Fall/Winter
2001. This is the
text of the newsletter, minus the Sources and Reading Material
sections - you can see those by clicking the link here. **
News & New Stuff
This fall`s newsletter
will be - for a change! - mostly news. As in, all things new
with Lather. The regular "bits" with info on soapmaking,
soap history, etc., aren`t in this print version, but you can
still access them - just stay tuned here, you`ll find out how
very soon.... which brings me to news item number one:
NEW WEBSITE!!
As this mailing goes out, the new Lather website is in the construction
process and will be up and running on Friday, November 16th.
(yes, for those of you keeping track, the same day as the premiere
of the "Harry Potter" movie - that`ll make it easier
to remember). The address is: www.lather-soaps.com
.Be sure to include the hyphen, bookmark the site and return
often to catch the updates! On lather-soaps.com you`ll find informative
pages describing all the products Lather has to offer, ordering
and email information, reprints of past newsletters, helpful
links and sources for soapmaking and related interests, and Renaissance
Festival stuff. Take a look and email me with your thoughts,
comments and questions…. which leads to news item number
two:
NEW EMAIL ADDRESS:
info@lather-soaps.com
The LatherUp@ hotmail.com address is still open and will continue
to be available. You`ll also be able to click an instant email
link at various points in the website.
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NEW SOAP!!
"Zingiber" Ginger-Honey Bar.
The word "zingiber" is one of the Latin names, from
the medieval era, for "ginger". Ginger essential oil
has a warming effect on the skin and honey softens and smooths.
There`s a touch of nutmeg oil in this one, too, to make it darn
near edible. Speaking of edible….. considering the high
number of Lather soaps that are based on foods, I may have to
try making cookie and cake versions of some of them next year
for the well-rounded gift basket!
Cool NEW Lip Balm
Tubes!
Found some Cobalt Blue ones - same size (and price!) as the standard
white ones, so now all five flavors of Lather Hemp Oil Lip Balms
have a new look. ***
update, 05/23/02 - the new tubes aren't the same size - they're
bigger! So, the new balms are $5 each, still a great deal - with
shimmery sheer color and honey flavor, and the original flavors
are in the familiar white tubes.
Regarding labels:
Quite a few of this season`s soaps, powders and muscle balms
will have the old Traveling Medicine labels on them; since only
the name has changed - and since I still have about 500 of them!
- I`m gonna use them 'til they`re gone. Sure to become a collector`s
item…
NEW PAYMENT OPTION:
If you prefer to make purchases by credit card or bank debit,
Lather is set up to do transactions via PayPal. Give me an email
address and I`ll send an email "invoice" that will
prompt you through the whole process quickly and - yes ! - securely.
Important shipping
note:
ALL packages sent via US Postal Service this season will be clearly
marked with a label indicating the contents to avoid excessive
delays; you may wish to have your order shipped to an alternate
address (to keep from giving away a surprise!) OR specifically
request "UPS Shipment".
Shipping times:
All of the soaps are in production as you receive this so they`ll
be fresh and yummy-smelling when you give them as gifts (or keep
'em for yourself!). Shipping will begin one week after Thanksgiving,
on Wednesday, November 28th. If you need items sooner, please
call me so we can make arrangements. To ensure delivery no later
than December 24th, orders must be received by Tuesday, December
18th (via mail or email).
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~~~~~~~~~~~The
following piece originally ran in the 2000 newsletter; because
essential oils are fundamental to Lather-craft, I think it's
information worth sharing again.
Essential Oils: a little
chemistry & aromatherapy lesson by
Kathleen McGloin
Lather products feature
Essential Oils - and the difference between synthetic fragrance
oils and Essential Oils is a distinct one.
An essential oil is a
complex blend of anywhere from 15 to 150 or more substances -
including fatty acids, alcohols, terpenes and sulfurs - extracted
from plant material and characterized by a distinct odor. That
said, what you smell when you smell a rose, or an orange, or
cinnamon, is the blend of natural chemicals that is essential
oil.
Essential oils are very
powerful, very potent substances that are used in perfumery,
as food flavoring, for medicinal and therapeutic purposes and
even for industrial purposes. The primary method of obtaining
essential oil, or EO, is steam distillation. Some EOs such as
sweet orange are easily distilled and abundant, while others
are rare and quite costly: it take the petals of two thousand
or more roses to obtain one drop of rose oil, which can cost
hundreds of dollars an ounce.
Essential oils, while
found near the end of the ingredient listings of Lather formulas,
are probably the most important (and expensive) substances found
in any natural product. They are present for their distinct scent,
their healing effects, and in some part their antibacterial/preservative
characteristics. or example, Lavender oil - long used for its
calming, uplifting effect and to promote restful sleep (aromatherapy);
good for balancing skin conditions and speeding healing of scrapes
and bruises (natural medicine); and widely used as a fragrance
component - often standing on its own - for both men's and women's
toiletries (perfumery).
Tea Tree oil, from the
Australian Melaleuca alternifolia, is such a versatile and effective
healing agent that it has long been known as a "medicine
chest in a bottle". Antifungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic,
this clear, medicinal-smelling essential oil can be used for
all manner of skin conditions - acne, cold sores, insect bites,
athlete's foot and poison ivy or oak - as well as to clear up
scalp conditions and help clean your hair. It is considered nontoxic
and can even be used internally on occasion, for upset stomach.
"Synthetic
aroma chemicals were first used as inexpensive extenders of natural
oils and are still used to stretch the limited supply of essential
oils. Aroma chemicals are not always synthetic.
Natural essential
oils are sometimes used as the source of a single chemical which
is produced by physical and chemical separation methods. Examples
would be Eugenol from clove leaf oil or cinnamon leaf oil...
menthol from peppermint oil.
Despite their
widespread use, synthetic aroma chemicals will never completely
replace essential oils. Some oils, such as wintergreen and bergamot
are relatively easy to copy synthetically, but others such as
patchouli and sandalwood have no satisfactory extender. Essential
oils are complex mixtures of many chemicals and compounds. It's
the diversity of these compounds, some perhaps only present in
trace amounts, that gives certain essential oils that unique
richness and character that can't be duplicated.
Climate, economics
and politics...can greatly influence the availability of natural
oils. Essential oil prices will vary due to several different
reasons. They may be reflective of their respective distillation
process, climate and/or crop production or failure, the constantly
changing commodities market, and/or when a particular company
may have purchased the oil and at what price."
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