One of the many little things I love about New York City, especially Brooklyn, is all the pop up fairs that proliferate across the city. These pop ups always have original small designers/companies/artists who I fall in love with, and this is where I found SIPPs Organics. I was wandering around a Valentine’s Day fair, and really connected with SIPPS founder Solmaria Velez. I told her that I had a pole dancing competition coming up and my body was/still is broken. She mentioned that she had these two oils that she likes to use with her athletic clients, and a few days later some samples showed up in my mail. They were Fire and Ice, and both were great. You know when your muscles hurt so much that all you want to do is take a warm bath, well the Fire gives you that warming feeling! On the flip side, sometimes, often in my case, one feels like actual ice is needed on a particular area. Do this, still use ice on your body when needed, but the Ice formula also really soothed my muscles as well. So, thank you SIPPS for helping me survive my competition!

To learn more about this all natural, organic, and raw beauty company, please read our interview below.

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Foreword by Kira Bucca, Editor in Chief of Jejune Magazine.

SIPPs is a cute name, where does this originate from?
SIPPs is an acronym for Sol’s Infusions Potions & Punches. The name actually came to my sister in a dream. When she told me the name, I instantly knew it fit me & the business perfectly. The name is a play on important individuals and aspects of my life. In general, the brand is really a reflection of all things me, my people and my life.

How long has SIPPs been around? Where are you based?
I launched SIPPs in 2017 in Jersey City, NJ.

What made you decide to start SIPPs?
All my life I had extremely sensitive skin and had so many terrible reactions, from simple rashes to full on hives. I was tired of going to the dermatologist and getting drugs, chemical & synthetic filled creams that sometimes worked or sometimes caused more severe reactions. Over the last 2 decades I’ve made a conscious effort to transition my health & wellness journey to a more holistic, clean, organic & chemical free lifestyle.

In addition, I lost my father in 2012 and my personal priorities changed after that. I loved my work and the success that I had attained, but I needed to do something more meaningful with my life. So I launched SIPPs after leaving my corporate job in the hedge fund industry. Up to that point, I had been helping family & friends as a hobby. SIPPs grew out of that desire to help others & share what I’d learn along my health & wellness journey.

Jejune loves that you are all organic or wildcrafted, why is this important to you?
From the start I’ve been committed to Social Entrepreneurship. So the company reflects top down values to promote helping people through health & wellness, while not harming the environment in the process. We try to be as close to zero waste as possible. We source fair trade, ethically & sustainably sourced raw ingredients. Our packaging is reusable & recyclable. Our products are multi-use (can be used head to toe for hair & scalp, face, skin & nails). Yay for minimalism! We’re not just selling a product; this is a conscious lifestyle and our products reflect that.

It is beautiful that all your botanicals are handmade. As you grow will this be something you will hold true to? Why is this important to you?
I am committed to handmade. I believe that there is something special about transferring love and energy through things you touch throughout the entire process. I ask the botanicals for good health and healing as I make infusions. I thank the botanicals when I’m done with the infusions. And then I ultimately return whatever I can back to the earth so that we can all start again.

It is exciting that you are raw, so few companies are these days. What made you decide to prioritize this?The raw ingredients I use are food grade, raw, cold pressed & unrefined wherever possible. Even when I have to use heat; its low & slow and indirect. I won’t use bleach, synthetic colorants, or deodorizers. The infusions reflect the natural colors & scents of the botanicals. Same as eating, I prefer whole foods, to keep things as nutrient dense as possible. So that’s why we start out with higher quality ingredients. So the end result is a higher quality & more nutritious product vs chemical laden, processed counterparts.

All your Aroma Rollers are more than just lovely perfume, they have special purposes that help the wearer in different ways (like relieving stress). How did you decide what to put together for these different creations? Did you go into creating knowing what you wanted to help, or did you realize that certain combinations consistently helped individuals with certain problems?
When creating products I usually have a specific intention and/or muse in mind. I usually do a lot of research ahead of time before developing new recipes. Sometimes, it’s related to an ailment of some sort. Often times its a frequent request I get across various customers. I love the feedback, suggestions and ultimately try to create what my people want. I also make custom orders based on allergies, ailments, personal preferences, intentions, and custom party favors for showers, weddings, etc.

I don’t use fillers or water (only the mists/sprays contain water and thats out of necessity). Every single ingredient I’ve chosen has a benefit for you down to the aromatherapy component.

You gave me two oils to play with on my sore muscles. What inspired you to start working on treatment for body pains as well? What do you think is the best approach?
The cooling formula, I call “Ice” It contains infusions of menthol & camphor with essential oils of oregano & eucalyptus. This vaporizing blend is my chemical free & petroleum free response to Vicks Vapor Rub. It works great on sore muscles & joints as well as cold & flu symptoms such as cough & congestion.

The warming formula, I call “Fire” (yes, I like a good play on words and this is a reference to GOT + the fact that I love dragons (probably because I was born the year of the Fire Dragon). This one contains infusions of cayenne pepper & arnica with essential oils of ginger and lavender. This one also helps ease sore muscles & joints; it’s just more of a warming sensation.

Over the last couple of years I have gotten a lot of requests for something to address joint & muscle pain & inflammation. For example, my mom (along with a lot of older clients) has arthritis and complains of back and knee pain. My brother (along with a lot of other athletes) is a CrossFit coach and was looking for something for quicker recovery & healing. He noticed his blisters & callouses healed more quickly with the use of my body butters.

What is your favorite of all your products, and why?
Wow, I really have a few favorites but if I had to choose just one. It would probably have to be my best selling facial serum. It contains infusions of roses and chamomile with essential oils of geranium & lavender. This formula helps fight wrinkles, tightens pores, acne, redness inflammation, scarring. I personally use it twice a day. It kind of makes sense to me, since your face is the first thing people see.

What is your typical routine of using your botanicals?
My go to daily routine is slathering on body butter (winter) or body oil (summer) all over right after a shower. I wash my face with a cleansing oil, follow up with one of my toners (either rose water or witch hazel) and finish off with my facial serum. Lip butter for the lips. When I wash my hair 1-2 times per week, I use the hair clay on my scalp & hair prior to styling. My go to perfume is what I call my Love Potion #19. I was the muse for that one :) In addition, I like to exfoliate 1-2 times per week.

If someone was just starting off getting into more natural beauty care, which product(s) would you start them with?
Skincare is something that must be consistent in addition to being deeply personal. Everyone is different. So I usually try to figure out the one thing that an individual is more likely to use with consistency and start them off with something like that. It usually ends up being one of my top 3 best sellers facial serum, hair serum or body butter. We expand from there.

Please let us know the best way to find SIPPs products.
In general, I make myself as accessible as possible. Folks can dial/text/email/DM me directly. The online shop is always open for business 24x7x365. In addition, I pop up around NY & NJ 3-4 times a week. I usually post on our website & social media where we’ll be popping up every week. I’m also working on some other opportunities that will be announced soon.

To learn more about SIPPs, please check them out here:
Website: https://www.SIPPorganics.com
Instagram: @SIPPorganics
FaceBook: @SIPPorganics