Showing posts with label cold process soap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cold process soap. Show all posts

Friday, February 26, 2010

Skin Care Essentials-Cleanse

I'm often asked "What product would you recommend to make my skin look younger/healthier/acne free?" I wish there was a magic product or even better, a magic pill that you could take once a month and take care of all your skin problems. Sorry to dissapoint you, there is no such thing. Taking care of your skin is an everyday routine. I know that setting-up an everyday routine is probably too much to ask from many of you, but I encourage you to give your best shot at it and see what happens. Can't do it every day, then do it every other day or every three days. I guarantee, you will love the results and at some point you will be happy to do it everyday. There are four steps of skincare regiment that I would like to cover in our future weekly "Healthy Tips". Those four steps are: cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize.

Cleanse - cleanser is a facial care product that is used to remove make-up, dead skin cells, oil, dirt and other types of pollutants from the skin of the face. This helps to unclog pores and prevent skin conditions such as acne. As many of you know already, I have become a natural skincare addict after expiriencing results first hand. My whole family uses Marmalade Hills facial bars every day, even our youngters.
Marmalade Hills has four all natural facial bar soaps for most skin types. Our facial bars are gentle with creamy lather and are packed with nourishing, skin loving ingredients. For oily skin type we recommend Tea Tree Cucumber Facial Bar (in curing): made with natural clays, cucumber peel powder and prescious Australian Tea Tree Essential Oil. This soap will help to draw out impurities and keep production of sebum and appearance of acnes under control.
For sensitive and mature skin types we recommend Geranium Facial Bar: made with pink clay, wheat germ oil, extra vitamin E and envigorating Bourbon* Geranium and Indonesian Dark* Patchouli Essential Oils. This soap will improve skin's elasticity/firmness, clarity and texture.
For dry/sensitive/baby skin we recommend either French* Lavender or Milk n' Honey Facial Bar. Both soaps are made with Goat Milk with addition of extra moisturizing and soothing ingredients like oats, shea butter and golden honey. Milk n' Honey soap is completely unscented while Lavender Facial Bar is infused with French* Lavender Essential Oil.

* - Depending on the region of cultivation there are many different types of Essential Oils. In our facial bars we use only high quality or creme de la creme of essential oils that are considered more precious and exquisite due to their origin.

Still not convinced? Here is what experts say about natural bar soaps as facial cleansers->
Article taken from Spa Magazine:
"For years, women relied on simple bars of soap to wash their faces, but with the arrival of liquid, foam, and cream cleansers came the idea that bars dry the skin and clog pores.
It turns out that some soaps got a bum rap. "In general, they're not bad," says Jennifer Reichel, M.D., director of Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center in Seattle. "Some bar soaps can be very gentle and moisturizing and do not necessarily trap oils and chemicals."
The soaps that deserve the negative attention are those that contain synthetic detergents or surfactants (like alkyl benzene sulfonate). "Synthetic detergents can be drying, which makes them a poor choice for many skin types,"says Angela L. Bowman Wales, president and CEO of Lillian Skincare, a manufacturer of organic skincare products.
But liquid cleansers can cause problems as well, according to Julia Hunter, M.D., founder of Skin Fitness Plus, a cosmetic spa in Los Angeles. Detergents (often sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate), preservatives (such as parabens), and antimicrobials (triclosan, for example) can cause inflammation and disrupt hormones. Instead, opt for soap with coconut oil, shea butter, glycerin, or olive oil. Although these emollients are often thought to cause breakouts, there is generally not enough in soaps to have such an effect. "Personally, I would choose emollients over inflammatory chemicals," says Hunter."

Till next time,
Liana.

P.S. if you have missed our previous healthy tips you can find them here:
Clean Truth about Antibacterial Soap
10 Foods that are healthier than you think
Healthy Nails Tips
Healthy Hair Tips
When to buy Organic and when it's ok not to
Benefits of Green Tea
Beauty Sleep
Fish Oil or Omega 3 & 6
How to add years to your life

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checking Software

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Marmalade Hills Official Debut



Good day my friends! After long time in draft Marmalade Hills' website is ready for it's official debut! We are still hard at work on our shopping cart but now we finally have a place that we can call HOME! It feels great to see how everything takes shape and coming together slowly but surely! You are witnessing a very important moment in Marmalade Hills' life :)
Please stop by to test drive our website and leave your feedbacks and comments!

Truly yours,
Liana.

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checking Software

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

What is soap?


I wanted to talk about natural and cold process soaps in particular, since I started this blog. But because it seemed like such a massive subject I have been putting it off and putting it off untill today. So get yourself a hot cup of cocoa and read on...
According to various legends, modern soap has its origins at mount Sapo where sacrifices were often cremated and hardwood ashes would accumulate (an early source of alkali). These ashes mixed with the tallow of the sacrificed animals. It is said that after a heavy rain a yellow runoff from the fire pit made its way downhill from the temple. The local women washing their clothes in the river noticed that their clothes were cleaner when the river ran yellow. Over time it was learned that adding salt water to the mixture would precipitate the removal of glycerin and excess water, thus making the soap harder, and not subject to the month long curing process required of true handmade soap. This old-fashioned "yellow soap" was used for laundry, dishes, and the occasional bath. But don't forget, it is just a legend. I am not sure whether anybody really knows the true story.
Well then, what is soap? Soap is a result of chemical reaction between oils and alkiline solution (the base, popularly referred to as lye) this process is also known as saponification. Soap cannot be made without lye. But be sure that because of our precise formulation and a curing period of six weeks, there is absolutely no trace of lye left in Marmalade Hills' natural soap. So how does soap work? Soap molecules can dissolve in water and at the same time they can dissolve grease molecules. While normally oil and water do not mix, the addition of soap allows oils to dissolve in water, allowing them to be rinsed away easily as water strings down your body and into the drain. Brilliantly simple! Nature has her ways of taking care of everything, doesn't she?
What is so special about handcrafted, cold process soap? All soaps are not created equaly. Today's soaps are often made from cleaning agents, such as synthetic detergents and are designed to look like a "beauty bar" or "body bar". The truth is that they are made with the same chemicals you use to wash your dishes or your car. Marmalade Hills' natural cold process soaps are completely different from mass produced soap or even glycerin soaps (these are sold as melt and pour bases). Our handcrafted soaps are made from skin loving, vegetable ingredients and other nature derrived ingredients like earth pigments, clays, herbs and essential oils. Our soaps will not over-dry your skin, as many tend to believe. The cold process soap is the best thing for your skin! In fact I recommend it even over our natural shower gels - those are not as gentle, because even though they are both technically natural, they are not made the same way...but that's another story. All our cold process soaps are made with high-quality, natural ingredients carefully chosen for their healing and beneficial abilities. Food grade Olive Oil is used as a base oil (about 50% of all oils), we also add coconut oil and palm oil for hardness. No vegetable shortenings or canola oil here. In addition I love to play with herbal infusions, prescious oils and butters by adding them at the end of the saponification process. It is called superfatting. This way additional oils do not go through full saponification process, they retain their nutrients and hang around to make our soaps extra moisturizing and gentle. All Marmalade Hills' soaps are made from scratch, using time tested "cold process" method. We mix warm oils, lye and water together. We pour raw soap in small 10 lb molds, let it sit wrapped in blankets for 48 hours. We unmold, cut, weigh and package soaps by hand. So you are getting the most unique yet very functional treat you can get!
Finally, how to take care of your cold process soap? Cold process soap will last you for a very long time if stored properly. Do not leave your soap under a running water, store it away in a dry spot of your shower on a soap dish with drainage holes on the bottom. You can use a regular soap dish, but you must use simple soap saver in this case.

Got SOAP?!

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checking Software

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Holiday SALE

Our Spring line of products has been finalized and it means that it is time to make some room for our new, deliciously smelling inventory! Enjoy the remaining stock of our popular seasonal products at 50% off! We had a great run this Holiday season and have only limited quantities of each product left. Remember, when these are gone they are gone until next Winter!

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checking Software

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Spring/Summer Collection Reveal



Even though you may still be shivering from mid winter freeze, at Marmalade Hills it is already Spring if not Summer! My studio smells like juicy apples, apricots, emerald ferns and sweet florals. Many of your favorite products will be updated with new sophisticated fragrances and coordinating designs. I also have formulated a few brand new products that will join a family of "all-time favorite" products. Here is a quick peek at our new fragrances: Applecot Tini, Woodland Ferns, Thai Coconut and Sweet Pea. Our artisan soaps, body lotions, body washes, soy products, bath bombs and linen mists will be available in these yummy new scents. Inspired by new and exciting ingredients I have decided to expand our collection of facial masks, whipped body polishes and facial toners. In a few months we will be introducing Applecot Puree Body Polish formulated with real apple extract and apricot shells for extra scrubby ability; Applecot Firming Facial Mask with naturally derived alpha-hydroxy acids; Apple Twist Facial Fusion which is nothing more than pure Apple Fruit Water and plant extracts. This all is coming up in Spring of 2010, but for now I hope you are enjoying your winter wonderland!

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checking Software

Monday, December 14, 2009

Third Fan Page Giveaway


We have been having regular Fan Page Giveaways every time Marmalade Hills acquires 30 new fans! Our third Fan Page giveaway is here! Anyone who is our fan onFacebook can enroll to win! This time winner will receive a set of Handcrafted Soap and Lip Balm of their choice!
There are a few rules: to enroll in this giveaway you must be Marmalade Hills’ fan on Facebook; you must be 18 years of age or older; you have to comment on this post and tell us which scents would you like to see in our Spring/Summer collection?. Here are your choices: 1-Big Apple; 2-Sweet Pea; 3-Honeysuckle; 4-Woodland Ferns; 5-Cantaloupe Lily; 6-Apricot Parfait; 7-Saffron Honey. If you are submitting your comment as anonymous you will need to leave your first name and last initial at the end of the comment. Giveaway will go on for one week, until 12-22-09, collecting comments from our fans. Only the ones who left comments will participate in giveaway. After one week I will use online Randomizer to choose a winner. Winner will be contacted via Facebook messaging about their shipping information.

Good Luck!

In case you missed it, results for our first and second Fan Page giveaway are here and here.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Second Fan Page Giveaway Results

Big thank you to our active fans for participating in our Second Giveaway! I wish you all could win, but we will only have one winner tonight. As always I have numbered fans' comments as they were posted: 1-Mary Barris, 2-Monica, 3-Kess N and Crystal W, 4-Christine Wilson, 5-Donna Maria. Here we go... drum roll please (not the same without it)


Our winner is Monica! Congratulations Monica, you are getting your gift of choice: Zesty Cranberry Omega 3 Body Lotion! ENJOY!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Second Fan Page Giveaway

Our second Fan Page giveaway is here! Anyone who is our fan on Facebook can enroll to win any product from our shop! There are a few rules: to enroll in this giveaway you must be Marmalade Hills’ fan on Facebook; you must be 18 years of age or older; you have to comment on this post and tell us which product you would like to select as your prize and why. If you are submitting your comment as anonymous you will have to leave your first name and last initial at the end of the comment. You cannot choose sets as your possible prize, only one particular item. Giveaway will go on for one week, until 12-12-09, collecting comments from our fans. Only the ones who left comments will participate in giveaway. After one week I will use online Randomizer to choose a winner. Winner will be contacted via Facebook messaging about their shipping information.

Good Luck!

In case you missed it, results for our first Fan Page giveaway are here.


Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Elf Shelf Raffle

I have 22 email addresses in my sign up sheets. I will contact all the participants about the raffle once and those who have checked the box for receiving updates in the future, will be automatically signed up for our Newsletter. I have numbered all the participants as they were added to the list and here it is as follows:
1-Jenny M; 2-Amina G; 3-JoEllen G; 4-Chris W; 5-Ann W; 6-Annete O; 7-Wendy C; 8-Sue S, 9-Kevin M, 10-Andrea D, 11-Sue R, 12-Tanya A, 13-Nancy S, 14-Sherrill J, 15-Mary Ellen H, 16-Kathleen S, 17-Michele K, 18-Megan B, 19-Michael S, 20-Mary B, 21-Mali B, 22-Brittany L.
*In case of unclear handwriting of the email addresses, winner’s email notification may come back to my mailbox. In this case I will subtract that person from the list and random number for the winner will be regenerated.
The lucky winner will be getting our Omega 3 Body Lotion and One Bar of Soap.
And here it goes! Drum roll please…

Our lucky winner is Mary Ellen! Congratulations Mary Ellen! I can neither recollect who you are nor if you made a purchase that day, but I will gladly mail you your prize as soon as I have your shipping info! and don't forget to select your scents!

Thank you very much to everybody for stopping by at our booth last Saturday! If we could grab your attention among many other wonderful crafters, it means we are doing something right! Hope to see you in our shop and don’t forget to use your Free Shipping codes that some of you received at Elf Shelf.

Happy Holidays!

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Elf Shelf 2009

I finally came to my senses after the show. When I applied for this show I had no idea what to expect and I had no idea how big this show was. I just knew that I have to make progress every day and keep moving ahead. What a crazy time that was: taking care of kids, I gave up on cleaning the house, going to the studio to make products, cooking dinner, back to the studio to make more products… Last night before the show, we stayed up till 2:30am finishing labels and got up 3 ½ hrs later to go to the show. That day was really rough, but adrenalin kept me going and I think, I haven’t eaten all day that day, just coffee and water. Thank God I had my friend with me, who was helping me with everything. I am not sure if it is even possible to do shows on your own. Our booth was in the last room, so the foot traffic was kind of light compare to the two main rooms, in the early morning it even looked a bit empty. People started coming in at 9am sharp! We had our first sale 30 min or so after the opening. We burned and crashed with our first credit card order, it was a $40 purchase and the system was BUSY! Why does it always have to go this way? The lady was very nice and gave us a check and made another $30 purchase :) It was a good start and now looking back, we were pretty busy all day: meeting people, telling them about cold process method of making soaps, talking about benefits of using natural skincare products, making orders, refilling shelves with products, making customized gift sets and processing cards. We could hardly catch up on things, because it was a lot of people around our booth at all times and we tried to be helpful and attend to every stopper-by. There were many different people: some were just wondering around and stopped by just to get a chocolate, some went straight to soaps, and some were interested only in facial care. A few of my good friends stopped by to show us their support and make a purchase, it was very important to hear their words of encouragement. So after all, it was a great show with a big turn out of 1,600 guests and us making great sales! If this is how people shop when the economy is bad, then I can hardly wait to find out how they shop when the economy is good! We had 22 people sign up for the raffle which will be held tonight. The winner will get Omega 3 Body Lotion and one Soap of their choice.
Marmalade Hills will be back to Elf Shelf next Holiday season for sure, only bigger and better and in either of two main rooms! This show has taught me so many things and I cannot wait to improve my flaws next year. I will keep trying until I get it perfect!

I wanted to share with you some of the pictures from the show, please keep in mind that I had only 3 ½ hrs of sleep that night :) So have mercy!
Early Morning: setting up (next year I will have a huge banner behind my booth to cover up any ugly doors or walls)
Side View with soap rack, body mists and soy melts.
Display with raffle sign up sheet, my MICE poster and Specials Menu.

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Monday, November 30, 2009

1st Fan Page Giveaway Winner!

Although we had only three comments submitted and therefore only three people enrolled to win our prize, we have our First Fan Page Giveaway Winner who will get our Silky Bath Bomb and Natural Lip Balm with Rose Hip Oil! I have numbered fans’ comments as they were posted: 1-Cristina Wyatt, 2-Christine Wilson, 3-Mary Barris. And the winner IS! Drum roll please… Cristina Wyatt! Congratulations Cristina! I will be putting your body treats in the mail as soon as I receive your shipping info. Don’t forget to choose your scents!
Our next Fan Page Giveaway is just 5 fans away! (rules are here). Next time I want to try a different approach, I will let you guys pick the prize! So stay tuned!

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thank You!


Last few days before the show have been very busy. But everything seems to be coming together. I have set my mind to not let anything spoil this fun experience. So I am not nervous at all…yet. I am sure it’ll get to me more on Friday. Since I have never done a show before I have no idea what to expect. I will be just happy to meet new people, establish new contacts, see my old friends and family, but picking up one or two wholesale accounts won’t hurt either! I cannot wait to practice my sales skills, polish up my knowledge about Marmalade Hills’ products and become more organized and prepared to take my business to the next level, because I do have an idea on where I want to be the following week after the show. I would like to get my first retail location where my products will be offered with full shopping experience. This show will definitely put things like my price point, feedbacks, presentation, in perspective for me. I will not be posting much to my Fan Page up until Monday. I will need to retreat and enjoy whatever will be left of my Thanksgiving with my family. On Tuesday, we will have a raffle that would be held at the show and hopefully we will pick up some new fans out there as well and maybe even have another Fan Page giveaway back to back! And then I have a few fun Holiday ideas up my sleeve inspired by one of our fans, Christine Wilson. So stay tuned and hope to see you at the show and in our shop!

Hope you have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thank You for supporting Marmalade Hills!

Liana.

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Monday, November 23, 2009

Fan Page First Giveaway


We have been around Facebook only one week and we already acquired over 30 fans. So it is time to start a fun tradition of regular giveaways. I love giveaways because they give us a chance to introduce our fans to Marmalade Hills’ decadent and natural products. And it gives our fans an opportunity to pamper their senses and have spa-like experience in their own bathroom. Our lives are full of every day chaos, adult responsibilities, constant pressure from reaching and achieving our personal goals. In order to maintain our sanity we owe to ourselves to slow down, relax and take a deep breath before plunging into the new challenges.
In addition to many other future giveaways, our Facebook Fan Page giveaway will take place each time we acquire 30 new fans. Prizes for each giveaway will be announced on our Fan Page. To enroll in this giveaway you must be Marmalade Hills’ Fan on Facebook; you must be 18 years of age or older; you have to leave us a comment on our Facebook page, topic for comments will vary for each giveaway and will be announced on Fan Page. Giveaway will go on for one week, collecting comments from our fans. Only ones who left comments will participate in giveaway. For our first giveaway I have chosen two of my personal favorites: Silky Cream Bath Bomb and Lip Balm. After one week we will use online Randomizer to choose a winner. Winner will be contacted via Facebook messaging about their shipping information.

Good luck!

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

New products are coming your way!

New soaps are finally all dry! I usually wait for 6 weeks before offering them to customers. From the moment of mixing a fresh batch and until 6 weeks have passed you really don't know how the finished bar of soap will look like (and it is one of the most exciting parts of making cold process soap!). When soap is still in a pot it looks totally different than after 48 hours in the mold... and as it dries it keeps changing color due to water evaporation and air exposure. Here is how fresh Gingersnap looks like (here) and compare it to what it looks like now The Gingersnap turned light brown after it came out of the mold and as it was drying it got darker and darker. It is completely naturally inherited color from Goat Milk and Fragrance Oil: in two words, all goat milk soaps are usually brownish and any fragrance that has Vanilla notes in it will turn soap brown. So in this case it turned double brown! But it still smells scrumptious!

I will be uploading new soaps and products to my shop every day. Until then here is a little preview of a few things that are coming up!
Of course all this and more you will be able to see for yourself at the Holiday Gift Show this year!

Stay tuned!


Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious