Whether you want to treat yourself to a holiday gift or have a long list of loved ones to shop for, make it a priority to shop small this Christmas. Here are 8 easy ways you can shop consciously, support your community and champion small businesses this holiday season.
The heavy, oily, dark-colored liquid called tar comes from Pine wood and other organic substances. It is made by the process called destructive distillation—subjecting the materials to intense heat in the absence of air. To simplify, pine trees are decomposed through excessive heat application and pressure in a closed atmosphere. Once the pine is fully broken down, the result is pine tar.
Pine tar is a substance that has been used for centuries and recommended by doctors since 1869.
Pine Tar has a variety of uses but today is primarily used as an active ingredient in soap.
What is Pine Tar soap and why is it used? Are there benefits?
Pine Tar Soap is used in treatments to soothe skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis on all skin types. It is said to relieve itching caused by various bug bites. This property alone makes it a great addition to your home or outdoor medicine cabinet during the warm months when mosquitoes and other pests are found almost everywhere.
Pine tar soap is known for its therapeutic benefits. It has been shown to be antipruritic, anti‐inflammatory, antibacterial and antifungal. These properties make pine tar suitable for the topical treatment of eczema, psoriasis, and other dry, itchy, flaky, or inflamed skin conditions. It is also said to heal inflammations caused by poison ivy, poison sumac, and sunburn.
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Do you have an Allergy or Sensitivity to certain fragrances?
Fragrance sensitivity is also known as a Perfume intolerance or a Perfume allergy. A condition wherein people exhibit sensitivity or allergic reactions to ingredients in perfumes or fragrances. Some people are especially susceptible to fragrance sensitivity. It can be triggered by a wide variety of both organic and artificial chemicals in a variety of scents that find their way into the air you breathe
Symptoms may include part of the following: Most allergic reactions typically give you an itchy red rash that goes away quickly after you've been exposed to the fragrance or perfume. Some mild symptoms can last for a few hours, days or even weeks after a brief exposure. A few mild symptoms of a perfume allergy can also include itching, even where you don't see any rash, redness or irritation. Other symptoms may include watery, itchy, or red eyes.
Fragrance allergy or sensitivity is common and does affect around 1% of adults and about 1.8% of adolescents and children. Fragrance allergy is second only to Nickel allergy as a cause for contact dermatitis. Fragrance sensitivities are on the rise, which could, in part, be because of the rise in scented products. Scent can be found everywhere, and those who are exposed to these allergens daily can see increased symptoms.
I have Eczema, are fragrances safe for me? This really depends on the individual and their individual tolerance to the ingredients within a particular fragrance…. However, ANY product containing fragrance can trigger your Eczema. Synthetic fragrances can be problematic for Eczema sufferers but Essential, Natural or Organic products that contain scent may also aggravate your skin. According to Dermatologist, the Top 2 skincare ingredients you should avoid with Eczema are: Fragrances and Essential oils.
How do I shop for Skin Care products if I have a Fragrance allergy or sensitivity? If you know the fragrances or ingredients that you are sensitive to then you should avoid those products. If you do not know what fragrance(s) you are sensitive to then you should look for products that are “Fragrance Free” products.
If you have a Fragrance allergy or sensitivity, then we here at Bentonshire Farms can help! Great, all natural skincare products should not only apply to the scented world! You deserve a high-quality product that works for you as well!
Aside from all of our wonderful smelling, fragrant products, we also offer an Unscented, Fragrance-free Soap, Body Butter and Sugar Scrub for those with sensitivities or for those that just want a “Simple” high quality product!
Enter our “Simply” line with Simply Soap, Simply Body Butter and Simply Sugar Scrub!
Check these out on our website today at www.bentonshirefarms.com
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P.S. All of our products would make great gifts for the skincare lovers in your life this holiday season!
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Each gift set comes with the following items:
P.S. Keep an eye out for our holiday sales and promos!
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Unlike sugar scrubs made with only oils and sugar, emulsified sugar scrubs become a creamy exfoliating lotion upon contact with water, leaving no oily residue, but only soft, supple skin behind.
Emulsified sugar scrubs are gentle exfoliating products that slough off dead skin to reveal soft and supple skin. Oils, butters, stearic acid, beeswax and emulsifying wax are first melted on low heat until all ingredients are liquid. ... White granulated sugar provides the scrubbiness for emulsified sugar scrubs
An Emulsified Sugar Scrub is a thicker, creamier blend than traditional scrubs made with oils. They have added moisturizers and allow for a smoother spread on the body. Plus, they make less mess and rinse away without leaving any oily residue. They are used the same way as regular oil-based scrubs.
P.S. Even if you don’t already have a self-care routine, consider starting one now with these steps! We promise you’ll thank us later.
]]>If you’re anything like us, you want your products to last as long as possible. We totally get it— you need to get the most bang for your buck! Handmade products are a whole different ballgame since they typically aren’t made with preservatives, so there are special precautions you need to take in order to extend their use.
Here are a few things you can do to help make your handmade body products last longer.
1. Store your handmade soap away from water.
If you store your handmade soap where it’ll constantly be getting wet (i.e. right under the stream of your showerhead), it’s going to break down quickly and it won’t last very long. We suggest storing your soap on a soap dish with drainage or somewhere else where it can completely air dry between uses.
2. Cut your handmade soap into smaller pieces.
Cutting your handmade soap into smaller pieces and only using one piece at a time will extend the overall life of your soap. If you break it up and use it one piece at a time, you can preserve the rest of the bar and protect it from breaking down in your shower. Plus, this is a great way to share your products with friends and family if you want!
3. Use a washcloth or a soap sock instead of your hands.
Using a washcloth or a soap sock (like the ones that come with our gift sets) when you’re lathering up with your handmade soap will actually cut down on the amount of soap you’re using. This will make it last much longer in the long run.
4. Use the proper amount of each product.
This seems obvious, but it’s still important to note. Sometimes we tend to use more of a product at one time than we actually need to, which leads to us using it up faster than necessary. For example, when it comes to our handmade sugar scrub, make sure you only scoop out as much as you need to exfoliate your body. In the same vein, our beard oils only require a few drops to work effectively. Oh, and remember our Body Butter is NOT like the lotion you are used to using! A very little bit of butter goes a very long way!
P.S. Make sure you shop our collection of handmade soaps and other handmade body products!
]]>How can you choose between our beard oil and our beard balm, though? It all comes down to what works for you. Here’s a quick guide to deciding whether beard oil or beard balm is the best option for you.
Beard oil is a facial oil that moisturizes your beard and face at the same time. Many beard oils are made with moisturizing ingredients like almond oil, avocado oil, argan oil, and jojoba oil.
A beard balm has all of the moisturizing properties of a beard oil plus ingredients like shea butter that add just a little bit of shape and hold.
You may want to try out a beard oil. Our beard oil is great for anyone who experiences itching and dryness due to short stubble and whiskers. It’s filled with moisturizing ingredients, and it comes in a couple of different scents to suit your preference, too.
We suggest trying our luxurious beard balm. A balm is going to give you all the moisture that an oil will, but it will also give your beard a little bit of hold and shape to last throughout the day. This is a great option for anyone with a long beard that requires taming on a day-to-day basis.
Either a balm or oil will go a long way when it comes to moisturizing your skin and your beard. Both our beard balm and beard oil contain moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil, argan oil, and castor oil.
Don’t worry! A beard balm will both moisturize your beard and give it a subtle volume that’ll make it look fuller. This is also a great option for anyone with a patchy beard because you can use the balm to tame your beard into covering any sparse areas.
We support our veterans by donating $1 of every beard balm sale to the Warrior Expeditions Program.
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You know that nice silky feel you get when you later up a bar of soap? You can thank olive oil for that! We use olive oil in our soaps so you can moisturize and get clean all in one step. We’re all about saving you time, and we love being able to combine steps in our self-care routines.
We use sustainably sourced palm oil in our handmade soaps to give you a rich, creamy lather. Palm oil is also great for the skin because it contains high levels of moisturizing Vitamin E and healing antioxidants.
Can you tell we’re big fans of oils around here? Coconut oil has amazing cleansing properties, so it makes the perfect addition to our handmade soaps. It’s also been shown to help with reducing redness and inflammation caused by acne and other skin conditions.
As if our soaps aren’t already moisturizing enough, we decided to add in a little cocoa butter for good measure. Like palm oil, cocoa butter is filled with high levels of Vitamin E and antioxidants. Plus, it adds to the lather, making our soaps extra creamy and luxurious.
Our Green Tea and Lemongrass Soap contains (you guessed it) green tea. Green tea has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to help with skin issues like acne or rosacea. It’s also full of Vitamin E and Vitamin B2, which are both essential for maintaining healthy skin overall.
Some of our soaps, like our Black Raspberry Soap, contain activated charcoal from coconuts. This ingredient has antibacterial properties, and it’s great for anyone with acne-prone skin.
P.S. All of our handmade soaps are vegan-friendly, as well as paraben and phthalate-free! That means you can rest easy knowing you’re using only the absolute best ingredients on your skin.
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