My Journey to a More Natural Home (And Why Christa's Creations Was Born)

About a year ago, I found myself asking a question I never expected to ask:

What am I putting on—and around—my body every single day?

Like many women, I had started paying more attention to the products I used every day—from what I cleaned my home with to what I put on my skin.

So I started reading ingredient labels.

It began with something simple: the cleaning products I used around my home. Dish soap, laundry products, surface cleaners... things I'd used for years without giving the ingredient list much thought.

That one search turned into another.

Then another.

Before long, I had fallen down a rabbit hole I never saw coming.

I realized it wasn't just the products I cleaned my house with.

It was the soap I washed my hands with.

The body wash I used every morning.

The lotion I applied after a shower.

The laundry products I used on my clothes.

The lip balm I reached for several times a day.

I started asking more questions about what was in the products I used and whether there were simpler alternatives.

That curiosity changed everything for me.

Looking for Simpler Alternatives

Instead of trying to replace everything overnight, I started looking for ingredients and products that made sense to me.

Simple ingredients.

Traditional ingredients.

Ingredients I could understand and learn about.

That's when I discovered beef tallow skincare.

At first, I'll admit—I was skeptical.

Putting beef tallow on my skin sounded pretty unusual.

But the more I learned about how tallow could be used in traditional soap making and waterless skincare, the more curious I became.

So I decided to try it myself.

I started experimenting with grass-fed beef tallow, plant oils, butters, beeswax and other ingredients, learning how each one affected the texture and feel of a finished product.

And I kept learning.

Discovering Essential Oils

Around the same time, I became fascinated with essential oils.

Part of it was certainly the scent—there's something pretty wonderful about lavender, frankincense, sweet orange or peppermint—but I also enjoyed learning how different essential oils could be incorporated into soap, skincare and home products.

Today, I choose them carefully based on the particular recipe I'm making.

Some products are scented with essential oils, some use other carefully selected fragrances, and some are intentionally left unscented.

It's another part of the creative process I've come to love.

A Year Later...

What started as curiosity quickly became a passion.

First, I made products for myself.

Then for family.

Then friends started asking for them.

Before I knew it, Christa's Creations had become much more than a hobby.

It became a way for me to share what I was learning and create the kinds of products I wanted to have in my own home.

Today, I make everything from artisan tallow soap and whipped body creams to face creams, lip care, solid dish soap and home-care products.

And I still ask myself essentially the same question when I'm developing something new:

“Would I feel good using this in my own home?”

If the answer isn't yes, I keep working on it.

I'm Not Here to Tell You to Throw Everything Away

This journey isn't about fear.

It's not about perfection.

And it's definitely not about making anyone feel guilty for the products they've used for years.

I've simply become more interested in understanding what I'm buying and making thoughtful choices about the products I use.

For me, simplifying things happened gradually.

One product at a time.

One ingredient at a time.

One homemade batch at a time.

Eventually, those small changes led to something I never expected—a business.

From My Home to Christa's Creations

Christa's Creations is now my little handmade business here in West Point, Prince Edward Island.

I make my products myself in small batches, from developing recipes and selecting ingredients to pouring, cutting, labelling and packaging.

Some of the botanicals I use even begin in my own PEI garden, where I grow plants such as calendula and chamomile that can be dried and infused for selected recipes.

There's still plenty for me to learn—and that's part of what keeps this interesting.

If I Can Help One Person...

People sometimes ask why I put so much time into researching ingredients, experimenting with recipes and making things in small batches.

The answer is pretty simple.

If someone discovers a handmade product they really enjoy using...

If someone becomes curious about what's in the products they buy...

Or if sharing what I've learned encourages someone else to start asking their own questions...

Then I'm pretty happy with that.

Thank you for supporting Christa's Creations and being part of this journey. Whether you've been here since the beginning or you've just discovered my little PEI business, I'm grateful you're here.

Here's to small changes that sometimes turn into something much bigger.

One bar of soap at a time.

— Christa