Shea Oil (Shea Olein) is sometimes referred to as liquid shea butter. Shea Olein is obtained by the process of fractionating the natural shea butter to separate the olein (liquid) and the stearin (solid). Shea Olein is thus the liquid part of the shea butter.
Shea butter is a fatty extract from the seed of the Shea Tree. The extract is known to contain a number of ingredients with biological activity. This biological activity includes moisturizing and healing skin ailments. Shea Olein, an extract from the seed of the shea tree is known to contain moisturizing and healing skin ailments.
We are now stocking this easy to use Shea Olein which can be substituted for Shea Butter or Fractionated Shea Oil in formulation. This product is a liquid at room temperature but may thicken when held at colder temperatures.
Allison B. Kontur
www.BathBodySupply.com
If you will be in the Akron area this weekend and are looking for something different to do Saturday April 4th @ 7:00PM, check out the Fashion Rocks Akron Spring Fashion Show held by NOTO!You can view the full Press Release HERETickets are still available for this exciting event and can be purchased online in advance. (**UPDATE: This event has SOLD OUT as of 4/1/09)- Gold tickets will include front row seating, a swag bag full of goodies including Custom NOTO Skincare products and Open Bar access.
- Silver tickets include best available seating and Open Bar access.
Be sure to check out the article on NOTO in Akron Life & Leisure Magazine! Stop on by and say hello! We will be at this amazing event following the Cleveland Womens Expo on Saturday!Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
Due to our presence at the Cleveland Womens Expo, Customer Service will be CLOSED on Friday, April 3, 2009.
For your convenience, orders can be placed online 24/7/365 or faxed to 330-467-2166. All phone calls will be returned when we reopen on Monday. Urgent correspondence should be made to email as we can better serve your requests in this manner.
If you will be in the Cleveland area this weekend and would like to stop by and say hello, you can find us at the ObN Skincare Booth #930. Thank you for your patience, we hope to see you at the show!
Allison B. Kontur
Smell No Evil, Ltd.
www.BathBodySupply.com
A bubble bar, sometimes called solid bubble bath, is a dry cake made up of ingredients that bubble and foam profusely when introduced to running water. My first experience with these bubbling wonders came with a trip to LUSH Cosmetics where the bubble bar is king! Although, as the years have progressed, you can find all variations of bubble bars all over the internet and in boutiques.
Bubble Bars are very simple to make and with the consistency of dough during formulation, they are highly adaptable to creative embellishments. You are only limited by your imagination!
To use a bubble bar, the cake is broken into smaller bits and dropped under running water in the tub. In minutes, you have a tub full of foaming bubbles just begging for a soak!
Stay tuned for a tutorial in making these beautiful bars...
Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is derived from coconut and palm oils. It is a safe, skin-friendly surfactant (foaming agent) for both skin and hair. This mild plant derived surfactant creates a rich, luxurious lather that effectively removes surface oil, dirt and bacteria, without stripping or drying sensitive skin. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is also attracted to water (hydrophilic), which enables it to dissolve more readily in water, thus providing superior rinseablility.
Although an ingredient's name may sound similar to another, it does not mean that the molecules are similar with respect to shape, size, performance or even function. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate sounds similar to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, however, the two molecules are very different. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a large molecule ingredient. Large molecule ingredients are considered to be mild, gentle, and non-irritating, as they cannot penetrate the skin. In contrast, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a small molecule ingredient, and is capable of penetrating the skin, which can increase the occurrence of skin irritation and dermatitis. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a functional and versatile foaming additive used in a multitude of commercial and handcrafted products such as bath bombs or fizzies, bubble bars, bath salts and more!
Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
One of the first things we ever learned in Chemistry Lab (even before we were ever permitted to perform an experiment) was proper safety procedures. Many of us take for granted in skincare formulating that accidents can and do happen and that an easy way to prevent these little misfortunes is to practice a little common sense.
Many of the following laboratory safety rules are from my college lab manual, but still hold true today. You may wish to print them and post them in your workspace as a reminder to exercise caution when formulating skincare. Your ingredients may seem innocuous, but they are still chemicals that have the potential to harm if handled inappropriately.Basic Laboratory Safety Guidelines: - Safety Goggles & Safety Gear should be worn at all times.
- No eating or drinking in the laboratory.
- Never taste or touch laboratory chemicals.
- Always wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.
- Wear proper clothing - Safety Goggles, Closed-Toe Shoes, Protective Gear (Aprons/Lab Coats), Tie Long Hair Back and Remove Jewelry.
- Always point heated containers away from yourself and others and heat them slowly. Never walk away from chemicals being heated.
- Never return unused chemicals to their original containers. This prevents contamination.
- Always work in a ventilated area when working with potentially toxic and/or airborne substances. Never inhale fumes directly. Wear a mask or respirator.
- Never use open flame near flammable liquids.
- Dispose of chemicals in the designated disposal site - not in the sink or trash can. Be aware of local sewer requirements before dumping any chemicals down the drain.
- Read the label on chemical bottles at least twice before using the chemical. Many chemicals have names that are easily confused.
- Never smell a material in a flask or container directly. Instead, with your hand, "fan" some of the fumes to your nose carefully.
- Keep, maintain & understand the proper usage of emergency eyewash, fire extinguishers & first aid kits.
Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
If you missed Day 1 of this Tutorial, you can pick it up here: Recipe: Butter Bombs - Day 1
There are many bath & body companies out there selling the same or similar products, so it's important to make your product stand out. Bath Bombs or Fizzies are a very simple product to make from very basic ingredients that can really be customized to fit any product line.
Today, we are going to focus on embellishments that can really make your product "POP" and draw your end-user to buy them. But first, we need a suitable mold!
Molds: We used empty plastic Christmas ornaments than can be located online or in many craft stores. These are quite large and make a really nice, heavy bath bomb. We make ours in halves, so the consumer can use it split between two baths or toss all of it into one "mega" bath. You can use any type of mold or method that you prefer. We have found that harder plastic molds yield a more compact end product, whereas silicone type molds usually perform poorly. We have used clean, repurposed food containers, dixie cups and the like as "recycled" molds. You can also use "meatballer" utensils available at food supply stores although we have had little luck with them.
Phase 5 (Prepare Your Mold): In the bottom of each "half" of the ornament, we placed 1 Shea Butter Embed which had been rolled in baking soda in the bottom of the mold. (The baking soda prevents the butter from sticking directly to the mold. You can also use mica or dried botanicals to prevent the butter from sticking to your mold).
You can get creative here and use an entire embed, or slice it into thinner layers depending on how much butter you want in your bath. Don't use too large an embed or it will affect the integrity of your final product. Pack the sodium bicarbonate/citric acid mixture on top of the embed and press firmly to compact the mixture as much as possible. Keep adding the mixture and compacting it until your mold is filled.
Phase 6: You may wish for your bomb to sit for a few minutes to half an hour before you unmold. We unmold fairly quickly after molding for a few reasons:
- Unmolding within a few minutes gives you an idea of whether or not your "bomb" will hold without crumbling. If it is really crumbly or falls apart when unmolding, your mixture could be too dry. If you catch it early enough, you can mix it again with a little more witch hazel and try molding again without losing a batch.
- Unmolding before the "bomb" dries completely will save you the hassle of having to break your mold to get the darn thing out of there!
- Unmolding early allows you to reuse your molds in the same batch if you are short on molds.
Note: Humidity is the enemy of many bath bomb formulators. For this reason, it is not recommended to formulate on days with high humidity. You may want to run a dehumidifier while making these or allow them to set in a room with a dehumidifier running if it is very humid where you are crafting.
Phase 7: Allow your finished product to sit for at least 24 hours before handling or packaging for sale. They can be shrink wrapped, bagged, boxed, sold in jars or tubes.
Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
You will need:
16 oz Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)8 oz Citric Acid
Witch Hazel (in a Spray Bottle)
Colorant (We used Liquid FD&C Yellow #5 & Liquid FD&C Blue #1) Fragrance (We used Pear & Quince Fragrance Oil)
Shea Butter Embeds
Phase 1: Make your Shea Butter Embeds. You can melt shea butter and allow it to harden in a 
mini-mold if you prefer a certain shape, or use a small melon-baller to scoop small balls of shea butter. Set aside and allow to harden completely. You may want to pop them in the refrigerator or freezer to get them firm enough for embedding.
Phase 2: Combine citric acid and sodium bicarbonate in a stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Wear a mask and work in a well-ventilated area as airborne particles will affect respiration. We use gloved hands to gently mix ingredients.
Phase 3: Add your colorants and fragrance to your preference. Dry pigments, dyes & micas can be used, however stick with water-soluble colorants and use a light hand as the color will intensify when added to water and could stain if over-colored (Pigments and some herbal powders/clays will tend to float in the bath water and leave a ring. These are better-off avoided).
We used our Liquid FD&C Yellow #5 & Liquid FD&C Blue #1. The water content of the dye can set off your fizz, so drop a few drops into a gloved hand and sort of "smear" it into the dry ingredients to minimize fizzing until you reach the intensity you prefer. Blend thoroughly to ensure your fragrance & color are mixed throughout the dry ingredients.
Phase 4: Using a spray bottle of witch hazel, spritz your dry ingredients several times and then mix with gloved hands. Spritz again, then mix again. And spritz again, and mix again. And again. And again. You get the picture! This is the patience-trying portion of the recipe. You will continue to 
spritz and mix until the mixture resembles the consistancy of wet sand and holds together when squeezed into a ball. DO NOT OVER SPRITZ as this will set off a chain reaction where your ingredients will fizz. Once it starts, you can't stop it and the batch will be ruined.Phase 5: When your mixture begins to hold together, it will be ready to pack into prepared molds.In Part 2, we will discuss embedding your Shea Butter Embeds into your bombs to make unique and original Bath Bombs like the "Big Box Beauty" stores! Stay Tuned.....
Allison B. Kontur
www.BathBodySupply.com
Recently added: Cocamide DEA - Derived from whole coconut and contains glycerin for added conditioning properties.Cocomidopropyl Betaine - Provides good foaming and foam liquid stabilization with excellent wetting properties.
Both of these additives are useful in creating Bubble Bars or Solid Bubble Bath. Recipes & Tutorials for these types of items will follow next week!Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
St. Patrick's Blue, not green, was the original color associated with St. Patrick. Green, which is the color most widely associated with Ireland and with St. Patrick's Day in modern times, may have gained its prominence through the phrase "the wearing of the green" meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing. At many times in
Irish history, to do so was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism or loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish. The wearing of and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the saint's holiday. The change to Ireland's association with green rather than blue probably began around the 1750's. - Wikipedia
Sustainability, in a broad sense, is the ability to maintain a certain process or state. It is now most frequently used in connection with humans and our relationship with the Earth. In an ecological context, sustainability can be defined as the ability of an ecosystem to continue functioning at optimum performance in perpetuity.
For humans to live sustainably, the Earth's resources must be used at a rate at which they can be replenished. However, there is now clear scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably, and that an unprecedented worldwide effort is needed to return human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits. 
On a recent trip to California, I was able to tour one of the largest hothouse tomato facilities in the United States which uses Dutch technology and sustainability methods in day to day operations. What I learned there about sustainability was amazing and these are just some of the practices in effect currently within this particular growing operation: - Plant trimmings are composted rather than sent to the landfill.
- Condensation from greenhouses is collected and sent to holding ponds for treatment and recirculation for irrigation.
- Soil material is Coir rather than dirt which can be composted rather than sent to the landfill.
- Solar energy is collected to keep fans and machinery operating. Excess power is sold back to the power company.
- Captures and stores waste heat from its cooler facility and blows it into the greenhouse for heating at nighttime.
- Beneficial insects are introduced in a pressurized environment to essentially alleviate the need for pesticide use.
This was my first experience in an "indoor" commercial growing operation and the ability to control 
so many factors while growing is certainly very appealing. For obvious reasons, this level of control makes it much easier to be sustainable. Although sophisticated, the simplicity of the growing operation makes it very easy to be sustainable.
I'm a firm believer that if we always do what we've always done, we will always get what we always got. The times call for change and in these changing times I have been inspired to find new ways to make our own operation as sustainable as possible. Armed with what I've learned and witnessed, I 
believe we can each make simple changes that will help the collective good.
Over the next few months, we will be reporting back to you with the changes we are making to become more sustainable. The first step in sustainability is accountability. We encourage you to do the same and to share what you're doing with us here!
Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
You will need:
3 oz Epsom Salts
2 oz Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
1 oz Citric Acid
2 oz Lathanol LAL
0.50 oz Dendritic Salt
2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) Rain Fragrance Oil
1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) Peppermint Fragrance Oil
20 drops D&C Green #5, Liquid Colorant
8 drops FD&C Yellow #5, Liquid Colorant
Face Mask
Rubber Gloves
Zipper Style Plastic Baggies (Gallon Size)
Phase 1: Combine Epsom Salts, Baking Soda, Citric Acid & Lathanol in a zipper style plastic baggie. Wear a mask and work in a well ventilated area to avoid inhaling dust particles. Mix thoroughly to combine all ingredients. 
Phase 2: In a separate glass mixing bowl, combine dendritic salt and fragrance oil until combined.
Phase 3: Add ingredients from Phase 2 to the mixture from Phase 1 in the plastic baggie and blend well to incorporate fragrance throughout the entire mixture.
Phase 4: Add colorant to the mixture in the baggie. Seal bag, pressing out most of the air and use your hands to "squish" the mixture around until the color incorporates throughout. This may take some time, but it will help contain the dust.Phase 5: Package in an airtight container. Note: This product functions similarly to a bath bomb, except it is in powder form. Excess moisture will set off the "fizz". The finished product should be stored in an airtight container and protected from damp, humid environments.Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
As I glanced over the news yesterday at HappyNews.com, I found the sweetest article about giving that touched me deeply.
June Pearce of Florida was coming up on her 84th birthday and like many elderly, had no need for baubles or trinkets. Having suffered from strokes that robbed her short-term memory (as well as lung cancer), she remembered having a good time riding on the back of a motorcycle during the Depression and in a stroke of genius, she placed an ad on Craigslist asking for someone to "give granny a ride on your hog".
A very sweet man, Ron Borowski, had lost his own mother to cancer and decided to fulfill Junes' birthday wish... Click Here to read the full storyAllison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
The following overstock fragrances have been reduced in price for a limited time. Sale prices will end when we have depleted the overstock of these items. (Sale excludes 1 oz Sample Size Fragrances):
Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
My business partner mentioned once that she believed one of her very talented professors had failed because she chose to become a wife, mother and professor instead of a Broadway actor. Although her professor is active in community theater and teaches at a local arts college, my partner assumed that this choice translated to being unsuccessful.
What is Success? Success is defined as "an event that accomplishes its intended purpose", "an attainment that is successful" or "a state of prosperity or fame". It is defined by each one of us as something different based on our own internalized views of success.
Who defines Success? We can define our own success or let society define it for us. Some base success on financial prosperity, others on friendships and/or personal satisfaction. Therefore, what is deemed successful by friends may be very different than our own definition.
When will I be Successful? Until you define what success means to you, you cannot work to attain it. The definitions may change over time and depending on life circumstances, this is called reworking your goals. Each goal is a stepping stone to the next level. Sometimes you may take a step (or two, or three) backwards before moving forward. When you have taken the steps to complete your goals, you will have succeeded.
Why is Success important? Success is a way to measure achievement of goals. Through success, we can visualize the next step. There are sure to be failures along the way, but from failure we learn what works and what doesn't. This helps us to forge ahead to the next stepping stone. Failure is not the end of the world, it is an opportunity to reinvent goals.
Where can I meet Successful people to encourage me? Find local business owners whom you admire and find ways to meet them. You can also start or join a MasterMind group or network locally through professional groups like Ladies Who Launch or MeetUps.
How do I guarantee my own success? There are no guarantees. Move in the the right direction by educating yourself. A four year college program is valuable, but not necessary. It is more valuable to make a point to learn something everyday. Whether you achieve this through reading, listening or by interacting it doesn't really matter as long as you are proactive and leave the experience having gained something from it. There are many resources online for continuing education and local resources can be found at your public library or through your local community college.Through experiencing the competitiveness and stress of acting in New York, my partner can now appreciate that her professor chose success via an avenue that gives her the most joy and satisfaction. Albeit not as financially lucrative as a Broadway career, her prosperity comes from sharing a wealth of acting knowledge with others and by encouraging them to pursue their own successes.Allison B. Konturwww.BathBodySupply.com
Shea Oil (Shea Olein) is sometimes referred to as liquid shea butter. Shea Olein is obtained by the process of fractionating the natural shea butter to separate the olein (liquid) and the stearin (solid). Shea Olein is thus the liquid part of the shea butter. 
