I am Susan. I own Earth Scents Soap and Sundries.
I live in SE Washington State in the beautiful town of Walla Walla. This is a mainly agricultural area with 3 colleges. We have a community college, Walla Walla College and Whitman College. We are nestled in the valley of the Blue Mountains. Our weather is generally moderate with some rain. We are not near as wet as the western side of the state. I have lived here off and on since I was 2 years old. I was born in Illinois. My mother still lives here and my father lives in Quincy, Illinois.
I have a BS degree in Agricultural Economics. I have had many jobs. I have worked in Accounting, Administrative Assistant, Director of Plant Services at one of the colleges and currently one of the Director's for Activities at a local nursing home. I just love my current job. It is such a rewarding job helping our elderly enjoy their day. I have so much fun and the resident's respond very well to me. This is the easiest job I have ever had in my life. I feel that this is where I am supposed to be currently in my life.
I have lived in the country all of my life. I have had animals all my life. I have a spoiled rotten little Min Pin "Katy" that I love dearly. She is such a wonderful part of my life now that my children are grown. My first love is horses. I have raised, shown and trained Quarter Horses most of my life. I started riding when I was 2 years old. I still have one old Quarter Horse mare and 2 miniature horses. I started raising dairy goats in 1990. This was due in part to my children and their 4-H projects. I raise Alpine and Toggenburg dairy goats under the herd name Waiilatpu. The indian name for the Whitman Mission. We live 1/2 a mile from their. Waiilatpu means "land of the rye grass". You can still see the ruts from the conestoga wagons at the Mission. We show goats in the North West. We also show at Nationals when they are located close enough. We will be in Gillette, Wyoming for Nationals this July. Our goats start kidding around the 18th of February so my vacation is about over. We have had great success in the show ring. We love the genetics involved with the dairy goats and their wonderful personalities. We also love to make products for our own use with their milk. This is where the Earth Scents soap business came into play. We started the business in 2000 with goat milk soaps. We have perfected making goat milk soaps and feel we have some of the finest smelling, moisturizing soaps on the market. I have studied and studied this art. I have put in hours and hours of research into the products. I started to make the soaps for my own personal use. I wanted a product far superior to what was on the market. I feel that I have accomplished this goal. We have since branched into cream soaps, lotions, creams, masks, toners, etc. I love the science of this industry.
I hope that you folks will give us some feedback concerning our current products and also future products. We would like to know what you want, what you expect. This will make us more responsive to your needs.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Shea Butter and SheaMazing Line
A common question we are asked quite often is “What is Shea Butter?” We’ll try to answer that question as best we can.
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) is made from the fruit of the Karite tree which grows in Africa. It is cold pressed with no chemicals added. It may be used pure or in combination with other butters and oils.
Shea Butter contains natural vitamins A and E, which makes it extremely beneficial to the skin. High in vitamin A, Shea Butter is an excellent aid in skin afflictions to include dry, rashes, peeling, blemishes, itchiness, sunburn, skin cracks, rough calloused skin (like heels and elbows), Cold weather, stretch marks, insect bites, poison ivy and poison oak, eczema and dermatitis. It also is a soother for skin damaged by minor burns. Vitamin E aids the micro-circulation to the skin, resulting in increased blood supply. It also has been found to aid the effects of environmental exposure.
Our It’s SheaMazing product line uses Shea butter as the basis to provide our customers with the moisturizing repair all skin craves. Our Soap Cakes contain an unheard of 20 % Shea Butter, which helps the body replenish itself while cleansing. To stay true to our extremes the soapcakes are named that for a reason, they are huge. Not your typical “cake o’ soap”, these massive bars weigh anywhere from 7 to 9 ounces. Its rather difficult to be precise when hand cutting these cakes.
Our Shea lotion provides the finishing touch leaving the skin smooth and silky feeling. It helps provide your body with the additional moisture and vitamins it requires to be healthy. The light scent and silky feeling of this lotion is nothing less than Nirvana for the senses. None of our lotions are watered down and you definitely won’t be reaching for the lotion bottle as often as repeated with other lotions. The same can be said of our Silk ‘n Milk and Hemp lotions. The options for lotions are available, the choice is up to the individual.
Long before the “It’s SheaMazing” product line was developed I had a deep love for this ingredient. Living in the desert takes its toll on the skin. Anytime you can walk outside and feel the moisture being drawn from the skin you know you need extreme protection for your skin as well as your hair. The love affair with Shea Butter began. When combined with various extracts and essential oils, it makes a fantastic hair butter for ethnic hair care. While moisturizing, stimulating and soothing the scalp, the hair is benefiting from the added moisture and protection provided by Shea Butter. There is no wax or petrolatum to weigh the hair down and leave it greasy, quite the contrary. The hair is left moisturized yet not greasy, light as opposed to weighted down with waxes. Combining essential oils and extracts that are known to soothe irritation and stimulate blood circulation encouraging growth, hair can’t be anything but healthy and happy and most of all, look its best. A very important thing to note about Original Hair butter, Natural Indulgence, is that it may be used from your head to your toes. Safe for even the most tender skin, being all natural and containing no preservatives.
Although Natural Indulgence is not in our Coast To Coast Product line, it is available through our retail location or my website. I wasn’t going to blog about this product until it was strongly suggested I do so. Donna can be rather, ummm persuasive, at times. J In fact, she insisted I mention this product due to the many testimonials given by customers at our retail location.
I’m Linda and I make the Shea Lotion and Soap Cakes. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoy making them for you. I have been making soap with my family for about 45 years and thoroughly love what I do. All the new natural ingredients allow me to make products that are excellent for the body and soul.
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) is made from the fruit of the Karite tree which grows in Africa. It is cold pressed with no chemicals added. It may be used pure or in combination with other butters and oils.
Shea Butter contains natural vitamins A and E, which makes it extremely beneficial to the skin. High in vitamin A, Shea Butter is an excellent aid in skin afflictions to include dry, rashes, peeling, blemishes, itchiness, sunburn, skin cracks, rough calloused skin (like heels and elbows), Cold weather, stretch marks, insect bites, poison ivy and poison oak, eczema and dermatitis. It also is a soother for skin damaged by minor burns. Vitamin E aids the micro-circulation to the skin, resulting in increased blood supply. It also has been found to aid the effects of environmental exposure.
Our It’s SheaMazing product line uses Shea butter as the basis to provide our customers with the moisturizing repair all skin craves. Our Soap Cakes contain an unheard of 20 % Shea Butter, which helps the body replenish itself while cleansing. To stay true to our extremes the soapcakes are named that for a reason, they are huge. Not your typical “cake o’ soap”, these massive bars weigh anywhere from 7 to 9 ounces. Its rather difficult to be precise when hand cutting these cakes.
Our Shea lotion provides the finishing touch leaving the skin smooth and silky feeling. It helps provide your body with the additional moisture and vitamins it requires to be healthy. The light scent and silky feeling of this lotion is nothing less than Nirvana for the senses. None of our lotions are watered down and you definitely won’t be reaching for the lotion bottle as often as repeated with other lotions. The same can be said of our Silk ‘n Milk and Hemp lotions. The options for lotions are available, the choice is up to the individual.
Long before the “It’s SheaMazing” product line was developed I had a deep love for this ingredient. Living in the desert takes its toll on the skin. Anytime you can walk outside and feel the moisture being drawn from the skin you know you need extreme protection for your skin as well as your hair. The love affair with Shea Butter began. When combined with various extracts and essential oils, it makes a fantastic hair butter for ethnic hair care. While moisturizing, stimulating and soothing the scalp, the hair is benefiting from the added moisture and protection provided by Shea Butter. There is no wax or petrolatum to weigh the hair down and leave it greasy, quite the contrary. The hair is left moisturized yet not greasy, light as opposed to weighted down with waxes. Combining essential oils and extracts that are known to soothe irritation and stimulate blood circulation encouraging growth, hair can’t be anything but healthy and happy and most of all, look its best. A very important thing to note about Original Hair butter, Natural Indulgence, is that it may be used from your head to your toes. Safe for even the most tender skin, being all natural and containing no preservatives.
Although Natural Indulgence is not in our Coast To Coast Product line, it is available through our retail location or my website. I wasn’t going to blog about this product until it was strongly suggested I do so. Donna can be rather, ummm persuasive, at times. J In fact, she insisted I mention this product due to the many testimonials given by customers at our retail location.
I’m Linda and I make the Shea Lotion and Soap Cakes. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoy making them for you. I have been making soap with my family for about 45 years and thoroughly love what I do. All the new natural ingredients allow me to make products that are excellent for the body and soul.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
New Improved Fresh Face
When Fresh Face, an anytime moisturizer, was introduced as part of the Face Collection it was formulated for Dry or Oily skin. Two separate, very distinct formulas were created to satisfy the needs of both skin types. As always, once a product is created it doesn't take long before you start thinking of various ways to improve a product. Personally, I like simplicity. After looking at the ingredients in both formulas I started thinking "there has got to be a way to make this product beneficial for all skin types". Off I went for hours upon hours and weeks upon weeks of researching various oils, herbs, botanics, anti-oxidants, etc., finally I put together many formulas, tested, tested and tested some more until I was satisfied with what we now have as Fresh Face.
What is Fresh Face? It is a specially formulated facial moisturizer, toner and clarifying serum. The new and improved formula is focused more on maturing skin of all types. You don't have to be 50 for your skin to begin aging, quite the contrary. There are many young women with aging skin due to exposure to sun and wind damage, cleansing with harsh facial cleansers, heavy makeup. Whatever the reason, you will notice an improvement in appearance and feel after using just a few times. Fresh Face can be used daily or anytime you need a boost of moisture. It is fantastic under makeup. Never greasy.
Evening Primrose oil is reputed to heal skin irritations, increase hydration, moisturize dry, aging and chapped skin and maintains normal function of the epithelial barrier membrane. It also is known to help reduce wrinkles. Rose hip oil regenerates tissue, treats those pesky crows feet, helps heal sunburns, psoriasis and eczema while improving hydration. Add Jojoba oil to the mix and you've got an oil that creates a protective film over the skin sealing in moisture. Dissolves pore clogging matter and returns skin to a natural ph balance. Jojoba penetrates the pores quickly to reduce moisture loss. You can see why combining these oils in our serum is the right choice.
Botanicals play a major role in my life as well as in this product. We've used a plethora of herbs and botanicals for the astringent, emollience, regenerative, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits imparted.
Combining all of these things, I am of the opinion that it is one of the best available, then again, I am a bit biased. As the old commercial used to say "Try it, You'll like it".
What is Fresh Face? It is a specially formulated facial moisturizer, toner and clarifying serum. The new and improved formula is focused more on maturing skin of all types. You don't have to be 50 for your skin to begin aging, quite the contrary. There are many young women with aging skin due to exposure to sun and wind damage, cleansing with harsh facial cleansers, heavy makeup. Whatever the reason, you will notice an improvement in appearance and feel after using just a few times. Fresh Face can be used daily or anytime you need a boost of moisture. It is fantastic under makeup. Never greasy.
Evening Primrose oil is reputed to heal skin irritations, increase hydration, moisturize dry, aging and chapped skin and maintains normal function of the epithelial barrier membrane. It also is known to help reduce wrinkles. Rose hip oil regenerates tissue, treats those pesky crows feet, helps heal sunburns, psoriasis and eczema while improving hydration. Add Jojoba oil to the mix and you've got an oil that creates a protective film over the skin sealing in moisture. Dissolves pore clogging matter and returns skin to a natural ph balance. Jojoba penetrates the pores quickly to reduce moisture loss. You can see why combining these oils in our serum is the right choice.
Botanicals play a major role in my life as well as in this product. We've used a plethora of herbs and botanicals for the astringent, emollience, regenerative, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits imparted.
Combining all of these things, I am of the opinion that it is one of the best available, then again, I am a bit biased. As the old commercial used to say "Try it, You'll like it".
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Hemp Soap vs Big Brand Soap
Many items on the market today are called soap however, there are very few true soaps if any produced by the big name brand manufacturers. The only one I can think of right off the top of my head is Ivory. Although it is manufactured with not the greatest ingredients for moisturizing and nourishing the skin, it does clean. If I remember correctly the ingredients in Ivory are Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Palm Kernalate, Titanium Dioxide, this is the ingredient that prevents Ivory from being 100% pure, it is nothing more than a whitener. This is how they label the soap so they don't have to use the words Sodium Hydroxide (Lye). These ingredients are nothing more than Tallow an animal fat, probably beef, Palm Kernal oil and Coconut oil. Very inexpensive ingredients used for the sole purpose of cleansing and nothing more. But why is it so drying? During the saponification process of the oils, butters (fats) and alkali glycerin is produced. Glycerin being a natural humectant draws moisture from the air to the skin. Most large manufacturers extract the glycerin from the soap, this is why your skin feels dry and itchy. They've removed the best ingredient from the soap.
As a soapmaker I feel a responsibility to use the best ingredients available to produce the kind of soap I, myself wouldn't hesitate to use on my grandchildren. I have experimented with various oils and butters for years before I found that one recipe that does exactly what I feel a bar of soap should do.
A bar of soap should:
a) Cleanse deeply
b) Rinse cleanly
c) Nourish damaged skin
d) Moisturize deeply
e) Be gentle enough for a newborn.
We list all ingredients on our soaps so people can see what they will be using on their skin and to avoid any allergic reactions people might have to one or more of our ingredients. We believe in full disclosure of ingredient listings and do so on all of our products.
Back to my soap. I produce the hemp products for Coast To Coast Soapworks. I love hemp seed oil. As far as I am concerned there is no other oil that provides the nourishment of Hemp seed oil. One of the richest sources of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids as well as GLA (gamma linolenic acid) making it a superior natural emollient and moisturizer. The use of hempseed oil in soaps aids in soothing and restoring dry or damaged skin as well as assist in increasing natural moisture retention. Ok, so now you know I am a huge fan and supporter of hemp products. One other thing I might add, Hempseed oil is produced from sterile seed. There is less than 1% THC (psychoactive) found in industrial hemp. All of this to say, NO you will NOT test positive for marijuana.
I could talk about hemp for hours but I won't bore anyone any longer. Moving right along to other ingredients in our Hemp soap. Aloe for its healing and moisturizing benefits, Coconut oil also used for moisturizing, conditioning and a great lather, Olive oil for its gentleness and long lasting moisturizing benefits, Lard for its cleansing properties and creaminess,Shea butter, Africa's best kept secret, until the French found out about it, now we all benefit. Shea butter is not only known for its moisturizing benefits, it is known for its healing benefits as well. I won't go into the wonders of Shea Butter, I'll leave that to Linda, she produces our Shea Butter Soapcakes and Mega bars as well as our Shea Butter lotion.
The combined benefits of these oils produces the creamiest lathering soap I've ever made. Its like bathing with lotion.
New Improved Men's Skin Conditioner
I have taken the Men's Skin Conditioner and reformulated it to better serve our Metro men's needs.
This skin conditioner soaks in quickly with no greasy after feel. The combination of herbal extracts and oils makes this conditioner a winner.
Chamomile and Lavender extract are purported to have skin soothing properties that calm eczema and allergic reactions. It is also said that they have excellent anti-inflammatory properties.
Calendula extract is purported to soothe and restore the skin.
We use Witch Hazel Distillate for its excellent astringent properties.
In addition to these ingredients we add Kukui Nut oil. Cosmetic chemists say that this oil has an excellent skin feel. It is readily absorbed to all skin levels leaving no greasy after feel. It seems to make rough, chapped dry skin feel smooth, soft and silky. Kukui nut oil is a good protective oil, protecting against wind and sun burn. It is also believed to help prevent scarring.
We also add Allantoin, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids and Vitamin E to round out is excellent skin loving formulation. Allantoin is said to help heal wounds and skin irritations and stimulate growth of healthy tissue. Panthenol is a humectant, emollient and moisturizer. Silk Amino Acids help moisture penetrate the skin and aid in skin healing. Vitamin E is often used in skin creams and lotions because it is purported to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns.
This skin conditioning formula is among one of the best on the market. It comes in three fragrances. They are Bay Rum, Lime Mint and Outlaw. You can not go wrong with this product.
This skin conditioner soaks in quickly with no greasy after feel. The combination of herbal extracts and oils makes this conditioner a winner.
Chamomile and Lavender extract are purported to have skin soothing properties that calm eczema and allergic reactions. It is also said that they have excellent anti-inflammatory properties.
Calendula extract is purported to soothe and restore the skin.
We use Witch Hazel Distillate for its excellent astringent properties.
In addition to these ingredients we add Kukui Nut oil. Cosmetic chemists say that this oil has an excellent skin feel. It is readily absorbed to all skin levels leaving no greasy after feel. It seems to make rough, chapped dry skin feel smooth, soft and silky. Kukui nut oil is a good protective oil, protecting against wind and sun burn. It is also believed to help prevent scarring.
We also add Allantoin, Panthenol, Silk Amino Acids and Vitamin E to round out is excellent skin loving formulation. Allantoin is said to help heal wounds and skin irritations and stimulate growth of healthy tissue. Panthenol is a humectant, emollient and moisturizer. Silk Amino Acids help moisture penetrate the skin and aid in skin healing. Vitamin E is often used in skin creams and lotions because it is purported to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns.
This skin conditioning formula is among one of the best on the market. It comes in three fragrances. They are Bay Rum, Lime Mint and Outlaw. You can not go wrong with this product.
Welcome
I want to welcome our customers to this blog. I hope that this will be beneficial for you and us as well. We will be adding some new fragrances to our line and taking some of our original fragrance out of our line.
I wanted to tell you about the "new" goat milk cream soap. It is made with pumpkin oil and pumpkin along with silk and rhassoul clay for a gentle exfoliation. It has the wonderful goat milk in it also. This product is formulated for your face. It helps to clear your face and keep it clear. You can use it every day or once a week. You can use it as an on and off cleanser or as a mask. Pumpkin oil is rich in Zinc, Vit. E, Vit. A, and the precious omegas: Omega 3 and Omega 6: also known as essential fatty acids (EFAs). There are several other skin benefiting oils in this NEW cream soap.
Our products are formulated with you in mind. You can not buy the quality of products that Coast to Coast Soapworks carries at your general store. We have formulated these products with some of the best ingredients found in the world.
I wanted to tell you about the "new" goat milk cream soap. It is made with pumpkin oil and pumpkin along with silk and rhassoul clay for a gentle exfoliation. It has the wonderful goat milk in it also. This product is formulated for your face. It helps to clear your face and keep it clear. You can use it every day or once a week. You can use it as an on and off cleanser or as a mask. Pumpkin oil is rich in Zinc, Vit. E, Vit. A, and the precious omegas: Omega 3 and Omega 6: also known as essential fatty acids (EFAs). There are several other skin benefiting oils in this NEW cream soap.
Our products are formulated with you in mind. You can not buy the quality of products that Coast to Coast Soapworks carries at your general store. We have formulated these products with some of the best ingredients found in the world.
Monday, January 22, 2007
We've Arrived
Today is the day. After much thought and a lot of procrastination we've decided today is the day we would attempt to communicate with our many customers across the country via blog. We're hoping this medium will provide our many customers a means of communicating with those of us that formulate and manufacture the many products we offer. This is also the best method, other than private email, to speak directly with the person that manufactures your favorite products. We'll post about the various ingredients we use and why we use them, the benefits provided by use of these ingredients. This medium will hopefully provide us with the much sought after feedback we, as formulators need from folks that use our products. You, our customer and prospective customers will also be the first to know of new fragrance releases, new product development and releases.
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