Finally!

Yay! Face care products are now available in the shop!

I'm really excited to offer this to everyone, I've been testing face care for a long time now! hehe I still have just a couple more face products to introduce, including a blemish gel and dry face mask powders! Yay!

Also, I'll be adding all the hair care products over the weekend, and next week (depending on how much time I have to take and edit pics! lol) I'll be offering shampoo bars, conditioner bars, liquid conditioners, and a protein hair mist, which I looooove!

What does "natural" mean? and How I formulate my products!

So I was thinking about this after browsing the Bath & Beauty section of Etsy & Amazon.. ( I love to check out other's creations, and look for packaging inspiration! lol) So many products are claiming to be "all natural" or "eco-friendly", but what does that really mean?

Legally, anyone can use the word "natural", there are no regulations or rules regarding the word. The word "organic" IS regulated, and products must be submitted for certification to legally be called "organic".

To me, natural means, minimally processed. Frankly, just about everything use use, eat or wear has to be processed at least a little bit. I try to buy my supplies with this in mind, such as unrefined shea butter instead of the ultra refined, modified shea butter for example.

I also buy organic ingredients whenever possible. Right now I'm using organic coconut oil, shea butter, avocado oil, and all of my essential oils are organic.

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I like to formulate with the products intention in mind. I choose oils, butters, and all my ingredients based on 2 things. What the product is for, and how I want it to feel. By making my products from scratch, I can control what does into them, and I opt NOT to use fillers, or extra "pointless" ingredients to bulk out my formulas.

I also make small batches, so when you order a product from me, it's fresh! Nothing sits around very long, eliminating the need for extra, or paraben based preservatives.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment, or shoot me a convo on Etsy!

Milestone Giveaway!

It's contest time! I'm celebrating reaching 200 sales on Etsy! 

To enter this contest you must be:

A Facebook fan of Bella Bath & Body

Resident of the USA (sorry!)

How to enter:

Write a blog post about my Etsy shop! Review a product you've tried, or maybe discuss why you love handmade beauty products. Be sure to include a link to my shop in your write up. Come back here and post a link to your blog post!

Create a Youtube video about my Etsy shop! Same as the blog post, you can talk about my products you've tried, your fav scents or anything related to my shop! :) Be sure to add a link to my shop in your vid details, then come back here and post your video! 

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Invite your friends! There will be three, count em... THREE winners! 

*1st Place winner will receive 2 bars of soap in the scent of their choice, 1 body butter in the scent of their choice AND 2 lip balms in the flavors of their choice! 

*2nd Place winner will receive 1 bar of soap in the scent of their choice & 1 lip balm in the flavor of their choice! 

*3rd Place winner will receive 1 lip balm in the flavor of their choice!

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On Feb. 15th, 2011 I'll use Random.org to choose the winners! For your entry to count, you must comment here! 

*You may enter one time, in each category. You do not need to enter in both, if you only do one that's just fine*

Good luck friends! :) 

New style Pics!

I've been experimenting with new picture styles! What do you think?

Lip Scrub

Solid Massage Melt

Natural Deodorant Bar

I'm still not sure if this kind of picture will work with my colorful labels. Labels are something I'm forever tweaking with and changing tho.. lol

What do you think? Better? Worse? Eh?

Hope everyone's had a good Monday! (Is there such a thing? lol)

New Look!

Well I've been experimenting with a New Look for the blog! What do you think?
Pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself! *wink*

The sale is still on, so hurry over to the shop to snap up a deal while it lasts! This is the last sale for a while, fyi. *smile*

Hair products WILL be debuting in Spring, along with the rest of the All Natural Face Care line! Wooo! It's been a long time coming, but I wanted to be sure I'm offering the very best products I can. *smile*

Hope everyone's doing well, and stayed tuned for sneak peeks of the new products as I get ready to add them to the shop!

Surprise SALE!

Yay! All products in my shop are currently marked down by 20%!!!

Grab a great deal while it lasts!

*Includes Holiday & Limited Edition products*

Torn

I want to offer hair care products, but I'm torn on what kinds of formulations to use!

First off, I'm undecided if I want to offer liquid shampoos and conditioners, or solid. I love both styles, and each has their advantages. Which kind do you prefer???

My second stumbling block is how many kinds ... I have endless fragrance options, but what I'm wondering is... should I use my in-between, good for most people, formula, or should I do several ... a dry hair, oily hair & normal hair formulas? I'm really thinking I can make an excellent formula that will work for most people ... after all, the girls and I are all using the same formula right now, and each of us has very different hair. Ok, I think I just answered my own question. lol I'd still love to hear your thoughts about this!