The Secret of Queens

For thousands of years, milk bath has been used as a beauty enhancer.

Cleopatra, Elizabeth I of England, and Elisabeth of Bavaria are just a few of the royal women in history to have used milk bath. 

Of course, it's been used by more than royalty.  Nero's wife Poppaea, Diane de Poitiers (mistress of French King Henry II), Napoleon's sister Pauline, Marechal duc de Richelieu, Whoopi Goldberg.......and countless other have used milk bath for it's natural properties to smooth and soften skin.

Milk contains lactic acid, and alpha hydroxy acid, which breaks down dead skin cells.  Sitting in a milk bath for 20 minutes will loosen all dead skin so that it is easily removed with a cloth, sponge or loofah.  The healthy skin beneath will appear more luminescent because there are no dead skin cells inhibiting the natural glow of the healthy skin.

In addition, the lactic acid helps skin to absorb moisture.  This results in healthier and younger looking skin.

I take a milk bath almost every night and can testify to the fact that my skin is soft and smooth when I emerge from this self-indulgent pleasure.

I have added Hawaiian Sea Salt to my milk bath products to act as a natural exfoliant.  I have also added scent. 

I just love how the scent blossoms and fills the whole room when the milk bath is added to the water.  I have 6-10 different scents sitting by my tub at all times.  It's not only great for my skin but it's aromatherapy as well.  I can sit in my bath and cup the water and smell the scent in the water.  When I get out of the bath I can still smell it on my skin.

Indulge yourself - try a milk bath.


  

Need to "spice" things up!

I'm taking a little side trip here from my original plan to discuss each of my products.

I recently found an extremely cool website that does project funding.  It's www.kickstarter.com and it's a godsend for any entrepreneur in need of capital.  So many small businesses (like myself) just don't have the assets, etc. needed to get funding from traditional sources.  We struggle along, doing what we do until we either make it or we go broke and close the business.

I am what is called a "cottage industry" because I don't have a huge manufacturing warehouse.  I do everything from my home in small batches.  I serve individuals and the small handful of retail shops that carry my products.  Well, guess what?  I sure would like to be bigger than I am.  Anyone with a small business and an entrepreneurial heart wants to grow what they have and make it work.

So I took advantage of this amazing, wonderful website and created a "project".  You can see it here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1776413948/need-to-spice-things-up

The purpose of a project is to find "funders" who will put money into a project for a specified "reward".  You'll see along the right side the different funding levels and the rewards associated with them.  You'll also see things in my project that I haven't put on my website yet.

There is a time limit to the project and whoever pledges funds won't actually be charged for them until the end of the project - IF, and this is a biggie - IF the funding goal is met.  If the funding goal isn't met, nobody gets charged and I start the project over.  If the funding is met, then I proceed with the checklist at the bottom of the project and everyone who provided funding gets their "reward".

I hope you'll check it out.

Pucker Up - Naturally

Soft, kissable lips.  We all want them.

There are so many lip products out there all claiming something.  I've been making my own lip gloss for years and I haven't had chapped, dry lips since I started.  Of course, my lip gloss has simply been....coconut oil.  Of course.  I've sung the praises of coconut oil in my other posts and I'll do so again.  Coconut oil is, quite simply, Mother Nature's miracle.

Coconut oil is easily absorbed into the body.  Unlike other lip products, using coconut oil does not cause your lips to NEED more.  When I was a teenager I used Chapstick and Carmex.  I found that after using them to help my dry, chapped lips I needed to continue using them if I wanted to keep my lips soft.  Most lip products have drying agents incorporated into them so you have to continue to buy and use their product because your lips go right back to being dry and chapped without them.  Of course, with so many different chemical agents on their ingredient list how could you possibly know exactly what you are putting on your lips?

My Lava Lip Gloss contains coconut oil, flavoring, vegetable glycerin and color.  The vegetable glycerin and color are to make the "lava".

My Lip Gloss contains coconut oil, flavoring and less than a pinch of gold dust (for shimmer).  That's all.

The flavoring used in both types of lip gloss I make is very high quality, kosher flavor oil.  It is extremely concentrated so less can be used to achieve the same results.  Just a couple drops of flavor does the job.

Now, as much as I'd like to sell my products I will be completely honest with you.  All you really need to do in order to have soft, kissable lips is dab some coconut oil them and pucker up.

Kona Coffee - More Than Just A Beverage

This post will be about my Kona Coffee Exfoliating Face Scrub but first I have to talk about Kona Coffee.

I first tasted Kona Coffee over 10 years ago.  A co-worker had gone to a conference on Oahu and brought back several bags of flavored Kona Coffee for the office.  It came in this beautiful white bag with a picture of palm trees and a sunset on the front of it.  It was the best coffee I had ever tasted.  Unfortunately, at that time nobody in my area carried Kona Coffee.

I was lucky enough to move to Hawai'i several years later and one of the first things I did was head to the store to find that coffee.  What I hadn't realized when I fell in love with that coffee was that it was only a 10% blend.  Imagine my delight when I tasted 100% Kona for the first time.  Mmmmmm......

Since then, I have become a "coffee snob" in that I drink only Kona Coffee - no Folgers for me.  I still drink 10% Kona but I prefer 100% Kona.  Compared to Kona every other coffee tastes like dirt.  Lucky for me, since I have moved back to the US Mainland many stores now carry both 10% and 100% varieties of Kona.

Kona is Kona Coffee only because it is grown in the Kona district of the Big Island. Most Kona coffee trees are actually descendants of Brazilian plants transplanted in Hawai'i in the early 1800's. The difference comes from the geographical location of the islands, climate, attitude, soil and care that the plants receive during their life span.  Another difference in the final product is how the beans are roasted.  Many companies grow and produce Kona Coffee but they have different flavors.  I have tasted them all and I prefer the flavor of the coffee produced by Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee Co. to any of the others on the market.  In my opinion, it is the smoothest, richest Kona available.  If you choose to drink or try Kona Coffee just be sure that it is made in Hawai'i in order to be sure it is authentic and remember that Hawaiian Coffee is not necessarily Kona Coffee.

 

Now, as I said in the title of this post, coffee is more than just a beverage.  It has so many uses it really is a wonder plant.  Coffee can be used to deodorize skin and refrigerators, make a rich compost or fertilizer, repel ants and fleas, reduce cellulite and......exfoliate skin.

 

Coffee grounds are a natural exfoliator and the caffeine in the coffee tightens and smooths your skin while temporarily plumping it.  Extended use of coffee as an exfoliator will keep your skin healthy and young-looking.

 

I use Kona Coffee even though other types of coffee would be less expensive because Kona Coffee is a superior product.  Since it is grown in rich, volcanic soil it is imbued with nutrients and minerals other coffees don't possess.  I purchase the whole beans and grind them myself for addition to my face scrub.

 

In addition to the coffee I also add Maui Natural Cane Sugar.  Sugar absorbs the oils and dirt from the skin while balancing the natural oils of the skin.  Again, I could use cheaper sugars but I prefer to use Hawaiian sugar.  Residents of Hawai'i have the longest life expectancy in the United States and I honestly believe that the local products used and consumed are partially responsible for that.

 

Coconut oil holds the ingredients together and naturally moisturizes the skin.  Fragrance oil makes it smell good. 

 

So start your day off right with my Kona Coffee Exfoliating Face Scrub.

 

 

Keeping It Clean

This will be a short little blurb since there isn't really a lot to say about Hand Sanitizer.  I'm pretty sure everyone knows about the little bottles you can buy and carry with you so when you touch something gross out in public you can sanitize your hands even if there's no soap or water around.

My Hand Sanitizer has a base of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.  That's the sanitizer.  Since pure alcohol will dry out your hands, I've added 100% Pure Aloe Vera Gel as a conditioner.  Finally, since the alcohol and aloe vera gel don't smell all that great I've added fragrance oil.  My hand sanitizer comes in over 100 scents.

So, keep it clean and still smell great.

The Cure for "Local Feet"

So you're already saying to yourself - "What the heck are local feet?"  It's when you have layer upon layer of calluses on the bottom of your feet that are so thick and tough it's the equivalent of the sole of a shoe.

Local feet are extremely desirable to a large portion of the Hawaiian population.  They are what enables you to go walking around in the ocean without having your feet shredded by the lava rock.  They also come in handy when you blow out one of your slippahs in the middle of the summer and have to walk across the parking lot to the store to get another pair, or when you step on a centipede in the middle of the night, or when you come across the bullheads the missionaries planted so the local people would stop going barefoot, or when you don't see the jellyfish on the beach.  You get my point. 

However, local feet are undesirable to a large portion of the world's population.  Men want women with sexy feet and women want men with sexy feet.  Hard, scratchy feet are unattractive.  You want your feet to glide along your partner's skin.  Women who wear strappy little sandals don't want "unsightly" calluses.  Have satin sheets on your bed?  You certainly don't want the calluses on the bottom of your feet snagging on them.

So if you (or someone you know) have local feet and don't want them anymore, my Conditioning Scented Pumice Stones are the solution.  Sure, you could go to the store and buy a plain pumice stone and use it, but it won't contain skin softeners and it won't be scented.  It will get the job done, but not as pleasantly.

I take extra large pumice stones (5 1/2" x 2" x 1/2") and infuse them with scented coconut oil.  Every time you use my conditioning scented pumice stones the coconut oil is released to absorb into, soften and condition the skin while leaving your feet smelling nice.  I include an extra bottle of scented oil and instructions so you can "refresh" your stone if you feel the need to.  With over 100 scents to choose from it would be hard not to find one that titillates your senses.

While I enjoyed having local feet when I lived in Hawai'i, I found it hard to maintain them on the mainland - and it grosses people here out.  I use my conditioning scented pumice stone a couple times a week to keep my feet silky soft. 

Try one yourself or give one as a gift - I'm certain you'll like the results.

Coconut Oil - The Healthiest Oil On Earth

Before talking about the products, we should start with the main ingredients. 

Many of my botanical products use fractionated coconut oil as the base ingredient.  Before living in Hawai'i I had never used coconut oil for anything.  I've always loved the taste and smell of coconut but never realized the huge and varied benefits of coconut oil.  I have done quite a bit of research and have come to the conclusion that coconut oil is one of Mother Nature's miracles.

I won't get into the scientific composition of coconut oil and the really long names for the different types of fat in coconut oil.  If you want to learn all that stuff go to http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/.  I will tell you that whole coconut oil is solid when cool and fractionated coconut oil stays liquid.  This is done through a distillation process that results in a purer form.  Both forms have the same beneficial properties - one just stays liquid.

Because of the way coconut oil is put together it absorbs more readily into the skin than other oils.  Coconut oil doesn't leave a greasy film on your skin.  It moisturizes and conditions your skin.  I've been putting coconut oil in my baths for years now and my skin has never felt softer.

Coconut oil is also good for your hair.  It penetrates the shaft and leaves it feeling soft and silky.  I know the newest craze is that Moroccon oil.  I've used the Moroccan oil - twice.  I won't use it again.  I had just gotten a failed perm and my hair had been damaged by it.  The owner of the salon is the one who gave me the Moroccan oil.  He told me to use it on my freshly washed hair for a month to help repair the damage.  It's very thick and gooey and didn't absorb into my hair.  Instead, it left it feeling tacky and heavy.  I could barely get a pick through my hair it was so sticky.  Once my hair was dry it felt oily and like I hadn't washed it in ages.  I was reluctant to use it again, but thinking he knew best I tried it a second time a week later (it took me that long to convince myself I should listen to him).  It was just as bad as the first time.   I went back to the tried and true coconut oil.  The pick slid right through my hair and when it dried it was soft and light.  If you need further convincing - think about the price.  Just over 3 oz of the Moroccan oil sells for $30 and up (it's supposed to be a salon only product although you can find it on Amazon) while you can get a 30 oz jar of coconut oil in the food section of a grocery store for under $10.  You only need about a tablespoon of coconut oil if you have long hair.

Coconut oil doesn't go bad.  Because of the anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties of coconut oil it has an indefinite shelf life.  While other oils eventually turn rancid, change color, etc. coconut oil doesn't.  This makes it ideal for bath and body products.  Many people who make bath and body products use jojoba oil since it also doesn't go rancid.  However, jojoba oil is actually a wax so it doesn't absorb into the skin like coconut oil does.

Many other oils have specific beneficial properties.  Coconut oil has ALL those beneficial properties so rather than use a myriad of oils and mix them together I keep my recipes simple and to the point using coconut oil.

http://www.anelascreations.com/