How It All Began!

Hi! I'm Cindy, the owner, and formulator of Below Sea Level. I’ve been a high school math teacher for 23 years and still currently teach.  The main hobby I’ve come to enjoy most over the years is cosmetic formulating, and that spark of interest is what originally lifted the idea to start a business selling shampoo bars. My passion for formulating came about when I started to research ingredients for shampoos that wouldn't irritate my sensitive scalp.

I suffered for many years with soreness and itchiness from harsh ingredients in over-the-counter products and as I got older, the sensitivity only increased. Then, one summer, I spent several months researching ingredients and formulating my own shampoo bars. I remember feeling the excitement of seeing my first new creation which looked like a blob of sticky biscuit dough. The hardest part was waiting a day or two for it to harden… and I couldn't wait! I had to know if it was going to irritate my scalp when I used it. -So the first time I used my shampoo bar, it wasn't even a bar!!! -hahaha! -But it was wonderful and amazing! I was so excited to have finally found a shampoo that didn't irritate my scalp!  It left my hair feeling so clean, soft and shiny!    

After my success that summer with shampoo bars, I was hooked on formulating and continued on with conditioner bars, facial bars, shaving bars, lotion bars, deodorants, and more!  All of our products at Below Sea Level are created from recipes I spent countless hours researching, formulating, testing, and critiquing.  Our recipes consist of the highest quality ingredients and are made entirely from scratch… meaning you won’t find any other bars like these.  Our batches are made in small amounts, so the quality stays consistent and FRESH!

Whether you do or don’t have sensitive skin, you will certainly benefit from the quality and the care that goes into our products. We would love for you to give them a try and let us know what you think! 

Why Below Sea Level?

We live in the small town of Brawley, California, located in the Imperial Valley… a place one could consider a literal bowl of dust! To say the least, we live in a desert, surrounded by mountains, at the very base of California. -it’s about a 2 ½ hour drive to the San Diego Coast. Throughout the Valley, printed on city water tanks, local feed silos, and most recognizable on the local Holly Sugar beat plant silo, are big painted lines that have “Sea Level” written next to them. If the Pacific Ocean were to spill over the San Diego mountains into our valley, the water level would sit at the line marked on all of these tanks… every town in the Imperial Valley sits below sea level, and since we’re a home-based company, we thought Below Sea Level was uniquely the perfect fit. 

Why a Sunflower?

We chose the sunflower as our logo because of the beautiful example it illustrates for our company to follow…  Throughout the day, the sunflower will always face the sun, and in our everyday activities, we should always face the Son of God, and let Him lead the way.

Our Mission

To handcraft high-quality beauty products while making a positive impact in our communities and on the environment.

Our Values

Quality, Integrity, Passion, Making a Difference 

Our Company Verse

John 8:12 NIV

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”