our thanks.
Emails are sent every other week with the latest post exploring minimalist skincare, botanical ingredients to know, herbs and gardening, and how to be friends with plants.
