My Journey to Herbal Living: How Jill’s Handmade Naturals Began

Hey, I’m Jill. I’m a mom of three, a maker of traditional herbal products, and someone who asks a lot of questions.

This blog is where I share what I’ve learned about herbs, health, and caring for ourselves without running to the drugstore every time something goes wrong. I’ve learned it all the slow way, by reading, testing, messing up, and learning to trust my gut.

Sometimes I’ll talk about the products I make. Sometimes I’ll just share thoughts, stories, or what’s been on my mind. Either way, if you’re curious about simpler, more natural ways of doing things, you’re in the right place.

This is how it starts. At home, with herbs, and a reason to begin. Sometimes you just have to start and see where it takes you.

This has been a long time coming.

I started questioning things years ago. Just little doubts here and there about the way we treat health in this country. I didn’t really do much with those thoughts at the time, but they were there, and they grew.

My in-laws introduced me to chiropractic care in my early 20s, and that opened the door a little wider. I remember having long conversations with the doctor about the body, how it works, and how it is connected. It was the first time someone in healthcare didn’t just treat me like a chart.

A couple years later, I started getting really bad stomach pain. It would hit out of the blue, a couple times a week with seemingly no pattern. We did all the standard testing - bloodwork, colonoscopy, you name it. And when nothing came up, my doctor looked at me and said, “It’s probably IBS. Let’s try an antidepressant.”

That moment stuck with me. I didn’t feel heard. There was a problem, and instead of trying to understand it, he wanted to cover it up. Later, I figured out on my own that I had a mild allergy to bell peppers, which I was cooking with often. Once I cut them out, the pain disappeared.

A few years later, I was pregnant with my first baby. By then I’d already started leaning more natural, so I chose a local midwife center. But it turned out they weren’t much different from a regular hospital. Twice they told me I might lose my baby - once because my hormone levels were high, and later because they thought I was dilating early. The first time they told me that over the phone, while I was at work. The second time they left me hanging for a week over Thanksgiving on light bedrest wondering if I would go into pre-term labor any moment. In the end, everything was fine, but the fear they created stuck with me.

That’s when I called a home-birth midwife. One visit with her shifted everything. She treated me like a whole person, not a liability. I went on to have a healthy ten-pound baby at home, and that experience opened me up to so much more: homeopathy, gentle remedies, and herbal support. It also deepened something I had already started to believe. Our bodies are incredibly capable when we give them the right tools and trust them to do what they’re made to do.

From there, I kept learning. About how plants work with the body. About how food, herbs, and lifestyle can support healing and health. About how many side effects we’ve normalized from pharmaceuticals that often weren’t needed in the first place.

These days, herbs are my first stop. Medicine has a place, but not in everyday care. We’ve got so many better options growing right around us.

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Why I Do This Work

This business grew out of my home and my family. Every product I make started because someone I love needed something. My daughter had a reaction to store-bought lip balm, so we made our own. My kids got bad bug bites and scrapes, so I started carrying a little tin of healing salve in my bag. We had dry skin and didn’t want to waste the fat from our cattle, so I learned how to turn it into tallow balm.

At some point, it hit me. If I’m doing all this for my family, maybe I could help other families too.

I’m a stay-at-home mom to three kids. Being home with them is something I’m so thankful for, but it comes with real financial challenges. I wanted to support our household while doing something meaningful. So I started sharing the products I already believed in - simple, natural care that I make with purpose and a lot of heart.

I don’t make trendy products or chase whatever ingredient is popular right now. I make what we actually use. I pick ingredients I trust, skip the junk, and take my time with the process. I don’t think everyday care should be hard to find or priced like a luxury.

That’s a little bit of where this all started. I’m still learning and growing, but what I do know is that small, honest things can make a big difference. I didn’t set out to start a business, but now that I’m here, I’m all in.

If something I share helps you feel more confident, more supported, or just a little more connected to the natural way of doing things, that’s the real win. Thanks for being here. I hope you’ll stick around.