The Name That Soap contest is now closed. In no particular order, the top contenders are;
1)Spring Renewal/Renew/Renewal
2)Morning Dew /Dew Drop
3)Summer Rain

Remember, this soap has a grapefruit, lavender, and eucalyptus scent, and is colored with Nettle, French Green Clay, and Spirulina.

Please let me know what you think by casting a vote for the number you like best! If you have a preference for an alternative that is listed by that number, by all means, feel free to let me know that too!  The Winner will be posted tomorrow!

Make it Yourself Monday- Foot Soaks

My eldest Son came to visit this weekend (bringing my sweetie pie Grandson!) and, while out in the barn hunting through boxes of stored stuffed animals and such,  found a practically new foot soak basin. Since he stands on his feet at work all day, he thought that the basin looked like a pain management plan waiting to be implemented. While he may not know what goodies Mom has in her craft room, he for sure knows that Mom has GOOD STUFF. So first thing he did after asking if he could have the basin, was ask if I would whip him up something to put into it that would add to its heat and vibrating pleasure. Of course I couldn't turn him down, so I grabbed a mixing bowl and headed to the ingredient cabinets. I ended up making a nice blend that you can easily whip up for yourself or for your hard working Son.


I mixed some epsom salts with clay and spirulina. Then, to that I added some eucalyptus, wintergreen and lime essential oils. While he may have wondered about the ingredients,  he immediately said that he like the smell and was going to try it as soon as he got home. 
While this mixture would also be great for a full body bath tub soak, the  particular mixture of essential oils that I used are not. So if you want to use it as a bath soak, I suggest switching the EO's. You could try lavender, orange, eucalyptus, chamomile, or a mixture of these.


As for a recipe, try mixing two tablespoons of spirulina, with one half to one cup of kaolin or French green clay, with two to three cups of Epsom salts. As a general rule of thumb you should use no more than 10 drops (total) of essential oils. But if you would like to change it up some, you could take one ounce of your choice of carrier oil (I like sweet almond or olive oil the best), and add 15 drops (total) of your choice of essential oils. Then add a small amount of the oil mixture to either your foot soak or your bathing water. If you decide to add the oil, mix and store the oil mixture separately from the salt and powder portion. This will keep your soak fresh and extend its shelf life.     


Of course there are several ways to utilize foot soaks. You can easily utilize whatever you have growing or dried. Just take two cups of your choice of fresh herbs, or one cup of dried herbs and add to two gallons of near boiling water. Steep the herbs for twenty minutes then strain the liquid and pour it into the foot basin. Make sure that it is not too hot, and soak your feet for twenty minutes, then pat dry and moisturize.  
  

Teaching Tuesdays- What is Spirulina ?

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is shaped like a perfect spiral coil. As one of our   planets oldest inhabitants, it surprises me that it is not really commonly known. In fact, I had not heard of it until a few years ago, which is why I chose it for todays subject matter. 


Spirulina is roughly 3.6 billion years old. Yes, that's billion with a "B", and it grows on virtually every continent in the world. It grows naturally in alkaline lakes, very often near volcanoes. Currently, the best known producers are; Lake Texacano, Mexico; Lake Chad, Africa; and the Great Rift Valley, in East Africa. 


While there is evidence that our ancestors knew of, and valued spirulina, it was really "rediscovered" back in the 1960's. Since that time, many studies have been conducted and spirulina farms have popped up in counties. Spirulna makes a great crop because it uses 1/3 rd less water than that needed to grow soybeans and 1/50 th less than what is needed for beef protein. While it needs 20 times less land than what is needed for soybeans, and 200 times less than what is required for beef. Not to mention that the growth of the spirulina helps with global warming since it fixes carbon and produces oxygen.


So all of that is good and fine, but why would anyone want to buy spirulina, even if it was grown and just given to them? I will tell you. Very simply, spirulina is the MOST powerful and well balanced source of nutrition available in this world today. It has been named as a "Super food" by Scientists. It is made up of 60% all vegetable protein, essential vitamins and phytonutrients, such as essential fatty acids. It is cholesterol free, low fat, and low calorie. It also possesses antiviral and wound healing properties that combat free radicals in the body.        


In plain English, this very small plant packs a very powerful punch. A small quantity of this food source can feed the masses for less space, less water and  less money than any other food source, AND, all the while, do it more efficiently nutrition wise.  The more I study this unique plant, the more I want to grow it myself! 


Of course there are a good many implications for heath related to a diet rich in Spirulina. In fact, it has been given as a treatment for radiation sickness, and is known to increase wound healing, while decreasing kidney toxicity. But when it comes to the bath and body industry, I was unable to find a lot of uses, however, it does give a wonderful green color to your cold and hot processed soaps, and, like other algae, it makes a truly great, cleansing facial mask too! So it appears that Spirulina is food for the inside, as well as the outside of our bodies! 


For some interesting reading about a spirulina farm, see auroville.org