About Refugio Gardens Botanicals
We are a small family owned business committed to producing high quality therapeutic artisan wildcrafted essential oil products including lotions, creams, salves, dried native herbs, essential oils and hydrosols. Native California medicinal plants are wild crafted and sustainably grown on our ranch in Santa Barbara. The discovery of these native plant essences is the result of a lifelong passion for native plants and herbs and a love for therapeutic handmade botanical products. We take pride in offering unique, rare, and precious essential oils steam distilled slowly in small batches to ensure high quality products.
Our essential oils and hydrosols (also known as herbal waters or solutions) are distilled from highly medicinal plants native to Santa Barbara, California. These plants have a rich ethnobotanical history being used by the California Native Americans, Spanish settlers, and even physicians. Many are used for ceremonial, healing, and spiritual purposes and are considered sacred herbs. California White Sage, Mugwort, and Sagebrush are three such herbs used to cleanse, purify, and protect the body, mind, and spirit. Infuse essential oils in the air through an atomizer or in warm water.
Our hydrosols are formed naturally through steam distillation of the herbs unlike other products labeled as “hydrosols” that consist of distilled water and added essential oils. A true hydrosol is a slightly milky solution that condenses along with the essential oil and consists of the distilled spring water, naturally occurring micro-droplets of the essential oil and other medicinal hydrophilic plant components.
Refugio Gardens
Our method of sustainable harvesting and wild crafting allows us to have a year round botanical garden of medicinal plants while creating a lush and healthy ecosystem. These essential oils are of the highest therapeutic value, hand selected by herbalists at the perfect time and then steam distilled at low temperatures for a long period of time to ensure the best essential oil possible.