Hit the showers. Favorites include skin care products, all made in Georgia.
Face time
Kyle Hinton doesn't have a beard. But his company makes a popular oil for men who do. The Prospector Co. also creates small batches of all-natural shaving cream, shaving oil and after-shave for the modern man.
The Savannah-based company, which started last summer, is a family affair. Hinton's mother creates the fresh, good-for-your-face formulas. Kyle, a SCAD grad who worked in advertising in New York, handles the simple and handsome packing design, and the clever marketing.
Every product is named for a figure in history. With its woodsy, earthy scent, the Burroughs Beard Oil ($28) is named after John Burroughs, an American naturalist. In addition to smelling great, the oils help moisturize the skin and hair follicles. The crisp K.C Atwood Aftershave ($18) gets its name from citrus pioneer Kimball Chase Atwood. Newer products, such as Gabardine 1897 and Cedar St. Tavern, are created from an age-old perfumer's technique and come in an aluminum spray bottle ($32). Visit www.prospectorco.com. If you are in the Savannah area, drop by the shop at 320 W. Broughton St.
Head to toe
After graduation from Georgia State, HollyBeth Anderson moved to Spain to work. Over the years, she also had stops in Mexico and France, where she attended the Sorbonne to learn French. In 2007, she came home to help with family and eventually turned a hobby into a business.
Atlanta-based HollyBeth Organics (formerly HollyBeth Natural Luxury) makes USDA-certified organic products for your face, body and bath. Best sellers include Rose Geranium Face Moisturizer ($37), Foaming Chamomile Face Cleanser ($15) and an eye cream ($35), which started it all. The bubbly creator, who lives in Decatur, has a new product: Organic Jasmine Orange Bubble Bath ($22 for 8 ounces).
A cult favorite, HollyBeth's products also appeal to men. Daniel Troppy of Atlanta has been a daily user of various HollyBeth products for nearly two years. The blog writer (www.thethrifters.net) likes the Grits & Honey Scrub and starts each day with the Hair and Body Silk ($54). HollyBeth Organics are available at www.hollybeth.net. For information, call 404-549-7403.
Raise the bar
Growing up in a small town in northwest Pennsylvania, Jennifer Tice learned from her grandmother how to make soap. In college, she studied chemistry and continued her education and interest in body and skin care products.
In 2002, Tice created Indigo Bath & Body in Marietta (the company was formerly based in Woodstock). Best-selling bar soaps include the Lav-a-Mint Dead Sea Mud Facial Soap ($6 per bar; $5 at farmers' markets) and the Himalayan Pink Sea Salt Lavender Spa bar ($6).
But stop at the company's booth at one of the seven farmers' markets around the Atlanta area, including the Dunwoody Green Market and the Peachtree Road Farmers' Market, and you will hear devotees, like Mindy Ouellette of Dunwoody, rave about her family's various go-to soaps. You also will see new customers taking the smell test.
Indigo Bath & Body also offers a line of therapeutic bath salts ($12) and shea butter lip balms ($3 to $5), such as Marvelous Mango. And Tice, Indigo's mixtress and creator, continues to develop new products. She also plans for a retail shop. Visit www. indigobathandbody.com or purchase products at area farmers' markets (check a list at the website).
Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If, so please share them with us. Send your suggestions to: ljerkins@bellsouth.net. In the subject line, write Southern Made. Please include your name and a contact number.
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