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Bio: 

 Hello beautiful!  I'm Kelly Ryan and I am delighted to serve as your skincare concierge with Pomifera Skincare and Body Care Products.  These products are made from seed to label in the USA and are great for the whole family.  Pomifera products address several skincare challenges and are offered at some of the lowest price points in the industry.  Our unique products are wonderfully made with our star ingredient - Pomifera Oil.  This oil is extracted from the seeds of the Osage Orange, also known as Hedgeballs, a very unique and beautiful fruit that is steeped in history.  I’m sure several of you have seen these around and never knew what they were or what they are used for. Now, you'll know!

 

Some interesting information about our star ingredient. The Osage Orange is part of the mulberry family and the fruit has many nicknames - Hedgeballs, Horse apples, Hedge Apples, and Monkey Brains. This tree dates back to prehistoric times and they were eaten by the Giant Sloths and Woolly Mammoths, who spread the seeds all across the land. Native Americans revered the wood from the Osage Orange tree and would often trade a horse and a blanket for the prized wood, as well as travel hundreds of miles in search of it. It is the premier wood for making bows still. The tree was used to build hedges thanks to the thorns on its branches and its resistance to rot. These hedges were primarily used on the plains to keep livestock in and predators out. It is believed that the thorny branches were the example used to invent barbed wire. The fruit of the tree is neither toxic or poisonous but it is not palatable. Squirrels and other animals will macérate them to get to the seeds, which are packed with a very beneficial oil known for its healing properties. This oil is extracted in the most economical way by our Chief Scientist, Todd Johnson in our facilities in Iowa.

Here is an interesting tie to the history of our region. When Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition, Lewis first wrote to him about these remarkable hedge trees being used by the Native Americans and sent back seedlings, which apparently did not survive. However, subsequent trees were planted all over our area that were from seeds brought back from the expedition. One of the largest Osage Orange trees shades one of the beautiful gardens at George Washington’s River Farm in Alexandria, and it is rumored to have been a gift from Thomas Jefferson. These are dioecious trees, so male and female trees are needed to produce seeded fruit. Only the female trees produce the fruit. If there is no male tree to pollinate the female tree she will still produce the fruit, but it won’t have seeds.

Many use these to keep spiders and other critters away by placing them around their home in the fall. An equal amount of data claims this is bunk and that the only way they’ll kill or repel spiders and other insects is if you throw one at them.

For me, I find them beautiful and their history quite fascinating. The products have done wonders for my skin and have helped so many customers with eczema, psoraisis, melasma and so much more. I have collected the fruit from near the Masonic Temple, United States Capitol, Algonkian Park and in my own hometown of Vienna. I’ve enjoyed enjoying learning about them and decorating with them. It is great to represent a company of great products with true American roots and so much history.