LureBeauty Blog

Why is natural liquid soap thinner than commercial liquid soap?

eleanor — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:46:40 +0000

Natural liquid soap handcrafted with natural butters and oils is thinner than the commercially produced liquid soaps and shower gels mainly because the commercial soaps are made with synthetic detergents and chemical thickeners. Natural handcrafted liquid soaps are still as bubbly but you won't get that thick gel-like consistency that can sometimes be hard to thin in your hands even under running water. In effect, you are actually rinsing a lot of that gel down the drain before it has a chance to turn into suds, so the natural soaps do last longer.

Why use handmade soap instead of commercial soap?

eleanor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:50:50 +0000

Over the last few years, I have been hard at work attending seminars and researching and learning everything I possibly can about handcrafting soap. I am learning about the different butters and oils that go into making beautiful, natural handmade bar soaps.

These days, with all of the chemicals & synthetic ingredients used in most commercial soaps, many people are looking for a more natural alternative. That's why we have decided from this point on to hand make our bar soaps, and make the majority of them them 100% natural.

Commercial soaps are often very drying and irritating to the skin. They are usually made in large factories (often overseas), and most times using the cheapest ingredients possible. They are usually made with synthetic detergents, and most of the glycerin in these commercial soaps is removed. Glycerin is a natural by-product of the soap-making process and is considered a "natural skin lotion." With our handmade soaps, the glycerin remains intact. Handmade soaps have a "hand-lotion-in-the-soap" effect.

How come some of our soaps are 100% natural, and others are only 98% to 99.5% natural?

100% natural soap is soap that is made up only of natural ingredients, such as natural butters, oils, natural additives such as herbs or Vitamin E, and essential oils. (Essential oils are natural because they are extracted from plants & flowers, as opposed to fragrance oils which are synthetically made).

If you are looking for a 100% natural bar soap, look for a soap that is completely unscented or look for one with essential oils. Our unscented, 100% natural soaps include our Emu Oil & Cocoa Butter Unscented Soap, Goat's Milk Soap, or our brand new African Black Soap (which is 100% natural but this one is not completely handmade by us because this comes imported from West Africa - more about this amazing soap here).

Almost all of our bar soaps are 100% natural because there is no preservative needed in bar soaps. Any bar soap on our website that contains a fragrance oil (not essential oil), would be considered 99% natural, because fragrance oil is not considered a natural ingredient.

What is African Black Soap?

jennifer — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:05:21 +0000

African Black Soap - 100% natural

We are very excited to introduce our new, 100% authentic African Black Soap, imported from Western Africa. This is the only soap in the world that does not use lye, but lathers more than any other soap, without having to use sodium laurel sulphate. This is 100% natural - no fragrance, no preservatives and unscented. (We also carry this soap with the added Tea Tree Oil & Eucalyptus oil here.

Uses & Benefits: This soap can be used on your face, body & hair. It is a deep cleanser & leaves your skin feeling healthy. Some of the benefits of African Black Soap are:

•	helps to relieve acne & oily skin
•	gets rid of existing blemishes
•	softens rough skin
•	relieves rashes
•	helps with scalp irritation
•	works great as a makeup remover
•	use in the shower to remove body odor
•	helps in the shower to remove body odor
•	helps with eczema
•	helps with razor bumps

Original Process: The soap comes from dried plantain, which is a natural source of Vitamin A & Vitamin E, banana peel & leaves, cocoa pods, shea tree bark & dried palm tree leaves. A plantain is a type of banana that grows in warm temperatures where there is less of a chance for strong winds. The skin is dried under the African sun, then burned in a vat or kettle into ashes. Water is added and filtered; then shea butter, coconut oil, palm kernel oil & cocoa butter are all added to the water to create the soap. Herbs and age-old formulations make the difference in the outcome of the soap. The soap is then hand-stirred by the local women for at least a day and then set out to cure for two weeks.

Color & smell: Real African Black Soap is soft and can very from light brown to dark brown in color. Be aware of African Black Soap that is very hard or completely dyed black; that is a sign that the soap is fake. Ours is a beautiful, earthy brown color and has an earthy odor.

What process is done here? The soap arrives in chunks and crumbs (by nature, this soap is crumbly). We break it down into smaller pieces, slowly remelt it, and add the beneficial ingredients such as argan oil, sweet almond oil & other beneficial oils, and then we remold it.

Storage: Store unused Black Soap in a cool, dry area, leaving it wrapped inside of a ziplock bag or saran wrap. This is because natural black soap is full of glycerin which absorbs moisture in the air. It can also soften too much when left out in the open air. Once you use the soap, try not to leave it sitting in water in the tub. Be sure that there is no water sitting in your soap dish.

More information: African Black Soap is also commonly called Ose Dudu - "Ose (meaning "soap"), and "Dudu" (meaning "black"). This comes from the Yoruba or Anago languages of Nigeria, Togo & Benin. Other names for African Black Soap are Alata Samina or Anago Samina among the Ghanaians.

Myth or truth? Is rice powder good or bad for your skin?

jennifer — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:50:35 +0000

Hey guys.

We wanted to debunk a few myths that have been going around about rice powder, one of the best additives to mineral makeup today. There is some misleading information going around that rice powder in mineral makeup supports acne bacterial growth. Most websites are writing articles providing scientific evidence and information that these claims are absolutely false.

Acne is caused by ingredients that block the pores & is also caused by a natural occurring, harmless bacteria found in our pores, called propionibacterium acnes. The sebum accumulation is what causes acne; this is your acne's food source, not the rice powder in your mineral makeup. Bacteria requires many factors in order to grow. Rice powder is dry in nature, so it does not have a shelf life since bacteria cannot be sustained in a dry environment. Since your mineral makeup is stored closed and dry, it would take very extreme circumstances to acquire mold or bacteria. It would take someone actually dumping a puddle of water into your mineral makeup jar and letting it sit like a pile of mud for a few hours in your bathroom, for any chance of bacteria to occur. If it were true that ANY moisture added to rice powder caused bacterial growth, then every mineral makeup ingredient would be a suspect.

Rice powder used in mineral foundations and powders is cosmetic grade, which mean it is modified, sterilized & the moisture is removed to prevent bacteria or mold growth. The rice powder in your makeup jar is not raw food starch.

Rice powder is non-irritating and gives your foundation and setting powders that silky smooth feeling that many other ingredients cannot offer. It helps to soothe and calm acne and inflammation, and for these reasons, rice powder is a much-desired ingredient in the mineral makeup world!

We found our favorite Warm Vanilla Sugar

jennifer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:31:58 +0000

A few years ago, before we started hand making our own body creams, my sister and I happened upon this absolutely incredible smelling body cream - turns out, it was a dupe to the Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar. We have searched for this dupe and haven't been able to find it ... until now. We ordered this fragrance oil last week and as soon as I smelled it I knew it was the one we'd been looking for.

We will be adding it to our body creams & body splashes as well. Eleanor is also hard at work trying to make an all natural liquid hand soap and we will offer this in the Warm Vanilla Sugar scent too.

We've joined the blog world ...

jennifer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:24:33 +0000

We are always receiving customer questions about topics, skin care, makeup application, and started thinking that maybe it was easier to put all of these topics onto a blog to make it easier to navigate the different topics. So …. here we go!

Email us your favorite questions, topics and we will do our best to add them to the weekly issues!

Benefits of argan oil – what is the hype about?

jennifer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:47:49 +0000

Argan oil comes from the nut of the argan tree.

We have been getting many requests to sell Argan oil, so we did some research. There are always trends of new beauty products that pop up year after year so we wanted to make sure that this one was not just hype. Scientific research has proven that this oil does live up to the hype and we now understand why people call it “Liquid Gold.”

Argan oil is an all natural product, which means it works on all skin types, even sensitive skin. It is made from the nuts of the argan tree, which grows naturally near the Atlas mountains of Morocco. For centuries, Berber women from the Atlas have known and treasured Argan oil because of its moisturizing and regenerating properties.

It is rich in essential, unsaturated fatty acids like Oleic and Linoleic, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E & retinoids (retinoids originate from Vitamin A, which is a famous skin cure for acne).

Some people want to specifically purchase unrefined Argan Oil because they want it in it’s rawest form. We purchase our argan oil refined, bleached & deodorized to remove impurities and odors. The raw form of argan oil has a lingering, nutty odor that many find unappealing, & also has sediment in the oil, which is why we sell the refined form. There are no added ingredients in our argan oil. This expeller pressed Argan Oil has been refined, bleached (with clay), and deodorized. No chemicals are used in refining.

Benefits of Argan oil for your skin

•	rich in essential, unsaturated fatty acids like Oleic and Linoleic, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E & retinoids (retinoids originate from Vitamin A, which is a famous skin cure for acne)
•	richer than Olive oil in Linoleic (Omega 6) and Tocopherol, both of which help avoid early aging and the loss of skin elasticity
•	amount of Vitamin E in argan oil is almost double than that in olive oil.
•	softens skin by working as a moisturizer – absorbs quickly, giving a dewy glow
•	helps to stop the root cause of acne, which is overpopulation of sebum, by reducing the body’s production of sebum
•	unclogs pores by helping rid the skin of excess oils
•	reduces fine lines
•	lessens the appearance of scars from acne
•	removes chapped, rough dry patches
•	helps with stretch marks in pregnant women
•	can be used under mineral makeup for a smoother base
•	helps with sunburn
•	helps with psoriasis
•	can even be used on baby skin

Benefits of Argan oil for your hair

•	works as a hair conditioner – makes hair shiny and smooth
•	helps repair damaged hair follicles
•	moisturizes the hair & scalp
•	helps with frizzy hair
•	reduces hair loss by strengthening your hair
•	helpful to those who use damaging chemical treatments on your hair
•	helps split ends & eliminates dandruff
•	works great as a deep treatment when applying warm argan oil on your head and then wrap with a hot towel

Benefits of Argan oil for your nails

•	when applied to the nails, argan oil moisturizes & strengthens brittle nails
•	mix argan oil with lemon juice in a bowl and soak your fingers for 15 minutes to condition your nails

Benefits of Argan oil for your body

•	apply to your body to soften and tone skin
•	can relieve muscle aches because of the high amount of anti-inflammatory agents, which is what makes this a wonderful massage oil

All argan oil today is produced by a women’s cooperative that shares the profits among the women of rural Morocco. This gives the women a steady income, health care and education. It provides the income for 3 million people in the southern part of the kingdom.

Understanding foundation undertones

jennifer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:43:08 +0000

How do I know my skintone and which undertone color foundation is for me?

The “silver or gold” trick … Hold up a silver necklace next to your skin, and then a gold one. Which complements your skin better? If you look better in silver jewelry you have a cool skin tone, and if you look better in gold then you have a warm skin tone.

Look at the veins in your arm. If your veins appear greenish, that could indicate a yellow undertone, which means that your tone is warm. Veins that appear to be bluish, indicate blue undertone, which means your tone is cool. If you are unsure which color your veins are, sometimes it is easier to compare yours with someone elses. It really makes the color stand out.

You have cool undertones if … you have pale or fair, rosy skin, skin with a dark-red cast, or tend to flush easily. If you are very fair, burn easily, and your skin has pink or porcelain undertones instead of peach, you have “cool”undertones. Celebrities with cool undertones: Scarlett Johansson, Meg Ryan, Courtney Cox, Cameron Diaz.

You have warm undertones if …you have a yellow or golden undertone and you tan easily. You look more peach than pink. Warm undertones are the most common. Celebrities with warm undertones ... Mila Kunis, Lindsey Lohan, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce.

You probably have olive skin if you have green and gold undertones; olive skin has a warm undertone. Celebrities with warm olive undertones … Eva Mendez, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Alba

You have a neutral undertone if …you have either a mix of cool and warm undertones or no distinguishable undertones at all. Celebrities with a neutral undertone: Sandra Bullock, Megan Fox, Cindy Crawford.

Clean your makeup brushes!

jennifer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:42:25 +0000

Do you keep breaking out when you normally have clear skin, and you don’t understand why? Your face feels irritated, and itchy – but nothing in your daily routine has changed, so what is it?

Have you checked your makeup brushes lately? Makeup brushes can be a breeding ground for dirt and bacteria. Make sure you clean them often. I just use baby shampoo but you can use any gentle cleanser! Just put a small amount of the soapy solution with some warm water in a bowl, and swish the hairs around the bowl. I do this a couple of times until the water runs clear. Rinse thoroughly and air dry with handles slightly above the bristles. You do not want water to run down inside the ferrules of the brush as this may loosen the hairs.

Natural Home Remedies

jennifer — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:14:30 +0000

A long time ago, just for fun, we asked customers to submit their favorite home remedies. We collected them on an old website of ours and thought it would be a great idea to post them on our blog here. Add your own to the comments section!

Here are some of the home remedies you came up with:

Home Remedies for getting rid of acne

Take an egg and crack it over the sink and let the white of the egg go into a bowl; use the white to dab on your pimple. Leave on overnight or for 20 minutes. It should help suck out the nasty stuff in that pimple
To zap a zit overnight, apply toothpaste to the area before bed
for pimple redness, apply visine eyedrops
(submitted by visitor) Put a few teaspoons of sea salt in a bowl with about half a cup of hot water, mix together and apply with a cotton ball or q-tip for about a half hour. Keep doing this every day until the pimple has vanished .. That’s it!!! Odd i know, but i works!! (submitted by Tiffany R)

For your skin:

Remedy for oily skin: make a homemade mask by combining one egg white and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply mask and rinse with warm water after 20 minutes
For softer skin, steam your face over boiling water (drape a towel over head to hold in steam); remove dead skin with a loofah.
To rid blackheads, mix cornstarch with vinegar, plaster on the area for 15-30 minutes; wash off with washcloth and warm water.
Put cold, cooked oatmeal on your face; improves your skin (submitted by Laura)
Run out of shaving cream to shave your legs? Use hair conditioner. It makes legs nice and smooth too.
To help dry out your acne without drying out your face, put a thin layer of Phillips Milk of Magnesia over your face. It works great (submitted by visitor).
rub cucumber peel (wet side up) on your face and leave on overnight to cure acne(submitted by visitor)

Nails

To help dry nail polish quicker, run your fingers under cold water.
I have one more to add to your section for nails. If you keep your nailpolish in the fridge, they stay fresher longer and you can keep them longer. (submitted by laura)

Sunburn

When shaving your bikini line, make sure you lather the area with lots of soap before putting on your shaving cream. Go over each area only once to prevent irritation, and when you are finished put deodorant on the just shaven area (be careful to only get it on the skin). Bumps and irritation will be greatly reduced if not completely gone! (submitted by visitor)

Headaches

Cut a lime in half and rub over forehead and temples.

Dark Circles

drink lots of water, sleep on 2 pillows, apply cold compresses.

Sore Throat

Gargle salt water (most know this)!

Hair Care

For thicker and healthier hair, steep 1/2 cup rosemary leaves in 1 cup water. Add the infusion to 1/2 bottle of your favorite shampoo and wash once a day. Rosemary promotes thicker, healthier hair by unclogging pores and hair follicles, and also adds great shine. Rosemary tea, drank once per day, promotes better circulation and also aids in better hair growth.
To prevent frizziness, apply a frizz aid product and let hair air dry instead of blow drying it.
To make your hair really shine, rinse it in cold water for a couple minutes before getting out of the shower.
take an egg yolk and lather into wet hair. Leave in for a few minutes and it helps condition and adds protein, which helps against breakage and hair loss.

Mosquito Bites

To keep mosquitoes away, use baby oil; they don’t like to put their feet in it.
To help stop the itch of a mosquito bite, apply toothpaste (not gel) to the area.
To keep mosquitoes from biting you place a dryer sheet in your pocket.

Dry, Chapped Lips

Slather your lips with vaseline overnight to cure dry, chapped lips.
To exfoliate the lips brush a toothbrush over the lips to get rid of the dead cells

Bee Stings/Bug Bites

For a bee sting, apply baking soda compresses- the soda soothes the sting and draws out the stinger; if stung by a wasp, apply vinegar to soothe.
Apply sliced raw garlic, which relieves wasp and bee stings; follow with an ice pack.

Household Remedies

Use white vinegar and water to clean glass (I only use vinegar on glass and mirrors and it works so much better than Windex)!
For pans that have had food burned onto the bottom, apply a capful of ammonia, fill the pan with water and boil for a few minutes, it will soften all of that up so you don’t have to throw out the pan.(submitted by visitor).

Add your own to the comments section below!