As an entrepreneur, I need to stay on top of trend.  Trend in natural cosmetics, trend is fashion. trends in marketing.

I am not a fan of “marketing holidays” but this morning I heard that Cyber Monday brings in about 12 billion dollars in sales  for online retailers.

Last year, we had our best sales ever following Thanksgiving.

SO, We made out Cyber Monday sale REALLY Good.  Really Tempting.  Really Trendy.

For a link to the sale click here, or see below. Tweet it. Facebook it. Buy it.

Cyber Monday SALE Real Products. Real People. Real Results ™   30 % Off Shea Butter Sale Treat Yourself (and your friends) Well   We know how much celebrities and those of you who are spa aficionados love our Shea Hand and Nail Cream…but, from time to time resist the urge to splurge on such luxury.  For the next 48 hours we are having a 30% off Cyber Monday SALE. Now, you have no reason resist the urge to splurge. Buy as much as you want until 11:59 pm Wednesday. Buy any two Travertine Spa items and we will include a free linen spray ($14.00 value), free gift wrapping and card. With just a few clicks you now have a generous, luxurious, and stylish gift (at a great savings).  Isn’t that what we look for in holiday shopping?     Save 30% off of Shea Hand and Nail Cream     Buy any 2 Travertine Spa Items and get a free linen spray and free gift wrapping Free Domestic Shipping on Orders of $75 or more Use Coupon Code “cybermonday”   Visit the Travertine Spa online Boutique   Online sales only Valid until Dec. 2, 2009   . . . [T]he Shea Butter is fantastic. It saved my hands last winter. I use it almost every night. I enjoy “eden”, because you really got the scent right. So many lotions have an overpowering smell and yours is just right.”   - Ottmar Liebert Double-Platinum-Selling, FIVE-TIME Grammy Nominated Guitarist Hear and purchase music from Ottmar at his Listening Lounge

naturally neyshawbin

I am so excited about my natural hair!  Not once have I regretted this decision since my big chop ONE WEEK AGO (it was actually one week ago yesterday)!  I am learning so much about my hair (and products that I should and shouldn’t use).  I’ve pretty much started using Lorraine Massey’s CG (Curly Girl) Method… that means NO SHAMPOO.  ALL shampoos have Sodium Laurel Sulfate in them and it’s too harsh for your hair.  Lorraine suggests mixing the juice of one lemon with your usual amount of conditioner to cleanse your hair… or… mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 cup of warm water to rinse through your hair in the shower.  Look for a Curly Girl link on the sidebar.  Also look for a link to an ingredients list.  This has come in very handy for me.

I’ve found a few products that I like to use that have treated me well so far (it’s only been a week).  I’ll list them first, then the pictures will follow

I like to use Garnier Fructis Body Boost conditioner as a co-wash and leave-in (I think that I need to change this one because it’s a volumizing conditioner that I loved to use with my relaxed hair.  I don’t think I need volume now).

I also use Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner as a co-wash conditioner (this one smells FANTASTIC!).  I like it, but I think I like the Garnier better as a leave-in because it’s a little thicker than the Suave and my curls are a LOT more defined with it.  I have more curls and less frizz with the Garnier than I do with the Suave.

A conditioner that I’m testing out is Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner.  I’m just testing this one out because it has Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone in it and the CG Method suggests that you stay away from any ingredient whose names end in -one.  This conditioner smells SO GOOD that I want to find a way to keep it on my list of product to use.  I’m going to do more research on it and testing it on my own hair, and I’ll let you know whether or not I’ll be able to keep it on my list.

I used a product called Pro-Line Comb-Thru Softener for the very first time today and LOVED IT!!!  It has the consistency of a conditioner and it smells like baby powder (love that)!  For the first time, my hair was soft (and smelled like baby powder) ALL DAY.  My hair had been very hard and “crunchy” every day since my BC until I used this product today.  I just massaged it into my wet hair and let it air dry.  I didn’t use any oils or shea butter because I wanted to see what this product would do on its own and I was very pleased with the outcome.  My hair was dry without the oils, but it was soft and I was happy about that!

To moisturize my hair throughout the day, I use coconut oil and shea butter.  They’ve worked well so far, so I’ll continue to use them.

co-wash / leave- in

co-wash

softener

So, there are the few products that I use.  I’ll keep you updated!

Even in the wake of a mild winter, I find that our skin has already started to become dryer and a bit flaky, and some of us even have red patches on our skin. It almost seems evident that our bodies are telling us that we don’t belong out here in the cold. Sometimes, I wonder why we don’t listen to them! But still, we are very lucky to live in a place that has free medical coverage and a high standard of living. The only trade off, it seems, is that we live in a harsh climate. I’m sure that in a few weeks, we’ll be seeing some snow, and along with that, we’ll soon be seeing our skin change even more drastically to accommodate that weather. But don’t worry, our skin can rejuvenate easily with the help of modern technology and even with old fashioned wive’s tales. From the wonderful warmth of IPL light covering our skin to a homemade olive oil concoction, keeping up with our health and hygiene should never be neglected, and it can even be a lot of fun to embrace and celebrate.

When I was doing my monthly IPL sessions to remove my hair, I would often celebrate that day by bringing in my laptop so that I could listen and download music while I got little pulses of light that my body seemed to crave for after a few sessions… how addictive! But ultimately, it gave me some downtime just for me to use however I wanted to, and I think that little bit of time that I used for myself felt incredibly good. Everybody should experience that kind of downtime. Not everybody can, but whether it be a whole day of spa pampering to a 15 minute body scrub in your shower, you should really take the time to care for your physical being just as much as you do for your inner being. Your body is a sacred source of energy that and you should feel proud to take great care of it to keep it well balanced; personally, I prefer to start my physical well-being with my skin and make an experiment out of what it needs at that point in time. Our bodies change in conjuction with its environment, but harmony is easily achieved when you listen to what your body tells you it needs.

This is another bargain at £2.93 for a 300ml bottle and it is also buy one get one free, woohoo! They also do this in a body butter (but i prefer lotions) and there are others if you are not a coconut fan.

What they say… Created with natural coconut oil, known for its skin conditioning properties, combined with shea butter, for softening and moisturising, to nourish the skin and provide the essential moisture it needs to leave it feeling soft. It is dermatologically tested and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans (not to eat obviously lol).

This smells absolutely gorgeous, i am a big coconut fan anyway so i’m biased but it does leave my skin feeling so soft, even softer than well-known brand lotions. So i will be lathering this on this winter to protect my skin from the nasty cold! And it is a bargain because it’s a big bottle and if it works who cares how little it costs! After all we need to save our pennies for christmas!

If you don’t know about the benefits of Shea butter already, you are about to find out.

Shea butter is a trans dermal oil, which means that it has the capability to penetrate past the first layer of the dermis into its underlying layers. This is a phenomenal way to keep moisture locked in and to get to the root of the problem.

When Shea butter is used on the skin, it can vastly improve dry skin, sunburns, eczema and other minor skin irritations.

The cheapest and easiest way to extract Shea butter is to use a chemical extraction method, which strips the Shea butter of its natural vitamins and the natural healing properties that come with using it topically. SLI Beauty has its raw Shea butter extracted in the most natural way possible. The process includes picking the Shea Nut from the Shea tree, from there it is cracked, grilled and then pounded to extract the butter from the nut. Once this is finished it is boiled for a number of hours until the Shea butter rises to the top where it is scooped into gourds and left to cool. This is where you get the rawest form of Shea Butter.

SLI Beauty believes in using the rawest form of Shea Butter to ensure that the products it goes into receive its maximum benefits. When creating a private label line you have an opportunity to experience this natural wonder. The product is called Shea Butter Treatment. This product contains the raw Shea Butter, not to mention other beneficial ingredients such as emu oil, which is in fact another trans-dermal oil. ( This oil is only used from the animals that are already harvested for the meat and instead of leaving the rest go to waste, is used for its many beneficial features.) Emu oil benefits include; regenerative hair growth and  increase hair’s cellular activity(up to three times it’s normal activity). Emu oil is also a very effective anti-fungal and antibacterial agent, which will help lift any residue on the hair and scalp. This oil also is a major moisturizing agent, making it an excellent ingredient to add to a product that needs extra conditioning. Vitamin E is also another ingredient in the Shea Butter Treatment, which helps with hair growth and helps to maintain moisture in the hair.

Another benefit of the Shea Butter Treatment aside from its deep penetrating conditioner is the fact that it also contains Sage as an ingredient. Sage has been selected as an ingredient for this treatment, because of its incredible scalp clarifying properties. It deep cleans the oils and impurities away from the scalp while improving conditions like psoriasis.

The Shea Butter Treatment has undergone testing over the past 6 years and has been found not only to improve minor scalp irritations, but to also help problematic thinning hair. With conditions such as thinning hair or pattern baldness, what often happens is a “cap” is formed over the scalp and this clogs the hair follicle preventing hair growth. The Shea Butter Treatment actually removes the “cap” , cleaning out the follicle, allowing for any trapped hairs to be released.

This is an excellent retail product for clients with scalp irritations and that may be experiencing thinning hair. This is also a great treatment product within the salon to offer its clientele. Simple warm Shea Butter Treatment in your palms, massage the treatment into the hair, place in cap and add heat for 10-15 minutes. This product is also great for sunburns or minor skin irritations. A dual product with amazing results.

This product can be a part of your private label line. Please contact SLI Beauty for more information regarding this product and its benefits.

www.salonlabel.com

Direct- 1.250.590.3700

info@salonlabel.com

We are looking forward to speaking with you soon!

Yes, yes y’all, my favorite hair gel…thus far.  I’ve been using this gel for about 3 months now and its good, but I had to learn the hard way that there is a correct way to use it.

The Cost: $4.99 for 20 oz. jar…that’s a pretty good deal.

The Ingredients: Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel is alcohol free and enriched with aloe. It also contains ‘Sparkle Lites’ that is supposed to give your hair shine.  Purified Water Aqua, Glycerin, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Aloe Vera Gel, Dimethicone Copolyol, Tocopherol Acetate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Polysorbate-20,  Benzopehonoe-4, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Disodiium EDTA, Fragrance.

Why I Love It/Hate It: I’ve had a love hate relationship with this gel partly due to my ignorance!!!!  When I first purchased this gel I would slap a whole heap of it on my natural hair so it would lay down smooth, by the end of the day my hair would be so dry and brittle that I started carrying a little container with touch up gel in my bag(you know, to keep the shine)…smh.   I also had a lot of breakage, not good at all.  So I wised up real quick and started using just a little bit of gel mixed with Shea Butter…and it has been a glorious relationship ever since.

When I was rocking the Bantu Knot Out (for like 3 months) this gel was the best thing ever.  I would apply the gel and Shea butter while my hair was damp and it held together real nicely, my curls were wonderful(pics coming soon).  It worked great on my twist outs and braid outs as well and even now with the half wig.  Some nights I get home really late and I’m too tired to cornrow the front of my hair, and so I just tie it down with my scarf and in the morning its usually messy, but a little gel and Shea Butter fixes the problem.  The advertisement promises “the greatest shine on earth,” and that is only partly true.  It shines for a couple of hours and then it becomes dry.  My method of using Shea butter with the gel provides shine and hold for the entire day.

All things considered, I will definitely purchase this gel again!!!

By Sue Shekut, L.M.T. ACSM P.T., Certified Wellness Coach

Years ago a client gave me a Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream as  a holiday gift. I tried the cream and could not believe how well it lubricated my hands–AND did not leave my hands greasy. I went to the Crabtree & Evelyn store to get more and find out what this amazing ingredient was. The salesclerk told me that the amazing ingredient in some of their creams was: shea butter.

However, I was not a big fan of the smell of the Crabtree cream (or it’s price). I have since found many other sweeter smelling creams and lotions with shea butter. For massage, shea butter is a great cream because it gives just enough lubrication for massage therapist’s hands to glide for effluerage strokes, but just enough friction for deep tissue work.

Now I find that shea butter has another benefit that would not immediately come to mind: As a nasal decongestant! I am the first to admit, some wellness people tend to tout the benefits of products far beyond what is realistic (not everything cures cancer, prevents hair loss or keeps your skin looking young forever). I am fairly skeptical about product clams from product manufacturers. But I looked into this claim and it is backed up by clinical research.

Put Butter in My Nose? C’mon, You Must Be Joking

According to a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, shea butter does relieve nasal decongestion, actually better than conventional nasal drops! Now, it’s just one study. But my experience of shea butter is that it’s pretty amazing butter and lubricating dry nasal passages when I have a stuffy nose makes sense. But, don’t just take my word for it.. Read the study here.

So What is Shea Butter?

 

Shea tree

Allafia is a company that sells unrefined Shea Butter. According to their website, “Shea Butter is the oil from the nuts of wild Shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) scattered throughout the wooded savanna of West and Central Africa. Shea Butter has been used for centuries in Africa as a decongestant, an anti-inflammatory for sprains and arthritis, healing salve, lotion for hair and skin care, and cooking oil. However, the protective and emollient properties of Shea Butter are most valued for skin care.”

What Does it Matter if It’s Refined or Unrefined Shea Butter?

According to Alaffia: Most Shea Butter available to the general public outside West Africa is white and odorless: in other words, it has been “refined” to remove the natural scent and color of natural Shea Butter. In the process, the majority of the effective agents are also removed.

In addition, refined Shea Butter has usually been extracted from the shea kernels with hexane or other petroleum solvents. The extracted oil is boiled to drive off the toxic solvents, and then refined, bleached, and deodorized, which involves heating it to over 400 degrees F and the use of harsh chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide.

Shea butter itself!

Shea Butter extracted in this manner still contains some undesirable solvent residues, and its healing values are significantly reduced. Antioxidants or preservatives such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) or BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) may be added as well. The end result is an odorless, white butter that may be aesthetically appealing, but lacks the true moisturizing, healing, and nutritive properties of true traditional Shea Butter.

Refined Shea Butter is often hard and grainy, not smooth and creamy like pure, unrefined Shea Butter. Refined Shea Butter  has an extended shelf life, a white, uniform color, no odor, and greatly reduced therapeutic benefits from the Shea Butter. All of the Alaffia butters are handcrafted and unrefined so they retain their natural healing and moisturizing properties.

Where Do I get Some Unrefined Shea Butter  in the U.S.?

Whole Foods Market carries Allafia products as well as many other shea butter based creams and lotions. I like Affalia because they do not refine their shea butter and their pricing is reasonable. (A little jar of shea butter last a long time!)   Affalia is also a fair trade company.

To purchase jars of Affalia Shea Butter online, click here. To purchase Alaffia products at Whole Foods, stop by a local store or click here.

What is Fair Trade?

 

Fair Trade Enpowers Whole Communities

Fair trade means paying a fair price or wage in the local context, providing equal employment opportunities, engaging in environmental sustainable practices, providing healthy and safe working conditions, being open to public accountability, and reducing the number of middlemen between producers and consumers. Fair trade is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable and gives local communities the opportunity to self empower.

Buying products from producers that are fair trade certified means you can feel good about the product you are buying. A fair trade product means the actual people toiling away in the fields of far off Africa are getting paid a fair wage for their work and are able to support themselves and their families from their own labor.

The founder of Aliffa, Olowo-n’djo Tchala, grew up in poverty in Togo. He dedicated his life to empowering communities in Africa. He chooses to promote indigenous African natural resources that are culturally, spiritually, economically and ecologically sustainable. Traditionally handcrafted shea butter fits these criteria. It is a renewable resource of African origin; shea trees are wild, requiring no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Furthermore, it is an integral part of many savanna communities and, consequently, there is a wealth of local and traditional knowledge of making shea butter. The fair trade of our handcrafted shea butter and shea butter skin care products is bringing income to and empowering our communities in Togo, while making indigenous, sustainable and effective skin care available to the global community.

Aliffia Shea Butter

Give Gifts Friend and Family Will Love And You Will Feel Good Giving

To give some great holiday gifts this year, why not give those you love a product that not only helps their skin feel good but in this cold and flu season, may help them breathe better if they get congested?

Does Working Well Massage Get Anything From Promoting Alaffia or Shea Butter Products?

Nope. No money, no free stuff, no kickbacks. What we do get is the satisfaction that we are telling our clients and readers about great products and helping in some small way to promote fair trade in a far off country. And that is worth more than a few dollars!

Almost out of the blue, my partner began to develop problems shaving — razor burn and bumps were persistent no matter how new his razor, or the variety grooming products he used. Not only was he displeased about how his skin looked, but he was terribly uncomfortable.

We eventually concluded that the source of his problem were all the harsh and clogging petro-chemicals in conventional shaving cream. It appears he developed his sensitivity over time.

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It took us a few months of experiments discover the best alternative. In the process, we tried everything from dairy-based to oil-based products; however, in the end, it looked like a milder, moisturizing soap infused with essential oils was the way to go.

Veggie-based stearic acid and kaolin for slip and lather, rosemary and lemon disinfects, tea tree provides antibacterial support, and shea moisturizes. This cream gives a satisfying, clean shave and helps skin feel great. The handy, reusable canning jar makes this item ideal for travelling. This item is available with or without a wooden shaving brush.

Available at http://justthegoods.etsy.com

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So far, this item comes in two varieties;

Tea tree and patchouli: Tea tree has well-known antibacterial properties, making it great for helping to avoid razor burn and other irritation. Patchouli also has antiseptic and astringent properties but brings the added benefit of being an antidepressant and aphrodisiac!

Rosemary and lemon: Rosemary essential oil is a potent anti-fungal and antibacterial agent that helps dull skin. An interesting bonus is that it has the capacity to decrease fatigue and mild depression, Lemon essential oil is antiviral, astringent, detoxifying, and antiseptic. It is also said to have the ability to stimulate white corpuscles which protect the body against infection

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This item is shipped, by default, in a completely reusable 125 ml canning jar; however, if you would like to reduce your shipping costs, this product can be mailed in a carefully packed re-sealable plastic bag, which you can store in a container of your choice.

To clarify this distinction, the item price currently reflects 80 g / 2.82 oz of product in a canning jar and the shipping price defaults for the weight associated with the canning jar.

If you type “re-sealable bag” into your “notes to seller”, I will refund $1.50 for the jar, and the difference in shipping price. Please enquire about rates for your area.

Please note that the shaving cream solid does not always pop out of the jar nicely so the form might be a little scratched as a result of this process.

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All Just the Goods cosmetic items are produced without:

- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates

Ingredients: SLS-free and propylene glycol-free melt & pour base (water, glycerine, sodium stearate and sodium oleate, sorbitol, stearic acid, lauric acid, sodium laurate, sodium myristate, pentasodium pentetate, tetrasodium etidronate) with deodorized shea butter, kaolin clay, vitamin e, and essential oils.

All ingredients in the SLS-free melt & pour base are believed to be safe for vegans because they are not listed on this very helpful website: http://www.vegansociety.com/hubpage.aspx?id=618&terms=hidden+ingredients. Still, we are unable to guarantee this and aim to create a 100% guaranteed vegan version of this item as soon as possible.

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A natural, handmade item, this shaving cream has been tested extensively by us and our friends (some of whom are, admittedly, party animals), but all the same, please use the same precautions you would with any other new skin care product. Please note that rosemary is not recommended for epileptics.

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Here’s a review from our friend Chris:

“This stuff improved my skin immediately. No more bumps, no more redness, and my face feels moisturized, too. I guess you’d have to put chemicals in it to make more foam, eh? Crappy. Well, that’s okay… this really works, it’s just different.”

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We hope you enjoy this item!! Happy Etsy-ing =-)

I never really stopped to think about how companies could get more creative with their packaging and presentation of lip balm. I’ve always gone for sticks over pots because I apply chapstick extremely often and I know that realistically my fingers cannot be pristine all of the time. Now eos (evolutions of smooth) has created the perfect middle man – Organic Lip Balm Smooth Spheres. I love the shape of the container because the lip balm goes on so easily and smoothly. The sphere also has a noticeably soft feeling (the result of a unique recyclable packaging). The balms are also, most importantly, all natural and USDA certified organic. The key moisturizers include shea butter, jojoba oil, and Vitamin E.

I am currently using and loving the honeysuckle honeydew (other flavors include pomegranate raspberry, sweet mint, summer fruit and vanilla bean). I also really like the Organic Lip Balm Sticks, but if I had to choose I would definitely go with the sphere! At $3.29, these moisturizers are quite affordable and easy to find (retailers include: www.evolutionofsmooth.com, www.drugstore.com, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Duane Reade).

Photo Credit: eos Products

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If you’ve ever had chapped lips, I have great news for you.

MAC’s Lip Conditioner Stick ($13.50) is the best things to happen to lips! Pop this swivel-up stick in your purse and I promise you, you will never suffer from chapped lips again. It’s infused with good-for-your-lips ingredients (including a sunscreen to shield your lips from UVA/UVB rays), the most important being shea butter, which makes lips unbelievably soft.

More, more, more after the jump!

It feels totally comforting and is so soft and slick on lips — not sticky or gloppy at all. It stays on for hours to continually moisturize; for me, it lasted through a meal and 2 big water bottles. I don’t know how they did it, but MAC has made the ultimate lip product for winter. It also gives lips a slightly glossy sheen and somehow gives the visual illusion that lips are plumped up.

I know it’s on the pricey side for lip balm, but it lasts forever and is pure heaven. Give it a shot!

Soothing effects of Shea Butter

Yannique Benitez, beat blogger

Shea Butter is a natural ingredient derived from nuts in Karite trees in tropical regions of West Africa. This ingredient is a vitamin rich fatty acid that is highly moisturizing and can be used for dry skin, brittle hair, and razor, sun and windburns

Be sure to look for this substance in body and face crèmes. In most drugstore products, Shea Butter is refined to be white and odorless. If you are able to get your hands on raw Shea Butter, perhaps at a whole foods store, look for a beige or yellow color. It will also have a slight nutty smell and will be a creamy solid at room temperature.

Another option is to lather up with a soap or body wash containing Shea Butter. These soaps are useful during the wintertime when dry skin is a problem. Shea Butter extract has non-saponifiable components that are not fully integrated into the soap and remain as oil remnants that lock in moisture for softer and smoother skin. Companies like Bath & Body Works make soaps with Shea Butter, but you can also find soaps under $3 online on sites like Drugstore.com.  Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash with Shea Butter is another option for about $5. In addition, dry and damaged hair can also benefit from Shea Butter and conditioners like Organix Smoothing Shea Butter Conditioner will be kind to your hair and wallet for about $7.

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Yannique Benitez is a senior magazine journalism major with a minor in history. She has written for on-campus publications like Equal Time and has interned at HBO and ThisOldHouse.com. Benitez is interested in investigating new products and procedures for beauty and skin care.

in one hand, and honey in the other. I wanted to finally try a recipe with these ingredients. I was at the grocery store, and passed the coconut milk. I said, “what the hell” and picked it on up. I’d been reading so much about coconut milk and the benefits behind it.

So, I decided to take 1/2 can of Goya coconut milk and approx. 2-3tbs of honey. I applied it into 4 sections and massaged it in. I left it in for about 3hrs before cowashing  it out with Hello Hydration. My hair felt awesome. I was expecting a “stronger” feeling as many women had reported a feeling of a protein treatment, but I felt no such thing. I felt moisture!

I then t-shirt dried my hair for about 1-2hrs then applied a dollop of HH and coconut oil, and then shea butter. I decided to flat twist my hair in 6 flat twists ala CurlyChronicles from youtube. My results were pretty nice. I still have alot of work to do when it comes to perfecting my flat twists.

I broke out my double boiler recently to soften some shea butter.  My plan was to soften it, mix it with aloe vera gel ( Lily of the Desert Inner Fillet to be exact) and whip it.

Here are my proportions and ingredients:

2 tbsp of raw shea butter

1/4 cup of aloe vera gel

1 tsp jojoba oil

The shea butter melted very quickly, so instead of softened shea I ended up with melted shea. (Maybe I was too busy taking pictures!)  All was not lost.  I mixed the aloe vera gel and jojoba with the liquid shea and poured it into an 8oz jar.  I placed it in the freezer for about two hours to help it solidify.

After I removed it from the freezer, I scooped the butter mix into a large bowl and whipped it with a hand mixer.  I whipped the butter until it  got a light fluffy(ish) texture.  After whipping, I spooned it back into the jar and it was ready for use.

I sealed my hair from root to tip with my shealoe after washing and deep conditioning.  It smooths into my hair much easier then regular shea.  I really like the way it left my hair moisturized and manageable after air drying.  This is a keeper.  It should work especially well to seal in my moisture during these winter months.

*Update*

Refrigerate for freshness.  This mix will grow mold otherwise.  For future mixes, I will be adding grapefruit seed extract or rosemary essential oil  for antifungal and antimicrobial benefits.

And this is true to a certain extent… We care about it as much as you do, and since you’re here that says a lot. Establishing this blog was important for us to have an outlet for communication with our customers. Check here often for posts about skin care, the cosmetic industry and tidbits here and there about maintaining your health and beauty naturally.

So many times we get asked, “what is shea butter?”, “what is shea butter good for”, “what can I do about (enter skin care issue here)?”

Shea butter can heal and alleviate many common skin care ailments such as:

This video tells the *science* behind shea butter, and why it is healthy for everyone.

If you’ve never heard of shea butter before, check out this video on how shea butter is harvested and made and some of the many benefits of shea butter!

For all orders, e-mail realscentsable@gmail.com

Peace!

I bet some of you thought we spelled it wrong or that it “looks funny” spelled like that… Well we knew what we were doing. As TWO college graduates from Michigan State University, we’ve done the knowledge to what we were striving to convey and thats simple: Real scents everyone is able to buy.

Since May 2009, Real Scentsable has been making the lives of people better by stopping obscene body odor and cracked, scaly dry skin with ALL-NATURAL HOMEMADE (literally APARTMENTMADE, but you get the point. Its au naturale) products.

Priced low with the average pocket in mind, we sell 100% natural shea butter so its not cut/blended with other natural butters and oils. We sell many varieties of black soap and fragrances for oil burners or hygiene.

Get ready for this coming winter by using the best hand care products.

1. L’Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Cream

Pamper your skin with L’Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream. A high concentration of Shea Butter saturates your skin, leaving it feeling soft and silky. It also has a light fragrance of jasmine and ylang-ylang essences that help caress the body and your mood.

2. Clinique Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream

It’s time to treat hands to 12-hour hydration, soothing comfort. Besides Vitamin E and C, other ingredients such as Barley Extract, Wheat Extract, and Murumuru Butter help rebuild the skin’s protective barrier and make your hands feel and look moisturized. It even boosts the skin’s ability to retain moisture, so hands look and feel smoother.

3. True Blue® Spa Shea Cashmere™ Hand Cream

Wrap your hands in cashmere with True Blue® Spa Shea Cashmere™ Hand Cream. The ultra-moisturizing from cashmere extract and rich Shea butter will soothe and nourish your hands all day long this winter. Shea butter is non-greasy, absorbs quickly, and leaving hands supremely silky and moistured.

The holidays are here (my favorite time of year) and with the holidays comes gift giving. Now, I love giving gifts but I also have to face the fact that we’re in a recession, so spending $50 bucks on a friend isn’t really realistic. Plus, you have coworkers and such. So I’ve compiled a list of the best gifts to give for under $20.

1. Lip Saver Roll by Korres ($15.60 with discount code)- This roll of Lip balm is nothing like you’re used to. I hate those annoying lip balms that smell bad, dry out your lips and come off easily. This is a real treat – since it’s made with shea butters, it offers hydration, a light tint and some shine to your lips. Not to mention the great scent -Remember too, Korres products are all natural, so you can be assured that this product is quality. Anyway, you can never have too many lip butters! (Also enter the keyword URBAN for a special 20% off discount until the end of November!)

2. Totally Bamboo Pineapple Cutting Board and Spreader ($18 for both) – This is for the friend or family member who love to entertain, or just loves to cook. This adorable Pineapple Cutting Board is only $15 and spreader is only $3! What a bargain. It’s great to serve cheese or fruit or for cutting smaller items. This is not only a great holiday gift, but also something that’s good to keep on hand for when you need a quick hostess gift or housewarming present. Also, did you know that Bamboo is 16% harder than maple so the board will last longer. It also has anti-microbial properties to repel bacteria. You get all of this while helping to keep the world green!

3. Frozen Hot Chocolate Mix From Serendipity ($16) – Who doesn’t love hot chocolate during the winter months? Well, this is a new spin – FROZEN Hot Chocolate! It’s absolutely amazing – ask anyone who’s visited the restaurant in New York. This rich, creamy hot chocolate beats anything you can get in the store and you can make it hot or cold. You decide!

4. 88 Piece Makeup Palette by Coastal Scents ($18.95) – Nope, that’s not a type. You do really get 88 super pigmented eyeshadow colors. What else could a girl need? Each color is about a dime size, but since they are super pigmented, you only need a touch of it. Great to travel with and will last a lifetime. Not to mention you can use them wet or dry.

5. Lambie Ballerina Slippers and Shea Butter Socks ($20 for both) – Pamper your feet this holiday season with Lambie Ballerina Slippers and a pair of Shea Butter Socks. These socks have shea butter infused in them to keep your feel silky and smooth, then wear the slippers around the house for even a softer luxurious feel while hanging out buy the fire or cookin’ up a yummy holiday meal!

6. Try me Shea by L’Occitane ($15) – With winter comes dryness and we all know that nothing is less sexy than dry, cracked skin. Which is why ‘Try Me Shea‘ is the perfect holiday gift. This luxurious gift bag comes with shower cream, lotion, hand cream, shampoo, conditioner, face soap and a travel pouch. Say buh-bye to dryness and hello Shea butter!

7. Aunt Sadie’s Holiday Candles ($18) - There is nothing that reminds me of a holiday more so than the fresh scented aroma of baking gingerbread cookies and cinnamon spice. Well, with Aunt Sadie’s Holiday Candles, you can replicate the smell to make your house smell great all holiday season!

8. Knitted Beret from Gap ($19.50) – Stay warm while doing your holiday shopping with a cute knitted beret from Gap. It’s stylish, warm and under $20. This makes a great gift for the friend who lives in cold weather or just loves to be outfitted from head to toe. Comes in 4 great colors.

Well that just about completes this year’s holiday gift guide for under $20. Is there something I missed or something that you’d love to receive for under $20? Leave it in the comments!

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