February Update...New Soaps & More!

Happy Valentine's Day from Simply Natural Soaps & Sundries, Co!   No matter who it is that you want to celebrate on Valentine's Day...Be it your significant other, your kids, your mom, or just a special friend, we have the perfect bath time gift for them all!      *Bubble bars are the perfect gift for scented sudsy bath time fun! *Our Type Scented Perfume Oils are an excellent addition to any gift. *Bath Bombs create a soft, fizzy and relaxing experience. *Soapy Scribblers make a great gift for your littlest loves. *Grab a bar of BEER soap or a bar of CHISELED for the man in your life...or give a bottle of our all Natural Beard Oil or Aftershave. Don't think that February 14th is the only day that these gifts are worth giving!  We carry these all year round. In addition to the soaps we added last month (Oatmeal, Milk & Honey, Cucumber & Aloe, Simply Baby), the following are ready to go for our Spring Collection. COUNTRY GARDEN This fresh, romantic, floral fragrance is fantastic during the whole year! This fragrance begins with top notes of fresh green clover, and ivy with middle notes of romantic snapdragon, rose petals, and carnations; ending with base notes of white musk and fig leaves. BEER SOAP made with Guinness Beer.  This fragrance is a sexy fragrance that will have you screaming, "I want my man to smell like that"!  Spicy-sweet blend of French verbena and lemon, a green Florentine iris and violet leaves, and sublime notes of Mysore sandalwood and ambergris.   PEARBERRY This fragrance is a fruity fresh fragrance blend of ripened pear, raspberries, strawberries, and gooseberries, with slight musk undertones. **REMEMBER: Seasonal Soaps are available while supplies last! Don't wait too long to order yours, or you might just be waiting until next year! Chester Hills 32nd Annual Maple Festival Saturday March 11 from 9-3 Come visit us and other vendors at this annual event! Features a pancake breakfast, music, wagon rides, and of course sugaring! Where: Skyline Trail in old Chester Center

January Update...Savings & What's been in our Soap Pot!

Spring is just around the corner! If you are like us, you are still trying to recover from the holiday season....and here we are already talking about spring!  We are still offering the discount on our Winter Skin Care Kit....but we need to keep preparing for the warmer weather, flowers....and inevitable bugs!   We know many of you look forward to the spring and summer Farmer's Markets so that you can restock on your dwindling bath & body products supply....Don't forget that there are many other options for getting your favorite products over the winter months! You can find almost our entire line of products at  The Majestic Theater in West Springfield.  Our soap can be found at Pilgrim Candle and Hinkley Harvest in Westfield, Four Elements Salon & Spa in Southwick, The Bread Basket in Russell, Peace Haven Farm Project in Blandford & Visual Changes Salon in East Longmeadow MA. Do you know of a Salon or Store...or any other kind of retail spot where you think our products would fit right in?  Let us know by sending us a message.  If we are able to get our products in the location, we will send you a FREE  thank you gift! The rest of our winter will be spent restocking products that sold out over the holidays, stocking up for the oncoming market season, and testing out potential new products. We're always looking for your thoughts on products that you wish we made or scents you wish we carried.  Your feedback is so important to us! Due to an overwhelming amount of requests, we have FINALLY brought back our Oatmeal, Milk & Honey soap!  We gave it a new look, and made it with goats-milk instead of cows.  It will be on our website in just another week or so and ready for you to bring home to your shower! This next soap is usually hard to come by.  It's pretty popular, but we have always made it in small infrequent batches...but due to requests, there is a large batch just about ready to go!  One of the most mildest forms of soap you can use, a Bastille Bar. Comprised of 75% olive oil, this bar is extremely gentle and is great on all skin types, especially those that are brand new.....or have been around for quite sometime! It is infused with chamomile flowers and includes coconut milk. We scent it with a light mild fragrance that reminds us of precious newborn babies....and therefore, we call it, Simply Baby. Another favorite making a comeback is our Cucumber & Aloe Shave & Body Bar.  This bar is packed with extra Castor Oil to give it some serious sudsing power...it can replace shaving cream...and also makes a great body bar!   Stay tuned for our next update to see what our new or returning spring soaps will be!

Soapy Sampler  Variety of 6 Half Bars $8.00 Buy Now

Winter Skin Care Kit $25.00 Buy Now

All Natural Lip Balm $3.00 Buy Now

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DIY Dishwasher Soap

Ok, so I think I am going to start selling the powdered dishwasher soap that I have been using for the last couple of weeks.  I really, really love it!  I swear it cleans my dishes better than any of the big name commercial products I have ever tried.  And what's better? I can pronounce ALL of the ingredients...and they are all things I already had in my house!

I figured I would post the recipe for anyone who has time or is into the DIY type projects...but otherwise, let me know if you would like to order some!

In a glass jar mix the following ingredients:

1 Cup - Borax
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1/2 Cup - Citric Acid (double for hard water locations)
1/2 Cup - Kosher Salt


Now, the salt can turn this mixture into a SOLID ROCK!  To prevent this from happening, leave the lid off of the jar for a few days....and possibly once in a while after that.  I've just been leaving mine open in the cabinet or on the counter, but I read that you should only need to do so for a few days in the beginning.

If you continue to have problems, you can leave the salt out. It acts as an additional water softener and exfoliant.

Use approximately 1 tablespoon per load.

In your rinse aid compartment, fill it with white vinegar.  This will not make your dishes smell "vinegary" but works as a natural (and cheap!) rinse aid for your dishes!

That's it! Super easy!!  The only ingredient that you might have trouble finding is the citric acid.  Someone told me that you could use Kool Aid in place of it...I would recommend DO NOT DO THIS!!! Kool Aid, while it does contain citric acid, also contains several other ingredients that you really do not want to use on your dishes!  I have heard that you can find citric acid in your local grocery canning aisle. Though I have not had much luck with this.  I had to order mine from the site that I order most of my other soap making materials from.

If you would like to purchase the entire recipe completed, let me know...or I would also be willing to sell just the citric acid if you have everything else but cannot find that.

Check us out:  simplynaturalsoaps.net  to place an order or send us an email.

The Skin Warrior Soap...

So following up my last post about herbs that are good for the skin....I decided to make a SERIOUSLY good bar of soap for problematic skin.  All of my natural handcrafted bars of soap are gentle on all skin types and moisturizing..and many already to provide additional botanicals to add an extra kick in the "good for the skin" department.  But I wanted to make the warrior of all soaps to be used for skin conditions.

Here is what (and why) I came up with....

Avocado Oil- Avocado oil has an extremely high Vitamin E content making it an amazing antioxidant.  It has a natural hydrating ability and is deeply absorbed by the squamous layer of skin. It acts as an emollient, providing soft and supple tissue and hence is a wonderful ingredient for anyone suffering from dry itchy skin.

Almond Oil- Almond oil is a natural rejuvenator that not only protects the skin from the sun and aging, but acts as a moisturizer, softening and smoothing the skin. Almond oil can also help relieve skin irritations such as itching and swelling.  This is great for people with conditions such as eczema and psoriasis which cause inflammation of the skin as well as itchiness and a rash.

Coconut Oil- A major ingredient in many soaps, Coconut oil is another great moisturizer.  It is extremely helpful to people with dry skin. In some Indian cultures, Coconut oil is a main ingredient in treating many skin conditions.

Shea Butter- Shea butter, yet another great moisturizer, is often used to treat skin conditions naturally. It is a good source of vitamins A & E which help strengthen and repair damage to your skin.

Olive Oil- Olive oil is known for being an extremely mild and gentle moisturizer. Many baby care products (natural) are comprised mainly of olive oil. Olive oil has been known for being able to relieve some of the discomfort from dry, itchy, inflamed skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema.

Ground Oats- Oatmeal (oats) help to relieve dry itchy skin from conditions like eczema and poison ivy.  It is also a natural exfoliant which helps remove dead or flaky skin.

Honey- Honey is a humectant, something that attracts moisture and keeps it locked inside the skin.  Therefore, it acts as a great moisturizer helping to provide moisture to dry, irritated skin.  It is also an antioxidant and promotes wound healing.

Lavender Essential Oil- Lavender oil has great antiseptic and anti fungal properties. It is used to treat many skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. It is even better when added to chamomile.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil- Eucalyptus oil is also a great antiseptic and anti fungal oil.

Tea Tree Essential Oil- My most favorite essential oil yet, this aromatic oil is amazing in almost any use! I could go into an entire blog on the benefits of tea tree oil. It has antiviral, antibacterial, anti fungal and antiseptic qualities.  It helps relieve and reduce dry flaky skin such as dandruff or psoriasis.

Calendula Petals- Calendula is great when used on dry or damaged skin. It has properties that are great at restoring skin.

Alfalfa Powder- Alfalfa Powder contains Vitamins C, D, E and K and is a great antioxidant.

So....I guess it's pretty safe to say that this soap will be LOADED with awesome ingredients to help combat those annoyingly irritating skin conditions!  I cannot WAIT to try it on my daughter's eczema or my psoriasis!

I will put it up on my website for sale as soon as it is done curing. (In about 4 weeks) So keep checking to purchase yours!  Order yours here!  And I hope you enjoy it as much as I think I will...and as much as I enjoyed making it!

Psoriasis..Eczema..Itchiness...Oh My!

Yesterday I had someone ask me what I would recommend for Psoriasis.  I realized that I create things all the time that I use to treat my own and my daughters skin aliments, but I haven't said much about what I sell that would help, and I haven't blogged about any of it either.

I have a great salve that I use that I really wish I had thought to take step by step pictures of when I made my last huge batch because it really would make a pretty great blog post.

Anyways, today I will list out some herbs that I would recommend to help psoriasis or eczema or any other skin ailment.

Calendula: Can be used externally for ailments such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, sunburns, chapped lips, cuts, scrapes, bruises, and other various skin ailments. Calendula is an astringent, antiseptic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory. The petals can be used in lotions, ointments, infused oils, teas, tinctures, salves, in the bath, and many other ways to help produce results.
**Simply Natural Soaps & Sundries sells soaps that are made either with calendula infused oils or with petals in the actual soap.  Check it out here!

Lavender: Lavender is an antiseptic. The essential oil is used to help heal ailments such as acne, athlete's foot, dandruff, burns, eczema, psoriasis, boils, bruises, insect bites, and many other ailments. 

Chamomile: Aside from the many great things Chamomile can aid in, it is also great at helping skin elasticity.  If used with witch hazel it can even help with eczema.

St. John's Wort:  Can be used to treat bruises, burns, wounds, bites and other skin ailments.

Plantain: Is another amazing herb. It is used to treat so many things! I could do a whole post about plantain.  One of its uses is on skin conditions.  It can help with burns and bites and other skin ailments like psoriasis and eczema.  It works like aloe, to soothe the burn and itching sensation of skin ailments.  What's even better about this herb? You probably already have it growing in your backyard! It's a weed that grows all over. Here are a couple pictures to help you identify it.  Save money....you don't even have to plant it!

Evening Primrose Oil: Can be consumed (vitamin/pill form) or the oil can be applied topically to the effected area.

Milk Thistle: Can help regulate your immune system.  An immune system that is behaving irregularly can cause outbreaks of Psoriasis or other skin ailments. This herb can also help protect the liver.

Burdock Root: Burdock is very effective at managing or treating chronic skin ailments. It helps to destroy fungus and bacterial cultures present under your skin. It helps prevent or cure disorders such as boils, psoriasis and even acne. It can also help manage eczema.  Burdock contains large amounts of vitamin C which can help restore scaly skin.

Those are the main herbs that I want to talk about today. I might do another post this week on essential oils.

I plan on  making a few new salves using various herbs, but for now, if you would like to try one: Herbal Skin Salve is for sale on my website.

The Dirty Little Secret about Deodorant...

Source

So Deodorant. We all know what it is...and I'd say probably 99% of us use it.  Why?  Well, originally it started off as a way to keep away the smell from sweating that was caused by dirt and bacteria.  But as times changed the newest and greatest thing was added to many deodorants..... ANTIPERSPIRANT.

I am certain that the majority of people purchase their Antiperspirant Deodorants with out even giving a seconds thought to what they are putting on their body and what this product is actually doing to them.

Let's take a look at the ingredients list on the back of a deodorant container...

So the main ingredient I want to talk about just so happens to be the #1 Active Ingredient in an Antiperspirant Deodorant: Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex...now if that doesn't sound scary enough as it is....let's see what it does... Unfortunately Aluminum is found in many of the things we come in contact with during our daily lives such as in utensils, appliances, building materials and containers and is used in the production of glass, ceramics and rubber and is found in paints and fireworks..It is most harmful when used in products that are ingested or applied topically to the body.  It is used in products such as antacids, astringents, buffered aspirin, antiperspirants and food additives.  (1)

Aluminum is very poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract...only 0.1% of intake actually being absorbed. (2) There have been studies that show that a high level of exposure to aluminum can cause neurological and lung damage.




Even though the effects of orally ingesting aluminum are so harmful, a study that was done on mice showed that when applied topically to the skin, aluminum was even more dangerous to the body. A study that was done in 2001 showed that one application or an aluminum based antiperspirant under the arm allowed the body to absorb the aluminum through the skin and the aluminum remained in the bloodstream 15 FIFTEEN days after the one application under the arm. (3) This means that by applying aluminum to your skin, you are allowing the aluminum to end up in your body, blood stream and your brain.




Aluminum was first recognized as a human neurotoxin in 1886. (4) A neurotoxin is something that causes damage to nerves or nerve tissue. Post-mortem analysis of Alzheimer’s infected brains has shown increased levels of aluminum compared to people that did not die from Alzheimer’s. The short term symptoms of aluminum toxicity include memory loss, learning difficulty, loss of coordination, disorientation, mental confusion, colic, heartburn, flatulence, and headaches.(5)




The reason aluminum is used in deodorant is because it serves in blocking the pores under your arms. Making it difficult to impossible for your body to release sweat through them. While many see sweating as something "gross" or to be avoided...sweating is actually a natural occurrence that is very important for your body to do in order to maintain temperature. Sweating allows the body to regulate its temperature. Sweating causes a decrease in core temperature through evaporative cooling at the skin surface. (6) By preventing your body from being able to naturally maintain its core temperature, you are disrupting the normal function of the body.




The main focus in a deodorant should be to prevent odor causing bacteria. NOT to prevent your body from actually sweating. Sweat is not gross, it is totally natural, and everyone does it.




There are many other chemicals and ingredients that can actually be irritants to the skin if not even more harmful.




You may not be one of the people who's skin is more irritated when using deodorant than not, and you may not notice any of the symptoms of aluminum toxicity..but why risk it for your body? After years of using these products on myself, I feel jipped for not learning sooner how awful they were. And I feel it is my responsibility to learn all of these things so that I can properly educate my daughter so that she does not also have to be dragged into the typical path that society walks down of polluting our bodies without even knowing we are doing it.




Do your body a favor and take a look at what you are putting in or on it. You deserve better. It is so easy to make many of your own products. I will continue posting blogs with recipes and videos showing you how to make things. And as I perfect my recipes I will list them on my website: www.SimplyNaturalSoaps.net for you to buy should you not have the time or energy to make them yourselves. There are so many resources out there making it easier and easier for you to have access to all natural products that will not harm your body!































1. “Definition of Aluminum.” MedicineNet.Com. 9 Jan. 2008 <http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39609>.




2. Flaten, Trond P. “Aluminium as a Risk Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease, with Emphasis on Drinking Water.”Brain Research Bulletin 55 (2001): 187-196. 19 Jan. 2008http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03619230.




3. Flarend, R, T Bin, D Elmore, and S L. Hemb. “A Preliminary Study of the Dermal Absorption of Aluminium From Antiperspirants Using Aluminium-26.” Food and Chemical Toxicology 39 (2001): 163-168. 22 Jan. 2008 <http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchemtox>.




4. Jansson, Erik T. “Aluminum Exposure and Alzheimer’s Disease.” Journal of Alzheimer\’s Disease 3 (2001): 541-549. 9 Jan. 2008 <http://iospress.metapress.com/link.asp?id=wb0qym7m9212er2t>.

Also available at: http://www.deptplanetearth.com/pub/jad3jansson.html


5. “Heavy Metal Toxicity.” Life Extension. 17 Jan. 2008 <http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-156a.shtml#alum2>.

6. "Perspiration". Wikipedia. 29 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspiration>.

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