Newport, Rhode Island, may be best known for its fertile coastline, but Brenda Brock, creator of the natural skin care line Farmaesthetics, is more interested in its farms. "That sandy soil is perfect for growing herbs," she says. When Brock started using local plants to make skin ointments, they quickly became popular among her friends. So popular, in fact, that she began selling them at a roadside stand. "What at first was a hobby slowly grew into a full-fledged operation," she says.

A seventh-generation agrarian, Brock was raised in Texas and spent summers on her family's farm. It was there that Brock was introduced to homemade remedies. "I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, where the women had this whole world of knowledge about self-healing," she says. If someone had a rash, wound, or dry hands, they would snip a few herbs, like calendula or lavender, and blend them with oil or butter.

Brock made her first batch of what would become the Farmaesthetics line in a tiny kitchen in Manhattan while acting on the daytime drama "One Life to Live." Soon after she moved to Newport full-time 14 years ago, she started to sell a collection of a dozen products at a 1930s farm stand she restored herself. She's kept that homemade sensibility in her products -- infused oils are made in small batches, Brock tests ingredients like live hyssop herself, and soap is hand-cut.

In 2000 Brock started outgrowing the farm stand. She accepted a small investment from friends and family to find a dermatological lab that was willing to re-create her products on a large scale using only natural ingredients from small American farms. It took nine months to get the products right, but then word spread.

"How did I grow the business?" Brock asks. "Every time I got a call about an opportunity, I said yes." One of those calls was from a salon owner inviting her to a beauty event. Brock went and made spa contacts, and soon Farmaesthetics was at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara, California.

Eventually Brock wrote a business plan and submitted it to Springboard Enterprises, "a sort of CEO boot camp for entrepreneurial women," Brock explains. Hers was one of 13 proposals chosen, and the business really took off.

"I still hand-write all my labels and send them to a printer, who scans them," Brock says. To decide whether new packaging has the appropriate vintage feel, she puts it next to a radio from the 1930s -- if it's a good fit, she knows she's nailed it. "The store really is the culmination of such hard work," she says. "Every time I walk in here, I almost can't believe it. I started on my own with 12 salves, creams, and oils at a farm stand. Now I have nine employees at my store in Newport, where we sell 67 products."

Cornmeal grain is made for exfoliation. The more you pulverize it, the finer it becomes, resulting in a gentler scrub. "When you mix the grain with essential oils, the granules remove dead skin and the oils help nourish and heal," Brock says.

One of the most basic body scrubs you can make is a cornmeal-and-lavender-bud blend. "My aunts used to keep cornmeal next to the tub because it's such a gentle exfoliant," Brock says. The lavender buds crumble as you rub, releasing their oil.

Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is light, making it a perfect moisturizer for summer. "It's logical, since that's when sunflowers are at their peak," Brock explains.

The sunflower oil in Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk helps cleanse the skin without stripping it. Dr. Hauschka Regenerating Eye Cream uses the oil to protect delicate skin.

Calendula
Known as the skin-mending herb, calendula is used in remedy oils and salves. "If you have super dry or cracked skin, this helps it heal and keeps the tissue intact," Brock says.

Jurlique Calendula Cream soothes and heals chapped, irritated skin. Aubrey Organics Calendula Blossom Natural Deodorant Spray is perfect for sensitive underarms.

Milk typifies balance -- it has lactic acid, which is an exfoliant, but it's also rich in skin-healthy fats, so it replenishes the skin while removing the top layer of dead cells. "On the farm, milk baths were given to kids with rashes or irritations because it settles the skin," Brock says.

Powdered milk is the base of Farmaesthetics Sweet Milk & Lavender Bud Facial Exfoliate, a dry scrub you blend with water. Fresh Milk Bath & Shower Cream gently exfoliates and has moisturizing shea butter.

Much of the beeswax in Farmaesthetics products is local. "It's lovely and untreated," Brock says. Beeswax can be used to thicken creams and salves, and it seals oils into the skin.

Kiss My Face Olive & Honey Soap combines olive oil and honey to seal moisture into the skin. Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm soothes chapped lips.