| | Home | | About Us | | Videos | | Supply Co | | Archives | | Catalog | | Contact Us | | Bookmark Us | Bookstore | |
Summer Camp Fun Sun Fun Sun Fun Sun Fun Sun Fun Sun Fun Sun Fun Sun Fun 2007
|
|
|
|
Ice Everything |
|
PDF of Sun Protection Lotion Formula is below and a great one for Shea Butter and Glycerin like Les Covent des Minimes. Many people wanted a print out as it was hard to copy/paste off the site. Summer Discounts This Edition is known as "Summer Camp." To get through this summer, and survive the gas price issue which dampens web orders for everyone, I am promoting a sliding discount schedule. Until Memorial Day 50% off the supply company products. After Memorial Day and for two weeks, 40% off. After that expires--30% off for the next two weeks, 20% for two weeks after that and then to 10% off for the last two weeks. Discount code is summer. This will keep is stable until August 1st when retail companies begin their mega buying for the holidays. I will adjust the summer discount amount as we enter each two week period. *This discount does not apply to www.HarrysTeas.com. Back to Summer Camp ideas: As the summer approaches we need sun protection strategies. Sun screen SPF rank high on the list of e-mail questions. I save bucketfuls of money making the family sun screen, sun block as well as lip products. I never did know how to measure the actual SPF until this article--for reasons I discuss. Now that I know the ratios--I must have been making 1,500 SPF in the past. Just kidding, there is no such thing. In retail--sun protection is one of the highest mark up items most consumers succumb to. Usually a day in the sun is a last minute ordeal and the lotion $20 for a little bottle. They can charge an outrageous amount--because it is an impulse, yet necessary product. Impulse/Necessary is almost an oxymoron--and highly profitable one when it comes to sun protection. Shipping is about to be outrageous again and we have devised ways to not ship water--but ship the oil solid parts and allow the artist to take it from there. Lotion can be as much as 70% water--so why ship water? EmulSoy does help you make your own lotion magic at home and avoid being shipped costly H2O. Reed Base Solution Update: I did find this "solution" was just rubbing alcohol we can get at any pharmacy. It needs to be 90 proof or higher. Some people use Everclear--yes, the hootch. I understand it is 1/2 DPG and 1/2 alcohol. I am OK with just the alcohol--I am highly allergic to DPG.
I do want to thank my readers for the lovely support I was given in April. Click here for a neat 3 minute segment the Today Show did on Lip Balm.
You Tube
Oh, what we won't do to be entertained!
YouTube.com can be amazingly entertaining. You do have to ignore
some risqué stuff though. Anyone can have a camera these days.
Beyond that YouTube does represent Pop Culture and I think will stay
around. I doubt if my kids were young--I would let them on
it. But for over 40? Lots a Fun! Here is what I find
so far that is my favorite on YouTube. I go there to veg out
and/or get re-inspired for filming Mabel's stuff or to search for talent
I don't have. All clean content here. Have fun!
Don't get addicted--you won't get any work done. I will keep
posting YouTube finds in future newsletters, and figure out a way to get
some Mabel video clips on it.
The
Dancing Spoon (My Veg out favorite)
The Dancing Baby,
(The Original, Short)
Testing Lip Balm
Brands
Lip Balm Missile (Inventive & for
the super bored)
Burt's Bees Balm (This
teenager is hired!)
Their "How to" section" is quite large!
How to Wash Your
Cat (a Hoot--London)
 Sunscreen
attributes. I try to avoid this topic because it is so FDA
rigorous. If an SPF ingredient is not approved by the FDA, and
tested in a lab, the protection amount cannot go on a label.
Increasing sun protection concerns raise the issue. Naturalist
have pegged the following natural ingredients to have SPF values--but
the values are not supported by FDA. Burt's Bees support such
natural angles, and simply say it is for "wind, sun and weather,"
without making any specific claims.
Click here for a 2004 article I wrote. I
am reviewing the basis of that article now. In 2004 we isolated
sesame and avocado oils to have SPF properties of about 8.
New research shows
Red Raspberry Seed Oil
may act as a broad-spectrum UV-A and UV-B shield. It has shown an SPF
of between 25 and 50. It has a long shelf life because of its high
phospholipid content, and may increase the stability of other carrier
oils when blended with them. This cold pressed seed oil is quite
expensive and becoming more well known to consume internally for its
omega-3 and antioxidant properties.
*Red
raspberry seed oil possesses an exceptionally high proportion of alpha
and gamma tocopherols (Vitamin E), vitamin A and omega-3 and omega-6
fatty acids. Red raspberry seed oil offers the skin broad spectrum
protection from damaging UV-A and UV-B rays. The SPF of red rapsberry
seed oil has been found to be equal to that of titanium dioxide and has
been rated to have an SPF as high as 28-50 (Oomah et al 2000).
I will study feasibility of pricing and carrying this oil again.
On the surface it does not look feasible due to its recent higher profit
margin as a nutritional supplement. When it was unknown--it was
$40 a quart, cold pressed, wholesale. I would make my sun
protective lotion with that and titanium dioxide. For now I use
Coconut or Avocado oil, titanium dioxide, Aloe Vera Juice and
Emulsoy to make it into
lotion. Just find some cute squirt bottles.
 Titanium
Dioxide, (TD) is affordable and my flat out favorite for sun
protection and also relieving dry and itchy skin conditions.
Zinc Oxide is also just
as good, if you have some on hand, but I find does not blend as smoothly
into formulas and can be patchy. I feel TD works double duty for wide
skin applications. I will create a balm and lotion base
with avocado or sesame oil. These oils can be found in gourmet oil
sections of food stores. The down side of Titanium is we are
talking opaque and not sheer. How opaque?
Surprisingly, even at SPF 30--it is rather sheer. I would
say 30% opaque compared to nose blocks you see life guards wear at 100%
opaque. This rule of opaqueness is true for the balm as well as
lotion preparations. Not bad for the coverage you get.
SPF 15 requires
1 tsp of Titanium Dioxide powder to 3.5 ounce/100 grams of any base.
SPF 30 requires
1 1/2 tsp of Titanium Dioxide powder to 3.5 ounce/100 grams of any base.
 You can aim for higher SPF's by increasing the amount above. The
set back is you will be dealing with a rather white formula. If
you want pink, orange or other opaque tints, you can easily swirl just a
touch of lipstick in the hot formula. Lip stick has so much
pigment, you only need a sliver. For sheer evening coverage-you
can add a sliver of frosted lip stick to normal base. TD has a
tendency to "float" in the air--so wear a surgical mask if you are using
lots of it. I make sure TD gets blended very well as it will tend
to settle, unlike other additives. For that reason, I try to blend
a few times before as it cools, but while still warm enough to pour into
containers.
Click here for Titanium Dioxide.
We have added a Titanium Balm to our line, we call
All Purpose Balm Base: Titanium 30
or Weather Balm. We cannot claim a certain SPF. PABA
is taking a lot of heat--I just talked to our company chemist who made
his fortune in sun tan lotion. After talking to him, I am not
getting into PABA.
The photo to the right is making sun block in a
blender. We end up making enough for our family, and everyone
else's too!
Kids and Sun Protection: Titanium Baths
If my three daughters were little again, (like older than two) and we
were going on an all day event, I would be dipping every clean body in a
titanium bath. More so, if we are traveling to
theme parks. It does seem
to cling to the skin, seems to remain on--even for water events and
sweat. I use at least 2 ounces and pour it right under the
running water. It can go airborne--so watch that. The dip
can be bath at half full. Doing that seems to coat everything and
save hassle and the cost associated with sun burn. Of course
we bring sun protection with us to touch up what we can see.
Add right under running water to weigh the titanium down---mix well into
the remaining water so you don't have big white spots to clean near the
drain. Dip a glass in the water to see the film!
Dogs and Sun Protection
Think about the precautions that you take to prevent yourself from
sunburn and UV exposure. You stay out of the sun at the peak hours like
noon to 3PM, use sun block and cover up, don't you? Those same
suggestions can work for your dog. If your dog is a licker--mix
aloe as the base. It is bitter and they don't like it. I would use
a rub on mixture--not a spay on. Do be prepared to help him/her
get it off when home.
Be sure that your dog is inside the house or in a shaded area during the sun's peak hours, even on overcast days. Apply sun block to the bridge of the dog's nose, ear tips and other small, sensitive areas whenever the dog is outside for more than a few minutes.
Sun Burn
We really aim for prevention over cure. Your skin is your largest
organ, so sun burns can be quite afflicting. Keep a gallon of
white vinegar around if someone needs to bathe down with it. Bathe
in luke warm water. Vinegar is purported to take the sting out.
High quality Lavender Essential oil in a good carrier oil is good to
heal skin. I would do a follow up bath with a gallon of aloe vera
juice on my skin. Aloe Vera juice is about $7 in the natural
health food stores. Still prevention is far more comfortable and
less expensive.
Castor (Ricinus communis) Oil, Rose (Rosa canina) Hip Extract,
Titanium Dioxide, Jojoba (Buxus chinensis) Oil, Lanolin, Carrot (Daucus
carota) Extract, Shea (Butyrospermum parkii) Butter, Candelilla
(Candelilla Cera), Beeswax (Cera flava), Carnauba (Copernicia cerifera)
Wax, Cetyl Alcohol, Rose (Rosa gallica) Petal Extract, Anthyllis
vulneraria Extract, Sweet Almond (Prunus dulcis) Oil, Rice (Oryza
sativa) Germ Oil, Rose (Rosa gallica) Wax, Jojoba (Buxus chinensis) Wax,
Fragrance (essential oil) Lecithin
I think dried rose petal powder is a charming
ingredient in his facial lotion line, but we already have some
women making their own rose petal powders, using them with great success
in balms and facial preparations. These women also add a touch of
mica's and items such as rose and/or honey
flavor oil.
I know our rose flavor oil is on sale May 2007, and is also great in
bath preparations.
Balm & Consistency
Let's talk about lip balm consistency. It is
relative to making lotions and a lot of people ask how we negotiate the
hot months. We do find 9 out of 10 people prefer to
buy the base and add their own flavor and extra additives. With
our
lip balm/balm stick base--we increase the wax 10% April to
September. We know the balm may end up in a hot car, or at
minimum, in 90 degree weather. This is not the case in the autumn
and winter so we drop the 10% extra wax. Our balm
comes in a microwavable pouch, and rather hard. From there an end
user can add oils to soften the balm to preferred hardness--if desired.
It is easier to add oil to soften than to add wax to harden--we know
this. Few people have wax handy. Balm sticks need to stay
rather hard to ensure the "twist" action works. If our sticks
fail--(rare) we gently heat them up in the nuker and start over.
If we try to twist them while still warm--they will not work.
Making balm only takes a few minutes.
When we make our balm--we do a "cold throw"
test. That is, have some kind of cold marble or granite to drop a
few drops--or pop a tad in the freezer. This should tell you the
final consistency of your balm without waiting a day. We do this
for lotion also. Lotion can be very deceiving and look watery an
hour later--molecules you cannot see are still warm. The next
morning it can be way too thick. A cold throw reveals where you
are really at.
"Balm and salve is just simply heating up
quality fats and/or waxes, mixing oils to soften, preferred additives
and allowing them to cool in a cute container. Never try to mix
additives in the small pots--you need some room to stir additives well.
We use anchor hocking measuring cups to separate flavors if we are doing
more than one style. Typically--we are doing more than one
flavor or salve."
Beeswax
Beeswax has become an issue due the bees
getting tired. We hear cell phones may be the culprit
disorientating them. I suspect modern day pesticides are taking their
toll. Beeswax was an issue prior with vegans
anyway. Although I love beeswax, we are using Candelilla Wax
as the hardening agent in our balm. Candelilla wax is great,
offers a supple component and does not get gritty like Carnauba wax,
both derived from a succulent plant in Mexico. Candelilla Wax is
also twice as hard as beeswax. So, if I missed a spot in our
supply company--or label--it is Candelilla wax we are using as a hardener.
This is always the fun part. Top selling
summer flavors are: Banana, Cool Berry, Lime, Papaya, Coconut,
Peppermint, Pineapple, and Raspberry-Coconut.
I am finding frozen fruit popped into a magic bullet is a totally
easy way to make a "sorbet." I serve it to guests right in the
little bullet cup. The catch is a pinch of stevia and splash
of lemon juice. Most sorbets have that "sweet" and citric
"tang." This is also true for melons and blueberries.
Frozen berries can also be dropped in Lemonades,
White Tea-Sun Tea and be just beautiful. I would bullet a few
frozen berries just to give the lemonade or tea more flavor.
As I did in the photo on the left--frozen fruits can be put right
into ice pops.
Ice cream or frozen yogurt is totally easy to
make in the Bullet, since a few ice cubes freeze it up and whip it
around to make it creamy. With a few ice cubes, coconut milk,
pinch of stevia and green tea powder, I can make a great green tea
ice cream in seconds.
Tropical fats is just me messing around in the lab. I thought
it would be cool to mix semi hard coconut oil with mango and shea
butter. It turned out neat with no real distinctive taste--so
I put banana flavor in some and papaya flavor in others. It
can be used as a lotion bar, balm, or body butter.
Time 15 minutes
The BEST default sauce at
home: Mayo and Tabasco
 My kids ordered "spicy mayonnaise" at a Japanese Restaurant. It was
5 parts mayo (or miracle whip) and 1 part Tabasco sauce. It
was awesome and can be used on top of hamburgers, to dip shrimp and
even tastes like the blooming onion dip. Most people have at least
mayo and Tabasco sauce in their fridge. So, whip these two
together on a lazy night and you will impress even your own self! |
This
line does great, is outrageously expensive, and proves packaging is E V
E R Y T H I N G. After studying it, I really did not see any
ingredients we do not already use. None that warrant the price. This sun block stick contains:
Let's
talk about berries first. I like to buy them frozen now.
When I buy fresh, I know 1/2 may not make it to my time lines without
being mold city and picked through. Frozen fruits, same price
usually-- are there when I need them. A 12 ounce bag
can have a good 200 berries in it. So, raspberries,
strawberries, blue berries, black berries and some mango type mixes
can last me a few months. The fun is that 30% frozen
fruits
to 70% half and half, yogurt or ice, will whip up a frozen sorbet in
the magic Bullet in seconds. Yes, I still love that darn Bullet.