Cyber Monday Special

My Cyber Monday Special is buy any three soaps and get the fourth one FREE.  Take advantage of this great offer at my Etsy shop http://sweetsallyssoaps.etsy.com

Holiday Sales

I am participating in two Etsy Team Holiday Sales starting Nov 27th and running until Nov 30th.  My shop will be offering FREE SHIPPING on anything in my shop.    http://sweetsallyssoaps.etsy.com  Below are spotlights of both of my teams, first Etsybloggers and second Etsyfriends.



http://www.etsy.com/shop/etsybloggers



http://etsyfriends.blogspot.com/

My Favorite Holiday Film

This month's Blog Carnival asks the question what is your favorite Holiday Movie?  I guess my very favorite holiday film would have to be Miracle on 34th Street, the original 1947 version of course with Natalie Wood. There is something about that movie that gives me that warm squishy holiday feeling inside, that internal optimism that if you believe in something strong enough it will really happen.  If you haven't seen the original version of this movie I suggest you check it out. 

Essential Oils 101 Part Two

Today's post is about another very important and rather popular essential oil, Tea Tree.  Tea tree grows in the wild in Australia and thrives in marshy areas.  It is a tree or shrub with needle-like leaves and yellow or purplish flowers.  Twigs and the spiky leaves are what the oil is distilled form.

Tea tree essential oil has a rather medicinal scent but has some very impressive characteristics including being  an anti-fungal, antiviral, and antibacterial.  The oil is used for the treatment of acne, burns, blisters, cold sores, warts, athlete's foot, sunburn, herpes, and insect bites.

Today you can find tea tree oil in many popular products in your health food store from shampoos and soaps to salves and shower cleaners.  I use tea tree oil in two of my soaps, the first being one of my soaps of the month, Tea Tree & Eucalyptus.  Eucalyptus, also from Australia has it's own powerful characteristic including being an antiseptic and antiviral.  The two essential oils teamed together not only make a wonderful scent combination but also make for a powerhouse of healing properties.

 

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My other soap with tea tree essential oil is my newest soap Charcoal &Tea Tree.  Here the powerful characteristic of tea tree are matched with activated charcoal which clarifies and detoxes your skin of impurities.   This is a great soap for acne prone skin. 

 

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These two soaps will be 15% OFF in both my Etsy  and Artfire Shops.

http://sweetsallyssoaps.etsy.com

http://www.artfire.com/users/SweetSallysSoaps

 

Featured EtsyBlogger Fab Miss B

This month's Featured Etsyblogger is the Fab Miss B. She has two fabulous etsy shops, one featuring unique vintage items for you and your home and the other shop has vintage inspired chenille pipe cleaner ornaments and wonderful cards featuring reproductions of the Fab Miss B's original watercolors.



Take some time and check out both of these charming shops and don't forget to also visit her blog!
http://thefabmissb.etsy.com
http://beckykazana.etsy.com
http://thefabmissb.blogspot.com

Essential Oils 101

Today I am starting a new series on my blog called Essential Oils 101.  I will be posting weekly about the benefits of essential oils in our everyday lives.  I realize many people are not aware of the difference between an essential oil and a fragrance oil, so this is a great place to start.  Essential oils are the real essence extracted from a plant, a wood, or a resin.  Because essential oils come from living plant matter they contain all sorts of wonderful properties such as being anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antiviral and antiseptic.  On the other hand fragrance oils may smell nice but they do not contain any of the healing properties of pure essential oils.  They are synthetic version and often times made up scents that do not exist in nature.

Essential oils are grouped into three categories, top notes which are the most volatile (meaning they evaporate the quickest) have uplifting and invigorating qualities, middle notes are stimulating and regulate the main body system, and base notes which are the least volatile and are used for their calming and sedating actions.    Examples of top notes are citrus, juniper, and mints, examples of middle notes are rose, lemongrass and pine and examples of base notes are patchouli, cinnamon, and vetiver.


According to many aromatherapist if you could only have one essential oil, your choice should be lavender.  I thought this would be the best oil to start our discussion on essential oils.   Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils and has been used as far back as ancient times for its calming qualities.  Lavender can help with depression, insomnia, stress, headache, burns, acne, sore muscles and nervous tension.

Lavender is also many peoples favorite scent, it is showing up everywhere these days  from dish washing liquid to room sprays and even in Comet for scrubbing your sink.  Lavender blends well with many other essential oils including bergamot, clary sage, patchouli, rosemary and rose.

I scent most of my soaps with pure natural essential oils.  I sometimes use fragrance oils if the essential oil is cost prohibitive to use in soapmaking.  Essential oil prices differ radically from scent to scent, some of the most expensive being rose, neroli, sandalwood, and vanilla.  As part of my essential oil series I will be selling my soaps with that essential oil at 15% off the regular price.  Below you will see some soaps that are mostly lavender and some that are part lavender, but they all contain the wonderful therapeutic qualities of lavender.



Please take advantage of these savings at my etsy shop and enjoy the marvels that nature provides.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetSallysSoaps

November's Featured Soaps

This months featured soaps are Oatmeal & Honey and Tea Tree & Eucalyptus. Oatmeal & Honey is wonderful smelling soap and is scented with lemongrass essential oil, made with pure honey that helps your skin maintain moisture, and oatmeal which is soothing to all skin types. Tea Tree & Eucalyptus is made with an abundant amount of Tea Tree essential oil which is used for easing many skin problems including acne, rashes, insect bites, and athlete's foot. Pairing tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils makes for a delightful smelling soap. Green clay is also added which makes your skin feel extra clean.

Check out the savings available at my different sites and don't forget about Sweet Sally's Soap of the Month Club for your upcoming Holiday shopping.

Take advantage of the great savings throughout the month. Sweet Sally's Soaps Soap of the Month Club is available at http://www.sweetsallyssoaps.com/ and http://www.sweetsallyssoaps.etsy.com/ Specially priced soaps are available at http://www.sweetsallyssoaps.etsy.com/, and soon will be available at http://www.1000markets.com/shops/sweetsallyssoaps and http://www.artfire.com/users/SweetSallysSoaps

Etsyfriends Team Wide Sale

Etsyfriends Team is having a TEAM WIDE SALE to kick off the Holiday Shopping Season.  Take a look at our team blog for all the shops and what they are offering.  http://efpromotions.blogspot.com/ Sales start today November1st and ends November 7th.



Sweet Sally's Soaps is offering FREE SHIPPING on anything in my shop. http://sweetsallyssoaps.etsy.com