New Soap for the market tomorrow! SUGAR COOKIE. As with all my other soaps, it is made by hand from scratch, with goat's milk and animal fats, coconut oil, and olive oil, does not contain chemical hardeners, chemical sudsing agents or chemical preservatives. It is superfatted and smells like BAKING SUGAR COOKIES!!! $3 per bar. Pick one up to try tomorrow at the Fort Nelson Farmer's Market. Open from 9am to 3pm, located in the Elk's Hall across the highway from Lamplighters and the Rec Center, next to the ball/tennis park.

Making Lip Balm

I make my lip balm with oil that has been very lightly infused with healing herbs, usually quite a long list of them. I only very lightly infuse the oils for lip balm as I assume that wearers will be licking it off occasionally. The herbs I use are not poisonous, but still, I wouldn't recommend eating them at full strength very often. This slight infusion helps the lip balm to heal chapped and problem lips. The beeswax helps with that, as well.

A few months ago, I made tinted lip balm. It went well but they were not a great seller at the market, so I probably won't do that again. 

Natural Deodorant

After a great deal of research, I have made 100% natural, aluminum free deodorant that works! I'm thrilled with it! I left out the baking soda, after reading so many complaints about the rash and irritation it causes. What I make and use now is a coconut oil base with added tea tree, eucalyptus and peppermint oils. I am thrilled with how well it works, even after a long day and mowing the lawn in the heat of the sun! 

My new natural deodorant does not feel oily at all, since I only use a tiny bit. It doesn't take much. A very, very light touch is needed here. Barely a pea size is all that's needed under each arm to last all day. 

You can buy commercial, aluminum-free deodorant now, but I hear complaints that it doesn't work very well and, if its "natural", I wonder about my inability to read and understand the ingredient list...

I have tweaked my natural aluminum-free deodorant recipe a bit here and there until happy with it. I think it's good now and I will leave it alone and move onto something else. (Next: Natural Hair products...)

All Things Lavender

I have made Lavender Salve-Scent and new Lavender Soap! Lavender scent helps with headaches and tension. Lavender salve. helps lessen the appearance of scar tissue. You can use the lavender salve as a solid perfume. Smell like lavender everywhere you go! It's strongly scented! 

We will have all lavender things in a special section of the table devoted to Lavender. We have lavender sachets that you can put in drawers, hang in closets or hang in your car. They are very strongly scented! We will have to keep them sealed up at the market so the scent doesn't irritate anyone. 

I have made my non-toxic laundry detergent "Lavender". It softens the clothes as it cleans, making them super soft and now with lavender scent!

I am making a Lavender section on my table at the Farmer's Market in Fort Nelson. 

Everyone loves lavender!

New Soaps!

 

I have some new essential oils, so I will be busy in the coming few weeks making new soaps and salves! Last week I made lemon & Lemongrass soap for oily skin and acne. I also made Lemongrass salve with Lemongrass essential oil plus Calendula, Plantain and Tea Tree for helping to heal acne.

So far this week I have made two new soaps: Sweet Orange soap and
Rosemary, Bergamot & Lavender Soap with essential oils. I do still collect, dry and infuse the real herbs for soap and salve but sometimes I use essential oils in addition to my own for adding scent, when I find ones that I like. I do still have rosemary and lavender infused oils from my own plants that I use to make soap and salve. Pictured left is the Rosemary, Bergamot & Lavender soap. I think it turned out quite nicely coloured and smells nice too! 

I have plans to make three more soaps this week, if time permits: Chai Tea with real
Cinnamon, Cloves & Vanilla  -  Ylang Ylang & Frankincense  -  and Cedarwood, which is not new but I'm sold out of it, all made with essential oils. I love the Ylang Ylang & Frankincense combination and I like the smelling and mixing too. These are all individual oils that I have combined myself after much time spent smelling them all. Loads of fun! I like to play with oils and scents! I plan to colour the Ylang Ylang & Frankincense with yellow that has pink bits or swirls in it. The Chai Tea is obviously going to have rusty red and brown swirly.

Many of these oils have good medicinal values. Soaps made with essential oils retain their medicinal properties. Vanilla, Frankincense and Cinnamon are anti-inflammatory, anti microbial and protect the skin against toxins, bacteria, pollution and free radicals. Cinnamon is anti-Fungal, Cloves is anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial and is often used to pack gums after tooth removal to prevent infection and induce healing. (I have personal experience with that and it works!)

I sell these soaps and salves for $3 each at the Farmer's Market in Fort Nelson, BC every Saturday from 9am to 3pm. I am outside now, for the next two weeks, then I will be moving indoors for the winter. We are open every Saturday, all year around. Christmas is just around the corner! 

Horsetail Nail & Cuticle Salve

 

A new salve! It's high in silica. It is infused with horsetail, as well as other healing and strengthening herbs in lesser amounts, including usnea the strong anti-fungal lichen, stinging nettle, rosemary and olive oil.  All containing healing and strengthening compounds for nails and cuticles.

Horsetail is high in silica, so promotes nail hardness and health. It's also antimicrobial and antifungal, so the horsetail, along with the usnea, helps to protect nails against fungus infection. Horsetail has also been found to help prevent and heal nail psoriasis and has strong healing compounds for the cuticles. 

Horsetail is great for your hair! It strengthens the hair and speeds growth. Partly due to the silica, but also to the other healing and antifungal compounds. The usnea, rosemary and nettle in the salve make it a good warm oil treatment for hair and scalp, as well as hands! 

Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)

For many generations, Creeping Charlie (also called ground ivy) has been used to relieve several ailments.

Creeping Charlie helps ease headaches that arise due to stuffiness and sinus pressure, as well as the cough and other cold symptoms. If you wake with these types of headaches, try ground ivy tea. Steep fresh leaves in boiling water, with a lid, for an hour. It has a mild minty flavour. You can sweeten it, if needed. 

Creeping Charlie has been used for coughs, and bronchitis, arthritis and other joint pain, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), stomach problems, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, bladder infections, bladder stones, and kidney stones. 

Creeping Charlie has been used as a tea to ease gastritis and acid indigestion, bloating and nausea. 

It has also been applied directly to the skin for wounds, ulcers, and other skin conditions. It is antiseptic and can be a help in treating urinary tract infections and clearing toxins out of the body.