Simply Lora's Beauty

New Year, New Look, and New Treats at Lora’s Beauty!

2026-01-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Happy 2026! It is hard to believe we are already a few weeks into the new year. I’ve hit the ground running, and I have some exciting updates to share with you—including a major website overhaul and a brand-new product launch.

✨ Our New & Improved Website (and Better Prices!)

I have FINALLY finished redoing the Lora’s Beauty website! While I made a few aesthetic changes to the front end, the biggest work happened behind the scenes. This new setup makes it much easier for me to manage inventory, add new products, and offer you special deals.

You’ll notice that almost everything on my website is priced lower than in my Etsy shop. Because I don’t have to pay Etsy’s platform fees when you buy directly from me, I can pass those savings right back to you! My goal for 2026 is to move more of my business to the website, and I’d love for you to come take a look.

👋 The "Last Chance" Sale: $6 Bars

As part of my yearly business check-up, I’ve decided to streamline my inventory. To make room for new creations, I am discontinuing several bars. Once they are gone, they’re gone for good!

You can snag these for just $6.00 on the website ($6.90 on Etsy):

Spearmint Loofah Bar
Cedar, Fir, & Cinnamon Bar ( If you are a fan of the Cedar, Fir, & Cinnamon scent, don't worry! While I am retiring the smaller body bar shape, I’ve kept this favorite scent alive in our brand-new 10oz Dish Cube (details below).
Pink Ribbon Unscented Bar
Safflower Anise Orange Bar
Square Dish Soaps

I am also narrowing down the scent varieties for all solid dish soaps to just the top four best-sellers, including an Unscented variety, per shape. If you have a favorite scent not in the new lineup, now is the time to stock up!

📦 New Product Alert: The 10oz Dish Cube

I am so excited to introduce a new shape to our dish soap lineup: The Cube.

This is a powerhouse of a bar! While my standard bars range from 2.75oz to 4.5oz, this new cube weighs in at a hefty 10oz. Measuring 2.5" on all sides, it looks beautiful and fits perfectly on my handmade square ceramic dishes.

The Cube is available in these four scents:

Cedar, Fir & Cinnamon
Orange Ginger Poppyseed
Lemon Eucalyptus Calendula
Unscented

Thank you for continuing to support my handmade journey as I grow and evolve in 2026. Head over to the new site and let me know what you think!

Portland Weihnachtsmarkt Recap & Holiday Sale!

2025-12-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

What a festive weekend! Last Saturday marked the annual Weihnachtsmarkt at the German American Society in Portland. It is truly one of my favorite holiday events. The air was filled with the scent of roasted nuts and Glühwein, and the halls were buzzing with holiday spirit.

I always look forward to this market, and this year was a highlight! A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth. It was wonderful to share the joy of handmade soap with you all. A special shout-out to my amazing daughter-in-law for lending a hand—we had the best time!

I know many of you are not local and couldn't make it to the market, and after the fantastic response to my last promotion, I wanted to extend the savings!

From now until Christmas, all of my handcrafted body soaps are 20% off in my Etsy shop.

This is the perfect opportunity to stock up on all your gifting needs! Handmade soap makes thoughtful gifts for teachers, stocking stuffers, hostess presents, or just treating yourself!

The sale runs from now through Christmas, so head over to my Etsy shop to grab your favorites before the holiday rush! December 17th is the last day to ship First Class to make it in time for Christmas. As always, I'll get your package in the mail within one day of ordering!

Happy Holidays!

I'm Back! And Get Ready for My Biggest Sale EVER!

2025-11-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hello, wonderful friends and customers!

I'm officially back from my much-needed vacation, feeling refreshed, inspired, and incredibly excited to be back in the studio. I hope you all had a fantastic October, and for those who stopped by the shop during my absence, thank you for your patience!

Now, let's talk about something truly special. To celebrate my return and to kick off the holiday season with a bang, I'm launching a sale like no other I've ever run before! 20% off EVERTHING! Seriously, this is THE SALE you've been waiting for, and it's the perfect opportunity to stock up on your favorites or get a head start on your holiday gift list.

This spectacular "Welcome Back & Holiday Kick-Off" sale runs from now until November 15th. That gives you just under two weeks to take advantage of these unprecedented savings.

I'm so thrilled to be back and even more excited to share these amazing deals with you. Head over to my Etsy shop and let the holiday shopping (or self-indulging!) begin!

Happy Shopping!

Fall Vacation Closure & Holiday Stock-Up!

2025-10-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Just a quick heads-up that my Etsy shop and website will be closed for a short fall break from October 19th to October 30th. My family and I are taking some much-needed time off, and I want to be fully present with them.

Before I go, I've been busy restocking the shelves with all your favorites and some new items, so you can still get your hands on them before the holiday rush officially begins. If you've had your eye on something or need to place an order, please do so before October 19th. You can, of course, shop again when I'm back and ready to go on October 31st.

Thank you so much for your continued support—your orders mean the world to me! I'm looking forward to coming back refreshed and ready to create some amazing things for the holiday season.

I'm Going To Let You In On A Secret: How USPS Shipping Hikes Are Impacting Your Wallet

2025-08-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that online shopping has become the norm for many of us. With just a few clicks, we can have virtually anything delivered to our doorstep. This convenience, however, often masks a significant financial reality: the rising cost of shipping. Over the past six years, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has quietly but consistently increased its rates, and while you might not be sending many packages yourself, these increases are likely impacting your everyday purchases more than you realize.

For most consumers, the act of shipping a package is a rare occurrence. Think about it: when was the last time you went to the post office to mail something other than a holiday card or a return? The vast majority of our interactions with shipping services are on the receiving end, as products arrive from online retailers. This shift in consumer behavior has created a blind spot when it comes to shipping costs. We're more concerned with the final price of an item and whether "free shipping" is offered than with the underlying logistics expenses.

This "free shipping" illusion is often just that – an illusion. Retailers aren't absorbing these costs entirely; they're simply building them into the product's price, or offering "free shipping" only after a certain spending threshold. So, while you might feel like you're getting a deal, you're still indirectly bearing the brunt of the escalating shipping fees.

Etsy gives priority in search results to shops that offer free shipping, particularly for orders over $35. This powerful incentive means that if a seller wants their handmade goods to be seen by potential buyers, they feel pressured to offer this "free" option. They're forced to do what is a standard practice on the platform and what Etsy encourages: build the shipping cost directly into the item's price.

It's a clever strategy that benefits the marketplace by boosting conversions and making it more competitive with e-commerce giants like Amazon. But for the end consumer, it simply means the cost is hidden. It's a premium paid for convenience, a subtle yet significant factor in the overall cost of living.

The USPS has implemented a series of price adjustments across various mail and shipping services over the past half-dozen years. These aren't minor tweaks; they're substantial increases that add up over time.

For instance, the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp has steadily climbed, with multiple increases since 2019. In July 2025 alone, it went from 73 cents to 78 cents. While stamps might seem like a small detail, they reflect a broader trend.

More significantly for online purchases, shipping services like Priority Mail and Ground Advantage have seen considerable jumps. For example, recent changes (July 2025) have seen Priority Mail rates increase by an average of 6.3% and Ground Advantage by 7.1%. Some Priority Mail shipments have even seen double-digit percentage increases, with certain cases jumping as much as 51%! These consistent, often multi-percentage-point hikes each year accumulate, creating a much higher base cost than what existed just a few years ago.

So, how do these USPS increases affect the price of that new gadget, piece of clothing, or household item you're eyeing online? It's a classic case of a domino effect.

Businesses, especially small and medium-sized e-commerce sellers, are directly impacted by higher shipping costs. For many, shipping is a significant operational expense. To maintain profit margins, businesses are forced to pass these increased costs on to the consumer.

This can happen in a few ways. The most common method, where the cost of shipping is factored into the item's list price. You might not see a separate "shipping fee" but it's embedded. Businesses might also raise the purchase threshold required to qualify for free shipping and the ability for retailers to offer attractive incentives like truly free shipping or flat-rate shipping becomes more challenging.

All of this can lead to less competitive pricing for consumers. It's not just the final delivery to your door. Increased shipping costs affect every stage of the supply chain, from raw materials to manufacturing and distribution. Each step where goods are moved incurs a higher cost, which ultimately trickles down to the end consumer.

While you might not be the one at the post office mailing packages, the rising tide of USPS shipping costs is undoubtedly lifting the prices of countless goods you purchase. With shipping prices set to increase again before the holiday season, it's important to know why and how these costs ultimately get passed on to you, the consumer.

Has Your Order Gone Wrong? How to Handle Lost, Delayed, or Incorrect Packages

2025-07-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I mailed a package to my son across the US to Connecticut. This package took over a month to get to him and the tracking information was utterly bizarre. It made it to Denver, then even to Connecticut, about 5 miles from his house, only to show the next day in San Francisco. It crisscrossed the country at least 3 times! I was beginning to think it had become some kind of new version of the Travelling Gnome.

I mail almost exclusively using The US Postal Service (USPS) and I will say that over 99% of the time I have no issues. However. occasionally a problem arises and I'm sure with the amount of mail ordering that's done today, you've experienced issues as well. Sometimes that carefully selected purchase you made gets lost or hung up in the mail. Or worse yet, the person packing it made a mistake and sent the wrong thing. Now what?

It can be incredibly frustrating when your eagerly awaited package goes awry. Especially when you're dealing with a small business or an independent maker on a platform like Etsy, you might wonder about the best course of action. Unlike large retailers with dedicated customer service departments, Etsy's structure means you're often interacting directly with the seller. But fear not, there are clear steps you can take to resolve these issues.

First Steps: Don't Panic, and Check the Tracking (Again!)

Sometimes, packages appear to be lost but are simply delayed. Double-check the tracking information one more time on the carrier's website (USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.) using the tracking number provided by the seller. Sometimes, the carrier's own site has more up-to-date or detailed information than what appears on Etsy. Also, it's not unusual, and I've seen it happen more than once, where a package is scanned 'Delivered' but doesn't get delivered until the next day.

Lost or Severely Delayed Packages:

Your first and most important step on Etsy is always to contact the seller directly through Etsy's messaging system or if you've ordered through my website, contact me at lora@lorasbeauty.com. Provide your order number, the tracking number, and clearly explain the situation, whether the tracking hasn't updated in days or the package says delivered but you never received it. Most Etsy sellers are genuinely committed to good customer service and will want to help resolve the issue. They might have additional insights, be able to contact the carrier on their end, or offer a replacement or refund. Double-check the shipping address you provided during checkout, as a simple typo can cause a misdelivery. If the package is severely delayed or marked as delivered but not received, it's also worthwhile to inquire with your local post office or the relevant carrier's customer service; they might have more detailed information or a record of the package being held for pickup.

For mail sent via USPS, if you've exhausted other options and your package is still missing, most Etsy sellers will open a USPS case for it. You can also open a case by visiting MissingMail.USPS.com and either sign in or register to complete a search request form. This form requires specific details, including the mailer and recipient addresses, the date of mailing, and crucially, any tracking numbers you have. You'll also need a detailed description of the mailpiece itself, such as its type, size, color, and packaging, along with a thorough description of its contents, including titles, colors, sizes, brands, and models of each item. Photos, if available, can also be very helpful. You can submit this search request no earlier than seven days and no later than 365 days after the original mailing date. For more information, you can refer to the USPS FAQ on Missing Mail - The Basics.

If you've tried to resolve the issue with the seller and haven't found a satisfactory solution, Etsy offers a Purchase Protection Program for qualifying orders. This program covers items that don't arrive or arrive damaged. To be eligible, you usually need to have contacted the seller first and waited for a response. You can then open a case with Etsy, providing all the relevant details and any communication with the seller. Etsy will review the case and may issue a refund.

Wrong Item Sent:

If you receive the wrong item, take photos of what you received and compare it to the listing photos and description. Then, immediately message the seller through Etsy, explaining the mistake and including the photos as evidence. Most reputable sellers will offer to correct the mistake. This might involve them sending you the correct item and providing a pre-paid shipping label for you to return the incorrect one, or in some cases, simply refunding you or allowing you to keep the incorrect item if the value is low. Follow their instructions carefully regarding returns. If the seller is unresponsive or unwilling to rectify the situation, you can again turn to Etsy's Purchase Protection Program, as it also covers items that are not as described, which includes receiving the wrong item.

My own experience with that perpetually "traveling gnome" package to my son taught me a valuable lesson. After weeks of tracking chaos, which saw the box zigzagging across the country multiple times, it finally landed on his doorstep. The culprit? An old mailing label on the bottom of the reused box, which caused it to bounce between destinations. It was only after opening a case with USPS that the mystery was unraveled and the package finally found its true home.

Grandkids, Getaways, and Growing the Shop

2025-05-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

This year is already flying by, and it's been filled with more than just work! March brought a magical first for me: a yoga retreat in Nicaragua, which was also my first time visiting the country. Then in April, I spent time in Connecticut helping out with my granddaughter while my son and daughter-in-law got their house ready to sell. I'm so looking forward to having them back on the west coast this summer!

Alongside these personal adventures, I've also been busy with my shop. You might recall that I introduced new scent varieties for my Coconut Oil Free Shampoo bar in February, and it's been such a hit that I've added another scent, Lemongrass Ginger! It joins my other lovely options: Unscented, Basil Cedar, and Lavender Orange.

There are also some beautiful new square handmade ceramic dishes in the shop, courtesy of my talented ceramist friend. These are perfect for the square solid dish soaps or any of my square soap bars.

On the subject of square soaps, I heard the call for a lemongrass body soap and got right to work! You'll now find a Lemon Sugar soap in my Etsy shop. Sugar is a wonderful addition to soap, boosting lather, acting as a humectant, and helping to create a longer-lasting bar.

Not all changes involve new products, though. I regularly review my offerings to see what isn't performing well or is challenging to ship. Earlier this year, I made the decision to discontinue the bath salts and shower steamers. I'm also planning to discontinue the large rectangle shaped solid dish bars once they sell out.

Your continued support of my small business is deeply appreciated – it truly means everything. Like many others, I'm keeping a close eye on potential tariff impacts on my ingredient availability and costs. It's hard to say what the coming weeks will bring in terms of pricing. If anything in the shop has caught your eye, now might be a good time to treat yourself! I'll be sure to keep you updated as things evolve.

New Year Updates and Two New Products

2025-02-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Life took an unexpected turn at the end of last year. Just before Christmas, I lost my mom. While her passing wasn't a surprise, the grief is profound. For the past five years, she's been a constant presence in my life. Those of you caring for elderly parents understand the constant worry, the endless to-do lists, and the ever-present awareness of their needs. Even when I wasn't directly caring for her, she was always on my mind. I still instinctively reach for my phone, half-expecting a call about a pharmacy run or a fall. I know these feelings will fade in time, replaced by cherished memories of the vibrant woman she was.

Sharing this feels important, but I also wanted to share some exciting shop updates. Since the Coconut Oil Free Shampoo bar has been so popular, I've added two new scents: the earthy Basil Cedarwood and the refreshing Lavender Orange, both available now on my website and Etsy shop.

My ceramist has also been busy creating beautiful new bowls designed specifically for my 3" round solid dish bars. These bowls feature a raised, patterned center, similar to my handmade plates, to keep the bars dry. They offer a lovely alternative to the plates and are available in several colors on Etsy.

Like many small businesses, I'm facing rising ingredient and shipping costs. I've absorbed these increases for the past year and will continue to do so as long as possible. I recently restocked my supplies, so I anticipate holding prices steady for the next month or two, at which point I'll reassess. Please note, I always offer slightly lower prices on my website.

Finally, a couple of travel notes: I'll be taking a short break from February 28th to March 8th for a yoga retreat in Nicaragua, and then visiting my granddaughter on the East Coast from April 5th to 14th. My shops will remain open during these times, and I've arranged for help with shipping. I'm also busy stocking up on products to minimize any potential sell-outs.

Happy New Year! A little belated, but I wanted to personally thank you for being a part of the Lora's Beauty community. Your support means the world to me.

Gift a Bar, Keep a Bar; A Sale and My Holiday Market Schedule

2024-11-21T07:31:00.003-08:00

The holiday season is upon us, and I'm thrilled to share that I'll be participating in the enchanting Portland German American Society's Weihnachtsmarkt!

This year's market promises to be a magical experience, filled with festive cheer, delicious treats, and unique handcrafted gifts.

I have such a good time at the Portland German American Society's Weihnachtsmarkt every year and this year will be no exception, I'm sure. This market takes place December 7 in Portland at the German American Society (5626 NE Alameda Street Portland, Oregon)

I've got some great gift ideas I'll bring, including my German Flag Soaps.

Springerlee Soap Gift Sets.

And my new Pink Ribbon Gift Bars which include a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. These bars are unscented so they will make a nice gift to anyone going thru treatment. Pink Ribbon Bars are also available on my Etsy shop and my website if you're not able to attend the market.

I'll also offer free gift boxes and reusable fabric gift wrapping for purchase!

Can't make it to the market? No worries! You can shop my Etsy store or website for these items and more. Plus, I'm currently offering a 10% discount on all products in my Etsy shop as part of the Etsy Cyber Event, valid until December 3rd.

I'm committed to providing fast shipping, so you can expect your orders to be shipped within one day.

I can't wait to see you at the market or online!

More Eco-Friendly Additions to the Lora's Beauty Product Line!

2024-10-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new coconut oil free shampoo bar! This product came to life thanks to a thoughtful suggestion from one of my valued customers. As someone who loves to create products that cater to specific needs, I was excited to take on this challenge.

This bar is crafted with the same nourishing ingredients as my other popular shampoo bars, minus the coconut oil. Instead, it features a blend of olive oil, rice bran oil, avocado butter, aloe vera water, silk fibers, and sugar for a gentle yet effective lather. This unique combination makes it perfect for those with coconut oil allergies.

To minimize allergens even further, I'm initially offering this bar in an unscented variety. However, I'm already envisioning a future lineup of scented options to suit various preferences.

Inspired by my personal commitment to reducing plastic waste, I've developed a new automatic dishwashing detergent. After searching in vain for powdered options at the local grocery stores (suddenly all the detergent comes in plastic pods!), I decided to take matters into my own hands.

My homemade detergent is made with just five simple ingredients: washing soda, baking soda, sea salt, citric acid, and lemongrass essential oil. It comes packaged in a paper zip-top bag and is accompanied by a wooden scoop. Each bag contains 25 ounces, and two scoops are typically sufficient for a full load of dishes, providing you with enough detergent for approximately 45 loads.

Please note that some dishwashers may require the use of specific brand detergents to maintain warranty coverage. While my detergent has been thoroughly tested in my own dishwasher and found to be safe, it's essential to consider this factor if your dishwasher is still under warranty.

I hope you're as excited as I am about these new additions to my product line! To learn more or place your order, please visit my website or Etsy Shop. Thank you for your continued support!

From Summer Bliss to Holiday Hustle

2024-08-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

There's a hint of crispness in the air where I live, tempting me to banish my portable AC back to the closet. As much as I’d love to reclaim the corner of my living room, a pang of summer nostalgia holds me back.

Before I bid farewell to this lovely season, I'd like to share some exciting news. I'll be taking a short trip to visit my granddaughter the first week of September. To ensure uninterrupted service, I've arranged for assistance to handle orders during my absence.

Many of you are already immersed in back-to-school grind, juggling work schedules and reluctant students. Before you can catch your breath, the holiday season will be upon us, starting with Halloween.

So, while I savor these final summer days, I'm also secretly plotting my holiday strategy. It’s a strange juxtaposition: air conditioner sitting in the living room, and Christmas prepping in my soap studio.

I've overhauled my holiday prep this year, and so far, it’s a game-changer. Last year's investment in larger soap molds has been a total win. Less frequent, bigger batches mean I've stayed stocked all year. Each batch is still very much part of a small operation as evidenced by this video of me making the popular shampoo bar.

While I'm on the topic of my Shampoo Bars, I'd like to spotlight one of the ingredients I use for it. At the beginning of the video I'm pouring oils into a pitcher. One of these oils is rice bran oil.

Rice bran oil is extracted from the germ and husk of the rice grain. It is an excellent ingredient for cosmetics, and hair and skin care products due to it's high concentration of fatty acids including vitamin E. Fatty acids can nourish hair and scalp, and may help with hair growth, thickness, and shine. They also help prevent dandruff, breakage, and dryness, and reduce hair loss by counteracting inflammation.

I purchase this oil and most of my ingredients from a local supplier here in Portland, Oregon. It is kosher, non-GMO, and never tested on animals.

As always, I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my passion with others and for the continued support of my wonderful customers. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

Shop Updates: Exciting New Products to Spruce Up Your Home (and Reduce Your Footprint)!

2024-05-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to announce several brand new goodies that landed in my store this year!

My new 3" round Eucalyptus Orange Dish Soap was a requested scent from a customer. This new scent (also available in the 2.25" size), along with all my dish soaps has a plant-based formula that cuts through grease like nobody's business, plus it's gentle on your hands and smells amazing thanks to the invigorating essential oils. In addition, all my dish soaps are free of harsh chemicals and dyes, so you can feel good about using them around your family and the environment.

I heard you loud and clear – you love the conditioner bars, but you wanted a bigger size. I listened! My new, larger conditioner bars offer all the same nourishing goodness but in a longer-lasting package. The new size will be an ounce bigger than my current bar, weighing 3.75 oz. Perfect for those who love the convenience and sustainability of bar conditioners.

Add a timeless touch to your kitchen with my new line of vintage-colored ceramic dishes. These beautiful, muted colors are designed to fit my 3” round and 2.25” inch round dish soaps. These high-quality handmade ceramic dishes are sure to complement any kitchen décor and add a touch of nostalgic elegance.

I've also stocked new vintage colors for my square dishes.

I'm passionate about creating sustainable products that are also high-quality and effective. These new additions are perfect for anyone who wants to make their home a little greener, without sacrificing convenience or style.

Head over to my website or Etsy Shop to check out the new Eucalyptus Orange Dish Soap, larger conditioner bars, and vintage colored ceramic dishes (dishes available on Etsy Shop only.) I can't wait to see how you incorporate them into your sustainable home routine.

How To Use Solid Dish Soap and Some Shop News

2024-02-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that I was a new grandmother just before Christmas! Finally, this month I'll meet my granddaughter as I'm making a trip back east to see her. While I'm gone I am going to keep my shop open and have hired help to package orders. During this time (Feb 14 -29) orders will ship every couple days instead of the typical everyday.

While I'm gushing over my precious granddaughter, I thought I'd share some wisdom I've gathered over the years on another subject dear to my heart: dishwashing with solid soap.

Ever wonder how to get the most out of your solid dish soap? Or why it seems to disappear faster than your favorite cookies? You're not alone! I thought it was time to share some best practices for using a solid dish bar.

First off, let's talk about why you should use a solid dish bar as opposed to liquid dish soap you can buy at the grocery store. Mainly, because solid dish soaps are environmentally friendly.

There are several reasons why solid dish soap are considered more eco-friendly than their liquid counterparts:

Reduced Plastic Waste: Solid dish soap eliminates the need for plastic bottles, which can accumulate in landfills and take centuries to decompose. Lora's Beauty solid dish soaps come in minimal packaging further reducing their environmental impact.

Concentrated Formula: Solid dish soaps are typically much more concentrated than liquid soaps, meaning they contain less water and require less packaging per cleaning unit. This reduces transportation emissions and resource consumption throughout the product's life cycle.

Longer Lasting: Due to their concentrated formula, solid dish soaps generally last longer than liquid soaps, requiring fewer replacements and reducing overall resource consumption. This is true especially if you use the tips I'll share below.

Natural Ingredients: Lora's Beauty solid dish soaps are made with plant-based ingredients like coconut oil and olive oil, which are renewable and biodegradable, unlike the synthetic chemicals and surfactants often found in liquid soaps. This can minimize harmful ecological impacts from wastewater contamination.

Reduced Energy Production: Manufacturing solid dish soap typically requires less energy than producing liquid soap, as the water-intensive drying process is eliminated. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and overall environmental impact. Manufacturing Lora's Beauty solid dish soaps involves me in my basement soap studio mixing each batch by hand.

Additional Benefits: Lora's solid dish soaps offer further eco-friendly advantages, such as vegan and cruelty-free formulations.

Using solid dish soap is a breeze! Here's how to do it:

Wet your tool: Wet the sponge, dishcloth, or brush you'll be using. A good soak is helpful, especially for the first use.

Lather up: Rub your wet tool directly onto the solid soap. If you prefer to prepare a sink full of soapy water you can do so by running the bar under the water while filling up the sink.

Scrub away: Clean your dishes as usual, using the suds to tackle grease and grime. Remember to apply gentle pressure for delicate items.

Rinse and repeat: Rinse your dishes thoroughly with clean water. If needed, reapply soap and wash again for heavily soiled dishes.

Alternatively, if you like to have a sink full of soapy water to do your dishes, you can run the bar under a stream of water as your sink fills up.

Let it dry: After rinsing, place your sponge, dishcloth, or brush somewhere well-ventilated to air dry. This prevents mildew growth. I generally don't store the brush or sponge on top of the soap with the bristles down. When I'm finished washing, I'll place the brush on the sink or on a small plate This prevents the brush or sponge from sticking to the soap as it dries.

Store it smart: Keep your solid dish soap in a dry place, like a soap dish or container, to prevent it from getting soft or dissolving. Avoid leaving it submerged in water. When water does collect in the dish, simply dump the soapy water into whatever dish you're washing at the moment. Occasionally removing the soap from the dish and cleaning the dish keeps food bits from collecting.

Bonus tip: For extra cleaning power, try grating a small amount of the soap directly onto your sponge or brush for stubborn stains. This also works well to remove stains from clothing before washing.

So, there you have it! With a little extra care, your solid dish soap can become a hardworking helper in your kitchen, all while reducing your environmental footprint. Now go forth and conquer those dirty dishes, knowing you're doing good for your home and the planet, one bubbly suds at a time.

The Oily Truth Behind Your Bubbly Bar of Soap

2024-01-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

We all love a good lather. Those fluffy mountains of bubbles sliding down our hands, the satisfying sound of rushing water – it's a sensory experience that signals cleanliness and pure indulgence. But have you ever wondered, what's the science behind this sudsy spectacle? It turns out, soap lather is more than just pretty bubbles; it's a captivating dance of chemistry and physics that makes cleaning a whole lot more effective.

Let's step into the microscopic world of soap. Each soap molecule is a fascinating double
act: one end loves water (hydrophilic) and the other shuns it like the plague (hydrophobic).
When you mix soap with water, these molecules line up at the water's surface, the

hydrophilic heads happily mingling with the water, while the hydrophobic tails huddle

together, feeling ostracized. This creates a tension on the surface, like a microscopic

tug-of-war.

Now, enter friction. That satisfying rub-a-dub-dub you give your hands and the loofah

isn't just for show. It's actually trapping air between the soap molecules, forming tiny air

pockets. The hydrophobic tails, desperate to avoid water, latch onto these air pockets,

creating a bubble-like sphere, with the hydrophilic heads facing outwards, happily

immersed in the water.

Voila! You've just witnessed the birth of a soap bubble. But lather needs more than just a

few lone bubbles. That's where the physics steps in. As you rinse and rub, the bubbles

collide and merge, forming a tangled network of suds. The air trapped inside is stabilized

by the soap molecules, creating a light and fluffy lather that coats your skin.

Each ingredient added to a bar of soap brings with it it's own lather and skin softening

abilities. This is where the art side of soap making comes in. The experimenting with

different ingredients to best curate that perfect bar of soap. Let's dive into some of those

ingredients used in Lora's Beauty soaps and how they affect lather.

The Leading Lady: Coconut Oil

Think big, bold, and bountiful. Coconut oil, the queen of lather, crafts voluminous bubbles

that cling tenaciously, blanketing your skin in a cloud of cleansing foam. These aren't

fleeting wisps. Coconut oil bubbles hold their own, resisting the urge to pop prematurely,

thanks to its high lauric acid content.

All Lora's soaps contain coconut oil except

the Coconut Oil Free Lavender Eucalyptus

bar.

The Gentle Giant: Shea Butter

Shea butter lathers gently, offering a luxurious, moisturizing experience.

Shea butter lathers hold their composure, but don't expect the same long-lasting

performance as coconut oil.

Lora's Unscented bar is made with shea

butter.

The Balancing Act: Olive Oil

A fine balance, olive oil creates a moderate lather, neither too shy nor overly exuberant. It

strikes a harmonious chord between cleansing power and skin nourishment. These

bubbles find their middle ground, lasting longer than shea butter's gentle dance but not

matching coconut oil's marathon performance.

All Lora's body soaps and shampoos contain olive oil.

The Enigmatic Duo: Cocoa Butter and Tussah Silk

While coconut oil and olive oil steal the spotlight in the arena of lather-defining oils, cocoa

butter and tussah silk offer a more nuanced performance, adding texture, richness, and a

touch of the exotic to your soapy symphony.

Cocoa Butter:

Cocoa butter adds a creamy richness to the lather without significantly boosting its volume.

Expect fine, dense bubbles that cling gently to your skin, offering a luxurious and

moisturizing bathing experience. These bubbles, though not record-breaking in their

persistence, resist popping quite well, thanks to cocoa butter's high stearic acid content.

All Lora's body soaps contain cocoa butter

except the Unscented bar.

Tussah Silk:

Don't expect a dramatic increase in bubble volume with tussah silk. Instead, it softens the

lather, making it smoother and airier. Imagine delicate snowflakes swirling in your hand

rather than boisterous beach balls. While not known for extending the life of your lather,

tussah silk adds a unique "slip" and conditioning effect, leaving your skin feeling soft and

silky long after the bubbles have faded.

All Lora's body soaps and shampoos contain cruelty free tussah silk.

So, the next time you indulge in a luxurious lather, remember this: it's not just a fleeting

sensory experience; it's a testament to the amazing power of science and art working

their magic to keep you clean and happy.

Hard Water; Your Hair, Your Skin, and A Link To Find Out Your Water Hardness

2023-11-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

Is your hair a little dull these days? Skin a little itchy? It may not be your hair or skin or the products you're using but your water.

In many parts of the world, water contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which are dissolved from rocks and soil as water passes through them. This type of water, known as hard water, can have several adverse effects on both our hair and skin.

Photo license:
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19125117
Photo source:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shshthehutt/8098787849

Hard water can wreak havoc on hair, leaving it dry, brittle, and dull. The mineral deposits from hard water form a film on hair strands, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate. This lack of hydration leads to dryness, which in turn makes hair more prone to breakage and split ends.

The mineral buildup can also cause hair to appear dull and lifeless, interfering with light reflection and diminishing its shine. Additionally, hard water can make hair frizzy and tangled, as the mineral deposits prevent hair strands from aligning smoothly.

Hard water's effects extend beyond hair, affecting our skin as well. The mineral deposits can irritate the skin, leading to dryness and itchiness. Hard water also makes it more difficult for soap and shampoo to lather, resulting in a film of residue that can clog pores and cause breakouts.

For those with sensitive skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, hard water can exacerbate these issues by further drying and irritating the skin.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect your hair and skin from the detrimental effects of hard water.

To start with, don't shampoo every day and when you do, use a clarifying shampoo to remove mineral buildup and restore hair's natural shine. A clarifying shampoo is one that has a high level of surfactants. Surfactants are surface-active agents that reduce the surface tension of water. Soap is a type of surfactant called an emulsifier, which can cause two liquids to mix that normally wouldn't. Lora's Beauty Shampoos are excellent surfactants.

Condition your hair after every shampoo or as needed to replenish moisture and improve hair's elasticity and whenever possible, rinse your hair with filtered water to minimize mineral buildup.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) can help remove mineral buildup from hard water. It can also rebalance your hair's pH and remove grease and product buildup. To make an apple cider rinse add one tablespoon apple cider vinegar to 2 cups distilled water. Apply to hair and leave on for a few minutes then rinse thoroughly with distilled water.

If your water is really hard, consider installing a water softener in your home or even an inexpensive water softener shower head to remove the excess minerals from your water supply.

Limit heat styling tools like blow dryers and straighteners, as these can further damage already dry and brittle hair and get regular trims to prevent split ends from traveling up the hair shaft and causing further damage.

For your skin it's best to moisturize regularly to combat dryness and prevent irritation caused by hard water. Also choose skin-friendly soaps (like Lora's Beauty) that are gentle on your skin and won't strip away essential oils.

By incorporating these measures into your hair and skincare routine, you can effectively combat the negative effects of hard water and maintain healthy, radiant hair and skin.

So, are you anxious to find out whether your water is hard? If you're on a municipality's water source, you can check your water's hardness here by entering your zip code. If you're on well water or you just want to check your water for yourself, this testing kit is inexpensive and easy to use.

New Beginnings and Holiday Market Schedule

2023-10-28T17:55:00.001-07:00

I enjoy living in a place that has seasons and every autumn and spring I make a mental note of seasonal milestones:

October 15th, last day our pet birds enjoyed the outdoor aviary.
October 20th, first day this autumn I had to wear a stocking cap to walk to the post office.
October 26th, first day walking home after evening yoga class in the dark.

I do this, I guess, to compare to next year. So I can say, "wow, April 23, first day I wore shorts. Last year it was...." That's the problem, I never remember when it was last year and I'm not even sure I noticed last year. But every autumn and spring I play this mental game with myself. Seldom do I ever say the seasonal milestones out loud and I've never written them down until today. I guess now I have something to look forward to next autumn!

Speaking of things to look forward to, the holidays are fast approaching and this year I will once again participate in the German American Society's Christmas Market. I love this market and it really gets you in the spirit of Christmas.

These German Flag soaps will be there!

This may be the only market I do this holiday. My online business has been keeping me busy and I've started a new venture!

For those living in or visiting Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Arizona, or Wyoming Lora's Beauty may be coming to a store near you! I have recently signed with a wholesale rep who will promote my products in these markets! I'm so excited for this new venture and look forward to seeing my products across the West!

I would be remiss to not mention the other item I'm SO EXCITED about! My first grandchild is expected this December. My son and daughter in law live on the east coast and I'm on the west and when I went to visit them last month I put my shop in vacation mode. Yes, I plan to go see my new granddaughter and I'm still working out the best time with my son, it will be after the holidays. This time, however, I'm hoping to hire someone to fill orders so my shop can remain open.

Finally, I want to mention that I will participate again this year in Etsy's cyber week sale. This event is usually held the week starting on Cyber Monday. In addition, to all those last minute shoppers, Etsy will have a program where they will refund buyers if your order doesn't make it, arrives damaged, or arrives late. As a seller on Etsy, I set the processing time I need to fill an order and Etsy uses the USPS estimated delivery date data to provide buyers with an expected arrival time. I pretty much always ship orders within one day and will definitely do that during the holidays to support your holiday shopping.

Vacation Plans and a Sale!

2023-08-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, halfway through August and the summer, for me, has flown by! Summer has always been a good time to stay put here in Portland, Oregon and that's exactly what I've done this year. Aside from a few day trips to the beach, I've been a homebody. That's about to change.

I will be placing my Etsy shop in 'Vacation Mode' starting September 15 thru September 22 as I make a quick trip to the East Coast to visit my son and daughter-in-law. I'm so excited to visit them as it's been over a year!

In four years on Etsy, this is the first time my shop has been in 'Vacation Mode' and I'm more than a little worried about it. Therefore, when I return I'm going to run a special pre-holiday sale to clear out some inventory and welcome customers back as I begin preparing for the holidays. I will offer 10% off on all body soaps the week of September 25th-October 1st in my Etsy shop, no coupon code necessary! This would be a great time to stock up on your favorite bar whether it be the Honey Beeswax or the Tree Love!

My website, which always has products priced slightly lower, will be open for business while I'm gone, however, items purchased from September 15- September 23 will mail on September 24th.

I appreciate all your business, comments, suggestions, and encouragement! Honestly, I think I have the best customers! Enjoy the rest of your summer and thank you for supporting my small business.

Soap for the Gentlest of Skin, Another Shampoo Bar Variety & A Change To The Dog Shampoo

2023-06-17T15:49:00.001-07:00

I've said this before and I mean it, you guys have the best suggestions! Many times I have been asked if I had a certain type of soap or scent from a customer and when I'm asked enough, I listen! Such is the case with my two new products.

My first new product is made with pure love, hence the heart shape design. I had several people ask for an unscented goat milk soap and when I found out my son and daughter-in-law were expecting, I decided to go all out and create an unscented bar with ingredients that are gentle enough for even the most delicate of skin, a baby's.

This new bar is made with olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, shea butter, goat milk and beeswax as well as tussah silk. There are no added colors or scents. The resulting bar is a pure and gentle way to clean and moisturize the skin.

Yes, you may find you don't even need to moisturize after using this bar. The oils and butters are emollients and will fill in dry skin smoothing rough patches. The beeswax is an occlusive and will form a protective barrier on the skin locking in moisture.

Keeping with the clean and pure theme, my next new item is an unscented shampoo bar. It's made with all the hair loving ingredients as my other shampoo bars including aloe vera and avocado butter, but it has no added colors or scents for those who have sensitivities to such additives.

Finally, I've made a small change to my Dog Shampoo Bar, it's going scent free as well. Although I researched and asked professionals about the best essential oils to include in a shampoo bar for dogs, there just seemed to be too many inconsistencies. To be safe and since our pups can't tell us one way or the other, I decided to leave the bar unscented. All the other wonderful ingredients like olive oil, neem oil, and colloidal oatmeal are still there to make your dog's fur the softest ever.

With these new additions, I now have available unscented varieties of all my bars, dish soaps, shampoos, body soaps, and conditioner bars. I hope you can find a variety that pleases you, if not, make a suggestion!

New Product Line & New Ceramic Dishes!

2023-04-16T14:32:00.002-07:00

I'm so excited to announce that Lora's Beauty will now carry bath bombs and shower steamers!

I've spent the last month experimenting with recipes and ingredients to formulate a product that is beneficial to the skin, not harmful to plumbing, and enjoyable to use. I've also gathered plenty of input from friends and family and taken many baths myself!

I'm sure most people are familiar with what a bath bomb is, a scented ball of beneficial moisturizers that dissolves in water, but what exactly is a shower steamer? Well for all those die hard shower takers out there, a shower steamer is your way to enjoy the aromatherapy benefits you're missing when not soaking in a bath with a bath bomb.

Shower steamers are scented tablets that you place at the back of your shower on the floor so water doesn't directly hit it but it gets wet enough to dissolve and release the aromatic scents into your shower. These tablets are heart shaped and are made with baking soda, witch hazel, citric acid, and essential oils. They should slowly and fully dissolve within a 5 - 8 minute shower, filling your shower and senses with the aromatherapy benefits of essential oils.

Lora's Beauty bath bombs are made with baking soda, citric acid, shea butter, emulsifying wax, goat milk, cream of tartar and essential oils for a relaxing, moisturizing bath. Adding emulsifying wax to the bath bombs enables the shea butter to mix with the water and not just sit on the top. It also adds moisturizing benefits. Cream of tartar is used to harden the bomb. I've limited the amount of flower petals and decoration to keep your pipes running smooth and your drains unclogged.

Both the shower steamers and the bath bombs are offered in the following varieties:

Eucalyptus Menthol -- added menthol makes this a great remedy for congestion and soothing sore muscles.

Lavender Fir -- Reach for this when you need a moment to just relax and clear your head.

Peppermint Basil -- This combination of essential oils will help ease a worried mind and awaken the senses.

Citrus Lemon Orange--The essential oils of lemongrass and sweet orange will detox the skin and leave it feeling clean, clear, and refreshed.

Also new to my Etsy shop are these stunning ceramic dishes made specially for my small round dish soaps. I worked with my ceramist to design these dishes to have a higher wall so the small dish soap stays in place. They also include a small trough surrounding a raised patterned area to allow water to drain and the soap not sit in water.

Currently, I have a matte robin egg and a matte black color but I hope to get more colors soon. These dishes are sold as part of a set that includes a dish soap and dish brush.

If you're stuck for Mother's Day gifts this set would delight anyone! Happy Spring!

Soap and Human Sacrifice Plus A New Shampoo Bar!

2023-02-20T17:48:00.001-08:00

Fun fact... what does soap have to do with human sacrifice?

Thankfully, not much. However, the two are linked in many old wives' tales and have even made their way into popular culture.

Have you seen the movie Fight Club? Do you remember this scene about the origins of soap?

Courtesy of IMDB:

Tyler Durden: Now, ancient people found their clothes got cleaner if they washed them at a certain spot in the river. You know why?

Narrator: No.

Tyler Durden: Human sacrifices were once made on the hills above this river. Bodies burnt, water speeded through the wood ashes to create lye. [holds up a bottle]

Tyler Durden: This is lye - the crucial ingredient. The lye combined with the melted fat of the bodies, till a thick white soapy discharge crept into the river. May I see your hand, please?

[Tyler licks his lips until they're gleaming wet - he takes the Narrator's hand and kisses the back of it]

Narrator: What is this? Tyler Durden: This... [pours the lye on the Narrator's hand]

Tyler Durden: ... is chemical burn.

While I can unfortunately attest to the truth about lye and chemical burns, there's little evidence to collaborate the view that soap was discovered from sites of human sacrifices.

The earliest evidence today of the first soap use was around 2800 BC by the Babylonians and they made it by mixing together animal fats, oils and salts. Most modern day soap makers use vegetable or fruit oils like olive, coconut, and avocado however, the soap making process is still very much the same as it was when the Babylonians did it.

Now, on to something new!

I get a lot of good ideas from my customers so when I had one reach out to me about which shampoo bar would work best for brassy gray hair, I had to say I didn't make a bar specifically for that purpose besides the fact that I have gray hair!

Gray and light colored hair has a tendency to turn brassy and dull because it easily picks up pigments from the environment. For instance, using a yellow shampoo on grey hair may start to turn the hair more yellow. To counter this, most shampoos made to remove brassiness, are purple since purple is the opposite of yellow on the color wheel.

Therefore, my Lavender Tea Tree shampoo bar, made with purple mica, would work to neutralize the yellow tones in hair, as would my Patchouli Mint Activated Charcoal bar.

My new bar made with indigo powder, is another option against orange and brassy tones in hair.

This bar is made with the same ingredients as my other shampoo bars including aloe vera water, avocado butter, and even silk fibers plus the added indigo powder.

Scented with juniper essential oil and the sparkling scent of orange essential oil you may feel like you've stepped into a primeval pine forest at dawn.

This shampoo bar is an excellent choice for gray hair and if you don't have gray hair, you can still benefit from the neutralizing effects of indigo powder! Now available on my website and Etsy shop!

A New Year, New Scents, New Products, and a Sale!

2023-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

And just like that, December is over.

Big belly breaths...inhale, stomach rises. Exhale, belly falls. Ah, January and the long, cold months of winter and hibernation.

Although it's not as hectic as November and December, I'm still in the soap studio making a few new products and they're all about dish soap!

Last Fall I added a 2.25" round dish soap that would fit in the popular Full Circle soap dishes a lot of people have purchased. This size has proved to be very popular so I've added new scents. Now available are Lavender & Basil, Rosemary & Mint, Basil & Spearmint, Cinnamon & Orange, Anise & Cedarwood, and Lemongrass scents.

For those who don't already have a dish that fits this size soap, I've added some colorful melamine dishes. These dishes contain 4.5 ounces of dish soap and are sold with a dish brush for a complete set. Once the soap is gone, the 2.25" dish soaps will work as replacements.

Likewise, my new square dish soaps come in a few new scents. Choose between Lemongrass, Peppermint Basil, Orange Anise, Lavender Eucalyptus, and Anise Cedarwood scents. These soaps are also offered in a set which includes a ceramic dish and a dish brush.

Lastly, my ceramist included a new color for the beautiful handmade dishes offered in my Etsy shop. These lovely matte purple dishes look so polished and sophisticated and are stamped with a dragonfly print! They are offered on their own or in a set with a large round dish soap and a dish brush.

I'm currently offering my liquor inspired soaps on sale. The Whiskey & Aloe Vera, Gin & Aloe Vera, and Aquavit & Aloe Vera soaps are all 25% off! These make a great boxed set as a gift, Valentine's Day perhaps?

That's all for now, I hope your holidays were delightful and the new year brings you happiness, health, and kindness.

What's The Best Shampoo Bar For....?

2022-11-10T18:08:00.009-08:00

Do you have hair issues? Dandruff, frizzy hair, dry scalp, oily hair, oily scalp, limp hair? Then read on as I may have a shampoo bar to help!

Lora's Beauty carries many types of shampoo bars specially formulated to be more ph balanced than the typical shampoo bar. For more information regarding ph and my shampoo bars, take a look at this blog post. If you're interested in what the best body soap is for a particular skin issue, this blog post may help. Now, if you're interested in what's the best shampoo bar I carry for a particular hair issue, then read on!

Most of my shampoo bars are made with aloe vera juice and avocado butter which are both hair loving. Aloe vera juice will help strengthen hair, calm itchy scalp, and control oily hair. Avocado butter is high in vitamin E making it great at stopping hair loss and breakage, adding hydration and shine, and thickening thinning hair.

Just like with my body soaps, I start with a base set of ingredients when making my shampoo bars. These include olive, rice bran, castor, and coconut oils (coconut oil is omitted in my Coconut Oil Free bar). I then add special extras to address particular hair issues. In addition, to all my shampoo bars, I add a pinch of tussah silk fibers which help to repair damaged hair and softens and smooths hair.

I also offer a Pine Tar Shampoo Bar and a Beer Bar. These have the same base set of ingredients but do not have aloe vera juice or avocado butter. Instead the pine tar bar includes goats milk and cocoa butter. Goats milk is rich in vitamin B which is an essential vitamin for healthy hair growth and cocoa butter moisturizes hair making it softer and more manageable.

My Beer Shampoo Bar is made with, of course beer, and cocoa butter. Beer is a wonderful ingredient for hair! It provides body, bounce and shine to hair and being rich in protein and vitamins it helps manage both scalp and hair oil production.

So, what's your specific hair issue and which shampoo bar would help?

Dry Frizzy Hair

Pine Tar - the nutrient rich liquid of pine tar is a natural moisturizer for dry hair.
Spearmint Tea Tree - tea tree essential oil is such a beneficial oil for hair. It helps prevent the build up of chemicals and dead skin allowing your hair to be more healthy and moisturized.
Lavender Tea Tree
Beer Bar - Being rich in vitamin B, beer is a great deterrent against frizzy hair.
Papaya Orange - papaya seeds contain vitamin A which helps against dry and frizzy hair.

Oily Hair/Scalp

Lemon Eucalyptus - lemongrass essential oil reduces production of excess oil on the hair and scalp.
Spearmint Tea Tree - spearmint and tea tree essential oils help control oily scalp and hair.
Rosemary Mint - rosemary essential oil has antifungal, astringent and decongesting qualities which can reduce oily build up on hair and scalp.
Lavender Ginger Sea Salt - Sea salt is great at absorbing excess oil on the scalp.

Lifeless Limp Hair

Beer Bar - the proteins in beer bind to hair that's become dehydrated from blow drying and other styling products leaving the hair restored and with more body.
Activated Charcoal Patchouli Spearmint - the spearmint essential oil combined with activated charcoal will add luster to dry, lifeless hair.
Lavender Ginger Sea Salt - Sea salt adds volume to hair and provides a boost to hair roots.

Dry Scalp & Dandruff

Lavender Tea Tree - lavender essential oil has antimicrobial properties preventing bacteria and fungi from growing, soothing dry scalp, and reducing dandruff.
Pine Tar - pine tar gives fast relief to itchy scalp and removes loose dandruff.
Activated Charcoal Patchouli Spearmint - activated charcoal will soothe itchy and irritated scalps and moisturize them to prevent dandruff. It's also makes for a great deep cleaning shampoo ingredient.
Lavender Ginger Sea Salt - Added sea salt is an excellent exfoliate, cleaning the scalp of dead skin cells.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

All the shampoo bars listed below contain ingredients known to help seborrheic dermatitis in adults. Activated charcoal, pine tar, and tea tree oil are proven to help as does washing hair more frequently.

Activated Charcoal Patchouli Spearmint
Pine Tar Shampoo
Lavender Tea Tree
Papaya Orange

Thinning Hair and Hair Growth

All the shampoo bars below contain vitamins and proteins that encourage healthy hair growth as well as limiting hair loss.

Beer Bar - beer can give extra life to naturally curly hair as well!
Papaya Orange
Lemon Eucalyptus
Lavender Tea Tree
Spearmint Tea Tree

Color Treated Hair

Activated Charcoal Patchouli Spearmint is a great cleanser for color treated hair as it deep cleans the hair without stripping away the color.

Gray Hair

The following bars have color additives that are the opposite of yellow on the color wheel and therefore help to neutralize the orange and brassy tones in grey and light colored hair.

Indigo Fir Orange - contains added indigo powder.
Lavender Tea Tree - contains purple mica.
Activated Charcoal Patchouli Spearmint - has added activated charcoal.

Scent Sensitive/Essential Oil Allergies

My No Added Scent is a shampoo bar with no added essential oil or colors. Just all natural, hair loving ingredients.

Unscented Aloe Vera & Avocado Butter Shampoo Bar

Coconut Oil Allergies

Now available is a coconut oil free shampoo bar. This contains all the same ingredients as my Aloe Vera Avocado Butter bars minus the coconut oil. A little bit of sugar is added to enhance lathering.

Coconut Oil Free Shampoo Bar

I hope this information was helpful and the next time you're wondering what's the best shampoo for your particular hair need, this can serve as a reference.

Lora's Beauty Holiday Bazaar 2022 Schedule

2022-10-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe but I already feel in the thick of the holiday season! I've probably overextended myself this year but I'm just so excited about this year and this season!!

So, if you're local to the Portland Oregon area, I'd love to see you at one of these 5 (FIVE!!) bazaars I'll be doing.

November 4&5 Hinson Holiday Bazaar 9:30 am - 4pm. 1137 SE 20th Portland
November 25 11am-4pm. Moon Market 914 NW Everett Portland.
December 3 11am-6pm German American Society Christmas Bazaar. 5626 NE Alameda St Portland.
December 8 2pm -8pm Madeleine Marketplace 3123 NE 24th St Porland.
December 10&11 10am-6pm Modo Yoga Winter Bazaar 400 NE Grand Ave Portland.

Each market offers a different feel to the season.

Kicking off the season in only a few days will be the Hinson Holiday Bazaar. This one is a wonderful market. Coffee, pastries, and lunch are for sale and you can take your time checking out the handmade goods.

The Moon Market and the Modo Yoga Winter Bazaar are new venues for me and I'm delighted to be participating in them.

The German American Society Christmas Bazaar is a blast and last year was poppin'! There were food carts out front, Santa made an appearance, as did the Army Band. I expect this year to be just as fun.

The Madeleine Marketplace is a nice neighborhood market. Santa is there and the tree out front gets lit at 6pm. Last year there were food carts as well.

If you can't make it to these events, get 10% off my Etsy shop and website November 17-30th. On Etsy, the discount will be taken automatically. On my website, use the discount code Holiday2022.

Enjoy the season!

What's The Best Soap To Use For....?

2022-10-10T08:08:00.003-07:00

What's the best soap for ~fill in the blank~?

I'm often asked this question and I love it! I love it because it's an opportunity to talk about my soaps and explain why I choose the ingredients I do. Being able to pick and choose which ingredients I put in my soaps and therefore on my body is one of the main reasons I became a soap maker.

For almost all my body and face bars I start with olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, goats milk and tussah silk fibers. These luscious ingredients form the base of most my soaps and on their own create a very moisturizing bar. I then get creative and depending on the soap I want to make, I'll add special ingredients that are known to benefit skin in one way or the other. These special ingredients determine what's the best soap for a particular skin type or problem.

Before I go any further, I would like to say that for most skin just changing to a good handmade bar of soap will bring noticeable benefits. Many store bought soaps and body washes contain petroleum products and other harsh chemicals and discontinuing use of them clears up many skin problems. However, if you're still having skin issues, perhaps the special ingredients I've added to some bars will help.

Dry Skin

I'll start with the most common skin problem, dry skin. I have a number of bars that work great for this ailment.

Honey Beeswax Honey will deep moisturize your skin and beeswax will hydrate and lock the moisture in.
Oatmeal Calendula For dry itchy skin, it's hard to beat colloidal oatmeal.
Calamine, Oatmeal, & Honey For very dry skin added calamine is another defense.
Eucalyptus Peppermint Studies suggestion the eucalyptus essential oil may strengthen the skin's natural moisture barrier.
Indigo Peppermint Basil Indigo is great at relieving redness and irritation and soothing dry skin.
Coconut Oil Free Lavender Eucalyptus This bar has no coconut oil in it so extra olive oil is used making for a very moisturizing bar.

Oily Skin/Acne

The following bars work great for acne and oily skin.

Cinnamon The antiseptic effects of cinnamon fight bacteria that cause acne.
Activated Charcoal Removes impurities and deep cleans.
Tree Love with Activated Charcoal
Safflower Anise Both safflower and anise help fight acne.
Indigo Peppermint Basil Antiseptic and antibacterial properties of indigo powder make it great for healing acne scars.

Eczema/Rashes/Insect Bites

Himalayan Salt Has anti-inflammatory properties that heal and soothe skin.
Orange Poppyseed Oh the power of those little poppyseeds! They are full of antioxidants that reduce skin inflammation making them a good choice for eczema and rashes.
Calamine, Oatmeal & Honey Reduces redness and swelling of infected skin from bug bites, rashes, or eczema.
Oatmeal Calendula Colloidal oatmeal binds to your skin and locks in moisture and relieves itchy skin.
Lavender Lavender essential oil reduces redness, soothes and calms skin irritations and can help heal rashes.
Patchouli Cedar Sage Patchouli and cedarwood essential oil have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties while sage relieves annoying skin coditions.
Pine Tar Pine tar is great at relieving itchiness. It's also has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

Sunburn

Rosemary Mint Menthol The cooling properties of menthol are great at soothing and relieving the pain associated with sunburn.

Skin Allergy?

Coconut Oil Free Lavender Anise If you've ever had redness or itchiness after using a bar of good handmade soap, you could be having a reaction to coconut oil. Coconut oil allergies are not common but not entirely uncommon either and most handmade soaps are made with coconut oil. Likewise, if you have a known tree nut allergy it's best to avoid coconut oil. These bars are a great alternative being made with no coconut oil.

Baby's Skin?

Unscented Beeswax and Shea Butter I purposely designed these bars to be gentle and soothing for the most delicate skin. No added colors or scents and only the best most natural ingredients.

I hope this list is helpful and can serve as a reference whenever a particular skin issue arises. Check out this post where I tackle the question "what's the best shampoo for....?"

So Many New Things To Talk About

2022-09-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's been about 1 1/2 years since I retired from my job as a software developer. I kept telling myself once I retired I'd have more time to deep dive into my sales data from Etsy and my website. I had illusions of downloading the data and loading it into a database and writing all kinds of queries against it to determine my best sellers, what people ordered most, ordered least, etc. Basically, do what I had done for the past 20 years at my job.

Well, I'm happy to report I haven't done that. I haven't written one single query against any data anywhere in the past year and a half! Amazingly, I didn't need to. I know what sells and what doesn't because I make the soap, package it up, and mail it every day. And you know what? I make a lot of dish soap and shampoo bars and conditioner bars. Those items really sell on my Etsy shop.

I also know from practical experience that my body soaps sell more on my website and in person bazaars and markets. So armed with that knowledge I'm happy to offer more dish soaps in new scents and shapes, more shampoo and conditioner bars in new scents, and new body bars as I prep for the upcoming holiday markets.

Let's start with the new dish soaps that have hit my Etsy shop and website this month. I'll now offer a GIANT sized rectangular bar! This bar will be 3.5" X 3" X 1.5" and 8 oz, twice the weight of my round soaps and will come in several scents including the new Basil Orange.

Speaking of new scents, I've added a new scent in my popular round dish soap, lemon basil.

Another new dish soap shape I've added is a smaller round bar. This bar is approximately 2.25 inches in diameter and has been created, per a request from a customer, to work as a replacement for the dish that comes with the popular Full Circle dish soap set. Naturally, it will work in any soap dish, but if you purchased the Full Circle set, think of this bar the next time you need dish soap.

For a limited time, I have a cube sized dish bar. This is limited because I discovered it was painfully hard to remove these bars from the mold.

Two new shampoo bar scents are coming to my Etsy shop and website this month.

There is a lavender tea tree bar

and an activated charcoal bar scented with patchouli spearmint.

Both these bars are vegan and made with aloe vera water, avocado butter, and the other same great ingredients as my current shampoo bars.

For more variety, I've also added a lavender conditioner bar to my Etsy shop.

Three new body soaps will be available this holiday season. Two of those will make it to my Etsy shop and website, the other one will be sold only at the holiday markets.

I've been wanting to make a Honey & Beeswax body bar for sometime and am happy to offer this one made with goats milk, tussah silk, and all the nourishing oils and butters found in my other body soaps. This bar can be found in my Etsy shop and website.

Also debuting online later this month is my Indigo Peppermint Basil bar. So much more than just a dye, indigo has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb and contains many skincare benefits.

Stay tuned as the holiday season progresses I'll have new gift sets and discount codes for subscribers of my blog!

If you're local to the Portland Oregon area, my first holiday market will be November 4 & 5 at Hinson Memorial Baptist Church, 1137 SE 20th Ave. Add a reminder to your online calendar! this is a nice, laid back market that also serves coffee, pastries and lunch.