LaviShea is Better Than Ever!

We've made some changes to the LaviShea lineup and the reviews are in: our newly redesigned package and improved lotion bar formula are a hit! Knitter's Edge calls LaviShea lotion bars "a perfect staple in your knitting bag." The reviewers at Knitty.com loved our new easy-to-use packaging, gentle scents and TSA-friendly properties for summertime travel!

Image via Knitter's Edge newsletter

You can read more about our two new scents for spring, Lilac and Moroccan Oil, here on the Lavishea blog. In our last blog post, we shared more details on our new formula which now includes organic coconut oil in addition to fair trade, unrefined shea butter - and some do's and don'ts for summer to help your avoid melted-bar mishaps! Both of these ingredients are incredibly moisturizing and healing; they join 100% natural soy, premium botanical oils, essential oils, and fragrance to create a skin-loving, travel-friendly lotion bar which is 100% made in the USA, cruelty-free and never tested on animals.

After receiving a lot of valuable customer feedback last year after our first package redesign, we have made some changes to our lotion bar case. This new packaging was designed by a computer and it's better than ever - we can't wait for you to try it out! It is made with BPA-free recycled plastic that's totally recyclable, and it's easier for you to pop out your bar, then secure it back in the case with the specially-designed locking lid. As an added bonus, the grooves on the top allow you to stack your lotion bars with ease!

We can't wait to hear what you think about these changes. LaviShea on all summer long!

Warm Weather Do's & Don'ts

The temperatures are rising, so we thought this would be a great time to share a few do's and don'ts for our Lavishea fans!

As you probably already know, LaviShea bars are designed to melt with your body heat. Of course, that also means that they can be melted by any heat source! Be sure to take care when you place your lotion bars on or near anything that produces a lot of heat: ovens, grills, car glove boxes and interiors, and sometimes even your computer). When exposed to heat, the coconut oil and shea butter will quickly liquefy: coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees F (24 C) and our unrefined shea butter melts at body temperature (98.6 degrees F or 37 degrees C).

Of course, there are times when you might want to melt your lotion bar! Have you ever noticed the LaviShea logo at the bottom of our container? This allows you to remelt your bar back into its original shape with the LaviShea logo imprinted (granted, it might get a little smaller as you go). Once you have melted the contents of the container, carefully move it away from the heat source and allow a few hours to allow your bar to re-solidify. Then your lotion bar will be good as new!

Another time you might opt to melt your LaviShea lotion bar is when using fragrance melters (the small ceramic melting pots which are used as an alternative to candles, incense, or other home fragrance options. Our bars are a great all-natural way to make your entire home smell amazing!

We hope that wherever the summer takes you, LaviShea is by your side. Share your photos on your favorite social media sites with the hashtag #LavisheaToGo so we can like and share it with our fans!

Spring Scents & Father's Day Finds

We're back from the Summer TNNA Trade Show in Columbus, OH, where we debuted our new & improved lotion bar formula packaging (more details on that in our next post!) and two fabulous new scents for spring!

Our Moroccan Oil lotion bar is a musky scent with top notes of rose and citrus followed by vanilla and amber with a woodsy base. If you are a fan of Moroccan oil for your hair, then you are going to LOVE this new scent!

We've also added a classic floral fragrance to our lineup: Lilac! This refreshing scent captures the aroma of blooming Lilac trees after a morning rain, and it's the perfect feminine fragrance for spring & summer.

With Father's Day just around the corner (June 21, to be exact!), we are collecting our favorite gift ideas over on Pinterest for dear old dad, who - let's face it! - is often hard to shop for. One of our most popular products this time of year is the Man Bar, which makes a fabulous add-on gift for Father's day (and is WAY better than a tie!).

If your dad likes to garden, hike, go fishing, grill out, or just generally spend time out-of-doors, we also recommend including our new Citronella bar with your father's day gift! This easy-to-use, portable bar is extremely effective at warding off pests, and it's sure to come in handy this spring and summer!

Celiac Awareness Month: Gluten-Free Resource Round-Up

Going gluten-free isn't easy, but luckily there are plenty of resources available these days to help those who have been newly diagnosed with Celiac disease stay healthy. Here are some of our favorite ways to be gluten-free in every way:

Gluten-free labels at the grocery store
Image via Creative Commons license

• Dining Out: Many restaurants are now offering gluten-free options on their menus, and the Celiac Support Association offers a searchable map of dedicated gluten-free establishments here on their website. Dining out can pose quite a challenge to those with Celiac disease, but you can find some excellent advice here and here to help you enjoy a successful gluten-free dining experience. 
• Eating In: There are tons of great resources for gluten-free recipes these days, from traditional cookbooks to websites, blogs, and apps! We enjoy collecting our favorites here on Pinterest, which makes finding them a cinch later on since they're all in one place!  
• Grocery Shopping: Natural foods stores are your best bet, but new even conventional grocery stores are stocking gluten-free products and labeling them clearly. Major brands are also introducing gluten-free versions of well-loved products (for example, Betty Crocker now makes gluten-free baking mixes). If you're new to the gluten-free diet, click here for a handy list from Gluten Free Living to help you remember which grains, ingredients, and foods are gluten-free. There are also lots of great printable PDFs available here from Celiac Central.

• On The Go: Smartphone apps are a great way to find gluten-free restaurants and keep helpful information at your fingertips, no matter where you are! The Gluten Free Travel Site offers a free app for both Android and iPhone (more info & download links here on their website), or you can search your phone's app store to see what's available. 
• Body Care: We covered this in our previous blog post, but it is generally recommended that those with Celiac disease avoid personal care products which contain gluten ingredients. Toothpaste, shampoo, lotions, and more can all have gluten-containing ingredients lurking within, and it can be quite a challenge to identify them on your own (read this blog post for more info on this issue). For those with extreme gluten sensitivities, sourcing products which are specifically labeled as gluten-free (for example, LaviShea lotion bars!) can help take the guesswork out of things. The Celiac Diva has some very useful information and product reviews of gluten-free personal care products located here in their directory..

May is Celiac Awareness Month

May is here, and did you know that is is Celiac Awareness Month? The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness encourages folks to learn more about Celiac disease by talking to their family members and encouraging relatives to get tested. There are lots of really fantastic resources available here on their website, including free gluten-free recipes, featured products, and other useful information.

While gluten-free foods are becoming more and more commonplace, there is still one area where gluten can lurk which folks might not be aware of: the everyday beauty and skincare products you use! Believe it or not, many lotions, potions, soaps and balms contain gluten ingredients, and this can cause issues for those with Celiac disease since these products are typically absorbed into your skin (especially in the case of lotions).

LaviShea lotion bars have always been gluten free (and always will be!), so we are pleased to share a few product updates with you this month: first, we had added skin-loving coconut oil to our moisturizing shea butter and soy base. Second, we have given our packaging a few recent updates: our containers are now made with recycled BPA-free plastic which is also recyclable. Not only that, but we have updated our containers to have a pop-off lid instead of a hinge. Last but not least, they are totally and 100% made in the USA!

We're pretty excited about all of these good-for-you and good-for-the-environment changes we've made to the LaviShea lineup.

Have a healthy Spring and LaviShea on!

The LaviShea Guide to Mom-Approved Scents

Mother's Day is just around the corner (be sure to circle May 10 on your calendar!), and we've been collecting some of our favorite mom-inspired pins here on Pinterest. If you are looking for the perfect addition to your gift this year, a LaviShea bar is a nourishing way to pamper Mom and say "thank you!" If you're unsure about which scent to choose from our wide selection, we've put together a handy guide featuring our most popular Mom-approved scents. Enjoy!

For the Mom Who Gardens: Our Citronella bar not only nourishes hard-working hands, it also keeps pests at bay safely and naturally.

For the Fiber-Loving Mom: Our Yarn Bar is a favorite among knitters, crocheters and spinners because it absorbs quickly, allowing you to get back to work! It helps control the drying effects of working on handmade projects and features a pleasing light almond scent.

For Sensitive Moms: Our Unscented option is great for those who are sensitive to fragrance, or who wear perfumes which could potentially clash with other scented products.

For the Mom Who Needs a Little R & R: Our Lavender bar is a best-seller, and it's no wonder: lavender is the ultimate soothing, calming scent which is widely used in aromatherapy for relaxation. Another relaxing option would be our Jasmine Vanilla bar.

Click here to view our entire selection of all-natural gluten free lotion bars at Lavishea.com. LaviShea on!

Celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day is April 22, and now is a great time to start planning how you'll celebrate. We'd like to share some of our own ideas to help you do your part on today's blog post!

Small changes you make can have a long-term, lasting impact. For example, composting your table scraps can significantly reduce the amount of landfill waste, which accounts for approximately 30% of refuse each year. Another way you can reduce landfill waste is to purchase only products which have minimal packaging, or are packaged using materials which are readily recyclable such as glass, cardboard, and some plastics.

Purchasing items which are manufactured in the USA (or close to wherever you happen to be) can reduce your overall carbon footprint because they aren't shipped from great distances, which requires a lot of fossil fuels. While you're already thinking about where your products come from, be sure to also consider what they're made from: using products which are made from natural materials rather than synthetic chemicals is not only good for your overall health, but it reduces the number of pollutants which make their way into our environment.

Many of these considerations are what led us to redesign our packaging last year; our lotion bars AND the container the are packaged in are now 100% Made in Colorado. In producing our bars, we avoid harmful chemicals, overly processed ingredients, and environmentally damaging components. Since exhibiting at the Natural Products Expo in February of this year, we have been thinking quite a bit about natural products and the role they play in our everyday lives; click here to read our recent blog post which covers this topic in-depth!

Interesting in learning more ways you can be environmentally-friendly? We've been collecting some of our favorite tips to reduce, reuse and recycle over on Pinterest - click here to check out our Earth Day board for more ways you can be kind to the Earth every day of the year!

Easter Basket Ideas!

As signs of spring begin to emerge in most parts of the country, we're already thinking about ways to welcome it with open arms! Since Easter is just around the corner, we'd like to share some fun DIY ideas to make the season hop to life; instead of filling your basket with lots of candy, why not try some of these fun ideas instead:

There are some very cute free patterns on Ravelry for knitters and crocheters; below are just a few of our top picks!

Easter Marshmallow Bunnies by Doni Spiegle (crochet)

Sheep in Sheep's Clothing by Frankie Brown (knit)

Chick-in-an-Egg by Purl Soho

Click here to view more free patterns on Ravelry!

Of course, there are plenty of other creative ways for fill your Easter basket this spring! Below, we share some fun DIY ideas that just about anyone can manage, and you can find even more here on our Celebrate Spring & Summer inspiration board!

DIY Bunny Crayons - Great for Kids!

Kool-Aid Play Dough - Great for Kids! 

DIY Bath Bunnies - Great for Kids!

...and, of course, don't forget the LaviShea bars! Family and friends will love this thoughtful gift! We have plenty of scent options to please just about anyone, from our #1 best seller Lavender to fresh scent for spring such as Aloe & Green Clover, Citrus Basil, and Cucumber Melon, we've got you covered!

What Is Natural?

We just returned from an inspiring weekend at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA! Seeing so many natural, organic, and good-for-you products under one roof got us thinking about the term natural. What does it really mean?

Walking the aisles of your average store, you're bound to see a variety of products labeled as "natural." Did you know that it is currently an unregulated term in the USA? Technically, anyone can label their product as "natural" without having to back it up with actual proof!

We're pleased to say that LaviShea lotion bars are truly natural: they are made using 100% Unrefined Shea Butter which is handcrafted in Togo, West Africa and produced under organic standards. We have made a conscious choice to source a high-quality, unrefined product to use in our lotion bars for three main reasons: First, the process of refining shea butter removes many of the beneficial properties and vitamins which nourish skin; second, it also requires the use of harsh chemicals which are damaging to the environment; lastly, refined Shea Butter often has preservatives added to it.

Only pure, unrefined Shea Butter has the true healing and moisturizing properties which make our bars so special. We blend our Shea with 100% pure soy, then add botanical oils, essential oils, and/or fragrances. The result is a bar that nourishes skin, smells great, travels well - and you can pronounce all of the ingredients, too!

Our Lavender Lotion Bar is just one of several options featuring pure essential oils.

Spring Color Report

While the snow still flies, we are thinking ahead to Spring - after all, it's just around the corner...we hope! On our last post, we shared some tips for planning your springtime garden; today, we'll be talking about the latest color trends for spring. Enjoy!

On Your Nails

Think neutrals, especially white. We love this simple look from Deborah Lippman which was spotted at Kate Spade New York.

Image via Fashion Pulse Daily

To really get back to basics, try a simple brush of a soft neutral such as this look spotted at Herve Leger.

Image via the Nail Polish Exchange

If you need a little more color in your life (not to mention, on your nails), try a gradient effect such as this Essie manicure spotted at Nanette Lepore.

Image via Fashion Pulse Daily

Pro Tip: Keep your hands moisturized between manicures with a LaviShea lotion bar!

In Your Closet

For color forecasting, you can't beat Pantone. For Spring 2015, cool tones, neutrals, and nature-inspired colors make up their color forecast, which is centered around the 2015 Color of the Year, Marsala. Click here to view the entire palette; below are just a few of our favorites to inspire you!

Images via Pantone

We're seeing lots of crafty folks pledging to build their own wardrobe in 2015; whether you plan to shop the racks for your springtime look or plan to knit, crochet, or sew a few pieces this season, we hope these colorful inspirations will help guide you! You can also get plenty of good ideas on how to maximize your crafting time by checking out the Wardrobe Architect challenge or reading up on how to create a Capsule Wardrobe.

For more springtime inspiration, join us over on Pinterest!

Plan Now, Plant Later: 4 Tips For Planning Your Springtime Garden

Stuck indoors and looking for ways to banish cabin fever? Why not start planning your springtime garden? It's a great way to bring a little sunshine into your life during the lingering dark days of winter. Here are a few of our favorite tips for making sure your 2015 garden is a success!

1. Start a Journal: Now is an excellent time to review what you planted last year to determine which varieties to revisit and which ones didn't work out as planned. This is also a wonderful place to collect articles and other ideas for things to try in this year's garden. You may wish to have a paper notebook to get the job done, or perhaps collecting your ideas and inspirations on Pinterest is more your speed! We've been pinning some of our favorite gardening ideas here on Pinterest.

2. Build Something: A lovely bench or birdhouse can make your garden even more enjoyable, and why not use the winter months to build something with your own two hands? If you don't feel particularly handy, there are plenty of interesting ways you can upcycle or repurpose everyday objects to serve as planters or other outdoor decor. We have plenty of DIY ideas for every speed here on our Garden-themed pinterest board.

3. Get Technical: Why not try out an app to help you plan & keep track of your garden? There are several apps available for smart phones and tablets, from garden planners to resources to help your identify plants and diseases. If you're overwhelmed with the number of apps available, click here to see a top 10 list from the Gardenista blog!

4. Stock Up: Make sure you have all of the seeds on your must-plant list so that you aren't unpleasantly surprised later down the road. Now is also a great time to take an inventory of all of your gardening implements to make sure you have what you need and that everything is in good working order. Last but not least, don't forget to stock up on LaviShea lotion bars! Our non-greasy moisture is perfect for keeping your hard-working hands moisturized and supple; we recommend our all-natural Citronella bar to keep pests away while you work in the garden! Our Lavender and Lemongrass scents are also excellent choices since they are made with essential oils which do double-duty: they are also mosquito repellent!

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Don't let Valentine's Day sneak up on you! We have some fun, fast, and thoughtful ways for you to say "Be My Valentine" this year!

First, set the stage with some festive decor! It's easy to whip up this DIY Burlap Valentine's Garden found here on the Glorious Treats Blog:

To create a memorable gift for everyone on your list (family, coworkers, or perhaps the folks in your knitting group), all you need is to round up some mason jars, then check out this blog post from Uncommon Designs which has dozens of creative ways to say "Be Mine."

One of the more unusual ideas we've seen for Valentine's Day are these heart-shaped bird feeders - you can find the recipe here on the Wine and Glue blog:

Last but not least, we might be biased, but we think a Lavishea bar is a great way to say "I Love You" this Valentine's Day! For the man in your life, we recommend the spicy, clean scent of the aptly-name Man Bar, or the spicy scent of our Woodland Spice bar; for a more feminine option, we recommend the romantic scent of Jasmine Vanilla. 

No matter which scent you choose, be sure to use this fun, easy and eco-friendly idea for prettying up your present: grab some yarn, string, twine, or ribbon, and wrap several times around your LaviShea package like so: 

Tie a knot on the back and secure with hot glue or some tape:

Using some red, pink, or white felt, cut out a heart and attach to front of package with hot glue. If you have pinking shears, you can use them to cut a heart with zig-zag edges:

Feeling extra-creative? Use beads, buttons, or other embellishments to decorate your heart. Voila! You have a lovely little Valentine with a sweet handmade touch!

Trend: Arm Knitting

We've just returned from The National NeedleArts (TNNA) trade show in Phoenix, AZ, which is where folks in the yarn, fiber, and needlepoint industry come together to share the newest products and trends. It was an inspirational weekend, and we'd love to share the joys of knitting with all of our fans with a trend which emerged last year and continues in its popularity as we kick off 2015: arm knitting.

Arm knitting is a quick introduction to the world of fiber, and it requires very little in the way of supplies to get you started: just grab some yarn and you're ready to go! There are tons of free tutorials and fun projects available online, many of which can be completed in under an hour's time. Here are just a few of our favorites to get you started:

Basic Arm Knitting Tutorials - Flax and Twine

Arm Knitting Necklaces - Vickie Howell

15-Minute Cowl - Mari Knits

Arm Knitting Blanket - Crafts Unleashed

Arm Knitting Infinity Scarf - Becoming Martha

These quick projects are sure to keep you warm this winter, but don't let dry hands slow you down! If you find that the yarn you're using is catching on rough cuticles, we recommend using a trusty LaviShea lotion bar to keep hands supple while crafting. Fiber artists trust our non-greasy moisture which absorbs quickly and keeps skin naturally moisturized - that's a trend that never goes out of style!