As I made my daily green tea with honey and lemon drink this morning I
began to think about the inevitable fact that winter is just around the
corner. Winter is a time for hot tea, coffee beverages, hot chocolate
and the occasional hot toddy. I’ve found that honey blends perfectly
with all of these drinks. But I also began to think about all the other
things I use this golden delight for. Not only do I put it to my
favorite drinks, soap recipes and food recipes but I put it on my body
quite often. I never really thought about how much I use it or why I
seem to always have it stocked in my pantry until today.
Posted by BBN on 8/15/2012
to Soap
Soap scum is a white or gray filmy
layer that covers the surfaces around our showers, bathtubs, and sinks.
Soap scum is actually formed thanks to minerals in your water
that combine with the wonderful oil and moisturizing elements in your
soaps. Get rid of those minerals and you get rid of the scum. Soap is
getting a bad wrap. It shouldn’t be called soap scum at all should it?
Maybe water scum is a better name. Let’s just call it what it is.
Essential oils are one of the true wonders of nature. The oils
are stored in the cells of the plants, in places like the leaves/needles
(mint and pine), the flowers (rose or chamomile), bark (cinnamon), the
roots (ginger ), the skin/rind (citrus fruits) or in the seeds (anise).
They are the “essence” of the plant.
Posted by BBN on 7/20/2012
to Soap
Do you love your natural handcrafted
soap bar in the shower for the silkiest skin ever? How about as a
shampoo? A natural handcrafted soap bar can definitely be used to
shampoo your hair! The soap will typically contain an excess of oils added to the mixture that provides two benefits:
“Ivory
Wave”, ” Purple Wave”, “Vanilla Sky”, and “Bliss”—- are all among the
many street names of a so-called designer drug known as “Bath Salts”. We
thought bath salts were for relaxing in a state of aromatherapy, after a
long day at the office?
Posted by BBN on 1/16/2011
to Soap
There is a long history of using milk in soaps and other skin care
products. In fact milk has been used in bath products since ancient
times. Cleopatra, rumored to have had beautiful skin, was said
to have taken daily milk baths. But what, if any, benefit does your
skin get from these popular products?

I spent my days on the beach reading or in the water. Although I
used my sun block religiously I still got a little burned. I have to
admit the one day I didn’t use it is the day I went wave running and
ended up with tingling skin. So that night I decided I had better treat
myself to a little “skin healing” before I headed back into the sun.
After dinner I took a cool shower then headed into the kitchen to
find something to mix up as mask for my face, neck and shoulders. I
loved it so much I have to share the recipe.
Posted by BBN on 6/13/2010
to Soap
I was recently reading a book that discussed the Top Ten Events in the process of becoming a Soapmaker ( The Everything Soapmaking Book, by Alicia Grosso).
It’s a good book by the way, for those starting out. Well, the list
made me think back to the days when I was just dabbling in the art of
making soap. Never did I think I’d become so addicted.
As the debate continues, millions of people use antibacterial soaps
and household cleaners every day, believing that their germ killing
ability will keep their families healthier. Could these same chemicals
that fight germs also be hazardous to your health?
Posted by BBN on 6/4/2010
to Soap
The FDA regulates cosmetics and drugs. What determines how a product
is classified is the intended used for the product. The way in which
firms market a cosmetic can make it a drug, or how a firm markets a drug
can make it a cosmetic. So what is soap?
In March if this year the results of a study commissioned by the Organic
Consumers Association (OCA), a watchdog group, was released. This
study assessed levels of a carcinogen in leading “natural”, “organic”
and conventional brands of personal care and household cleaning
products. The full press release and a copy of the follow-up testing
results can be found and downloaded at:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm along with a fact
sheet on petrochemical carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.
Posted by BBN on 5/22/2010
to Soap
Did you know most of the commercial soap bars that line most grocery
stores� shelves are actually synthetic detergents?
I’ve spent this afternoon trying to get better educated on the features
of worldpress.com, Facebook, and Twitter and how to get them all to work
together. I officially have a headache now. So, that means it’s time
to unwind in the kitchen with some oils, butter, herbs, a little music
and a lot of soap making. Have a beautiful weekend.
Well world, I’ve finally given in to positive peer pressure and started a
blog. I intend to use this blog as a forum for sharing information
about the soap and body care industry from the perspective of a small
business owner and consumer of handmade, skin healthy and natural
products. I hope you find the information I post here to be both
informative and entertaining. And I encourage you join me in the
discussion.
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