FOOD FOR THE FACE

I seen an article about certain foods for the face.  One food tweaked my interest, grapefruit for the face?  Mashed grapefruit, mix with egg whites and put on face for about 5 minutes at night.  This would " brighten the face because of the vitamin C and the egg whites tighten the skin".  My first thought was grapefruit and medications. The article didn't say how many times a week you should do this.  Grapefruit is known to interact with many medications.  So depending on the frequency of use, the body does absorb.  To be safe check your medicines, make sure grapefruit is OK to use.  The article talk about other natural foods for a healthier looking face.  I say' "kudos" if we are taking care of what we put in the body, then we should do the same, with what we put on the body.

Shop Small Business Day

On November 24, is shop small business day. Thanks to American Express for their advertisement and support.  There are many small businesses that are in store fronts or farmers markets or craft shows and we do appreciate their support.  There are a lot of local artisans or crafters that create by hand or with the help of tools to make their products.  They make items you can buy in big retail stores and most of the time they are priced higher, but the difference is they are one of a kind. When creating by hand, no one item is the same.  They are really one of a kind. We always give you the best because we are our worst critic when creating our work.  We pay more for supplies, we don't carry large inventory and we never pay ourselves enough what are time is really worth.  So when shopping for just a gift, make it a one of a kind gift. You are supporting a small local business.

Synthetic Dyes in Candles

Synthetic dyes in almost all candles, what are they and how are they made?
I really didn't know, I don't use dyes. So, my quest for information was on. I found out most dyes use aniline, what's that? First place dictionary, I used World English Dictionary - Definition of Aniline:
"Also called: phenylamine  a colorless oily pungent poisonous liquid used in the manufacture of dyes, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and explosives. Formula: C 6H5NH2" I tried Wikipedia but that was like chemistry 101 for me. I then looked up Encyclopedia Britannica, this is what was written" aniline, an organic base used to make dyes, drugs, explosives, plastics, and photographic and rubber chemicals.
Aniline was first obtained in 1826 by the destructive distillation of indigo. Its name is taken from the specific name of the indigo-yielding plant Indigofera anil (Indigofera suffruticosa); its chemical formula is C6H5NH2.
Aniline is prepared commercially by the catalytic hydrogenation of nitro-benzene or by the action of ammonia on chlorobenzene. The reduction of nitro-benzene can also be carried out with iron borings in aqueous acid." Aniline is used to make dyes but to make it simple, it's a water down version, supposedly not as toxic.  There are other additives (chemicals) like toluidine that are not so good for you either. Then there are Trade Secrets again, not going to find out  exactly how their made, we just have to believe they are safe.Synthetic dyes are in a lot of products, from pharmaceuticals to almost everything.  As for me, I think I'll just enjoy what ever color nature can give me.  If it doesn't have a pretty color I'll use my imagination.

Flame-less Candles?

Flame-less candles?  I guess I should know about them since I make candles.  I had to do a web search to learn a little more.  I didn't really have a lot of time,so I got a little peek into it.  What I did find was that you plug the candle ( pillar or jar) in to an electric outlet. OK, but don't we have enough stuff now that we use electric for.  I think the Electric Co should send us a thank you for making them richer.  Of course there are battery operated tea lights, no electric.  I then got to thinking,some company in China making all these tea lights and workers having to work harder, more and more to put out.  They just can't keep up with productively and riots break out.  Gee, I think I heard this before.  I know there are several reasons why people don't want to burn a candle with a flame.  I was one of those people,mine was fragrances and waxes.  With all that being said, this is just my thoughts and they are mine.  Everybody can choose for themselves.

Soy Candles & Moisturizing

If you didn't know about soy and vitamin E, you will now.  What started out as an alternative to paraffin candles,  became a great moisturizer for your hands. When burning the soy candle, the wax burns warm.  Blow out the lite wick and touch the wax.  The soy wax should be warm to the touch, that is a course if it is 100% soy wax.  There are a lot of soy candles out on the market, so be careful.  Soy candles that have color or additives can burn hotter. If it is a soy blend it will burn hotter, deepening on what it is blended with.  So again be careful.  The natural vitamin E in the soy wax is helping to repair your dry and damage skin hands.  Don't you just love when things have more the one use.  A cleaner burning candle and a lotion too.

Soy Wax - Soy Bean

I'm sure you have guessed by now, that I am all about soy wax or what a soy bean can do for you.  Kudos to the soy bean farmers.  Just to think, it was a plant grown for feed.  Now used for cooking oils, cosmetics, to bio-fuels.  The book or movie "The Help", they made references to Crisco, the cure all to everything, to fry chicken, to a moisturizer for your skin.  
What is Crisco? Hydrogenated oil from a soy bean.  OK, I got side tracked. I should be writing about the trials and errors of wicking candles.  All the advice I got was to test wick first. What kind of wick? Do I use paper or cotton?  I a course looked up what's the difference between the two and went from there.  I chosen paper, it burns hotter and gives a better wax melt.  Different size jars, calls for different size wicks.  Pick the size wick that best matches the candle jar size and start from there.  I always started with the bigger wick size and worked my way down.  To much wick is not good, as is to little.  One melts fast and the other not enough.  When you find the right wick, test burn more then once.  Sometimes they don't burn the same way twice.  There are a lot of reasons way, but by checking to make sure the wick is centered is usually the first one.  That one is not as simple as it's sounds when you make by hand.

Beginning III Fragrances

When it came to fragrances for my candles I  was cautious.  After my first experience turn out bad, essential oils was the way to go.  The candle aroma was wonderful...actually awesome,   but the scent throw is limited.  I guess the best way to describe is a box of roses.  When you open the box, you smell the roses right away.  Then when you put them in a container or jar and place them on a table in a room, they don't smell as strong.  Most candle lovers want a scent throw, to do the whole room. Essential oils really don't do that they are an aroma, like the roses in the box. They are cold pressed or a heated method is used from the natural plants but not all plants you can extract from.  Scents are a little trickier,  I guess that's why they have trade secrets on them.  Synthetic and oils  from the natural plants  were produced to get as close to the naturally scent, some good and some not so good.  This is where things get a little confusing.  Like I said "trade secrets" you don't know what's in them, some are harmful and some not, if at all.  Saying that, I have to rely on organizations  that watch over or over see.  The RIFM ( research institute for fragrance materials) they have guidelines and I like to say that, the fragrance industry follows but I don't know that for sure.  With that being said,  where do you get fragrances? Ask, do they follow the RIFM guidelines or the place where they get their fragrances oils made.  I feel if they do, then you and I are a little step closer to a safer synthetic fragrance oil. Which will help in making better candles.

The Beginning II

It seems like I spent  a life time on the Internet looking for 100% soy wax.  So many choices, but I never really  found one stating  100% soy wax.  I then looked into soy beans.  You have cooking oil (soy bean), shortening "Crisco" (soybean), so how do you make soy wax.  No,   I'm not going to bore you with all those details.  I read them.....that was enough.   Finally,  I  found  a company that sold soy oil, shortening & wax.  Their products are used in the bakery industry.  I like bakeries,  no problem there.  Now, I could only imagine how long it's going to take for fragrance oils.  There are commercial grade or cosmetic, let the journey begin.

Lavender & Mosquitoes

 I was reading about the West Nile Virus that's happening in Texas, "can't keep OFF mosquito repellent on the shelves ". OFF works, but you look greasy and shiny, not to mention what's in the product.   I haven't read a can for a very long time...but it does work   I live in Florida and I hate those little blood suckers.  I read that " Lavender" works at repelling mosquitoes.  " Really" So, when I created my Body Lotion Bars " Soyba", I used lavender.  Guess what happened?  No more mosquito bites I not saying it works for everyone.  I know it worked for me " they really liked me", but now others are claiming the same.  What I like it's natural, I am moisturizing and no mosquito bites.

The Beginning

My sister and I started working on improving my website Blueflower Soy Candles ( aka Blueflower Soy ).  I had to do a lot of explaining about soy, she did most of the write up.  She can do that much better then me.   She do her research, get a better understanding and always used the right words.  She made it look easy, it's not.  I told her, "I did a lot a research, trial and errors when I first started".  That got me thinking "The Beginning" trying to make a natural soy candle.  I'll start there.  Looking for 100% soy wax took me days and I didn't even know how to make a candle yet.  I found a company with a starter kit.  I followed the directions and got a sinus headache from the fragrance oil, that lasted two days.  OK, The fragrance didn't work for me and not sure about the soy wax being 100% either.  I had to start over.

Soyblend Candles

Did you know that not all soy candles are the same.  There are candles that use 100% soy wax and there are soy blend candles.  There are several different kinds of wax blends, palm and paraffin are just two of them.  One popular blend is soy/paraffin having at least 51% soy wax and 49% paraffin wax can be called a soy candle. Why?, because 51% is soy.  Look on the candle jar label for what kind of wax.  If it doesn't say, ask the candle maker.

What About Body Lotions

When I say body lotion, I think of moisturizing my skin. But I have some questions and just maybe you have the same ones too. Why are there so many choices? What exactly is in them? Do I even know what the ingredients are or do I want to know? The only thing I know is, I want a lotion to do what it claims it should do. I want my skin to look soft but also feel soft and rehydrate my skin, not just in certain areas.. When our skin is exposed to the sun, heat, wind, and cold it drys out. Since I needed a lotion to do all, I decided to create one. With only three (3) natural ingredients that does not clog pores and can be used all over from face to feet. Now that's simple right?

Natural Soy Wax and Moisterizing Skin

Soy candles burn warm, like a warm oil. Dip finger in to warm wax oil and you have a lotion loaded with Vitamin E.

A natural product that has Vitamin E, plus B vitamins and antioxidants.

When choosing soy candles, the less additives the better the candles is for you.

Soy Wax & Vitamin E

Vitamin E promotes healthier skin. Antioxidants in vitamin E is helping to repair the skin, not only the sun damage but from other environmental toxins. When you think anti-aging and cell regeneration, there is vitamin E. So why not use soy in moisturizing lotions. It's there naturally.

What kind of wax do most candle makers use?

Next question...What kind of wax do most candle makers use. 100% or a blend. You can do a lot of different candles with blends. An example is pillar candles are blends of waxes. Most blended waxes hold color better. That's a whole new thought color you be surprised about the additives for color. Dyes(aniline) then there are UV light stabilizers.That's so the candle doesn't lose it's color. Yes, I am still talking about soy....Soy wax has great benefits you just have to choose wisely. Maybe I can help.

Why Soy?

Why soy is the question and I will give little education on the varies soy candles. I touch base on burning and color additives and blended waxes. Many candle makers all different products to make a beautiful candle. Here is some other chemical products Vybar ( polymer) binding agent to hold a larger amount of fragrance oil to soy or soy blend. Luster crystals another synthetic will help give candle a gloss or make color more vibrant in color. When you see a soy candle ask is this really 100% soy wax. Ask what else is in the candle wax. Most Candle makers will use a blend soy wax it is easier to make and they are more appealing to the eye. Nobody regulates the soy candle industry so anything goes. Keep that in mind.

What kind of wax do most candle makers use?

Next question...What kind of wax do most candle makers use. 100% or a blend. You can do a lot of different candles with blends. An example is pillar candles are blends of waxes. Most blended waxes hold color better. That's a whole new thought color you be surprised about the additives for color. Dyes(aniline) then there are UV light stabilizers.That's so the candle doesn't lose it's color. Yes, I am still talking about soy....Soy wax has great benefits you just have to choose wisely. Maybe I can help.

What is a good versus a great soy candle?

We pretty much heard all about the great benefits of burning soy candles. So let me start at the beginning.... what is a good versus a great soy candle ? A good soy candle is that it is soy. It maybe a soy blend or have additives which can have a range of several different things. Well that's a little snip it of my first blog. You'll have to check back because I have a lot of answer to that question and a course what is a great soy candle