Garden Lane Soaps September News

Soap Talk-Goat’s Milk Soap

Probably the most asked question we get is “What is the best soap for my face?”
That is not an easy answer as all our soaps contain great ingredients but this month we tell you all about Goat Milk Soap.
Using goat milk in soap has the following benefits:
Goat milk contains alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid which help remove dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. Goat milk contains many vitamins, but is particularly high in Vitamin A, which is necessary to repair damaged skin tissue, and maintain healthy skin.

Fat molecules are an important part of making good soap. The cream that is present in goat milk helps boost the moisturizing quality of the soap. Goat milk contains important minerals for the skin such as selenium. Selenium is believed by scientists to have an important role in preventing skin cancer. Selenium can also help prevent damage to the skin from excessive time in the sun. So there you have it.

We have a new source of fresh goat milk and here they are. These gals have a great life in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We think happy goats probably make for good goat milk soap.

Our Goat’s Milk Soap is 20% off retail for the month of September.

Shop Talk-Oatmeal and Mint Refresher

While you’re thinking about what is good for your skin care regime you might consider adding this Oatmeal Mint Refresher to your routine on occasion. This refreshing fragrant face mask contains peppermint to pep up the skin and oatmeal to gently soothe minor irritations.

Oatmeal Mint Refresher

4 Tb. finely ground oatmeal

2 fl. oz. hot water

1 Tb. fresh mint leaves

Mix the oatmeal with the hot water until it forms a rich, thick paste. Wash and chop the mint and add to oatmeal. Let sit a few minutes so the oatmeal can absorb the water. Apply to clean face, relax for 20 minutes and rinse off with warm water. This should make enough for two applications. Enjoy!

Courtesy of Liz Earle

Spotlight-Goodbyes in San Francisco

For those of you that know us well we are truly the reuse, repurpose, and reinvent types. In so many cases we stop and ask ourselves why buy new when you can get great satisfaction out of reusing an existing item? Well, that is why we love Goodbyes so much. These fully packed adjacent stores carry fine-designer fashions, shoes, and accessories on consignment in Presidio Heights. The shops are just minutes from downtown. The adjacent locations – one for men and another for women – ensure that there are plenty of designs to choose from. The constantly updated inventory includes a full range of styles and prices but they also carry names like Dior, Gucci, Prada and Garden Lane Soaps. If you are in The City why not think about paying a visit?
Check out their website to learn more. goodbyessf.com
They are open every day and parking is easy. And that counts for a lot!

Garden News

We are blessed this year to have a fairly nice tomato crop, unlike last year when we had to rip out all our plants due to tomato blight. If you have bumper crops of garden goods you are probably like us right now trying to put up, dry, freeze, can and eat as fast as you can. It is a lot of work during the season but such comfort and satisfaction in the off months to pull from the bounty and create great meals with homegrown crops.

We have some amazing sunflowers this year as well. Here are just a few of our happy plants.

We will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th for the holiday.

Soap Talk-Gardener’s Companion

It’s that time of year and like us you probably have some vegetables planted. Each year brings surprises in the garden like a bounteous crop of tomatoes after a wipe out the year before. We hope your garden brings you great satisfaction and lots of vegetables and flowers to share with family and friends. In that vein we would like to offer you our Gardener’s Companion soap at 20% off for the month of July. This is a great bar to have handy when you need to clean up the dirt and grime from your hands. (We try to remember to wear gloves but honestly it doesn’t always work.) This soap is also handy in the shower to scrub those rough heels that happen when our feet are more exposed during the summer months. Besides the usual luxurious oils this lathery bar also contains a bit of dried rosemary and some fine pumice to aid in deep cleaning. It is scented with patchouli, lavender and orange. If you aren’t a big gardener maybe you know someone who is. Gardener’s Companion makes a great gift.

A bit About Rosemary and a Tasty Recipe

Rosemary is a strong, woody and camphorous herb. It has been found in Egyptian tombs probably because of its antioxidant and preservative qualities. It is known to stimulate and rejuvenate skin. It is used to treat dandruff, acne, eczema, asthma, poor circulation, to soothe nerves and promote hair growth. Rosemary has a long history of being associated with the heart. It has been believed by many to be a love charm, by others to be a token of remembrance and fidelity, and by some to be a potent aphrodisiac.

Click here for Rosemary-Shrimp Scampi Skewers recipe

Shop Talk-Care of Your Soap

There are a few steps you can take to make your Garden Lane Soaps last longer. Soap should be left to dry out between uses. This means a soap dish with drainage and air circulation is best and not placing the soap in the direct spray of a shower head helps it last longer too.
When you have bars that are waiting for later use, it is best to keep them in a cool place out of direct sunlight. In time sunlight will cause the oils to turn and dissipate and the scent will diminish. Storing them in a drawer of clothing will not only keep them out of light and heat but will also scent the items in your drawer or linen closet. Wrap them in a stocking or piece of cloth to keep them directly off your clothing but allow them to breathe. Remember, Garden Lane Soaps are made with all natural ingredients and they do have a shelf life. Some essential oils dissipate quicker than others. We recommend you use your soap within 6 months of purchase for best results.

Where Garden Lane Soaps Will Be

Bargetto’s 24th Annual Fine Art Festival

This month we will be at Bargetto’s 24th Annual Fine Art Festival. Saturday and Sunday July 21st and 22nd from 11am to 5pm. Eighteen varies artists and their wonderful wares will be on hand for a really fun weekend. Come by for some wine tasting and browse the goods on display. Stop by and say hello. Bargetto Winery.com

Art in The Garden

The following weekend we will be at Art in The Garden. The dates are Saturday, July 28th and Sunday, July 29th from 10am to 5pm. The location is 130 Mosswood Court in Santa Cruz. Mosswood Court is on the left about a mile out of SC as you head towards Felton on Graham Hill Rd. Featured artists will present jewelry, paintings, photography, ceramics, handmade paper, glass, wearable art, Serendipity Sauces, Garden Lane Soaps as well as others.

Visit us at one of these events (or both), tell us you read about it in our newsletter and we will give you a free Sampler Bar.

Capitola Farmer’s Market

There is a time change for the the Capitola Farmer’s Market. The market has moved to the afternoons and is now open from 3:30-7:00 every Thursday It is still located right near the main entrance of the mall in front of the bus terminal. It seems to be an evolving market so check back and see what’s new. Lots of fresh produce, ready-made food that is really yummy, infused honey, fresh flowers and more.

We’d Like to Reward You

Click here for details on our rewards program.

Where to Find Us

Please note, our Soap Shop is now open Wed and Thurs 1pm to 5pm and the third Saturday of each month from 10am to 3pm.

www.gardenlanesoaps.com

diane@gardenlanesoaps.com

362 Pioneer Rd, Corralitos, CA 95076

(831) 818-2598

Shop Talk-Properties of Oils-Part Two

This continues the overview and description of the properties of the oils we use in our soaps. Last month we highlighted olive, coconut, palm and castor oil as well as shea butter. This column will be about almond, avocado, hemp seed oil and aloe vera gel.
Remember, these are just the oils, there are other wonderful natural additives in most of our bars such as herbs and flowers and seeds.

Almond Oil

Almond oil contains vitamins A and E in abundance and protects the skin from damaging ultraviolet light. It prevents cell damage and fights certain skin disorders. Nourishing emollient properties make it an excellent choice for people with dry skin. It stimulates cell renewal and helps eliminate breakouts.

Avocado Oil

The proteins in avocado oil can help reduce blemishes and relieve damaged skin, especially damage from sun exposure. Your skin needs to produce collagen to keep it firm and smooth. Avocado oil helps increase collagen production. It helps your skin form a natural barrier against wrinkles and other signs of aging. A few of the vitamins found in avocado oil include vitamins A, B1 and B2, vitamin D and E as well as beta-carotene, potassium, and lecithin.

Hemp Seed Oil

The type of hemp seed oil used in skin care products contains high amounts of polyunsaturated and essential fatty acids. These aid in an anti-inflammatory skin care regime. This means that it helps heal skin lesions, balance dry skin and fight skin inflammations. It’s non greasy, has a moisturizing compound and anti-aging properties.

Aloe Vera Gel

The aloe vera plant is a member of the lily family. Ancient Egyptians were the first to use it for healing wounds. It is used for treating burns, frostbite, insect bites, blisters and allergic reactions. It is also helpful in treating eczema and psoriasis. Aloe Vera Gel contains properties that reduce scars, and moisturize skin. It has properties that provide oxygen to cells which strengthen skin tissue.

Hazards of Commercially Made Soap

We were recently provided this article on the properties of store-bought soap. Why Soap Can Be Hazardous To Your Health. We hope you will take a moment to read it. For us, it reinforces our desire to continue to make all natural soaps and other skin care products for the public. We thank and credit Kimberly Snyder for this eye opening information. Please check out her blog at kimberlysnyder.net

News From the Home Front-Bees

As some of you may know we are beekeepers. We are still not super proficient at it, but we try and are always learning more about bees. We have had up to five hives and until a week ago we had just one for quite a while. We occasionally get calls to extract swarms from trees and our success with keeping these swarms has been met with mixed results.

Once in a while a swarm will just show up here which is what happened this past week. Our wisteria bush was chosen, again, by a large bee colony as a site for their future home. We got out our bee boxes, suited up, and gently scooped them into their new dwelling. We are happy to report that they seem to like their new home and it looks like they will stick around. Above you can see the swarm as it settles in. We use their honey in some of our products so we are very happy to have another hive to attend to.

April Soap Special

For the month of April we are offering 20% off on all retail purchases made in the Soap Shop or from our website (use discount code “spring” at check out). If you buy from us at an event, please mention you saw this offer in our newsletter or website to receive the 20% off.

Spotlight-Crescent Hill Nursery

Crescent Hill Nursery is a grower of rare and unusual plants suited to our Mediterranean climate. We are located in Watsonville, right around the corner from Garden Lane, and have offered Central Coast gardeners our 250+ selections since our founding in 2001. Crescent Hill is proud to give customers a highly functional alternative to “big box” store plants, and back it with a knowledgeable and friendly staff. We invite you to tour our website, visit us at one of our events throughout the Central Coast, or call for a personal tour. Thanks and Happy Gardening!!
Nathan Krupa, www.Crescent Hill Nursery or 831 246-1128.

These folks are not too far from Garden Lane Soaps. Nathan and crew are super knowledgeable about their plants and are helpful when you are looking for a specific plant for your yard or garden. It’s a fun place to browse and pick out a few new items.

Where We’ll Be

This Thursday, April 5th, we will be participating in the new Independent Marketplace from 4pm to 9pm in Sand City.

The Independent Marketplace is an experiment in food, drink, art and culture. Conveniently located in the heart of Sand City’s West End District at The Independent (600 Ortiz Ave), The Independent Marketplace provides a upbeat, safe environment for both singles and families.
Pairing fresh produce, prepared, with beer and wine tasting, The Independent Marketplace is about conscious connected living.

Please check this link independent-marketplace for all the details and come on out.

We’re excited to be hosting a Trunk Show on Saturday, March 17th with Bluestone Imports. In their travels to Turkey they acquire unique, affordable and beautiful scarves, capes, purses, pillows, bedspreads, small rugs and jewelry as well as to Italy for Venetian jewels. That day they will be offering specials, a gift basket drawing and lots of affordable gifts for Mother’s Day, Graduation or other special occasions. Stop in between 12:00 and 4:00 to see these wonderful treasures. Refreshments will be served. Check out some of their line at Bluestone Imports.

Why not make an afternoon of it and visit Alfaro’s Family Vineyard, Crossroad Books, Shabby Maison and Pacific Crest Apiaries? Click the links to find their addresses and times of operation on Saturday March 17th.

We’re often asked if we have a soap that will help with one malady or another. Often times it is dry skin. Or simply do we have a soap that lathers well.
This brief review of the oils we use in our soap making will help you understand what each of our soaps does for you. The ingredients for all our soaps are on the soap bar labels and can also be found on our website. We appreciate your asking because we know you care about what you are using on your body and we are pleased to offer natural ingredients in our soaps.
This will be a two-part article with the common oils first. In April we will feature the lesser known oils.
Remember, these are just the oils, there are other wonderful natural additives in most of our bars such as herbs and flowers.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is rich in many kinds of nutrients and antioxidants among then Vitamins A and E. It also contains polyphenols which have the ability to postpone the aging of skin. Olive oil also contains a natural moisturizer. This natural moisturizer helps heal wounds and scars.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil prevents dryness and flaking of skin as well as delaying wrinkles and sagging of skin which become prominent with age. It helps treat various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema. Coconut oil has anti-aging properties that help prevent degenerative diseases.

Palm Oil

Palm oil contains hard to find toctrienols which are members of the Vitamin E family. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant that helps the skin fight free radicals that damage the skin and cause fine lines and wrinkles. You may have heard of clear cutting the oil palm tree. Please note that our palm oil comes from a sustainable source and is harvested responsibly.

Shea Butter

This butter is expressed from the pits of the African butter tree in Central Asia. It improves skin tone and elasticity while moisturizing to help skin become smoother, making wrinkles less prominent. It also helps to even skin tone and eliminate rough, scaly, dry skin.

Castor Oil

Castor oil can penetrate deeply more than any other oil making it an excellent choice to help skin stay youthful and fresh. An ingredient of castor oil, called ricinoleic acid, helps to inhibit viruses and bacteria. When used in soap it also makes for a hard bar which helps the soap last longer.

Next month: Avocado oil, almond oil, hemp seed oil and aloe vera gel.

Soap Talk-Lotion

Well, lotion isn’t soap but we will tell you about it anyway under the Soap Talk heading.

Our new lotion is a simple formula and that is just the way we like it. It is incredibly effective without all the “extras” one finds in so many other lotions. It contains distilled water, almond oil, shea butter, avocado oil, an emulsifying wax (which is what allows the oils and water to combine) as well as vegetable based stearic acid (which allows the lotion to thicken.) Right now we have Good Karma Lotion but will have Lavender on the shelves in a couple of weeks.

Soap Talk-Two New Soaps for the Holidays

We’ve got Winter Garden and Peppermint Swirl

We are introducing two soaps just for the holiday season. The first is Winter Garden made from olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and shea butter. It is scented with cedarwood and orange essential oils.

The second is Peppermint Swirl. This fun bar has swirls of pink peppermint color and peppermint essential oil through a base of olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter and almond oil.

These will make great additions to any gift basket or wonderful hostess gifts. They come in our large size only, sorry no sampler bars.

Click this link for larger views. ‎Winter Garden and Peppermint Swirl

Where We’ll Be

Busy times ahead for Garden Lane Soaps.

On Saturday, November 5th we will be at Poppy Farm Fair. This fun event will be from 10 am to 4 pm at 2600 Mar Vista Dr. in Aptos. There will be local arts and crafts, live music, tasty local food, goats to pet and you can stroll through the native plant garden. Hope to see you there.

On November 19th we’ll be splitting up our crew for two very different events. We’ll be at Alfaro’s Winery for Passport Days. You will likely find us out in the barrel room. This event is from 11 am to 5 pm and is located at 420 Hames Rd. Corralitos. (There is a charge for attending Passport Days.)

Also on November 19th we will be at the 31st Annual La Selva Beach Holiday Gift Faire. It runs from 10 am to 4 pm and is located at 314 Estrella in La Selva Beach. Free parking and admission, prize drawings, food, and a book sale await you as well as many local crafts and holiday items.

Due to these two events, Garden Lane Soap Shop will not be open on the 19th.

Shop Talk-Garden Lane Soaps Open House

You are cordially invited to Garden Lane Soaps Holiday Open House to be held on Saturday, December 3rd from 1 pm to 4 pm. Come on out to say hello and have some refreshments while you browse the soap shop. (To ease congestion we ask that you please park in the lot next to market at the corner and walk over.)

Where We’ll Be

We’ll be right in our Soap Shop this next weekend, the 8th and 9th of October as we open our doors with extended hours during the Santa Cruz County Open Studios. Although we’re not part of Open Studios, the South County participates on this weekend and if you are out and about this way we would love to have you stop by. Our hours this weekend will be from 11-5. Check below for our October special.

Soap Talk-Honey

Honey—Oh so Sweet and so Versatile
Lots of folks don’t think about honey and soap together but honey has some amazing properties that work really well in soap. Honey is made by bees after collecting pollen. Honey is a natural moisturizer and has qualities that protect your skin. Because honey is about 18% water it acts as a humectant, meaning it absorbs moisture, pulling water from the air and then helping your skins top layers retain it. It is also antiseptic and bacteriostatic, which means it helps inhibit the growth of bacteria. All honey contains large quantities of enzymes, carbohydrates, B-complex vitamins, vitamins C & D and E and some minerals. The only warning about using soap with honey is to be cautious if you are allergic to pollen.

Here is an easy and fun body care recipe to make at home using honey.

And this is great if you want to cook with some honey. Baked Honey Squash.

Soap Special for October

We are offering 15% off our Oat’s and Honey Soap for the month of October. The addition of oats in this soap acts as a gentle exfoliant. Combined with honey this makes a dynamic combination.

Shop Talk -We’d like to reward you

We’d like to reward you! We would love to expand the number of locations where our soap is available for purchase. Click here for current locations. If you turn us on to a retail location that contracts with us to sell our soaps we’d like to reward you with a bar of soap each month for a year. That is 12 bars of your choice. Please contact us if you have a shop in mind.

The Holidays are Coming

We are readying new soaps for the holidays. Stay tuned for Peppermint Swirl and Cedarwood-Orange. (AKA Winter Garden)They are made and in the curing process.

Open House!

We are also planning a Holiday Open House. Save the date of Saturday, December 3rd. More details to follow.