The Handmade Beauty Connection
October 31, 2005

Renewing Members!

Claire's Pure and Natural Products | Irene Claire James | Oregon
* where natural and organic skin care complements a healthy lifestyle

New Members!

Of This Earth | Jan Eckstein | Pennsylvania
* Soy Care, a dry skin treatment, 100% pure soy candles, in hundreds of scents including Coffee Butter, Shea Butter, and new products weekly

Amonnat Srichonpaisarn | Ammonat's | California
* products made with ingredients such as avocado oil, shea butter, jojoba oil and essential oils, with no artificial fragrances or colors

Mac's Garden | Marie McCurry | New York

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.

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2. Lifestyle CEO Report: How Couples Make Their Businesses Work

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\Life.Style CEO\n. A person who owns and manages a business, not solely for financial gain, but also to enjoy the personal rewards of entrepreneurship, independence, flexibility and fun.

What's in store at Lifestyle CEO:

• Conference - Lisa Price of HBN member Carol's Daughter has been confirmed as a speaker at the first Lifestyle CEO Conference on January 28, 2006 in Washington, DC. Registration is available. Huge early bird discounts apply until TODAY! + HBN members enjoy ever greater savings!
• Blog - Come blog with me about everything from business to life and everything in between!
• Book - Set for publication next month, and featuring the revolutionary new "Lifestyle CEO Business Action Model (BAM!!) Copies can be reserved for shipping in November!

Live What You Love! Today's Lifestyle CEO Internet Radio Show guests are husband and wife team Bob and Mel Blanchard, authors of the new book, "Live What You Love." Married 30 years, the Blanchards have created eight businesses, each born of their determination to live what they love without compromise. Have you and your spouse ever wanted to move on a dream, but you just don't know where to start and how to handle the unexpected? Bob and Mel have been there and done that, and they will share some of the secrets of husband/wife entrepreneurial success on today's show. We will take caller questions and comments -- callers will win some handmade beauty products plus be entered to win a FREE copy of the Blanchard's book, "Live What You Love." Show time is 1:00pm EST and you can join in at your computer here. To request a show reminder about 1/2 hour before the show airs on Mondays, email me with LCEO SHOW REMINDER in the subject line.

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3. Handmade Beauty Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Face Mask & Peel

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We salute the fall season with Pumpkin Face Mask & Peel. This delectable facial product is a treat, not a trick. Use fresh pumpkin and pineapple to gently exfoliate the skin and leave it smooth and refreshed.

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!

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4. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: last week's winner was Nancy Karlov of Niles, Illinois. Nancy won some handmade soap, courtesy of HBN member Creekside Soaps!

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Last Week's Question: State the ages and gender(s) of Janice Cox's (last week's Lifestyle CEO Internet Radio Show guest) two children.

Last Week's Answer: 14 and 16, both girls

This Week's Question: State the name of the Blanchards' (today's Lifestyle CEO Internet Radio Show guests) restaurant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla.

Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and win some Wild Oats & Honey Masque!

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!

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5. Feature Article: Hands On Beauty: Not Your Mother's Beauty Products!
by Annette Esterheld

“Our products focus on an abundance of rare ingredients from around the globe, more than 26 countries on six continents,” says Lela, who started her company because of her sister’s experience with a benign tumor in her breast. She learned about the links between irritants and carcinogens found in skin care products and started making products for loved ones to enjoy. Lela, who later had cervical cancer herself, says that she started her business in 2003 with no formal business training and less than $500 in start up capital when she was a single parent with young daughters and looking for ways to support them by working from home.

Joena Buchholz of HBN member Silk 'n Shea also started her company in part as a result of a cancer experience. Joena had always been allergic to typical cosmetic products and as a young child developed a rash from soaps. She says that, "As an adult, I had non-Hodgkins' lymphoma and one of the side effects of the illness was prolific night sweats and itchy outbreaks on my skin." She discovered shea butter, an oil rich in Vitamins A and E, twelve years ago and decided to try using it on her face. “I was amazed that it not only did not irritate, but actually healed my skin. I developed a recipe for soap that incorporated many healing oils and herbs,’’ says Joena. “It actually became a cleansing ritual for me to take a bar of soap into the tub and allow it to melt into the water. It did a wonderful job of detoxifying the skin after chemotherapy; it also made my skin wonderfully soft. The emotional value was also incredible and empowering.”

In March 1993 HBN member Connie Grace of HBN member Angelique Skin Care had surgery for breast cancer. After the surgery, her body developed allergies to chemicals and preservatives in skin care products. She searched out natural products to use instead of the ones containing chemicals that she was now allergic to. “I found that most of the products that say they are natural still contain artificial chemicals, synthetic preservatives and artificial scents,’’ says Connie. “For me the benefits of making my own cosmetics are that I am 100 percent sure that all the ingredients are natural. Plus the fact that I get great satisfaction knowing I am dong something really worthwhile,” she continues. “People are usually amazed to know how their skin reacts to a truly natural product,’’ she says. “The skin actually absorbs all the vitamins in natural products and uses them for the reason it was intended.” 

“The benefits to making your own soaps and cosmetics are many, “ says Anne-Marie Faiola of HBN member Bramble Berry, Inc. "You control the ingredients, you can customize any scent or color and you have a huge creative outlet when you make something yourself.” Anne-Marie’s company carries over 160 fragrance oils and 30 essential oils. She defines essential oils as “an all natural product that is derived strictly from plant or fruit materials, such as leaves, peels or petals.”

And fragrance oils? “These use a combination of aroma-chemicals (synthetic) and natural (essential oils) additives to create a scent that mimics many items found in nature,” says Anne-Marie. She says she got into the business “by a fluke.” I was always a crafty girl and soap making was just a natural extension of that creativity. I started making soap at the age of 16 and sold my first bar of soap at 17.” To those who want to try soap making she advises: “if you can make a cake, you can do soap making. Start with a melt and pour kit and then work your way to more difficult projects.”

Editor's Note: In addition to the above companies, you can search for handmade beauty products in HBN's Online Member Directory where it's easy to search by state, company name or product type. If you are more the DIY type and want to make your own products and some to give as gifts for friends, the holiday season is the time to do it. You can get great recipes in HBN's Handmade Beauty Cookbook, available exclusively from members listed here. You can get ingredients and supplies here. You can get free recipes here.

Clearly, today's skincare and bath and body goodies are not your mother's beauty products! When I made my first bar of soap, I could think of little else. I blogged about the experience recently, and I know many of you can relate so feel free to comment on the blog and share your own experiences. There are still about two months left for you to get in on the fun. Start with simple recipes like bath salts and sugar scrubs. Add a few melt and pour soaps and then graduate to scratch made soaps. You can make hair products, mineral make-up, household cleaning products, baby products, men's products, lip products -- the list simply does not end.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as you can see, many HBN members got their start by making products after dealing with their own bout with cancer. You can enjoy another inspirational story here. he health trials of life . If you or your female friends and family members haven’t had a mammogram recently, please make an appointment today. One out of seven women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime and early detection can save lives. The most effective method of early detection is a mammogram. For more information, visit the National Cancer Institute.

Announcing The Organic Handmade Beauty Box!

As I write this message, a variety of HBN member products are on the beauty editor's desk at Self and Shape Magazines! Sugar scrubs, soaps, body butters, pedicure pumice, lip balm and more -- all in the July and September 2005 Handmade Beauty Boxes!!

Get your organic products ready! The November Handmade Beauty Box for Natural Health Magazine is here! Natural Health targets 18 to 50's male and female. The magazine is for those who have adopted a natural health lifestyle. Provides practical information on natural health and includes articles on natural and whole foods, healthy cooking, fitness, exercise, holistic remedies, alternative medicines, healthy living, natural/organic beauty and body care and the environment. The circulation for Natural Health is over 700,000. Learn more about the publication at their website.