The Little Cornish Soap Company July Blog

Well, First i have to apologies this is my first post since April and I have been super busy...Which is all good news....So up dates....Well!

On May the 8th I signed the lease for my new shop in Bodmin, Cornwall, Which opened on June the 11th. That month was taken up with making stock at night and painting and decorating during the day. I had the hard job of going out and buying some lovely furniture for the shop as I wanted it to be rustic and shabby chic at the same time So I am using old Apple Crates, which complement the shabby chic style furniture.

I have been heavily promoting my business on Facebook recently, and with the opening of the shop now into its 4th week, i am glad to report that everything is going according to plan.

I have updated my website at www.tlcsoapcompany.co.uk which now includes a short video (also on facebook) and a trade page.

As we enter July, which by the way is Independent Retailer Month, here in the UK, we are asking you to support your local independent retailers, your local newsagent, fishmonger, butcher, grocer or even soapmaker! Dont buy from the large supermarkets this month come and visit your local independent retailer and I'll bet you notice a BIG difference in Customer service and quality!

Anyway dont forget you can visit me on facebook at anytime www.facebook.com/tlcsoapcompany sign up and be the first to know about my new products and promotions and maybe even win a prize at some point!

So, it's Sunday 1st July and the next week will be seeing me making over 100 kilos of soap and over 300 skincare products, so i am going to enjoy the rest of the day, before i get making in the morning!

Take care

Lauri x

A Little Insight!!!

Hiya Guys,

I am so sorry I've been neglecting my blog lately, what with one thing or another, I have been too busy, but I'm gonna make up for it now, I am going to give you an insight into my soap making, yes you've probably going to have seen similar pictures in books and everything, but these are mine lol.

Over the course of the past 2 days I've taken pictures at different stages of the making process…. The 1st one your going to see is the Coconut Dream Soap:

Right thats all the oils, butters & waxes in the pot, now i have to heat them up until they are all melted and I tend to keep them at 175o which is a good mid range temp for blending.

Now its time to add the Caustic Soda to the Water and wait for it to cool down before blending with the oils.

Now that I have blended the Lye Solution & the Oils I now mix them together until I get a lovely custard kind of mixture, that leaves a trail on top. Then you pour the mixture into your molds and after 24 to 48hrs it should be solid enough for you to take out and cut. Hey Presto!!! My Finished Soap Coconut Dream: £3.25 per Bar (approx 100g)

                                                       

Take Care

Lauri xxx







A Dozen Ways That Epsom Salts Can Help You!!

We have listed a dozen ways that Epsom salts can help you. These ailments/conditions are as listed on The Epsom Salt Councils Website and Saltworks Website, but the recipes are those of The Little Cornish Soap Company.

      1)      Summer Ailments: (Bee Stings, Mild Sunburn, Poison Ivy and Mosquito Bites)

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Lavender Oil, Soak yourself or the affected area this will help soothe the irritation, sting or Sunburn

       2)      Splinters

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Lavender Oil

Again soak the affected area, the Epsom Salts will soften the skin, so making it easier for the splinter to be removed and the Lavender is an antiseptic so it will help eliminate any bacteria

      3)      Deep Pore Cleansing

½ Cup Epsom Salts

For Oily Complextion add 5 Drops Lavender & 5 Drops Tea Tree

For Dry Completion  add 5 Drops Geranium Oil

Get a large bowl of hot water, place the Epsom Salts & the required oils into the bowl. Then place your head over the bowl with a towel over your head and stay like that for about 3 – 4 minutes. This opens up the blocked pores enabling the dirt and bacteria to be easily cleaned, when your time is up and you have removed the towel  get a clean cotton pad and wipe over the face area

 

      4)      Muscle Soak

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Lavender Oil

5 Drops Marjoram

3 Drops Black Pepper

Place the mixture into a bath, relax & soak

      5)      Foot Bath

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Peppermint

5 Drops Eucalyptus

Or

5 Drops Rosemary

5 Drops Black Pepper

Place the mixture in a bowl of warm water and place your feet into the bowl sit back and relax

      6)      Pedicure

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Tea Tree

3 Drops Lavender

Place the mixture & your feet into a bowl of warm water and soak for about 10 – 15 minutes, then when you have removed your feet, file the dead skin off with a pumice stone and then massage in plenty of rich cream and place some cotton socks on your feet and leave the cream to soak in over night, by the morning your feet should be lovely and soft.

 

      7)      Exfoliation

½ Cup Epsom Salts

1 teaspoon of Grapeseed Oil

For Cellulite

5 Drops Grapefruit Oil

3 Drops Geranium

Or

Dry Skin

5 Drops Lavender

3 Drops Geranium

Place the mixture into a muslin bag or cloth tie together, get into the shower and massage the required areas.

       8)      Athletes Foot

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops of Peppermint

5 Drops Tea Tree

Place the mixture into a bowl of warm water and soak your feet.

       9)      Body Detox

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Grapefruit

5 Drops Juniper

3 Drops Geranium

Place the mixture into a bath of warm water, relax and soak and make sure you drink plenty of water before & after to help eliminate the toxins from your body

      10)   Facial

A small handful of Epsom Salts

5 Drops Lavender

Place mixture into a bowl of warm water and use small circular movements all over your face, then rinse with cold water to help the pores close and pat your face dry.

11)   Relieve Headaches

½ Cup Epsom Salts

5 Drops Lavender

4 Drops Marjoram

3 drops Peppermint

Place the mixture into a bowl of hot water, place your head over the bowl with a towel over your head and breathe deep for about 3 – 4 mintues.

12)   eczema

Place ½ cup of Epsom Salts into a warm bath, relax & soak, if you would like you can add a couple of drops of Lavender.

Whilst researching this article, I have learnt a lot of interesting facts, especially the benefits of Epsom salts  in treating Autism www.treatingautism.co.uk. I have where possible credited quotes to the specific places where they are quoted from.

Everything else in this article including the recipes for the dozen ways that Epsom Salts can help you, are solely my interpretation and any resemblance to any other article/recipe, of which there are approx. 500,000 “Epsom Salt recipes”, 350,000 “Epsom salt uses” and 1.6 Million “Epsom Salt” searches listed on goggle, is purely coincidental.

Sources:

http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/about/

http://www.saltworks.us/salt_info/epsom-uses-benefits.asp

http://www.naturalnews.com/029397_epsom_salt_magnesium.html#ixzz1n0es9hmO

http://www.treatingautism.co.uk/

Epsom Salts & The Benefits

As most of you are aware I did a blog recently about Aromatherapy Bath & Epsom Salts, due to a complaint about a potential breach of copyright, I was given an option to either credit my article to another site or remove it.
As I wrote the article in good faith and in my own words and I felt that by informing the public of the benefits of Epsom Salts would be beneficial to all commercial outlets, considering I don't actually sell epsom/ bath salts yet! I have decided to remove the article from my blog, website, facebook page and twitter account.
I must thank the complaintant as this action has forced me to write, what I see as a more informative article, including a piece about the benefits of Epsom Salts in the treatment of Autism.

Epsom Salts & The Benefits

According to the Epsom Salt Council and yes there is such a council. “They are eager to let everyone know the benefits of their product”. Formed in 1993 to help spread the word about the wonder of Epsom Salt a time tested mineral compound and its dozens of uses.

The benefits of Epsom salts are often queried; this article is an article to break those myths. Epsom Salt is made up of magnesium and sulphate, named after the town of Epsom in England, where it was first produced by distilling water. Magnesium has been shown to help ease stress and improve concentration leading to the common use of Epsom Salt as a bath salt. Magnesium is also essential for muscles and nerves to function properly. According to an article written on Naturalnews.com , “Magnesium lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes and helps in recovery from heart attacks and strokes. Magnesium also maintains proper muscle function. Sadly, most Americans are deficient in this important mineral. Therefore, it is no wonder that the incidence of serious diseases such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis, stress-related illnesses, and chronic fatigue are so prevalent.”

According to the Epsom Salt Council, the sulphates in Epsom salts are also beneficial. Sulphates can help the body flush toxins and absorb nutrients more efficiently. Sulphates complement magnesium’s benefits to joints and tissues, Sulphates have also been shown to help prevent or mitigate headaches.

Epsom salt is a pure compound that gently exfoliates the skin and smoothes rough patches. Regularly used, it has become a popular choice for beauty enhancement.

According to a UK based charity “Treating Autism “.

 ‘Epsom Salts are widely used by our members as an intervention which can help to alleviate some of their children’s autism related symptoms. Dr Rosemary Waring found that most people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder have a deficiency in a key detoxification pathway, known as sulphation. This detoxification process can be ameliorated by supplementing with sulphate. Sulphate is poorly absorbed when taken orally, but is more easily absorbed through the skin. For this reason, some parents of children with autism add Epsom salts to their bath water, with many reporting benefits such as better sleep, calmer behaviour and improvements in skin conditions such as eczema. Magnesium, the other component of Epsom salts, can also be absorbed through the skin, and since children with autism are often deficient in magnesium too, a bath with added Epsom salts can provide a beneficial boost in this essential mineral as well.’

We, The Little Cornish Soap Company, know that because of these benefits, “Flushing of Toxins”, “Exfoliation” and “Absorption”, That Epsom salts can help bring our skin back to life, looking fresher through exfoliation. Epsom Salts are also renowned for health issues such as Athletes foot, Bee Stings, Mild Sunburn,  poison ivy, Sore muscles,  splinters and Deep Pore Cleansing , to name but a few!

So the next time you take a bath, add a cup full of Epsom salts, this will allow the natural chemical compound in the salts to release and if you mix it with a few drops of your favourite essential oil, you will feel the benefits. So for relaxation, add a few drops of Lavender essential oil, this will help relax the body. From personal experience, I know that In a normal bath, the body is renowned to sink to the bottom, where as if using Epsom salts, it gives you that floating feeling, you feel like you are being wrapped up in a Epsom wrap, as you feel the salts soaking into your skin. We also recommend using Epsom salts for dry, cracked feet. Making your self an Epsom salt foot soak is quick and easy (See below for recipe) The foot soak will soften the skin, remove any dead skin and also alleviate any bad odours that may be lingering!

Whilst researching this article, I have learnt a lot of interesting facts, especially the benefits of Epsom salts  in treating Autism www.treatingautism.co.uk. I have where possible credited quotes to the specific places where they are quoted from.

Everything else in this article including the recipes for the dozen ways that Epsom Salts can help you, are solely my interpretation and any resemblance to any other article/recipe, of which there are approx. 500,000 “Epsom Salt recipes”, 350,000 “Epsom salt uses” and 1.6 Million “Epsom Salt” searches listed on goggle, is purely coincidental.

Sources:

http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/about/

http://www.saltworks.us/salt_info/epsom-uses-benefits.asp

http://www.naturalnews.com/029397_epsom_salt_magnesium.html#ixzz1n0es9hmO

http://www.treatingautism.co.uk/

Soap Of The Week

Rosehip & Geranium

 

An olive oil rich soap further enriched with rose hip oil. Geranium and Rose essential oils give this soap a wonderful floral scent with a rich nourshing lather. The addition of finely ground hand picked rose hips means it also gently exfoliates leaving the skin feeling extra silky smooth.
This soap also makes a fantastic shampoo bar for Greasey & Combination Hair, it lathers up beautifully, givi...ng off small gentle bubbles and leaving the hair squeaky clean, I recommend that you use on alternate days with you normal shampoo.

Ingredients:

Aqua, Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Rosa Mosqueta (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens, Rosa Centifolia in Vitis Vinifera, Ground Rosa Mosqueta.

In the making of this soap we use Palm Oil, Now "Don't Panic" We source our palm oil from a supplier that is registered with The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) this means that all of our Palm Oil comes from sustainable sources and is guaranteed not to endanger animals such as the orangutang. We pride ourselves on our Environmentally Freindly Stance and source such ingredients only after researching the supplier in depth.

A Big Thank You!!

Long time no speak lol…

I would like to send a huge thank you to Nicola for featuring our Mothers Days Gift on her blog http://three-cats-craft.blogspot.com/ and to Handmade for U uk for their link http://handmadeforyou.weebly.com/soaps--fragrance.html

We have a lovely selection of Gifts for Mothers Day as well as Birthday's and Little Thank You Gifts for any occasion, starting from under a FIVER yes I Said UNDER £5.00, so why not check out either our Facebook Page The Little Cornish Soap Company or our website www.tlcsoapcompany.co.uk for ideas we also have outlets on Ebay & Folksy.

The English Rose Gift Set £9.50

We've had quite a restful day here at The Little Cornish Soap Company no soap making today, as it was such a lovely day and all children were in school we went to Advent Church and took some pictures and then we had a rather lovely lunch at the Old Inn, in St Breward on Bodmin Moor, sat next to a roaring fire…. My idea of heaven. Mind you my darling husband decided he was going to photograph everything we had, so my Hot Chocolate wasn't hot by the time I got to drink it boooo and he tried to snaffle my Sausage & Egg Bap, so I cut it in half so he got half my bap and I ate it the other lol… then after a relaxing morning it was back home to the chaos of the children getting in from school, homework and tea.

Gardeners Gift Set £9.50

3 Down 9 to Go!!!

Well that’s 3 of the new soaps made, The Baby, Coconut Dream & Sea Spray. Firstly The Baby Soap, which has been made with Mandarin & Chamomile Essential Oils, will be ready by the 20th February, The Coconut Dream, which has no fragrance to it, but has been with Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil & Dessicated Coconut,  will be ready by the 5th March and Finally the Sea Spray, which has been made with Seaweed, Green Clay, Marjoram & Cedarwood Essential oils, will be ready by the 10th March. So all 3 soaps will be Launched at the Crocadon Produce Market on the 17th March. Which I know will be a good excuse for my darling husband to get his camera out and take some more pictures (well I don’t like to think of him having nothing to do lol)….

I have also been working on my new creams, well I use the term 'Creams' loosely  as they are more of a balm consistency just a little bit softer, but the Calendula one is coming along nicely, I've been using it for about a week now and my skin already feels softer, mind you I know this one works as It was one of the very first creams I ever made, about 6 years ago, so I cant wait for the certification to come back on it so I can launch it. It compliments the Sunflower & Calendula Soap really well.

Well till next time….

Lauri xx