Oil, Good or Bad?

Life is swimming along for me, more accurately, it's like an olympic race! On the work front, I'm taking a series of classes to further my floral skills. It's total fun for me, being a flower and botanical lover, but it does take time and makes my week just that much more jam-packed. I'm very thankful for the opportunity, nevertheless.


Getting down to the skin business. . . How do you feel about putting oil on your skin? Do you cringe at the thought, or does it feel good just thinking about it?
Read on and learn more about oils and skin care.

You may never have given it a thought, but a general question when talking about oils for skincare arises. What is oil/fat's purpose? Why do we need it?

If you've heard the terms, lipid, fatty acids, Omega 3's, and even anti-oxidants, you're hearing about fats. Internally, fats contain vitamins that help heal, prevent cancer, and so on. They even help fill us up so we may not eat as much. Unlike the low-fat/no-fat mantra of the 80's and 90's, we now know that fats serve a purpose and we need them in moderation.

The same is true of our skin. Fats provide anti-oxidants and other nutrients to our skin, and also fulfill other essential functions in good skin care. They are nothing to be afraid of, even for those with already oily or acniede skin, although certain ones are better for individual skin types.

Now, we can talk about individual fats and oils, and I'll feature just a few at a time so that you can get to know them.

Sunflower Oil - One of my favorite, sunflower is wonderful because it is light with very little odor, making it ideal for many body products. In addition, it contains tocopherols (vitamin E), conditioning fatty acids and carotenoids that make the skin more supple, help prevent wrinkling, and aid in healing. It is also considered non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores. Sunflower oil is beneficial for all skin types, as well. Incidentally, studies were conducted that found sunflower oil to help prevent preemies from getting infections in their delicate, thin skin. What's not to like?

I use sunflower oil in many of my products, such as soap, lotion, body glow, and others. It's probably the one I use most. It makes a very conditioning soap, a light, ungreasy lotion, and with all of the goodies in it, it's a perfect all-around oil.

Sooo. . . this week, I am asking you to comment on my blog. Tell me what your basic reaction is to using oils on your skin. Did you learn anything from the post?

This week's special

March is Body Glow Month. Get this luscious salt/sugar and oil mix that will remove those dulling dead skin cells and moisturize besides! It is formulated not to be oily, so you won't slip and slide in the shower, you'll just sing about how good your skin feels and smells. Sale is good through March 31st.

You pay just $10 for an 8 oz. jar.

Scents include: Lavender*, Gingered Orange, Lilac Breeze, Groovy Patchouli*, Black Raspberries & Vanilla, Shea Flower, Mint Medley*, Sultry Sandalwood Vanilla, Fresh Clean Herbs, and Spun Sugar. (*essential oil)

Buy today!

Just check out my website at www.SoapAndGarden.com and then send me a message at beth@soapandgarden.com to order if you want something that is not on my site, such as the new body glow. I'll get you a total and then we can get your goodies out to you.

Not on my site now, but available are:
Herbal Bath Teas: Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - just $2/ea.

Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $5; 4 oz. $8

Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz, $7

Foaming Soap: Comes in the seasonal Apple Pie, plus Gingered Orange, Summer Tropical, and Lavender. Just $7/bottle for 6 fl. oz.

Have a wonderful week, and thanks for reading.

February is for Lovin'

Here we are, it's February already! January flew right by, don't you think? There are a couple of things I like about February. The first is that it's a short month. The second is that soon we will notice the days getting longer. Those are great things! The best thing of all, though, may be Valentine's Day.

I'm not a terribly romantic, pink and hearts kind of person, but V-Day is a bright spot at this otherwise cold and sometimes dreary time of year. I've got some celebration tricks up my sleeve to help you with your special day.

One idea is to surprise your spouse to an overnight stay at a nice hotel. Include dinner and a spa day. Who wouldn't feel romantic?

Not in your budget? Choose one of the above and you'll still be a hero--or heroine. Perhaps you're on a budget this year, or your situation doesn't allow you to go out. Don't let that dampen your enthusiasm! Some of our best Valentine's memories were in years when we didn't have extra dollars for mini-vacations.

Here is an idea that you can alter to fit your preferences: Fix your favorite meal. Set the table with a nice tablecloth and napkins, candles, flowers, whatever sets the mood. One year, hubby and I dined in the dining room while the kids dined in the kitchen. We ate shrimp cocktail, and other favorite dishes, and chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert. I don't remember what the kids ate, but it was easy to make, and something they all liked. They watched a movie afterward, while hubby and I had nice conversation by ourselves. Everybody was happy, and thought the day was very special. It was actually quite romantic.

The point is, really, to make Valentine's Day special and romantic, whether expensive or inexpensive, elaborate or simple.

If you have some great ideas, please comment. We'd love to hear them.


Make someone's Valentine's Day with special bath and body gifts. As you might imagine, I've got a whole line for you. Descriptions follow and pictures will be posted tomorrow:

Premium Valentine's gift set: You get one full-sized soap bar, a 4 oz. bottle of luscious body lotion, 1 oz. dry body/linen spray, and rose bath fizzy. Comes in Romantic Rose, unless you request another scent. Beautifully packaged in red. All this for $20!

Petite Valentine's gift set: This lovely set includes a full-sized soap, 2 oz. luscious body lotion, and bath fizzy. This one is also beautifully packaged, ready for gift-giving, and scented in Romantic Rose, unless you request another scent. Just $12 for this set!

Conversation Heart Soap Set - This cute set includes scented soaps that look like oversized conversation hearts. They are packaged three in a row in a clear box with filler. They're adorable, and only $10!

Soap & Heart Petals: soap dipped, scented hearts and petals, nestled on colorful shred in a corsage box. Ready for gift-giving. It's a great little something for a wife, girlfriend, friend, anyone you'd like to bestow a novel, but inexpensive gift on. Romantic Rose scent. Only $5

Scents: Fragrances: Sandalwood and Vanilla, Patchouli, Gingered Orange, Romantic Rose, Blackberry Vanilla, Rochester Lilac. Special requests possible. Essential oil: Lavender, Lavender Patch (lavender & patchouli), or Romantic Herbal Blend (notes of Palmarosa, lavender, and Clary Sage marry to create a provocative blend), or anything on my site,
www.soapandgarden.com

I couldn't resist posting a photo of my Midnight Merlot soap. It's at the top of the page. :-)