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

Summer Skincare

Believe it or not, one day it will be warm, our shorts will be on along with our tank tops, t-shirts and flip flops! Why not get ahead of the game and get yourself into tip top condition before we expose our wonderful skin? Every single one of my products contains large amounts of shea butter, coconut oil, and olive oil. Most products bought over the counter at stores claim to have shea butter in them, but the amount is usually pretty minimal. I use ALOT of shea butter!  That is the reason my soaps make your skin feel like no other soap you have ever used before. Start by moisturizing your body in the shower or tub with my moisturizing soap, and follow up with my luxurious Orange Bliss body butter. Of course I am naturally going to tell you that my products are wonderful, so I am going to back that up by explaining how wonderful shea butter, coconut oil, and olive oil are for your skin and the benefits of using them.

The fat of the nut from the African Shea tree is the source of shea butter. The traditional use of shea butter is to reduce fine lines, stretch marks, and scars. It also eases a variety of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and sunburn. It melts on contact with the skin and is readily absorbed without leaving greasy residue. Shea butter has many healing qualities along with containing anti-inflammatory properties.  It also contains vitamins A and E and contains the same antioxidants that are found in the green tea plant.  Shea butter is excellent for dry weather skin care and after care when exposing your skin to the sun all day.

It seems we are hearing more and more and coconut oil these days.  You hear to feed it to your pets, cook with it, swish it in your mouth, take as a supplement,use as a massage oil, cure yeast infections, cure cradle cap on babies, improves insulin levels, and the list goes on and on and on. I will talk about the benefits of using it on your skin. Coconut oil is extremely moisturizing,  It naturally cleans away dirt and oil and even has some antibacterial properties. It soothes bug bites, helps with rashes, gets rid of dead and flaking skin, protects against sun damage, and helps keep tans longer. It sinks in deep and and conditions the skin.

Olive oil is known as "liquid gold".  It is the main ingredient in all my soaps and is used in all of my scrubs and body butters. The Egyptian, Greeks, and Romans used to use it an an anti-aging remedy.  The also used it to treat wounds and moisturize dry skin,  There were wars fought over Sicily motivated by the olive plantations. It penetrates into the skin deeply without clogging your pores. I use olive oil in my sea salt scrubs.  The sea salt exfoliates dry, dead skin cells and the olive oil deeply penetrates your skin and leaves it refreshed and glowing.

So it's time to decide what products you want to use on your skin. Always remember, what goes on your body, also goes in. I will never go back to the detergent bars that are sold in stores. There is such a huge difference in the way your skin feels when using natural products vs. store bought. One last thing I wanted to mention.  I will not be shipping my scrubs, lotion products or body butters after mid April.  The reason is because of the delicate butters and oils I use, they will melt in warm weather during shipping. I can still ship my soaps though!  I will still have them for local customers that I do not have to ship to. So......if you want to have Heidi's Artisan Soap butters, scrubs, and lotion bars for the summer and it requires that I ship them to you, get your orders in now and stock up for the warm months that are ahead and don't be without these moisturizing, skin healing products this summer! www.heidisartisansoap.com is where to get them!

Getting to Know My Products..........

All of my products have short descriptions about each one on my website www.heidisartisansoap.com.  I would like to go a little further with each one and explain why you might like or need anyone in particular.  So, I will start with:

Lavender Dreams - This is by far one of my favorite bars. You will find this one in my shower at all times! If I had a "spa" line, this one would be right at the top. It is so sudsy and creamy I feel truly pampered after I use it.  It has lavender flowers throughout the bar, but it is NOT an exfoliant bar at all. I also scatter lavender flowers on top of the bar right after I make it which add to the fabulous lavender scent the bar has. This bar is for those days where pampering is definitely needed! (Which I think we all deserve everyday!)

Rosemary Peppermint w/Green Tea - This bar has a light exfoliant texture to it that is made with the green tea leaves.  The uplifting scent is great for day or night.  Even though is does have a slight exfoliant texture, this bar is also very sudsy and creamy.  It has a very organic smell with equal notes of Rosemary and Peppermint.  

Orange Mocha Espresso Bar - I LOVE the smell of this bar.  This one is a true exfoliant bar.  It is great to slough away dry skin. It is also very creamy and sudsy. The sweet orange essential oil combined with the cocoa butter makes this bar close to my nose every time I use it or am around it! It is very conditioning with the cocoa butter and shea butter.  I could almost call it a double butter bar. We keep this bar at our kitchen sink also.  The exfoliant in the bar is coffee!  My husband uses it after working in the garage, I use it after cutting onions or garlic and the after effect is super clean smelling hands! A great bar for the hubby after working or whatever he might be doing to make his hands grimy.  This bar cleans great.

Cedarwood Lavender - This bar has a very soft woodsy scent.  The lavender is a great combination with the Cedarwood.  I love the smell of this bar, but my husband and boys like it just as well. This is made with the same great oils and butters as my favorite Lavender Dreams. 

Lemon Delight - If you love the smell of lemon, you will go crazy about this bar.  It also has french green clay swirled throughout the bar.  French green clay is great for your skin.  It draws out impurities and leaves you feeling soft and clean. Because of the artisan nature of our hand made soaps, we are continually working to create different looks of our product.  This one may be a little different next time you order it!

Morning Mist - This soap is great for anytime!  Who doesn't love the smell of spearmint? This bar has the same great base recipe as my other soaps.  It is very creamy and sudsy but never leaves  your skin feeling dry.  Spearmint is known to help elevate moods.  So, why wouldn't you want to use this one every time you shower or even wash your hands?! When I walk downstairs to where all my soaps cure, this is usually the first scent I pick up when I come into the room they are all in.  Love this one!  As the bar above, this one may be a little different next time you order it!

Olive Oil Face Bar - This has been one of my best selling soaps over the past few weeks.  It is 72% olive oil.  It also contains French Green Clay. This bar leaves your face feeling fantastic. The olive oil is not greasy at all, but leaves your skin feeling extremely soft and moisturized.  The french green clay draws out impurities.  I have had several people claiming how much better their skin feels. This bar nourishes the skin along with cleaning it, but never dries or irritates the skin. Give it a try, you won't be sorry!

Pure Face and Body Bar - This is my most pure bar that I make.  The ingredients are 72% olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and castor oil.  It is unscented.  When I first made the bar I was going to use it as another face bar. I think that would be selling the bar short if I did that.  There are many people who don't like scented bars or can't use them on their skin for one reason or another.  Also, I wondered what in the world people use on babies now a days? There is not one ingredient in this bar that will harm or irritate your skin.  

I just wanted to thank all of you who have supported me.  It's only been two months and I am overwhelmed with the positive feedback and response I have received.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for Heidi's Artisan Soap!