Pamper Me, Cherish Me

What is in YOUR shampoo?

The word shampoo comes from Anglo-Indian, from Hindu word champo, which means “to rub” or “massage”.  People typically used regular soap to wash their hair; as a result hair appeared quite dull and unattractive.  Shampoos have two features; a) aesthetic and b) performance.  Aesthetic features relate to thickness, color and smell while performance relates to degrees of cleanness, foam producing ability and level of irritating scalp and skin.

 In today’s world of personal body care products, you can find quite number of shampoos and conditioners that are claiming to be natural and organic.  Since body care products are not subject to FDA approval and the FDA is not trying to regulate the industry, manufacturers enjoy formulating their products without government interference.

 Many of us read food labels, because we care about what we put into our body.  Shouldn’t we be just as concerned about what we put on our bodies?

 The Environmental Working Group (EWG) offers startling revelations on some of the most common ingredients in many personal care products.  For example, on the EWG scale of 1-10, Parabens such as Sodium Methylparaben rank as “8” in toxicity. 

 Skin is an organ.  And we are subjecting it to ingredients like Propylene Glycol, a penetration enhancer, which alters skin structure and allows other chemicals to penetrate deeper into the skin.  If the chemicals that we are encouraging to penetrate deeper are toxic, how can this be a good thing?

 In the sea of products on the market today that claim “natural” the question is: which one of them should you pick?  Normally you should look for natural ingredients and avoid chemical based ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, glycols, sulfate and etc.  But, the best defense is to educate ourselves to find out the origin of ingredients that are hopelessly unpronounceable.  But don’t get paranoid, not every ingredient with weird name is bad for our body.  Some ingredients sound strange and again occasionally are difficult to pronounce but may have the natural ingredient’s Latin name.

 We at Clavé are striving to deliver shampoo that is gentle enough for everyday use for all hair types.  It has reasonable thickness, and fantastic smell with natural and organic oils that are capable of cleaning your hair without damaging your skin or our environment.  We use purified water which is the primary ingredient for all shampoos.  We use the highest quality blend of 100 percent natural essential oils in our shampoo such as macadamia, patchouli, ginger, and organic tea tree oil.  These oils are used in aromatherapy for their soothing and restorative properties.   

 For centuries essential oils such as tea tree oil have been used to condition human hair.  Clavé conditioner contains organic tea tree oil, rose essential oil and macadamia essential oil including grapefruit seed extract and horsetail extract.

 Try us, you will not regret it.  We would love to hear from you

                                              

LIFE IN THE 1500'S

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

These are interesting...
      
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers
to hide the body odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
      
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and  men, then the women and finally the children.
Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.
Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.
      
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm. As a result,  all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in
the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.
Hence the saying. It's raining cats and dogs.
      
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed.
Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
     
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt.
Hence the saying, Dirt poor.
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way.    
Hence the creation of the threshold.
     
In those days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while.
Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.
      
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off.
It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon".They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat".
      
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes.
So for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
      
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle and guests got the top or the "upper crust."
      
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they  would wake up.
Hence the custom of "holding a wake."
      
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell.
Thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer".

A very brief history of soapmaking (and why WE use essential oils)

Up until the 18th century, the old fashioned ingredients for making soaps were: wood ashes, water, animal fat and salt.  Ashes soaked and heated in water is the way to make lye. The lye, is then mixed with fat, through a process known as saponification,   a process by which triglycerides are reacted with sodium or potassium hydroxide to produce glycerol and a fatty acid salt called "soap".  The added salt is what hardens the soap.

Unfortunately, the majority of soaps that are sold in stores contain chemicals that can be easily produced in large quantities.  These chemical are hard on skin,  especially sensitive skin. Clavé handcrafted soaps are made in small batches by artisan soap makers.  Clavé soaps are mild and gentle because we use only all natural – vegan base and organic ingredients such as organic spirulina, organic Neem, Organic Tea Tree Oil, Organic palm oil.  Also,  as fragrance we add 100% pure essential oils that are distilled from natural herbs, plants and flowers. No chemical perfumes or dyes.

Clavé soaps will not strip your skin of essential mositurizers.  Virgin olive oil from New Zealand, organic coconut oil and  organic palm oil is gently saponified. Glycerin is a natural humectant (a substance that prevents the loss of moisture )and as a result is an excellent moisturizer for our delicate outer skin. It soothes the skin and provides a silky feeling after washing. Many commercial soap manufacturers remove glycerin from their soap to use in more expensive products such as lotions and creams.  That is one of the reasons why your skin feels dry and itchy after washing.

The 100% pure essential oils which we use in our soaps also are used in aromatherapy.  These oils promote overall wellness, mood enhancement and  help to reduce stress and anxiety.

One of our favorites is Tea Tree Oil soap either mixed with Honey or Eucalyptus.  Tea Tree Oil is one of nature’s most remarkable gifts.  Historically, the leaves were used as a substitute for tea, which is how tea tree oil got its name.  Australian aborigines used crushed tea tree leaves for healing skin cuts and to prevent and treat infection because of its’ natural antiseptic and antifungal properties.  Tea Tree oil is distilled from the leaf of the Australian Melaleuca Alternifolia tree. It is clear to very pale in color. The scent is an invigorating, minty smell – to some extent,  similar to Eucalyptus.

               

        Honey and Tea Tree Oil  soap                                                           Tea Tree Oil soap

How to Start a Sensuous Massage

To begin a truly relaxing and sensual massage one should set the mood. Unplug the phone, and light some candles. My personal recommendation is a  fragrant massage moisturizing candle (these can be used as a massage oil substitute and moisturizer as well). Make sure your room is warm and be sure to set up your massage workspace well in advance by covering your mattress with towels so that the massage oil doesn't stain or damage  your sheets. Remember that even natural oil can destroy latex so be careful of any accessories or personal items that may be laying around.

My personal experience is that the best massage begins with the feet. Keeping the feet soft using a healthy natural  lotion or foot balm keeps the skin moist and absorbent and ready to accept the benefits of a good massage oil. But my experience has been that all the stress points terminate in the feet and toes and a good massage therapist can relax the entire body just by hitting pressure points near the toes and on the bottoms of your feet. Once the body is fully relaxed a good massage oil can do wonders for the entire in-body experience. Of course we recommend our exclusive blend for many different reasons.  

Clavé Massage Oil: 

 This oil is specially formulated to be the most sensuous in-body experience. It contains all natural plant oils, essential oils from aromatic herbs and plants, Vitamin E and plant extract. Available in 4 oz. bottles. 

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil is obtained from the kernel of the plant. This oil has been traditionally used by massage therapists to lubricate and soften the skin during a massage session, being considered by many to be an effective emollient. It is a mild, light weighted oil, rich in unsaturated fats and essential fatty acids which is easily absorbed into the skin. 

We also add sunflower oil to make this massage oil an excellent product for any type of skin. Sunflower oil is light, non-greasy oil that won’t leave skin feeling oily. It is rich in essential fatty acids linoleic acid as well as palmitic acid and stearic acid, all components of healthy skin.

This all natural massage oil not only can be used in massage therapy but it is an excellent product for aromatherapy massage by virtue of its pure essential oils.

Chamomile essential oil and lavender essential oil are both proven to have calming effect properties and  rosemary extract is good for energizing while tea tree oil with its decongestant properties make this oil unique and excellent for individual and spa use alike.  Other natural ingredients added to make this product unique in its rank are;
Soya bean oil – it is good base oil for skin and hair care products with its moisturizing and smoothing properties.
Rose geranium oil is used to create balance between oily and dry skin, keeping the skin supple and for clearing congested skin. It is also one of the oils chosen for its aphrodisiac qualities
Vitamin E (tocopheral) helps to prevent cell damage and improve moisture levels and promote skin elasticity.

Come explore the other certified organic,  100 % natural, healthy living  products from Clavé at www.clavebodycare.com

Welcome to the sensuous and sensual world of Clavé . . .

where nature’s most alluring scents are wed to nature’s purest substances to nurture your hair and skin. We travel the world to find artisans who handcraft the most elegant body care products of natural ingredients – organic whenever possible.

Of course, our products are free of parabens, PEGs, ethoxylates, glycols, acrylates, silicones, mineral oils and artificial fragrances and colors. And they are never tested on animals.

We invite you to view our website at www.clavebodycare.com and see our full line of 100 % natural, certified organic, handmade bar soaps as well as our shower gel,  natural hair care and natural lotions and balms. For sore tight muscles, try Clave Natural Massage Oil to soothe away those aches with the feel of sweet almond oil, the scents of rose geranium, German blue chamomile and lavender. Relax and pamper your partner with a sensuous massage of warm essential oils  from our premier Candle Caress  unique "3 in one"  fragrant, massage, moisturizing candle. Naturally scented by their essential oils in 3 sensual fragrances - Lavender Flower, Orange Flower, and Passion Fruit.

It is our hope you will come here often and find the content interesting and informative. We welcome your comments and hope to hear from you often.