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!

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!

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!

Everything Etsy!

We have some exciting news! Not only can you purchase your favorite lotion bars on our new & improved website, the LaviShea Lotion Bar Etsy store is now open for business! It's now easier than ever to get your LaviShea fix on this popular website for handmade items. Our fans with an Etsy addiction are in luck: our store also accepts Etsy gift cards!

Click here to visit our Etsy Shop!

LaviShea Lotion Bar & Louet Spinning Fiber
on the Roving Crafters Blog

The theme of holiday gifting is ever-present on our minds, and in our last post we shared several DIY ideas - click here to check them out! Recently, LaviShea has been mentioned on a few gift guides in the blogosphere, and we'd like to take some time to share links to these recent posts which also contain other fabulous ideas to inspire your holiday shopping this year: 

• Roving Crafters Gift Ideas for Knitters
• Cornwall Yarn Shop Holiday Gift Guide
• Fiesta Cat Yarn LaviShea Lotion Bar Review

Still looking for creative gift ideas for knitters, crocheters or spinners? There are some fabulous gift ideas on the WEBS yarn store blog archive - click here for gift ideas for knitters & crocheters and here for ideas for handspinners! 

New Scents & CustomFit Giveaway!

Daylight savings and cooler temperatures can only mean one thing - winter is just around the corner! We've brought back one of our popular seasonal scents, Winterberry: it's a wonderful blend of sun-ripened blackberries and creamy, smooth vanilla. Click here to stock up on this favorite scent for the snowy season on LaviShea.com.

Just arrived at LoopsKnitting.com is an exclusive new LaviShea scent: Loops Love! Featuring the fresh scent of white tea and ginger, this bar is an essential for your knitting bag or carry-on. Click here for more details on the Loops website!

Giveaway Alert!

What better way to welcome NaKniSweMo & sweater weather than a giveaway for a free pattern from Amy Herzog's CustomFit sweater generator?! This revolutionary resource allows users to customize any design from the CustomFit database to fit the unique measurements and gauge of each individual user. The end result is a sweater that fits perfectly, with no modifications required.

We'll be randomly-selecting 5 lucky blog readers to win a free CustomFit pattern - simply leave a comment on this post telling us which LaviShea scent is your favorite for your chance to win! Be sure to also include your Ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you win.

We'll announce our lucky winners on our next blog post on Monday, November 24. Good luck!

Handspinning with Lavishea

Handspun Yarn on Bobbins.

On October 6, spinners around the globe will compete on teams to see who can spin the most yardage in just one week. The event is called Spinzilla, and it's open to handspinners of all skill levels (note: team registration has closed for this year's event).

Over in the Spinzilla Ravelry Group, there has been a flurry of activity as spinners make preparations for the big event: setting goals, performing maintenance on spinning wheels, and preparing fibers are all important details being discussed. However, we're like to add one more important item to eveyone's list:   a LaviShea bar to care for those hard-working hands!

Why LaviShea? First, as most fiber artists already know, working with wool has a tendency to dry out hands; dry skin and rough cuticles can catch on fibers, which can slow down your spinning. Serious spinners who are in it to win it will want to make sure they have smooth, supple hands, and our fast-absorbing lotion bars are easy to tuck into your spinning basket for whenever you need to take a break to moisturize your hands. Secondly, it's non-greasy and fast-absorbing - which means you can get back to spinning right away! Last but not least, we have a variety of scents to choose from. One of this year's Spinzilla sponsors, Louet North America, has even created a special LaviShea bar to commemorate the occasion!

We look forward to seeing who wins the Golden Niddy Noddy this October. LaviShea & Spin On!

Scent Spotlight: Citronella

Although summer is winding down, we'd like to spotlight our popular new Citronella LaviShea bar, which is fantastic for keeping mosquitoes and pests at bay the natural way! Whether you're gardening, camping, hiking, or just enjoying the remaining summer evenings on your porch, be sure to keep our Citronella bar close at hand.

Our Citronella bars are made with citronella essential oil, a plant-based insect repellent which works by masking scents that are attractive to insects. Its ability to repel mosquitoes has been verified by research (click here for more info); for maximum effectiveness, it should be reapplied every 30-60 minutes.

citronella grass

In addition to insect-repelling properties, citronella is naturally antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal and anti-inflammatory. It stimulates blood circulation and is often used to tame oily skin and hair. It is also used in the treatment of migraines, fatigue, headaches, and nausea. However, it is important to note that Citronella oil is not recommended for use on the skin of small children or during pregnancy.

Please note, this blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used as a substitute for medical care provided by a licensed and qualified health professional.