Our Lotions

At their simplest, lotions are oils and water combined with an emulsifying agent to keep them from separating. Butters - oils that are solid at room temperature like shea and cocoa butter - are also used, producing rich, thick lotions. The water improves the spread-ability of the oils, while the oils help pull the water into the skin.

A number of beneficial additives can be added to the lotion, most notably herbs and essential oils. Herbs can’t be added directly of course, but herb infused oils, herbal teas and herbal extracts can be.

Today, most lotions are far from simple. Read the ingredient list on most lotion bottles and you’d be hard pressed to find an ingredient you recognize. Many of the chemicals used are known or suspected carcinogens, and many have been banned in Europe. Despite all their advertising, these lotions offer temporary relief at best, and may further damage your skin at worst.

So what about the many herbal lotions that have recently become so popular? Check the ingredient lists. Natural ingredients are most often listed last. Just enough is added to allow the company to refer to them on the label, not enough to provide any real benefit.

Sometimes, simplest is best. Oils and butters have been used for thousands of years to not only relieve dry, itchy skin, but to provide real healing as well. By carefully selecting and combining oils and butters for their skin care properties, we’ve produced some of the finest lotion available.

Our lotions are made with unrefined oils and butters, selected for their skin care properties. We use no artificial color or scent. Lotion colors are from the oils and butters used. Lotion scents are the result of essential oils selected for the additional benefits they add. Our Monoi de Tahiti lotion is the exception. Monoi de Tahiti oil is the main oil used in theis lotion. Made in Tahiti, this oil is richly and naturally scented with the Tiara flower, a variety of gardenia unique to the Tahitian Islands.

Many of our lotions contain herbal infused oils, or herbal teas.

Hand made lotions that don't contain preservatives and depend on traditional emulsifyers like beeswax and borax to stay blended are wonderful for very small batches that will remain refrigerated and will be used up within a few days. Since our lotions are sold at shows and over the internet, we had to make some adjustments. We use a vegetable derived emulsifying wax, which is more stable and dependable. (An emulsifyer keeps water and oils from separating.) And we had to find a suitable preservative.

At this time, there are no proven all natural preservatives available. There is some controvery about this, largely because the word preservative covers so much. Vitamin E for example, will preserve oils, extending their shelf life. It won't keep mold or bacteria from developing in a product that contains water. Preservatives need to be selected for the job they need to do. For your safety, we use NeoDefend, an ECOCERT certified preservative. NeoDefend is derived from ingredients granted GRAS status (Generally Regarded As Safe), holds ECOCERT's natural and organic certification, and is formulated for use in a range of products that include lotions. In accordance with the ECOCERT certification, it's gluten free, paraben free, contains no GMO ingredients, and has not been tested on animals.

As with most of our products everything is made in small batches. Custom blending is available. With a few exceptions there is no extra charge for custom blending. Most of our products are available in different scents, just drop us an e-mail and let us know what scent you would like. If the scent is naturally and reasonably available, we'll do our best to accomodate your request. Or if you would like a product with certain essential oils, please let us know.

Our Lotions and Butters are thick and rich, but never greasy. Your skin will drink in these wonderful lotions.