I'm doing it a little differently so that I can spend a week after the holidays with no one home to do some paper work catch up and re organizing of products and the new cart. For some reason, I find it hard to focus when everyone is here for 2 weeks solid!

I apologize for any inconvenience the closing may cause, but it will enable me to improve your shopping experience over the coming year. 

SHIPPING WILL BE CLOSED FROM

Thursday Dec 18 until Sunday Dec 28.

I'll reopen Monday Dec 29, 30 and 31 to ship any parcel orders that have come in during that time.

Over the New Year, shipping will be closed from Jan 1 through Jan 10.

Please make note of these dates if you would like to have an order arrive during these times.

A NOTE ON 2009 PRICING

I also wanted to give you a heads up that when I put the new cart up, some of the pricing will also be going up.

It's been a few years or more (I'm not even sure when I last did a cart update on the prices unless it was an item that was costing me substantially more due to availability etc), so I am due for an update to reflect my current costs and expenses.

I'm not forseeing anything major, a few dollars here and there, but of course you want to get the best deals, so you may want to order before the new cart is in effect, sometime early in the new year.

MORE SALES

On the upside, I had a lot of fun with the Cyber Monday sales, so I will be posting a new sale weekly and have something in the works to be able to offer everyone who orders special pricing on a different item every month. 

LAST WEEK OF CYBER MONDAY X 3

If you've been wanting to experiment with some of the thickeners, now's a good time.

Cellulose Gum, Vegithix and Ultramaize 3 Pack Special

1 oz of all 3 for 10.99 - Reg price separately 15.00 

More info here

Gels, Gums and Thickeners 

Kaolin Clay

I bought a huge bag of this so I have lots.

So how about a 2 for 1. Buy one of any size on the cart and get another one free.

A great time to stock up.

KAOLIN CLAY INFORMATION 

HOW TO COLLECTION

If you've been wanting to purchase the Soap Naturally book or the How to Make Body Butter Guide or the Make It Special Guides, now is a great time to save.

Order the Soap Naturally Book using the regular order link, and until next Sunday, I'll send you both guides as a free bonus.

I've had nothing but good feedback for both of them, just think of all the fun that you'll have over the holidays!

Makes a great gift for your soaping buddy. If you want the book wrapped, just let me know.

Great time to hit up the hubby for your special Christmas present too! 

Here's your link.

Soap Naturally Book 

NOTE: that is the regular order page. I will contact your email with your additional free guides. I am going to be out for the rest of this weekend so please don't worry if you don't get your downloads until Monday or maybe Tuesday depending on how many I need to send. I will send them asap.

If you don't receive yours by Wed, please let me know at jan.ferrante (at) gmail.com

You can have a look at both of the guide contents here.

All About Making Body Butters

Make It Special Christmas Guides 

AND A CHRISTMAS FREEBIE

This isn't skin care but I am happy to be able to tell you about a free list that I have put together to help anyone get organized for Christmas.

I put it together after waking up at 3am one morning totally stressed about what I had to do, and realizing that I didn't even know what I had to do. Since then, it's been going great. 

It included my own 'Big Christmas List' of things to do before Christmas as well as a bunch of free recipe booklets for things like Christmas dinners and making Christmas Candies and treats for the holiday (and maybe even before!)

You can check it out and sign up completely free here.

The Big Christmas List. 

I hope that you are all enjoying the season and are looking for a great year in 2009.

I am! 

I used 

4 parts fir needle

2 parts white grapefruit

1 part frankincense

That blend had smelled quite light and pretty to me as it was.

After I made the soap, I found that it became quite woodsy, it reminded me a little of opening up an old cedar chest, probably the combination of fir and frankincense. The frankincense really comes through although there is quite a bit of a smaller amount.

This makes a really nice man's soap, but I like it too :0) 

I also used the same recipe, but had to make a few changes, of course.

Here is the recipe that I used to make a 1lb batch.

HOLIDAY WOODLANDS SOAP TAKE 1 

Castor Oil .5oz

Cocoa Butter 4oz 

Coconut Oil 5oz

Canola Oil 4oz

Shea Butter 2oz

Aloe/Sunflower Oil .5oz

5 oz water

2.25oz lye 

I used .5oz essential oils.

THE RESULTS

I love this soap!

I decided to mix a bit of green and red mica in.

I mixed up a small bit of each separately and drizzled it in using layers.

I poured a layer of the white base, then drizzled some red across the top, then some green.

Then I did another layer, finishing with a layer of the red and green.

I cooked it in the over at about 170* for 2 hours, shutting the oven off and leaving the soap in until a little after noon the next day.

A LITTLE WHITER

My daughter pointed out that the soaps would have been nicer if the base was a little whiter.

I tried to keep it white but I will have to try harder.

As it dries, it seems to be turning more and more beige.

Next time I'm going to try some vegetable shortening to replace some of the canola and see what happens.

I'll keep you posted! 

Hi Jan,

I noticed most of your blogs are of promoting other soap, body care or suppliers. I must ask why not more Canadian companies? As a Canadian yourself you must be aware of the economy happening here and every bit of promoting these Canadians would be of great help.

I am not lashing out towards other countries but as a Canadian I do believe in shopping here first.
Please add more links of Great Canadian sites.

Thanks

Laura 

Hi Laura, thanks for your very interesting comment.

I agree that there aren't as many Canadian listings on this blog.

Last week when I wrote the cranberry article and included the US supply sites, I actually did look around for some of these ingredients in Canada and didn't find any, or I would have listed them here.

But that aside, as a rule there aren't many here for 2 reasons.

1 - The US links are affiliate links. That means that if someone purchases from them within a week of clicking, I get a %. I haven't been able to find any Canadian companies who offer this kind of program. I think that the companies are very high quality as well, so it makes it easy to link to specific ingredients etc with confidence and feeling like I am doing a good thing. 

In case anyone is wondering, bottom line on adding paid links is this. I've worked my tail off for almost 9 years at my computer and packing orders, and everything else that goes along with having a business, doing the best I can. And I'm still not Donald Trump or anything close, the links actually amount to a very small amount, so small that I may not even bother with them in the future.

But what ever I can do to help bring in some $ around here is one step closer to my goal of being a successful home business owner just like anyone else and avoiding the new Tim Horton's that is opening here next year!

I add that because I know that some people may be under the impression that it's all fun and games. As I write this it's after 9:30, I've already been here about 3 hours, my butt is sore, my family is waiting for me to watch a movie with them - again. But I wanted to be able to get this out with this week's posts.

2 - I have a Canadian supplies site myself, so it would not be in the best interest of my business to promote other companies selling the same things on a regular basis with no give and take.

That said, I am open to trading links or running ads for Canadian companies anytime and as I build the content and resources here, there is bound to be more Canadian content, especially for unique, quality items. 

RESOURCE SECTION OF THE MAKE IT SPECIAL GUIDE 

My Make It Special Guide has quite a few links to Canadian companies that I included and would have spotlighted more, but I only had one response when I put out a call for contributors. 

I had Sandy Maine from Sunfeather, Anne-Marie at Brambleberry and Marge from Natures Gift sent their contributions, but the only Canadian was Maureen from Soap and More, so she's in the guide. 

If you know of anyone who would like to make a contribution, let them know. I am always happy to add resources to the Make It Special list that is a companion to the eguide. 

HELPING HOME AND COTTAGE INDUSTRY AND WORK AT HOME MOMS 

My real passion is in helping home and cottage industry and work at home moms, I know first hand how challenging it can be.

Most of these would fall in the area of finished soaps and natural skin care for sale.

I did put a call out for anyone who wanted to add their site in the comments section of this Handmade Christmas post and had very few takers. 

I am hoping to have some good things going on here as time goes on, more in the area of information for everyone be it Canadian or US.

PILLOWS OF LAVENDER 

NOTE: I am going to have more to say about Pillows of Lavender in another post. Robin is a friend and work at home mom in the US and runs an affiliate program as well. I don't know of other Canadian companies with similar products, but feel free to comment below. I just received my order from her and it is amazing, a little piece of heaven. And the service was awesome too. Shipping across the border, not so good. As usual. But if you live in the US and are looking for something different, go visit Robin's site. 

CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME 

Comments are easy, if anyone has an article they'd like me to post here, just send it over to me with some information about your company.

As long as it promotes natural ingredients or environmentally friendly items, I would be more than happy to have them as part of the Skincare Naturals growing information base.

CANADA ROCKS! 

We have an amazing country that I am very proud to be part of.

I hope that I can be of help to my fellow Canadians as well as to everyone else with this blog and my business and am always open to suggestions.

Thanks very much for contributing your thoughts, I really appreciate your time, honesty and pleasantness.

I hope this clears it up a little, let me know what you think anytime!

In the end, that's what always helps to build a better resource for everyone. 

Items are available while supplies last. 

So today is… drumroll please -

Macadamia Nut Oil - One of my favourite, rich skin care oils, perfect for dry, winter skin.

8oz - 6.99  Reg 9.99

More Information about Macadamia Nut Oil 

Grapeseed Oil - it just wouldn't be a Christmas sale without a green oil! I love this oil too. The colour is a beautiful, light green and it is very light. Used as a massage oil, would make a great gift right out of the bottle for Christmas.

8oz - 4.99  Reg 7.99

More Information about Grapeseed Oil 

Fir Needle Essential Oil - I use this oil often in my morning facial steams. It makes the whole kitchen smell like Christmas and has a nice deodorizing and freshening effect. Perfect for first thing in the morning! Great oil for a soap, I'm really looking forward to trying it and playing with some blends.

I don't have it on the cart yet, but you can order it with special pricing this week here.

Here is some info.

Fir needle is a middle note that is said to help arthritis, bronchitis, colds, coughs, flu, muscle aches, rheumatism, sinusitis. Great to use in air fresheners, deodorants, soaps and household cleaners.

I find it to be strong but not overpowering. I like it with lemon. 

Non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing. Avoid use in the sun. 

10ml 3.99 Reg. 4.99

30ml 7.99 Reg. 9.99

4oz 24.99 Reg. 29.99

You can navigate around the main website using the continue shopping on the cart or go to handmadesoap.ca to shop further. 

Just so you know, there is a minimum purchase requirement of 35.00, but you can purchase anything from the site to make the minimum.

Also, SALE PRICES RUN FROM MON TO THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY AND THE SALES LINK IS AVAILABLE ON THIS PAGE ONLY. 

I'm hoping to do at least 2 or three Christmas soap batches over this week.

Tomorrow this is what's slated.

I've tweaked it from an emu soap recipe that has always turned out good for me.

I'm out of emu and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get more anytime soon, so I decided to play around with it a little.

ORIGINAL EMU SOAP RECIPE

.5 castor
.5 cocoabutter
5oz coconut oil
6oz olive oil
2oz crisco
2oz emu

5.5 oz water
2.25 oz lye

REVISED EMU WITH ALOE OIL (INFUSED IN SUNFLOWER OIL)

.5oz castor
2 oz cocoabutter
5 oz coconut oil
6 oz olive oil
2 oz shea butter
.5 oz aloe/sunflower oil

5.5 oz water
2.25oz lye

ESSENTIAL OIL SCENT BLEND

Here is the scent blend that I'm going to try.

I've called it Angels Wings because it has a delicate, light and pretty scent, just right for Christmas.

If you add 2 more parts fir needle, to equal 6, it becomes quite a bit more coniferous and traditionally Christmas. Both are nice depending on what you are looking for. 

I love the white grapefruit, it really gives it a nice clean lift.

4 parts fir needle
2 parts white grapefruit
1 part frankincense

And I'm going to try sprucing it up with a bit of red and green mica. I'm not sure exactly how I will add it yet. I may stamp it and give it a light dusting after it's made.

Decisions, decisions.

I'll keep you posted how it turns out.

If anyone tries any variations of the recipe, we'd love to hear from you.

That is a day when you will find specials around the net.

So I thought it would be a good day to offer some specials and then some.

Watch your email for Monday's specials next Monday and the one after that too, for a total of 3 Mondays. To stay on theme, I'll post 3 specials on each.

Items are available while supplies last. 

So today is… drumroll please -

Virgin Coconut Oil - just the thing for a white Christmas! 1lb - 8.99 Reg 12.99

More Information about Virgin Coconut Oil 

Rosehipseed Oil - a lighter oil for dry, winter skin

8oz - 12.99 Reg 19.99

34oz - 39.99 Reg 49.99 

More Information about Rosehipseed Oil 

Basil Essential Oil -  this essential oil always screams Christmas to me, even in the summer time (maybe I'll get some peace and quiet around here in the New Year :0)

1oz 4.99 Reg. 6.99

4oz 14.99 Reg. 19.99

More Information on Basil Oil  

You can navigate around the main website using the continue shopping on the cart or go to handmadesoap.ca to shop further. 

Just so you know, there is a minimum purchase requirement of 35.00, but you can purchase anything from the site to make the minimum.

Also, SALE PRICES RUN FROM MON TO THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY AND THE SALES LINK IS AVAILABLE ON THIS PAGE ONLY. 

Also, please note that the stamp special is sold out, we have acacia gum in stock and probably won't be restocking emu oil. If you have a wholesales supplier in Canada that you'd like to recommend, I would love to hear from you.

I just knew that they had to be good, but how could we take advantage of that goodness?

Here are a few things that I found out.

Cranberries can be used for oily skin.

On outer skin they may work the same way as they do on our inner skin when we drink them to combat urinary tract infections by keeping ecoli bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract walls. So that means that there may be some antibacterial benefit from them, maybe a nice thing to try for acne?

Read more fascinating facts about the benefits of cranberries and cranberry oil for skincare here and grab an easy face mask recipe

http://www.healinglifestyles.com/index.php/nov2005-spaandbeauty-seasonalspa 

Mixed with green tea, it can be an antioxidant power house. Check out this site for a face mask recipe

http://www.grouprecipes.com/79367/cranberry-and-green-tea-facial.html

CRANBERRY LIP GLOSS RECIPE

Here is a link for a cranberry lip gloss recipe using real cranberries. I haven't tried it yet but the possibilities are intriguing. I would like to try it with something besides petroleum jelly, maybe some castor oil or take the time to make some 'faux' petroleum jelly from beeswax first to make it natural, or maybe some vitamin e would do the trick.

http://www.cosmeticsdiary.com/cranberry-lip-gloss.htm 

Another aspect of the cranberry to remember is the exfoliating properties of the cranberry seed. 

PULLING IT TOGETHER

You can use cranberries to make an (almost) complete natural skin care regime. Use the ideas below as a jumping off point for your own creations… 

Deep Clean - I love facial steams to cleanse my face in the morning. Take it a step further by grinding up some berries and doing the two (or three) step. Steam your face as you normally would, try adding a green tea bag for even better effect.

After your steam, apply the pureed cranberry pulp to your face (squeeze the juice out and use it below - we don't waste anything!)

Take care not to get them it your eyes. If you have an older face cloth, wet it with warm water, wring it out and place it over your face. If you find that you have cranberry juice running near your eyes, be sure to blot it well. If you lie back, it will help. The warmness of your skin from the steam and from the moisture and warmth from the cloth will help your skin to better absorb the benefits. After 5 minutes, wipe it off and rinse. Your face should feel sparkling clean.

Exfoliate - Nothing gives a healthy glow and even helps to shrink large pores like exfoliating. Be sure to do this regularly. For a cranberrry exfoliant treat, grind up some oatmeal in a coffee grinder. Combine the juice from the cranberry puree above and/or some of the puree, ¼ cup sugar or your exfoliant of choice (see cranberry fruit fibre or seed powder below) and a ¼ cup of olive oil in a blender. Rub gently, wipe and rinse with warm water. Moisturize - Top it off with your favourite moisturizer (if you make your own, try using fresh squeezed cranberry juice. Of course the shelf life will be short. You may try freezing some in small bottles and handling with care to prolong it. 

NATURAL GOODNESS OF CRANBERRIES 

Vitamin C - helps to build collagen, the good stuff that keeps our skin looking tight and healthy. Also good antioxidant.

Vitamin B3 - has been shown to effectively treat acne and possibly slow skin cancer. 

Vitamin B5 - increases moisture content in skin.

Good stuff! 

One thought. Watch when on the market for cranberry products. I haven't researched it, but I'm assuming that there is a good share of synthetic cranberry type scented items that will not give you the same benefit as bona fide cranberry.

Here are some online sources for 'real' cranberry ingredients.

You can buy Cranberry Fruit Fibre (!!!) that will colour soap and can be used in face masks, as well as cranberry oil and cranberry seeds at From Nature With Love as well as a Cranberry Pumpkin Scrub Kit (I would personally skip the cranberry fragrance oil, but the rest looks fantastic)

For a real treat that will allow you to do tons of great things, you can get cranberry seed powder at Mountain Rose Herbs and Cranberry Seed Oil AND tincture at Essential Wholesale.

If you are in Canada and up for a prebuy for any of these, please leave me a comment, maybe sometime in the future we can set one up, unfortunately, I don't think it will happen before Christmas. Maybe next year :0) 

For some fantastic do it yourself natural skincare ideas for Christmas gift giving, check out my Make It Special guide. I've had nothing but good feedback for it and it really is a unique and special way to make your Christmas gift giving a lot more fun this year - and you can keep the leftovers! 

Cranberry offers a whole range of possibilities for Christmas products and gifts.

I hope everyone is off to a good start! 

It doesn't quite feel like it yet although I did buy 2 beautiful poinsettia's for my kitchen yesterday.

If you're hankering to make some nice homemade natural skin care Christmas gifts and need some recipes, packaging ideas and a bunch of Christmas crafts, recipes and activity ideas that you can do with your family (or without :0) have a look at my Make It Special eGuide Collection.

It's an instant download so you don't need to wait, you can jump right in.

It also lists suppliers and has a section with some very nice contributions from some of them.

I was tickled the other day to receive this from Barb, who was happy to receive her eGuide Collection - thanks Barb! 

Hi Jan

 

Your eguides are so wonderful! I've downloaded them and am having a terrific time reading, you have done an awesome job!!!

 

Thank you so very much

 

Talk to you soon

Barb

 

Twilight Candles & Bath
… where fragrance creates harmony
www.twilightcandlesandbath.com

Don't miss out on a chance to Make It Special this year, now is the time to get started!

It's always more fun when you don't have to rush.

If you run into any problems receiving your guide, be sure to email me here

jan.ferrante(at)gmail.com  (note: (at) = @ I'm in disguise for spam people :0)

BTW, YOU CAN MAKE SOME MONEY BY HELPING OTHERS TO MAKE IT SPECIAL TOO! 

I'm very excited about an affiliate program that I am working on for the Make It Special eGuide.

That means that you can sign up for free and put your own link, picture and information on your website and make $7 from every sale.

If you don't have a website, you can still participate through email, or even put it in pamphlets etc if you do shows or know someone down the road who might like it :0) 

This means that you can help others to make it easier to make Christmas homemade - and special - this year.

In times like these, with the unsteady economy and the environment getting more obviously in need of  attention and responsibility with every passing year, it only makes good sense - and a great Christmas too!

If you are interested, you can email me and I will send you the link for your free registration as soon as it is ready. 

DON'T FORGET TO POST YOUR HANDMADE BUSINESS LINK 

And don't forget, if you have a handmade business that offers items that can be given for gifts at Christmas, you can go ahead and post your site here.

Handmade Gift Selection 

Feel free to offer a special for Skincare Naturals readers, the space is yours! 

I hate to say it, but it IS starting to feel a lot like Christmas, Ho Ho Ho! and a bottle of rum. (Oops, I think that was somebody else :0) 

A video interview of Stacy Malkan, author of the book "Not Just a Pretty Face", on ABC News.

For an interesting read, full of resources including Oprah and the Wall Street Journal. 

Not Just a Pretty Face Website 

You can get the book at Amazon…

Not Just a Pretty Face - US and Not Just a Pretty Face - Canada

He is "inspired by nature and motivated by his love of smell as an art form".  That sure does have a nice ring to it.

When I say essential oil properties, I don't mean this in the usual sense, I mean it in the way that natural essential oils touch us differently than synthetic fragrance oils, if you are open to them. 

In this hurry up world, many of us miss this component.

On the other hand, many of us who remember to appreciate nature and the natural world, find ourselves 'naturally' appreciated every nuance and facade of a natural essence.

Here is an interesting quote…

As Jack likes to say, listen to the smell, the natural plant fragrances are trying to tell you something. 

Natural Fragrances - Profile of a Master

I also have touched upon this aspect in my article series on essential blending. It never fails to lift my spirits and put joy in my day. 

Here is a quote on page 3 - 

LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES, FEEL WITH YOUR EARS, TASTE WITH YOUR NOSE (and never diet again!) - Janice Ferrante on Blending Essential Oils :0)

You can read it in it's entirety from this link

How to Create Your Own Essential Oil Blend - by Janice Ferrante

Maybe this is where the phrase 'take time to smell the roses' came from!