Boulder, CO-based naturals brand Pangea Organics has partnered with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) in a distribution deal.
“This partnership comes at an incredible time for us. As you know, Pangea strives to educate consumers on the benefits of organic skincare for the health of people and the planet. What better way to do this than by reaching a television audience of 90 million households,” said the company.
The brand will go live on air with HSN at the end of August.
August 20th, 2008 | Category: Cosmetics, IndustryNews, Soap | 
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I’ve just finished reading The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt. It’s a brilliantly fast 600 pages. It’s science fiction…I guess? The lines delineating how things like this are classified are fairly blurry. It’s got sci fi elements, and adventure elements, and buddy story elements, and gods and self creating steam driven metal entities, it’s good fun. I highly recommend it.
I wandered around with a book in front of me for a day and a half. I was teaching my son geography and while he was labeling things, I was reading furiously. I just couldn’t put it down. It’s like a chase scene that never ends.
I would have liked a little more detail at the end, or perhaps that it was that I was so vested in the female protagonist that I just couldn’t bear to close the book on her.
What does any of that have to do with soap? Well…nothing, really. But all soap and no books makes De a very clean, but very boring girl. Heh.
August 18th, 2008 | Tags: books, reading, Reviews | Category: Book Reviews | Print This Post
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ZOMG! My Bath Bombs instructable came in 22 out of 14,000 to go in the The Best of Instructables Volume I.
Thanks everyone who voted!
August 14th, 2008 | Tags: book, contests, Instructables | Category: Instructions, Make Your Own | Print This Post
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This extra gentle cleansing scrub will leave your skin feeling silky and smooth.
* 1 tablespoon wheat germ
* 1 tablespoon oatbran
* 2 tablespoons almond oil
* 3 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
In a mortar and pestle, mix the wheat germ and oatbran together. Add almond oil and essential oil to form a paste.
While standing in a tub or shower, (trust me on this one), massage the paste all over your body. (I wouldn’t use this on your face though.) Then rinse off with warm water. Voila! Exfoliated, smooth skin!
August 13th, 2008 | Tags: body scrub, Essential Oils, Formulas, Instructions, Make Your Own | Category: Essential Oils, Formulas, Instructions, Make Your Own | Print This Post
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There’s been chatter about the health hazards of fabric softeners and fabric sheets. People with delicate skin or allergies are often impacted by these products being used by people around them. Also, they cost a silly amount of money for some petroleum byproducts and perfume in a big ol plastic jug.
Especially since you can make your own for pennies.
Phase One:
1 part Baking Soda
2 parts Hot Water
Phase Two:
1 part Vinegar
Essential oils to scent preference. I recommend 1/2 tsp per gallon or less. Lavender is great, grapefruit, lime, lemon, and lemongrass are my faves currently.
Procedure:
Use a container that is double the size of the ingredients. Put it in the sink or tub in case of spillover.
Mix the baking soda and water, stir till the powder is dissolved (mostly dissolved, you’ll likely have some grains left).
Add the vinegar. Remember that baking soda and vinegar react by fizzing, (remember all those volcanoes in elementary school?), hence the recommendation of a large container.
Once it’s stopped fizzing, pour into clean jars and close. Shake jar before use. Use by adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup in the rinse cycle.
August 11th, 2008 | Tags: how to, laundry | Category: Essential Oils, Formulas, Instructions, Make Your Own | Print This Post
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So, I’m sourcing some ingredients, which means I get to play mad scientist. It’s one of my favorite things to do, doncha know.
There’s been a lot of buzz about in the industry about Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract and Cecropia Obtusa Bark Extract. Argania is derived from the kernel of the fruit of the Argan tree, Argania spinosa, and native to southern Morocco. It tightens skin immediately and obviously. Cecropia has been shown in studies to reduce cellulite and tighten skin.
The supplies of these materials are limited, as they come from protected species, and all harvesting must be done sustainably and under strict control. The ingredients I’m using in the formula test come from Laboratoires Serobiologiques, via Cognis
I decided to make a mango eye butter. Read more to get formulation and directions.
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August 8th, 2008 | Tags: botanicals, Cosmetics, eye butter, Formulas | Category: Cosmetics, Essential Oils, Formulas, Instructions, Make Your Own, Recipes, Sourcing, Vendors | Print This Post
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When you first get introduced to the addiction that is making soap, it’s easy to buy your materials at the grocery store. But as your addiction grows, or you find that people are throwing money at you to buy your creations, or you suddenly feel a burning desire to do an arts and crafts show, you quickly find that paying retail isn’t cost efficient when you’re making 30 pounds of soap.
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August 6th, 2008 | Tags: oils, Reviews, soapmaking, suppliers, Vendors -The Good | Category: Soap, Vendors, Vendors -The Good, manufacturing | Print This Post
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