Natural Home Products

With all the media hype about the H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic, we sometimes forget that simple hand washing is the most effective way of preventing the spread of H1N1 and any flu virus.  Proper hand washing is the simplest, yet the most neglected, disease prevention practice.   While germs can survive for up to three hours on our hands, a thorough hand washing with hot, soapy water can prevent any germs or bacteria from transferring to others.

It is important that hands be washed properly to prevent illness. The “rinse and go” method that is all too common nowadays is ineffective for preventing the spread of germs or bacteria. To Wash Your Hands Properly you must use soap and warm, running water.  Make sure to wet your hands before applying a liberal amount of soap to your hands. Rub your hands vigorously for 20 seconds.  You can try singing two rounds of “Happy Birthday” for timing your hand washing.  Make sure you wash all surfaces including:  the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers, the tips of your fingers, and under your fingernails. Then rinse your hands well and dry with paper towel.

Studies have shown that using good hand washing technique with plain old soap and water is just as effective as using antibacterial soap in controlling the number of microbes on hands.   Using an all natural soap or natural antiseptic soap such as tea tree oil soap, will get the job done and prove milder to the skin with repeated washings.  Hand sanitizer can also be used as an effect adjunct to hand washing, particularly when you are not near hand washing facilities.  Health agency recommendations include the use of hand sanitizers, but not as a replacement for proper hand washing, suggesting hand sanitizers not be used in place of soap and water but alongside a proper hand washing regime.  As with the spread of any flu, proper hand washing remains the very best defence against the spread of illness.

When it comes to romance, just about everyone has their own theory on what works best. Of course, no one knows their significant other like their own partner, but a few tips and a little advice never hurts. One of the best places to start thinking about romance is in the bathroom. We’re talking about handmade soap, bubble bath, moisturizers, bath fizzies, and massage oil. There’s nothing better than having a private candlelit bath and coming out feeling clean and refreshed.

For husbands who want to set a romantic bath for their wife, start with a little bit of bubble bath solution. Draw the bath, and be sure to light a few candles around the room, and dim or turn off the lights. Having incense burning can help to set the mood, but if incense isn’t right, then consider scented candles or tarts. Provide a bath set complete with sensual soaps and oils, and let them have a relaxing soak and come out feeling like a new person.

For hundreds of years skilled craftsman have made handmade soap.  Prior to the Industrial Revolution rough cuts of handmade soaps were crafted on a small scale.  While today most soap is mass produced,  many skilled craftsman continue to pursue their passion for hand crafted soaps, adding a personal touch to their soap and a sense of luxury to our personal hygiene.

The quality of today’s handmade soaps differs from massed produced industrial soap in that, usually, the glycerine is not removed.  This leaves a naturally moisturizing soap rather than a detergent.  An array of oils and butters are used in the hand crafting process such as olive, coconut, palm, cocoa butter, hemp oil, and shea butter, with each oil providing different qualities.  For example,  olive oil provides mildness in soap; coconut oil provides lots of lather; and coconut and palm oils provide firmness.  It is easy to see how the selection of hand crafted soap has become so vast.

Handcrafted soap is made unique with the additions of essential oils, fragrance oils, botanicals, herbs, oatmeal or other natural additives.  Often rosemary essential oil is added as a natural preservative and fragrance. While many of the handcrafted soaps are long lasting hard bars of soap, they remain exceptionally gentle soaps that can be used on sensitive skin.  The high natural glycerine content of handmade soap draws moisture to the skin to combat dryness. The high quality handmade soaps crafted today will remain among the mildest of soaps for sensitive skin.

Sometimes known as melaleuca oil, tea tree oil is an essential oil known for its camphor-like smell. The oils are derived from the leaves of a tree found in New South Wales, Australia. It’s most common uses are in medical and cosmetic products. In both instances, the oil has usually been greatly diluted, because in high concentrations, it has been known to cause irritation for users. Users should also be aware that tea tree oil differs from tea oil, which is merely the seasoning derived from pressed tea plant seeds.

On the medical end, tea tree oil is used most commonly as an antiseptic. It is also an antifungal agent, which is why it’s found at times in anti-dandruff shampoo. With uses beyond human applications, the oil has also found itself a common form of flea control. But always make sure the animal can’t consume the oil if it’s applied directly to their skin. Consumption has been found to induce sickness or even death in animals. So whether you’re using tea tree oil soap or considering using it as a natural flea control method, make sure you use precautions that the oil is used sparingly and is never ingested.

While some people don’t realize it, salves, cremes, and lotions that are put onto the skin are absorbed into the body.  These skincare products often contain chemicals or toxins that would be dangerous to ingest, but they seep right into the skin and people don’t have a second thought about it.  It’s important to realize the dangers of exposure to the chemicals and toxins used in health and hygiene products.  Using natural soap, as well as natural skincare products is the path to perfect health.  Natural products don’t contain the dangerous chemicals and toxins that most other products contain, and it’s important to use natural products on the body. 

When you use natural products, you’re also helping the environment.  Natural products are free from chemicals and toxins, and true natural products are also healthy to the environment because their ingredients were cultivated and harvested through natural and non-invasive processes.

Most people take their soap for granted and probably don’t know how the product is made.  It is a product everyone uses all day long – in your morning shower, throughout the day to wash your hands, and perhaps again at night while taking a warm bath to relax. While most people wouldn’t want to live without, it remains a product that does not get a lot of attention.

Did you know, for instance, that most of the soaps available in the store are actually detergents? Detergents are known to leave the skin feeling dry and itchy. The soaps that are mass produced and sold in stores often contain chemicals that can irritate the skin and can be harmful to humans. Handmade soaps, on the other hand, contain natural oils, such as olive oil. Another difference is that handmade soaps contain glycerin, which is a soap by-product that is gentle on even the most sensitive skins.