Natural Moisturizing Spray

FromNatureWithLove.com has got to be the coolest 'natural' ingredient shop around for whipping up awesome skincare goodies! This is where I started purchasing my own supplies, in fact. For a business, when it comes to their butters they're pretty pricey- but if you're looking to purchase in small personal sized quantity then they are superb. Great service and fabulous quality.

I mention this particular shop to give you an example of where to purchase an ingredient which is the Mother of all moisturizers. Vegetable glycerin.

Here is FNWL.com's listing for it. A thicker consistency clear liquid, vegetable glycerin is the byproduct of making natural soap. The most obvious question then becomes, "how/where do you get this glycerin?" The answer is probably going to make you develop an eye twitch in consternation but.... it's the truth.

Commercial soap makers chemically EXTRACT this natural glycerin and then sell it. The soap you buy in big stores does not contain vegetable glycerin. What you are purchasing then is essentially detergent. Because the glycerin is left out of the final product you bring home, you end up with skin that is more susceptible to drying and cracking. (Can you say Winter Skin ten times fast? )

I've discovered a natural way to replace this humectant (definition: substance which draws moisture into the skin from the outside air) in a very economical way. You can personalize it, too!!! This is the recipe I use every day to keep my skin in great condition.

You will need:
4oz spray bottle (pump works best)
Fill bottle nearly full with water.
1 full tablespoon of vegetable glycerin

Once the water and glycerin are in the bottle, put the lid on and shake. Spray lightly on skin and wipe over it with your hand. It will feel like water. Don't let that deceive you! It's technically 'glycerin water.' If, after ten minutes, it feels a bit tacky to the touch then only use a single teaspoon in the mixture instead of a full tablespoon. This means that your skin doesn't necessarily need that much glycerin. One tablespoon for every 4 oz is the MAX you should use. If you use any more than that you're going to have a sticky mess on your hands. Glycerin is very concentrated.

You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils if you like. Your favorite perfume. You name it. Add whatever you like.

I do not recommend making more than a single 4oz bottle at a time. You'll need to add a preservative if you do.

At $12 for a hefty 16oz bottle of glycerin, you're looking at way over a year's worth of moisturizer. Not a bad deal when you think of how much moisture your skin is missing.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, everyone!

New Home at ArtFire!

Etsy, the place where I began listing my wares, is officially my ..... closet storefront now. My new main store is located at www.terrascents.artfire.com which is a sweet new art community built by people who've taken notice of Etsy's shortcomings and decided to capitalize on it. (Not that I can blame them.) I am slowly moving items over to ArtFire and am adding LOTS of new items during the coming weeks!

I finally had enough of Etsy tightening the noose around our necks making 'small' changes which absolutely have no relevance to what the community wants or needs.

I had opened an ArtFire store in October when I first heard about its grand opening but never did anything with it until last evening. This is what made me take the leap. Enough is enough. A renewal strike? HA! I think the cupcakes were piled a little too high with icing yesterday. I just about went into hypoglycemic shock reading those responses. How can this be such a 'non issue' when the things which need to be fixed are NOT fixed and still more changes keep being made which do not benefit the artist or the buyer? Of course the shop owners are rebelling and heading over to ArtFire in droves.

I responded with this post in the Etsy forums and was quite amused at the outcome. Typical Etsy. I was in kind of a bad mood when MaryMary closed that thread so... I started another, simply asking for clarification. Egads! One would think I had just threatened to confiscate all the cupcakes in the breakroom of Etsy Headquarters with the weird responses I was getting.

Regardless of the s#*%storm going on over in Etsy, my products will all be available on ArtFire by the first of the New Year. I'm keeping a few items on Etsy for customers who originally found me there can still know I'm alive.

Hey, maybe Etsy just needs a refill of Boo-Boo Cream. Everyone has their ouchy days. I even have small one oz jars for portability!