Beacon Creations

Cool Illustration

I found a really cool illustration that explains the process of how soap is made.  It's perfect for those of you  who still run across comments like: "The natural soap I buy, was made without any lye." or "My skin is really sensitive to lye."  I  still get these comments no matter how many times I explain:

1. No lye, No soap

2. When soap is properly made, there is no lye left behind anyway.

Does anyone else run across these types of comments?  I can't be the only one  Well, here is an illustration that is perfect tool for explaining the saponification process: SOAPMAKING, SAPONIFICATION AND SUPERFATTING SIMPLIFIED.

Introducing...Petals Lip Balm and Lip Gloss

 Whew!!!  I just finished updating my website again.  I’m really frustrated though.  I accidentally swapped out two of my pictures and I’ve spent the last hour and a half trying to retrieve them with no luck.   I finally had to give up (it’s already after midnight) and put “Picture Coming Soon” text boxes in place of my missing pictures.  I really hate to do that, but what can I do? That's what I get for working late I guess.

Anyway, I’m still excited.  I’ve added two NEW products. Drumroll please.....................  Lip Balm and Lip Gloss! Both are made of natural ingredients.  The lip balm comes in several different flavors.  It’s thick so you don’t have to rub on a lot, which means it lasts longer and you get more use out of one tube. 

There are four different glosses.    They were fun to make.  I think they were meant for a pot or maybe even a tube with a wand.  But, I stubbornly insisted on using these cool tins.  I wound up having to mix the lip balm and lip gloss bases in order to thicken the gloss up so that it doesn’t ooze out of my cute little tins.  They have just a hint of “better than bare” tint.

The labels were a headache to make too.  I don’t have a label design program or anything so I design them in Microsoft Word.  It seems to work fine for me.  It’s just really tedious...

Overall I think that it all worked out and I’m satisfied. I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks!

Water, Water Everywhere

                          Water may seem the most basic of things on our planet, but it is also one of the most important. Here are ten interesting things about water to quench your thirst.

When considering water, it is important that you do not take it for granted. When you compare our planet to all the others we know of, we are the only body that has life on it. What is the reason? We are the only one with water!

1. Water is the most common substance on earth with 70 percent of the earth's surface covered with water. 

2. There could be no life without water. Every living thing is made of at least some water. Plants, animals and humans. Roughly 60 percent of our body is water.

3. A cow must drink roughly four gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk. As Johnny Carson would say, "I did not know that!"

4. Humans consume over 16,000 gallons of water during their lifetimes. Water carries out life processes in everything. It controls biological reactions and serves as a remedy for digestion of other nutrients. Water also aids in cleansing our bodies of toxins. And since our bodies require so much water, we must remember to replenish all that we have used. The fluidity of water is most important for our bodies cell function.

5. 97 percent of all the fresh water on the planet is trapped in glaciers, particularly in Antarctica. Amazing.

6. Less than 1 percent of the water treated by public water systems is used for drinking and cooking. A quarter of the world’s population is without safe drinking water.

7. The natural rotation of the Earth has been slightly changed by some 10 trillion tons of water stored in reservoirs over the past 40 years.

8. You can live for roughly a week without water, but you can live for 30 days or more without food.

9. Ever wonder why large bodies of water appear to be blue? Water absorbs infrared radiation, which gives a blue tint to large bodies of water such as lakes and oceans.

10. Water has a high surface tension due to a strong bond between the atoms comprising it. As a result, things float on water that otherwise should not based on basic physics. To see this, take a pan of water and place a paper clip on it. Note that it floats and ridges of surface tension around its edges. This is also why you can slightly overfill a cup with water without it spilling.

Water is one of the fundamental building blocks to life on our planet, if not the most important building block. As these items show, our planet would be a barren rock without it and we would not exist.

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How to get soft skin

I have extremely soft skin and I love it!  It has taken years of finding and mixing different over the counter products together before I finally decided to just start making my own.  People are always asking me what I do to get my skin so soft.  So, I've decided to share. 

First of all, the most important step you can take in improving to feel of you skin involves water.  Water is a staple that we all depend on for for drinking, bathing, cleaning or even leisure activities such as swimming.  Our bodies are made of 60% water and  it is recommended that we drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water every day.  Proper hydration is so important in maintaining healthy, younger looking skin.  Drinking plenty of water helps give your skin the moisture it needs to prevent dryness and maintain elasticity and suppleness.

I once received a e-mail from a woman who stated that she was searching for a  very light lotion that would soften and moisturize her skin without a greasy after-feel.  She was tired of putting on lotion and then having to call her husband to turn the doorknob for her because her hands were too greasy. She lives in Bermuda and they have high humidity. Then there's the customer who asked if I could make my already thick body cream even thicker for her.  She had dry skin and lives in a Chicago, a city known for its dry climate and harsh winters.  Whatever your type of skin and wherever your live, it has been my goal to make products that will satisfy  that desire for super moist, baby soft to the touch skin.

I live in Maryland and we have pretty much every type of climate and I have a product that I personally use for them all. 

1.  When it's 100 degrees and super humid outside, I don't want to wear anything that is going to make me feel even more sticky and yucky.  So, I'll use a Body Mist Spray based with liquid silk and a light fragrance.  I'll spray a light mist all over my body and rub it in.  It evaporates leaving behind only silky skin and whatever scent that I'm in the mood for that day.

2.  On normal spring or summer days (mild humidity), I'll use regular body lotion.  I am extremely picky about what lotions I use but, even regular over the counter products will work for those days.  I like Nivea.  I've actually formulated my Body Lotion to give me the same feeling that I get when I use Nivea lotions.  This means moisturized, soft skin without a greasy feel.

3. During the beautiful autumn Indian Summer days that we experience here, and other mild days (even some dry summer days) I use my Body Cream.  I formulated it for really dry skin, so it contains Jojoba Oil, Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter.  This will have a bit of a greasy feel at first, but it absorbs  and leaves behind skin that it oh-so-soft that I make my 18 month old baby jealous!  My husband LOVES it and so does pretty much anyone else that I encounter who happens to even just shake my hand. 

4.  I have a skin condition called eczema and this causes breakouts several times a year.  I've found that moisture is the key to preventing or stopping a breakout in it's tracks.  A thick Body Butter does the trick here.  This is for severely dry skin.  It contains a higher amount of Cocoa and Shea Butters, Jojoba Oil to moisturize and Soy Wax to lock it all into the skin.

So, there you have it.  My secrets to super soft, moisturizes healthy looking skin all year long.  You can see my products at www.BeaconCreations.com or try your own experiments with some of the above ingredients.  I'd love to hear what you come up with!

I hope this has been helpful and I look forward to hearing from you.