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!

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

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.

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According to wikipedia, Down to Earth is an English idiom meaning ‘practical and realistic.’ That definition fits our belief. Here at bodylish, our products are not only handmade, they are practical and realistic.

I’ve been hand making daily care products for years now. The main motivation to handmake  products was because of  the ingredients used in mass produced overly processed products.  Yuck. I am happily POO free and super selective about everything I put ON my body.  I love the Down to Earth bar, it  is chock full of nut butters, and nourishing oils. It leaves your hair and body feeling great. And WOW, the peppermint and rosemary together is inspiring. Everything about it is memorable.

Well, that’s the good news. The bad news is that we sold the last bar yesterday. Yikes. Today is Down to Earth Shampoo Bar making day! Unfortunately, it won’t be ready until March 5.

Right now, we are melting the butters and measuring the oils (olive, castor, coconut, kukui nut, cocoa, jojoba, and sweet almond) and we have prepared the lye.  Once the lye cools and all the butters are melted we will combine and mix, mix, mix until it thickens into what soapmakers call a ‘trace’.  Then the peppermint and rosemary essential oil blend is added and the soap is poured into a mold and covered to cure for a month.

Alas, we will all have to wait. I’m not saying it will be easy. Once March arrives and the Down to Earth is cut and trimmed, your hair and body will thank you.

Don’t forget, you need to do your BODY good!

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Fresh Face Cream

It turns out today is lotion making day at bodylish. Our own supply of deliciously soothing freshly handmade face lotion has been dwindling to dangerously low levels, we’re experiencing an ice storm … and it’s JANUARY.  Enough said.

Making lotion is an extremely satisfying art, and the licking the bowl equivalent in fresh bodycare is a HUGE bonus. A bonus my body needs.  Making fresh lotion is a similar process to making mayonnaise, with the added complexity of warmed oils. For all of you fresh mayonnaise fanatics out there like myself, you’ll understand what I’m talking about … combining oil and water is hard enough, let alone adding the variable of a quickly cooling/hardening oil.  But it is exciting … and what an amazing outcome!

Anyway, we deftly combined the waters and oils in the honed bodylish recipe and ended the adventure with a super luxurious face cream. We proceeded to cover ourselves with the cream.  Happy, happy day. My skin is thanking me and we now have a fresh batch of Fresh Face Cream in inventory.

Treat your body (especially your sweet face) well!

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1. Fresh Body Care is Good Living