Website update

I've been playing around with the look of the website. Trying to make it more sophisticated. What do you think? Did I achieve it?

Body Butter Moisturizing Tip

I always use my Body Butter after showering each night. I love the way the butter moisturizes my skin and leaves it feeling really soft. What I don't like though, is that if I go directly to bed after applying the body butter my sheets get greasy. I just picked up this great tip from the internet regarding this: Try applying the body butter in the shower after you cleanse then rinse off. The oils soak into skin, trapping moisture but the water washes away the excess leaving skin dewy and baby soft.

Back from vacation

After a great trip to Italy, I've returned with some new ideas for products. First up is a lemon soap! Look for it in the online store in about a month.

Vacation

As I have mentioned on my website, I will be gone visiting Italy from July 2 - July 16th. All orders placed during this time will be filled and mailed by July 18th. Any order placed before June 30th will be mailed before I leave.

I'm hoping to come back with some great new ideas for products, scents, and herbs.

Lora's Beauty Brochure pdf

In the past, I have been asked for a brochure of products found at Lora's Beauty. I have now put together a brochure which I will include in orders and I've made available here for downloading.

Thank you for your requests!

Lora's Beauty Brochure.pdf

Soap Making Machines

I was cruising around the internet and found this. Sure beats my pitcher, pot, and spatula...I guess.

How Soaps and Detergents Clean

People use artisan, handmade soap rather than bars of detergent they buy at the grocery store, for many reasons. Some like the look, smell, or moisturizing effects of the handmade soap. Some people's skin is irritated by the petroleum products found in the bars at the grocery store. Rarely does the chemical process of how soaps and detergents clean enter into the decision making process, however different the two may be.

Soaps are made by combining oils and lye together via a chemical process called saponification. Soap is an excellent cleanser because it acts as an emulsifying agent. It's able to combine one liquid with another immiscible liquid. This allows it to take oil (which attracts dirt) that doesn't usually mix with water, to suspend to the water and be washed off.

Detergents, on the other hand, are surfactants which are produced from petrochemicals. Surfactants lower the surface tension of water making it 'wetter' and less likely to stick to itself and more likely to combine with grease and oils to be washed off.

Both soaps and detergents need a little agitation (a sponge, washcloth, or a washing machine's agitator) in order to complete the cleaning process.

When it comes to cleaning, both soaps and detergents get the job done via different methods.

More information regarding the chemical process used by soaps and detergents can be found here:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/cleanerchemistry/a/how-soap-cleans.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingswork/f/detergentfaq.htm