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!

Last Week's Question: While I'm certainly not old enough to have a first hand memory of it (?!), in the "olden days," there was a show called Father Knows Best in which actor Robert Young starred as a business man raising 3 kids with is wife played by actress Jane Wyatt. To win this week, be the first to provide: (1) the name of the character played by Young; (2) his profession; and (3) the 3 pet names he had for his children.

Last Week's Answer: (1) Jim (or James) Anderson; (2) insurance salesman; and (3) Princess, Kitten, Bud

This Week's Question: State the name of the former President George W. Bush cabinet member who has had benign lesions removed from his skin.

Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win a 30 minute handmade beauty business consultation with me!

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!

While listening to a news report on my favorite local news radio show last week, I was saddened to hear an interview with several teens who have decided to cast all caution to literally risk their lives for a golden suntan this summer. A 15-year old who was asked what she thought of reliable reports indicating that overexposure to ultra-violet rays causes skin cancer, which can be fatal, replied with a giggle, "Yeah, I know that and I think about it, but then tomorrow, I just go back to the tanning salon.

With all of the evidence indicating that we need to protect ourselves from the sun, especially if we are under the age of 18 and/or fair skinned, it is disappointing indeed that young people are not heeding the warnings. I guess we have to wait until as many people die from sun exposure as have died from tobacco ingestion and maybe then, kids will listen. But for many of them, it will be too late. Of course the sun's rays penetrate all year long, but in the summer, the chances of adverse effects rises significantly due to the increased amount of time the sun is shining, the intensity of the sun during summer months and the increased amount of time people spend outside. If you are planning to spend time in the sun this summer, you may be able to use these natural tips for staying sun-safe this summer.

1. Use Products Containing Sunscreen
Do your best to use products containing sunscreen (at least Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 15 according to the American Academy of Dermatology) on exposed areas of the skin. Hand and body lotion, facial creams, lip balm -- all can contain sunscreen properties. Check the label to make sure. Mineral makeup foundation and other products made with titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide can help protect the skin from the sun so check labels for these ingredients if you are concerned about sun exposure. And wear sun glasses -- it's a little known fact that melanoma can affect the eyes too!

2. Treat Sun Damaged Skin Quickly And Aggressively
In my experience, skin does not have to peel or pucker up in order to be sun damaged and while it's been a long time since I've bathed in the sun (and I've never used a tanning bed), I do remember days when a certain tightening of my skin signaled me that it was time to go inside. Back then, I had a girlfriend whose mother had a green thumb and when we tanned together (using album covers covered with aluminum foil to bounce the sun's rays right into our faces -- remember that?!), we would cut open an aloe leaf afterward and slather fresh aloe goo all over ourselves. Soothed like a charm. If you don't have aloe in plant form, it's easy to find at natural food stores. Try this week's recipe for Aloe Skin Soother.

3. Seek Medical Advice
Don't play with the sun! A few years ago, the country was atwitter about Senator John McCain's bout with malignant melanoma. While it's not entirely clear what the cause was, we do know that he had it twice and he admits to spending far too much time in the sun -- unprotected -- as a young person. Every time the skin is exposed to the sun, it has to repair itself afterward. The more sun, the more repair is needed. And if the repair is not successful, melanoma, the deadliest form of sun-induced cancer, can result. Don't risk your health for a golden glow! And if you feel as though your skin is at risk, seek the advice of a dermatologist who can evaluate your risk factors and provide you with insight on the current state of your skin's health.

Today, there's no excuse for anyone being over-exposed to the sun, especially if the only reason it's done is to get a tan. Many "fake tanning" products available on the market today give the skin a darker appearance, and there's no end to the number of shades that are available. And even better, advances in technology and increased demand by savvy consumers means they no longer make you look like you were dipped in copper colored crayon wax. Get a bronzer! I saw some 16 ounce containers on sale last week at the local drug store for less than $8 a bottle. You're worth it!

There are a lot of great things about going to a gathering where you know you'll meet people with whom you have a lot in common. Last week, I had the privilege of delivering the Keynote Address at such a gathering in Indiana. The first meeting of the First Annual Midwest Soap & Candle Bee was a lot of fun and as I was packing up to catch my plane and return home, an IBN member approached me with a smile on her face and a bag of goodies in her hand. It was great fun sniffing in anticipation on my plane ride home and since then, I (and my daughter) have enjoyed trying CountryBee products.

Lavender Fields Beeswax & Olive Oil Soap
4 oz | $4.00

I think this is the first bar of soap I've used that was made with organic palm oil! It's rich and soothing to the skin, and it would be since it's also made with cocoa butter and olive oil. It smells really nice -- pure lavender is so soothing. When I used this bar in the morning, I found that I really didn't want to finish my shower because this is the perfect bar for bathing after a long day. I did get a chance for a hot bath last week and this bar was at the ready. My kids loved it in their bath too. Amy gave me a bar of Morning Peppermint, which I'll have to try in the shower. It smells like it could rev me up so that's my bar for this week!

Hippie Girl Intensely Rich Lotion Bar
1 oz | $5.50

If there's one thing I'm not, it's a hippie girl. I don't mean that in a negative way, but I do mean it in the sense that patchouli has just never done anything for me but make me want to sneeze. But CountryBee's blend of patchouli with other essential oils (notably rose!) has redeemed patchouli for me personally. I can't help but wonder if part of the scent comes from the locally grown beeswax Amy uses in the product. I have smelled the difference between "fresh" local beeswax and the beeswax I buy in bulk and while they both have a honey aroma, the wax I've gotten from local companies that engage in minimal processing smells far sweeter and richer. Amy gets hers from her father's bees so it's fresh from a local source! I really like this combination and the best part about it is the cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, shea butter and beeswax feel on my skin.

Raspy Raspberry Smooch
.25 oz | $4.00

When I opened up my bag of goodies, I loved everything I smelled, but I was especially happy to see this product because I knew my 3-year old daughter would love it. Like patchouli essential oil, the fruity fragrance oils have never really been my bag, but ever since Vanessa was born, well, things have just changed. One of those things is my increased purchases of things that smell like peach, strawberry and cherry (all of which, by the way smell like strawberry to my daughter), so Raspy Raspberry was right on time. It's made with a nice combination of soothing oils (including emu oil) and just the right amount of beeswax to solidify the mix -- and just the right amount of fragrance oil to please my daughter and not overwhelm me. Love it!

You can get these products and many other natural goodies from Amy at CountryBee's website. Enjoy!

In my email and phone conversations with members, I enjoy expressions of gratitude for the many benefits IBN offers to help businesses grow. I am also told that IBN offers so many benefits that it is sometimes a real challenge to determine which ones are the best ones to take advantage of at a given point in time. To respond to members' requests for assistance in this area, I recently updated the Member Benefits page to make it easier to see benefits. Now they are all listed at the top of the page and each listing links to a full description of the benefit! Additionally, this new section of the newsletter will spotlight a member benefit each week.

Recently, IBN members Val Lang of A Natural High and Elise Pearlstine of Lise Botanicals told me that while they enjoy IBN's Beauty Calls, they also wanted a forum where they could "meet up" with other IBN members by phone to exchange innovative ways to solve common small business problems. Our new Handmade Beauty Business Exchange responds directly to that suggestion. Brain Exchanges will take place on the first Thursday of each month and the first one is scheduled for July 7!

To read more about our Brain Exchanges, click here!

Have A Great Week!!
Donna Maria
Editor, 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.