Handmade Beauty Connection A Publication of The Indie Beauty Network
April
11,
2005
ISSN 1530-9630 | Vol. 6, Issue 15
To subscribe, click here.
1.
IBN
Update: Welcome New
& Renewing IBN Members!!
2.
Feature Article: The Wonders of Lavender
3.
Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week:
Lavender Facial Toner
4.
Beauty & The Business
Trivia
Question: win an IBN
T-shirt!
5.
Handmade Beauty Product Review:
Lotion Bars by IBN Member Footbridge
1.
IBN
Update: Welcome New
& Renewing IBN Members!!
Renewing Members!
Natural Mystic, d/b/a
Kate's Soap | Deby Ciacciarelli | Florida
* renewing member; premium
quality handmade soaps made with fruit, nut and grain vegetable oils, herbal
extracts and teas; soy candles and bath gifts
Willow
Way | Ron Jonas | Indiana
* renewing member; cutters,
molds, pot tippers, oil heaters, liquid soap heaters, soap stamps, bath bomb
presses and more
Luisa,
Inc. | Gili Zilca | New York
* renewing member; natural
handmade soap: Olive oil, Glycerin, and milk based soap bars
Thistle
Ridge | Jamie S. Estes | South Carolina
* renewing member; natural
herbal soaps in small batches with only quality ingredients
Alima
Cosmetics, Inc. | Kathleen O'Brien | Oregon
* renewing member; a
complete line of pure, handcrafted mineral makeup
Danielle
& Co. | Danielle Fleming | Pennsylvania
* renewing member; Specializing
in creating botanical and herbal blends
Canterbury
Cabin | Lorrie Beach | New York
* renewing member; Spa
Essentials Collection, Canterbury Bath & Body Collection and Natural
Toiletries Collection
New Members
Aqua Essentials | Kiwana
Thomas | Mississippi
* bath salts, salt glows and
hair/body oils in eight unique blends
Herbal Deescents |
Demetria Zinga | Alabama
* beautiful body butters and
glycerin soaps made from earth's finest and most exotic oils, butters, and
herbs
Lynne Norder | Colorado
Afrocentric Imports | Ann
Walls | California
* glycerin soap, bath scrub,
foot scrub, massage oil, body washes and body butter
The Counter Corp. |
Deborah Gavito | New York
* products are crafted by hand at New
York's Counter Restaurant
New Alchemy | Suzzette
Moulin | Florida
* healing skin balms, sugar scrubs and
exfoliating cleansing grains
Supple Skin Care | Anya
Stagakis | New York
* incredibly pure, luxurious all-natural
beauty solutions, plus fair trade cocoa and shea butters and essential oils
Nature From Europe
* products using natural
ingredients that will help clients to keep their skin healthy and young
looking
Chic
Afrique Herbals | Nicole Balaam | Maryland
* balms, creams, lotions, body washes, scrubs and
more
IBN Members On The Move!!
Traci Vanover of The Creative Concept is excited to invite you all to the Soap and Candle Bee in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 11, 2005. The Theme is "Fresh Ideas -- Fresh Outlook" and I'll be the keynote speaker -- hope to see you there! (IBN members, put "IBN OFFER" in the shopping cart comments to get your FREE spa CD when you register!)
The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild conference will be in Pittsburgh, PA, on April 27 - 30! Enjoy their theme, "Transitions For Growth -- Reaching Your Goals." Speaker topics Master Soapmaking classes, Merchandising & Customer Service, Teaching Soapmaking in West Africa, Trademarks, Copyrights & Patents and more! Click here for details!
Learn more about our members and
their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through
IBN's Online
Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by
state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search;
or (4) using our new alphabetical listings.
2. Feature
Article:
The Wonders of Lavender
Everyone
has heard of lavender of course. Well, maybe not everyone, but I think it's safe
to say that no one reading this newsletter does not know at least a little
something about lavender. Having said that, for those of you who might be
looking for some new and interesting ways to incorporate lavender into the
products you make, then you'll be intrigued and inspired by the information
provided here.
Lavender is one of the most oft used herbs in modern human history. Ever since French perfumer Rene Maurice Gattefosse burned his hand, plunged it into a bowl of lavender and later marveled at how quickly and completely the wound healed, lavender has been on the radar screen of everyone from mothers and home managers to physicians and skincare specialists. There are an almost indeterminable number of varieties of lavender but for purposes of skin and body care, there are a few that are both readily available and tend to be reasonably priced: Lavendula Vera, Lavender Angustifolia and Lavender Officinalis. According to Julia Lawless in her book The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, these 3 varieties are synonymous. According to everyone, they are excellent for use in all skin and body care products. (There is also lavendin (hybrid lavender), spike lavender and others, but it's not possible to cover them all here. Check the books mentioned throughout this article for resources.)
One of the most striking things about lavender is its beauty. Each individual spike is unique with beautiful flowers ranging in hues from deep violet to light blue and pale lavender. A lavender farm is a beautiful thing to behold -- a sea of purple swaying magically in the breeze and carrying an almost hypnotic, herbaceous and soothing aroma. In his book, Portraits In Oils, Philippe Mailhebiau describes Lavendula Vera in terms of personality, and likens its temperament to that of Mother Teresa. He says lavender is, "excessive in giving of herself, in her devotion, in her constant concern to give everyone, even if they have fallen to the depths of moral degeneration, the best, the essential, the very substance of her being. Consumed with love, she exhausts herself to the very limit of her strength." (Page 149)
Lavender blends with just about everything -- barks, mints, woods, seeds, other herbaceous plants, citrus, flowers. You name it and you can mix it with a drop or two of lavender and end up with something useful and fragrant. Here are some useful and easy essential oil combinations for everyday use:
1. For Headache: 2 drops lavender + 1 drop peppermint -- combine with 1 tablespoon of carrier oil and massage back of the neck, head and temples.
2. For Mental Clarity & Alertness: 2 drops lavender + 1 drop rosemary -- place into an aromatherapy oil burner or diffuser and diffuse throughout a small study or reading area.
3. For Stress Relief & Relaxation: 2 drops lavender + 1 drop sweet orange -- drop into warn drawn bath and swish well to disperse; step in and relax.
4. For Household Freshening: 2 drops lavender + 2 drops lemon - combine with 1/4 cup baking soda to clean sinks, face bowls and countertops.
But don't stop there! Mix it with other less "obvious" oils and enjoy the results. Some I have used are tea tree (for zits), myrtle (for oily skin), rose (for dry skin) and bergamot (for perfume). In her book Aromatherapy For Practitioners, Ulla-Maija Grace says that lavender is "The mother of all essential oils." (Page 47) Its high linalool content makes it a must have for anyone who stresses a lot or suffers from depression. And for those of you looking to make products for your children, if you don't start with lavender oil, you're doing everyone a disservice. According to Valerie Ann Worwood, in her book Aromatherapy For The Healthy Child, lavender is the first essential oil in the Children's Basic Care Kit and it is helpful for cuts, grazes, burns, psoriasis, eczema, sunburn, insect bites, headache, migraine, insomnia, rashes, nervous conditions, anxiety and tension. Because it is antibacterial, it's a great natural alternative to the alcohol-based, synthetic fragrance filled antibacterial washes that are so popular today.
While most all IBN members have something "lavender" in their product lines, for a few members, it is so intrinsic to what they do that it is in their company names. Interestingly, they are both on the west coast. It must smell really good there! If this little feature has not inspired you to get reacquainted with lavender, then check out some of the books mentioned and I'm sure you'll agree that lavender is one of the most useful, pleasant and easy to use essential oils in history.
3. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week: Lavender Facial Toner
Lavender
Facial Toner is a great pick-me-up for any skin type -- any personality
type too!
When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com, it's easy to buy the ingredients you need by clicking on our Selected Supplier links:
Essential
Wholesale: pure essential oils, over 200 cosmetic bases, hundreds
of carrier/fixed oils such as meadowfoam, cranberry, jojoba and shea
butter plus a new Short Run Private Labeling Program!
Bramble
Berry, Inc.: over
105 different fragrance and essential oils (including their exclusive
"Energy" and "Relaxing"), all soap tested, soap molds
and unscented soap bases!
SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their new Perfumer's Emporium.
The Scent Shack: fragrance oils and soap supplies. Fragrance oils are pre-tested in cold process, melt & pour soap, and candles, and test results are listed at the Web site. Scents tested by soapers for soapers!
From Nature With Love: over 1,600 ingredients and supplies, including cosmetic ingredients, spa supplies, bath accessories and packaging supplies!
4. Beauty & The Business Trivia Question: last week's winner was Seanice Etienne Taylor of Baton Rouge, LA. Seanice won an IBN mouse pad!
Last Week's Question:
Last Week's Answer: The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe
This Week's Question: Name the three IBN members with "lavender" in their company names, and state which one of them actually harvests lavender on their farm.
Be the first to name the sport and win an IBN T-shirt!
Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered.
While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants,
the winner's name will be announced in the next newsletter!
5.
Handmade
Beauty Product Review: Lotion Bars by IBN Member Footbridge
Lotion Bars by IBN Member Footbridge
Large size
(approx. 8 ounces) | $14.99
A lotion bar is a lotion bar, right? I mean, after lip balm and anything else made with wax and oil, how much more exciting can it get? I used to wonder that, and my own personal time making lotion bars has diminished as a result. But now, after trying Footbridge's products, I can see that I have really missed out. And after enjoying their products and their presentation, not only do I want to use more lotion bars in general, I want to use more Footbridge Lotion Bars. Why? Well, let me tell you.
Footbridge lotion bars are made with lots of shea butter, plus vegetable oil and lanolin. This combination is rich and packed with skin-loving goodies. The fragrances and essential oils are wonderful of course. But it's really the presentation of the bars that makes them stand out from the pack, and Footbridge has perfected the presentation of lotion bars. In fact, it's all they do!
The bars come in a variety of lovely shapes including the sunflower pictured above. I tried the apple shape in both the large and small sizes. My daughter confiscated the large one and one of my family helpers took the smaller one. I was left with some wonderful sample sizes which I am enjoying. Each bar comes in a terra cotta dish so it can be placed on your night stand, making a convenient way to store the bars. Believe me -- they won't be around long enough to collect any dust, but just in case, each comes in a clear cello bag with a pretty ribbon just in case you have a lotion bar hiatus or are traveling. You can even get them in pretty green gift boxes with a nice sleeve label, all ready for the gifting! My daughter was kind enough to leave me with one of those, with a bunch of grapes motif on top. The bars keep their shape wonderfully and the molds used to make them are deep enough that you can enjoy the shape for a long time. Footbridge Lotion Bars last well so you'll be able to get a lot of use out of even a 2-ounce sized bar.
Before trying one of the lotion bars I had, my 14-year old neighbor had never heard of lotion bars. "No, it's not soap," I explained. I proceeded to tell her how they worked, letting her know that she should hold it between her palms and rub so that the product transferred to her hands. As she did, her eyes got bigger and she said, "Ooohh, that feels good! And my hands really needed that. Can I use it on my feet too?!"
What else do I need to say?
Footbridge Lotion Bars are a perfect gift, and with so many fragrances and shapes to choose from, you won't have trouble pleasing yourself or a friend. In addition to the sunflower pictures above, you can get apples, dragonflies, hearts, Celtic hearts, grapes and fish. In terms of scent, there's lemongrass, mango, lavender and on and on! You can check out Footbridge's website to find a store near you that sells their delicious lotion bars. Footbridge does not retail them from their website but you can get some online here.
Visit The Handmade Beauty Connection Archives.
Visit our suite of Web sites serving the handmade toiletries
industry:
HandmadeBeauty.com: the
leading industry trade organization
MangoButter.com:
450+ suppliers of raw materials and packaging, updated weekly!
MakeYourCosmetics.com:
ingredient encyclopedia & original cosmetics recipes
DonnaMaria.com:
sound advice for your small business, Create The Life You Love™
Have your ad seen by nearly 5,000 subscribers! ! Click here to see why Essential Wholesale says that the returns from their newsletter ad "just keep on coming," and why The Scent Shack says, "Our sponsorship of The Handmade Beauty Connection went over very well, we had a huge number of hits on the day the newsletter was published, plus we got quite a few new customers."
Donna Maria, Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Indie Beauty Network | www.HandmadeBeauty.com
Copyright (c) 2000 - 2005 by The Indie Beauty Network (IBN) and Donna Maria. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized distribution or reproduction is prohibited. IBN does not necessarily endorse any product, event or ideology featured in The Handmade Beauty Connection (HBC) or on IBN's website. All information is provided on an "as is" basis and no express or implied warranties are given. Any use of the information contained in the HBC or on IBN's Web site, including Recipes, is solely at your own risk. IBN and Donna Maria disclaim any liability in connection with the use of all recipes, products reviewed and other information. Except for sponsorships, HBC refuses compensation from companies to feature or mention their names or products. Opinions expressed in any Product Review are personally those of the reviewer and do not represent the views of IBN, Donna Maria (unless she is the reviewer) or any other person or company.
