Wax and Bubbles

Lifebuoy soap has been around since 1895, but it really became a household name for the later generation when the movie A Christmas Story came out in 1983 when Ralphie had to sit with it hugged between his lips for using swear words.

Lifebuoy Soap Company changed its name to Lifebuoy Health soap and the same company coined the term “B.O.” (Body Odor) for bad odor as part of their marketing company for the soap. Lever Brothers banked on that very phrase to help sell their soap. Tell consumers that “B.O.” is unsanitary and to rid yourself of it, you need Lifebuoy Soap.

Lifebuoy continues today as they have since they started their products to have a healthier, cleaner world to live in. In the 1930’s a campaign in the US encouraged the use of Lifebuoy soap to remove germs on hands that can cause health issues, with the slogan ‘Clean Hands Help Guard Health’. With this campaign, began the rise in Lifebuoy soap sales that continue in to today as well.

Lifebuoy soap is still available in the United States and can be found in many specialty shops nation wide. There is Lifebuoy soap collector’s items found through the world and many signs and postcards as well as magazine advertisements still contain the original logo that first coined the Lever Brothers with Lifebuoy soap. As the postcard below shows.

If you are interested in purchasing Lifebuoy soap for yourself or for a gift, you can find the soap at many specialty shops nationwide. Below is a list of many of the specialty stores that Lifebuoy Soap can be found out, you can even purchase the soap off the internet as well. You can buy body was, hand soap and the original Lifebuoy red soap on these sites as well.

1. Ayurvedic & Herbal Health Medicine: Carries the original Lifebuoy Red Soap as well as the Lifebuoy Clear skin Soap for under $3.

2. Zazzle: Carries Lifebuoy Soap merchandise, from bags to shirts to even Lifebuoy socks.

3. Soaps Gone By: Carries the original red, easy grip soap for under $3.

Claus Porto soaps have been known in Europe as one of the best soap making factories since 1887. Spreading as a great manufacturer of the best soaps throughout France, England and Spain. All come to Porto to have all of their soaps made by Claus Porto. The factory today is still family owned and run by the great grandson of Achilles de Brito, who continues with the great soap making tradition.

Claus Porto soaps are produced from coconut oil and enriched with shea butter to moisturize, protect, and replenish the skin’s natural protein complexes. All soaps are made with the highest grade soap base from the Netherlands and infused with the highest quality fragrances from the south of France. With fragrances such as lime basil, wild pansy, grapefruit fig, honeysuckle, and acacia tuberose, pear sandalwood, red poppy, orange amber, citron verbena, almond, acacia tuberose, vanilla, honeysuckle, sweet tobacco. They also fit in the palm of your hand and will not loose shape with use. With is a plus with anyone who is a soap user.

*Other great information about Claus Porto includes:

• Over 60 hand washings and 15 body washings per soap.
• Bars will not crack or split
• Old European method of aging on bakers racks for several months
• No animal testing or animal-derived ingredients
• 100% biodegradable
• Formulated with 100% natural shea butter.
• 15 soaps total with 5 fragrances each per box.
• Soaps come in an elegant gold trimmed box for your own house or to give as a gift.

Since 1991, Beaumont Products - makers of Citrus Magic - has been developing and fine tuning unique citrus-based products that take advantage of citrus’s natural properties.

Their line of soap products include, 100% natural air fresheners, unparalleled cleaners, Veggie Wash fruit and vegetable wash, and now the Clearly Natural line of glycerin soaps, along with an extensive line of other natural products.

Clearly Natural Soaps are the original formula, made with pure 100% vegetable glycerin to attract moisture to your skin with no overpowering fragrances to irritate allergies or other existing health conditions. The soaps never have and never will use animal ingredients. The basic ingredient of Clearly Natural soaps is high-grade vegetable-derived oil.

They also strive to provide honest, pure and natural products to you the customer and will label any newly formulated products as NEW. Their website also contains the most up-to-date information relating to upcoming formula changes before they happen. You can also sign up for updates as well.

If you haven’t tried Clearly Natural soaps, give them a try. They are all natural, enriched with natural vegetable glycerin, and 100% biodegradable, which is great for you and the environment as well. There are many different scents, an products to chose from and they are reasonably priced. The next time you are in the market for a great new soap, give them a try. Go to their website and check out the latest products they carry. They are sure to have something you are interested in. Right now a 6-pack family size of glycerin soap is $8.90

As in soap? Do you see the latest ads on TV and in magazines about new bar soaps and “just have to have it?”

Instead of just trying any ole’ brand why not stick with ones that are good for your skin and even good for the environment. Here are some of the best bar soaps according to Self Magazine. And these soap bars make you work yourself into a lather and they do more than just simply clean.

1. Dove Cream Oil Beauty Bar: Spiked with hydrating sunflower seed oil it quenches the skin. ($3 for two)

2. Claus Porto Shea Butter in Lime Basil: Slip into your tub with this soap and relax with it’s citrus scent which is invigorating. ($14)

3. Erno Laszlo Special Skin Soap: Feeling oily? Then degrease and get rid of grime as well. ($39)

4. Kiehl’s Non-stop Moisturizing Cleansing Bar: Sensitive skin will love this soap, it has aloe which helps to soothe the sin. ($10)

5. Mor Soap Emporium in Lychee Flower: An ultra hostess gift. And it’s almost too luxe to unwrap. ($14)

6. E’ Shave Soap: Scoop avocado-oil-rich soap with your fingers for soft, stubble-free legs. ($28)

7. L’Occitane Grape Exfoliating Body Bar: Polish your skin with this apricot kernel seed beauty bar. ($10)

8. Bliss Lemon + Sage Soap: The nubs on this beauty bar help get your circulation going to help dedimple the skin. ($18)

9. Lush New Solid Shampoo Bar: Keeps keep dandruff at bay by deeply cleansing your scalp with mint. ($9)

10. Unna & Company Black & White Soap: The charcoal in this all-natural soap helps fight acne. (33 for two)

11. Lothantique Lavender Soap: Zone out in the bath with this soap, it creates a relaxing fragrant forth to help relax you completely. ($12)

Sure, why not? Oranges are a great way to get plenty of vitamin C, and they contain citric acid, so why not use them for skin care as well. Here are some ways to incorporate oranges into your daily skin care routine.

1. Orange Tonic:

Blanch and grind a couple of almonds to a paste and mix in two tablespoons of milk and one tablespoon each of carrot and orange juice. Apply thickly on face and neck and leave on for half an hour. Removes scars and blemishes from the face and makes it soft and smooth.

2. Orange Sun block:

Oranges, Limes, and Lemons: These contain limonene, a major oil component derived from citrus rinds. A study from the University of Arizona shows that the presence of limonene in the body can reduce the risk for skin cancer by as much as 34%. So squeeze a few drops of orange juice straight from the orange itself into your favorite sun block lotion.

3. Vitamin C Mask:

Puree fruit or mix vitamin C powder with water into a smooth paste and apply like a mask. Leave it on for up to 30 minutes. Then remove with a washcloth and rinse. You can also put powders and juices in your bath water. Don’t forget to eat lots of foods with vitamin C to help your skin get healthy from the inside out.

4. Orange oil Soap:

1 oz. castor oil
1 oz. shea butter
2 oz. ground oatmeal
1 tsp. beeswax
7-10 drops of either sweet orange oil

Melt the castor oil, shea butter and beeswax in a double-boiler on the stove, or place in a microwaveable safe bowl. Heat until the beeswax and shea butter are completely melted. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. Add the oatmeal if you want a more solid soap and leave out if you want a more smooth, almost clear soap. Stir and pour into the soap mold or ice cube tray for smaller sizes. Allow to cool completely and use.

5. Orange Hand Cream:

Beeswax
Sweet almond oil
Double boiler
Small saucepan
Blender
Vitamin E capsules
Orange blossom essential oil
Small jars or tubes with tight fitting lids

Measure 2 oz. of beeswax and 1 cup extra virgin or cold pressed sweet almond oil in the top of a double boiler. Heat the mixture slowly until the wax melts, but don’t overheat the oil; excess temperatures destroy the healing elements. The mixture should never get too hot to touch. Warm 1 cup of water in a separate saucepan. Pour the water into a blender and cover with the lid. Remove the small circular cap in the lid and turn the blender on to it’s lowest setting.

Squeeze the oil from four 400 IU vitamin E capsules into the churning blender. Vitamin E is a natural moisturizer, an antioxidant that will nourish and protect your skin and a natural preservative for your hand cream. Pour the warm wax and oil mixture into the blender slowly as it mixes. Add 6 drops of orange blossom and 4 drops of vanilla essential oil. Orange blossom and vanilla make a soft citrus mix that enlightens the senses and soothes the skin.

Keep the blender churning until your citrus hand cream cools and thickens. Turn off the blender and carefully spoon your cream into small glass jars with tight fitting lids. Make sure that the hand cream has cooled completely before you seal the jars.

…..for that fresh drunken Irish clean feeling.

Glycerin soap, clear for a more transparent green or white for a more solid green color
Soap dye in green
Soap molds in shamrock shape or other St. Patrick’s Day shape
Microwave safe liquid measuring cup
Spoon
Popsicle stick or coffee stirrer
Knife

If using bars of soap, cut into three pieces. If using purchased glycerin blocks, cut off 2-3 pre-measured chunks. Place glycerin soap into a measuring cup, microwave for 20 seconds), then in 10-second intervals until melted. Add colors. Add a few drops and stir with a spoon. If you want the color darker, simply add more dye.

Slowly pour the liquid soap into the mold. Set aside to harden for 45 minutes to an hour.

After soap has cooled completely, pop them out of the molds.

*While you’re in the festive mood, why not make a St. Patrick’s Day Green Beer Candle:*

A glass beer mug
Candle gel
Standard paraffin wax
An appropriate wick length
Green candle coloring and fragrance if desired
A wire whisk
Standard candle making equipment

Take the wick, make it longer than you would need and tie it around a pencil. Place the pencil length-wise across the lip of the mug. Melt the gel over med HIGH heat on the stove or in a microwaveable-safe dish in the microwave. Once the gel is liquefied add green coloring and fragrance if using. Once fragrance and color is incorporated, pour directly into mug. You might want to hold the wick by the pencil straight up from the middle to keep it straight while pouring. Before starting the next step, allow the gel to fully harden.

Next step is to melt the paraffin wax in the same manor as above. Either way will work fine. While the paraffin is melting your need to whip the wax so as to add bubbles to the wax. Pour the whipped wax directly on the top of the gel in the mug. Be sure to hold the wick straight up and down do that it is even with the rest of the candle and won’t burn sideways. Let everything harden completely for a day or two before burning. Or use it for your St. Patrick’s Day decor while you party it up Irish-style this evening.

Antibacterial liquid soap contain triclosan (and bars with triclocarban) are no better at preventing infections than regular soaps-and may also decrease the effectiveness of some antibiotics, according to a review of 27 soap studies at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The bottom line, skip products labeled antibacterial. Here are some ideas to help get your started in the right direction as far as the kinds of suds you should be lathering up on your hands and treating cuts and scraps with:

• Plain soap and warm water: Scrub for 20 seconds, including under your nails and between your fingers. If soap, water and something to dry your hands on aren’t near try…

• Alcohol-based sanitizer: Formulas containing 62% ethyl alcohol are ideal for on-the-go cleaning and don’t contribute to antibiotic resistance. The down side is that alcohol won’t work well if there is visible soil on the hands. And keep these products away from smaller kids. They may cause intoxication or poisoning if ingested. None a fan of alcohols, then try…

• Nonalcoholic sanitizers: Formulas containing benzalkonium chloride, or BAC, are favored by some children because of the lack of alcohol. The downside to these kinds re that BAC has been associated with antibiotic resistance, the less often than triclosan. There are also some products out on the market that do no contain BAC that work just as well, such as Burt’s Bees hand sanitizer.

More on soap: Thought that green stuff with your sushi was there just to clear your sinuses? Japanese researchers found that wasabi actually fights bacteria. And some companies are taking the germ fighter from the restaurant to your rest room as they introduce wasabi soaps. And they work no better than just regular soap though. Just washing your hands for 30 seconds with any soap will rid you of 99.9% of germs. If you like the soaps because they smell divine, then use them, but be sure and wash for at least 30 seconds.