Smells That Trigger Memories

What is the best place to relax and just let your mind wander?? A nice, relaxing bath! How many times have you been using a certain bar of soap and the scent causes memories to come flooding in? Have you ever wondered why it is that our brains associate a smell with memories? I have, so I did a little research to find out exactly why this happens. How many times have you smelled chlorine and it takes you back to your childhood swimming pool? What about the Balsam Fir candle you open the lid to smell and Christmas memories from the past coming rushing in? You get a whiff of the oatmeal cooking and it immediately takes you back to sitting at the kitchen table in your "jammies" when you are six years old? Here's a weird one for me.....every time I smell the pungent odor or tar, it takes me back to my Kindergarten classroom room at North School. They were tarring the flat roof on the school the first year I started.  It seems like it took them forever to get it done! The smell permeated the building and classrooms, and every time I smell that smell I am taken back to Mrs. Gibb's Kindergarten classroom! That is probably one of the most distinct memory grabbers for me! Weird I know, but it's a great example of how the brain pulls memories from smells.  The information I gathered on how this works is this.....The olfactory lobe in the brain is part of the limbic system. The limbic system is an area associated with  memory and feeling. It's sometimes called the "emotional brain." Smells can call up memories and powerful responses almost immediately. The olfactory lobe has access to the amgydala. This processes emotion. The hippocampus is responsible for associative learning. Smells still would not trigger memories if it were for conditioned responses. When you smell a new scent, you link it to a person, event, or thing.  Say when  you smell lilies, it's linked to a funeral home or fresh lumber smell with your first new built home. Your brain puts together a link between the smell and memory. The emotion it triggers is different for everyone, depending upon the experience that was had when the link was made between the smell and event.  That is why some people like a certain scent and others may hate it! So there you a have it...a very simple explanation on why we are attracted to certain smells and why it drums up certain memories.

Every season or holiday I try to come up with a new soap or two to represent that particular time.  A couple of my summer soaps were Summer Days...which was a citronella soap and Lemon Delight...which is an uplifting yellow bar scented with Lemongrass. A couple Fall bars were Orange Cocoa Spice....scented with Clove and Orange oil and Dejavu....scented with Patchouli.  My Christmas bars are...Rosemary Peppermint, Balsam Fir, and Honey Almond Oatmeal....Those are just a few examples of how I try to gear my soaps towards the season or holiday! Like I said in my first sentence above....when you are relaxing in a warm relaxing bath, I would imagine you would want scents that take you to places or bring up pleasant memories while relaxing.  I put a lot of effort in to trying to accomplish blending my scents with the holidays or seasons.

So.....if you want you memories stimulated with bathing or showering, I am sure one of my soaps can help you accomplish this! Go to www.heidisartisansoap.com.  If you would like a bi-monthly subscription delivered to your door every other month with three different soaps go to www.sudsybox.com.

Benefits of Shea Butter

As I have mentioned many times before, shea butter is one of the main ingredients that I use in my soaps. I love when I go to make my soaps, butters or balms and opening up the container it comes in.  It smells amazing all on its own. It has an earthy, organic, nutty smell. I love it! I always go on and on about my products containing shea butter and how wonderful they are for your skin. I will go a little more in depth about what shea butter is, the wonderful things in contains, and how amazing it is for your skin!

Shea butter is a fat that is taken from the nut of the African Shea Tree.  It is off-white in color and has the consistency of cookie dough! (But it's not sticky) In Africa, it is used in food preparation and it is edible. The Shea Butter I use comes from Ghana.

Accounts from as far back as Cleopatra's time where her caravans would contain jars of valuable shea butter for cosmetic uses. The history of Shea Butter can be traced back to ancient Egypt where it was and still is used to protect the skin and hair from the extremely drying conditions of the fiercely hot sun and drying winds of the dessert and savannah of Africa. The process to get the Shea Nut to butter is not a quick one.  Below I pulled some information from Wikipedia to explain how it is done.

The traditional method of preparing unrefined shea butter consists of the following steps:^[10]

• Separating/cracking: The outer pulp of the fruit is removed. When dry, the nut, which is the source of shea butter, must be separated from the outer shell. This is a social activity, traditionally done by Women Elders and young girls who sit on the ground and break the shells with small rocks.
• Crushing: To make the shea nuts into butter, they must be crushed. Traditionally, this is done with mortars and pestles. It requires lifting the pestles and grinding the nuts into the mortars to crush the nuts so they can be roasted.
• Roasting: The crushed nuts are then roasted in huge pots over open, wood fires. The pots must be stirred constantly with wooden paddles so the butter does not burn. The butter is heavy and stirring it is hot, smoky work, done under the sun. This is where the slight smoky smell of traditional shea butter originates.
• Grinding: The roasted shea nuts are ground into a smoother paste, water is gradually added and the paste is mixed well by hand.
• Separating the oils: The paste is kneaded by hand in large basins and water is gradually added to help separate out the butter oils. As they float to the top, the butter oils, which are in a curd state, are removed and excess water squeezed out. The butter oil curds are then melted in large open pots over slow fires. A period of slow boiling will remove any remaining water, by evaporation.
• Collecting and shaping: The shea butter, which is creamy or golden yellow at this point, is ladled from the top of the pots and put in cool places to harden. Then it is formed into balls. (Wikipedia)

Shea Butter melts at body temperature.  It readily absorbs into the skin as a "refatting" agent. At 76 degrees or higher it will become soft, and in warm temps it will actually melt to pure liquid.  That is one of the reasons I cannot ship my butters in the warm months.  

So the next time you hear me going on and on about the large amounts of Shea Butter in my products at Heidi's Artisan Soap, you will understand why I am so excited that I have created such an awesome product that contains this great butter! The products that I make that have Shea Butter in them are Soap, Shea Balm, and Body Butters.  Give them a try, you won't be sorry! www.heidisartisansoap.com

Why is Heidi's Artisan Soap Different From Other Hand Crafted Soaps??

Why is Heidi's Artisan Soap different from other hand crafted bars of soap?  There are several reasons and I would like to share them with you!  When I first started out this business, I decided I was only going to use ingredients of the highest quality with no preservatives, no chemicals, no artificial colors, and no artificial fragrances.

Imagine you are at a luxury spa in Bali......ahhhhhhh.  What kind of ingredients do you think they would be using in their soap and other products?  Would it be Palm Kernel Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Tallow, or Palm Oil? No, I don't think you would find any of these oils in their products.  Do you think they would use artificial coloring in their products like micas, food coloring, or by-products of coal tar? Synthetic colors contain impurities like lead and other heavy metals that are toxic to the nervous system.  We've all heard of Red #3, right?  Soap has to have amazing smells, right? I can promise you that there would be no synthetic fragrances used in their products either.  Synthetic fragrances are chemically created to lower the cost of manufacturing. I am sure you have all smelled some pretty wonderful soap scents, but let's say that awesome smell of lilac that everyone loves is infused into this great bar of soap. That wonderful fragrance that you are smelling is purely composed of as many as 25 chemicals to create that smell. What about taking a look at labels.  Labeling requirements require you put the ingredients with most to least. A company may say they have Shea butter in their bars.....but take a look at where it is sitting in the ingredient list.  It may be last on the list using a very, very small amount and they claim that there bar has shea in it, but it's probably not enough to even make a difference. It could be less than 1%.

Now I will go back to the main question....Why is Heidi's Artisan Soap different than other hand crafted bars of soap?  The oils I use in my bars of soap are: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, and Castor Oil. (Castor is what creates the foamy lather in my bars.) I actually use 5 times the amount of Shea butter than most soap makers put in their soaps. In all reality, most soap makers do not include Shea Butter in their bars at all because of the high cost of it.  This makes my bars extremely luxurious! Next ...what do I use to give my bars the awesome scents that they have?!  I use essential oils. Essential Oils are derived from steam distilling or cold pressing plants.  They are very therapeutic and are extremely good for your skin.  I could very easily have saved costs with cheap oils, using fragrance oils (which are MUCH cheaper than essential oils), and omitting Shea Butter all together.  I wanted to create something that anyone could use, even those with the most sensitive of skin like babies and the elderly.  I was able to do that and am so excited to be able to share my products with you! I am also excited that I am able to keep my soap very affordable.  If you would like to learn more about my soap and products, go to www.heidisartisansoap.com.  You won't be disappointed!

Dangers of Commercial Hand Sanitizers

I think we have all read about the dangers of using commercial hand sanitizers at one time or another. I am going to give you a refresher! Here we go.  So, a two ounce bottle of hand sanitizer contains the same amount of alcohol as 4 shots of vodka.  If a small child would get a hold of it and ingest it, they could definitely get alcohol poisoning.  So along with the extremely high alcohol content come the chemicals. Benzalkonium Chloride.....it's actually soluable ethanol and companies use it in small amounts in hand sanitizers and other disinfectant products. We have to remember that our skin is our largest organ and it's porous, therefore it absorbs whatever is put on the body. The way the chemical kills the bacteria is it disrupts the lipid bi-layers in the cell membranes. Next, Triclosan......I think that is the chemical that has recently drawn the most attention in the hand sanitizers.  There are reports that 75% of people in the US excrete Triclosan in their urine because it is so widespread. Triclosan is an antibacterial, and that seems great on the surface, but it's becoming more associated with bacterial resistence. That could eventually cause the birth of super-bugs that are resistent to antibiotics. In the beginning, bacteria succomb to the Triclosan, but there are always those few that don't.  Those few are able to reproduce despite the Triclosan. It is also being associated with disrupting the endocrine system, which means it can cause problems with growth and development when exposed to the chemical. I don't know about you, but I will pass on these cute little bottles of alcohol and chemicals.

After all of that being said, Heidi's Artisan Soap, www.heidisartisansoap.com,  has developed an all natural hand sanitizer!  It is called Naturally Clean Hand Sanitizer.  I will list the ingredients and inform you on the antibacterial properties of each one.

Clove oil - Did you know that Clove essential oil killed more than 60 types of bacterial strains, 15 strains offungi plus several viruses? (Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2004)  Did you know that Clove essential oil reduced Candida by 75% after 8 days which is equivalent to the use of Nystatin? Nystatin is the most common antifungal drug used to treat Candida. (Journal of Drug Targeting, 2005)

     

Tea Tree Oil - Tea tree oil is used an an antiseptic and to kill germs. It has been used to treat burns, minor  cuts, athletes foot, and insect bites. It is also used to treat bacterial infections of the skin and nails.

Lemon Oil - Lemon oil is anti-infectious, antibacterial (especially with spores), antiviral, antiseptic, and a disinfectant. (Natural-aromatherapy-benefits.com) 

Lavender Oil - Recently, studies have confirmed the effectiveness of lavender essential oil against different strains of bacteria and types of fungus. Several varieties were tested by direct contact and each showed effectiveness. Of particular significance is a study by scientists in the UK. They found the antimicrobial activity of lavender oil to consistently inhibit the growth of methicillin-sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA). MRSA is one of the reasons it is so dangerous to go to the hospital. Created by western medicine, it is responsible for thousands of deaths every year. They have no cure for it, as it was created by overuse of their antibiotics; it is completely resistant to them.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039317_lavender_antibiotics-resistant_bacteria_staph_infection.html##ixzz34SUlzjL1

The other ingredients that I use are:  Aloe Vera Gel, Vitamin E Oil, and a very small amount of Witch Hazel.

The ingredients I use  not only kill bacteria, but they are also great for your skin....every single one of them! After just one use your hands feel soft and moisturized from the Vitamin E and Aloe Vera. It does not dry or sting your hands like the commercial alcohol products. It is AMAZING!

  All of the products at Heidi's Artisan Soap improve the condition of your skin. I am really excited about this new product, and I cannot wait for everyone to try it!

www.heidisartisansoap.com

     

Sea Salt and Your Skin

Salt.  Simple, pure and natural.  Until recently, I had no idea of the many benefits of sea salt for our skin.  I knew that it was "good" for the skin.  That's what a lot of spas use in their treatments, right?? I just never knew the in depth health benefits that it had.  The best way to receive the benefits of sea salt is just soaking in it! Sea salt is a natural antiseptic.  Once it comes in contact with your skin it forms a barrier against harmful microorganisms. The skin is like a sponge and it draws in the beneficial properties of the sea salt and channels them through your body. A salt bath has the ability to re-balance the body's PH. After strenuous exercise or activity, the body sometimes tends to build up acid in the muscles causing soreness.  A simple bath in sea salt strongly reduces the acid as the salt soaks into the skin. Sea salt has the power to fight off disease and heal skin infections.  So before you go to the store and spend a lot of money on expensive creams or oral medications, try soaking in sea salt! 

Types of Sea Salt

• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• Dead Sea Salt
• Celtic Sea Salt
• Sulfur Sea Salt
• Atlantic Sea Salt

The salts listed above are just a few of the many different types of Sea Salt. Heidi's Artisan Soap has added Pink Himalayan and Dead Sea Salts to its product line.  The Pink Himalayan will be scented with Lavender essential oil, while the Dead Sea Salts with will scented with a Eucalyptus Mint essential oil. I am so excited about this product! My soaps are so wonderful for your skin, and the Sea Salts are just another "little bit of luxury" that can be added to your bath time! Just using these salts once a week is sufficient to give you the benefits of the sea salt.  These in combination with my soaps will improve your skin tremendously.  You will definitely notice a difference. :-)

Soleseife Soap

Soleseife Soap is a new product of mine also.  It is a a German soap that is made with a Sea Salt brine. This soap has the same added benefits of a salt bath, but it is in a soap form.  It has also been called a "Brine" soap.  This one is not available until June 12th because it is still curing. I cannot wait for it to be ready! Your skin is your biggest organ, and the research I have been doing on the benefits of Sea Salt for your skin has me very excited.  I hope you will give these two new products a try.  www.heidisartisansoap.com

My Summer Soaps!

Every season I try to have a few soaps that represent that particular time.  Right now, obviously, I am working on my "Summer Soaps".  I have three that I think will represent the season just lovely!

Lemon Delight

This soap is wonderful!  It has the essential oil of Lemongrass.  The smell is very uplifting, and if you love the smell of lemon, you will adore this soap.  I have blended French Green Clay into it.  The clay helps draw out impurities.  It is a natural absorbent and it acts like a sponge as it cleans away dirt and oil.  This is an awesome soap for the sweaty, hot, summer days of being outside.  Having been working in the garden, getting your daily run in, coming home from a hot and sweaty ball game........this soap is what you need to clean away the grime from those long, hot summer days.

Honey Almond Oatmeal

This is one of my newer soaps that I just recently released.  The three ingredients that make this soap so amazing for your skin.....honey, sweet almond oil, and oatmeal. Honey is known as a natural cleanser and it exfoliates your skin and leaves it glowing. Honey is also knows to reduce scarring and is a great moisturizer.  Sweet Almond oil is also an amazing moisturizer for the skin.  It has also been known to have a calming effect on people with skin allergies and inflammation. Lastly, oatmeal.....ahhhhhh, who doesn't love oatmeal? I have ground raw oats into a powder before I add it to the oils.  There is a bit of texture to the soap, but it is NOT abrasive at all. The oatmeal you see on the top is for decoration. I think everyone probably knows that oats are great for the skin one way or another! Egyptians and Arabians had oats in their skincare as far back as 2000 BC to beautify their skin. Greeks and Romans took oat baths for skin healing ailments.  We still do that also I believe. It acts as a natural moisturizer by removing dead skin cells. It contains beta-glucan that forms a fine film on your skin as well as penetrates deep into the skin to help retain moisture.  So after all that how can you go wrong with this bar?! The summer days of bug bites, skin irritations, and just the need to revitalize your skin from the days spent outside....grab this bar! You will love it! I know I do.  Oh...and the smell....wow.  There are no essential oils used to make this smell good.  It is all in the honey and oats....it is really amazing!

Summer Days

Those of you reading this are actually getting a sneak peak at this soap!  I have not yet released it or shown any pictures of it.  It is still in the curing room for another couple weeks, but it will definitely be worth the wait!  The combination of oils that I used worked surprisingly wonderful! The two I used cannot get anymore summery...is that a word? It is now! The ones I used are Lime and Citronella! I cannot keep my nose away from this one. To begin with....Citronella.  I love this smell! I believe everyone knows that is repels insects, but did you know that it also acts as an antiseptic and anti-microbial? It helps skin tone and tightens up pores also! So when you are out enjoying the summer evenings and smelling your citronella candle burning, you can now think of citronella in a different way, it's also good for the skin! Next.....Lime Oil.  I bet you didn't know that Lime Oil was good for your skin.  I didn't until I started doing research on the uses and benefits of it.  It is used as an antiseptic, anti-viral, astringent, and aperitif.  I know, you are asking...what the heck is an aperitif? The smell of lime makes the mouth water. It serves as an appetizer or aperitif. It also activates the secretion of digestive juices before you start eating and increases your hunger and appetite.  I know exactly what that all means.....you just have to smell this soap and you get it! I don't think I have to mention why this is a great summer soap.  Like I said...it will be available in a couple weeks!

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and happy summer.  Use it to re energize after our LONG and dreary winter.  My advice is to purchase my summer soap to help your long summer days start and end with a reminder that summer is finally here!!

www.heidisartisansoap.com

            LAVENDER

The scent of Lavender has to be one of my favorite smells.  Lavender has been said to help promote relaxation and sleep.  I have actually placed Lavender drops on my pillow at night and truly believe it does help promote sleep. Four or five drops on my pillow, I put on my headphones, turn on relaxation music and off to sleep I go!  I have also put it on my temples when I have a migraine.  This also seemed to help.  I've always wanted to grow my own lavender.  This may just be the year I do it!

Lavender is also used in many skin care products.  I use it quite often in many of my products at Heidi's Artisan Soap.  I use it in a couple different soaps, in one of my body butters, and in one of my scrubs. I am currently working on a face serum that will include it. Lavender is said to have anti-inflammatory properties and helps with evening skin tone and calming sensitive skin. You can never go wrong with this scent! It is great for all types of skin types. It is known to help a variety of skin conditions such as acne, sunburns, rashes, bug bites and eczema. When Lavender is inhaled the oil molecules go to the olfactory system to a gland in the brain called the amygdala.  Since smell is the only way to stimulate this gland, lavender can play a big role in reducing stress and insomnia.

Lavender oil is made by steam-distillation via a closed distiller. Steam is gently forced through a mass of lavender flowers, dissolving the oil glands on the calyx of the flowers and attaching the oil particles to the steam. The steam is then cooled by a condenser that returns the steam and attached oil to a liquid. The liquid is then passed through a separator that separates the oil, which floats on top of the water. The water from the distillation which lies below the oil is called "hydrosol", and this is the only way to create pure lavender essential oil. "Answers.com"

So next time you are stressed, can't sleep, or just need to relax, try some Lavender essential oil!  Better yet, go to www.heidisartisansoap.com and order a product that contains Lavender.  You won't be sorry!