forest bathing.

and a special offer from my very favorite shampoo.

This letter is sent in grateful partnership with Conscia Solid Shampoo and Conditioner.

We’re in Maine with our extended family, and, here in this magical spot, a second-story outdoor shower lifts bathers nearly to the midway point of the surrounding pines. It’s forest bathing, two ways, and the most luxurious place I’ve ever taken a shower—clumps of pine needles and mossy floorboards very much included. After a kayak and a swim or a ramble through the woods, what better place to slough summer off your skin and emerge refreshed?

This summer I’ve been alternating between the Conscia hydrate formulations and fortify formulations, and they’re as excellent as always and extra kind to my hair, which seems to be having some kind of midlife crisis and can use all the help I can get it. Longtime readers will remember my fondness for these solid shampoos and conditioners that manage to provide not only a passable plastic-free alternative for hair washing, but an exemplary one. Conscia solid shampoo and conditioner stones aren’t only my favorite solid bars but my favorite shampoos and conditioners, period.

They have the heft and smoothness of a stone that’s been turned smooth by water, and they smell of bergamot, rosemary, and lemongrass; vetiver, anise, and cedarwood. They’re woody and herbaceous, like the forest itself, and transportive no matter the place you might find yourself scrubbing. (Would it were always in the woods.) Maybe no surprise, the stones are formulated without artificial fragrances, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, or silicones. (If you’re very generous with your favorite shampoo, they’re gentle enough for use on kids, too.)

As a special incentive for folks to ditch the plastic for Plastic-Free July, Conscia Shampoo and Conditioner is including a complimentary cork dish for every stone purchased between 7/15 and 7/31, no code required. The code ERINBOYLE will always give you 20% off your purchase.

The links in this piece are affiliate links, which means that I will earn a small commission for every purchase made, at no extra cost to you.