Store bought lotion vs handmade

I find myself constantly feeling the need to explain to every customer about the difference between store bought lotion and handmade lotion, specifically the natural lotions (aka strictly butters and oils), only because if someone isn't used to using a natural, handmade product, I don't want them running away frightened from the initial application.
When I first got into creating skin recipes and trying each one out, I have to admit I almost lost hope and quit several times because I was getting beyond frustrated with every greasy batch of solid lotion. I couldn't understand why they all felt so oily. Yes, the greasy feeling went away after a few minutes, but it was something I definitely wasn't used to and it left me feeling discouraged, to say the least. I started researching and checking to see what others' experiences were, and I found pages upon pages of people reporting the same "greasy" feeling I was fretting over. Woo hoo!
So, let me explain. Big brand name lotions (Jergens, Johnson's, even Aveda) all use a lot of synthetic chemicals to create their lotions. Water is almost always the main ingredient which can actually leave your skin quenching even more hydration, causing you to reapply the lotion several times a day. If you're anything like me, you HAVE to apply lotion any time your skin hits the water, even if its only for a split second (otherwise it feels like your skin is so dry and shriveled, it's going to burn and fall off your body at any given time).
Ok, gross, but yes... That's how my sensitive my skin is.
Here is the difference between your more traditional lotions and natural butters used as lotions:
Handmade lotions use strictly butters and oils. They may feel heavy or greasy upon first application because you're literally spreading straight butter and oil on your skin. Now it's obviously not the same thing as opening your fridge and grabbing a stick of margarine and spreading it over your freshly shaved legs, so don't let the "butter" term scare you. The natural butters sit on top of your skin for a minute or two, then soak into your skin, trapping in all of the luxurious moisture and creating a barrier against drying elements. Many people even say that the natural lotions last through A FEW hand washings! Perfect for those of us with that dreaded burning skin.
Here's a little test. Go rub some store bought lotion onto your hands and massage it into your skin until you feel it's completely absorbed. Most would describe the sensation as "wet", as if you applied thick water straight onto your skin. After a few minutes, your skin feels nothing. Better than not feeling like fire, but not something to be happy with, either.
When you apply a solid lotion, you rub the bar over your hands and massage the layer into your skin. You may notice it feels a bit greasy or slippery for a minute or two, but then it suddenly sinks into your skin, leaving it unbelievably soft and silky. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have my skin soaking up those luxurious, skin loving oils and butters rather than water and chemicals which is only going to leave my skin drier than before. No fun!
Do your skin a huge favor and try out a natural lotion if you haven't done so already. If you still prefer a liquid type lotion, look for whipped body butters or creams. Otherwise, if you're open to change, give a solid lotion a shot. An upside to these alternatives are their many, many uses. Whipped body butter can be applied to your hair to make it smooth and soft. Solid lotions can be used as cuticle cream, solid perfumes, and foot balm. Rub a layer over your feet before bed, put on a pair of comfy socks, and wake up to incredibly soft feet. Wonderful after spending the summer in sandals!

Etsy is a wonderful place to find high quality lotions. Do a search for "lotion bar", "solid lotion", "whipped shea butter", or even "whipped body butter" for some amazing products.
Have you ever used natural lotion before? What was your experience like?

http://www.trueskin.etsy.com

And the winner is....

Tammy Hoffa!!

Number 29, Ms Tammy Hoffa, is our lucky winner!  Congratulations to Tammy!  Please keep an eye out on your Facebook messages- I will be contacting you there.

To everyone else- thank you SO much for participating!!  You made my first giveaway a lot of fun and I loved reading everyone's comments.

To thank you all, I'm offering a special deal just for those of you who participated.  Buy any lip balm or solid lotion in my shop and get one absolutely free.  No coupon code is necessary- just add the item you want into your cart, and in the "notes to seller" box, leave me a message with the other product of your choice.  This deal is only good until this Thursday, July 19, so don't miss out!  =)

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to convo me through Etsy and I'll return your message right away.

Again, thank you so much to all of you.  Keep an eye out for MANY more giveaways in the future- I have tons more already in the making.

xoxo

Tina

{Giveaway} Win a lip balm!

I think it's time for a giveaway!
I will be giving one lucky winner a lip balm of their choice. With plenty of flavors to choose from, this giveaway is definitely worth entering!

The list of flavors are:
Monkey farts
Frozen margarita
Chocolate bon bons
Creme brulee
Strawberry sorbet
Black cherry
Cappuccino
Vanilla icing
Buttercream cupcake
Coconut
Cucumber melon
Cola
Tangerine tango
Juicy peaches
Plain/ unscented
Grand marnier and apricots
Mango madness
Creme de menthe
Champagne
Watermelon

(Ingredients are coconut oil, beeswax, organic shea butter, organic cocoa butter, vitamin e oil, and flavor oil)

If you would like to make a purchase in the meantime, use coupon code "GIVEAWAY15" for 15% off your entire order.

This is just the first giveaway with many more to come. With several new products being added over the next few weeks (scrubs, serums, salves, etc.), there will be plenty of opportunities to win all natural bath and body products.

Now let's get to the important stuff:

Giveaway opens:
7/10/2012 at 12:01 am PST
Giveaway ends:
7/15/2012 at 11:59 pm PST
Winner announced:
7/16/2012 by 12:00 pm PST
Winner will be chosen via random.org. I will post the winner's name here on the blog by noon on July 16th.

Mandatory entry:
"Like" TrueSkin on Facebook and leave a comment here with your favorite flavor from the list above and why it's your favorite.

Additional entries:
1. Share TrueSkin's Facebook page with your friends. Have them leave a comment with your name on the FB page.
2. If you could custom create any flavor of lip balm, what would it be? Leave a comment here and let me know what it is.
3. Follow this blog and leave a comment letting me know you now follow the blog.
4. Tweet the link to this giveaway. Leave the link to your tweet in the comments below. This can be done once a day. Important! Leave a NEW comment every day you tweet the giveaway.
5. "Heart"/ Admire TrueSkin on Etsy and leave a comment here letting me know.
6. Leave a comment telling me your favorite bath and body/ skincare product you can't live without. Is it lotion, face wash, lip balm, toner, shampoo, etc? Why is it your favorite?


Once I have generated a winner, I will confirm that all entries are legal and valid. I will then announce the winner on the blog and contact the winner through a private Facebook message in order to keep your email addresses private. There's nothing worse than getting spam and junk when trying to enter a giveaway, so don't worry about leaving your email address in a comment here for the world to see.

Anyway, good luck to everyone!

Have fun!

New new new!

I have been quite the mad woman lately formulating new recipes and products, as well as designing labels that I'm happy with longer than a few minutes at a time. I'm such a perfectionist which is good at times, but at the times where it's not the most important thing in the world (like the perfect shade of pink on a label), it drives me crazy! Oh well- I still enjoy every minute of it.
My latest endeavors have been several different facial serums, a newly formulated solid lotion, massage bars, vegan lip balm, lip tints, whipped shea butter, whipped body scrub.. The list really seems endless. It's an expensive, time consuming addiction, but I really can't get enough. The newest products I'll be adding to my etsy shop will most likely be several different healing salves and facial serums, followed by new lotion bars (redesigned from the ground up- recipe, container, and label). Once I get some more lip balms listed, I'd like to hold my very first giveaway. EVERYONE loves lip balm, right? What's more appropriate in the summer months than a lip balm giveaway?

Let's celebrate!

It's been over a year since I've blogged and I have to say I missed it terribly at times. With my new skincare line launching over on Etsy, (http://www.trueskin.etsy.com) I decided now was the perfect time to jump right back in to blogging and being social with the rest of the online world. To kick off my new shop and blog, I want to celebrate with my very first TrueSkin giveaway. More details will be posted soon, but until then, please check out my Etsy shop and Facebook page to stay up-to-date with my latest promos and whatnot.
I'm excited to share my bath and body obsession with the rest of you, and hope you all enjoy my products as much as I enjoy making them.
xoxo Tina

http://www.facebook.com/trueskinco
http://www.trueskin.etsy.com