Naturally Fresh

August 3 Melanie McCullough of Herbal Natures in Bradford, Illinois sent me a sample of her delightful Natural Deodorant. I am really impressed with this all natural alternative to the chemical full deodorants I purchase at the store. This came superbly and professionally packaged in a pop up deodorant tube, a generous 1.25 ounce sample. It is made with Arrowroot Powder, coconut oil, castor oil, Meadowfoam oil, candelelilla, silica, zinc oxide, and lightly scented with essential oils, Floral Fantasy. Melanie has really done her home work and come up with a wonderful product that works well! It completely stopped any under arm odor all day in the dank high heat of Louisiana and was scented light enough to not interfere with my own cologne. This deodorant is just the right consistency, not too soft and this sample will last me a while. I have hepatitis c and blood cancer so am extremely sensitive to heavy metals like the aluminum used in store bought deodorants. Finding a healthy alternative like this that works so well has made my day! This Natural Deodorant is the ticket for anyone wanting to use a safer, healthier deodorant. She will be adding this to her line up in the near future, if you would like to try this, email her, she has a few on hand. Also, feel free to check out her other wonderful natural products, like her mineral make up and linen spray. Thank you Melanie!

NEWSFLASH! Greening up My Line

I am now offering my glycerin soaps in all natural pure soap base, the only chemicals in this true soap is the lye used to make all soap and the fragrances and FD & C colors I may add. Melt and pour glycerin soaps are not true soap, they are chemical stews, even the premium glycerin soap base I was using had them in it. Old fashioned glycerin soap is not even SOAP it is classified as a cosmetic by the FDA. It bothered me, I did keep the chemicals to a minimum but I have searched high and low in order to offer a better product that is safer and healthier to use. My NEW natural glycerin soap does not have these chemicals in it. It is true soap, pure and simple. Classified as SOAP by the FDA. The only chemicals will be the little bit of fragrance oils and colorings I add to some of them. I will be updating my sites to show this new greening of my soaps. I am proud to offer this vast improvement in my products, your skin will love it, and I will be able to do it without raising my prices much at all. Remember, it is the synthetic petrochemicals our skin hate, this new soap will be far kinder to your skin. It is a superior product and still affordable. Be kinder to your skin and body, use pure soap!

Taking Charge

A year and half ago I discovered soaping. I had long been trying to find a handcrafted niche that would suit me. I am an artist but my hands are being destroyed by nerve damage so i don’t do pen and ink or charcoals any more. I also have serious health problems, am disabled by it, and i am not one to sit back, worry, and await the bad. I knew I needed a creative, positive outlet to get personally involved with. I can’t knit, crochet, or draw and I stumbled upon soaping. I wish I had found it years ago. It is right up my alley: math, science, creativity, artistry, marketing, socially involving, lots of alone time, improve my own health, something I could be in charge of; everything I could ask for and more! I can’t use lye so I use premium bases to make my products. I am quite proud of them and am making the move on my glycerin melt and pour soap bases to a more natural glycerin base as my goal is to avoid synthetic chemicals in my products. I also LOVE animals, Maltese dogs in particular, and have been able to combine my love for soaping with my love for dogs in my 3 D dog breed collectibles made from soap. They’re pretty unique and I love doing them. I also handmill cold process soap and I am quite proud of it. Since using my own products my skin has cleared from the terrible itchies and rashes I have suffered from for years. Even my dog soap is all natural and my dog does not have the itchies either and I know what I am using on her is safe for I made it and i know exactly what is in it. I firmly believe the widespread infliction of skin allergies we and our dogs are now suffering from comes directly from the chemical stews stores sell us as bath and beauty products. I also believe in aromatherapy and I find lovely scents from essential oils do indeed make me and my dog feel more relaxed and happier. In some of my products I do use pthalate free fragrance oils, if it is a scent that is not found in nature or the cost of the essential oil is prohibitive. I use as little as possible and all my fragrances are used in absolutely skin safe ratios, mathematically correct, so my products will not reek, (they shouldn’t anyway) you can be assured they will be safe to use. My goal is to provide safer, more natural bath and beauty products made with luxury ingredients at an affordable price. If you have sensitive skin, or skin allergies, I urge you to get off storebought bath and beauty products and find poeple who handcraft these things, but make sure they are truly knowedgable, for natural is NOT always safer and better, expecially if one does not do the research and know what they are doing. Many crafters drench their products in scent, using NON skin-safe ratios, this is not healthy for you. Read the ingredients, read up on the ingredients so you will know what is bad for you, and switch to high quality (not necessarily high priced) handcrafted bath and beauty products. Your skin and hair will love you for it! And you will be putting more money into our community instead of fat cats’ pockets.