Vol. 7, Issue 1

September 2007

heavensoap
Newsletter

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." -1 John 4:7-

• Publisher's Note
• Q&A/Reader's Comments:
• Fall and Winter
• Information: What are essential oils

We will process and ship orders within one to two working day of receiving them between now and Christmas. Since most of our orders go out either fed ex ground or USPS priority, that means you should receive your order within about a week, give or take a day or two

This newsletter issue is the first issue that we’ve published since becoming the new owners of heavensoap in 2003. We have immensely enjoyed the nearly 4 years we have been crafting and providing you with heavensoap, and decided we should take the time to give all of our wonderful friends and customers and update on what we have been doing.

 We have introduced a couple of new products to our line – both an unscented soap and an unscented lotion bar. We’ve also made our cinnamon oatmeal soap available by the individual bar. Probably most exciting for us is the introduction of Pure Lavender soap – it is crafted with lavender essential oil and crushed lavender flowers.

 On a personal note, we also welcomed a new addition to our family earlier this year – we had a baby girl on January 7 – Logan Riley Brask. John has been very busy being dad to our wonderful daughters, while still keeping very busy filling heavensoap orders. We have limited our show attendance this fall, but expect to be attending more as the kids get older. 

Tell us about your experiences with our soaps. If you have questions or comments regarding soaps, bath salts, aromatherapy, herbs or anything else that is on your mind, write us at info@heavensoap.com.
 

Fall and Winter

One of the first signs that summer is ending here in Colorado is the arrival of the golden color on the aspen trees. The gradual cool down we have had has made for beautiful fall colors in the mountains and foothills. Let’s hope the first snow comes late this year so we can get a few more weeks to enjoy this beautiful blessed site.

On the average, Denver sees the first frost around October 7 and the first snow October 19^th. The foothills typically get their first frost a few weeks earlier. While we are on the subject of Winter – Denver gets an average of 61” of snow a year!

The holiday season seems to be starting earlier and earlier. Our local Target store has replaced school supplies with Halloween merchandise. Our 3.5 year old daughter Hayden keeps asking if it is Halloween yet.  We will soon put our inflatable Pooh and Tigger Halloween ornaments in the front yard. They are a real hit with the kids in our neighborhood.

What are Essential Oils?

Editor's note: This article is in part a reprint of an answer to a  reader's question from our June 2000 newsletter. Recent comments by customers indicate that this topic needs revisiting.

Essential oils are the volatile oils that give herbs and aromatic plants their fragrance. They are very complex. They are generally steam distilled or extracted from the plants and are the effective agents in aromatherapy. Examples of steam distilled oils include lavender and peppermint oils. Common expressed oils include lemon and
orange oils. Solvent extracted oils are sometimes labeled essential oils, but are more correctly called concretes or absolutes.

Essential oils are combined with carrier oils or other products for aromatherapy, skin or body care use. Essential oils can be antiseptic, affect mood, or have other therapeutic effects specific to the particular oil. They can be absorbed through the skin or taken into the bloodstream though the lungs. They interact with and affect the body's systems and components, such as circulation, digestion, muscles and skin.

Essential oils are potent and should only be used in small amounts, generally diffused for inhaling or diluted for skin application in a carrier oil or bath product. Essential oils should not generally be used directly on the skin or ingested in any manner without the supervision of a health care professional.

Having made the above disclaimer, however, I should point out that most of us do ingest significant quantities of essential oils, with no harm, daily. The largest purchasers of essential oils are not aromatherapists, soapmakers, herbalists, naturopathic doctors or even perfumers. The greatest volume of use of essential oils is in the food industry. Oils commonly included in foods include peppermint, cinnamon, orange, lemon and clove.

Fragrance oils, on the other hand, are simpler. They are synthesized to imitate various aromas. They include fruit and flower fragrances that have no extractable essential oil, such as peach, raspberry, honeysuckle and freesia. They include or imitate a few of the major constituents of essential oils, but don't include all of the active agents. Expensive or popular essential oils such as lavender, rose or sandalwood are frequently imitated. They are not used in true aromatherapy, but many marketers will promote candles, bath products, etc. as aromatherapeutic when they are made with fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are frequently synthesized from petrochemicals and
vary widely in their aromas from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Here at heavensoap use essential oils to create our soaps, lotion bars and lip balms.

© 2007