Eucalyptus and Spearmint Soap with Kokum Butter

Here is a link to the soap Eucalyptus and Spearmint Natural Handmade Soap with Kokum Butter http://http//www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17018957

I just finished this bar of soap. I love it a lot. It has a great scent that would work for both men and women. The scent isn't too strong, has a nice fresh scent to it and me skin was very soft and comfortable afterwards.

I love all of Carol's soaps, so it would be hard for me to say this a favorite of mine since all her soaps are favorites of mine, but it is definitely one that I would order again. My hubby even liked the smell. I had to remove the bar from his hands. I don't share :) He can smell the soap but if he wants to use it he will have to buy his own!

This bar of soap contains Eucalyptus and Spearmint essential oils, it is made by cold process . Also, avocado oil, olive, cocoa and kokum butter were used. Which makes it a great bar of soap for someone who likes a cool, refreshing wash with lots of healthy benefits to their skin. Lots of moisture, lots of lather, and smells great too.

What more could you ask for in a bar of soap?

Carol only uses high quality oils, butters, herbs, teas, mica's and ultramarine's in her cold process or hot process soaps, so you know that you are buying quality when you purchase from her.

Tempted to try it out for yourself? Here's the link to get you some great soap http://http//www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5302646 , this link will take you to her store, the link at the top will take you to the soap I was just talking about, providing it didn't sell already.
Thanks for stopping by, don't forget to follow my blog. Following my blog gives you an auto-entry to any give away I have.

P.S. Tell Carol if you purchased because of my blog, she keeps track.

Thanks,
Chroma

Skin Essentials is having a Sale

Part of the perks of getting blogged on my site is that when you have an announcemment I will pass the word along for you.

skinessentials's Shop Announcement
SALE TODAY DECEMBER 13, 2008 20% off all items!!! Refunds issued through paypal. Please contact us with any questions - we make all our products and are happy to combine shipping for multiple orders.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5302646

Inferno Soap

I while ago I ordered 30 soap samples from http://blsoaps.etsy.com/ . The day they came in, my mother, the soap theif, looked over my shoulder as I was sorting through them. I went to go check on my dogs and my mom started looking through them. When I got back she had a stack over to one side and a pretty orange soap sample in her hand.

My mother was going to take my soap! ah no! I already knew I liked the inferno soap smell and was excited to try it out first so there was no way she was walking away with my inferno soap sample. My mother was not going to give it up, I ended up having to trade her off with another soap sample I really didn't want to part with either. She took my Tobacco Flower soap sample, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18386564, well I never got to try that one, but I can tell you as odd as the name might sound, it had a very nice scent.

After I managed to get my inferno soap back, my mother still had a stack of soap off to the side that she was guarding and wouldn't let me touch. She was determined to steal my soap from me! In the end I had to part with another soap , and this time it was Morning Mist. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17676714

Both soaps I had to trade off had a very nice scent and I really didn't want to give any up, but she's my mom and, well, she wasn't going away empty handed.

Honeslty, there wasn't one soap in the lot that I didn't like.

So, let's talk about Inferno soap.

What a wonderful smelling soap! It had a citus smell, with a bit of something else to it that I couldn't quite place. I will have to order more quickly, since it's limited edition. :( I hope http://blsoaps.etsy.com/ will be able to bring this soap back when she runs out in the future.

This soap left my skin soap, and lathered up wonderfully. I noticed that the soap was a bit softer then some of the others I used, so when you use it, keep that in mind. The soap had a silky like feel to it when you use it too.

I really enjoyed this soap and I am sad to say It's all gone now. But I just checked and she does have one bar in stock, which I plan on purchasing after I right this blog up. You can convo her and ask if she has anymore left to sell, if I don't get to it first!

Even if she doesn't all the soap I bought had a great scent and I'm sure you will be able to find another one to try out.

Please send me your blogs about any soaps you have tried from any of the soap seller I have blogged about. I would love to hear your story too. Please keep it positive, I only talk about soap I like, I do not blog about soap that I do not like, or have concerns with. If it's not here, I either haven't tried it yet or It didn't make the cut.

Happy showers,
Chroma

P.S. Please let the sellers know if you saw their soap here and was inspired to try one of their soaps. They keep track of how many people buy soap because I talked about it here.

Thanks !

January 5th Soap Give Away w/ surprise

OK peeps! it's time for my next give way. This one will run to January 5th. This give away is for a bar of Bee Balm soap in Melon Cucumber scent that I had made up esepcially for me from our featured soap artist this month, http://AdamsboroSundries.etsy.com .

You will get one bar of soap and a surprise!

Invite your friends and family to follow my blog for a chance to win.

To gain an entry to every give away I have, all you need to do in follow my blog. It's that simple.

Happy Holidays,
Chroma

Dec 5 2008 Soap Give Away Winner

Congradulations Gretchen of http://GretchenM90.etsy.com, you won the soap give away. http://skinessentials.etsy.com will be offering you your choice of one or her wonderful products. I hope you enjoy your prize and thanks for participating.

Best Regards,
Chroma

Bee Balm Soap

Talk about long lasting! I swear I thought this bar would never get used up. I love the soap too. The soap offered good lather, soft skin, zero reaction and if your scent sensitive, this bars for you.

I can't really describe the scent, its more like abscent of scent if you can imagine what they might be like. But if you want a scent, just ask, because http://adamsborosundries.etsy.com/ is very accomidating.

What I liked about this soap was that it was simple and gentle. The fact that the bar just lasts practically forever gives it extra dollar appeal for sure.

You might also notice that the soap has a very mild exfoliating action. Don't worry if you have sensitive skin, it's a very gentle exfoliating action.

I recomend you try this soap at least once, plain and once in the scent of your choice so you can see for yourself.

So I guess I should also tell you about the benefits of bee balm right? OK, here you go, all you ever wanted to know about bee balm.

Bee Balm is a plant that was used often, both medicinally and as a beverage by American Indians and by the European settlers in America. Today, Bee Balm is still used widely for a variety of medicinal purposes, and limited testing has shown that it does have some benefits as a remedy for quite a few common medical complaints.

Bee Balm has shown some merit as an antiseptic and antibacterial, and a clean cloth can be soaked in a tea and used as a compress, or an ointment can be made to help relieve pain and speed healing for minor wounds, insect stings, and for relief of eczema, psoriasis, cold sores, and clearing up acne.

I only talk about the products I like, so If I say its a good buy, it's a good buy!

Thanks for stopping by, please come visit me again.

How to meet your neighbours by happygoatsoap

The photos are 1. Pricilla 2. Abby and Pricilla on their spools 3. Michael and Luke, starting from the bottom towards the top.

And so the city girl moved to the country and her husband said,

"Let there be goats."And there were goats.

Two of them; Priscilla and her daughter, Abigail. They moved to their new home and the new owners, Patty and John, were happy.But goats are highly intelligent creatures who dislike change.

Priscilla and Abigail were not at all sure about these new owners or this new part of town and so they jumped over the fence. Again and again and again. Patty and John were distraught because they thought they were doing everything they could to make a happy home for their new goats.

Priscilla and Abigail kept trying to run back to their old home. The neighbors would see Priscilla, Abigail, John, Patty and Fred the cat running up the street. Fortunately, the goats would always get distracted by weeds on the side of the road and stop to eat. This enabled John to catch them and bring them back to the yard.

One night the neighbor's horse also escaped and John and Patty met their neighbors as the each ran opposite to each other trying to catch their animals. What a way to meet the neighbors!But now Priscilla and Abigail are all settled in at the Happy Goats Farm and have been joined by Priscilla's son Michael and another buck Luke.

They are all Nigerian Dwarf goats a smaller breed originally brought to North America from Africa. They are a perfect size for a small dairy goat farm. Priscilla is pregnant and will have kids in April.

This story was generously submitted by http://happygoatsoap.etsy.com/

Support The Breast Cancer Foundation

This is a wonderful bar of handmade shea butter soap, - Lemon Sugar Cream.

Shea butter is so moisturizing - and this bar is very creamy with lots of bubbles!

Many of us have family or friends who have been affected by breast cancer.

http://skinessentials.etsy.com/ is pledging to support breast cancer research by donating 25% of the profits from the sales of this soap to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

http://skinessentials.etsy.com/ will include the names of all buyers with the donations to be made monthly.

http://skinessentials.etsy.com/ can make this soap in many fragrances, please just ask.

International shipping is available, send http://skinessentials.etsy.com/ a convo with your information and Carol will postup a reserve listing for you with shipping for you!

Thank you for your support of this worthy cause

Christmas Give Away

UPDATE: http://skinessentials.etsy.com/ has generously offered to sponsor my first soap give away for December. Wasn't that super of her to offer? So my first give away will be from Carol of Skin Essentials, she also happens to be my featured Soap Artist of the month, fitting isn't it?

To enter all you need to do is post a comment about a soap you have tried from one of the Soap Artists that I talk about and follow my blog. One entry per person and on December 5th I will be assigning each person who enters a random number and asking one person to choose a number. The person who was assigned that number will win a surprise gift from one of the Soap Artists that I blog about.

If you haven't tried anything yet that's fine, following my blog counts too! All entries will be taken from the people who follow my blog so it is more important that you follow the blog. I just like to read the comments :)

Spread the word , the more the merrier!

Best Regards,
Chroma

Jasmine Nights

So I got these great soap samples in and one of them was called Jasmine Nights. Before I even knew when the name was I was nose glued to the wraper,blissfully sniffing away at some scent I couldn't place and loving every second of it.

I always thought I hated Jasmine. Not really sure why, but I avoided the scent faithfully.

I was out of full bar soaps and didn't bother to look at the scent of the first sample I grabbed, which of cource was the one I was scent molesting just a few moments ago. After I used up my little sample, in one shower, yes I over lathered again, I thought I should probably look to see what it was called for future ordering.

JASMINE NIGHTS! wow I like Jasmine? new to me...all I gotta say is... You must try this soap. Its smells wonderful.

This soap had great lather, and not only that my skin was so comfortable afterwards. I am very happy with this soap.

I am so glad this lady spoke to me about trying her soap. I can't even describe the scent in detail to you, you are just going to have to trust me on this one. It's a must have for the showers.

http://mybirch.etsy.com describes this bar as The enchanting fragrance of jasmine flowers, blooming in the night comes alive in this bar! A heavy white floral scent that's not overpowering. With infused Shea butter for extra moisture for your driest areas. With other skin loving oils this bar is in perfect harmony!

If you want to discover this wonderful bar of soap go to http://mybirch.etsy.com/ and don't forget to tell her Chroma sent you!

Thanks for visiting, please come back and tell me what you think of this soap.

Best Regards,

Chroma

Generous Offer From Rachel ( athenasolivetree )

When placing an order and i'll include a free miniature soap with your order

:-)Rachel

Just tell Rachel Chroma sent you to take advantage of this generous bonus.

Rachel also has a holiday special happening too:

HUGE HOLIDAY SALE! FREE SHIPPING on All domestic orders over $50 will recieve a refund of the full shipping amount within 24 hours.

SHIPPING COST === If your shipping cost exceeds the actual shipping and packaging cost... Athenasolivetree will refund the difference!♥

All products are individually wrapped/sealed and labeled to ensure freshness.

♥ You will receive a 5% coupon with every order to use towards you next order on our site.

Worth taking a look!

http://athenasolivetree.etsy.com

Dead Sea Salt Soap Bar week 3

When I first saw this bar of soap I thought it was the coolest looking soap. To me, it looks like someone put a light inside the bar. It actually looks like its glowing blue in person. Yes, I had to order it and try it out for myself.

I'm a sucker for dead sea salts. They are great for the skin.

I borrowed this information for other sources, so that you could get a better understanding of why dead sea salts are beneficial for healthy skin.

"The waters from the Dead Sea are unique in that they contain 33% of various salts as compared to 3% in normal sea water. Further, while sodium accounts for approximately 80% of the salt content of normal sea water, it comprises much less of the salt total in water from the Dead Sea. The balance of the salts in Dead Sea water are magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride and bromides.

Why are these types of salts beneficial? Magnesium is important for both combatting stress and fluid retention, slowing skin aging and calming the nervous system. Calcium is effective at preventing water retention, increasing circulation and strengthening bones and nails. Potassium energizes the body, helps to balance skin moisture and is a crucial mineral to replenish following intense exercise. Bromides act to ease muscle stiffness and relax muscles. Sodium is important for the lymphatic fluid balance (this in turn is important for immune system function). So we can see that bathing in high quality sea salt could replenish the minerals which are critical to our skin metabolism.

Studies have been conducted on the health benefits of bathing in Dead Sea salts. One such study was conducted by Dr. I. Machtey (1) on 103 patients suffering from osteoarthritis and tendinitis. Patients were either treated with baths of 7.5%, 2% or 0.5% Dead Sea salt concentration. Improvement was found after as little as 1 week of treatment for those treated with 7.5% or 2% salt baths. By the study's end, 80% of the patients reported less pain; 70% experienced improved mobility and 60% were able to decrease their use of analgesics. Dr. J. Arndt (2) studied the effect of Dead Sea salt baths on psoriasis. Fifty patients were treated for 3 - 4 weeks, with 3 - 4 baths per week. In as little as 1 week, many patients treated with a 10% salt concentration in their baths experienced marked improvement. This improvement included relief from itching, sleep disturbances, and skin scaling. Treatment with Dead Sea Salts is not associated with any side effects."

1. Machtey, Dr. I. 1982, Dead Sea Balneotherapy in Osteoarthritis, Proc. International Seminar on Treatment of Rheumatic Diseases.

2. Arndt, Dr. J. 1982, Salt from the Promised Land Helps Psoriasis Patients, Arztliche Praxis, 34(48).

I thought at first when using this bar that my skin would be a bit dry after because if the salts in the bar, but I was wrong. my skin was left soft and smooth without any iritation.

One thing I should mention about this soap bar is that it really does not have much of a scent. it smells clean. The scent is not chemical in nature or anything unpleasant, it is just a fresh clean scent that really does not remind you of anything but getting cleaning.

So if you are scent sensitive this bar would be great for you. It would also be great for a man too.

When lathering up with this bar, I found the lather to be smooth and soothing. I really enjoyed this bar of soap.

My only suggestion to the creater of this bar of soap is that http://athenasolivetree.etsy.com/ should make a line of soaps using this formula that contain scent. I think this soap formula is a winner and would create a star product for her if she would take it a bit further by creating signature scents to go with the benefits that the bar already has.

By thats just my opinion.

So if you are looking for a great bar of soap that will to great things for your skin you might want to concider http://athenasolivetree.etsy.com/ Dead Sea Salt Soap Bar.

Thanks for visiting and dont forget to tell Athena that Chroma sent you. Please come back and tell us your feelings about her soap.

Regards,

Chroma

Creme de Menthe Lip Balm

Today I received some new packages in the mail. In one of them was a Creme DE Menthe lip balm from http://www.mybirch.etsy.com/ that I had ordered along with some soap samples she sent me to talk about on my blog.

I have not had a chance to try out the soap yet, so you will have to come back to find out more about the soap. I will say this though, there is one in particular that smells absolutely wonderful and I cant wait to try. Want to know more? Come back often and when I get a chance to try it out, you will know.

Right now I want to talk about her lip balm.

Now I know this is a soap blog, but soap sellers generally sell more then just soap. Since talking about the same bar of soap every day for a week will get a bit boring, no matter how wonderful it is. I plan on also talking about other products they sell, in between the soap trials.

So today its Creme DE menthe, by http://www.mybirch.etsy.com/ .

Now I heard this lady got a bad review on another site because her lip smackers were sweetened. Well not everyone wants a lip balm that tastes like food. Some people just want a good product that is comfortable to wear and maybe a nice light aroma.

This lip balm fits the bill.

I love it, and when it comes to anything I put on my face, I am very picky about what I will use.

I have my CBA, which stands for Certified Beauty Advisor. I have been to all sorts of skin schools and I have had a lot of opportunity to try out some very high quality skin care product.

So if I say something works, it works! I would never lie about skin care. if I don't like it, you wont read about it here. I only promote what I like and what I would use again. And I would use this lip smacking menthe scented balm again.

Its creams, and light with a mild pleasant menthe scent that mildly tingles the lips when you put it on. This product would be great for someone who would like menthe if it weren't so strong. I suggested scent sensitive people and children. The scent is strong enough that you know its there, but not so strong that you feel like you smeared buckley's rub on your mouth.

I also like the cream texture. It doesn't feel messy or goopy, it makes my lips smooth, soft and comfortable. Perfect for this wonderful weather that is quickly approaching, they referred to as winter.

Bottom line,

If you like menthe, if your lips need some TLC, If you are looking for a good lip balm,

try http://www.mybirch.etsy.com/ Creme DE Menthe lip balm out.

Let mybirch know I sent you and come back and leave your comments on the product too.

Thanks for visiting,

Chroma

The Truth About Glycerin Soap:

The soap you buy at your grocery store may be the reason for your dry and damaged skin.
Actually, the soap you think you are buying is truly not soap at all.

Soap purchased from the store is made of petroleum by-products and is in fact considered a "detergent"!!

If you use regular bar soap your skin may feel tight, dry and sometimes itchy.

Not only does regular bar soap contain lye and petroleum, they also contain DEA and drying alcohols.

Because glycerin is a high quality by-product in the soap making process, many mass commercial soap manufacturers often extract the glycerine and sell it as a by-product to be used in higher priced products like lotions and skin creams.

Glycerin, put simply, is a humectant, which means it draws moisture to your skin from the air, allowing it to remain hydrated. This in turn keeps your skin healthy, supple and soft.

In addition to hydrating your skin, glycerin is also known to be a natural remedy for yeast and fungal infections, such as eczema and psoriasis. It is especially good for sensitive skin.

Glycerin soap does not contain synthetic ingredients that will cause skin irritations.

Contributed by http://ShineYourHineySoap.etsy.com

Rosemary Mint Soap week 2

New week, new soap. I started my first week before I started this blog, which is why I am already on week 2.

This week I am trying out Skin Essentials Rosemary Mint Soap. I'm loving it!

Very nice scent, mild but enough there for you to enjoy. Very relaxing scent. Just what I needed after working graveyards. I should mention when i say a mild scent I mean that it did not give me a headache, which I'm prone too when the scent is to strong. I like it when I can smell the scent comfortable, nothing is worse then a barely there scent. This soap was just the right balance.

The soap left my skin soft and comfortable, no irritations which is great! I still get a bit worried I will run into one that will bother my skin, but so far its been all good.

I guess I should not worry so much, Karen knows what she's talking about when it comes to soap. She only been making it for over 15 years!

If you are looking for something that is a touch earthy with a nice minty balance this soap is for you. I am really enjoying this combination.

If you have tried this soap or plan on trying it come back and leave a comment in my blog.

If you wish to try this soap out for yourself, you can do so by following this link to Skin Essentials shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5302646

If you don't see it there, send her a convo and see if she can list it for you. She's very accommodating.

Don't forget to tell her Chroma sent you!

Thanks for visiting!

LEMON GRASS SOAP

My first pick for "What soap am I using this week?" is Lemon Grass soap by skinessentials.etsy.com .

I love the scent of this soap. It had a nice lemon scent that is just strong enough for you to enjoy without over-powering you in the shower. My whole bathroom was infused with lemon grass and I would find myself taking a deep breath every time I went into my bathroom. I love this soap I will be buying myself more later.

This soap offers a mild exfoliation with the small bits of lemon grass in the bar. If your skin is very sensitive to exfoliation you might want to ask skinessentials.etsy.com if she is able to make you a bar without the lemon grass pieces. I loved the exfoliating acting, I found it was just the right amount of scrub without hurting my skin.

There was nice lather too.



This bar lasted me 1 week. I had a hard time stopping with the lather-up. It smelled so good I wanted to keep going , so this bar will probably last you a bit longer. You shouldn't let the soap sit in water, since it will reduce the life of the soap because it doesn't have any detergents in it which is what makes commercially produced stuff stay hard! By keeping your bar dry in between uses, it will extend your soaps shelf life. Please realize, your bar will last longer then a week, I really over lathered with it and used it up much quicker then normal.

What can I say, I just really loved the scent, and how soft and wonderful it made my skin feel.

You should consider this bar for your next, or first, handmade bar soap purchase.

The owner of skinessentials.etsy.com is very friendly and offers great communication too. Let her know that Chroma sent you, maybe she will send me a surprise in the mail ;)

Visit Skin Essentials by clicking on this link!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5302646

Why should you consider purchasing from Skin Essentials, besides her great soap?

She offers a Customer appreciation program: Buy 10 and the 11th bar is free!

Can't go wrong with that!

Bar soap on my skin? I don't think so!

OK, so what's up on the title?

Way back when, when I was still a preteen, my skin went through a major change. I suddenly could no longer use a lot of the soaps and detergents that I always could before.

My skin would dry out, crack and bleed, and usually feel like it was on fire too. So after many trial and errors and several hundreds of dollars later I had myself a list of possible soaps I could use.

It needs to be liquid and generally no fragrance either. But I want to use pretty soaps too! No fair :(

One day while in the www.etsy.com chat room I was admiring with sadness the fancy bar soaps that skinessentials.etsy.com and AdamsboroSundries.etsy.com had in their shops when I ended up in discussions which soon turned into a soap 101 talk with them and I ended up purchasing 2 bars from each of them to bravely try on my reactive cranky skin.

I chose lemon grass soap and rosemary mint soap from www.skinessentials.etsy.com and bee balm soap for me and sweet pea soap for my mom from AdamsboroSundries.etsy.com.

TOTALLY loved the scents and better yet my skin didn't fall off! WOW, I can use pretty soap now too.

Turns out the quality in handmade soap is much better then the stuff you buy in the stores and much nicer on the skin too. I would never have tried it otherwise if those too didn't take a moment to give me a correction talk in the differences of store bought soap and handmade soap.

I am very grateful to them both.

Cept now I have a handmade soap addiction problem, which is how this blog got started. So I guess its' OK.

I decided I would run a "What soap am I using now?" blog. Telling all you readers out their what I think of that soap, and hopefully make it easier for you to decide if you want to give handmade soap a try too and if so what scent and what buyer to seek out first.

I look forward to reading every one's comments, and I hope you all come back often to read about what soap I'm using now.

You will also find a rate the soap list too that I will be compiling along the travels of my "got to try em all!" soap addiction path.

I will also do a feature soap artist spot every month.

Best regards for now, excuse me but I think my new Lemon Grass Soap from www.skinessentials.etsy.com is calling me to the showers!