The Natural Beauty Workshop

Natural Beauty Resolutions

The New Year is upon us, and everywhere you look shops and department stores are peddling vitamins, exercise equipment, gadgets and gizmos designed to help make self improvement quick and easy.  If only it were so simple.  The truth is that self improvement is a life long journey.  It's made of countless small decisions and everyday choices.  You can't purchase it in a box, and you can't realize its benefits overnight.

However, as long as the road of self improvement can be, it's a walk worth taking.  Taking care of your body and soul is a worthwhile ambition, and a commitment that can positively affect your life on a daily basis.  Taking good care of your body means treating it with love and respect, which can lead to increased self esteem, and an increased feeling of well being and contentment.  It's not just about shedding pounds or looking prettier.  It's about leading a happier life, one healthy choice at a time.  If you are a long time reader, you know that here at The Natural Beauty Workshop, we believe that good health is the best beauty treatment of all. 

The New Year is a great time to resolve to making healthy changes, or to reaffirm your existing commitment.  Here are some suggestions for healthy resolutions to make for 2012.

• Eat Whole Food: Try sticking to a diet of whole foods, including fresh vegetables, whole grains, and unprocessed ingredients.  Filling up on nutritious food can help keep your body running efficiently, increase natural immunity, and can even result in added energy.
• Clean Out Your Cupboards: Give up your least healthy food.  Some usual suspects are soda, alcohol, fast food, and processed snacks.
• Daily Exercise:  Whether this means walking your dog around the block an extra time every day or joining a gym, getting a little (or a lot) more exercise can improve your health, reduce stress, and build confidence.
• Give Up Chemical Beauty Products:  This is a challenge I am very familiar with, and not always an easy one.  Just remember, what you put on your body can be just as important and what you put in your body.
• Implement a New Beauty Routine:  Treating yourself to facials, taking the time to style your hair, or paint your toes can increase more than just your vanity.  Pampering yourself can help improve self confidence and self esteem, which are essential to success and happiness.
• Stress Reduction: Taking the time to quiet your mind on a regular basis can improve your mental and physical health dramatically.  Whether you choose to reduce stress through meditation, yoga, or long quiet walks, clearing your mind is essential to whole body health.  Learn about stress reduction techniques here.

Back in 2007, when this blog first started, I made a New Year's resolution to switch all of my commercially made cosmetics to either natural or handmade products.  Within two years I achieved my goal.  My natural beauty stash was a great reward, but the education and experience I received along the way was an even better one.  I've learned that the best resolutions are the ones that you make not just for a year, but for a lifetime.

This year, I'm resolving to take more time for personal beauty.  I have a tendency to indulge in a casual look most days.  Though there is nothing wrong with jeans, tee shirts, and tousled hair, I've learned that I feel much better about myself when I take a little time to pick out a special outfit, apply a touch of eyeliner, and a dab of lip gloss.  My resolution doesn't end there.  I intend to keep myself pretty and pampered all year long.  That means more pedicures, more facials, more scrubbing, tubbing, and moisturizing.  Doing all of this at home makes it affordable, and customizing my treatments by blending them myself makes them more effective. 

What are your resolutions for 2012?  Whatever they may be, we'd love to hear about them, and to take that opportunity to wish you success!  Share your resolutions with us in the comments below. 

Trial and Error

For every finished recipe that makes it onto The Natural Beauty Workshop, or into a kit on From Nature With Love, there are countless test batches and tinkering that go on behind the scenes.  Often, readers ask me adivce on formulas that they are working on, and more often then not the answer I give them is experimentation.  Trial and error is the only way to know if a recipe really works, or if a theory you have is sound.  

Can you create an all natural lotion using floral wax instead of beeswax?  Will Roasted Coffee Oil really smell nice when paired with Mandarin Essential Oil?  What would happen if I used Jojoba Wax Beads instead of Beeswax?  There is only one way to find out, and if you learn to take a little joy in this side of your work, it can open up a whole new world for your recipe formulation.  Imagination is a wonderful thing.  I could spend hours lost in a world of scents and colors, toying with what combination to whip up next, but unless I'm willing to put in the leg work, which can sometimes be boring, frustrating, and downright tiresome, all the imagination in the world would be useless.  

A friend of mine, who also happens to be an amazing musician, told me once that you have to write a hundred songs for every one that you keep, and that he thought of the failures as a process of elimination.  For every combination of melody and rythm that didn't work, he got one step closer to finding one that could make your heart sing.  It's the same with many creative processes, and cosmetics formulation is certainly one of them.  

So my message to you all this morning is to embrace experimentation.  Take a chance, and whip up something you haven't tried before.  At times, trial and error can be sorely disheartening, but when those moments of success come along, you will feel brilliant.  

Welcome Summer!

Memorial Day Weekend is finally here, marking the beginning of Summer.  Being my favorite season of the year, Summer has a special place in my heart.  But as much as I love barefoot weather, ice cold lemonade, and barbecue parties, there are some things about summer that I'm not exactly crazy about.

The first thing being sun damage. The wonderful weather of the summer months may tempt you outdoors, but when you go, be safe, and remember The Serious Side of Summer Sun.  My other summer time sorrow comes from our creepy crawly neighbors, insects!  Being from Maine, I am well acquainted with just how bothersome bugs can be.  To put a cap on this hassle, check out the tips in last year's post, Bug Bites: Natural Prevention and Treatment. 

After you are done worrying over Summer's few troubles, don't forget take some time to enjoy this beautiful season.  I've posted a wealth of recipes on The Natural Beauty Workshop inspired by Summer.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Monoi De Tahiti Summer Salt Scrub
• Citrus Ice Cooling Body Spray
• Melon Cooler Salt Scrub
• Red Raspberry Facial Mask
• Fresh Fruit Smoothie Facial 
• Neopolatin Ice Cream Scrub

 

Using Fresh Props for Product Photography

Using fresh ingredients such as herbs, plants, fruits, or berries as props can easily enhance product photos.  Make sure to pick your props carefully, looking for the freshest, most brightly colored specimens, being careful to avoid any bruised or over-ripened fruits. If you depend on natural light for your photography than you may be forced to wait for favorable conditions before taking your photographs.   Make sure to keep your fresh props well stored if you can't use them right away.  Many fruits, berries, and herbs can be rejuvenated prior to the photo shoot by being dipped in a quick bath of cool water.  Allow any leaves or stems to soak up plenty of water before removing them from the bath. Drain the props on a clean towel and gently dab them to dry.  This should also help the fruits and greenery to appear as fresh and colorful as possible.

Here are a few shots from some product photography I did this weekend.  I love how the colorful berries enhance each image.

Do you use fresh fruits, plants, or veggies in your product shots?  We'd love for you to share your work with us on The Natural Beauty Workshop's Flickr Photo Group.

Self Image and Natural Beauty

I spent this weekend attending a family wedding.  Being a traditional affair, the bride was accompanied by bridesmaids, groomsmen, ring bearers, and a long flowing train of tulle.  Jennifer, the bride, wore a carefully detailed gown, handpicked jewelry, but most importantly, a glow of joy.  While her hair was meticulously styled, her makeup expertly applied, and her gown perfectly fitted, it was her beaming happiness that made her one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen.

We discuss beauty a lot on this blog.  We invent recipes and techniques that are meant to primp and pamper us, but I think it's important to mention once in a while that true beauty has a lot to do with attitude, health, and emotional well-being.  There is no serum, potion, or magic recipe that can compare with the natural glow of happiness and self confidence.  This is why the smile and effortless charm of a self assured woman can light up a room, no matter her age.  So next time you pamper yourself with your favorite home spa recipe make sure that you do so with a self loving attitude.  Take care of your body because you love it, not because you are desperate to change it.  When you apply your makeup, try enhancing the features you love instead of trying to hide the features that you are dissatisfied with.  Most importantly, try to remember what you love about yourself, inside and out, every time you look in the mirror. 

Keeping your skin, hair, and body healthy and beautiful is a lifetime endeavor.  As is the nature of life, this journey will have high points and low points, but no matter where you are, it will always be important to love and appreciate the body you have right now.  While scrubs, facials, and creams will always have their place in my skin and body care routine, I have found that self-affirmation may be the most powerful home spa treatment of all.

Click here to see the incredible wedding photos taken by Carla Ten Eyck.

Photography Tips for Soap and Toiletries

I recently received a great photography tip from Sharon of Morgan Street Soap Company.  I have always admired Sharon's beautiful product photographs.  When she offered to share her secret I was all ears.  Sharon explained to me that the most important tool for her photography, next to the actual camera, is her tripod.  Most of her pictures are taken using the following method:

• Create a white backdrop using white foam, poster board, or durable fabric. Sharon prefers to use the thin foam found in the kid's section of craft stores.  Prop up the background facing a window or other source of natural light.  You'll get the best photographs by taking your pictures during the day.  If you need to take photographs at night you may have better luck using a photography light box.
• Arrange your items as you like, allowing plenty of room for the white area to appear in the frame.
• Make sure there is one black object in the original frame of the photograph. This will help you to balance the colors in an editing program later.  You can use a black piece of paper, a bottle cap, or anything that you may have on hand.  Leave the object somewhere in the frame that will be easily cropped out later.
• Attach your camera to a tripod.  There are many inexpensive tripods on the market.  I recently purchased a small flexible tripod for only $15.00.  This small investment will help your photos look a great deal more professional. 
• Set your camera on a short timer and aim the camera for your photograph.  Setting a delayed timer prevents you from inadvertently shaking the camera while pressing the button to take the shot.
• If you are using a digital camera, take as many pictures as you like.  You can sort through them later for the best shots.
• After you've uploaded (or scanned) your photos onto the computer you can begin editing them.  Most photo editing programs such as Photoshop or Paint Shop will allow your image using a feature called "curves".  The black object helps to set the color tone for your photo. Then use the "curves" tool to adjust the lightness and contrast.  In other programs, such as Picassa, you can perform similar functions by using their "fill light", "color temperature", and "contrast" features.
• After adjusting the photo you can crop it to eliminate the black object and make any other finishing touches that you like.

Here is an example of what my photo looked like using Sharon's tripod and white backdrop method BEFORE I adjusted the curves:

Here is how the photo looked after I adjusted the curves:

Thank you for sharing such a great tip with me, Sharon! I look forward to taking many more beautiful photos using this method.

Scents & Memory

For our sixth Anniversary my main squeeze, Scott, delivered a huge assortment of flowers, herbs, and plants to our door.  We spent the day together reclaiming the garden from its cold winter sleep and planting the beautiful plants that Scott had brought home.  I was planting a patch of marigolds when I was hit with a strikingly vivid memory of my childhood:  My family lived with my great grandfather for a while when I was a little kid.  He was a great big man with great big ideas and great big ambition.  He was a stickler for tradition, etiquette, and getting things done the right way.  I was a crazed, over imaginative, and inherently rebellious child.  Despite our differences he was my hero.  I was his under four foot shadow.  My Great Grandfather had fantastic garden’s surrounding the house.  Forests of Poppies engulfed the side patio while a beautiful Cherry Tree dropped it’s delicate blossoms on the veranda above.  In the backyard, the perimeter of the lawn was filled with cutting flowers.  There were always enough fresh flowers on hand to fill the house with their glorious aroma.  There was also a special place just for his prized rose bushes and a massive vegetable garden.  There were green herbs, berries on lattices, and bountiful ripe veggies as far as my little eyes could see.  My very first garden was a 2 by 4 foot square that he cut out just for me.  My younger sister had her own plot right next to mine.  He taught us how to sow seeds and reminded us to water every day.  I don’t remember much of what was in my garden, but I do remember my little sunset colored  marigolds.  The smell of their leaves brought this all back to me in the garden that day.

Science has established solid links between scent and memory.  It’s no surprise to me that the memories brought on by the sense of smell are often deeply emotional.  After all, my Great Grandfather passed away when I was seven years old yet the scent of a fresh marigold can still bring tears to my eyes.  What I found especially interesting during my study into the subject was the applications that this science may possibly be used for.  Studies have been made on Aromatherapy’s use in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and short term memory loss.  Studies have also been performed using aroma during sleep and study to increase the memories retention of new information.  Could it be that familiar aromas keep memory alive and functioning by refreshing these emotional connections?  So often our reminiscing is cut off by the demands that our every day lives.  Perhaps we are lucky that the emotional connection to our sense of smell forces us to remember our past, even when we least expect to.

Now that everyone knows the scent of a fresh Marigold can strike me with an emotional memory I'd like to invite all of you to share your most memorable scents.  What aromas evoke the most vivid memories for you?

Super Suds

There is no special interest story so special as one that involves your very own nephew.  R.J. is in fourth grade and had his first science fair this year.  We were honored when R.J. asked his Uncle Scott and I to help him with his project.  We spent quite a while noodling over what subject to report on.  Eventually it hit me.  Soap!  It's always smart to play to your strengths.  I was pretty sure this was one of the few aspects of chemistry I would be able to effectively explain to a fourth grader.  After just a few discussions, a series of hand drawn diagrams, my own version of molecule charades, and some home reading, R.J. got it!  By the time he wrote his report and built the display he really grasped the concepts of saponification and the inner workings of a soap molecule.  I was pretty impressed.

To demonstrate saponification, R.J. and I made a batch of Hot Process Soap.  Since lye is a pretty dangerous substance, R.J.'s actual "help" during this process was limited to observation through several parts of the process.  First, R.J. helped me calculate the recipe, gather our equipment and ingredients, weigh the oils, and line the mold.  Next, after donning our goggles and gloves (which looked especially cute on R.J.) I mixed the lye and water solution while R.J. observed from the other side of the room.  I mixed the oil and the lye solution next.  After getting rid of the lye solution's container I invited R.J. back to my side of the room and we began the long process of stirring the hot process soap over the stove top.  R.J., Scott, and I all took turns stirring while it went through its phases.  We cheered when it entered what we called "applesauce stage", and we nearly went wild when it reached "mashed potatoes".   We colored the soap, added fragrance, poured it into a mold, and later cut the soap into bars.  Success!

R.J.'s final project was simply awesome.  He drew up diagrams based on our earlier discussions, made a time line of soap's history, displayed pictures of our soap making adventure, and displayed three different kinds of soap for people to see in person.  He displayed one bar of melt and pour soap that he had made with me a week earlier, a bar of the hot process soap that we had made together, and a bar of cold process soap that I had given him for the display.  Everyone at the fair stopped by to sniff all three bars!  To top it all off, R.J. wrote an incredible report for his project, explaining how soap works, where it came from, how it is made, and why it is so important to us.  I am thrilled to report that after all his hard work R.J. took home a first place ribbon, medal, and a trophy for his soap project.  The entire family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, all called to congratulate R.J. on his huge success.  We are all incredibly proud of him and his super suds!

Here is a closer look at R.J.'s diagrams.  I think they were my favorite part!

What soap is made from:

Saponification / How soap is made:

A soap molecule:

How soap works:

This is my favorite one.  You can't see his caption in the picture but it read, "Soap molecules grab dirt and germs, than hitch a ride with water on its way down the drain." An ingeniously simple explanation of how soap molecules do their job!

Earth Day 2008

Nearly forty years ago, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson announced a nationwide grassroots demonstration that would later be known as Earth Day.  This demonstration was held on April 22, 1970, and is regarded as the birthday of the modern environmental movement.  We've come a long way since the first Earth Day.  Through education, activism, and hope, the environmental movement has brought change and most importantly, nationwide awareness to the issues that threaten our world.  But despite all our efforts through the past forty years, we still have a long road ahead of us. 

Climate change, environmental sustainability, and the depletion of wildlife habitats are just a few of the major issues facing our planet right now.  While we each do our part by making responsible choices in our daily lives, you may be surprised to find out that you can make an even bigger difference without ever leaving your chair.  Through communication and activism you can help to initiate legislative changes that can have a huge impact on the environment.  A simple phone call, email, or letter can make a huge impact when it is combined with thousands of other voices.  To find out more about how you can speak out for the changes you care about please visit one or more of the following websites:

Earth Day Network's Call for Climate
Today, The Earth Day Network is organizing a massive worldwide phone campaign.  People from all around the world will be calling their local governments asking them to enact tough and fair climate legislation. If climate change is something you care about, visit The Earth Day Network to find out how you can call in for the climate.

Organic Consumer's Association Action Center
The Organic Consumer Association is an online, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to sustainability, food safety, and environmental awareness.  If you are passionate about organics, fair trade, and environmental sustainability than you will find their action center to be a very valuable resource.  There are many different causes to take part in on this page.

Take Action With the World Wildlife Fund
The World Wildlife Fund has a long history of campaigning for the protection of the world's creatures and their habitats.  Help them speak out on behalf of the world's animals.

Thanks to the internet, activism is easier than ever.  Remember, every voice counts, but yours can only be heard if you are brave enough to speak up!  Happy Earth Day Planet Earth!

Hanami - A Celebration of Flowers

Around this time of year something very special begins to happen.  Bulbs begin to sprout, the air begins to warm, and flowers begin to blossom.  In Japan, this event is celebrated by a tradition that is called Hanami.  Every year, between the end of March and the beginning of April, crowds gather throughout Japan to witness the beauty of thousands of trees in blossom.  While all flowers are worthy of celebration, the particular flowers that are viewed during the Hanami are Sakura,(or Cherry Blossoms) and Ume(Plum Blossoms). 

In The United States, the tradition of Hanami inspires countless festivals throughout the country.  These festivals celebrate not only the blossoming of trees, but Japanese heritage, traditions, and culture.  The largest of these American festivals is The National Cherry Blossom Festival, held in Washington D.C.  This year, the festival begins on March 29, and will run until April 13.  Other festivals can be found throughout the United States during the early Spring.  Here is a small sampling of festivals that are being held in 2008.

Hanami: Celebrating the Cherry-Viewing Season
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn, New York
Saturday, April 5 - Sunday, May 11

Macon Georgia's 26th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival
Macon, Georgia
March 28 - April 6

7th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
April 5 - 6

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
San Francisco, California
April 12, 13, 19, and 20

Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia
Horticulture Center, Fairmount Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 13

Denver Colorado Cherry Blossom Festival
Denver, Colorado
June 28 - 29

If you can't find a festival near you, you can always celebrate the Cherry and Plum Blossom Season at home by sampling some traditional Japanese Skin Care Ingredients.  Our Kyoto Scrub recipe is a great example of how these simple, and beneficial ingredients can be used.  Treat yourself to a healthful meal of traditional Japanese cuisine, a cup of steaming green tea, and a special home spa experience.  You can also celebrate Hanami by creating some bath and body treats scented with one of our blossom themed synthetic Fragrance Oils.  Asian Plum Blossom, and Cherry Blossom are two of my favorites!