Ain't NaOH Business Like Soap Business

I've already done a previous post on marketing terms commonly used in essential oil vernacular, and the FACT that there is no standard for their regulation or use.  Here's another fun term that I get asked about: "Hey, I only use hypoallergenic blah blah blah.  Is your blah blah blah hypoallergenic?"  Uh, no and neither is the blah blah blah you've been using.  Did you know that the term "hypoallergenic" is really just a marketing term?  In the seventies regulation was posed to require cosmetics manufactures to provide proof of their claim that their product was hypoallergenic, but that was shot down,...

Like many of you, I spent some time recently thinking about the many things I'm grateful for.  At the forefront is gratitude for the many lessons my mother has taught me.  My mom always challenged my brother and I to be thoughtful and to question.  She taught us to be conscientious in our actions.  She explained how to think ahead, to consider the long term consequences of our actions and decisions.  She took the time to explain things in a very real and matter of fact way and held us accountable.   While pursuing her degree, she was learning about the many wonders...

*7/1/22 Update: Unfortunately the store wasn't as successful as I'd hoped so it is now closed.  I'm glad I at least tried and I learned so much along the way.  Thank you to everyone that came to visit my store while it was in operation.* I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason.  Not because of kismet, divine intervention or planetary alignments, but because I choose to believe it.  Every hurdle is an opportunity to jump higher, every mountain offers a better vantage point, if you dare climb it.  No time in my life has this been more evident...

Every day we are bombarded with single use plastics.  I'm not entirely against the use of plastics.  There are some industries that have been positively transformed by the availability of plastics and polymers (like the medical industry).  But seriously, the amount of plastics in the grocery store and in food service is freaking astounding.  Since food is one of my biggest expenditures this is where I have focused most of my attention for the top 5. #5 Bulk Buy: We often buy foods in larger bulk containers then divide at home.  Buying in bulk uses less packaging and can help...

Last Monday I posted a poll on the Newport's Naturals Facebook page asking for folks to chime in regarding which essential oil grades they are most concerned about when making a selection.  Is it more important for your Essential Oils to be Therapeutic Grade or Food Grade?  This was kind of a tricky question and maybe even a bit of a trick question.  Let's unpack this further. We can start by digging into essential oil Grading.  Is there a single standard for achieving a specific Grade?  Who determines if an essential oil earns a specific Grade such as Food Grade or Therapeutic Grade? ...