The Lavender Pig

Bacteria are microorganisms that exist on just about every surface on Earth. They are single-celled and are usually a couple micrometers long. The shape of bacteria differs greatly—from rods to spheres. And no matter how hard we try, the fact of the matter is that bacteria are here to stay. They have been present since the beginning of life on this planet, and they have evolved to function well in virtually any climate.

Because we are constantly battling these bacteria, many people fail to realize that there are two times more bacteria cells on the human body than our own cells. Most of these are beneficial to our various physical functions. The bacteria which are most harmful to the body affect the respiratory system and cause illnesses like tuberculosis, which kill two million people a year. Your best defense against these bacteria is to use a liquid soap regularly throughout the day.

To help fight diseases, doctors advise frequent hand washing. Dirty hands are often the avenues from which germs can get past the body’s defenses. One little act of touching your eyes, or eating with unwashed fingers can bring millions of harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause cough, colds, or worse.

That is why hands should always be washed, especially after touching commonly shared items like ATM machines, public phones or shopping carts. And while you may think that the soap you find in the store is sufficient, the chemicals and additives can dry your skin. It’s best to opt for a natural foaming hand soap, which will leave your hands squeaky clean and maintain their natural moisture.

It’s impossible to stay perfectly informed about every product we use or ingest. Still, common sense holds that goods made with familiar, all-natural ingredients are better for the body. Discerning shoppers can gain a wealth of knowledge about the foods they eat by merely pausing a moment and glancing at the ingredients. Artificial doesn’t necessarily mean harmful, but it’s best to go with natural ingredients where possible.

That rule of thumb is not limited to food products alone. Hygiene products are available in clearly labeled, all-natural options as well. Most handmade bath products, for instance, typically draw their cleaning and restorative properties from plant oils. These products tend to be biodegradable and feature a relatively short list of ingredients. Knowledge is power, and you can gain some by asking questions about the contents of the products you buy every day.

The chemicals and additives in most soap make them inherently harsh on the skin. It’s unfortunate that when trying to keep your hands clean you also have to deal with the resulting dry skin and chaffing. It can really become an endless cycle; the dirty, grubby hands, the lathering up, the washing, the drying off, and the scaly, parched skin. This vicious cycle doesn’t have to continue forever.

Switching soaps could very well be the answer that frequent hand washers are looking for. When purchasing soap, look for handcrafted soap that uses only natural products. This will ensure that there aren’t any potentially harmful chemicals are synthetic products that can dry or irritate your skin.

To be healthy and happy people, we have to consume healthy and happy things.  The foods we eat as well as everything else that we put on our bodies are so important that they should not escape consideration. Using mass-produced products exposes us, and the environment, to harmful chemicals and pollution.
 
Using natural handmade bath products is one way in which we can be conscious of our consumption.  Natural things are thing that do not have any unnatural chemicals in them.  These toxins are what we want to avoid when we want to be as positive and vibrant as we possibly can be.

Whether for the holidays, a birthday, or just for the heck of it: a gift of health and beauty products is a great way to reward your female spouse.  Here are a few ideas sure to delight her:

~Handmade Soap - handcrafted soap comes in scintillating flavors and smell great during and after washing.

~Bath Salts - add exquisite scents to bath water and also provide the healing benefits of natural salinity.

~Skin Moisturizers - proven to promote healthy skin and also to help combat dryness and itching in colder winter months.

~Sensual Oils - though not a traditional health and beauty product, these are great for a relaxing massage administered by a loving husband.

Many of the household items that we use today are made from chemicals that may have harmful effects on our children and the environment. It is not healthy to use too many artificial products, especially if we are unsure on their long-term effects.

Natural products, such as handcrafted soap, are better than products that come off a factory assembly line. The manufacturers of these unique products use research and science to prove the effectiveness of their herbal-based products. For a cleaner and greener planet Earth, go natural!

The people of Western Africa have long enjoyed the benefits of shea butter, and their secret to moist, luxurious skin has since been passed to the rest of the world. Shea butter is produced from an extraction of the large seeds of the wild shea tree. In its raw state, the butter is white or yellowish in color, and its texture and consistency are similar to that of real butter.

Handmade shea butter soap has actually been found to contain healing properties as well. It restructures the skin, treats eczema and dermatitis and even soothes sore, aching muscles. Shea butter soap can be made at some expense from home with the use of raw, unprocessed butter, but it’s also widely available online. It represents an all-natural alternative to the mass-produced soaps that can prove harsh and even detrimental to the skin.

Although most of the mainstream cosmetic products on the market today are perfectly safe, some of them contain harsh chemicals that can do more harm than good. Some soaps and moisturizing creams harbor so many ingredients that it’s difficult to determine their intended effects. That’s why so often it pays to keep things simple. All-natural cosmetics take all of the guesswork out of soap shopping.

Handmade goat milk soap is all-natural and loaded with beneficial antioxidants such as vitamin A and vitamin E. Goat milk soap also possesses age-defying properties thanks to its amino acid content. These amino acids can be utilized to revitalize damaged tissue and make you look significantly younger in time.