---->THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR ~ The Scent Shack<----
We sell quality, soap-tested fragrance oils at reasonable prices. There is never a minimum order and we have sizes as small as half an ounce. Cold-process and melt & pour testing results for all of our fragrance oils are listed on our website. Many are priced under $20/lb and we offer discounts for orders as small as $40. Give our great holiday scents a try: Mistletoe, Cranberry, Bayberry Spice, Dutch Chocolate, and others! We also carry melt & pour glycerin base, cocoa butter, and mica colorants. New scents are arriving monthly, so check us out at thescentshack.com!

http://www.thescentshack.com | (630) 845-8931
thescentshack@thescentshack.com

~ Harmonious Gardens, LTD. ~
Total body care, pure essential oils, soaps, lotions & etc.
www.HarmoniousGardens.com

A "GREAT" TIME AT THE NAHA TRADE SHOW & CONVENTION!!
What fun I am having at NAHA this weekend, and it is so wonderful to meet so many HBC readers and HBN members face to face after corresponding on email for many months!! HBN supplier members are really strutting their stuff in the show room. Marge Clark of Nature's Gift has a lovely display of a wide range of essential oils, absolutes, CO2s and beautiful diffusers while Barbara Bobo of Woodspirits, Ltd., boasts a splendid array of handmade soaps, along with new colognes to match their soaps. SunFeather Natural Soap Company's booth is "awash" with colorful handmade soaps, new soap tassles and great information on their new private labeling services. The Aromatherapy Connection is on hand to provide tons of helpful information about their products and services, including representation at upcoming trade shows!! For links to these HBN member sites, visit HBN's site at http://www.handmadebeauty.com!! Click on Member Directory and select the company name for a first hand look!

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Over the past 20 years, great strides have been made toward increasing awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Unfortunately, these strides did not come soon enough to benefit one of the greatest role models of my youth. She was the first African-American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet post, and was Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare (now, the Department of Health & Human Services). She also served as the Ambassador to Luxembourg. In 1985, she succumbed to breast cancer. To win this week, provide the name of this distinguished role model who, for me, continues to symbolize the true meaning of beauty.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWER: Patricia Roberts Harris

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: During the 1920's, a group of people joined forces to form an organization designed to encourage people to bathe. They arranged to distribute comics to public schools that contained the lyrics to a song that eventually became the advertising theme for Proctor & Gamble's Ivory soap. The lyrics were: "clean hands and hearts may hope to find the way to happiness byusing lots of soap."

Be the first to provide the name of the group and win a sample of "The CO2 Crew," one of my signature aromatic skincare blends featured in "Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions"!

Read contest rules at www.handmadebeauty.com/htns_Newsletter.htm

There is nothing more relaxing and enjoyable than soaking in a warm or hot tub of scented water and forgetting everything else exists. I confess that I soak daily, year round. So I have had an opportunity to try many wonderful products. My recent discoveries include some delicious bath salts made by HBN members.

Patchouli Dead Sea Bath Salts by Isabella Rose Organic Essentials
8 oz ~ $9.95

As the name implies the essential oil in these bath salts is patchouli which I love. A soft, delicate patchouli scent perfumed the air and my skin as I soaked in the warm salted water. A wonderful gift for a fellow patchouli lover. Patchouli Dead Sea Bath Salts are available at www.isabella-rose.com.

Plumeria Bath Salts by Prairieland Soaps
16 oz. ~ $5.00 These pretty scented salts have a splendid aroma that reminded me of the flowers in Hawaii. What a wonderful way to be transported back to the islands, and no jet lag!! Reserve your trip by grabbing these delicious crystals at www.prairielandsoaps.com.

This recipe comes straight from the editor's cutting room at Storey Books. That's right, it became "recipe non grata" after I exceeded the page limit for my first manuscript. Though it had to be cut for space reasons from the final book, I still think it's one of the most fragrant things I've ever created. Sweet, feminine, warm and cozy. I've been saving this up for the right time, and the refreshing chill of the air lets me know that time has finally arrived.

Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk
1 vanilla bean
1 cup honey
1 pint fresh whipping cream
3 drops vanilla absolute (Note: this is not an essential oil, but a thick substance taken from vanilla using solvents. It smells warm and heavenly. If you do not use vanilla absolute, you can substitute your favorite vanilla fragrance oil.)
your favorite fresh flower petals

Blending Procedure
Place milk in a large soup pot over a very low flame. Do not boil or scald milk. While it warms, massage the vanilla bean so that there are no flat sides and it is as rounded and tubelike as possible. Working on a napkin or paper towel, use a sharp knife to carefully split the bean from top to bottom, but do not cut all the way through to the other side. Use a small spoon to loosen the seeds.

Add the split bean, seeds, honey and whipping cream to the milk. Cover and warm for about 1 hour over very low heat. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir well. Strain out the vanilla bean for future use. Add the vanilla absolute last and stir well. (If you do not add the absolute, you can set some of this mixture aside for your morning tea or coffee.) Add this delicious treat to your warm bath, along with a few fresh flower petals. If desired, allow the vanilla bean to dry on a paper towel for about an hour, and then add it to the sugar jar or to coffee beans where it will release its aroma and taste. Enjoy your Vanilla Milk & Honey Bliss Bath!!