What's Workin' Wednesday-Products Not in the Shop

I have many products that have yet to make their way to my Etsy store front. Of those, there are at least 50 soap batches and probably a good 8 to 10 other products waiting for me to find the time to add. I have the products already made, in fact, most have been staples in my inventory for years, but right now they only get sold to the people who know about them and to those who visit with me in person. So today I would like to share a few of these lessor known products with you.

Now this first one is actually already in the Unique Garden Essences store front, but it was recently reformulated and renamed, so here it is. It is a facial/eye serum that I have named "Go Away". Go away is a blend of of vegetable and plant oils, including meadowfoam, sea buckthorn, jojoba and others. Each ingredient, including the proprietary essential oil blend, has been chosen for the properties it will contribute to the blend. A little of this oil in your daily facial care regimen and I believe that you will soon detect a noticeable, healthy difference in your skin tone. These oils are purported to not only rejuvenate the skin, but to regenerate damaged skin cells, and decrease the signs of aging.


This next product is such a fun and kitschy one. I began making them because I enjoyed them myself, but I was basically coerced into continuing to make them and to offer them for sale in the shop by several of my friends and long term clients.  What am I talking about?

The cupcake bath bomb, of course! Look how cute they turn out! The sprinkles are actually tiny jojoba beads. They come in a multitude of colors and really look like the candies used to decorate the edible cupcakes!

I can't tell you how many people  thought they hit the jackpot, at my last craft show, when the afternoon hunger pains set in! Lol

The next product I'd like to introduce to you is one of my favorites. Why? Because I originally made it for a friends' grandson, and later for my own!  It is Baby Bum and Body Balm. This balm is herbal infused greatness that is equally wonderful for chapped, reddened faces as it is for the private area, in between diaper changes. In fact, this balm is perfect for all sensitive skin, even when you aren't a baby! 

And the final product for today's What's Workin' Wednesday is an Air Diffuser.

This cute, 6 oz. diffuser is cut glass. The cork seal has a shrink band to keep it secure in transit. Once home and ready to use, all that you need to do is to remove the cork, place the reeds into the bottle, and find a nice place to set it, where its beauty will add to your decor. The fragrances can be colored or left clear, and the scents are as varied as the minutes of the day. While I usually take a few different fragrances to a show, these can be ordered in just about any scent desired. Packaged nicely, these also make great gifts! 

There are some more products for me to show you, but we will look at those next week. There will be solid perfumes, lotions, body mousse, whipped shea and more to look forward too!  Even a whipped soap, including a shaving soap for Dads, Hubbies and Gals alike! All next What's Workin' Wednesday! 

Before you go  take a look at these recently completed (special ordered) gift sets.  Made in a variety of styles and price ranges, they are always fun to work on and even more fun to watch the recipient open! 

Make it Yourself- Baby Balm

This past weekend I was at a show and was approached by a Grandma who needed some type of balm for her two year old Grandson's terrible skin. Fortunately I make a wonderful Baby Bum and Body Balm, so she was able to get that, but for those of you that want to make your own, here is a recipe for you to try! While it is not the same one I sell, it is a good one.

You will need;
1 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. dried lavender
1 Tbs. dried calendula
1 Tbs  rose petals or 3 Tbs dried rose petals
4 vitamin E capsules
1 1/2 tsp. jojoba oil*
8 Tbs. beeswax
4 drops lavender EO (optional)

You will need to grind 3 tablespoons of dried lavender, 1 tablespoon of dried calendula, and 1 tablespoon of rose petals (make sure that you use organic roses, ones not sprayed with pesticides or aroma enhancing chemicals. Know that most florists carry chemically treated roses!) into a powder, then place in a pan and cover with 1 cup of olive oil (do not use the extra virgin). Simmer the oil, making sure not to boil it or burn it, for at least an hour and a half. Remove from heat and strain the oil through a coffee filter, throwing away the botanical particles. Put your oil back into the pan and add in 8 tablespoons of beeswax, stirring until melted. Once the beeswax is melted, add in 1 1/2 teaspoons of jojoba oil and 4 drops of lavender essential oil (you may omit the EO if you want), then at the very last, puncture the vitamin E caps and squeeze the oil out and into the pan. Stir well.

When everything is mixed well, pour into a jar and leave sit until completely cooled. It will thicken as it cools. Once cooled, put the lid on the jar and store out of direct light, keeping from heat fluctuations as well. It should remain good for at least 6-8 months when properly stored.

*If you do not have any jojoba oil and do not want to purchase any (it is extremely expensive right now, when you can find it), you can add in another non-nut carrier oil, such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil, or just use additional olive oil, whichever you prefer.

Make it Yourself Monday- Body Butter

Sorry for the delay in posting, for some reason the timer deal is not working again. Anyway, it's still Monday, so here we go! This recipe is for a type of balm, a body butter, or heel and elbow cream if you will. While this is not the recipe I use, should you decide to purchase instead of making it yourself, this is a great version of heel and elbow cream, and one I occasionally make for friends and family. If you are Vegan you will not want to use this recipe (but you can still buy the one in my shop) because it utilizes lanolin. Lanolin comes from sheep (they are not harmed in its gathering) and is what protects and water proofs them. So it makes sense that it is good for our skin too. If you have seriously dry and/or cracked heels, apply generous amounts to your feet before bed, and cover with some footies or socks.  Then just go to bed and let it do its thing. By morning you will see a huge difference!

Of course this butter is good for your skin everywhere, so use it on any dry or cracked area, or just use it for regular maintenance and skin softening. And feel free to use your favorite essential oil or EO blend.

You will need;
4oz Lanolin
2 oz Shea Butter
1 1/4 oz Avocado Oil
3 caps Vitamin E
1 1/2 oz Glycerin

Put the lanolin and the shea butter into a microwave safe container, and heat it, using short time bursts, until it is melted. You want to melt it without boiling it, so set it for 45 seconds or so, stir, and repeat until it is all melted. Generally this takes about 2 minutes. Once melted, stir in the remaining ingredients. Leave the Vitamin E for last. Puncture 3 gel tabs and put the oil into your mixture. Stir well then pour into a tin or jar. Once it sets up completely (after it is completely cooled), try it out. If you like yours to be more stiff/hard, you can add in some cocoa butter. Start out by adding 1 oz to this recipe and test from there until it is to your liking. If you like yours thinner, add some more oil. You can also exchange the avocado oil for an oil of your choosing. I prefer to use the avocado oil or some hemp, or olive oil for their skin-loving properties, but really it is a matter of personal preference.
Also, according to personal preference, you may add an EO or an EO blend. I am very partial to lavender for its calming, centering and relaxing qualities, especially since I like to apply my butter at night. Of course this is great to use any time of day and with any skin safe EO or EO blend. SO have fun experimenting! Just make sure that you don't use over  1/2 oz of EO, and with some, you may even need less. Always error on the side of too little, rather than too much. And if it is a new EO to you, use the patch test before applying to a large area of skin.

Fearsome Friday- Reward Yourself with Bath Butter

As you head into the weekend, I hope that you will take some time to relax and rejuvenate. A bit of time to reward yourself for the hard week that is past, and to prepare yourself for the week to come. To that end, I have just the multipurpose product for you to make! And, once made, it will last a while, so it is a gift to yourself that keeps giving! What am I talking about? A bath butter that pulls double duty as a solid perfume. How is this possible? Well, while this butter easily melts in the tub, creating a highly moisturizing and skin softening, it is stiff enough to be applied to the pulse points, offering wonderful scent and some on the go skin softening. It may sound a bit crazy, but why not smell good while moisturizing and why not moisturize while smelling good? With this neat recipe you can have it all!

You will need;
2 ounces beeswax
2 ounces jojoba oil
2 oz sweet almond oil (may use apricot kernel oil)
1/2 ounce EO blend

Heat the beeswax in a double boiler, over medium heat, until melted. As soon as it is completely melted, remove from the heat and add in the other oils, adding the EO last. Mix well and then pour into containers. You may use tins, small glass jars, plastic, as long as it is meant for high heat, or tubes. I like to put some of mine in the twist up tubes for ease of application, these I carry in my purse. While some I put into jars for the bedstand and the bathroom. Once poured, leave them sit on the counter until they are set, usually several hours.

As for using; When bathing, just scoop some out and toss it into the warm, running bath water. As soon as it warms it will melt like butter. Just exercise caution upon entering and exiting the tub, as it may be slippery.
When using as a perfume balm, rub onto skin at pressure points, behind the ears, and/or any rough patch of skin needing soothing.
With care, this recipe generally will last about one year. Make sure to store this product out of direct light, and remember that it will melt in heat. If it does, just set it aside to re-set, or pop it in the fridge to speed up the process a bit. Also, care must be taken to not introduce water into the product at any time. So make sure that it is stored with the lid tightly placed, and that you never use wet fingers to scoop out the product. Introducing water, even a drop, will introduce microbes that tend to grow nasty things.

As for the fragrance, you certainly can use whatever EO, or skin safe Fragrance oil that you like best. (If you do choose a FO, remember that many carried in the big box stores are not meant to be used on the skin, and can cause serious harm if used for this recipe.)
For a peaceful, calming, feminine scent, try this blend; 5 drops rose,  2 drops vanilla, 1 drop clove or all spice.
Of course orange blossom is always a sweet, pick-me-up scent. And, if you mix that with a drop of vanilla you get that dreamy, dreamcicle fragrance. Mix it with a drop of all spice and you will get a complex, dreamy, somewhat sexy fragrance.
Whatever you choose to scent with, I know you will enjoy this soothing, moisturizing, smell good balm, no matter how you use it!

Wednesday's Installment of Teaching Tuesday- Pain

There are two types of pain, or more accuratyely, two ways that pain is categorized and described. There is Acute Pain and Chronic Pain.

Acute pain is usually a result of inflammation and/or injury, and usually is a soft tissue injury. This pain is immediate and has a short duration. Acute pain is a normal response to injury and some disease processes, and its cause can usually be diagnosed and treated without too much difficulty. A sprained ankle, a stubbed toe, a pulled muscle, and the like are all examples of instances where acute pain would be expected.

Chronic pain, on the other hand, is a continuous pain. It is persistent, usually lasting for more than 3 months, which is well beyond the time of normal healing. It can range from mild to severe, and can last from months to years, or even a lifetime. The cause of chronic pain is not always evident, yet it can be a result of a disease process. Often the treatment plan takes a long while to determine and sometimes it is inadequate, in the sufferer's estimation if not the physicians'. For this reason, as much as the cause of the pain, chronic pain can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. Many people with back injuries, arthritis, and various disease processes suffer from chronic pain.

Why are we discussing pain types? Well, just like you need to know what Essential Oil (EO) to sniff when you are using aromatherapy, you need to know what type of pain you have, in order to whip up or purchase a balm or massage oil with an Essential Oil blend meant to relieve your pain.

Several EO's have analgesic qualities and several have anti-inflammatory properties,  but only a few possess both of these qualities. Some EO's are good for soft tissue pain, while others are better for joint pain.  It is important to know what the EO's in your blend are meant for and what the source of your pain is, so that you can get the greatest bang for your buck and the most relief possible. It is also important to know what other oils, called carrier oils, are used in your product and why. Some oils are more readily absorbed by the skin, therefore they will help to deliver the EO's deeper into the skin, faster, and more adequately than others. Emu oil is one such oil, aside from helping the skin's tissue to heal, it helps to draw other ingredients down into the skin so that they are more effective. Among other things, Peppermint EO has the properties of an analgesic, a topical antiseptic, an anti-inflammatory, and a vasoconstrictor, therefore it would be an excellent choice for mixing with emu oil when needing something for pain accompanied with tissue swelling. Of course there are other Eo's that are considered  to be analgesics and some others that anti-inflammatory in nature, so some study is quite important when making your choice(s).


A lesser known stimulant is Turmeric. A native of South Asia, Turmeric has been used for thousands of years as an herb in cooking and as medicine. The yellow powder is an ingredient in many curries. Current research indicates that Turmeric has a strong antioxidant property that makes it an herb that may prevent and assist disease and aging issues. It belongs to the ginger family and the powder and essential oil is obtained from the thick rhizome (root). In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine, Turmeric is used to treat flatulence, colic, abdominal pain, liver disorder, menstrual issues, hemorrhage, bruises, sores and toothache as well as chest and shoulder pain. Because of its analgesic, anti-arthritis, anti-inflammatory, choleric, digestive and rubefacient properties, aromatherapists use Turmeric for arthritis, rheumatism, digestive problems and liver congestion. Research has shown that turmeric can stop the proliferation of laboratory strains of melanoma. (Read Farida Irani 2008 article "Turmeric" in "Aromatherapy Journal," the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) e-Journal.) Turmeric is said to be non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing.

What's Happening Wednesday-Book Plans

What's Happening this Wednesday , well I want to share an interesting new project with you. As you probably know, I have a great interest in, and have studied extensively, Essential oils. As an herbalist and a RN, I have always been fascinated with, and believed in the holistic approach to medicines. I firmly believe in the mind/body connection, and have dedicated the vast majority of my studying to the use of  EO's in skin care and  aromatherapy. Of course I also make a good many other products, including cp soap.

CP soap is such a hot craft at this moment, with many new Artisans becoming addicted to the craft daily. As such, there are more and more people on the soap forums asking questions and seeking information about how to do such and so, especially the scenting of their soaps. Always one to encourage education, I am quick to point out that EO's are more than scent, and in fact, can be dangerous when misunderstood and/or misused. In fact, people using EO's without being educated about their indications and potential hazards has always been my greatest pet peeve.

Which leads me to my "What's Happening". After a suggestion from a friend of mine I began considering writing a book about EO's, then I received an email from someone else who had read this blog, and they also suggested that I write a book. So, guess what.......I am writing a book! I recently began a book on Essential oils and their properties, indications for use, and even some soaping notes. Right now I am also considering a section on blending and creating perfumes, but I will see where I am at after I have the basics that I want to cover down. After all, that may just be a second book!

Now, as for what else is going on this Wednesday, I have recently added a few new products to the Unique Garden Essences line. I just finished formulating a "Baby Body and Bum Cream" and a "Super Cream", which I started selling at the Chatfield college show April 30.  And, not too much before that, I created a new  Fragrance blend, called "Embrace".  Currently I have this fragrance in a batch of cp Soap, Spritzer, Roll-on Fragrance Oil and Hand and Body Lotion.

Embrace  is a pretty sexy, slightly sultry scent. It is difficult to describe, but has a tantalizing fragrance, one that  makes you long to Embrace the wearer! And, as a side note, the label is a picture from my Son's wedding on the beach!

The Super Cream  has lanolin in it, so, while it is not Vegan (sorry),  it is a very thick, very deeply moisturizing, extremely awesome cream! It is great for a night-time moisturizer, extra dry patches of skin, after sun care, or just any time you want to treat your tired, worn skin to a nice, cool  pick-me-up!

The Baby Body and Bum Cream  is perfect for any dry areas of skin and for the bum, in between diaper changes. Infused with chamomile and calendula, and with a tad of lavender added in there as well, this ointment is healing, but mild at the same time.  

Additionally, I now have 30 different scents of  Soap cured and ready for sale. The issue is that I have not had time to list them in my store front. Many were sold at the Chatfield show, but I still have plenty to list, and at least 10 more batches that will be fully cured  in the next two weeks!


So, as you can see, I have been staying pretty busy, and still have a lot more to do! Of course I am also still working on getting my website back up and running,  but I tend to put that at the bottom of my list since I have my domain pointed to the Etsy shop. Eventually I will get there I am sure, but for now, I am one busy bee!

Well, there you have it. Now that you know What is Up with me this Wednesday, tell me, what's up with you?  Let me know in comments, and if there is anything in specific that you would like to see included in my book, let me know that too. I am open to suggestions.

Of course tomorrow is Tripod Thursday, and I am leaning toward sharing some more Ohio scenery with you.
Then Friday we will continue on with our Exotic Oils series. Next up is Seabuckthorn Oil, so make sure you come back to find out all about this exciting oil! .