New Product Line & New Ceramic Dishes!

I'm so excited to announce that Lora's Beauty will now carry bath bombs and shower steamers!

I've spent the last month experimenting with recipes and ingredients to formulate a product that is beneficial to the skin, not harmful to plumbing, and enjoyable to use. I've also gathered plenty of input from friends and family and taken many baths myself!

I'm sure most people are familiar with what a bath bomb is, a scented ball of beneficial  moisturizers that dissolves in water, but what exactly is a shower steamer? Well for all those die hard shower takers out there, a shower steamer is your way to enjoy the aromatherapy benefits you're missing when not soaking in a bath with a bath bomb. 

Shower steamers are scented tablets that you place at the back of your shower on the floor so water doesn't directly hit it but it gets wet enough to dissolve and release the aromatic scents into your shower. These tablets are heart shaped and are made with baking soda, witch hazel, citric acid, and essential oils. They should slowly and fully dissolve within a 5 - 8 minute shower, filling your shower and senses with the aromatherapy benefits of essential oils.

Lora's Beauty bath bombs are made with baking soda, citric acid, shea butter, emulsifying wax, goat milk, cream of tartar and essential oils for a relaxing, moisturizing bath. Adding emulsifying wax to the bath bombs enables the shea butter to mix with the water and not just sit on the top. It also adds moisturizing benefits. Cream of tartar is used to harden the bomb. I've limited the amount of flower petals and decoration to keep your pipes running smooth and your drains unclogged. 

Both the shower steamers and the bath bombs are offered in the following varieties:

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  Eucalyptus Menthol -- added menthol makes this a great remedy for congestion and soothing sore muscles.
  

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  Lavender Fir -- Reach for this when you need a moment to just relax and clear your head.

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  Peppermint Basil -- This combination of essential oils will help ease a worried mind and awaken the senses.

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  Citrus Lemon Orange--The essential oils of lemongrass and sweet orange will detox the skin and leave it feeling clean, clear, and refreshed.

Also new to my Etsy shop are these stunning ceramic dishes made specially for my small round dish soaps. I worked with my ceramist to design these dishes to have a higher wall so the small dish soap stays in place. They also include a small trough surrounding a raised patterned area to allow water to drain and the soap not sit in water. 

Currently, I have a matte robin egg and a matte black color but I hope to get more colors soon. These dishes are sold as part of a set that includes a dish soap and dish brush. 

If you're stuck for Mother's Day gifts this set would delight anyone! Happy Spring!

Soap and Human Sacrifice Plus A New Shampoo Bar!

Fun fact... what does soap have to do with human sacrifice? 

Thankfully, not much. However, the two are linked in many old wives' tales and have even made their way into popular culture. 

Have you seen the movie Fight Club? Do you remember this scene about the origins of soap?

Courtesy of IMDB:

Tyler Durden: Now, ancient people found their clothes got cleaner if they washed them at a certain spot in the river. You know why?

Narrator: No.

Tyler Durden: Human sacrifices were once made on the hills above this river. Bodies burnt, water speeded through the wood ashes to create lye. [holds up a bottle]

Tyler Durden: This is lye - the crucial ingredient. The lye combined with the melted fat of the bodies, till a thick white soapy discharge crept into the river. May I see your hand, please?

[Tyler licks his lips until they're gleaming wet - he takes the Narrator's hand and kisses the back of it]

Narrator: What is this? Tyler Durden: This... [pours the lye on the Narrator's hand]

Tyler Durden: ... is chemical burn.

While I can unfortunately attest to the truth about lye and chemical burns, there's little evidence to collaborate the view that soap was discovered from sites of human sacrifices. 

The earliest evidence today of the first soap use was around 2800 BC by the Babylonians and they made it by mixing together animal fats, oils and salts. Most modern day soap makers use vegetable or fruit oils like olive, coconut, and avocado however, the soap making process is still very much the same as it was when the Babylonians did it.

Now, on to something new!

I get a lot of good ideas from my customers so when I had one reach out to me about which shampoo bar would work best for brassy gray hair, I had to say I didn't make a bar specifically for that purpose besides the fact that I have gray hair! 

Gray and light colored hair has a tendency to turn brassy and dull because it easily picks up pigments from the environment. For instance, using a yellow shampoo on grey hair may start to turn the hair more yellow. To counter this, most shampoos made to remove brassiness, are purple since purple is the opposite of yellow on the color wheel. 

Therefore, my Lavender Tea Tree shampoo bar, made with purple mica, would work to neutralize the yellow tones in hair, as would my Patchouli Mint Activated Charcoal bar. 

My new bar made with indigo powder, is another option against orange and brassy tones in hair. 

This bar is made with the same ingredients as my other shampoo bars including aloe vera water, avocado butter, and even silk fibers plus the added indigo powder. 

Scented with juniper essential oil and the sparkling scent of orange essential oil you may feel like you've stepped into a primeval pine forest at dawn. 

This shampoo bar is an excellent choice for gray hair and if you don't have gray hair, you can still benefit from the neutralizing effects of indigo powder! Now available on my website and Etsy shop!

 

A New Year, New Scents, New Products, and a Sale!

And just like that, December is over.

Big belly breaths...inhale, stomach rises. Exhale, belly falls. Ah, January and the long, cold months of winter and hibernation.

Although it's not as hectic as November and December, I'm still in the soap studio making a few new products and they're all about dish soap! 

Last Fall I added a 2.25" round dish soap that would fit in the popular Full Circle soap dishes a lot of people have purchased. This size has proved to be very popular so I've added new scents. Now available are Lavender & Basil, Rosemary & Mint, Basil & Spearmint, Cinnamon & Orange, Anise & Cedarwood, and Lemongrass scents.

For those who don't already have a dish that fits this size soap, I've added some colorful melamine dishes. These dishes contain 4.5 ounces of dish soap and are sold with a dish brush for a complete set. Once the soap is gone, the 2.25" dish soaps will work as replacements.

Likewise, my new square dish soaps come in a few new scents. Choose between Lemongrass, Peppermint Basil, Orange Anise, Lavender Eucalyptus, and Anise Cedarwood scents. These soaps are also offered in a set which includes a ceramic dish and a dish brush.

Lastly, my ceramist included a new color for the beautiful handmade dishes offered in my Etsy shop. These lovely matte purple dishes look so polished and sophisticated and are stamped with a dragonfly print! They are offered on their own or in a set with a large round dish soap and a dish brush.

I'm currently offering my liquor inspired soaps on sale. The Whiskey & Aloe Vera, Gin & Aloe Vera, and Aquavit & Aloe Vera soaps are all 25% off! These make a great boxed set as a gift, Valentine's Day perhaps?

That's all for now, I hope your holidays were delightful and the new year brings you happiness, health, and kindness.