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Why is genuine, authentic, real soap – created via the mixing of fats or oils with an alkali base – almost always preferable to a glycerin melt-and-pour style soap? To explore this question, we'll first learn a bit about saponification: the long and fancy word used to describe the primary chemical reaction of soap making. Along the way, we'll dispel some common myths and misunderstandings, and provide all the information that you'll need to make your own intelligent choices. Saponification: The Alchemy Of Soap-Making As mentioned above, the primary chemical reaction involved in the making of real soap is known...

The most popular question I get at the farmer's market is "what brand of essential oils do you use?"  It seems that these days, everyone's heard of national brands DoTerra and YoungLiving, as these companies spend a lot of time and money branding their essential oil products and getting the word out through multi-level marketing (MLM) strategies.  You can't scroll through your Facebook feed without seeing a friend promoting their MLM business these days. Your friendly neighborhood distributor of scented candles and essential oils really hustles to make a buck, but the cost you pay has to cover her efforts,...

You're Not Alone A common misperception about acne is that it only -- or at least primarily – affects teenagers; and that by the time we've progressed into adulthood those annoying, embarrassing and sometimes painful pimples, zits, blackheads, and whiteheads will be nothing more than a memory. The truth is that adult acne is widely prevalent. So if you're an adult who is still suffering from this condition, you can at least take heart in knowing that you're certainly not alone: “Clinical studies indicate that between 40 and 55 percent of the adult population age 20-40 are diagnosed with low grade,...

Anyone who has had chicken pox, poison ivy, or a bug bite knows that the urge to scratch can often be worse than the itch itself. Colloidal oatmeal can help to alleviate the itch and its accompanying swelling as well as the desire to scratch. Moreover, a wide range of studies have been conducted to evaluate the properties of oatmeal treatments when managing atopic dermatitis, and these studies have found that moisturizers and/or cleansers containing oatmeal significantly improved many of the clinical outcomes associated with atopic dermatitis. Oats (Avena sativa) contain of a wide array of phytochemicals that include carbohydrates,...