Home / Past Newsletters / November 2014
November 2014
Make some dream cream, make a moisturiser bar, or experiment with our new Melt & Pour soap moulds - so satisfying, and it doesn't cost the earth...
What's new
Coconut oils: Once the hot summer days arrive, we will need to package our coconut oils in jerrycans - so start saving your pails! No one is happy when a pail leaks sticky coconut oil through the contents of a courier van. To remove the coconut oil, place the jerrycan in the sun to warm, or put it in a warm water bath. Sorry for the extra work!
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New soap moulds: We are delighted that have arrived in time for you to make beautiful soaps for gifts.
we've been using for a few weeks now. You will find some of the more expensive carrier oils in this size too. (The photo shows them with a 20ml dropper bottle.)
Exfoliants: A new exfoliant has arrived - whole kiwiseeds. And ground raspberry seeds are arriving in early December.
The perfect gift
We have great moulds in stock: Turtle and starfish are cute, and the sheep is a favourite with kids.
Look at the full range of moulds here.
Lots more about using melt & pour soap with kids here.
Put the balm in lip balm pots (choose 15 or 30ml) or plastic lip balm tubes (a bit trickier - make sure the balm has cooled a bit before filling), or, if you are into serious production, buy one of our lip balm filling trays. It makes the process so easy.
Last-minute gifts:
It’s so nice to be able to respond to an unexpected last-minute gift with something appealing.
Keep on hand a bottle of a lovely oil such as organic jojoba or organic argan, and some 20ml dropper bottles that you can fill. Make a handmade label for the 20ml bottle, and you have a gift!
For the not-needed-immediately gift: Last year we introduced pots of skincare clay. Clays have been used for skincare for thousands of years, but they have never been more relevant than now. Most of us live in urban environments with many invisible pollutants, and we're looking for ways to cleanse our skin gently but thoroughly.
From now until Christmas, 200ml pots of our three favourite French clays will be available on the website. The label has instructions for use (mix a tablespoon or two with a little water to make a face mask).
Use the recipient address option at checkout to send your gift direct to the receiver.
Need inspiration to make your own?
I’m starting now on making gifts for family and friends – putting together a selection that suits each person.
Here’s what I’ve prepared so far:
Back to top...
New Recipes
Bath melts
96g baking soda
64g cocoa butter
32g citric acid
4g essential /fragrance oil
Melt the cocoa butter, add the baking soda and citric acid and pour into little chocolate-type moulds. Leave to set.
Protect from moisture by wrapping in cellophane or plastic wrap.
If you use our organic natural cocoa butter you won’t need any other fragrance as the cocoa butter smells so divine.
If you want to add a fragrance, then use our deodorised cocoa butter.
I also tried this recipe with shea butter. It worked but the melts didn’t look nearly as nice and were hard to unmould.
Moisturiser bar
These are great to take away on holidays: No liquids to spill or have confiscated.
94g coconut oil
50g kokum butter
50g white beeswax
4g essential/fragrance oil
2g vitamin E
Melt everything gently in a pot, pour into soap moulds. Leave to set.
Dream Cream
Water phase:
100g rose hydrosol
10g hydrolysed wheat protein
8g glycerin
Oil phase:
32g olive oil, extra virgin
26g emulsifier NF
20g cocoa butter organic deodorised
Last phase:
1 tsp Geogard 221
½ tsp chamomile extract dissolved in 50g water
few drops lavender essential oil
few drops rose absolute (optional)
Method:
Heat Water Phase to 65°.
Heat Oil Phase separately until melted. Cool to 65°.
Pour Oil Phase into Water Phase and blend until thick and creamy. It won't thicken until it cools to around 40°.
Add Last Phase and blend again.
Spoon into pots.
back to top...
Fragrance ideas from our draw
Wonderful entries in our last draw - thank you to everyone who entered.
Here are some that combine the light fragrances of citrus essential oils (bergamot and others) with the "deeper" notes of geranium, frankincense, ylang ylang, etc.
We haven't tested these, but I've used variations on this theme last winter in the bath, and I love playing with a bergamot/geranium/lavender/ylang ylang combination.
From simple to more complex:
The delighted winners of Go Native eye contour cream from our last newsletter draw were Victoria, Marian, and Lisa. Marian emailed, "It's inspired me to get back into formulating my own skincare and I'm working on some formulations now." That's great to hear, Marian!
back to top...
What's new
Coconut oils: Once the hot summer days arrive, we will need to package our coconut oils in jerrycans - so start saving your pails! No one is happy when a pail leaks sticky coconut oil through the contents of a courier van. To remove the coconut oil, place the jerrycan in the sun to warm, or put it in a warm water bath. Sorry for the extra work!
<span "="">
New soap moulds: We are delighted that have arrived in time for you to make beautiful soaps for gifts.
- New turtle and starfish - both great shapes for soap
- Pentagonal bee - this makes a soap that sits beautifully in the hand. For a special soap, add some honey to your recipe.
- The charming Heart of roses (shown) is back in stock - our favourite!
- Classic shapes - it's astonishingly hard to find beautiful shapes, but we love these - the single oval and the heart, round, oval mould make elegant soaps.
we've been using for a few weeks now. You will find some of the more expensive carrier oils in this size too. (The photo shows them with a 20ml dropper bottle.)Exfoliants: A new exfoliant has arrived - whole kiwiseeds. And ground raspberry seeds are arriving in early December.
The perfect gift
There’s still time to avoid the shopping madness and make gifts from scratch – it may not take any longer than battling the crowds at the mall, and it's a whole lot more fun!
Or… if you're just too busy, give others the pleasure of doing it themselves - a kit is a wonderful gift. (If you order a kit as a gift, we can send it direct to the recipient.)
These ideas are just to inspire you. The possibilities are endless!
Gifts for women:
Or… if you're just too busy, give others the pleasure of doing it themselves - a kit is a wonderful gift. (If you order a kit as a gift, we can send it direct to the recipient.)
These ideas are just to inspire you. The possibilities are endless!
Gifts for women:
-
A small bottle of a special oil (argan, jojoba,…) or a blend such as Frances' facial oil
-
A jar of moisturiser you’ve made yourself – Dream cream is gorgeous
- Moisturiser bar
- Bath melts
- An organic balm - Create your own with organic beeswax and organic oils, and the info here. Balms are so versatile – you can make them soft or firm, with a range of oils.
- Hair treatment – make it yourself with these tried and true recipes: Amazing hair mask or Summer hair repair
- Cosmetic clay in a jar
- Face mask: A choice of three kinds. These come in a foil package.
- Body butter kit
- Moisturiser kit
- Cold-process soapmaking kit (for the intrepid!)
- Melt & Pour Soap Kit (check out the mini kits)
- Lip balm kit
- Massage oil – go here to create your own blend, and here’s a simple but fragrant recipe.
- Organic beard oil - we know men who think this is great stuff
- Moisturiser – make your own, or add fragrance to our light moisturiser base or rich moisturiser base. If he's a DIY enthusiast, maybe he'd enjoy making it himself with a moisturiser kit??
- Before-sun oil and after-sun oil
- Melt & pour soap is great fun with kids. What granny won’t melt when she receives a beautiful and fragrant soap created by her mokopuna?
We have great moulds in stock: Turtle and starfish are cute, and the sheep is a favourite with kids.
Look at the full range of moulds here.
Lots more about using melt & pour soap with kids here.
- Bath bombs are another straightforward and satisfying thing to make. The mould is inexpensive, and the recipes reliable.
- Bath melts are easy to make and fun to use - they have fizz, fragrance and finesse(?)... they make the skin feel great!
- Lip balm is simple to make, and our chocolate lip balm recipe is fabulous!
Put the balm in lip balm pots (choose 15 or 30ml) or plastic lip balm tubes (a bit trickier - make sure the balm has cooled a bit before filling), or, if you are into serious production, buy one of our lip balm filling trays. It makes the process so easy.
Last-minute gifts:
It’s so nice to be able to respond to an unexpected last-minute gift with something appealing.
Keep on hand a bottle of a lovely oil such as organic jojoba or organic argan, and some 20ml dropper bottles that you can fill. Make a handmade label for the 20ml bottle, and you have a gift!
For the not-needed-immediately gift: Last year we introduced pots of skincare clay. Clays have been used for skincare for thousands of years, but they have never been more relevant than now. Most of us live in urban environments with many invisible pollutants, and we're looking for ways to cleanse our skin gently but thoroughly.
From now until Christmas, 200ml pots of our three favourite French clays will be available on the website. The label has instructions for use (mix a tablespoon or two with a little water to make a face mask).
Use the recipient address option at checkout to send your gift direct to the receiver.
Need inspiration to make your own?
I’m starting now on making gifts for family and friends – putting together a selection that suits each person.
Here’s what I’ve prepared so far:
- cocoa butter lip balm (100% organic virgin cocoa butter – love the aroma!)
- little bottles of organic argan oil
- zinc cream for fair-skinned noses
- after-sun oil
- organic creamy body butter
- room spray: kawakawa hydrosol (for forest-loving friends) in a 100ml bottle with a mister
Back to top...
New Recipes
Bath melts
96g baking soda
64g cocoa butter
32g citric acid
4g essential /fragrance oil
Melt the cocoa butter, add the baking soda and citric acid and pour into little chocolate-type moulds. Leave to set.
Protect from moisture by wrapping in cellophane or plastic wrap.
If you use our organic natural cocoa butter you won’t need any other fragrance as the cocoa butter smells so divine.
If you want to add a fragrance, then use our deodorised cocoa butter.
I also tried this recipe with shea butter. It worked but the melts didn’t look nearly as nice and were hard to unmould.
Moisturiser bar
These are great to take away on holidays: No liquids to spill or have confiscated.
94g coconut oil
50g kokum butter
50g white beeswax
4g essential/fragrance oil
2g vitamin E
Melt everything gently in a pot, pour into soap moulds. Leave to set.
Dream Cream
Water phase:
100g rose hydrosol
10g hydrolysed wheat protein
8g glycerin
Oil phase:
32g olive oil, extra virgin
26g emulsifier NF
20g cocoa butter organic deodorised
Last phase:
1 tsp Geogard 221
½ tsp chamomile extract dissolved in 50g water
few drops lavender essential oil
few drops rose absolute (optional)
Method:
Heat Water Phase to 65°.
Heat Oil Phase separately until melted. Cool to 65°.
Pour Oil Phase into Water Phase and blend until thick and creamy. It won't thicken until it cools to around 40°.
Add Last Phase and blend again.
Spoon into pots.
back to top...
Fragrance ideas from our draw
Wonderful entries in our last draw - thank you to everyone who entered.
Here are some that combine the light fragrances of citrus essential oils (bergamot and others) with the "deeper" notes of geranium, frankincense, ylang ylang, etc.
We haven't tested these, but I've used variations on this theme last winter in the bath, and I love playing with a bergamot/geranium/lavender/ylang ylang combination.
From simple to more complex:
- Orange and geranium essential oils – "Sometimes I put in a dash of lemon as well. It is quite refreshing." (Johlene)
- 1 part mandarin, 1 part ylang ylang (Daniela)
- Bergamot, patchouli and ylang ylang - Kass says, "It has a lovely sensual scent and tends to evoke feelings of intimacy and warmth."
- 3 parts orange, 3 parts lavender, 2 parts ylang ylang (Susan)
- 10 drops orange, 8 drops palmarosa, 3 drops clary sage, 2 drops frankincense, 2 drops bergamot (Frances)
- 2 parts ginger, 2 parts bergamot, 1 part mandarin, 1 part lemon, 1 part lime and 1 part clove bud (Vicki)
The delighted winners of Go Native eye contour cream from our last newsletter draw were Victoria, Marian, and Lisa. Marian emailed, "It's inspired me to get back into formulating my own skincare and I'm working on some formulations now." That's great to hear, Marian!
back to top...
What does it mean?
Parfum
When you read the ingredients listing for a product, the ingredient names conform to a standard known as INCI. It’s great – it means that once you are familiar with the INCI names, you know exactly what the product is made from. But there’s a catch: “Parfum” is a catch-all ingredient, a word used to cover a huge range of compounds – and it is probably one of these substances that you will be reacting to if you have sensitive skin. Unfortunately INCI provides no help for someone trying to figure out exactly what is making them itch.
A cosmetic industry article summarises the situation:
“…In all the thousands of entries, only two totally ambiguous names survive, shrouded in mystery, one of which we’ll discuss herein: Fragrance (parfum)—the other being flavor.
This ambiguity is perfectly legal. According to 21 CFR 701.3(a), 'The label on each package of a cosmetic shall bear a declaration of the name of each ingredient in descending order of predominance, except that fragrance or flavor may be listed as fragrance or flavor.' ”
Read more at
http://www.gcimagazine.com/marketstrends/segments/fragrance/132990058.html?page=1
When you make your own skincare, you know what’s in it – and you can experiment with essential oils for fragrance and hopefully create products that smell wonderful and feel fabulous!
Our organic natural cocoa butter has the most divine fragrance (we think) that can delicately perfume creams and butters. Fill a lip balm tube with pure cocoa butter for happy lips and a fragrant experience.
back to top...
Sun care
At this time of the year we have many calls and enquiries from those of you who are keen to avoid conventional sunscreens, often because of chemical sensitivity.
Staying safe in the sun is a balancing act, taking account of two principles:
1. Sunburn is devastating for the skin, causing both short-term and long-term damage.
2. Sunshine is the best source of vitamin D, which is crucial for vitality and good health - we are only now beginning to understand the many subtle effects of deficiency. (There's lots of misinformation around, so read critically if you're wandering the web.)
A few thoughts about finding the balance between exposure and protection:
Oils for the sun
Make up an oil blend for applying to skin well before going out in the sun, and after a shower at the end of the day. Many oils provide a small degree of sun protection, and help the skin cope with wind and water - and at night, help the skin recover from the rigours of the day.
Choose two or more for multiple benefits.
Before-sun oils:
Avocado
Sesame
Camellia
Argan
Sunflower
Jojoba
Hazelnut
Raspberry seed
Wild shea butter
A touch of Sea Buckthorn
After-sun oils:
Calendula infused
Hemp seed
Rosehip
Evening primrose
If you add fragrance, avoid citrus essential oils, which can make the skin react to sunlight. As well as the obvious ones, remember that bergamot, petitgrain, neroli and yuzu are citrus oils too.
And having sorted your skin protection, enjoy the glorious relaxing warmth of summer sun!
back to top...
Best wishes for a relaxing festive season.
Elinor, Chelsea, & Jacqui
Parfum
When you read the ingredients listing for a product, the ingredient names conform to a standard known as INCI. It’s great – it means that once you are familiar with the INCI names, you know exactly what the product is made from. But there’s a catch: “Parfum” is a catch-all ingredient, a word used to cover a huge range of compounds – and it is probably one of these substances that you will be reacting to if you have sensitive skin. Unfortunately INCI provides no help for someone trying to figure out exactly what is making them itch.
A cosmetic industry article summarises the situation:
“…In all the thousands of entries, only two totally ambiguous names survive, shrouded in mystery, one of which we’ll discuss herein: Fragrance (parfum)—the other being flavor.
This ambiguity is perfectly legal. According to 21 CFR 701.3(a), 'The label on each package of a cosmetic shall bear a declaration of the name of each ingredient in descending order of predominance, except that fragrance or flavor may be listed as fragrance or flavor.' ”
Read more at
http://www.gcimagazine.com/marketstrends/segments/fragrance/132990058.html?page=1
When you make your own skincare, you know what’s in it – and you can experiment with essential oils for fragrance and hopefully create products that smell wonderful and feel fabulous!
Our organic natural cocoa butter has the most divine fragrance (we think) that can delicately perfume creams and butters. Fill a lip balm tube with pure cocoa butter for happy lips and a fragrant experience.
back to top...
Sun care
At this time of the year we have many calls and enquiries from those of you who are keen to avoid conventional sunscreens, often because of chemical sensitivity.
Staying safe in the sun is a balancing act, taking account of two principles:
1. Sunburn is devastating for the skin, causing both short-term and long-term damage.
2. Sunshine is the best source of vitamin D, which is crucial for vitality and good health - we are only now beginning to understand the many subtle effects of deficiency. (There's lots of misinformation around, so read critically if you're wandering the web.)
A few thoughts about finding the balance between exposure and protection:
- White zinc cream is white because the particles are bigger than nano particles. It may not look great, but it's an effective sun barrier. Make your own simply by adding zinc oxide to our light moisturiser or rich moisturiser.
- Oils such as raspberry seed, argan, sesame, coconut, and others are likely to increase the time you can be in the sun without getting burned, but can never give the kind of protection we've come to expect from high-SPF sunscreens. Use with discretion!
- Eat lots of veges and drink lots of water! There are studies indicating that skin which is well nourished and well hydrated from within will remain healthy in the sun.
- Small children have delicate skin. Protect it carefully, but give them some uncovered time as well.
- It's worth finding a way of getting your vitamin D as nature intended. Ultimately, the sun is our friend! The Vitamin D Council website has clear, authoritative and useful info:
Oils for the sun
Make up an oil blend for applying to skin well before going out in the sun, and after a shower at the end of the day. Many oils provide a small degree of sun protection, and help the skin cope with wind and water - and at night, help the skin recover from the rigours of the day.
Choose two or more for multiple benefits.
Before-sun oils:
Avocado
Sesame
Camellia
Argan
Sunflower
Jojoba
Hazelnut
Raspberry seed
Wild shea butter
A touch of Sea Buckthorn
After-sun oils:
Calendula infused
Hemp seed
Rosehip
Evening primrose
If you add fragrance, avoid citrus essential oils, which can make the skin react to sunlight. As well as the obvious ones, remember that bergamot, petitgrain, neroli and yuzu are citrus oils too.
And having sorted your skin protection, enjoy the glorious relaxing warmth of summer sun!
back to top...
Best wishes for a relaxing festive season.
Elinor, Chelsea, & Jacqui