Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
April 11, 2005

1. HBN Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!!
2. Feature Article: The Wonders of Lavender
3. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week:  Lavender Facial Toner
4. Beauty & The Business Trivia Question: win an HBN T-shirt!
5. Handmade Beauty Product Review: Lotion Bars by HBN Member Footbridge

Renewing Members!

Natural Mystic, d/b/a Kate's Soap | Deby Ciacciarelli | Florida
* renewing member; premium quality handmade soaps made with fruit, nut and grain vegetable oils, herbal extracts and teas; soy candles and bath gifts

Willow Way | Ron Jonas | Indiana
* renewing member; cutters, molds, pot tippers, oil heaters, liquid soap heaters, soap stamps, bath bomb presses and more

Luisa, Inc. | Gili Zilca | New York
* renewing member; natural handmade soap: Olive oil, Glycerin, and milk based soap bars

Thistle Ridge | Jamie S. Estes | South Carolina
* renewing member; natural herbal soaps in small batches with only quality ingredients

Alima Cosmetics, Inc. | Kathleen O'Brien | Oregon
* renewing member; a complete line of pure, handcrafted mineral makeup

Danielle & Co. | Danielle Fleming | Pennsylvania
* renewing member; Specializing in creating botanical and herbal blends

Canterbury Cabin | Lorrie Beach | New York
* renewing member; Spa Essentials Collection, Canterbury Bath & Body Collection and Natural Toiletries Collection

New Members

Aqua Essentials | Kiwana Thomas | Mississippi
* bath salts, salt glows and hair/body oils in eight unique blends

Herbal Deescents | Demetria Zinga | Alabama
* beautiful body butters and glycerin soaps made from earth's finest and most exotic oils, butters, and herbs

Lynne Norder | Colorado

Afrocentric Imports | Ann Walls | California
* glycerin soap, bath scrub, foot scrub, massage oil, body washes and body butter

The Counter Corp. | Deborah Gavito | New York 
* products are crafted by hand at New York's Counter Restaurant

New Alchemy | Suzzette Moulin | Florida 
* healing skin balms, sugar scrubs and exfoliating cleansing grains

Supple Skin Care | Anya Stagakis | New York 
* incredibly pure, luxurious all-natural beauty solutions, plus fair trade cocoa and shea butters and essential oils

Nature From Europe
* products using natural ingredients that will help clients to keep their skin healthy and young looking

Chic Afrique Herbals | Nicole Balaam | Maryland
* balms, creams, lotions, body washes, scrubs and more

HBN Members On The Move!!

Traci Vanover of The Creative Concept is excited to invite you all to the Soap and Candle Bee in Fort Wayne, Indiana on  June 11, 2005. The Theme is "Fresh Ideas -- Fresh Outlook" and I'll be the keynote speaker -- hope to see you there! (HBN members, put "HBN OFFER" in the shopping cart comments to get your FREE spa CD when you register!)

The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild conference will be in Pittsburgh, PA, on April 27 - 30! Enjoy their theme, "Transitions For Growth -- Reaching Your Goals." Speaker topics Master Soapmaking classes, Merchandising & Customer Service, Teaching Soapmaking in West Africa, Trademarks, Copyrights & Patents and more! Click here for details!

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical listings.

Everyone has heard of lavender of course. Well, maybe not everyone, but I think it's safe to say that no one reading this newsletter does not know at least a little something about lavender. Having said that, for those of you who might be looking for some new and interesting ways to incorporate lavender into the products you make, then you'll be intrigued and inspired by the information provided here.

Lavender is one of the most oft used herbs in modern human history. Ever since French perfumer Rene Maurice Gattefosse burned his hand, plunged it into a bowl of lavender and later marveled at how quickly and completely the wound healed, lavender has been on the radar screen of everyone from mothers and home managers to physicians and skincare specialists. There are an almost indeterminable number of varieties of lavender but for purposes of skin and body care, there are a few that are both readily available and tend to be reasonably priced: Lavendula Vera, Lavender Angustifolia and Lavender Officinalis. According to Julia Lawless in her book The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, these 3 varieties are synonymous. According to everyone, they are excellent for use in all skin and body care products. (There is also lavendin (hybrid lavender), spike lavender and others, but it's not possible to cover them all here. Check the books mentioned throughout this article for resources.) 

One of the most striking things about lavender is its beauty. Each individual spike is unique with beautiful flowers ranging in hues from deep violet to light blue and pale lavender. A lavender farm is a beautiful thing to behold -- a sea of purple swaying magically in the breeze and carrying an almost hypnotic, herbaceous and soothing aroma. In his book, Portraits In Oils, Philippe Mailhebiau describes Lavendula Vera in terms of personality, and likens its temperament to that of Mother Teresa. He says lavender is, "excessive in giving of herself, in her devotion, in her constant concern to give everyone, even if they have fallen to the depths of moral degeneration, the best, the essential, the very substance of her being. Consumed with love, she exhausts herself to the very limit of her strength." (Page 149)

Lavender blends with just about everything -- barks, mints, woods, seeds, other herbaceous plants, citrus, flowers. You name it and you can mix it with a drop or two of lavender and end up with something useful and fragrant. Here are some useful and easy essential oil combinations for everyday use:

1. For Headache: 2 drops lavender + 1 drop peppermint -- combine with 1 tablespoon of carrier oil and massage back of the neck, head and temples.

2. For Mental Clarity & Alertness: 2 drops lavender + 1 drop rosemary -- place into an aromatherapy oil burner or diffuser and diffuse throughout a small study or reading area.

3. For Stress Relief & Relaxation: 2 drops lavender + 1 drop sweet orange -- drop into warn drawn bath and swish well to disperse; step in and relax.

4. For Household Freshening: 2 drops lavender + 2 drops lemon - combine with 1/4 cup baking soda to clean sinks, face bowls and countertops.

But don't stop there! Mix it with other less "obvious" oils and enjoy the results. Some I have used are tea tree (for zits), myrtle (for oily skin), rose (for dry skin) and bergamot (for perfume). In her book Aromatherapy For Practitioners, Ulla-Maija Grace says that lavender is "The mother of all essential oils." (Page 47) Its high linalool content makes it a must have for anyone who stresses a lot or suffers from depression. And for those of you looking to make products for your children, if you don't start with lavender oil, you're doing everyone a disservice. According to Valerie Ann Worwood, in her book Aromatherapy For The Healthy Child, lavender is the first essential oil in the Children's Basic Care Kit and it is helpful for cuts, grazes, burns, psoriasis, eczema, sunburn, insect bites, headache, migraine, insomnia, rashes, nervous conditions, anxiety and tension. Because it is antibacterial, it's a great natural alternative to the alcohol-based, synthetic fragrance filled antibacterial washes that are so popular today.

While most all HBN members have something "lavender" in their product lines, for a few members, it is so intrinsic to what they do that it is in their company names. Interestingly, they are both on the west coast. It must smell really good there! If this little feature has not inspired you to get reacquainted with lavender, then check out some of the books mentioned and I'm sure you'll agree that lavender is one of the most useful, pleasant and easy to use essential oils in history.

Lavender Facial Toner is a great pick-me-up for any skin type -- any personality type too!

When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com, it's easy to buy the ingredients you need by clicking on our Selected Supplier links:

Essential Wholesale: pure essential oils, over 200 cosmetic bases, hundreds of carrier/fixed oils such as meadowfoam, cranberry, jojoba and shea butter plus a new Short Run Private Labeling Program!

Bramble Berry, Inc.: over 105 different fragrance and essential oils (including their exclusive "Energy" and "Relaxing"), all soap tested, soap molds and unscented soap bases!

SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their new Perfumer's Emporium.

The Scent Shack: fragrance oils and soap supplies. Fragrance oils are pre-tested in cold process, melt & pour soap, and candles, and test results are listed at the Web site. Scents tested by soapers for soapers!

From Nature With Love: over 1,600 ingredients and supplies, including cosmetic ingredients, spa supplies, bath accessories and packaging supplies!

Last Week's Question: As you know, HBN's first book, "The Handmade Beauty Cookbook: Do-It-Yourself Beauty Secrets & Secrets From Members of the Handmade Beauty Network" was published in late November 2004. We had 1,000 copies printed and there are less than 200 left (so get yours today!) Several HBN members are featured in the book, along with their great recipes and a bit about their handmade beauty businesses. HBN's website lists several members who are selling the book through their websites and retail stores. To win this week, state which one of those members sells 20-ounce, clear PETE plastic, non-breakable bail & wire jars suitable for holding body scrubs and muds.

Last Week's Answer: The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe

This Week's Question: Name the three HBN members with "lavender" in their company names, and state which one of them actually harvests lavender on their farm.

Be the first to name the sport and win an HBN T-shirt!

Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered.

While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner's name will be announced in the next newsletter!

Lotion Bars by HBN Member Footbridge
Large size (approx. 8 ounces) | $14.99

A lotion bar is a lotion bar, right? I mean, after lip balm and anything else made with wax and oil, how much more exciting can it get? I used to wonder that, and my own personal time making lotion bars has diminished as a result. But now, after trying Footbridge's products, I can see that I have really missed out. And after enjoying their products and their presentation, not only do I want to use more lotion bars in general, I want to use more Footbridge Lotion Bars. Why? Well, let me tell you.

Footbridge lotion bars are made with lots of shea butter, plus vegetable oil and lanolin. This combination is rich and packed with skin-loving goodies. The fragrances and essential oils are wonderful of course. But it's really the presentation of the bars that makes them stand out from the pack, and Footbridge has perfected the presentation of lotion bars. In fact, it's all they do!

The bars come in a variety of lovely shapes including the sunflower pictured above. I tried the apple shape in both the large and small sizes. My daughter confiscated the large one and one of my family helpers took the smaller one. I was left with some wonderful sample sizes which I am enjoying. Each bar comes in a terra cotta dish so it can be placed on your night stand, making a convenient way to store the bars. Believe me -- they won't be around long enough to collect any dust, but just in case, each comes in a clear cello bag with a pretty ribbon just in case you have a lotion bar hiatus or are traveling. You can even get them in pretty green gift boxes with a nice sleeve label, all ready for the gifting! My daughter was kind enough to leave me with one of those, with a bunch of grapes motif on top. The bars keep their shape wonderfully and the molds used to make them are deep enough that you can enjoy the shape for a long time. Footbridge Lotion Bars last well so you'll be able to get a lot of use out of even a 2-ounce sized bar.

Before trying one of the lotion bars I had, my 14-year old neighbor had never heard of lotion bars. "No, it's not soap," I explained. I proceeded to tell her how they worked, letting her know that she should hold it between her palms and rub so that the product transferred to her hands. As she did, her eyes got bigger and she said, "Ooohh, that feels good! And my hands really needed that. Can I use it on my feet too?!"

What else do I need to say?

Footbridge Lotion Bars are a perfect gift, and with so many fragrances and shapes to choose from, you won't have trouble pleasing yourself or a friend. In addition to the sunflower pictures above, you can get apples, dragonflies, hearts, Celtic hearts, grapes and fish. In terms of scent, there's lemongrass, mango, lavender and on and on! You can check out Footbridge's website to find a store near you that sells their delicious lotion bars. Footbridge does not retail them from their website but you can get some online here.

Visit our suite of Web sites serving the handmade toiletries industry:

HandmadeBeauty.com: the leading industry trade organization
MangoButter.com: 450+ suppliers of raw materials and packaging, updated weekly!
MakeYourCosmetics.com: ingredient encyclopedia & original cosmetics recipes
DonnaMaria.com: sound advice for your small business, Create The Life You Love™