Animal fat in your soap ? no thanks!

Next time you are in a supermarket or chemist - stop and read the ingredient label on a popular brand of baby soap you may well come across "sodium tallowate" - and what is this ?

Well, it is a basic ingredient of soap making involving sodium hydroxide (an essential chemical to make soap) and animal fat (tallow).

Ugh - no thanks - all the Scottish handmade soaps I sell on www.naturalbeautyscotland.com are made with vegetable oils and have lovely Scottish ingredients such as heather (pictured below), whisky, oatmeal, gorse and seaweed - check out the ingredients on this page.

Mucky pup - but we have a solution!

This is Millie - my beloved Border terrier - but she was chasing rabbits and came back very dirty - ugh! So I grabbed a bar of Red Dog Flea soap

This is the ideal soap for dogs - it has gentle ingredients such olive oil , coconut oil, citronella, tea-tree and thyme essential oils and even spirulena. But is is not harsh, there are no nasty chemicals to upset your dog - and lets face it, they don't really like the whole washing in the shower thing at the best of times! This soap is excellent for getting smells out too!

And 10 minutes later - I have a clean fluffy dog. Sorted (until next time!)

Facial massager - I love these gadgets!

Okay, I admit it, I am a real sucker for skincare gadgets - so I had to buy this facial massager! Is looks like it could be the perfect quickie facial treatment? It is the size of a razor and is quite gentle on my skin - just makes it slightly red which does make me think that my circulation is being reved up a few notches! It is quite pleasant to use and I reckon might make my winter complexion a bit perkier. I am using it a night and putting a few drops of Pure Lochside Revitalising Face Treatment Oil on afterwards. Reckon it could also be useful for crimping the edges of pastry too!

Free gift box wrapping service from naturalbeautyscotland.com

I am delighted to offer all my customers free gift box wrapping - simply choose your own selections from www.naturalbeautyscotland.com

Then let me know if you wish it gift wrapped in my signature gift box (pictured above)

I will be delighted to do this free of charge!

A Wet Shaving Soap Opera - my man's view!

So I gave him the shaving soap to try. Then came the difficult bit. Getting a response. The conversation went like this.

‘How are you getting on with the new shaving soap? Is it what you’re looking for in a wet shaving system?’

‘What is important to me,’ he replied, ‘is not to look too much like my father while using the shaving mirror. Though he was a handsome man, it’s just that….’

‘Stop’, I shouted, ‘what are you talking about?’

Apparently, a lot of men have childhood memories of watching their father earnestly lathering his chin. Then, years later, in front of the mirror, they realise they’re making the same gestures and grimaces as they scratch off that last reluctant whisker. Let’s face it, lads – there is no escaping the genes.

I asked him again to think about what was important for shaving, from his point of view. That set him off reminiscing again.

‘A really sharp blade. I can remember as a child, that scary packet of two-edged razor blades lay at the heart of my father’s – never-to-be-touched - shaving kit. Oh, the other thing you’ve got to remember is to hold your elbow constantly higher than the wrist, so as to avoid lathery water running up your arm. I don’t know why it took me years to get into this habit…..’

‘But what about the shaving soap?’ (What was wrong with him today? His head was clearly elsewhere.)

‘The soap? Oh, yes, what you want is to finish the shave with your skin feeling, well, just smooth really – but not with that tight, dried out and irritated feeling you get with some of those off-the-shelf gels. I like your Shetland Shaving Soap a lot.

It’s got a ‘clovey’ kind of scent. Reminds me of Christmas. And it’s the colour of butterscotch. (The other stuff I used to use was a sort of weird blue….) Best of all, you can swizzle up a lather in its container-thingie and afterwards you don’t seem to need moisturising or soothing lotions. So it saves time as well. Yes, I’m a convert.

Honestly. I wish he’d just said that in the first place!

The Angel's Share came out of the box!

Just taken delivery of my latest order of whisky soaps - wow, what a fantastic smell of malt whisky (or whiskey if you are North American!) - this works so well in these soaps - a really blokey product - but a really gentle and natural glycerine soap too - and one of my best sellers! The angel's share is now floating about NaturalBeautyScotland.com's workroom!

2 pots of Organic Arnica Body Treatment Balm to be won for 2 lucky winners (worth £37 each!)

Organic Arnica Body Treatment Balm to be won by 2 lucky winners (worth £37 each!)

Organic Arnica Body Treatment Balm with organic black pepper, peppermint and orange. A rich, therapeutic blend designed to ease aching muscles and joints with the analgesic properties of organic arnica, high altitude lavender and Scottish Highland Pine. Enriched with Vitamin E, organic shea butter, cocoa butter and beeswax – it melts easily into the skin to provide long-lasting moisture. Created on the west coast of Scotland.

All you have to do is :

1. Correctly answer these 4 questions - (clue – the answers are in my website!)

• Name one of the organisations that uses Mozzy Off?
• What is Scotland’s version of tea tree oil called?
• Who brought some types of mint to the UK?
• What is our terrier called?

Email the answers to: Johanna@naturalbeautyscotland.com

2. And sign up to Natural Beauty Scotland if you haven’t already – click on this link

You will receive special offers, exclusive discounts and news.

The 2 lucky winners will be announced at the end of July 09.

Good luck – and thanks for entering!

Johanna