Newsletter March 2025
Welcome to March 2025!
I am still flat out 7 days a week with the day job and have not had a lot of time to make products. Fortunately, that should ease after the 30th of March until next November.
New Products
As I have not had a lot of time to myself on weekends, I have only managed to start making some Tote Bags and patterns with my new toy. So cute! There are a few in the shop.
Test Bench
Organic Beeswax candles are still on the Test Bench. Not much has happened with them but I have decided on an overall “look” and that we will be finishing up making new soy candles at the end of our soy wax in favour of waxes which are kinder to the planet in terms of chemicals, GMO’s, etc..
The waxes chosen are EcoOlive, which we already use in our tins, tealights and spa cups, and organic Bees wax, which is, of course, our premier spiritual, naturally scented, Paleo candle. Olive will be container only; Bee will be container and votive refills.
Healthy Discussion- What is in your soap?
So let’s talk about what is actually in commercial soap you buy for a couple of dollars at the supermarket.
As my customers know, that soft, silky bar of soap I make is free of nasty chemicals and oils, and is made from primarily Paleo, organic, GMO free, cruelty free, child exploitation free, Fair Trade and ecologically and socially responsible ingredients.
We mainly use organic essential oils and where we do use fragrances, they are phthalate and paraben free, but all those healthy qualities do come at a cost.
Why is our soap $9.95 a bar and the supermarket can sell it at $2.00-$6.00?
Well! Let’s examine soap, and soap-like products.
Commercial soap bars are often not soap at all, but a chemical cocktail of ingredients which are not saponified, and are, therefore, not soap at all.
What they are is a variety of chemical ingredients that can raise concerns for both skin health and environmental impact.
They commonly contain:
- Surfactants:
- Surfactants remove dirt and oil. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are regulars. Fo you have dry and irritated skin when using a cheap soap? That’s because SLS and SLES can also strip the skin of its natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation.
- Preservatives:
- Parabens and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are used to extend shelf life and prevent bacterial growth. Many of these are linked to potential health concerns.
- Fragrances:
- Synthetic fragrances, often derived from petrochemicals, can cause allergic reactions and skin sensitivities. Phthalates and parabens are contained in many modern fragrances and even most artisan soap makers, like us, don’t check if the fragrances they are using contain phthalates and parabens. As here we are sensitive to them, the fragrances we use are free of phthalates and parabens.
- An interesting experiment here over the last 2 months has been to trial two brands which Glen and I both react to as a weedkiller. Turns out, with those brands, it works. We tried it far away from the organic veggie garden and the garden stinks and the weeds are dead, woody weeds, too, so a remarkably effective weed killer. Wow! More research and study were required. Turns out one or two ingredients in many fragrances are also an active ingredient in herbicides and pesticides. What you are putting on your skin and breathing in with so many fragrance oils is a chemical well known to be toxic. Rather than pass these fragrances on to another maker, which was out intention BEFORE doing this experiment, we have disposed of them responsibly and retain only the ones we do not react to, and which do not contain these toxins.
- Other Additives:
- These can include:
- Colourants: Synthetic dyes that add colour to the soap and are frequently not ethically, socially or environmentally responsible.
- Foaming agents: chemicals that increase the lather of the soap.
- chemicals to harden the soap bar. All you need is saponification and time
Potential Concerns:
- Skin Irritation: Many of the chemicals listed can irritate sensitive skin, leading to dryness, redness, and itching.
- Lung Irritation: Many of the chemicals listed can irritate sensitive lungs, which are in TCM an extension of your skin, leading to asthma-like symptoms. Ever encountered a walking wall of perfume or aftershave and started coughing, sneezing and experiencing shortness of breath? Me to!
- Environmental Impact: Some ingredients, like certain preservatives and synthetic fragrances, can contribute to water pollution.
- Long-Term Health Effects: There are ongoing debates about the potential long-term health effects of exposure to certain chemicals found in commercial soaps.
Alternatives:
- Many people are turning to natural or organic soap bars, which often contain fewer synthetic chemicals and rely on plant-based ingredients, however, these can be expensive.
- Making your own soaps where the only ingredients are water, oils that you choose, and lye.
Nashama Equine & Canine
Glen is busy with his regular equine customers and his day job. As we speak the Autumn break has arrived and hoof abscess season is here, and horse owners need to be vigilant.
We have good stocks of our equine and Canine products, including our unique Abscess and Thrush Formulation, which remains one of the most cost effective and the only organic preparation on the market, and dog shampoo in the farm shop.
As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I have formulated some new equine recipes which will start to come onto the Test Bench once the frantic summer season in my day job as a water supply engineer moves into the slower winter.
Farm Life
The farm is slowing, and the winter coats are growing. The leaves are starting to turn. All the signs that winter is on the way are around us as the Wheel turns.
We have had our birthdays, and I asked for a date afternoon for my birthday, not a date night, with a movie and lunch out. We went to the cinema to see Spit. What a great Aussie movie.
We have not been to the movies a lot over the last year or so, but Spit is an old school Australian crime caper with such great actors, and I am a fan of David Wenham and Gary Sweet. They did not disappoint. Off to the Lilac Cinema we went for 102 minutes of fun, which we thoroughly enjoyed with some friends, then we went to lunch at the Bluebird Café, which was previously the Greengrocer Cafe, and enjoyed a lovely meal.
Jake and George have had a few spats, but George improves every day. George has missed basic training so has been in puppy preschool since his arrival, which assists with his behavioural challenges. We remain in touch with George’s previous family and provide regular updates on him, which provides some comfort they did the right thing by George, as they work through the issues that can happen in any of our first responder families that saw George need to be rehomed.
It is hard to believe the year is flying by and the morning commute is now in the dark and Easter is on approach.
Have a happy and safe Easter, everyone.