As summer winds down and we can feel the change of seasons in the air, it always encourages me to stop and appreciate the beauty of nature all around us. Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I always get a feeling of inspiration, renewed energy, and anticipation whenever September rolls around. Maybe it harkens back to the days of my youth, the beginning of school and the promise of a new year-- who knows!
In a previous post I spoke about expanding our garden and adding a pollinator garden this year. We have had much success, despite the less than favorable weather conditions in NY. Our one problem was what we think was a fungus, which affected our cucumber plants. Our pollinator garden was a great addition which I believe brought a lot more insects to our garden; therefore the plants produced more fruit/vegetables because of all the pollinators. I encourage everyone to check out Pollinator Partnership and join their Bee Friendly Garden program. It was so inspirational to see all the beautiful colors of the plants, from deep to light greens, orange, red, yellow, deep purple, as well as all the interesting insects and the color they bring to the garden!
My husband suggested I make a shave soap for men! Always being one to accept a challenge, I did my research and got busy creating a new shave soap for my brand! First some history: in 1919 an MIT professor, Frank Shields, developed the first shave cream. During WWI shave creams became more widely available and started to become the preferred choice for men. They produce a lather more easily than soap, got rid of the need for a brush, and were easier to use for men "new to shaving."
However, modern shave creams usually contain chemicals that can be irritating to the skin and often times do not contain the nourishing vegetable fats, glycerin, and clay that shave soap contains. A lot of shave creams contain thiethanolamine, an organic compound with a chemical formula. It is a very alkaline substance that can cause skin irritation. Another ingredient in shave creams is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), which is a detergent that can leave your skin dry, red, and itchy.
In contrast, my shave soap is made of vegetable oils, flower oils, wheat and oat protein, vegetable glycerin, and kaolin clay. All of which are natural and beneficial for the skin. You can find these shave soaps at Promenade on 6 and I will be selling them at all the craft fairs I attend.
My next craft fairs will be at;
Putnam Valley Grange, Putnam Valley NY- 10:00-1:00
Camp Herrlich, Patterson, NY- 10-00-3:00
RMT Johnson School, Bethel, CT-10:00-3:00
Hope to see you at the fair!
Ginađź’—
The Video is of our Garden!
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| Beautiful tomatos from our garden! |
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| Shave Soap for Men |
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| Wonderful mural outside of Promenade on 6! |