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A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630 | Volume 6, Issue 29
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1. HBN Member Update: Welcome New & Renewing HBN Members!
2. Handmade Beauty Recipe: Vanessa's Baby Oil
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win some handmade soap!
4. Featured Article: Little Things Mean A Lot

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: What is my "newly discovered" favorite citrus essential oil?

Last Week's Answer: green mandarin

This Week's Question: After the birth of both of my children, I was told they had jaundice. I remember being terrified as I watched their tiny faces, necks and torsos take on a yellowish color. It was worse with my second child, who had to stay in the hospital a few extra days under lights (and away from me!) in order to decrease the amount of a melanin producing chemical in his blood which was causing his skin to turn yellow. A newborn is not to be released from the hospital until the "count" for this chemical dips below a certain point, which indicates that the baby's liver is removing the excess chemical from the body so it can be eliminated as waste -- and the skin can return to a normal color. What is the name of this chemical?

Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win some handmade soap!

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!

Perhaps no time in life is a memorable as the days immediately before and after the arrival of an infant. It offers a special reminder of how very important the little things are. When a little one arrives, some of the most tender steps we take as we care for them include washing and massaging. Here are some easy to follow tips for using essential oils and other natural ingredients to take tender loving care of the little ones in your life.

Give Massages.

From the time my children were born, I was rubbing something or other over their skin. One of the perks of being HBN's president is that I never have a shortage of delicious natural bath and body things, so my kids get a health dose of "body treats" all the time. My favorite thing to use to massage my kids is softened shea butter with a touch of essential oil. To make it, I leave 1/4 cup of shea butter in a plastic container in a warm spot in the house (the kitchen works best) for an hour or so and then add about 5 drops of essential oil. Lemon is a favorite because my husband really likes the scent of lemons (and he goes a bit nuts when I use oils like rose or ylang ylang which are much stronger). I also like to use lavender at bedtime and tangerine or sweet orange work well too. Stir the mixture with a plastic spoon, and off we go upstairs for a bath. Kids love to be cuddled after bath time so massaging them with a lightly scented natural butter is icing on the cake. My 3-year old loves the way it feels when my palms wrap around her shoulders and pull gently down to her palms. "That feels goooood, mommy. Do it again," is what I often hear. My son is a bit harder to keep still, but if I can get a good swipe or two of one of the bottom of one of his feet, he usually calms down too. He lies there with his feet in the air as if to say, "Service me." So, like Pavlov's dog, that's what I do. My children even like to touch each other gently with the massage butter. While these moments of sibling utopia are fleeting, they do happen. It's nice to see them learn how to treat each other gently at bedtime, even if much time beforehand is spent fighting over toys and the last piece of cookie.

Use A Diffuser.

I have several diffusers in my home. Some use tea light candles while others are powered by electricity. I also use scented candles a lot. There is usually scent everywhere. Once a week, I try to take a candle diffuser in my daughter's room at bed time so we can talk by candle light. I read once that the sooner parents start having "heart to heart" chats with their kids, the more likely they are to continue to open their lives up to us through their high schools years when getting them to talk can be like pulling teeth. I also read that children are more likely to be honest and free with their fears if they do not feel like they have to look a parent in the eye. So the candle sets a gentle, soft mood while the essential oils smell good and encourage relaxation and the free flow of conversation between me and my daughter. I have noticed that even when my daughter has insisted that she did "nothing" at her pre-kindergarten class that day, once we lay down and the aromatherapy candle is lit, she tells me lots of things about her day -- who hit whom, who talked back to the teacher, who forgot their lunch, how much fun it was to watch the butterflies in the wildflower garden, etc. After about 20 minutes, she's asleep and I blow the candle out (never leave a lit flame alone in a room with a toddler!) and everyone sleeps soundly.

Freshen The Car.

Kids produce aroma. Yes, there is that sweet baby smell that we all know and love. But there's also the poop and spit-up, plus when they get older, there's the general scent of dirt after a few hours in the sandbox or playground. At age 3, my daughter is an interesting combination of both, but she's old enough to take a small bottle of lemon essential oil with an orifice reducer (so the oil comes out in tiny droplets), and sprinkle it around the car to freshen it after we clean it out. I like to use lemon oil (to uplift) mixed with a bit of tea tree (to disinfect) (or lemon scented tea tree if I can get it) to get rid of the odor of everything from the socks under the seat, to the stale pretzel pieces between car seat cushions, to the spoonful of yogurt I didn't know someone had "lost" until we could smell it. I can't seem to clean my car out enough these days, but with our handy bottle of lemon tea tree essential oil, my daughter is able to make a helpful contribution to the family, plus we all benefit from the fresh scent.

Using natural scents around children is a great way to teach them about the wonderful sense of smell, which is often underused in our society. Massaging them says, "I love you," and is a way to teach them the power of touch and the importance of behaving in a loving way toward other people. So before reaching for the mineral oil after a diapering, and before spritzing commercial cleaner to freshen their potties and bedrooms, get some natural essential oils and other ingredients and make your own. It's easy and more fun to pamper them with things you can make yourself! Recipes for natural home keeping and mom and baby can be found at MakeYourCosmetics.com.

Have A Great Week!!
Donna Maria
Editor, The Handmade Beauty Connection
The Handmade Beauty Network | www.handmadebeauty.com