Wednesday, December 28, 2005

New Monoi Products!


We've been enjoying our Monoi de Taire oil we decided to to add it to a few more products! Monoi Oil is a traditional beauty secret of Polynesian women. In Polynesia it is used as a skin and hair conditioner and is renowned for repairing skin and fighting wrinkles. Monoi de Taire oil as it is traditionally called is produced by extracting the fatty oil from the nuts of the "Tahitian Tumu Ha'ari " tree then soaking and macerating Gardenia petals in the fresh oil for several weeks. This produces a totally natural, highly scented, and lavish oil. Monoi oil has been shown to penetrate skin quicker then other oils thus, rehydrating faster and more efficiently.

New for when we reopen on January 23rd All Natural Monoi ShaBombs! Monoi ShaBombs are bath bombs infused with Monoi Oil to give you a relaxing, emollient, and beautiful scented bath. Also be on the lookout for our new Monoi Bath Salts!

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Ingredient Spotlight - Honey!


Honey-Do-Right ~ The benefits of Honey
Article by Rachel Yost

“Honey Pie hello”
Throughout history honey has been constantly used, first and foremost for consumption. After all, it was mankind’s original sweetener. Flower nectar, harvested by bees, is then digested and stored in hives. This is where the moisture evaporates and produces the substance we all know as honey. It is definitely superior to processed sweeteners because of its low level of calories and natural vitamins and minerals. Yet, we may owe more to our busy little friends than just a tasty treat. The very food that is good for your body is also good for your skin.

Queen Bees and then Men Who Loved Them
Honey is becoming increasingly proven to have “sweet” effects on skin. However, it has been used by beauty savvy women throughout history; giving them smooth skin that is fit for a queen, literally. Cleopatra, the famed Queen of the Nile and timeless paradigm of youth and beauty, notoriously bathed in a mixture of milk and honey to keep her skin looking young and supple. Her famous ritual apparently did its job; making her skin “to die for” (just ask Julius!).

Another Queen Bee who utilized the beneficial aspects of honey was Poppea, wife of the infamous Roman emperor, Nero. Poppea slathered her royal face with a lotion concocted from honey and milk. How well did it work? She was of such notable beauty Nero banished his first wife Octavia to make room for her sweet face. While we can’t say much for her taste in men, Poppea’s beauty regimen was certainly admirable.

In the sixteenth century, yet another ruler was drawn in by the raw beauty of honey. Madame du Barry, the last mistress of Louis XV of France, regularly used honey as a facial mask enriching and moisturizing her skin. This natural beauty used her looks to move on up from a peasant born to impoverished parents and ending up as a Madame in the Court of France. Although in the end, she did lose her head, you can be sure she faced the guillotine with smooth skin.

Honey, I’m... Gorgeous!
Just why is a honey comb such a goldmine of beauty secrets? Surely, one of the greatest aspects of honey is that is it completely natural. It one of the few products from nature that requires no processing or preservatives. It can be sent directly from the bees to you; giving the term “natural beauty” new meaning.

The purity of honey is only the beginning. More scientifically, honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and locks in moisture. It also has emollient properties, meaning it helps to soften and soothe. The skin’s ability to retain moisture is essential for softness and elasticity. Honey’s natural humectant and emollient aspects make it an ideal ingredient for moisturizers and face makes.

As you age, your skin loses this precious ability to retain moisture, resulting in the loss of elasticity and eventually the appearance of wrinkles. Therefore, honey may not only make your skin supple in the present, but it may also keep it smooth for years to come.

Another consequence of aging is damaged skin from exposure to UV rays, cigarette smoke, and other environmental stresses. These strains make skin not only look withered and dry, but also lessen its ability to heal itself. Honey is thought to have appreciable antioxidant aspects. What does this mean? Well, antioxidants may not only ward off cancer, but they also help defend against malicious UV rays and aid in skin rejuvenation. That means, honey may not only combat the signs of aging, but also help reverse the effects of Father Time. Ever wonder how Winnie the Pooh maintains such a smooth face after all these years? He keeps his kisser perpetually sticky with his favorite treat, Honey!

Worried about sensitive skin? Honey is also thought to be a natural anti-irritant, making it safe for oh-so-sensitive skin. In addition to its antioxidant and moisturizing qualities, honey is gaining more evidence as a natural antiseptic. When heated and smeared over skin, it attracts the dirt away from pores. It’s not hard to see why it’s such a popular ingredient in cleansers and soaps and the sugary scent makes it all the more sweet!

Historically, doctors have used honey in treating burns and dressing wounds. Recently, they have been finding out this remedy may have truth on its side. Honey has been shown to have antimicrobial attributes. It can be applied to wounds and may aid in preventing infection by smothering bacteria with its high content of sugar and relatively low ph level. As an added bonus, it is also a natural anti-inflammatory, thus keeping skin from swelling while cleaning and protecting the cut. Perhaps old world doctors really knew what they were doing after all!

Catch more flies with honey!
Honey seems like it can do it all; moisturizing, soothing, protecting, cleansing and healing. All things considered, it should be easy to see why we add honey to so many of our products. To see for yourself, why not spoil yourself by trying one of our handmade honey-fied soaps or enriching honey facials? Pamper yourself like the royalty you are!
Honey-fied Soaps
Oat N Goat
HoneyBee Good!
Autumn Bloom
As American as Apple Pie
Blackberry Sage
Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey Castile Soap (coming soon!)
All Natural Honey-fied Soaps
Wildflower Honey & Wheatgerm Soap
Carrot & Honey Creme
Enriching Honey Facials
Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey Facial
Limited Edition Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey Facial










Tuesday, November 15, 2005

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas....

...all around our shop!
I just can’t help but to sing that classic song (with some new verses by me of coarse!) as I work around the shop today. We’ve got Orange Glazed Gingerbread Soap curing nicely to the right, our new Spice Cake Soap drying to the left, and piled everywhere are our Scent of the Month products in Sweet Pumpkin Kiss! It smells so good around here, we have nose prints on the outside of our windows….”Peeping Toms”….or “Sniffing Toms”…hmmm, or it could just be my husband who is supposed to be cleaning leaves!We were a bit set back in our inventory by our last special. Have no fear, we’ve got a whole army of new soap waiting to hit the shelves…or website…early December. Be sure to stop by for all your last minute gifts and goodies!

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Win a $20.00 Wylde Ivy Gift Voucher! Ended!


Candy Guess has ended!
Final candy count was 853!
Thanks for playing!
Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

November's Scent of the Month!

Available starting November 5th, November’s scent of the month is Sweet Pumpkin Kiss. It is an exclusive blend of Pumpkin, a touch of spice, and a hint of Holiday sweetness. Sweet Pumpkin Kiss will be available in our Botanical Body Wash, Solid Shampoo, Solid Conditioner, Soy Wax Tarts, Body Mist, and Perfumes.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Testers needed for our new facial products! *No More Testers Needed, Thank You!*

We are looking for some "outside" testers for our new line of all natural facial products. Our new products are a spin off of our popular Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey Mask and include "Strawberries and Cream Face Mask, Banana and Yogurt Facial Smoothie, and Cucumber and Chamomile Face Pack. We are looking for some very specific skin types to test these products. All we ask is that once you test the products you give us a thorough review and answer any questions we may ask about the product. Because we are looking for specific skin types, please email us at soap@wyldeivy.com and describe your skin. If your skin type fits what we are looking for, we will email you back for your address and for testing instructions. If you do not receive an email from us within 24 hours, it just means that you did not have the skin type we needed for our testing...not that we don't love you :) Thank you!

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Our New Chocolate Soap has a Name!


Our new Chocolate Fatale soap is available for purchase!
Our entire production room smells of decadent dark chocolate! I was just cutting up a slab of our newest soap…a glorious blend of bitter dark chocolates. No wimpy “fake” chocolate scents here…this soap smells like the real deal. We live very near the town of Hershey, yes where the chocolate is made, and this soap smells like their factory! It is swirled with black cocoa powder and the soap contains both shea and cocoa butter along with rich coconut milk.
We need a name for this soap before its release on October 1st.…something catchy, something fun, but definitely something that reflects the pure dark chocolate aroma of this soap! Submit your suggestions via the comments tab below in addition to emailing them to soap@wyldeivy.com (this will help us avoid duplicate entries). You can enter as many times as you wish. We'll announce the winning name in next month's newsletter! Please note that this soap will turn all brown, as it ages. The golden center is fresh soap that was exposed as I cut.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Your favorite Wylde Ivy Products or Scents?

Let's hear from some of our customers! We are curious about your favorite scents or products from Wylde Ivy.

Intro

Who I am…
Well, I guess introducing myself and my company is a good first post. My name is Ashlee and I am the owner and creator of Wylde Ivy. I am 27 years old and live in Eastern Pennsylvania.

How Wylde Ivy was Born…..
I began tinkering with handmade soaps as I slowly became sensitive to all the major brands of soap and bodywash on the market. Little did I know what I was getting into! It took me quite awhile to come up with soap recipes that I was consistently happy with. Due to the vast amount of inaccurate information on both the web and in books, I’m afraid most of my learning in the beginning was through trial and error.

So, how did Wylde Ivy become a business? In talking about my hobby to my friends and clients (I own a hair salon as my day job), I peaked their interest. I kept getting asked to “bring out the soap” and “show us your soap”. People were asking me to sell them some. So, after some persuading, I managed to craft some very crude labels and my soap came out of storage for it’s first public debut.

Now, I would have been overjoyed to just sell a few of the fifteen assorted and misshapen bars that were sprawled out haphazardly on the shelf. Well, not only did I sell out of all fifteen bars, but also I had orders to boot! This is the way it went for several months. My soap traveled to my friends and families’ workplaces by the basket full and everyday an empty basket would come back with a list of orders.
So that was about the time I started to realize that this was turning into more then a hobby. My soap business needed a name. “How did you come up with your name?” is one the most asked questions that I hear. To be honest, I’m not really sure. It was during a brainstorming session with my husband that it just sort of popped out. I knew the type of image I wanted to portray, and since I love ivy….well there it was. Wild Ivy sounded good….but it looked way to boring to me. I pride myself on being different and wanted my business to be different as well. So we kicked out the “i” and added an “e”! Wylde Ivy was born!