1. Like Mo or DecoDiva, you can express yourself in St. Patty’s Day fashion with beautiful green color on your eyelids!

2.  You can go green by buying eco-friendly skincare or haircare products:

Like trying one (or several) of Herbaria’s green soaps in:  Triple Mint Oatmeal “Just in time for refreshment in warmer weather, we invite you to enjoy the natural menthol tingle and scent packed into this new bar,” Lime Coconut Aloe, or Spearmint Orange!

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How I love the smell and feel of handmade soaps, but from what I am learning, not all handmade soaps are created the same.  Soaps that add synthetic colors and fragrances might appeal to your senses, but can dry and irritate your skin.

 

 

But you don’t need to worry about those harsh additives with the products from Heirloom Soapworks.  Becky makes sure of it! 

Our all natural handmade soap is fragranced with only pure essential oils and herbs, and never colored. Their earthy, natural shades come from the same oils, unrefined butters and nutrients that soften and moisturize your skin.

I was fortunate enough to sample three of Heirloom soaps:  Lavender-Oatmeal, and two seasonal soaps Goat Milk - Fruitcake and Christmas Tree Soap.   I love the naturally scents of these soaps!  They lather and feel absolutely luscious on your skin.  Becky’s use of olive and saponified oils, shea butter and goat milk leave your skin feeling wonderfully clean and soft. 

All of these soaps are priced at $5.00 a bar.  Becky’s current promotion is “Buy 3 -get a terry-cloth Soap Saver FREE”  (that’s what she has been offering at craft fairs).  Customers can put their tiny “slivers” of soap into the pouch and use them up completely! 

And for some jinxy-bizarre reason, both Bionic Beauty and I both wrote up our reviews about Heirloom Soapworks on the same day!!!

One attribute I greatly admire is the art form of making things from scratch.  Anyone can throw a frozen pie into an oven, but to prepare a pie crust, roll it out and carefully lift and place it into a pie plate is a thing of beauty.  To peel and slice freshly picked peaches and pour them lovingly into your prepared pie crust is even more spectacular.

The ability to create and perform these once everyday actions are lost to many of us.  I cannot tell you the last time I rolled my own pie crust!  We use our rolling pin for play-doh these days.

The art of making handmade soaps is another amazing art form to me.  And lately, many independent handmade soap and skincare companies are appearing around the country.  Beautifully thought out and carefully manufactured beauty products from their own kitchens. 

Today I would love to introduce to you Pam Keller the owner of The Golden Goat, LLC from the heartland of America, OshKosh, Wisconsin.  

In 2003, Pam found her passion for animals, particularly goats.  Being a one income family, Jeff decided that the animals would have to pay for themselves so as not to affect the family budget.  Pam, being a researcher at heart, discovered numerous ways to fulfill that demand, and settled on soapmaking. 

She taught herself to make soap, and when the goat milk started flowing, she was ready to start selling her fantastic products.  Local Farmer’s Markets and crafts fairs gave her a good footing and a loyal following.  Soon, the customers requested a retail store front from which they could buy her products year round.

The first product that caught my attention was The Golden Goat’s Goat Milk Shampoo Bar.  Being a fan of some different shampoo bars on the market, I found that this formula was easily equal if not a little more nourishing than the other shampoo bars I have tried (It must be the goat milk).  This shampoo bar creates a lovely lather and has a naturally sweet scent.  Shampoo bars are wonderful for anyone with a sensitive scalp, dry, or naturally curly hair (you can read more about my post on shampoo bars here).  If you are a fan of shampoo bars you must try this one!

A few months ago, we went out to dinner with some good friends.   I noticed that my friend Chris’ neck and face looked slightly irritated and also had a few knicks from shaving earlier that evening.   Chris has been bothered by this issue for as long as he has been shaving, and I asked him if he would like to try a different type of shaving soap.  He was more than glad to volunteer as a guinea pig!

Here is a bar soap for shaving.  The added bentonite clay forms a slick coating on the razor edge. The razor glides sleekly over the skin, cutting the hairs in its wake. Less scraping the skin means fewer nicks, no dry skin, more softness. Amazingly, the clay does not dry your skin!

You have to try this to believe it. Men love it for their faces (and some men shave their entire head with it), preventing razor burn and nicks. Women love it for legs, underarms, bikini area…

No more little red bumpos on your legs. Sleek, shiny, soft legs are the norm wth this soap. As an added bonus, your razors will last longer since the blades aren’t being dullled from scraping your skin!

Chris has been using The Golden Goat’s Goat Milk Shaving Soap for the last month and has reported significant improvements with his skin.  Less knicks, less irritation and a much happier face altogether. 

No need to thank me, just doing my job Chris, just doing my job!

Not only does Pam create handmade soaps, she offers a variety of homemade skincare and cosmetic products at her online store, The Golden Goat, LLC.   I am confident you will find something that you will want to try, and Pam is so incredibly nice; you might even make a new best friend in OshKosh, WI no less!  Pam would like to sweeten the deal by offering $5 off any $15 plus purchase when you put MYTHS in the coupon box!  Thanks Pam!

Hey Tracy, can you send me your recipe for fresh Peach pie?

If you haven’t read my bittersweet hair history, you can read more at this post: Embrace Yourself!

The best advice that I can pass onto you it that regular shampoos are entirely too harsh for most hair. Curly and Wavy hair in particular needs its natural oils or sebum to give the hair weight and hold in moisture.

A great alternative to conditioner washing or co-washing, is by using a gentler form of shampoo. With a gentler natural shampoo, one that can mildly cleanse without stripping.  Look for shampoos that contain moisturizing ingredients such as jojoba oil, babassu oil, olive oil, or mango butter. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

I have come across two such gentle emollient shampoos. But they don’t come in a bottle. The are called Shampoo Bars, and they offer something different and can provide something really unique to your hair.

Herbaria Soaps: Jojoba Oil Shampoo Bar-

Pros:   It cleans your hair without removing all its natural oils and leaves hair manageable.  Gentle on your scalp.  Is great for washing hair, and can be used as your soap and shaving cream as well!

Price:  $5.50 for a 4.5 ounce bar (should last you a month), and if you purchase 6 bars of any Herbaria soaps, you will get the 7th  free.

Using a shampoo bar as an alternative to regular shampoo is something you will have to experience. Usually after using a traditional shampoo my hair would feel squeaky clean, after using a shampoo bar, I definitely noticed a different feel to the hair, it felt clean, but mildly coated and slightly tacky in its texture.  Jojoba Oil is actually a natural wax.

Anita Grant LTD, Babassu Shampoo Bar-

“Our Babassu Shampoo Bar cleanses your tresses and clarifies your scalp without stripping the natural oil from your hair. Easy to use – just make sure your hair is fully drenched with water then gently caress our Babassu Shampoo Bar onto your tresses. You’ll instantly see and feel the soft-fluffy bubbles turn into luxurious lather. So that when it comes time for you to rinse the lather from your hair, your curly coily tresses will just gleam with delight.

Babassu Oil- adds a sparkling glow to curly tresses restoring strength and elasticity from roots to tip.

Refined Mango Butter- Extreme moisturizing, healing and emollient properties rich in Vitamin A, Vitamins C & E and Selenium. It also helps to protect skin, hair & scalp from harmful UV rays.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Promotes sheen, a healthy scalp, adds nourishment & softness to dry hair & skin.”

Price: £5.95 or about $12.00 US Dollars, and a long wait for it to arrive from the UK.

Your scalp and hair will feel soft smooth and your curls will perk up in gratitude!