Archive for July, 2010

July 30th, 2010

Safe, Natural, Anti- HR5786 Soaps

Had to share a few more GREAT, SAFE, Natural soaps with you.

Attention Government: These are made with ALL NATURAL oils and essential oils. OLIVE. COCONUT. PALM. CASTOR. Nothing hazardous here, thank you very much!!

You don’t need to regulate them. I don’t need to add any hazardous material disclaimer to their labels.  Because THEY ARE SAFE!

Olive Oil Soap scented with Frankincense and Myrrh

Olive Oil Soap scented with Frankincense and Myrrh

Olive Oil Soap Purification Bar

Olive Oil Soap Purification Bar

And, for anyone wondering why I would want the government to know this is an all natural, SAFE product, check out my blog articles about current legislation being considered that would effectively put soapcrafters like me out of business. And, if you’d like, please sign the petition to oppose this horrid bill, HERE. Our nation needs Safe Cosmetics. Companies like ours are already providing them.

Thank you for your support! :)

Erin

CategoryHR 5786 The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010, Uncategorized | Comment1 Comment »

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July 27th, 2010

Safe Cosmetics Act 2010, HR 5786

So, it’s my birthday today.

And, I got the best birthday present ever. My blog was picked up by http://opencongress.org, and was listed right on the homepage of HR 5786.  I’ve been busy with the comments on it all morning. People are lining up in opposition of the bill. They recognize that although the intention of reforming our current cosmetic ingredients is a good one, a noble one, a necessary one… this bill, HR 5786 is not the answer.Not even a propaganda-rich, cutesy and entertaining YouTube video sponsored by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics can hide the ineffectiveness of  this bill from savvy soapcrafters and cosmetic users like us!

While I appreciate the intent of HR 5786, the regulations suggested are far too overreaching. The FDA has a hard time enforcing the regulations that DO exist. How will they handle the influx of duties this new law could create? Natural products, especially innovative ones being developed by “Green” companies require constant experimentation. This bill would require changes to be documented and reported each time they are made. It will require documents to be filed each time a home-based natural soap crafter changes suppliers to get better pricing on raw ingredients. This will cause small businesses to close, at a time when our nation’s people desperately need work. Reform is needed, but in order for this bill to be useful, it needs to be re-written to not penalize Green Businesses who are already using safe, natural oils (olive, coconut) and other natural ingredients in their products. Lumping us into the same boat as the corporate, hazardous chemical using behemoths is not the answer.

It’s OK to oppose The Safe Cosmetic Act. It doesn’t mean we oppose Safe Cosmetics. We oppose this horrendously written, pathetically overreaching  attempt to reform the cosmetic industry. Rather than effecting any positive change, this bill shrinks entrepreneurial small business, while growing government.

CategoryHR 5786 The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010, Uncategorized | Comment6 Comments »

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July 26th, 2010

Oppose HR 5786 The Safe Cosmetic Act of 2010

On July 20, 2010, legislation was introduced in Congress  “To amend title VI of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ensure the safe use of cosmetics, and for other purposes.”

We all know there is a lot of “junk” in our personal care products. We know of the drying, harsh effects of detergents. We know that many commercially produced products have ingredients that are known to cause cancer and reproductive issues in animals when used in large amounts. It is a travesty that these ingredients are allowed to be put into products used by babies, children, and all of us other humans, too. The writers of this legislation obviously recognized the need for regulating what can be used in our nation’s cosmetics. Unfortunately, they missed the boat with this garbage bill they want to push through.

If HP 5786 is allowed to pass, it will effectively put an end to the cottage industry of natural soapcrafting. It will squelch our ability to be creative, to choose suppliers that offer the best quality and pricing on our raw materials, and will require us to file documents, registrations and updates about our revenues, employees, suppliers and proprietary recipes.

The complete bill can be read by clicking here:  HR5786

The text of the “Registration” section of the bill requires that all manufacturers of cosmetic products furnish:

“(B) a description of the establishment’s activities with respect to cosmetics;

(C) the number of workers employed at the establishment;

(D) the gross receipts of sales; and

(E) the name and address of any company that supplies the establishment, if the establishment manufactures cosmetics, with any ingredient (including preservatives, fragrances, or any other chemical component of a finished cosmetic product) and the name of the ingredient supplied to such establishment by such supplier.”

While this may not seem like a big deal, consider that many of us smaller soap making business (unlike Proctor and Gamble, for example), are creative types, who constantly come up with new scents, and formulas for their soaps. What does the bill say about making changes?

“(A) IN GENERAL- The registrant shall notify the Secretary in a timely manner of changes to the information described in paragraph (1).”

So, every time I use a new ingredient, or change suppliers,  I will have to forward new documents to the Secretary.

Additionally, there is a provision that states I must “notify the Secretary of any change in the products, function, or legal status…including cessation of business activities,  not later than 60 days after the date of such change.”

The companies who really should be targeted with legislation such as this are the huge commercial manufacturers who only care about profit. They are the ones using synthetically derived detergents in their body products. They are the ones who use labeling such as Clairol’s Herbal Essences that falsely leads consumers into thinking the product is actually GOOD for them…

Unfortunately, the text of this bill makes no distinction between small and large businesses as far as the registration policies are concerned. We certainly do need to reform the cosmetic industry. I just don’t think that lumping all natural cosmetic makers into the same boat as corporate, synthetic beauty product behemoths  is the way to go.

Please help us fight this poorly written legislation by signing this petition:

Sign Petition Opposing HR 5786

Reform is definitely needed, but this is not the reform we need.

CategoryHR 5786 The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010, The Business of Natural Soap, Uncategorized | Comment3 Comments »

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July 18th, 2010

Natural Bar Soap- New!

Wanted to be sure to share these latest olive-oil soap additions to The Natural Bar Soap Company’s line up. They’ll be ready in about 4 weeks for sale and use.  Look for them at the store, and on our Facebook Company page!

Coconut Chocolate Swirl Soap

Coconut Chocolate Swirl Soap

As always, our soaps are made with all-natural ingredients! Why? Because we can! The range of colors and scents available in Mother Nature’s pantry is enough to spoil any dedicated soapcrafter!

Natural Cucumber Soap

Natural Cucumber Soap

And, because we like to experiment with ingredients, here’s a new bar that’s lots of fun! It’s colored with mica that is tinted with naturally-derived oxides.

Citrus Rainbow Swirl Soap

Citrus Rainbow Swirl Soap

So there you have ‘em! To reserve a bar of any of these natural soaps, or to even give me a “thumbs up,” please visit our facebook company page and post a comment.

I’m going off to make more soap!

:)

CategorySoap Ingredients, The Soap Opera, aka Dramatic Soap, Uncategorized | Comment6 Comments »

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July 14th, 2010

Summer Vacation with the Kids

Purpose?  Out West Family Adventure!

Dates? June 23rd-July 10, 2010

Starting Point? Hagerstown, Maryland

Mode of Transportation? 2004 Ford Explorer

Ultimate Destination? Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Stops Along the Way? Mount Rushmore National Memorial, The Badlands National Park, The Black Hills National Park, Devil’s Tower National Monument, Craters of the Moon National Monument

Official Tally of Total Miles Driven? 5538.

Not bad for a round trip encompassing 11 states, 6 national parks and too many national forests to mention! Our kids took our family car adventure in stride. We have three, Katie- age 11, Alison- age 9, and Benji- age 6, and have been traveling with each since they were babies. They’re pretty accostomed to being in the car. However, our longest trip prior to this one was to Florida- a total of 14 hours. Our new adventure- 30 hours, according to MapQuest- would certainly test their ability to combat boredom!

Wanting to get a jump start on the driving, we decided to leave after work June 23rd. Our only goal was to get as far as we could before we needed to sleep. In the planning stages of this grand adventure, we looked into renting an RV, but the logistics of where to pick one up, coupled with the prohibitive mileage penalties made it an easy decision to take our Explorer instead.

Grant and I are “mean” parents. By that, I mean that we haven’t yet indulged our children by purchasing a vehicle with an on-board DVD player. They do have Nintendo DS’s, which came in handy from time to time, but my husband and I absolutely refuse to bring a TV with us to “entertain” the kids. Our great country has miles and miles of all-natural entertainment, just waiting to be explored. Save the TV for the hotel rooms and home.  Instead, our kids were armed with an arsenal of books, card games, MadLibs, and other car-friendly activities. They were really quite the super troopers. Sure, they had their moments of sibling squabbles, and they got tired of sitting in the car for so long, but thankfully, we stopped for breaks relatively often, and got out to see interesting things along the way.

Having fun at Reptile Gardens, South Dakota

Having fun at Reptile Gardens, South Dakota

One of our favorite quick stops was the Reptile Gardens outside of Rapid City, South Dakota, just around the mountain from Mount Rushmore. My husband had gone as a kid, and wanted to revisit some “old friends” there (they have quite a few “old friends,” including the 127-year old giant tortoise  ”Methuselah”). Founded in 1937 by Earl Brockelsby, Reptile Gardens holds the world’s record for exhibiting the most species of reptiles, and continues to be owned and operated by the same family.  The hit of our visit was the Alligator Show, where we watched a fun loving trainer “wrastle” a gator, and put it to sleep, all the way saying “I hate my job… I hate my job,” to the amusement of the crowd. If you ask me, those rough-skinned gators need to try my super-conditioning natural soap!!

Reptile Gardens, just north of Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota

Reptile Gardens, just north of Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota

Wall Drug was another great side trip. Having been there as kids ourselves, we knew this would be a great place to stop, particularly after driving through most of South Dakota. Anyone contemplating a trip along I-90 in South Dakota HAS to make a pit stop at the ever-popular Wall Drug! I was particularly interested in their “Apothecary” and the abundance of olive oil-based soaps they offered. The prices were steep in relation to the sizes of the bars- (I’m so used to my large bars)- but I suppose that’s to be expected in a store catering, to souvenir-crazed travelers.

Working on Junior Ranger's Badges at the Sculptor's Studio, Mount Rushmore

Working on Junior Ranger's Badges at the Sculptor's Studio, Mount Rushmore

Then we were off to Mount Rushmore. After two solid days of driving, it was nice to reach one of our planned destinations. The Avenue of Flags which was added in 1976, and the Sculptor’s Studio are two “must sees”  that  added  meaning and insight to this beloved national monument for me. Our kids enjoyed the “Junior Ranger” program, which actively engaged them in exploring the monument. After completing several activities, and receiving their Junior Park Ranger badges, we were in the car again, headed for Yellowstone- after, of course, stopping for some really good ice cream at their cafeteria!

More to come, later. :)

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