The Natural Madison Blog

Waste Not, Want Not

2009-04-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Being environmentally conscious is really important to me. I find it senseless to waste resources, and at the same time money as well. Luckily, over the years I have found ways to solve both of these problems.

Even if you do not care about what resources you are helping to save, you might be thrifty and interested to know how much money you could save by cutting out the following from your life.

#1 Paper Towels

Paper towels obviously waste a lot of trees, not to mention all of the pollution that goes into creating them--from logging equipment, chemicals to treat the water, smokestacks from the factories, etc. All for something that you are going to use once and throw away.

Instead of using paper towels, you can simply use cloth dish towels for cleaning and wiping up spills. Cotton is a more easily renewable resource than trees, and production is less extensive. Plus, it is reusable--often one towel can last several years as opposed to a one time use to a paper towel. If you are afraid of germs, then you can always designate certain cloth towels for each specific task(one set for spills, another set for cleaning the sink, etc.) and also wash them separately from your bath towels if you wish. For those really dirty jobs(like pet messes) reuse old tattered t-shirts for rags. Even by using those once and throwing them away, you are saving a lot of resources.

How does it all add up??

If you would only use one paper towel per week, at the end of the year you would have made 4,425 TONS of landfill waste!

On average, a to create ONE TON of paper towels uses:

* 4100 kwh energy
* 7,000 gallons of water
* 60 pounds of air emissions
* 3 cubic yards of landfill space.

Add it up...paper towels really are not worth it. I'll let you do the math on how much money you are wasting! ;-)

#2 Ziploc Bags

Ziploc or plastic sandwich baggies are very popular with a lot of households. They can be used to put snacks in, lunch items, leftovers, and more. How convenient!

Or are they really?

Every year, Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags(including grocery bags, ziploc bags, newspaper bags, etc.). It's equivalent to dumping nearly 12
million barrels of oil. Only about 2 percent of those are recycled, and the rest when discarded can persist for centuries. They can spend an eternity in landfills, or floating around the country causing litter. Plastic does not easily biodegrade.

Instead of using a ziploc bag once for your food items, try these tips instead:

>>Store leftovers in a reusable containers--try enamelware, which is made from metal and not plastic like those tupperware or rubbermaid ones that eventually get thrown away too. Enamelware can last generation after generation. Just remember to reheat your leftovers on a plate instead of in the container(a minor inconvenience for how much money you will be saving).

>>Use cloth bags for snacks. Some of them are lined with PUL, or Polyurethane laminate(which is chemically inert and proven to be safe), so if you were to put something like sliced strawberries in them it would not leak. You can reuse them for many years, which elminates tons of waste with each use.

You can find these at handmade sites like Hyena Cart or Etsy. Just type in "resuable snack bag" in the search engine for hundreds of styles and options. Or, if you are particularly crafty, you can easily make snack bags yourself. All you need is some material, thread, velcro, a sewing machine, and imagination.

>>Pack your sandwich in a wrap n mat. A wrap n mat is a cloth mat with velcro adhesives to store your sandwich in. It's easy to use, and reusable too.

You can buy them here:
http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/

The possibilities are endless! Use your imagination when it comes to food storage. A lot of companies are creating biodegradable "plastic" bags entirely from corn and other plants. This is something that I use now for my small business, after realizing how much waste I was creating with the plastic bags I used for samples and packaging. Even though for that instance I am paying a little more than standard plastic, I am willing to spend the extra cents to help the Earth.

#3 Saran Wrap

Saran wrap, or plastic food wrap, is a staple of most households. It is usually used to store leftovers, and sometimes still left on while reheating those leftovers.

What most do not realize is that plastic wrap usually contains BPA or Bisphenol A, which mimics estrogen and causes reproductive harm in rats at levels below what most humans are exposed to every day.

In fact, BPA was first developed in the 1930s as a synthetic estrogen. For
whatever reason, someone decided that it would make a great liner for
canned food products and an additive for plastics manufacturing. As a result, 95% of adult Americans have a measurable amount of BPA in our blood and urine.

As if that weren't bad enough news, all of the plastic wrap manufactured in the U.S. each year is enough to shrink wrap Texas! Like plastic bags, plastic wrap is not easily biodegradable and can remain in landfills for a minimum of 80 years, but usually it lasts and eternity.

An island of garbage is floating in the North Pacific that is estimated
to be larger than the size of Texas. The death of over a billion
seabirds and mammals are attributed to the ingestion of plastics.
Despite government treaties to ban ships from dumping plastics, it is
estimated that nearly 14 billion pounds of plastics are dumped in the
oceans.

So what can you do? As an alternative to plastic wrap for leftovers, try using "foilers" instead. You might remember your mother or grandmother using these in her kitchen. They resemble a shower cap, but are made specifically for food storage. All you do is stretch the foiler over the top of whatever bowel or dish you want to store food in. They come in many different sizes and prints. These are great for traveling to pot lucks and picnics, if you have a fruit or pasta salad in a bowl, top it with a pretty foiler and you are ready to go. I have not seen any at the grocery store recently(sign of the times!) but you can still find these at handmade sites I mentioned earlier like Hyena Cart and Etsy. Simply type in "foilers" in the search engine.

In conclusion...

I do not even buy those 3 things anymore. To me, I am not going to spend money on something to throw away. Those items are NOT essential to living and you can do just fine without them. The EPA says Americans generate 245.7 million tons of waste each year. After recycling, more than 166 million are left for disposal -- and 12 percent of that amount is plastic. Do the math on how much of that waste is from things you simplpy use once or maybe a few times. Think of how much money you could save every week, month, and year. Enough to go on a vacation or pay off your car perhaps? Now that is GREEN living I can do. :-)

Lotion Safety

2009-01-12T09:26:00.001-08:00

I just added my new lotions to my site. I added a blurb about the preservative I used in them, does it look ok?

http://hyenacart.com/NaturalMadison/index.php?c=66&p=11447

A lot of people are concerned about using chemical preservatives in lotions, most would like products that do not contain them. The truth is though, as natural as I would like to be, I think sometimes chemicals are important. I have tried creating lotions without preservatives, and the results were less than fantastic. One batch I created using simply larger amounts of vitamin E and C. Within days there was visible bacteria growth. Then I created a batch using an exclusive natural preservative blend--essential oils of clove, lemon, orange, tea tree oil and more, plus vitamins E, C, grapefruit seed extract, and honey. All of which are known for their antibacterial qualities. It worked! Days, weeks, even months later and no bacterial growth. However, the downside is that the essential oil blend I used has a very distinct smell. The quantity that I have to use is so strong, that you can not cover it up with another fragrance.

So that is why I started to use Germall II. It is non-paraben and has no known chemical reactions to human health, but is excellent at inhibiting a broad range of bacterial, fungal, and yeast growth. I only use less than 1% in each batch...the proper quantity used for preservation.

All in all, I would rather be safe than sorry. Bacteria and such is not something you want to play around with. There have been quite a few natural product companies that try to create products without any chemical preservatives(Physician's Formula, Burt's Bees, to name a few) but only to fail and cause problems for people. Which, I actually like those brands, I use both brands myself. So nothing against them...it's just that when you are adding water or a water based ingredient to other ingredients, you are inviting bacteria to join the party!

Now, when I make anything that is water free(like salt scrubs with oils) then I just use vitamin E and grapefruit seed extract. Salt itself is a natural preservative(like for fish and jerky, etc.) and no water is introduced, so the only way for bacteria/etc. to be present is from unsanitary handling and packaging.

I also sanitize absolutely EVERYTHING when I create products, especially lotions and scrubs. I bleach my counters and use a hot water/bleach solution for all of my bowls, spoons, containers, etc. I then rinse everything in hot water that is heated to at least 160*.

So there you go...I do my research. That is why you want to be careful about what products you use. You can trust me that Natural Madison products are thoroughly researched, using only the highest quality ingredients and preservatives. :-)

Tree of Life Holiday Logo

2008-10-27T11:45:00.001-07:00

October & Halloween Facts--for TOL

2008-09-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

These are the October & Halloween Facts for the Tree of Life congo on HC.

October Facts

Birth Month Flower

The birth month flower for October is the Calendula (pot marigold), which represents sorrow or sympathy.

Birth Stone

October is another month with two acceptable birthstones! Opal & Tourmaline are both represenative of this month. Opals are usually opaque white stones with rainbow color specks or flashes that play over the surface. They can be found in breathtaking form! Tourmaline is a transparent stone, usually occuring in shades of pinks & greens.

Opals are thought to possess the virtues of all the stones whose colors appear there. The Roman senator Nonius chose exile rather than surrendering an Opal to Mark Antony. Tourmaline comes from the Sanskrit "turamali".

Opal can be readily found, look for a stone with a lot of play-of-color to ensure showoffability. Tourmalines are also plentiful, and medium priced.

Misc.

October begins in western tropical astrology with the sun in the sign of Libra and ends in the sign of Scorpio. Astronomically speaking, the sun actually begins in the constellation of Virgo and ends in the constellation of Libra.

October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere.

International World Teachers' day - October 5 - since 1994, commemorates teachers’ organisations worldwide. Its aim is to mobilise support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers.

Columbus Day (Most of United States) - Second Monday of October - is a holiday in the United States celebrating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which happened on the October 12, 1492.

Apple Day - October 21 - an annual celebration of apples and orchards.

Halloween - October 31 - Halloween, Hallowe'en, or Holloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31.[1] Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses", and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is celebrated in several countries of the Western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and occasionally in parts of Australia.

Fun Facts about Halloween
Halloween, Hallowe'en, or Holloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses", and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is celebrated in several countries of the Western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and occasionally in parts of Australia.

History
The modern holiday of Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain; from the Old Irish samain. The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year". Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them

History of name
The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day", which is now also known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions, until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

Symbols
The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols, and is commonly called a jack-o'-lantern. These lanterns were originally carved from a turnip or swede (or more uncommonly a mangelwurzel). The jack-o'-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night. This story has been passed down through generations of Irish families. The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America, where pumpkins were readily available and much larger, making them easier to carve than turnips. Many families that celebrate Halloween carve a pumpkin into a frightening or comical face and place it on their home's doorstep after dark. In America the tradition of carving pumpkins is known to have preceded the Great Famine period of Irish immigration. The tradition of carving vegetable lanterns may have been brought over by the Scottish or English--documentation is unavailable to establish when or by whom. The carved pumpkin was originally associated with harvest time in general in America and did not become specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century.

The imagery surrounding Halloween is largely an amalgamation of the Halloween season itself, nearly a century of work from American filmmakers and graphic artists,[10] and a rather commercialized take on the dark and mysterious. Halloween imagery tends to involve death, magic, or mythical monsters. Traditional characters include ghosts, ghouls, witches, vampires, bats, owls, crows, vultures, pumpkinmen, black cats, spiders, goblins, zombies, mummies, skeletons, and demons.

Particularly in America, symbolism is inspired by classic horror films, which contain fictional figures like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and The Mummy. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween.

Black and orange are the traditional colours of Halloween.

Color associations
Color Symbolism
Black=death, night, witches, black cats, bats, vampires, fear, ghostliness, silence
Orange=pumpkins, Jack O' lanterns, Autumn, the turning leaves, fire, sunset

Trick-or-treating and guising
The main event for children of modern Halloween in the United States and Canada is trick-or-treating, in which children disguise themselves in costumes and go door-to-door in their neighborhoods, ringing each doorbell and yelling "trick or treat!" to solicit a gift of candy or similar items. Although the practice resembles the older tradition of "souling" in Ireland and Scotland, ritual "begging" on Halloween does not appear in English-speaking North America until the 20th century, and may have developed independently. Upon receiving trick-or-treaters, the house occupants (who might also be in costume) often hand out small candies, miniature chocolate bars, nuts, loose change, soda pop, stickers, or even crayons and pencils. Some homes will use sound effects and fog machines to help establish an eerie atmosphere. Other less scary house decoration themes might be used to entertain younger visitors. Children can often accumulate many treats on Halloween night, filling up entire pillow cases, pumpkin-shaped buckets, shopping bags, or large plastic containers. Another way some teens may amuse themselves is by finding a house with candy they like and going back to it over and over with different masks on. Large parties are commonly held on Halloween in which games like bobbing for apples and spooky story telling are common.

Costumes
Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows, movies and other pop culture icons.

Games and other activities
There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties. The most common is dooking or bobbing for apples, in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water; the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant of dooking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity which inevitably leads to a very sticky face.

Some games traditionally played at Halloween are forms of divination. In Puicíní (pronounced "poocheeny"), a game played in Ireland, a blindfolded person is seated in front of a table on which several saucers are placed. The saucers are shuffled and the seated person then chooses one by touch. The contents of the saucer determine the person's life during the following year. A saucer containing earth means someone known to the player will die during the next year, a saucer containing water foretells emigration, a ring foretells marriage, a set of Rosary beads indicates that the person will take Holy Orders (becoming a nun or a priest). A coin means new wealth, a bean means poverty, and so on. In 19th century Ireland, young women placed slugs in saucers sprinkled with flour. A traditional Irish and Scottish form of divining one's future spouse is to carve an apple in one long strip, then toss the peel over one's shoulder. The peel is believed to land in the shape of the first letter of the future spouse's name. This custom has survived among Irish and Scottish immigrants in the rural United States.

In North America, unmarried women were frequently told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror. However, if they were destined to die before marriage, a skull would appear. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of TV series and specials with Halloween themes (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday while new horror films, like the popular Saw films, are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere.

Visiting a haunted attraction like a haunted house or hayride (especially in the northeastern or midwest of the USA) are other Halloween practices. Notwithstanding the name, such events are not necessarily held in houses, nor are the edifices themselves necessarily regarded to have actual ghosts. A variant of the haunted house is the "haunted trail", where the public encounters supernatural-themed characters or presentations of scenes from horror films while following a trail through a field or forest. One of the largest Halloween attractions in the United States is Knott's Scary Farm in California, which features re-themed amusement park rides and a dozen different walk through mazes, plus hundreds of costumed roving performers. Among other theme parks, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom stages a special separate admission event after regular park hours called Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party featuring a parade, stage show featuring Disney villains and a Happy HalloWishes fireworks show with a Halloween theme, while their sibling park in California, Disneyland Resort, holds Mickey's Halloween Treat at their California Adventure park. The Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando also feature annual Halloween events, dubbed Halloween Horror Nights. The Six Flags amusement parks also have Halloween events called Fright Fest in which visitors enjoy redecorated rides, costumed goals, special shows and more. Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream Tampa Bay and Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg also host a few weeks of Halloween-themed fun. There are many haunted houses each with a different theme, "scare zones" where costumed performers scare random passerby, live shows, special themed food and much more.

Foods
Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (also known as toffee, taffy or caramel apples) are a common Halloween treat made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, and sometimes rolling them in nuts. At one time, candy apples were commonly given to children, but the practice rapidly waned in the wake of widespread rumors that some individuals were embedding items like pins and razor blades in the apples. While there is evidence of such incidents, they are quite rare and have never resulted in serious injury. Nonetheless, many parents assumed that such heinous practices were rampant; at the peak of the hysteria, some hospitals offered free x-rays of children's Halloween hauls in order to find evidence of tampering. Virtually all of the few known candy poisoning incidents involved parents who poisoned their own children's candy, while there have been occasional reports of children putting needles in their own (and other children's) candy in a mere bid for attention.

One custom which persists in modern-day day Ireland is the baking (or more often nowadays the purchase) of a barmbrack (Irish "báirín breac"), which is a light fruit cake into which a plain ring is placed before baking. It is said that those who get a ring will find their true love in the ensuing year. See also king cake.

Other foods associated with the holiday:

* Candy corn
* Báirín Breac (Ireland)
* Colcannon (Ireland)
* Bonfire toffee (in the UK)
* Toffee Apple (Australia when celebrated, England, Wales and Scotland, instead of "Candy Apples")
* Apple cider
* Cider
* Roasted sweetcorn
* Popcorn
* Roasted pumpkin seeds
* Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread
* "Fun-sized" or individually wrapped pieces of small candy, typically in Halloween colors of orange, and brown/black.
* Novelty candy shaped like skulls, pumpkins, bats, worms, etc.
* Small bags of chips, pretzels and cheese corn
* Chocolates, caramels, and gum
* Nuts

Have a safe & happy Halloween!

Recipe: Egg Free Chocolate Cake

2008-07-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

I just made this delicious chocolate cake last night. Normally we use eggs in cake mixes, but realized that ours had expired. Instead of wasting gas to get a carton of eggs, I remembered a recipe I found online for egg free cake using canned pumpkin. I had one can of pumpkin in the pantry, so I decided to finally give the recipe a try.

Ingredients:

One Box Chocolate Cake Mix(any variety)
One 15 ounce Can Pure Pumpkin Puree(NOT Pumpkin Pie Mix!!)

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease two 9" cake pans using vegetable oil or cooking spray. You can also use a 13x9" cake pan in this recipe(same cooking time).

Blend the cake mix and pumpkin in a large bowl until smooth. The batter should be pretty thick--don't add anything though. It is supposed to be this way.

Spread batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.

That's it! A super yummy, easy, and guilt-free dessert! Since there are no eggs or oil, this cake is low fat, low calorie, AND cholesterol free. Plus, pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, is rich in vitamin A and is an excellent source of fiber. You may frost the cake if you wish(as pictured) but remember frosting adds more calories and a lot of sugar. Still this cake is better than your average cake.

>>>Try making with a spice cake mix or any other flavored cake mix for variety! :-)

Honey & Coffee Facial

2008-06-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite recipes for a quick and simple facial. It requires only two ingredients, both of which are commonly found in kitchens.

Pour 2 Tbs. of honey into the palm of your hand. Rub gently all over the face(be sure to clean off any make-up first), avoiding the delicate eye area. Let sit for up to 10 minutes.

Take a handful of used coffee grounds(no older than 15 minutes), and use them to scrub the honey off of your face, along with warm water. Pat face dry with a towel.

That's it! Your face should feel smoother and slightly taut. This facial is beneficial due to the antibacterial and nourishing qualities of the honey, which is excellent for those who suffer acne or other similar skin problems. The coffee contains a high amount of antioxidants, which reduce stress and the signs of aging, as well as caffeine that naturally smooths, tightens, and closes pores. Plus, the rough texture of the grounds are a great exfoliant. You may use this facial up to three times a week to reveal a radiant complexion. Try doing it right after breakfast, when the coffee grounds are fresh~a morning pick-me up for your skin!

Recipe: Antipasto Salad

2008-06-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

With summer in full swing, I have been getting a lot of practice making new salads. Salads are one of my favorite dishes because they are so simple yet filling and very tasty.

I came up with this recipe after going to the commissary and raiding the olive bar.

1 lb. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2-3 fresh mozzerella balls(about 4 ounces), crumbled into small pieces
1/2 cup marinated mushrooms, quartered(save marinade)
handful of black olives(I used about four), pitted & finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 bottle of Kraft Sundried Tomato Vinegrette dressing(or you can substitute your favorite Italian type dressing)
Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil seasoning blend

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour into a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Mix until pasta is fully coated with dressing & mushroom marinade, adding more dressing if needed. Sprinkle with the Mrs. Dash blend(just a few shakes will do), and stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours so that all the flavors can marinate.

Add in ideas:

--chopped salami
--grilled chicken breast pieces
--drained canned tuna

YUM! Enjoy. :-)

New beginnings...

2008-06-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have not updated my blog for a long time! The last time I updated this was in December of 2007--that's about 7 months ago. Oops. ;-)

Since that last entry a lot has happened!

First of all, we are no longer located near Savannah, GA. Since my husband is in the army, we PCSed to Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It is quite different here. We used to be stationed in the midwest when we first got married, almost 5 years ago. We lived on post at Ft. Leonard Wood. So, it almost feels like home again here.

We have expanded our little business a lot in the past 6 months. We are offering a more variety of products, our main focus being on the completely natural product spectrum. I have been working with more essential oils than fragrance oils, and getting creative with natural ingredients like sugars, salts, herbs, spices, etc. It's a lot of fun to see what I can create from the earth! I still enjoy using fragrances though, that is a hard habit to beat. Hopefully though, as I collect more essential oils I can eventually stop relying on fragrances...I just hope someone makes an essential oil from cookies...mmmm...lol.

This summer has been a fun one so far. I am enjoying spending more time with my husband since we have moved. He used to work a lot, normally having a 24 hour shift once a week or more! We also live on post, as opposed to 20 miles away, so he is home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Very nice. Since I've been spending more time with my family, I have slowed down my production rate, but once the weather cools down I will probably get back into my crafting mode.

Well, I hope to keep my blog updated more now too. I have a lot of things I want to talk about here. Hope you all are having a fun summer! :-)

2007-12-19T08:37:00.000-08:00

Prototype Vitamin Bar

2007-11-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have finished creating my prototype vitamin bar. Several people had asked about testing it, so I decided to take my original recipe and add some more ingredients to boost it up.

Originally I had been making a pure vitamin bar--plain facial bar with vitamins A, C, D, E, B complex, and niacin added. I noticed it was making my skin smooth and clarified, even after the first use!

After some requests though, I decided to add more ingredients specifically for clearing up acne and balancing troubled skin.

The finished bar contains:

Lemongrass Essential Oil--antiseptic properties will clear infections, tones skin by tightening and closing pores, and helps to control excessive oil secretions. It also has a pleasingly sweet aroma(reminscent of lemon) which can have a calming effect to help relieve nervous tension and stress.

Geranium Essential Oil--used medicinally, particularly in aromatherapy, used for hormonal imbalance, for this reason geranium is often considered to be "female" oil. This ingredient was added because it is known that skin problems can be caused primarily by hormonal imbalances--puberty, PMS, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause particularly, as well as daily stress, are contributed to hormonal imbalance.

Neem Oil--is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of Neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian sub-continent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is perhaps the most important of the commercially available products of Neem. The seeds, bark and leaves contain compounds with proven antiseptic, antiviral, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and antifungal uses.

Aloe Vera Oil--Aloe vera has been used externally to treat various skin conditions such as cuts, burns and eczema. It is alleged that sap from Aloe vera eases pain and reduces inflammation. It is proven to be an excellent moisturizer in cosmetics.

Vitamin A--is often called the “skin normalizer” or “rejuvenating agent”. The primary benefit of vitamin A is its ability to normalize keratinization(horny layers) by regulating skin cell growth and differentiation. This results in
decreased roughness and decreased facial wrinkling.

Vitamin C--reduces redness, especially for those with skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and also excessive sun exposure. In addition, vitamin C has been
found to stimulate collagen synthesis and to reduce dark pigmentation of the skin (i.e. age spots). Therefore, vitamin C is also considered an anti-aging ingredient.

Vitamin D--Vitamin D is produced photochemically in the skin, and helps develop the presence and concentration of melanin, and important light filter in the skin.

Vitmain E--Because of its ability to quench free radicals the term “protector” has been used to describe the actions of vitamin E. Studies have shown that vitamin E reduces UV-induced erythema, edema, sunburn cell formation, and lipid peroxidation.
Clinical improvement in the visible signs of skin aging has been documented with
significant decrease in both skin wrinkling. This may be also be due to the excellent moisturizing effect of vitamin E.

B Complex(B1, B2, B3)--has been used for years in hair care products because it functions as a humectant that increases the water content of hair and improves its elasticity. B Complex can also attract water into the upper layer of the skin and is thus effective as a moisturizer and softener. It also enhances the regeneration of skin.

Niacin--a form of vitamin B3, has been shown to have antiinflammatory properties that result in improvement of acne.

Other all natural inactive ingredients: Coconut Oil and Vegetable Oil(saponified), Glycerin(kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sorbitol (from berries, moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soybean protein (conditioner), Titanium Dioxide (mineral whitener used in opaque soaps).

Overall, in theory, this bar should help maintain healthy skin, promote balance and clarity, as well as control acne and breakouts. This product is intended for those with mild to moderate skin problems. For moderate to severe problems, I can offer other products.

I made this soap in a one pound batch using my sample size tray mold. It yielded 15 bars, 1.5 ounces each. I already promised one person two bars, plus I am using one for myself. I have 12 bars left. Generally one bar will last a good two weeks or so, depending on how much and how often you use it.

I am offering my testers 50% off of the retail price, plus a 10% discount if you wish to purchase a full sized finished product. This cost will cover supplies and labor.

Retail price for these samples would be $1.50 apiece, but as a tester you will be offered it at .75 cents plus $1.25 for postage(.25 cents more per extra bar added).

I reccomend doing a trial of 30 days to get the full effects of using a new product. Results can be seen in weekly increments, but full effects will not be known until after a period of 30 days. Please let me know how long you can commit to this trial.

I will be setting up a survey to be taken during the course of the trial, I would appreciate it if all testers can commit to the survey to better help me in creating future products.

You may leave comments here, PM me on HC forums, or email me at naturalmadison@yahoo.com for any details.

Thank you for your participation!

Acne

2007-11-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling with acne problems since I was only 11 years old. I am 22 now, so that is exactly 11 years. Puberty, PMS, pregnancy, and breastfeeding have all had their toll on my skin. Fluctuating hormones cause intense breakouts for me. I have several scars on my face that make-up can not even cover up.

I have had to try several different medications and products to try and control my acne. I have had success with some, but more times than anything, no results whatsoever or worse acne than I started with. I have taken anti-biotics, birth control, retin a, and other presribed drugs, as well as OTC astringents, lotions, creams, gels, washes, soaps, etc.

Recently, in the past few years, I have started to lead a more natural lifestyle. I have noticed that the more natural a product is, the better the results are(this goes for anything, from household cleansers to hygiene products). I also began making my own bath & beauty products around the same time. I decided to expiriment with different natural ingredients to clear my skin. Every time, the results have been fantastic! It is unbelievable how nature can be so perfect and have the very cure we are looking for.

That is why I am here now for you. To help you better understand your skin and share the knowledge I have learned from my journey through skincare.

Let's begin with the basics.

WHAT IS ACNE?

Acne is an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units (skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland).

Acne develops as a result of blockages in follicles. Hyperkeratinization and formation of a plug of keratin and sebum (a microcomedo) is the earliest change. Enlargement of sebaceous glands and an increase in sebum production occur with increased androgen (DHEA-S) production at adrenarche. The microcomedo may enlarge to form an open comedo (blackhead) or closed comedo (whitehead). In these conditions the naturally occurring largely commensual bacteria Propionibacterium acnes can cause inflammation, leading to inflammatory lesions (papules, infected pustules, or nodules) in the dermis around the microcomedo or comedo, which results in redness and and may result in scarring or hyperpigmentation.

Source: Wikipedia.com

WHAT CAUSES ACNE?

-Genetics
-Stress(increases levels of hormones)
-Bacteria
-Poor Diet(i.e. one that is high in processed/refined foods, carbohydrates, refined sugars, caffeine, etc.)
-Lower levels of vitamins A & E
-Dead skin cells
-Over medication/irritation to the skin

WHAT WILL PREVENT ACNE?

-Lower levels of stress(practice relaxtion techniques)
-Good Diet
-Excercise
-Plenty of Water(minimum of eight 8 ounce glasses per day)
-Sunshine
-Balanced skincare

WHAT IS BALANCED SKINCARE?

Balanced skincare is a skin regime or routine that you will follow every day that does not irritate or over medicate your skin. Using harsh chemmicals and washing your skin often with a rough wash cloth or scrubby will not clear up or prevent acne, it will actually make it worse.

Inorder to take charge of your skin, you need to find what routine and products are best for you. I have found that washing my face twice daily helps greatly. I only use a gently exfoliating wash cloth, such as a micro fine terry cloth towel, to exfoliate and remove make-up. I use my own natural products to cleanse, clarify, restore, and prevent breakouts. Occasionally I will follow up with a tonic, but always add a light oil free moisturizer. For breakouts and troublesome areas, I will dab on tea tree oil or a tea tree oil blend.

Your individual routine will vary. I reccomend beginning with twice daily washing followed by a tonic, oil free moisturizer, and topical treatment when needed. You may eliminate the morning washing if you find it irritating or drying to your skin. It is essential to wash your face at least once a day though, especially if you wear make-up. Acne is caused by plugged pores, and by keeping your make-up on all night, you are not allowing your skin to breathe, thus causing acne. Remove make-up with plain soap and water--never use any commercial products. Also, use a tonic that is suited for your skin type, as well as an oil free moisturizer(to prevent clogging your pores), and topical treatment if needed. Generally, this routine works for most people.

WHAT IS MY SKIN TYPE?

There are four basic skin types:

Oily--excessive amounts of oil are produced by the skin, creating a "glow" or "slick" look and feel

Dry--dry, patchy areas of skin that are hard to keep moisturized

Combination--a combination of dry and oily skin.

Sensitive--skin that is easily irritated, particularly by OTC products and harsh essential oils.

WHAT PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE?

I currently make the following products for facial care:

Simple Clarifying Complexion Bar--gentle organic oils are combined with the powerful acne fighting tea tree and neem oils. Reccomended for moderate to severe acne, oily skin, not reccomended for those with sensitive skin.

Soothing Rose Water Tonic--a blend of rose hydrosol, aloe vera, vegetable glycerin, and witch hazel to soothe and restore skin. Suitable for all skin types.

Calming Chamomile Soap--organic oils are mixed with real chamomile tea and leaves, excellent for those with sensitive skin.

New! v i t a m i n s Facial Bar--a blend of natural oils, vitamins A, C, D, E, and B complex, neem oil, lemongrass oil, and geranium oil. Provided balance and clarity. Currently in the works.

I also offer upon request pure Tea Tree Oil and Neem Oil(or a combination), in 8 ounce bottles only.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT WILL WORK?

My products are labeled as to what skin type it is good for. Generally though, skincare is a trial and error process. I do promise though, to find the right product for YOU.

What's New

2007-10-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

A glimpse at what will be stocking in the near future...

First, I have added three new categories to the site.

I eliminated the "Yogi Organic Teas" category and replaced it with "For the Home". In that category you will find three sub-categories of "In the Pantry", "Home Fragrances", and "Natural Cleaning Products". I've moved the Yogi Teas I had left into "In the Pantry" but will also be filling it with some food mixes. If you have been to Holiday Lane then you might have seen the cocoa mixes I have for sale. I will also be including those on my site, in more versions. I am thinking of a PB Cup type right now and others.

I also have been making wax tarts.

I have several fragrances available for them, 56 I believe.

Right now I am thinking more and more about my Black Friday stocking than anything. I have so many ideas running through my head for it, I just need to re-order lot's of supplies inorder to finish them. Hopefully on the first I can do that. I'm thinking of more children's book & soap sets, bath salts, bath scrub sets, holiday themed soaps, and more.

Example of previous soap & children's book sets

Right now though it is very hot in my house. The AC is broken, and since we live in GA it is still 80* even thought it's almost November! Hopefully we either get the AC fixed or it starts to cool down. This temperature has been making me feel very lazy.

Well, I am working on a small project for a charity collab on Holiday Lane I better get back to that.

Long overdue for an update...

2007-10-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

I started this blog last spring and originally intended to update frequently. As you can tell, that didn't happen! Life has certainly gotten busy for us. Since I last wrote, we have had a few exciting things happen. First, our second child was born July 3. His name is Nathan, and is currently almost 4 months old. He is a happy and snuggly baby, who likes to keep mommy busy and away from her work! ;-)

Secondly, we found out that we will be moving next year. Chris is pulling orders to go to a new unit at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. It will be fun. We used to live at Ft. Leonard Wood when we first got married, which is only a few hours away from Leavenworth. We have missed Ft. Wood ever since we left, so perhaps this will make us feel more at home. Plus, Chris's parents will only be a couple of hours away in IA. It will be nice to have family close by for a change! :-)

With the holiday season approaching fast, I have been working hard(or trying to rather) at making some new soaps and other goodies. Natural Madison has alos joined a new congo on Hyena Cart, Holiday Lane. There are about 40 or so vendors(the biggest congo to date on HC!) that are selling holiday and gift themed items. So far it has been a popular success!

Our next stocking is to be Nov. 4th at noon. It will be a small stocking as I am trying to put a lot of things aside for our BiG Black Friday sale. I will update more on that soon.

Anywho...just a small update after a looooong hiatus. I promise to update more often, now that I have figured out how to change the text back to English, and have a bit more time to devote to this blog. :-)

Help Support Our Troops!

2007-04-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

On Monday, April 16th, at 12 Noon, we will be stocking Yellow Ribbon soaps at our store on hyena cart to help support the deploying troops to the Middle East. Each soap will cost $4 plus shipping, and 100% of the profits will go towards a care package for our soldiers.

As a military family ourself(my husband, his sister, and brother are all active duty, and his step brother is National Guard) we understand firsthand what it is like to be away from home. Simple things like toiletries are usually expensive for the soliders to buy at the PX(Post Exchange), and some personal favorites are hard to find, as stock is limited. These items are also not supplied by the military, as soldiers have to use their personal paycheck(also hard to access overseas for some) to foot the bill. A lot of times family members and friends will be designated to send care packages overseas to lift this burden from the troops, but for those who do not have family or friends to do so, they have to rely on their fellow comrade to "spot them" or try and make do with what they can get at the camp PX.

We would like to ease the soldiers' mind of this by sending them a care package. We are asking if you would like to help by purchasing a bar of our Yellow Ribbon soap. All of the funds received will go towards this care package, its contents and shipping.

We thank you for your support!

something

2007-04-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

April 6th, at 8PM we will be stocking as a guest vendor on something at Hyena Cart. We have made some new items as well as old favorites to sell.

You may visit something here:

http://www.hyenacart.com/something

Who We Are

2007-04-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Natural Madison family: Jennifer, Chris, and Madison(photo taken January 2006)

I often describe Natural Madison using the term "we" instead of "me" because I like to think of this as a family effort. Even though it was my idea to start this business, everyone in my family has a small part at one time or another.

First of all, there is me, the one who came up with the idea of an at home business. I am Jennifer, 21 years old, and married to a wonderful army man, Chris, with one crazy toddler boy, Madison, and another boy expected shortly this summer. I grew up in western Pennsylvania, I had what to me was a normal childhood. My mother instilled values into me and my older brother, the same ones she had when she grew up. We would plant several vegetable gardens every summer, with green beans, tomatoes, carrots, corn, peas, squash, pumpkins, etc. We also had a few blueberry bushes in our yard to pick from. My mother also loved flowers, so we had plenty of those around too. Everyone would help plant, weed, and harvest the garden. When I was younger, I would carry a chip basket and hold it for my mother to fill with our bounty.

In the kitchen of our rustic log home(that my dad and his family build), we would can and freeze all of our produce and more--my mother would scour produce stands and farmer's markets for fresh, seasonal produce to save for the winter. We would also go berry picking at a local farm, fresh strawberries and raspberries to be frozen for pies and made into jam. I would help my mother can peaches, tomatoes, green beans, and make salsa, tomato juice, spaghetti sauce, and pizza sauce. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun too.

I also did a lot of arts and crafts as a child. I was enrolled in art classes at the local art center at an early age, that is where I first learned the techniques about drawing, painting, and a little bit of sculpting. Later, I perfected my ways from high school classes as well as plenty of books. My grandmother taught me the basics of sewing, which I used quite a lot in high school to make my own purses, skirts, and other clothing. I also expirimented a lot with dyeing my own clothing, as well as bleaching and stonewashing techniques.

I got my first soapmaking kit when I was just 12 years old, it was a simple melt and pour kit, but I remembered it well when my husband left for his first deployment a few years ago--which is when I started to take soapmaking up as a serious hobby.

With all those things and more, I learned about a simpler, healthier way of living which has helped shape who I am today. I strive to keep the things my mother taught me alive, by gardening at home and preserving foods. I buy a lot of fresh foods and produce for my family to eat, use "greener" methods for cleaning and living, as well as a few things I picked up on my own like cloth diapering my children. Arts and crafts are still a very important aspect of my life, as it reflects not only in my business but my home as well. I try to make as many things I can myself, from paintings to pillows, curtains, and other decorative things.

The second important part of Natural Madison is my family, which would be my husband Chris(whom I've been married to for almost four years), and my three year old son, Madison(the namesake behind NM!). My husband plays a key role because he helps out a lot financially for supplies and other materials, as well as running packages to the post office during his lunch break at work, and sometimes helping me package items. My son Madison is a big inspiration for me. He loves to take baths, so he gets to test out all of my kid's products. He also wears a lot of my tie dyed and painted clothing. Often times too, he will give me his "opinion" on certain things I make, he loves smelling all of my soaps and potions.

I am very happy and thankful to be able to work from home, and to provide for my family by making natural and safe products for other families to use.

Welcome to the Natural Madison Blog

2007-04-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to create a blog to record all of the details about Natural Madison, including updates, new products, product information, custom orders, etc. This a more "behind the scenes" look at everything that goes on at the Natural Madison headquarters!