Mother Essentials: Megan Bre Camp of Summer Solace
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Conscious consumption is both the life and business ethos of Megan Bre Camp, founder and CEO of Summer Solace. The skincare brand, which celebrated its 9th anniversary this week, is known for using only regional ingredients and reviving the traditional use of nourishing, pasture-raised tallow for balms, candles, soaps, and more. The Oakland-based mother of two daughters (Ulrikke, 7, and Severin, 3) is also an avid chef, organic gardener, and constant explorer of her indigenous roots—all of which informs her robust list of Earth-friendly Mother Essentials, below!
Morning Routine. “As a mother and entrepreneur, each hour of my day is filled with action. I have three phases of the day that my husband, Brian, and I both tackle. Phase 1: Get ourselves ready for the day and the get two girls up for school. Brian cooks breakfast of homemade sourdough bread and farm-fresh eggs, using our Alice’s Egg Spoon. It makes the best fried eggs that keep the yolk intact. We cleanup the house, dress everyone, and bike the kids out the door.” Original Egg Spoon, $310, Permanent Collection. Electric Bike, $8599, Tern.
Weekday Routine. “During the next phase of my morning, I work on production, orders, and emails. My three employees come in, and we work together on daily tasks. I cleanup after production and bike to pick up the girls from school by 4 p.m. Then, Phase 3: Prep and cook dinner, eat, cleanup, showertime, family chill time for an hour, book time, then bed.”
At-Home Remedies: “My days are manageable (Brian, the kids, and I are all fire signs, and we are a highly motivated and creative family!), but these are my ‘mother’s little helpers’ that help me perform at a high level. At night, I take Ashwagandha from Sewanti in Vancouver, along with Moon Juice Magnesi-Om for stress relief and to help me relax. I wake up in a great mood!” Organic Ashwagandha Vitality Capsules, $24.99, Sewanti. Moon Juice Magnesi-Om, $42, Moon Juice.
More Mothers’ Helpers. “During the day, I take Lions’ Mane for cognitive health. I add Moon Juice Brain Dust to my coffee (made with full-fat A2/A2 milk) and also take Nootropics Lions’ Mane Extract. I’ll also take CAP x Mount Sunny Capsules with matcha, pearl, and maca if needed. Every other week, I visit a naturopathic office to receive B12, Glutathione, L-carnitine, Taurine, and NAD injections. I have been doing this for a year now and have seen a positive shift in my metabolism, mood, and memory.” Lion’s Mane Mushrooom 8:1 Dual Extract Capsules, $29.99, Nootropics. Moon Juice Brain Dust, $38, Moon Juice. The Capsule, $48, CAP Beauty x Mount Sunny.
Coffee. “My choice of coffee is single-origin. Some of my favorite brands are Canyon Coffee, Heart, and Blue Bottle. We use a Moccamaster coffee machine and froth A2/A2 milk with a Breville milk frother.” Moccamaster Coffee Maker, $339.94, William Sonoma. Breville Milk Cafe Electric Frother, $159.95, Williams Sonoma. Canyon Coffee, $14.99, Thrive Market. Heart Beans, $20, Heart. Coffee, $13, Blue Bottle Coffee.
The Farmers’ Market. “Every weekend I sell my Summer Solace products at the farmers’ markets in Oakland: Grand Lake on Saturdays and Temescal North Oakland on Sundays. I love being connected to the local farmers’ market community. I source directly from the ranches and farms in Northern California, and in turn, I sell the products I’ve created with ingredients from the landscape next to the farms in-person, to share with our diverse community. My ethos is: It is wise to eat organic, seasonally, and regionally for sound health and nutrition. What we put on our skin should also reflect our local environment. It’s plants and animals that sequester carbon from the atmosphere and that are grown and grazed on regenerative soil, just as our ancestors have.”
Good Quality Groceries. “We shop almost every other day at our local farmers’ market, and at Market Hall in Rockridge for cheese, wine, and produce. We cook every day. I can’t stress enough—ghee by Ancient Organics for you and your family. And also lots of egg yolks and bone broth. I make pasture-raised chicken broth every week.” Ghee Butter, $11.95, Ancient Organics.
Summer Solace Balms. “I am the spokesperson for my brand, creating products and a holistic lifestyle that incorporates land, its seasons, and its animals that I want to see and use in the world. I put great thought, passion, detail, and intention into each product I make. My family and I use any of the Tallow Balms by Summer Solace for our skin and hands. No one leaves home without tallow on. Each of our balms is nourishing, with nutrient-dense fats for the skin, and great for dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, stretch marks, and scars. You can use our tallow balms everywhere: hands, face, body, and hair.” Tallow Balm, $26, Summer Solace.
Summer Solace Soaps. “Using centuries-old techniques, we make the most moisturizing and hardy soaps from Northern California, with premium regenerative organic ingredients. We use our tallow soaps on the face, body, and as a shampoo bar for shaving. They are grey-water safe, seed oil-free, and biodegradable—which makes them great for traveling and camping.” Tallow Soaps, $8, Summer Solace.
Summer Solace Candles. “Natural candles can transform any space. We burn only Summer Solace’s traditional tallow and beeswax candles. I handmake each candle in small batches, using local raw beeswax from my neighbor (who is a multi-generational master beekeeper originally from Yemen), calendula flower wax, regenerative tallow, and gorgeous absolutes and resins to scent them. The luxury that I like to gift is the Summer Solace x Matt Fishman Earthen candle collaboration, with a hand-shaped vessel using locally forged clay from the Sierra Mountains.” Tallow & Beeswax Candles, $20, Summer Solace. The Earthen Tallow Candle, $44, Summer Solace.
Skincare + Makeup Routine. “I use an oil cleaner by Marie Veronique x Kristina Holey, along with my Sea Change Seaweed Tallow Soap. I follow with a MV x KH Micronutrient Mask (I use it as a serum), mixed with Summer Solace Tallow Balm (Lavendula or Pure Unscented). I work this in with my gua sha pro tool by Lanshin. For makeup, I love Westman Atelier as a sheer concealer.” Marie Veronique Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser, $45, Credo. Sea Change Seaweed Tallow Soap, $18, Summer Solace. Hydronutrient + Hydro Mask, $135, Marie Veronique. Tallow Balm, $26, Summer Solace. Lanshin Pro Gua Sha Jade Face Massager, $130, SSENSE. Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick, $68, Credo.
Hair Must-Haves. “I use Oway shampoo and conditioner and Summer Solace Masculin Féminin for styling and smoothing my dry ends.” Oway Hair Bath, $41.95, Holistic Hair Tribe. Masculin Féminin Tallow Balm, $26, Summer Solace.
Nursing Bras. “I have been nursing for seven years now. My cut-off age is about 4-years-old. This is a personal preference, as I also co-sleep with a 7- and 3-year-old. My daughters are happy and good. I love holding them close and connecting with them during these precious ages. I like to wear bras by Cake Maternity or just a simple cotton bra from Pansy Co.” CakeMaternity.com. Pansy.co.
Gathre Mats. “These are perfect for the home, park, kitchen, anywhere! I use them at the markets, and anytime I’m out with the kids. We have a large padded mat in the backyard for the kids to play on.” Gathre Mat, $25 and up, Gathre.
Favorite Books. “The books I return to again and again include: Nourishing Fats by Sally Fallon. Fibershed by Rebecca Burgess. Essence and Alchemy by Mandy Aftel. And The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.” Nourishing Fats: Why We Need Animal Fats For Health & Happiness, $24.99, Bookshop and Amazon. Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy, $27.85, Bookshop and Amazon. Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfumes, $18, Amazon. The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution, $32.55, Bookshop and Amazon.
Exercise. “I grew up in Alaska, raised by a single father and being very outdoorsy—camping, fishing, rock climbing. I ran cross-country and track and was on the ski team during high school and college. Now I love to bike, hike, and walk. I gravitate towards gentle exercise and I love swimming. I swam during both pregnancies at our local saltwater pool. I love the Nu Swim straight one-piece for swimming. My daughters have been taking swimming lessons since they were six months old. It’s a great skill for kids to learn early. I love the water, and as a way for me to bring heat and circulation into my body, I visit the steam room every day. I will bike my youngest daughter to school and then bike up to our local Equinox—not to work out, but to steam for 1 hour, followed by a cold plunge. This is where I can meditate, reset for clarity, and dream of new scents and ideas for Summer Solace.” Nu Swim Straight One-Piece, $168, Madewell and Nu Swim.
Swiss Pro Ball. “This is great for stretching out the body, then after baby, it’s great to use to bounce them to sleep.” TheraGear Swiss Pro Ball, $46.95, Amazon.
The Cellerciser. “Apart from doing vinyasa yoga for over 20 years, I also like rebound-jumping on a trampoline as a gentle exercise.” Cellercise.com.
Good Scents. “My favorites are Parfums DelRae (now discontinued). BOIS DE PARADIS. Cacti by Régime des Fleurs. And Jasmine Sambac by Summer Solace.” Jasmine Sambac Mist, $32, Summer Solace.
Healthy Clothing. “I gravitate towards natural fibers. My favorite labels are Skall Studio out of Denmark, Housework Store from California, and Norla Luxury Yak Wool from Mongolia. I am on the board of Fibershed Marketplace, selling climate beneficial™ clothing at the Temescal Farmers’ Market, along with Summer Solace products. I love wearing Danu organic and fellow Fibershed producers’ handmade local wool clothing. MY favorite winter hat at the moment is Wolhide.”
Everyday Ceramics. “We use Heath Ceramics and Matt Fishman for all our plates, mugs, and bowls.” HeathCeramics.com. Matt Fishman Pottery via Etsy.
Tea Time. “I like Mariage Freres.” The Des Signes Tea, $30, Mariage Freres.
Beautiful Textiles. “My family uses Turkish towels. They are traditional and highly absorbent, great to wrap the kids in after a warm bath. Linen Furoshikis are great multipurpose pieces you can wrap lunch in, as a napkin on-the-go, as a placemat, as a changing clothing, even as a light blanket. For bedding, we like natural wool fibers. I source bedding from Matsu on Solano Avenue in Albany. They specialize in Japanese wool and cotton organic futons and tatami mats. We have a lot of natural sheepskins as rugs and on the couch in our home. I curate sheepskin collections from sustainable California shepherds and sell them on our website and at my farmers’ market stand. We shop Rough Linen in Marin for European linen bedding and tablecloths.”
Check out more Postpartum Essentials here, and for more Mother Essentials, peep our recent features on Wonder Valley co-founder Alison Carroll, author Tiffany Rose Smith, Heidi Baker of OZMA, Phoebe Sung of Cold Picnic, Sach Paneer founder Jasleen Kaur, Essential Labor author Angela Garbes, The Mamas author Helena Andrews-Dyer, Olivia J founder Shae Jones, author Brynne Barnes, Tisha Thompson of LYS Beauty, Blueland’s Sarah Paiji Yoo, Heirloom’s Sri Bodanapu, Lady Falcon Coffee Club founder Buffy Maguire, the mama-duo behind Spring & Mulberry chocolate, and Dear Bella Creamery co-founder Alice Cherng.
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