Thursday, December 17, 2009

Going Green For Christmas

I love Christmas. Christmas lights, Christmas music, even Christmas shopping. I love looking at all of those beautifully wrapped presents that I have placed under an ornate tree waiting for their owner to come and claim them with excitement and laughter.

This year, I have decided to change it up a bit. I'm looking for ways to still have the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree but not with the usual snowman and Santa Clause wrapping. I am attempting to come up with some new ways to wrap this year that aren't quite so wasteful and I thought I would share some of these ideas that I have come accross in my attempts to be more green.

1. Wrap a gift in a beautiful scarf. It's two gifts in one.

2. Try rapping a husband or father's gift with the sports section.

3. College student at home? Why not use tupperware containers instead of boxes for their presents? (You could even send them home with leftovers in them!)

4. If you're someone who sews...there is always leftover material in your craft room...why not use it to wrap a gift?

As for the tree...my kids and I started making our own ornaments last year and will continue to do so each year. They are more beautiful than anything I could buy in a store and it gives my children a sense of pride to see their work displayed on the tree.

I will continue my quest to make my Christmas greener...and will keep you posted on all the wonderful tidbits I come accross.

If you have any good green ideas, please post them here, I would love to hear about them!

Happy Holidays,
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Polish Your Way To Beautiful Skin


Many of us are truly afraid to exfoliate our faces. We conjure up images of red blotchy skin and bad breakouts. So many women that we talk to flat out tell us that they can't exfoliate their faces because their skin is too sensitive.
To these ladies...brace yourselves...you can exfoliate your face...it will actually help reduce bad breakouts and red blotchy skin. In fact, if you use the right product, it can firm, fight wrinkles, moisturize and give you the radiant glow that all girls dream of!

Let me introduce you to my very favorite Sweet Leaf Bath product. It's our Adzuki Bean & Rice Bran Face Polish. I use it religiously, having converted from the school of "my skin is too sensitive to exfoliate." I have used numerous facial scrubs in the past with the end result being dry skin and yes...red and blotchy.

The key to a good face exfoliant is it's ability to gently polish off dead skin cells, while balancing skin tone and leaving behind a touch of moisture. The red and blotchies come from granules being to rough on the delicate facial skin, so we hand grind our adzuki beans until they are soft enough to rub on a baby's bum. A time consuming process but well worth it.

As a mentioned, a good polish needs the right balance of properties and ingredients. We carefully chose ours based on the benefits that they could bring to the table.

Organic Adzuki Beans - Gently exfoliating, leaves the skin with a radiant glow.
Organic Rice Bran - Prevents wrinkles, heals blemishes, attracts oil and dirt, leaving a healthier, balanced tone.
Cucumber Seed Extract - Hydrating, nourishing, rich in vitamins and anti - oxidants, aids in skin regeneration.
Ginko Biloba - Anti-aging and skin firming properties, revitalizing.
Apple Custard Powder - Helps the skin maintain elasticity, anti-aging properties, moisturizing.

We have heard nothing but rave reviews from anyone who has tried it (including me!) So get over your fear and give our face polish a chance...your face will thank you!

Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Getting Ready For Christmas!

Wow, I have really been neglecting the blog! We have been so busy in the soap studio getting ready for the busy season as well as working with TransFair to get our packaging and website updated with the Fair Trade Logo.
I thought I would grab a cup of coffee (Fair Trade of course) sit down and send out a quick note to let you know what we are up to!
If you are in the St. Marys area, we will be at the St. Marys craft show all weekend so pop by, we would love to see you!
November 7th we will be in Goderich and November 14th and 15th at the Stratford Christmas Craft show.
Busy, busy, busy but loving every minute!
Please keep checking in for updates and I promise to be a little more diligent!

Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fair Trade Certification! It's Official!



We are so excited to announce that Sweet Leaf Bath Co. is officially licensed to sell their products as Fair Trade Certified!

What this means to you is that you receive assurance that Sweet Leaf products marked "fair trade certified" have been lovingly created with ingredients that came from cooperatives around the world. That these cooperatives have met the rigorous standards of the Fair Trade Labelling Organization (FLO) and that we too have met these standards.

What this means to us is that we will work quickly to have the fair trade logo added to our website and packaging.

We really feel good about this and hope to inspire others to think (and shop) with a global and social conscience.

The picture above was provided to us from Delapointe http://www.karitedelapointe.com/ who we purchase our fair trade shea butter from. It was taken at the coop in Burkina Faso where the shea butter is produced by the women there. Very cool!

Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.


Thursday, September 3, 2009

Big News!!!

Our website is up and running! Please check it out and let us know what you think! We are really excited! We are holding our breathes, fingers crossed, hoping there are no glitches!

Other exciting news... we are very close to getting our Fair Trade Certification...so close that if you check out Trans Fair's website, we are listed as a Canadian supplier of Fair Trade products!!! It's not final yet...but very close! Keep posted for updates...
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Website Going Live On Wednesday!

We are so excited to show you all! A few final kinks to work out but it really looks beautiful thanks to our web guy Sean! Please check in next week and let us know what you think...

On a separate note...did you hear that chocolate just became guilt free? Cadbury has just received Fair Trade Certification through TransFair. So amazing, I keep reading the article over and over, as if I need another excuse to eat chocolate! Read the article if you have a minute.

http://www.thestar.com/article/686349

Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Hello Java...Good Bye Cottage Cheese!


I love coffee and like many of you, wouldn't dream of starting my day without it. So you can imagine my delight when we found out about the amazing benefits of coffee on your skin!
Java, coffee, cuppa Joe...whatever you want to call it, the benefits of caffeine are amazing.
1. Antioxidant - Fights free radical damage. (Free radicals are thought to be a leading cause of premature aging.)
2. Increase circulation - Cellulite has a poor blood supply. By improving circulation to the areas where cellulite occurs, you facilitate the break down and removal of the "cottage cheese."
3. Constricts blood vessels - This diminishes the appearance of varicose veins.
The best way to reap the glorious benefits of caffeine is by adding a coffee body scrub to your morning shower routine. Not only will your skin benefit from the caffeine but also from the exfoliating effects of the scrub itself.
Our Java Scrub is chock full of nourishing goodies. From fair trade coffee and sugars, to moisturizing macadamia nut oil and cocoa butter with just a hint of fennel. Give it a try, your skin will love you!
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.




Thursday, August 13, 2009

Just To Be Clear...

After reading my post from yesterday, I realized that I may not have been completely clear in one of my statements.
I should have stated that "naturally" handcrafted soaps will provide you with a noticeable difference after a few uses.
When I say natural, I am speaking of a soap made without the use of synthetic fragrances (which some, not us) consider natural, or colourants.
Be sure to inform yourself when purchasing a "natural" soap. Look for pure essential oils for scent and natural clays for colour.
This will ensure that your soapy treat will clean your skin with out drying it.
Just wanted to be clear on that!
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Benefits Of Handcrafted Soap

I have had dry skin my entire life. As a child I used hydrocortisone like it was going out of style. As a grown up, I lathered up with lotions after every shower.
I can honestly say, with no word of a lie, that since I started using our soaps, I have not had to moisturize after bathing.
I know, you're thinking that I'm tooting Sweet Leaf's horn right now...I might be a little bit, but it's not like we invented hand crafted soap! There are so many fantastic soap makers out there and I am sure if you were to purchase their soaps, you would find the same remarkable difference in your skin.
I honestly think that it was commercial soap that did me in. They're made of detergents, harsh chemicals, petroleums and a bunch of stuff that I won't even try to pronounce! I'm told that they remove most of the glycerin (the super moisturizing by-product of soap making) while adding synthetic fragrances to make them smell nice.
Handcrafted soaps on the other hand are made with a variety of nourishing oils and butters, each one, carefully chosen by the soap maker for it's individual property, whether it be healing, moisturizing or conditioning.
Essential oils and botanicals are added to not only give the bar an appealing scent, but to uplift, soothe, revitalize, relax, detoxify, get rid of cellulite and stretch marks or just plain get you in the mood!
If you haven't had the handcrafted soap experience yet...go out and get a bar! I guarantee you will notice a difference in a couple of showers...what do you have to lose?
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Why Should We Purchase Fair Trade?

To put it simply...to help improve the quality of life in developing countries. When farmers are paid a fair price for their goods, it enables them to re-invest back into the community to improve in areas of education and healthcare, it allows them to feed their families.
Supporting Fair Trade means that you are supporting more humane working conditions, the end of child labour and the teaching of sustainable farming practices.
I guess a better question might be, why wouldn't we purchase fair trade?
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Web Site Almost Done!!!

Okay, I'm starting to get a handle on this blog thing thanks to my good friend Krista. Thank you Krista!!!
Just an update on the website...our goal is to have it up and running in a week...fingers are crossed!
For now, we have posted some pictures on our blog so you see what it is we create.
Now I'm getting off of this computer and out to enjoy the beautiful day!
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Our Soap Box

When my mom and I decided to start up a little soap company a few years ago, we had no idea where we were headed. All we knew was that we wanted to make a natural line of body products. Once we did that successfully (our testers didn't break out in hives) we decided we wanted to purchase organic ingredients so we started buying anything organic that we could find.
Continuing to research, we began learning more and more about Fair Trade. There was no question in our minds, we used so many ingredients that could be purchased fair trade, we began our quest to change any of our ingredients that we could with their fair trade counter part.
So here we are, two years later with our line of Natural, Organic, Fair Trade Bath & Body Products.
Our new project is applying for our Fair Trade Certification Status with TransFair Canada. This will allow us to carry the Fair Trade Logo on our line and know that we really are doing our part.
So that's a bit of who we are and how we got here. We are really excited to show you the fruits of our labours. So please stay tuned as we try to navigate our way through the land of blogging.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions about our product or even any fair trade questions you may have. We are by no means experts as there is always more to learn, but we can direct you to some pretty informative websites.
Thank you for taking the time to read,
Love,
Sweet Leaf Bath Co.