It’s an honor and a blessing to be included in this beautiful treasury of luxurious, pampering products by Lisa of Blossoming Tree Body Care She’s put together a collection of treats from the Etsy Artists of Color for your spa at home experience, than include candles, soaps, hair serum, and le’ amour bath oil.  You want to take a look at this collection and find a treasure to treat yourself to.

Love and blessings!

I admit…it took me a while to get started on my New Year’s Resolution. Which, in case you don’t remember, was to spend more time pampering myself. I was feeling severely neglected when I made the resolution and just knew it would be good for my frame of mind to do.

That being said, it was the middle of February before I could even stick to the commitment. Time and energy runs very short for me sometimes. But, as soon as things mellowed out I started following through on my New Year’s Resolution to take more time for my girlie side.

So it’s been about two weeks that I’ve been making an effort to spend at least 20 minutes a day on myself. And, boy, do I feel great! No, I haven’t taken any of my extra weight off, or even changed my look that much, but the little bits of time I’ve been spending making sure my toes look right, or experimenting with my makeup and hair (thanks, Brandi!), make me FEEL like I look better. I feel GREAT!!! I am more ready to face the world, and my self esteem is rising by increments each day.

It makes me wish I hadn’t ever started neglecting my own needs, but you know how it goes. Along with motherhood comes some challenges with time management, and until now, my routines and needs have been shoved to the back burner. Well, watch out now…. I’m back (and so are my toes)!!!!!!  

Upcoming on my agenda of things to do is Tyrika’s recipe for a sugar scrub. I’m so tired (as I know many of you are as well) of not being able to pronounce and immediately recognize the chemicals I am putting on my skin and in my hair.

That’s why I’ve recently switched to mineral makeup and other all natural skin care products, including my Mainelement: Love products. My skin is loving me for it. Truth be told though, I am a mascara junkie, and I don’t know if I can give up my high-tech formula…any recommendations, ladies?

So, how have everyone else’s New Year’s resolutions been working out? Did you get a delayed start like I did? Or, are you more focused than I am? Frankly, there was a point in time where I didn’t think I would ever get to trying my resolution, but I’m so glad I did. Did anyone else have problems staying motivated?

I hope 2010 is treating you as well as it is me so far. I wish nothing but love and light for us all this year.

Much love!

Jamie

When you pick up the bottle of body wash in your shower you will likely see one of these two ingredients: Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), listed as at least one of the top ten.  This is the cleansing ingredient that not only cleans the dirt, oil and residue off you but also gives you the pretty lather you get when you squeeze the body wash on your sponge/loofa/wash cloth, mix in some water and proceed to scrub.  Awesome, right?
The lather is the fun part about body wash, bubble bath, and even shampoo.  It’s the part that gives you confidence that you’re getting clean, and let’s face it’s pretty to look at.  It’s just as pretty to look at when you are washing your dishes, your clothes, or even your shower walls because the cleansing agent in your shampoo is the same as the lathering agent in your toilet cleaner.  That’s some pretty harsh stuff to use on your body and in your hair.
Sulfates are unhealthy for your body from head to toe. The level of cleansing that sulfates provides is high, which is great for household cleaning, but unnecessarily high for one’s body.  This contributes to stripping essential oils and nutrients from your body and hair.  Reports have shown that sulfates cause skin irritations and rashes, especially to individuals with fragile or sensitive skin.  They can also contribute to blemishes, especially on young skin.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacete (SLSA) is a milder, safer alternative that gives you’re the luxurious lather you desire and leave you clean, without subjecting your hair and body to a harsh irritant.   While SLSA is almost a requirement for those with sensitive skin, to treat your body to the care it deserves using products that are made with SLSA versus sulfates allows everyone to preserve your skin’s health.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacete is commonly confused with both Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.  When reading your labels it is important to note the difference in the name, as there is a drastic difference in the ingredients.
How safe is your skin? Take a look around your bathroom and take a peek at some of your favorites and see what you find.

Lavender seems to have found it’s way into a lot of my conversations this week.  From headaches to burns to sleep aids, I’ve found myself sharing why lavender essential oil should be a staple in everyone’s household.  Jamie gave a Five Uses For post on Lavender last month.  I want to follow it up with a few recipes and practical applications for life and love.

Here’s a practical application – I burned my thumb earlier in the month.  In the kitchen, whipping up dinner and I lifted the lid off of a pot and the steam that rose scaled my knuckle.  If you’ve ever damaged the skin across a knuckle or knew  you know that is a hard area to have heal without scarring because it’s always bending and flexing and doesn’t get a chance to properly heal(hence why we all have various scars on our knees from our childhood years).  Well, when I initially burned it, I immediately rubbed a couple drops of lavender essential oil directly on it for two reasons: one – it hurt terribly and lavender is an excellent pain reliever for bites and burns; two – because lavender also promotes healthy skin growth and I did not want an ugly scar on my hand.  Over the next two weeks, it darkened, hardened then finally peeled.  The new skin that finally resulted appears completely normal.  To look at my hand, you would never know I’d burned it.

I offer you a recipe for a spa at home experience -  Blend the following ingredients in a resealable container for a simple, relaxing, skin softening bath experience

• 1 cup dead sea salts
• 1/3 cup lavender buds
• 1/3 cup of powdered milk

Sprinkle into bath tub as desired.  Lounge in the tub with your favorite book, glass of wine, candle or any combination for a luxurious experience.  Be sure to incorporate your favorite lavender scented bath products.

Keep this all purpose Lavender infused oil handy

• 1 oz jojoba/olive/sweet almond oil
• 20 drops lavender essential oil

Mix and store in a plastic bottle with a dropper or nozzle top. Keep this oil blend on hand to apply directly to your skin when you need to unwind and a bath or diffuser simply isn’t available to enjoy the scent from.  Perfect for relaxing before bedtime, calming from a stressful work situation, or managing a migrane.  Can also be applied to scalp to help treat hair loss and promote hair growth.

Can you see yourself in any of these experiences?  Have you used lavender for any other real life solutions?