Body care is food for your skin.

Everything you put on your body, the creams, shampoos,  sunscreens, toners, aftershaves and soaps … are all absorbed by the skin and processed through the body.  The skin absorbs the ingredients directly,  without passing through the digestive system thus aborbing more purely than an item that is eaten.  That is why what you put ON your skin is so important for health and well being.

At bodylish, we have known about this for years. In fact this is the reason we started making bodylish.  Back in the day, when bodylish was born, we couldn’t find daily products that were made naturally with no junky (or harmful) ingredients.  We knew that what you feed your skin is critical to the health and vibrancy of your entire body and how a product is made, packaged, and distributed has a big impact to the earth.

Fresh and natural body care is nutritious for your body and the impact, when made locally, is minimal  to the environment. The crafting of fresh body care products is on the rise.  Natural, sustainable, fresh body care can often be found at the local food coops or farmer’s markets these days.

At bodylish, we offer a fresh, natural, sustainable product all the time. When you CAN get bodylish, all is well …  but we can’t be everywhere. When there is no bodylish in sight, here are some tips to selecting the best fresh body care available.

• Read the ingredients – It is best if you can pronounce and understand ALL the ingredients listed on the label. For the best quality, everything listed should be natural.  The fewer ingredients the better.  
• Common ingredients to avoid -  We found a great list of ingredients to avoid at the Organic Divas website. It is a list of common  synthetic ingredients that are super bad for you.  
• Store the item properly – Many fresh body care items are made with food based ingredients and may need to be stored in a cool dark place, or even the refrigerator.  Check the label, but just to be safe, keep body care items in a cool dark place until ready to use.  They should also be kept out of direct or extreme heat or cold.
• Consider the impact – Was this product made sustainably?, does the company have a reputation for fair and responsible business practices?, and how is the product packaged and displayed? … these things should be considered and aligned with your values.

Here at bodylish, we pride ourselves on the quality, freshness, efficacy and environmental impact of our products and business practices. But we don’t just make super delicious bodycare, we’re on a mission to share what we learn as we continue our quest for an all natural, sustainable, happy lifestyle.  Fresh body care is good living!

Related posts:

1. Lotion Making Day
2. When Life Gives You Lemons

In salute to all those hard working feet out there, bodylish will include a STAND ON LOTUS flowering foot fizz with every order until May 15!

Whew, what a weekend. Who knew that mid-April in Minnesota means head to the garden? You’ve got to make hay when the sun is shining, as my ancestral farmers proclaimed, and we listened. A weekend of great gardening weather wreaks havoc on a body after a Minnesota winter and it’s time to give my feet a COFFEE BREAK.

The feet are often forgotten. They work tirelessly for a body, and get very little tender loving attention. Here’s a perk that’s sure to work, and you likely have everything you need.

Gather these things:

• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1 tbl freshly ground coffee beans
• 1 tbl ground vanilla beans
• 1/4 cup oil (olive or almond)
• 1 pot of coffee, at room temperature
• whipped cream

Then just follow these steps:

1. Mix salt, coffee and vanilla beans and oil in a bowl.
2. Pour the pot of coffee in a basin and add the whipped cream.
3. Place feet in the basin and soak for about 10 minutes.
4. Rub feet and calves with a scoop of the salt mixture, concentrating on callused areas.
5. Rinse feet with warm water, dry them lightly with a towel, and follow up with a hydrating moisturizer.

The caffeine in the coffee reduces redness and swelling, and the salt, coffee grinds and vanilla beans – along with the lactic acid (in the whipped cream) - are all natural exfoliants.

Related posts:

1. Lotion Making Day

I am a firm believer in a positive attitude. In fact, when life gives me anything , I try to consider it a gift and I imagine the possibilities. Well, life can be tough, and I’ve been given a lot of lemons lately. That won’t stop me from feeling good and having fun. It just so happens, lemons have a lot of potential. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Cooking with lemon

The possibilities for using lemon in cooking are endless. Lemonade, of course, is one possibility (add a little mint or basil and you have yourself a gourmet treat). I almost always have a lemon available for whipping up a batch of my handmade mayo that leaves a lasting impression on the eater of any sandwhich made at my house.

2. Cleaning with lemon

Yep, it’s true. Lemons aren’t just for the kitchen. Lemons can be used in cleaning to cut grease, deodorize, bleach stains and disinfect. You can add two tablespoons of borax, 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 2 cups hot water to a spray bottle to make an all natural, non-toxic, highly effective all-purpose cleaner.

3. Lemon in body care

Ah, how I love the benefits of lemon in body care. It pulls toxins from the body in a bath, deeply cleanses the pores when used in a face mask (mixed with honey), and is great for zapping oily skin and acne spots. If you drink a glass of water a day with freshly squeezed juice from half a lemon every day for a month, you will not only loose weight, your complexion will be the envy of all who know you. 

Many bodylish products contain the essential oil of lemon. One of my favorites is the FarmHand liquid soap. We use an essential oil blend of lemon, basil and rosemary in this capable and dependable liquid soap and it remains a best seller on the bodylish menu.

No related posts.

For the past several months, I have made the conscious choice to go media free.  I have given up television, radio, and print media to focus on the “micro life” of everyday living.  I have made some remarkable discoveries.  I think I have found the secret to happy living.

Discovery #1:  I find that I can hear my own thoughts much more clearly, and in many regards, I feel as though my life has slowed to the point of awareness of each passing moment.  I feel alive and eager.

Discovery #2: I feel more relaxed and happy … free to roam like a cowgirl out on the range, appreciating the simple pleasures of a starry night and bright dawn.

Discovery #3: I have found more satsifaction in each day. I am unencumbered by thoughts of politics, violence or “things” that I want but don’t have. I find I have positive connections with others and more time for meaningful interactions.

Discovery #4: Most important of all, I have realized that everything I really need is mine already.  Each day I choose my path for the beauty and pleasure it provides. 

Yes, it’s true … all this from tuning out the words of others and tuning in the voice from within. From where I stand, this is the good life.  But, I’m always looking to improve.  At this moment, one way to make this good life better, is to share the goodness with others. 

In honor happy living, every internet order of $25 or more in the month of March gets a FREE bodylish COWGIRL Spritz.

Live HAPPY TODAY!

Related posts:

1. The Relaunch of bodylish.com!
2. Fresh Body Care is Good Living

This bomb says it all. No need for words.  It is made to gently caress and moisture kiss every body, with a combination of honey, avocado oil and sandalwood powder. Prepare to be loved from head to toe and to leave the bath smelling good and feeling silky. This bomb will posses your heart.

Dry Ingredients: Sift dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside.

• 4 cups baking Soda
• 2 cups citric acid
• 2 cups arrowroot powder (corn starch will work as well)
• ¼ cup honey powder (arrowroot powder can be substituted for the honey powder)
• 1 tsp. red sandalwood powder (or dry colorant)

Wet Ingredients: Mix wet ingredient in a glass jar and mix well before adding to dry ingredients.

• 5 Tbl. sweet almond oil (any oil can be used here, including olive oil)
• 5 Tbl. avocado oil (any oil can be used here, including olive oil)
• 3 Tbl. distilled water (for a special treat I sometime substitute a floral water such as rose water or lavender water)
• 1 tsp. borax
• 1 tsp. EO blend (we use a bodylish blend of sandalwood, rosewood, ylang ylang, and patchouli)

Directions: Slowly drizzle wet ingredients into dry ingredients while constantly mixing.  Try not to let it fizz up too much.  When mix is slightly sticky and dry, gently push into mold filling each half then pressing together.  Holding one end of the mold in the palm of your hand, slightly tap the mold to release the bomb.  Repeat on other side. Place on cookie sheet and let cure for a few hours or overnight.

Related posts:

1. When Life Gives You Lemons

Today is the big day.  It is the relaunch of bodylish.com into a whole new way of doing business. Our little company is growing up fast!  We are so proud.  In honor of this we have shot our inaugural video, I’ll be making the bodylish favorite … the I (heart) You Bath Bomb.  (Aww … how sweet).  Jay (my chief technical officer and partner in all things bodylishious) will be behind the camera and I will be front and center.

In some ways I’m nervous about the first video and I wonder what I’m going to say and how it will look … in other ways I don’t think I’m nervous enough.  This seems to be my way about the world, I jump in first and figure it out as I go (it’s worked for me for this long).  Don’t tell me if it looks silly, I only want the good news.

Because you care enough to be here reading this, and because I am willing to divulge my bodylish life to all of my closest friends (and fans) let’s meet here, at bodylish.com and watch as life unfolds.  I promise to share the good and the bad, the fun times and the rough … I plan to provide tips and recipes, resources and links and all things that make life a little better in the living.

Here at bodylish, we believe in savoring every moment.  You can start by taking a bath.

I Heart You Bath Bomb from bodylish on Vimeo.

The first video from bodylish! Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. PRESS RELEASE: Bath-on-a-stick Joins The Minnesota State Fair
2. Blue Ribbon Bath Bomb ~ Bath-On-A-Stick by bodylish
3. Heart Recipe