I have 3 soaps today to come off the curing rack ready for sale! They are:

Peppermint Swirl with Coconut Milk
All Natural Hemp with Hemp Butter
Cranberry Coconut Milk

If you are a follower on my blog and purchase in my etsy store today - I will give you a 15% discount. Mention in the check out convo that you are on my blog and I will refund the 15% from your order back to your payapl account!

It's my dads 89th birthday today - so I'm off to visit him! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD see you soon!



I am having fun playing with colors in my cold process soap. As most of you know I have avoided color for a long time, but have decided it is ok to use color - and to have fun with it.


I made this batch yesterday using a great olive oil soap recipe, and colored it with Black and Pink pigments.


The fragrance is called Clean Cotton - which smells...just like it sounds - fresh and clean!


This batch will be cured in 30 days...give or take. Post up your comments - I'd love to hear from you.


Hi everyone-

I made a new soap last night and am looking for anyone in the U.S. who has eczema to try a free sample and give me feedback! I did not use any essential oils - which I usually do in my eczema balm but I did use NEEM OIL in this soap - which I must say gives it a slight smell of garlic?

While I was making this soap I became so hungry for chili cheese fries I had to race to the store and get the ingredients to make them! hahahaah - hope it doesn't have that same effect in the shower.

I will post up a pic later, but anyone who wants to give me feedback and try this soap - contact me ASAP - I made a very small batch so test samples will be limited.

Here is a small excerpt from Wikepedia about Neem Oil: Traditional Ayurvedic uses of neem include the treatment of Acne, fever, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia and tuberculosis. Various folk remedies for neem include use as an anthelmintic, antifeedant, antiseptic, diuretic, emmenagogue, contraceptive, febrifuge, parasiticide, pediculocide and insecticide. It has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of tetanus, urticaria, eczema, scrofula and erysipelas. Traditional routes of administration of neem extracts included oral, vaginal and topical use. Neem oil has an extensive history of human use in India and surrounding regions for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Puri (1999) has given an account of traditional uses and therapeutic indications and pharmacological studies of this oil, in his book on neem.

I used many other wonderful oils in this soap as well...but a girl can't give away all her secrets can she?



Here are the pics of the hemp soap - individually - or in pairs. It turned out very nice. I am pleased. This will be a fabulous bar - so get your pre orders in before they are all gone!



Yesterday I decided to play with color in my cold process soap. I usually keep things simply and don't mess with color too often...but I decided why not? I only had a million things to do, so why not add one more!


I made a batch of hemp soap using hemp oil and hemp butter! Did you know.....


Hemp Seed Oil is one of the world's most richest sources of polyunsaturated fats, including both of the essential fatty acids (Omega 3 & Omega 6) and GLA, making it an unequalled natural emollient and moisturizer.


Hemp Seed Oil helps heal: sunburn, scrapes, acne, burns, wrinkles, aging, drying or chapped skin, stretch marks and damaged skin!Clinical studies have shown that dry skin defects such as scaling or cracking can be reversed by skin care products containing Omega 6 Fatty Acids.


With regular use, Hemp Oil body care products can help slow down the effects of skin aging, reduce skin discomfort by soothing and restoring dry or damaged skin, and leave the skin smooth and moisturized.


Hemp Seed Oil is the richest source of EFA's and Vitamin E in the entire plant kingdom. These healing enzymes and vitamins can be absorbed directly into the skin to replenish the missing oils, instead of sitting on top, as do saturated oils.


I think that pretty much sums it up. This fabulous batch will be cured and ready to go in 30 days! If you pre-order based on reading this blog... you will get a 20% discount! HURRY -As with all my soaps, I make them in small batches - currently there are 8 bars still available!
I will cut them later today and will post up a pick of the actual sliced bar.
Currently I'm making a batch of Olive, Shea and Wheat Germ Oil Soap - with the fabulous fragrance of Rice Flour and Shea! Pics for that will be up tomorrow.



Now that I have many of the candles wrapped... (see photo) I am having a fun day making some custom vegan lip smackers, breast cancer awareness soap and playing with the dead sea mud. I have been reading up on dead sea mud - very interesting.


DEAD SEA BENEFITS

Studies show that the minerals found in the Dead Sea provide your body and skin with extensive benefits, such as:- Helping to balance and maintain proper water and moisture levels.- Helping to promote the healing of skin tissue.- Helping to prevent and cure allergies and gives the skin surface an anti-allergic protection.- Helping to protect against airborne pollutants.- Helping to counteract internal toxins.- Aiding relaxation and promoting a soothing effect.


Could all of that be true? What I have noticed is that when I wash my face with it - I do seem to feel better circulation. Maybe I will try it on my broken foot and see if it helps!



I made some soap today using dead sea mud. It has many great properties - and is fabulous for your skin. I also made dead sea mud mask and some dead sea body wash! I have picture the facial bars . I made them unscented and also in Tea Tree and Rosemary/Lavender.





I was thinking about how much I love some of the fall fragrances - and thought I'd get a head start on some Pumpkin Spice Candles. I made a few votives today - and they are fabulous. This fragrance is wonderful.


I am selling this in sets of 3 for $4.00. They will burn about 15 hours each as long as you care for them properly. All our votives will liquify so be sure to burn them in a suitable container.



Hello!


I have been working on making a hurricane candle! What is that? Well...its more like a candle you don't light...but put a candle inside it. I am attaching a pic of my first attempt. I will be making these daily until I get it perfect and then will offer them for sale. I will be trying photographs as well as dried flowers and other items. Stay tuned!



WOW - this is one of my favorite fragrances...and I just LOVE this new square glass candle holder! I decided not to color this one - but i can color them in any color, and use any candle scent currently in stock.


I brought one to my office - and everyone just loved the fragrance. I predict it will be a top seller. Fresh and crisp - just fabulous!


Soy candles are great and environmentally friendly - they are after all a renewable resource grown right here in the U.S. Completely biodegradable.


Soy candles burn up to 25% longer! They produce little to no soot - especially with proper wick maintenance (keep wick trimmed after each use).


We also use cotton wicks. Cotton core wicks tend to "mushroom" less than other wicks. Mushrooming leads to increased soot production due to carbon build up.


ENJOY!!!


One lucky winner will receive a $5 credit towards any item in the Skin Essentials Shop! Read on for details!


If you're interested, entering is easy! There are multiple ways to enter:

Required entry: Post a comment on here saying what your favorite Skin Essentials product is, or which one you think is the most interesting!
For one extra entry, become a follower (or post that you already are) and mention you're following in the comments section!
For another extra entry, blog about the contest and post the link to the blog post in a comment.

If you don't have your email address linked on your blogger profile, please leave it in your comment! Winner will be drawn on August 31st using a random list generator from Random.org!



I had a fabulous few days in Yosemite in May - and took some great pictures. I decided to turn them in to note cards for everyone to enjoy! I made about 45 for my 88 year old mother, and she was so thrilled! People need to continue the age old art of hand written notes...it is so much more personal.

I don't have all of them posted up yet in my etsy store, but I'm working on it. I will also put together a package deal shortly!

Check em out! http://www.skinessentials.etsy.com

THANKS



If you want to pamper yourself, but don't want to spend the $ in this economy - I have come up with a way for you to have a do it yourself home Herbal Spa Wrap! I will provide you with the sea clay - which draws oils from the skin, sea salt, olive oil, and if you wish some additional herbs, and essential oils (for a modest increase in price)

The body wrap produces therapeutic and cosmetic benefits by cleansing the body of toxins and reducing inches. Body wraps are great for anyone who wants to improve, tone and tighten the look and texture of their skin, including people with loose skin from weight loss or pregnancy. Also those who experience joint pain and inflammation will benefit from the therapeutic effects of body wraps.

check out the full description on my web site - http://www.skinessentials.etsy.com



Lavender has so many uses! Place dream pillow inside pillow case, and as you slumber, its fragrance evokes relaxation and tranquility. The soothing aromatic lavender cloud fills your senses with its aromatherapy.

Here's another idea -


• Sprinkle flowers on carpets, under couch cushions, around pets sleeping areas, etc. (an added attraction is when you vacuum it up, you fragrance your home with lavender

. Place lavender sachets in your shoes or closet to keep the moths away. Sprinkle a bit of lavender buds in your kitchen cupboards to deter ants from eating your food.

Do not use lavender if you are pregnant. Some essential oils may be inappropriate for use in pregnant woman.

We are happy to ship internationally.



Love the fresh crisp scent of lime and the tang of the "margarita" well, this bar has it all! We added some dead sea salt along the top for scrubbing up those areas that need some work (feet, elbows, anything thats in need of shedding!)

Our soaps are made by hand in small batches using a large quanitity of olive oil - for its mild and skin softening abilities.

A fabulously fun bar of soap!

These bars weigh between 3.7-4.6

As with all natural handmade soap, please allow it to drain between uses to extend the life of your bar!



I just finished making several travel tin candles. Made with soy wax for longer burning, clearning burning and almost soot free candles! THINK GREEN reuse the tin once you are done with your candle...although you better not be in a hurry to use the tin, because these candles burn a long time 15-20 hours. Remember never leave a candle unattended, let it liquify at least across the top before extinquishing and keep the wick trimmed to about 1/4 inch.

I have MANY fragrances available - here are a few:
Hawaiian Breeze
Vanilla Macadamia Nut Coffee
Rose Hip & Tea
Wildberry Mousse
Citronella (great for those summer nights outside!)
Drakkar Noir (type)
Endless Love (type)
Orange Blossom
Coconut Lime Verbena
Midnight Pomegranata
Lemon Lavender
Cucumber Melon
Sex Wax Memories (smells like the wax I used on my surf board many years ago)
Rootbeer
Blueberry
Peach Slices
Carrot Cake
Cinnamon Buns

Price is $4.50 each. Shipping is $1.85
AND MORE



I think these are just the cutest little shea butter soap booties! For party favors they will be wrapped in soft white tissue and then in tule with a ribbon and a card with information from the event - i.e. "Sally's Baby Shower, May 7, 2009" A nice personalized favor!


I will be offering them for $3.75 each or with a minimum order of 15, you will get a 15% discount.

They are available in white, green, yellow, blue and pink. Fragrances are: sweet pea, cucumber melon, lemon sugar, wild rose! Although I have many more fragrances so there are other possibilities!

These soaps weigh about 4 oz. Aren't they just so cute! Great gift for the new mom to be, or a fun way to send out announcements to friends!



We make this gentle little bar just for babies (although it is fine for anyone, especially those who do not want any fragrance at all in their soap).
Made with olive oil and rice bran oil, this is a mild bar gentle enough for sensitive skin.

AND, I'd like to thank my wonderful son Kyle for taking this picture for me with his new camera! I think its a great photo! THANKS KYLE...I love you!!!



Do you suffer with eczema? I did for years! I created this balm made from natural oils (essential and others) to help me with those itchy bumps and red areas on my hands. I'm happy to say, I no longer suffer from this condition!

It is very important for people with sensitive skin to be aware of the products they use on their hair, body, dishes, etc. as most allergies seem to come from contact with products containing detergents and other additives to either make them foam, or smell better, etc. etc.

Here are just a few comments from my satisfied customers:

This cream is amazing!! It is healing my husband's eczema that has resisted anything that western medicine has to offer (stuff that only made it worse). And it smells wonderful. I'm buying more today!

I've been using this cream for a day now and I really like it; it stays on a lot longer than other creams!


Very helpful and knowledgable. Fast shipping too - thanks! Oh, and the Excema cream really seems to be helping. I'll be a returning customer

This is really starting to help my boyfriends extremely irritated eczema. Thank you for all of your valuable communications and fast shipping. Great to do business with.

If you have questions I'd love to hear from you. Due to popular demand, I have been making this product in larger quantities - if interested, please ask.


Hi all,

I'm sorry for the delay in posting anything new! I've been a bit tied up with a broken foot...and haven't been creating or doing much of anything except elevating! However, with that being said, I did manage to try a few new candle fragrances and was told by one of my loyal candle customers, that the Root Beer fragrances is fabulous and has scented his room with just a tea light! I will be testing many new candle fragrances over the next two weeks and will take some pictures and provide information about them as well.

ALSO - i have been working hard on my new hair oil treatments...now don't see the word oil and think YUCK. Oil treatments are great for your hair, and if used weekly, can eliminate the need for "conditioner" which really doesn't do much because it isn't there long enough (ok, another blog topic another time)

If you are interested in trying my oil treatments for your hair, let me know your hair and scalp condition and I will be happy to send you a sample!

Have a great Saturday.



I have two new lip balms in stock. Chai Tea Flavor and Cucumber Melon. Made with our usual shea butter and avocado oil, we also added some natural sweetner to give our lip balm a little sweet lift.

You won't be disappointed.



Well...after several requests, and waiting to get the tubes...I am now offering a 2 ounce size of our muscle/joint rub in a twist up tube!


I added it today to my etsy store.

This muscle sports rub is vegan friendly!



Well - last night I attempted to make the Black Raspberry soap...but I played around with the color and it didn't look like "Black Raspberry" to me, SO at the last minute I decided to change the fragrance to Pepperberry and add Poppy Seeds! Here is the description of Pepperberry Fragrance:

This complex warm blend starts out with traditional Black Pepper notes mixed with Black Orchid. This spicy, sensual mixture is accentuated with All Spice, Wildberries and Bulgarian Rose, finished up with heavier notes of Pine Needle, Oak and just a small hint of Vanilla. Because of the Vanilla notes in this fragrance, it will discolor to light brown or tan in your soap.


Welll I do know about Vanilla discoloring soap, I also know that some people use "vanilla stabilizers" - umm no thanks! So this soap should turn a very interesting color in a few days! We will see. It may darken further.

I made this soap using cocoa butter, olive oil, and rice bran oil. It has LOTS of rich bubbles and feels fabulous!

Pre-orders through this Sunday - take 10% off each bar! Bars will be about 4.2 - 4.8 ounces, handcut...and sell for $5.00 each!


I have added a poll to see what types of products people purchase! Please vote for the items you have/or currently do purchase!


Lots of rain and bad weather here today...wish I could stay home and make some soap - but I have to go to my day job!

Tonight I will be making a new soap "Black Raspberry"- it will be one of my tried and true recipies with shea and cocoa butter, lots of wonderful olive oil, and of course coconut and palm oils.

I will be making a small batch - so if you are interested, and love black raspberry, contact me for a pre-order before its all gone! 10% discounts for pre-orders in the month of February.

Coming soon will be my list of ingredients, the good the bad and the oh so ugly!


Hi there...

Welcome to my blog spot! Each month I will host a giveaway of one of our handmade products!