Still Harping!

I can’t believe it!  After all of my posts about ‘organic’ I’m still harping on it.   It seems every week brings a new development in the world of  ‘organic’ body care.  Why do I use ‘ marks?  Because….I’m still trying to figure out what ‘organic’ means and folks, I’ve been making body care for over 30 years!

My brother-in-law makes and sells noodle soup.  We go on holidays with them sometimes, and even down in Arizona in a little town, he’ll run into the latest shop  or market and see if there’s any noodle soup.  Does he need more noodle soup? No, he’s looking to see what brand is selling where.  “Oh,” he’ll say, “so and so brand is being discounted at the dollar store.” Sometimes, it’s “what a good idea! They’ve put hot peppers in the noodle soup!” and he’s inspired to try something new.  You get the drift.

So, now I don’t feel so silly running around wherever I go buying soap and body care products.  Yes, I can write it off, too!  It’s R&D (research and development!)

Down there in never-never-land I found the most wonderful organic products made in the U.S.A.  “These are the kind of products we want to make,” I thought.  “What wonderful, clean, healthy ingredients!  Now, could we do something like this??”

The answer is NO!!  Well, we could, but why would we want to?

Firstly, how about an organic natural soap that uses Canola Oil for a base…or since canola has gotten such a bad name, how about calling it Rapeseed Oil…Only, it is not really a good oil for soapmaking….it is about the last thing on the list you would use to make a fine handmade bar of soap.  Why use it?  I think it would be because it is readily available, and pretty darn cheap.

What’s better..or a better value?  How about an organic body care product that is 85% organic but the 15% is synthetic ingredients made from petrochemicals?  Is this better than a 100% natural product, made from 100% plant-based ingredients but that is only 10 or 25% organic?

How about a company that calls itself “______________ Organics” but uses mostly non-organic and synthetic chemicals along with a small amount of natural and organic ingredients? Is this O.K.?  Confusing? Fraudulent? (more on this later, see my next blog)

How about a company that sets itself up to certify organic products, sells companies it’s eco-logo and then certifies products that contain synthetic petrochemicals in fragrances, etc.

All I can say is, “READ THE LABELS!”   “READ THE LABELS!”

Linda

An Ounce of Prevention!

It’s FLU SEASON!  But….I’m not worried….I’m not going to get it.  I never, well, almost never get flu.  I also never get the vaccine.  My secret?  I don’t avoid people or cough into my sleeve, stay home or avoid public places.  BUT, I do wash my hands a lot; not obsessively I think, perhaps a little compulsively.

For instance, on the ferry, I NEVER EVER grab the handrail….4000 people have grabbed it that day from everywhere in the world…and I also wash my hands every time I come home from being out in public.

Which leads me to the Ounce mentioned above.  This week our local newspaper, the Gulf Islands Driftwood, had a big feature about H1N1!! oh no…the dreaded H1N1!!!!

I didn’t read all the article…I tend to change the radio station when they talk about ‘that flu’ and I don’t have T.V.  I don’t read the big city papers….and so, I don’t put ‘the flu’ bug in my consciousness.  BUT….I do follow the Driftwood’s No. One Big Tip for avoiding ‘the flu,’ and I quote:

“Wash hand frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds.”

That was easy.

One thing…most commercial soaps people use are now ’syndets’ or synthetic detergent bars.  Do they work the same as real soap?  I’m not sure.  Does anyone out there know the answer to this?

Anyway, we have soap.  Lots of soap, REAL soap  Soap in all different colors of the rainbow.  We have lots of different scents and fragrances; West Coast Fir, Chamomile, Lavender, etc.etc.etc.

So, you have lots of lovely choices on how to avoid ‘the flu.’

And handwashing appears not only be good for prevention..but also, THE NO. l PREVENTION TIP!

Again, that was easy!

Bye for now,

Linda

FRESH!!!

I was wandering around downtown Victoria, waiting for an appointment..and found a body care shop that looked interesting!  They had some delightful new products……a salt scrub and a sugar scrub…..well, maybe not so new.  We’ve been making our Salt Spring Soapworks saltscrub for almost ten years and the sugar for six or seven.  But hey, the jars were beautiful!  Wish I was a big multi-national and could afford containers like that!

They also cost a LOT more than our scrubs…..over 30% more!  So, time to check the ingredients….let’s see….natural oils….sea salts….natural sugar…pretty good so far….the scents were all 100% pure essential oils…this looks really good…..If I didn’t have a bathroom full of delightful scrubs….I might have bought one.

BUT!  HEY! WAIT!  There were also quite a few things that looked really scary. Like chemicals and preservatives…yes, these jars were preserved enough to last for years!  And apparently, some people keep these kinds of products for years.

Occasionally we get a complaint that our scrubs have gone ‘off’ and don’t smell good anymore.  Sometimes they actually get a bit hard.  We usually ask how long they’ve had it…we will of course take back instantly, anything that isn’t up to our high  standards!  But usually, it turns out the product has been around for awhile….one lady brought back a Cranberry Scrub from Christmas in the middle of summer…well, by now it’s 8 or 9 months old.

A friend once complained to me that her scrub had gone ‘off.’  I asked how long she’d had it and she replied that I’d given it to her for her birthday A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE!!!!  If I don’t love something enough to use it up in 2 or 3 months, or I find it at the back of the bathroom cupboard….out it goes!!!

So……I need to ask!!Would you rather have a completely natural/organic product that’s handmade in small batches…and lasts 2 or 3 months max…..or a wonderful product full of preservatives that will still be hanging in there when you find it under the towels in 2011???  And…do you want to pay $12 more to have all those nice preservatives??

One men’s product made by the other guy…..and with a natural scrub in it…..has seven, 7, yes, SEVEN preservatives!

But for something like the scrubs…or massage oils, or bathbombs….that will last for a few months with none at all…..that we make up FRESH each week…why not skip the convenience of loooonnnnngggg shelf life for a CLEAN, FRESH product!

Let us know what YOU prefer….

Linda Quiring

It’s Always Something!

Just when we think, O.K.  the paraben thing is over..the SLS thing is over…no one in the known world is using them in body products anymore…now…another BIG NO NO!!!

Now, it’s the PALM OIL!!  Yes, we use Palm Oil in our famous Artisan soaps….and sometimes it’s Palm Kernal Oil.  But now,,,,,another larger soap and body care company has a really large campaign going that Palm Oil is really bad; bad for the environment mostly, bad for orangutans, and something else, I forget.

I just found out about this campaign, but it explains why in the past few months we have had a couple, not many, calls about our use of Palm Oil.  The first time, we consulted with our supplier, and found that no, our palm oil wasn’t coming from the places where it is unsustainably grown that the company is boycotting.  I called the lady who inquired, but she still believed that just generally, palm oil must be bad.

I asked her what she would suggest we use..and she said soya.  Well,  our research has shown that vast areas of Latin America are being decimated for soya production by mostly American companies.    Canola is Canadian….but is all GMO….so what to use, what to use.?..olive oil is nice..but too soft for a really good soap…we just add a bit to superfat the soap, and also, we use coconut….again…just enough to create a good lather…but it’s too drying to use by itself….mixed with palm oil…the French and Italians say it makes the best soap in the world…and they should know!!

The company boycotting the palm is using ‘rapeseed’ instead.  When I grew up on the Prairies,,,fields of rapeseed were everywhere….but the name was not politically correct, or even nice, and it was changed to ‘Canola,’ short for Canadian “ola” or oil.  However….it appears that about 100% of Canola is now GMO….remember Percy Smeizer??  Why would anyone want to drop Palm Oil from their soap and add GMO canola?

Not sure…but they are calling it ‘rapeseed oil’ again…and apparently it is not GMO.  Also,,,it is way easier to grow than Palm Oil, which is obtained from a tree, not a weed, the Canadian Prairies are now covered with canola …and well, it is famous for being really, really CHEAP!!!!

Are we going to change over??  Don’t think so…actually, it is also famous for making really, really BAD soap!

I’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime…I think our blend of Palm, Coconut and Olive makes about the finest bar in the world…this after 30 years of soapmaking!  If anyone out there has more information on the  canola/rapeseed question  vs palm or palm kernal vs soya….let us know!

Bye for now, and enjoy the last day of August…..(or was that today?)

Linda

Sizzling Summer Sales!

I have been so busy this summer…somehow I forgot to Blog!!!   Yes, we have been having sizzling summer sales!  Firstly, our trip to the wonderful, fantastic Filberg Festival was a huge success!  We did that most favorite West Coast fair for many, many years…then…just didn’t go for while for some reason…..But this year…we cancelled some further away things and decided to go local again….

It was wonderful!  We were amazed at how many people had tried out products…how many people perceived us as natural and a source for quality products without all the bad things people don’t want anymore.  Our new Body Gelato and the 100 % organic lip balm were the Big Hits!  How do so many people hear about a small family business on a little island!  I guess all these years of hard work have paid off!

The summer market we do here each Saturday has also seen record sales…we’ve been doing it for over 20 years I think….but it just keeps growing…here, we see not only locals, but people from all over Canada, lots of Americans…and some travellers from Europe too.  But mostly,,,it’s people from B.C. and Alberta….people on ’staycations’ which I hear is the latest thing…means we don’t  go to Paris or Belize…..but stay in the province……  lots of Albertans too.

The big sellers there are again, the Lip Balm and Body Gelatos….and more than anywhere else…just lots and lots and lots of our wonderful, famous, Artisan Soaps….

Thanks for shopping, Folks!

Linda