Beards are all the rage these days so it is only natural beard oils are all the rage too. With the marketplace chocked full of options how do you find the perfect beard oil?
Here are a few things to look for:
Quick absorption. Beard oils need to be readily absorbed by the beard. Many oils just coat the follicle and leave you looking like you need a shower. Look for a beard oil that contains sunflower oil, jojoba oil, grape seed oil, or apricot kernel oil. Deep conditioning. Scratchy, bristly beards are a real turn-off to the person you want to get close with. Bear oil should make your beard softer and more fun to touch. Avocado oil is great oil to condition and soften your beard. Skin-friendly. Beard oil is not just for your beard. It needs to be good for your facial complexion. No one wants oily skin so the beard oil needs to be made with ingredients that your face will love. Once again, jojoba oil and sunflower oil are great options, as is argon oil. Honest scents. It’s amazing how many beard oils are made of wonderful natural oils like jojoba and avocado only to be polluted with synthetic fragrances that contain chemicals known to cause birth defects, nervous system disorders, cancer, and allergies. Look for beard oils that exclusively use essential oils for aroma.These are the criteria we used at New Harmony Soap Co. when developing our Nipper’s Natural™ Beard Oil which is a blend of golden jojoba oil, avocado oil, and organic sunflower oil. Right now we offer this fine product scented with our popular Men’s #1™ aroma blend of Virginia cedar, Eucalyptus, and Clove essential oils. The bottle is a generous 3.4 fl. oz. amber glass flask that will provide months of beard perfection.
The Perfect Beard Oil was last modified: June 20th, 2017 by Jim Spann
Winter time can bring dry, cracked, itchy skin. Customers have been asking us what to do for their dry winter skin. Here are our soap maker Angel’s top three favorite products to treat and moisturize.
Colloidal Oatmeal Body Bar – smoothes and moisturizes skin! Probiotic Lotion – 50% aloe vera juice, 30% avocado oil + all-natural probiotic preservatives. What yogurt does for your inside – this will do for your insides! Shea Butter Balm – treats extra cracked, dry skin. Works on hands, elbows, knees and more!Check out our Facebook page and join our email list for more tips!
Cure Dry Winter Skin with Natural Skin Nutrition was last modified: January 31st, 2017 by Jim Spann
We’ve got it—a guide to the ultimate gift for everyone on your list! Each of these items is luxurious and nutritious, perfect for the ones you love.
For the MotherHead to Toes Baby Wash Natural Liquid Soap – Keep your baby’s skin super soft with our all-natural Head to Toes Liquid Soap! This wash is gentle, moisturizing and hypoallergenic. Made from organic coconut and sunflower oils, plus organic shea butter.
For YOUR Mother
Shea Butter Balm – This smooth butter comes in a small jar, great for your mom to store in her purse during the winter. It absorbs quickly into the skin and does not leave a residue. Available in natural scents including rosemary mint, tahitian vanilla as well as special treatment for eczema and psoriasis. Great gift for mom!
For the SisterNatural French Green Face Soap – You wouldn’t normally think to use a bar soap on your face, would you? This all-natural soap is packed with “the good stuff.” It gently cleanses, detoxifies, smooths and brightens your complexion. Your sister will love this gift, but you might have to throw an extra in the cart for yourself! Our special acne treatment bar provides eight all-natural acne relieving botanicals and is naturally non-drying. It provides a gentle, moisturizing lather.
Oh and we just have to mention the Liquid Hand Soap for the sink because, well, this all-natural hand soap is what it’s all about! We recommend robber’s gold blend for its healing powers during the winter, tahitian vanilla or even the lavender vanilla.
For the Hippie
Essential Oils – Check out these Chakra Essential Oil Blends (Hope, Wisdom, Kindness). This Chakra Hope blend is described as down-to-earth, grounding, warm and fuzzy, big hugs and calming! Ranging in price from $7.99-$18.99.
For WorkGift sets are just so easy, right? Just click, add to cart, and at your doorstep will arrive a perfectly packaged holiday gift set! Choose from combinations of shea butter, natural soap, lotion and more—starting at just $21.99!
For Your Best GirlsNatural Lip Luv Lip Balm – Formulated with organic coconut oil, raw shaw butter, avocado oil and beeswax. So luxurious! And it keeps your lips looking and feeling great! Starting at just $7.99. Feeling more generous? Give her luxury with Bath Soak or Red Wine Body Soap!
For Your Guy
Nutritional Shave Gear – Keep those rugged good looks in tip-top condition. Nipper’s Natural™ Nutritional Shaving Soap contains shea butter, avocado and organic coconut lather infused with healing botanical extracts. Don’t worry—it still smells rugged 😉 Starting at $8.99, or available in gift sets for $41.
Working Hands Soap – Popular among both guys and gals, this soap is ideal for gardeners, landscapers, hunters, mechanics and shade tree tinkerers with its natural and hardcore scrubbing powers!
For Yourself!Stock up on Robber’s Gold natural bar soap, liquid soap, essential oil and room & linen spray to keep your family’s immunities up for the winter! These products are a special blend of five essential oils known for their natural immune system protecting properties. While you’re at it, throw a few more nutrition body bars in the cart. At just $4.99 a piece, they’re a great value!
There you have it—easy, thoughtful and nutritious gifts for all! Better yet, you can purchase all of these items for just $5 shipping on your ENTIRE order now!
2016 Gift Giving Guide was last modified: December 6th, 2016 by Jim Spann
As you mature your skin changes. And for many the face is where this change is most noticeable. Years of sun, stress, makeup, and the application of unhealthy skin care products can leave your complexion looking dull, tired, and prematurely aged.
Thankfully we’ve found that mature skin can be beautifully resuscitated with an all-natural daily regimen that includes a botanically-charged and bio-active toner.
Toners based in water and/or alcohol are a bad idea. Rather, we recommend a toner that lists witch hazel distillate as its primary ingredient. It’s important to look for the word ‘distillate’ as this means the natural chemical compounds of the witch hazel have not been extracted with the use of alcohol or some industrial solvents, i.e. the ingredient is pure.
Further, there is a myriad of really unhealthy stuff in face toners, even the expensive ones, that you want to avoid. For example, a well-known and respected body care company that is frequently recommended by Dermatologists markets an alcohol-free and hypoallergenic Face Toner that contains the following: Water, PEG-4, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Ceteth-24, Choleth-24, Panthenol, Glycereth-26, Sodium PCA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Fragrance. DISGUSTING!
For comparison, here is an introduction to the ingredients we use in our Moisturizing Face Toner for Mature Skin.
Apple Extract – Contains alpha-hydroxy acids, which refines and rejuvenates the skin. Known for its moisturizing and anti-aging properties. Perfect for dry or mature skin. Has exceptional elastase (an enzyme that breaks down proteins) inhibition activity. Ideal natural treatment for maintaining the skin’s youthful elasticity.
Cucumber Peel Extract – Renowned for anti-inflammatory and skin-tightening properties, rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes essential for strong cell growth and repair.
Lactobacillus Ferment – Balances skin microflora and improves absorption of fruit and plant extracts.
Sodium Lactate – A potent humectant and moisturizer derived from beets and corn.
Watermelon Fruit Extract – Supports UV-stressed immune system of the skin and can be used to prevent photo-aging. This extract also helps protect skin from every day toxins and promotes cell-renewal.
Witch Hazel Distillate – One of nature’s best astringents, there is probably no better tonic or toner for skin care.
Selecting a Natural Face Toner for Mature Skin was last modified: October 14th, 2016 by Jim Spann
There are few aromas in the world more comforting and inspiring than Coffee. So when we finally found a source of all-natural essential oil cold-pressed from Brazilian coffee seeds we knew exactly what we had to do.
Voila! We give you Good Morning! Coffee Soap. This moisturizing body soap is made with organic Coconut, Sunflower and RSPO Palm Oils plus raw Shea Butter. In addition to the Coffee Essential Oil we’ve bumped up the depth of aroma with a cold-brewed coffee concentrate and finely ground espresso beans from our friends at New Harmony’s Black Lodge Coffee Roasters.
Take a bar of this soap into your shower and you’re mood will quickly get the message… it is a Good Morning!
Get Your Day Percolating with Coffee Soap was last modified: October 10th, 2016 by Jim Spann
Around Sanibel Island, Florida they’re called No-See-Ums. In other parts of the South they’re called Midges. In the Midwest we call them Buffalo Gnats. The gnasty creatures are super small but terribly annoying – and their bites are fierce, producing redness and swelling that can last for days.
Field Tested for 3 Years and Proven Effective by Thousands of Loyal Customers Our Natural 8-Hour Gnat-B-Gone formulation has been field tested in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, and of course Indiana. Proven to be both safe and effective against Biting Gnats, No-See-Ums and Midges for up to 8 hours. We use the purest Witch Hazel distillate and highly concentrated forms of vanillin taken from multiple sources. It’s all-natural. It smells wonderful. And works like a charm!
Apply 8-Hour Gnat-B-Gone before going to the beach, golf course, fishing, or ball park to give the gnats and no-see-ums a cold shoulder. Enjoy hours of protection with just one application. And don’t forget to take along 8-Hour Gnat-B-Gone when dining alfresco whether on your patio or at a restaurant. There’s nothing worse than swatting biting flies while trying to enjoy a nice meal.
All-Natural Protection from No-See-Ums, Midges, Buffalo Gnats & Turkey Gnats was last modified: March 15th, 2016 by Jim Spann
For many folks Spring Break is a chance to thaw on the beach after a long winter freeze. Of course, it’s also a time for our skin to be thrown into shock by overexposure to the great ball of light. If you’re of European descent like me, in 60 minutes I go from bright white to lobster red.
Obviously, the most important thing you can do this Spring Break is to use an effective and natural Sunscreen product like those made by our friends at Real Purity.
But avoiding sunburn is just the first step to maintaining healthy skin during Spring Break. The sun and the wind dehydrate and irritate your skin even when using sunscreen. That’s why you want to have a bottle of New Harmony Soap’s After Sun Relief made from organic aloe juice infused with skin calming, anti-inflammatory botanicals. Of course it is also delivers natural humectants and probiotics to deeply moisturize the outer you.
After Sun Relief contains the following ingredients: organic aloe juice, witch hazel distillate, green tea extract, calendula flower extract, cucumber peel extract, glycerin, sodium lactate, lavender essence, full-spectrum Vitamin E.
Our Aloe juice is a truly premium quality, produced using a patented method for maximizing the total polysaccharides content which are proven to stimulate cellular activity, i.e. help your body generate new skin cells.
The cucumber peel is rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes essential for strong cell growth and repair while the green tea extract provides Catechin – Polyphenol that help repair the effects of aging and environmental factors. Calendula is a popular homeopathic wound healer that has soothing and skin softening properties.
Spring Break Skin Care was last modified: March 9th, 2016 by Jim Spann
Each year dermatologists see about 3 million cases of rosacea, a chronic condition mostly affecting middle age women with fair skin. Common symptoms are facial redness with swollen red bumps and small visible blood vessels.
One of the most common questions we hear at New Harmony Soap Company is “what do you have to help rosacea?” The answer is our all-natural Probiotic Lotion.
Just as they are said to calm stomach inflammation, probiotics have a calming effect on skin redness and irritation like stubborn acne and rosacea flare-ups. Probiotics send signals that stop your skin cells from reacting to bad bacteria, reactions that cause, you guessed it, acne and rosacea, the American Academy of Dermatology reported in 2014.
Probiotics in topical products like our all-natural lotion can also act as a protective shield for your skin’s surface, keeping your skin healthy and putting a halt to future breakouts, the early research shows.
“When you apply a probiotic directly it can actually act as a barrier because it’s competing with the bad bacteria from taking hold,” says Whitney P. Bowe, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York.
“The skin is the largest organ in the body and when it’s compromised, then moisture can get out and bad bacteria can get in,” Bowe says. “Probiotics can help keep the bad bacteria out and the good in.”
Probiotic Lotion Provides Natural Rosacea Relief was last modified: February 23rd, 2016 by Jim Spann
Have you ever seen a 50 year old woman who looks like she’s 30ish? If so, you’ve seen a woman who has consistently maintained the moisture level of her skin at an optimal level.
Hydration is absolutely essential to healthy skin and age-defying beauty. Most folks – even those that use lotion daily – have skin that is not fully hydrated. When your skin is fully hydrated it will look plump and glow. And of course wrinkles will be less noticeable. Dry skin looks old. Hydrated skin looks young.
A 20-minute weekly soak in a tub of lukewarm (not hot) water enriched with our Dead Sea Salt Whole Body Soak can do more to re-hydrate your skin than anything else you can do. Our all-natural Soaks feature natural white crystals harvested from the southern Dead Sea in Israel, where the concentration of minerals is the highest and the power to re-hydrate is greatest. We further enhance the Salt with full-spectrum Vitamin E and essential oils.
The waters of the Dead Sea are very distinct, having a total salt concentration that is ten times higher than ocean water, reaching 33% versus 3%. The one of a kind composition of this special sea’s brine is uniquely comprised of magnesium, potassium and calcium chloride. Additionally, the Dead Sea has a high concentration of bromides, which all contribute to the renowned healing properties. With a sodium content of less than 12%, it is gentle on the skin. Its natural skin softeners and muscle relaxing properties make this salt truly exceptional.
How Much to Use: On a weekly basis add approximately 1-2 cups of salt into a standard-size bathtub and soak for 20 minutes. For a deep therapy bath, use 2-4 cups and soak for as long as comfortable. Lukewarm water maximizes hydration and absorption of nutrients.
Turn Back the Clock with All Natural Body Soak was last modified: February 22nd, 2016 by Jim Spann
[Update as of 2/4/2016: A Wall Street Journal article published on 2/2/16 has been brought to my attention. Its states, “the link between Zika and microcephaly hasn’t yet been scientifically proven, and many leading medical experts say it probably will take another six months of testing before such a link, if it exists, can be definitively confirmed. But a consensus is forming within the international medical community that there is a high probability of such a link.” Please take this into consideration as you read the following blog post.]
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Today Reuters reported the first known case of Zika Virus transmission in the United States. It seems like only weeks ago we started hearing about this threat in Brazil and now it is already appearing in our country. For the foreseeable future it will be vital that every woman who is expecting or who may one day want to be pregnant take consistent precautions to minimize any chance of a mosquito bite.
Use of an effective mosquito repellent is the first and best line of defense for expecting Mom’s, breastfeeding Mom’s, and women who may one day become a Mom. Unfortunately most commercial mosquito repellants rely on DEET (N,N-ethyl-m-toluamide). Its use is advocated by the World Health Organization and other organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as the most effective and well-studied repellant on the market.
However, women should also consider all effectiveness and safety factors when selecting a mosquito repellant. MotherToBaby.org offer a fact sheet on DEET that states “there have been reports of significant effects to the central nervous system among individuals who are sensitive to DEET (especially small children) or have been overexposed to DEET.” This is a HUGE concern when you consider that up to 10% of the DEET you spray on your body will be absorbed by the skin and enter your bloodstream. Once its in your blood it’s in your baby’s blood.
If you are an expecting mother or may one day be expecting I encourage you to consider using 4-Way Mosquito & Tick B-Gone. This all natural repellant uses a blend of three essential oils (Lemon Eucalyptus, Palmarosa, and Corn Mint) plus a potent botanical extract (Catnip) to deliver excellent protection.
The Lemon Eucalyptus delivers the highest concentration of Citronellol and Citronellal which the United States Environmental Protection Agency considers as a biopesticide with a non-toxic mode of action that repels mosquitoes, black flies, fleas, and ticks.
The Palmarosa contains the highest percentage of Geraniol, a naturally occurring, non-toxic chemical that was identified by researchers at the University of Florida as the single most effective natural mosquito repellent after 17 years of testing more than 4,000 compounds.
Catnip is a plant that researchers at Iowa State University found to be 10-Times more effective than DEET thanks to a compound in Catnip called nepetalactone.
The Zika Virus is seriously scary and will be for a long time (the WHO estimates 4 million people will be in fected across the Americas). Applying a repellent every single day – sometimes multiple times per day – for months at a time requires thoughtful weighing of risks and benefits. When it comes to women in my life I’m steering them away from DEET. Nature produces several effective repellants and that is the smarter, safer way to go.
Protecting Your Baby from the Zika Virus was last modified: February 4th, 2016 by Jim Spann