The Fragrance that is Greenery and Why Perfumers Flirt with It.

In researching what are the up and coming trends in perfumery for 2023 the term "greenery" or "herbaceous" kept appearing. A green note is defined as the smell of cut stems, fresh cut grass, sometimes wet with dew, green peas, hay and leaves when they are crunched in your hand. Perfumers often balance the scent out with a floral or mossy base note. The "greenery" scent is said to give rise to memories of spring and summer days, because of this it can have the potential to evoke pleasant  feelings of happiness and positivity. Could this be one of the reasons why perfumers flirt with this fragrance in varying degrees from time to time?

In 1947 Balmains Vent Vert was the first time the green note was used prominently in a perfume, it contained large amounts of Galbanium. Galbanium is an aromatic gum resin of certain umbelliferous Persian plant species. Umbelliferous plants also include celery, carrots and parsley.

For 2023 I will be introducing a new line of  "greenery" inspired handmade soaps! I have already flirted with this fragrance in my Spa Soap Line with, Corriander and Salted Olive Castile Handmade Soap and my Summer Soap Line with, Summer Weather Changing Handmade Soap. I will be introducing, Sage and Vetiver Handmade Soap, Lemongrass and Ginger Handmade Soap, Spa Castile Handmade Soap and Tuberose Castile Handmade Soap. These earthy, yet light and fresh scents are a look forward to warmer, lighter days. A time when we catch that first scent of spring, it's coming, we just have to wait a bit longer. Anticipation, how sweet or green it is!

Check out my Etsy shop during the month of January 2023 for new soaps being added! MercurialGirlbyGina For further reading I recommend Ken Druse's book The Scentual Garden

and a short history of perfume The Story of Perfume.

Gina💗

Lemongrass and Ginger Handmade Soap

Sage and Vetiver Handmade Soap

Lemongrass and Ginger Handmade Soap

 

Winter Skin Woes!

Now that the holiday rush is over and we have time to slow down and settle back into our old routines, we realize that we are heading into the coldest and harshest part of the winter season. Then we realize, wow my skin is really dry!

Dry skin in the winter can often be painful, especially when it is on the hands. It is often hard to keep the hands moisturized because we are always using them. Why does this happen to our skin during the winter months?

Cold temperatures and low humidity are the primary culprits. When the outer layer of the skin, which is made up of lipids and dying or dead skin cells, becomes damaged it can become dry and irritated. Our skin has less moisture and lipids during the winter therefore making it prone to irritation and dryness.

Moisture is key to keeping our skin healthy. Things like indoor heating, cold winds, taking baths or showers that are too hot and using harsh soaps can contribute to skin irritation. Other things like, age, gender, ethnicity and medical conditions can also factor into winter skin woes.

So what are some things that can help our skin during the winter months;

• Humectants such as glycerin and sorbitol prevent the loss of moisture. Both these ingredients are in my handmade soaps!
• Staying hydrated, make sure to drink plenty of water during the cold weather.
• Using a humidifier can help put much needed moisture back into the indoor air in our homes. 

These are just a few things you can do to help your skin in the winter. For additional reading check out this link. Medical News Today What to Know About Dry Skin in Winter

It is important to give our skin all the TLC we can during the winter months. All my soaps have glycerin added to them and are vegetable or honey based. I am including a coupon link for $2.00 off your order when you buy 3 soaps from my Etsy shop. COUPON HELPMYWINTERSKINWOES

Wishing all a Happy and Healthy New Year, looking forward to 2023!

Gina💗 

Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Handmade Soap with no color added.

 

A Great Weekend at Arts on the Lake!

What a wonderful craft and art fair at Arts on the Lake in Kent, NY this past weekend! I felt so privileged to be included with such talented artists. This was my last show of the season and what a wonderful one it was!

With the coldest winter months ahead and all of us spending more time indoors it is important to pay special attention to our skin.  In these next few months I will be brainstorming about what new soaps I can add to my Etsy shop. For those of us who live in cold weather climates it is important to keep our skin moisturized during these months. Glycerin soaps are very moisturizing, I would recommend a Castile or oatmeal base during the cold weather months. I have both in my Etsy shop and I offer sales every month.

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Gina 💗

Fine Art and Craft Fair at Arts on the Lake

Coriander and Salted Olive Spa Castile Handmade Soap

 

Lavender Mint Oatmeal Handmade Soap

Last Craft Fair of the Season!

Thanks to all who came out this past weekend for the St. James the Apostle Bazaar and Camp Herrlich Holiday Market, both days were a lot of fun! My last fair for the season will be at;

Arts on the Lake in Lake Carmel on December 10th and 11th from 11:00am-3:00pm. 

Gina💗

Table at Camp Herrlich

 

Craft Fairs This Weekend.

I will be at St. James the Apostle Church in Carmel, NY this Saturday, December 3 from 8:00am-3:00pm. There will be lots of activities going on around town and into the evening, come out and enjoy!

 Next I will be at Camp Herrlich in Patterson, NY on Sunday, December 4th from 10:00am-3:00pm. There will be over 50 vendors there with wonderful gifts for your holiday shopping!

I will have over thirty handmade soaps to choose from including Christmas tree soaps and gingerbread boy and girl soaps. I will also have gift boxes, gift sets of a soap and a soap dish and my very popular shampoo and conditioner bars. Soaps make great stocking stuffers! I hope to see you there!

 Gina💗 

Wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I know I am so thankful for so much in my life and grateful for all the blessings everyday.

I will be at Patterson Recreation on Saturday, see the flyer below and the Elks Lodge in Brewster, NY on Sunday, November 27th from 10:00am-3:00pm. I hope you can attend one of these great fairs to get some of your holiday shopping done. I will have gift boxes, Christmas soaps and handmade wooden boxes that can be used for jewelry, holding odds and ends or as  decoration.  

Here are a few more new soaps that I have added to my Etsy shop this week. The Oakmoss design was inspired by my daughters suggestion to make it "mimic" the Oakmoss plant! Fun design and texture!

Gina💗

 

Oakmoss Handmade Soap

 

Honey Almond Handmade Soap

 

Christmas Soaps Alpine Cheer and Gingerbread

 

Really? Those Two Fragrances Mix Together?

I love combining fragrances to offer a variety of soap scents to my customers. Some combinations are tried and true standards, others are scents that I think would work well together. I believe the more fragrance variety my soaps have, the more likely I will be able to offer something for everyone. It's all about choices! 

Citrus fragrances, like bergamot, lemon and orange can mix well with some floral scents such as lavender and jasmine. Herbal fragrances such as basil, rosemary, mint and sage also pair well with citrus scents. A more spicy pairing with citrus would be cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

Warm sweet fragrances like sandalwood, cedar, vanilla and tobacco (yes tobacco fragrance is sweet nothing like the smell of cigarettes) pair well with citrus scents such as orange and bergamot. You can also pair warm scents with spicy or earthy fragrances such as patchouli, frankincense, amber, coriander, cloves and cardamom.

Sometimes I will just smell two fragrances and know they will blend well together. Some of these fantastic blends are coriander and sandalwood, coriander and mint, lemon sugar and sweet tobacco, tobacco and mint, orange and sandalwood and patchouli and camomile. 

Combining two fragrances often brings out the best of both scents and is a way to enjoy both fragrances in one soap! Visit my Etsy shop to look through some of the fragrance combinations I have to offer in my soaps! MercurialGirlbyGina

Gina💗

 

Lemon Sugar and Tobacco Handmade Soap

Mint Coriander and Salted Olive Castile Handmade Soap

 

This soap has no color added to it.

 

Smokey Mint Castile Handmade Soap

Top 5 Scents for the Season, Plus One Honorable Mention

As the holidays approach everyone is shopping for that perfect gift or at least something affordable and useful! During the past few months I have been able to observe at the craft fairs I've attended which of my soaps are really HOT! I would like to share them with you hoping that it may make your shopping a bit easier.😊

1. Lemon Verbena Castile or Honey Handmade Soap- a very popular scent in all it's forms at my craft fair table. This scent is clean, light and a favorite of all age groups.
   
2.  Lemon Mint Castile Handmade Soap- another citrus soap scent with a hint of cool mint. This soap has a refreshing, crisp fragrance. It can be both masculine and feminine.
3. Japanese Cherry Blossom Castile Handmade Soap- Always a constant favorite this is a feminine, sweet, airy soap scent. 
4. Cherry Almond Castile Handmade Soap- This soap smells good enough to eat-but don't! With sweet almond fragrance mixed in with cherries this is always a winner! This soap is a feminine scent. 
5. Bergamot  Sandalwood Oatmeal Handmade Soap- Both fragrances sold  separately in my soaps always do well for me but the combination of the two have proven to be irresistible! The bergamot in this soap has light citrus undertones with the sandalwood giving it a warm, woody full bodied fragrance. This is a more masculine scent or it could be for a woman who likes a warmer fragrance, not a floral one.

Honorable mention goes to Crisp and Candied Castile Handmade Soap! One of my new soap scents it quickly rose to a customer favorite. Capturing the scents of the season, apple, cinnamon bark, light orange with a warm woodsy undertone. I would consider it a feminine scent.

Well there you have it! I hope this helps should you choose to give my soaps as gifts this holiday season. Soaps make great stocking stuffers or they can be added to gifts you have already purchased. If you purchase from my Etsy shop all soaps, including the square shampoo and conditioner bars, come wrapped in washi paper tied with colorful twine and can be easily gifted as is. My round shampoo and conditioner bars come wrapped in cellophane and tied with twine and can also be gifted as is.

I hope to see you at one of my upcoming fairs!  

Gina💗 

Crisp and Candied Castile Handmade Soap

 

Bergamot Sandalwood Oatmeal Handmade Soap

Lemon Mint Castile Handmade Soap

   

Cherry Almond Castile Handmade Soap

Japanese Cherry Blossom Castile Handmade Soap

Lemon Verbena Castile Handmade Soap

Why Does Giving Feel So Good?

Thinking ahead to the busy holiday season we often get caught up in running down the "list" of what we have to buy for whom. Although shopping may be easier now than it has ever been, with online shopping, we still feel the pressure when shopping for gifts. With all the frenetic preparing for the holidays I think we  sometimes forget about the act of the actual giving and how good it can make us feel as well as how happy it makes the recipient of our gift(s) feel. Giving is something that should bring both parties joy, no matter how big or how small the gift is.

That brings me to the simple gift. Sometimes less is more and sometimes a simple gift can be more appreciated because it may be something that a person can truly use and enjoy. A simple gift may be  something unique and one of a kind, something bought at a craft fair, a one of a kind painting, a handmade piece of jewelry or a special handmade gift bought online. It shows the recipient that you really put some time and thought into the gift you were buying for them. Your gift is as unique as they are. 

I bet if you think about it that kind of special, simple gift also makes you really happy to buy for someone. That is the joy of the holiday season, the act of finding and giving and spreading  happiness.

I will have simple gifts of joy at my upcoming fairs which are as follows;

• Patterson Recreation Patterson, NY Holiday Bazaar and Craft Fair 11/26/22 9:00am-3:00pm
• Brewster Elks Lodge Brewster, NY Holiday Craft Fair 11/27/22 10:00am-3:00pm  
• St. James the Apostle Carmel, NY Christmas Bazaar 12/3/22 8:00am-3:00pm  
• Camp Herrlich Patterson, NY Holiday Market 12/4/22 10:00am-3:00pm
• Arts on the Lake Craft Show 12/10/22 & 12/11/22 11:00am-3:oopm

I hope you will be able to make at least one market and support all the wonderful small businesses that have such wonderful products to offer! Please remember, soaps make WONDERFUL stocking stuffers!

Gina 💗

 

 

Autumn Gift Box which includes my soaps, lemon brown sugar scrub and washcloth.

 

 

Spa Gift Box which includes, my soaps, 100% natural beeswax tea lights, and a natural sea sponge.

      

My very popular Christmas Tree Handmade Soaps will be back!

 

A Beautiful Day at The Fall Market!

It was another wonderful day at the St. James the Apostle School Craft Fair! There was lots of food, music, friends and great conversation! Thanks to all who stopped by to say hello! My next fair will be at Patterson Recreation in Patterson NY on November 26th, 2022 from 9:00am-3:00pm. Hope to see you there!

Gina💗

Table is set up and ready for business!

 

The Complexity of Our Sense of Smell

I was recently listening to a podcast on "A Way to Garden" with Margaret Roach entitled, The Scentual Garden  by Ken Druse; take note of the spelling of scentual, it is intentional. In this podcast, Ms. Roach speaks with the author who had found a deficit in the descriptive terms used for scents of flowers/plants. He stated that even in flower catalogs you will most likely find the word "fragrant" to describe a flowers scent and sometimes there is no description.(Druse) Mr. Druse states that we have so many words for colors but with fragrances we "often have to use analogies." (Druse) He goes on to talk about primary scents and secondary scents and how he came up with twelve categories of scents for his book. It is a very interesting podcast. I am including links to his book and the podcast. A Way to Garden Podcast and The Scentual Garden by Ken Druse

So why is our sense of smell the overlooked middle child of our senses? In March of 2021, I lost my sense of smell for six months due to Covid. I never realized how important that sense was until I lost it. I had to ask my family members what the new fragrances I had bought for my soaps smelled like. Since everyone's smell is a little different, I got all different answers. Over the months I tried to "reawaken" my olfactory receptors by smelling everything! I realized the many layers of a single smell and realized when one of those layers was missing. It was very strange to smell herbs and spices like oregano and curry, and smell "something" but not the oregano or curry that I had known for my entire life. The experience made me appreciate the wonderful gift of being able to smell all the good (and not so good) scents around us. It also sharpened my ability to pick out different notes in fragrances because I was concentrating on them more.  This helps when choosing a fragrance for my soaps. When choosing a fragrance oil, I try to pick ones that smells very similar to whatever it is trying to recreate and not have any synthetic "after-scent" to it.

So, to get back to the question, why do we often overlook our sense of smell? The answer is, I don't know...? I encourage everyone to pay more attention to all the scents that surround them everyday and all the many layers in that scent. Be it the herbs and spices you use to cook, the flowers in your garden, or your favorite fragrances. Here is a COUPON CODE, Treat Your Senses! so you can give it a try on my soaps! Enjoy!

Gina💗

Fragrance oil recreating the scent of a pear.

Chamomile is the fragrance recreated here.

 

Next Craft Fair!

Hope you can come out to the St. James the Apostle School and Parish Craft Fair this Saturday, October 22, 2022. There will be lots of great vendors and food! Come say hello!

Gina💗

I will have plenty of Shampoo and Conditioner Bars!

 

  

Wonderful Day at the Fall Market!

Thanks to all who came out to the Fall Market at Camp Herrlich in Patterson NY yesterday! It was a lovely day with lovely people! My next fair will be at St. James the Apostle School on October 22, 2022 from 10:00am-3:00pm. Come say hi! 

Gina💗 

The set up!

 

The Wonder of Glycerin Soap During the Change in Seasons

Autumn is such a beautiful time of year, in some respects it almost equals the showiness of spring, only during fall it is the trees time to show off their fanciful, red, yellow and orange top coats! These colors are also reflected in Mums and the vegetables of the season. Autumn is the time when nature gets ready for its long sleep. As I've said in previous posts nature has always been a source of inspiration and awe for me. As the colors change, I also look to change the colors of my soaps to reflect the season. Fall is a cozy season, warm fragrances and tones are appropriate for spending more time indoors.

If you live in an area where spring and summer bring you moisture and humidity you know how it helps your skin stay hydrated. In areas that have seasons the air in autumn and winter can be extremely dry, especially in our homes. This dryness is not good for our skin, and the older you are the more it effects you.  As we age our skin looses its natural oils, suffers the effects of sun damage and our cells aren't regenerating as they did when we were younger. Add to that skin products that use detergents and/or chemicals and it doesn't make for happy skin!

Melt and pour soap is so amazing because it has extra glycerin added. Glycerin is a natural humectant, which means it is good at retaining or preserving moisture. Glycerin soap does not strip your skin of its natural oils, it moisturizes you skin to keep the oils in, without feeling oily.  Glycerin soaps pH is much closer to your skins natural pH which is usually below 5.o. Skin pH

Some useful tips on extending the life of your melt and pour glycerin soap are;

• Never leave it sitting in water, always have it on something like a soap drying rack or wooden soap dish when not in use. If it is left in water it will melt because it soaks in moisture.
• When not in use (ie. you are not using it every day) keep it wrapped in plastic. This will extend the fragrance (if any) and it will keep the soap from getting glycerin dew, a white "powder like" film, which is perfectly normal and not harmful in any way, it is the glycerin drawing the moisture from the air. This usually only happens in humid environments. All my soaps come wrapped in cellophane so you can store them for long periods until ready to use.

• Do some research, or ask an expert! Some Glycerin soaps are more moisturizing than others. I find that castile and oatmeal bases are very moisturizing and clear and honey bases are slightly less moisturizing but are still wonderful for the skin and non drying.

Now that cooler temperatures are coming, for some, let's take care of our beautiful skin! I'd like to share some pictures listed below from my backyard of the beautiful fall scenery. It inspires me every day and two little friends we are hosting for the winter!

Gina💗

 

Beautiful autumn color this year!

 

A zucchini flower in my garden.

Two Swallowtail caterpillars we will be overwintering. They will emerge in the spring as Swallowtail Butterflies!

 

The wonderful moisturizing properties of glycerin soap!

The Gumption to Start a Small Business

How did I get here? I do not have a business background, I have a Masters Degree in Social Work, and I am, shall we say, of middle age vintage. How could I start my own small business? The answer lies in determination, letting go, and learning on your feet.

 Determination

I have always been very individualistic; I always marched to my own drum and had the confidence to do so. After the difficulties of 2020 I realized that I needed a change and wanted to do something I was passionate about, but something totally different from what I had done all my life, career wise. To quote a line from a song of my favorite musician, Peter Murphy, "a howling wind changed my course." (Crystal Wrists) I had a vision for my soap brand and set out to create it. This was something I had never done in my professional life but always wanted to-- to have my own small business. I had worked in retail during my college years so I knew how important branding was.  I opened my Etsy shop and hadn't a clue what I was doing. I learned as I went along and in a short time I felt more confident in my understanding about how a small business runs.

Letting Go

By nature I tend to be a very private person but I have always loved interacting with people, talking, sharing stories, interests, and connecting. After I had my Etsy shop running for a few months I decided to sign up for a local craft fair, again I didn't know what I was doing but I had the confidence that I could figure it out and I just let go and threw myself in! It was a wonderful experience. The positive feedback I received from customers and vendors was priceless. Letting go of insecurities can be a major step in progressing forward in whatever vision you have for your task. I love going to craft fairs now and have made many connections with customers and vendors alike. Sometimes you just have to throw yourself into the ring, so to speak.

Learning on My Feet

The saying "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one" is one I identify with. I love learning and I am curious about so many things. I would joke with my parents that if I could stay in school forever I would because I loved learning for its own sake. For as long as I can remember, if I was interested in something, I would read and research everything about it. From music to philosophy, history to gardening, herbal or holistic medicine to soap, the list goes on and on, I self-taught myself on many subjects.  This characteristic helped me to learn what I needed to know about my newly formed business. I sought the information I needed to know from those more experienced than me and did lots of research. It is now easier than ever to find knowledge right at our fingertips!

Taking that first step in trying something new is often the scariest one. Sometimes you just have to throw yourself in and learn as you go. Use your life experience to help you along, ask questions and be curious. Most of all believe in yourself!

Gina💗

My first craft fair!

 

A craft fair this past summer 2022; a big difference from my first fair!

My next fall market!

How Do You Make Melt and Pour Soap Stand Out?

When I first thought about soap making I knew I was going to use the melt and pour method. For those who don't know, when you make melt and pour soap you buy the base soaps already made as opposed to making them yourself. I have the utmost respect for soapers who make their own soap. It is truly an art. I knew however, that was not for me. I also knew that I would not be able to get the beautiful designs that soapers who make cold processed soap get using the melt and pour method... what to do?  I researched the topic and tried the techniques suggested for making designs in melt and pour. As you can guess there were quite a number of disappointments in the beginning. The soap was fine but the design was, shall we say interesting. You may be saying to yourself, design for soap? Yes! How I approached my new endeavor was that I wanted the soap to look unique, aesthetically pleasing, and be of high quality. Nature has always been a great source of inspiration for me and I believe that we should bring beauty into our lives wherever we can. Whether it is how we landscape our garden, decorate our homes, or simply looking at a pretty soap that smells good in the shower in the morning! By creating something pleasing it gives us a chance in our busy lives to, hopefully, stop and enjoy it. Nature is also a big influence for creating soaps with fragrances. After all the art of fragrance making is just trying to recreate all the wonderful scents that are all around us. If essential oil is used it is actually using the oils from certain plants.

Getting back to creating interesting melt and pour soap... After I experimented with designing, I started to develop my own way of creating interesting patterns on the soap.  I always have a color theme in mind that usually goes along with the soap scent. Again, nature is an ever present influence; with some soaps I may have a very simple landscape theme within the design, for example, a beach. I try to use techniques that are different from those I have seen. Sometimes it is a lot of thinking on my feet to come up with a different design, but I love the challenge!

If you are thinking about trying the melt and pour method of soap making, do your research, but have fun and experiment with the design of your soap! Melt and pour lends itself very nicely to layering, as shown in the time lapse video below. The key to layering is to wait anywhere from 15-40 minutes in between layering, depending on the soap base you are using, and the usage of sprayed alcohol to bind the two layers. Think of different ways to make your designs; an example might be pouring a thin colored layer of soap in a shape, waiting about 15 minutes and then pouring the rest of your soap. The designs are endless, you just have to think them up! I have included a link on layering: Layering Melt and Pour Soap

Visit my Etsy shop to see some of the designs I have created. Here is a link to receive a 10% discount if you purchase two soaps. Coupon Code

Gina💗

 

Layering of Lemon Verbena Soap

 

Finished product, Lemon Verbena Castile Handmade Soap

 

A Day at the Farmers Market

It was a lovely day at a local farmers market! The trend in soap fragrances was again citrus, Bergamot and Lemon Verbena. Citrus scents can be used throughout the year. Cinnamon and Orange make a wonderful scent combination for the Christmas season. Bergamot, Lemon  and Orange can be mixed with other fragrances such as Mint and Lavender to create a crisp and light fragrance for spring. Fall usually calls for warmer fragrances such as Sandalwood, and Vanilla which can easily be combined with citrus scents.

Thanks to all that stopped by!

Gina💗

Making it pretty with flowers!

 

Our set up for the day.

The Value of Sharing Something You have Created

I was listening to a gardening podcast and the gardener spoke about the joy of giving flowers from her garden to someone. It was that special feeling of satisfaction knowing that she helped create and nurture these beautiful flowers and now she could share them with someone else and hopefully bring them joy in receiving them. Maybe they will even sow the seeds and create their own flowers the next year to share with someone else. 

It is the act of sharing our talents, be it cultivating beautiful flowers, growing vegetables, making soap, painting, carpentry you name it, that makes doing them so rewarding. Whether you sell your products or just share them with others it makes both you and the recipient  happy to partake in this shared experience!

When you buy handmade products or products that were cultivated by someone you can often hear the story behind what someone has made, how they made it and thereby make a connection with that person. People are  passionate about their creations and enjoy telling you about them. It can be a wonderful learning experience.

I encourage everyone to share what they are passionate about. Take up that hobby that you've been meaning to try, you never know where it may lead you and you just might bring joy to others too!💗

Gina

The creating, cutting soap.

 

 

Next step, cutting into smaller pieces.

Melting Soap

Upcoming Farmers Market

I am so excited for the Farmers Market at Limar's Farm and Nursery in LaGrangeville, NY this coming Saturday, September 24th 2022. I am thinking ahead to the holiday season and making gift boxes. Soap is a wonderful gift to give because everyone can use it. I have Spa Gift Boxes which include my soaps, bees wax tea lights and a natural sea sponge, to help relax and unwind in the bath. I also have an Autumn Gift box which is pictured in the fun video below! I hope if you live in Putnam or Dutchess County N.Y. or the Connecticut area you can stop by and say hello!

Autumn Gift Box, the perfect gift for someone special!

Gina 💗

 

The Secret Ingredient in Your Honey

Let's talk about honey. Honey is most commonly used as a delicious treat in our tea, in baking, on bread etc. but honey has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes and is starting to gain popularity again. The use of honey may date back as far as the stone age with cave paintings depicting it's use. We know ancient Egyptians used it for embalming purposes and it was used in wound care because of it's antimicrobial properties. Honey has long been connected to treating the skin, it has been used for dressing burns, dandruff, dermatitis, psoriasis and a host of other skin conditions. 

Honey does not expire, what is that I just said? Yes, honey does not go bad and this is mainly because of where it comes from, the bee. Honey is a sugar, in it's natural state sugars contain minimal amounts of water and can take in moisture if not sealed properly. Due to honey's low moisture state bacteria can't grow, they are suffocated by it. Honey is acidic, with a pH of 3-4.5 which makes it inhospitable for organisms to grow. These factors do not only exist in honey, there are a few other foods with similar properties, but they will spoil. So what's the deal with honey? The answer is the Bee. Bee's dry out the nectar by flapping their wings, but just this alone would not make honey not spoil. The secret ingredient that keeps honey from spoiling comes from the bee's stomachs!  The enzyme that bees have in their stomachs is called glucose oxidase, when bees regurgitate nectar, the enzyme mixes with the nectar and breaks it down into two by-products: gluconic acid and a second by-product, here is the secret ingredient that I did not know about until I researched this article, hydrogen peroxide! The hydrogen peroxide kills whatever else could be growing in the honey that the other properties did not kill. The only way honey will spoil is if you leave it out unsealed or if water gets in it.

So why is honey soap good for your skin? Firstly honey sucks in moisture, therefore passing it on to your skin as you use it to wash. It moisturizes while cleaning with it's antimicrobial abilities. Honey was used throughout the centuries as a natural bandage because nothing would grow on it. There are currently companies that make bandages covered with honey for medical use!

I was told by two pediatricians that using honey to sooth a sore throat was better than any over the counter medicine you could buy. I guess the "old wives tales" were right, honey and their amazing makers offer many benefits to us humans! I am including two links in case you would like to read more on the subject. Smithsonian Magazine and National Library of Medicine.

Check out my Etsy shop to see my honey soaps. They are very fun to make!

Gina💗

A very busy bee in my garden.

 

Honey and Castile Handmade Soap

Honeysuckle Honey Handmade Soap

Long Before Your Parents Made You Eat It...

Almost everyone can remember eating hot or cold oatmeal as a child, some of us thought it was delicious and may still eat it to this day, others ate it because they had to and never touched the stuff again once they had a say in what they would and would not eat! Oatmeal is not just good for the inner workings of our bodies, it is also beneficial to our skin. The earliest documentation of oats being used in skin care dates back to Egypt as early as 2,000 BC. People during this time and continuing on through the ages, used oats as treatment for skin irritation. I can remember as a child sitting in oatmeal baths when I had the chicken pox,  it was a very welcomed relief!

In 1945 a colloidal oatmeal was produced by grinding the oats into a fine powder and then boiling it to extract the colloidal material. This formulation made it readily available for use in bath products, shampoos, shaving products and moisturizers. Colloidal oat's cleansing abilities come from saponins, a naturally occurring toxic chemical that protects plants from insects, fungus and bacterial pathogens, this chemical produces a soapy lather that is beneficial. Colloidal oatmeal cleanses, moisturizes, buffers and has anti-inflammatory properties.  The FDA regulates the use of colloidal oatmeal as a skin protectant.  For more interesting reading on colloidal oatmeal I have included this link. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17373175/

Who would have known when we were eating our hot oatmeal in the morning that it could improve our health in so many ways? Pictured below are a few oatmeal base soaps I offer in my Etsy shop.

Gina💗

Lavender Mint Oatmeal Handmade Soap. You can see the fine oatmeal on the top of the soap.

Bergamot Sandalwood Oatmeal Handmade Soap

Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Handmade Soap This soap has an oatmeal and honey base, it is very moisturizing and gentle.

 

Wonderful Time at Local Craft Fair

My first September craft fair of this season was a lot of fun! The soaps customers were most interested in were anything Lemon Verbena and Coconut! Thanks to everyone that stopped by!

  

Honey Lemon Verbena Handmade Soap

Lemon Verbena Castile Handmade Soap

Coconut Handmade Soap

The Soap of the Ancients, Castile Soap.

In my next few postings I would like to write about a few individual soap bases, their origins and why they are good for your skin. With that said, there could only be one soap to begin with and that is Aleppo Soap, from the Syrian city of Aleppo. The earliest account of Aleppo Soap came from 8th century writings, but there are accounts of a "soap like substance" dating back to 2000 BC from ancient Babylon. Soap products have been with us for a long time! The original recipe for Aleppo Soap was olive oil, sweet bay oil, which is oil that comes from bay leaves and is also called laurel oil, water and sodium hydroxide. It is often referred to as "Syria's green gold". 

This wonderful soap made it's way along the Silk Road and and finally to Europe. It found a soap making home in Castile, Spain, which had ample amounts of olive oil, one of the key ingredients in Aleppo Soap. Due to the fact that the Castilian's did not have large quantities of laurel oil they made their soap of pure olive oil. This new variation of Aleppo Soap produced pure white soap that was an effective cleaning product and highly prized. Hence Castile soap.

Today Castile soap is often mixed with other oils, but still has the most important ingredient, olive oil. Castile soap is gentle for all skin types, including sensitive and dry skin. Castile soap can open pours allowing for a deeper cleaning. It is just wonderful on the skin!

Join me for my next post when I will be writing about oatmeal soap and it's origins. Please visit my shop for a variety of Castile soaps along with oatmeal and honey soap bases! Hope you enjoyed reading this brief history, until next time! 

Gina

Pouring melted soap into molds.