What Exactly Is That?

Do you ever go shopping for food or beauty products & being the health conscious person you are, flip the product over to look at the ingredients & think "what on earth is that"? I know I do. The product can say all-natural or organic, but I still can't read the ingredient label & even when I can, I don't know what all the ingredients are for or why they're used.

Well let me explain.

When you're selling cosmetics you're required by the FDA to include an ingredient label on your product.

You have to list your ingredients in descending order meaning the first ingredient on the list is what's mostly in the product. So for my soap, water is the first ingredient on the list because water is the main component of my soap.

You also have to list your ingredients INCI name which is the official name of the ingredient & it's usually in Latin. So when I put water on my label it has to look like this: Water {Aqua}. Now some product manufacturers only put the INCI names & so you can't really even read the ingredients unless you're familiar with cosmetic ingredients or Latin. Ummm, no.

So today, I want to take some time to explain the ingredients I use in my new formula so that you know exactly what each on is & why it's in there.

Lavender Chamomile Soap Ingredients

Aqua {Water}, Olea Europaea Fruite {Organic Olive} Oil, Cocos Nucifera {Organic Coconut} Oil, Potassium Hydroxide*, {Sodium Borate} Borax, Glycerin, Sulfated Ricinus Communis {Castor} Oil, Chamaemelum Nobile {Chamomile} Flower, Lavandula Angustifolia {Lavender} Flower, Lavandula Angustifolia {Lavender} Essential Oil


Of course the herbs & essential oils will change depending upon which soap you use. Anyway, below are what the ingredients are for.

Ingredient Breakdown

The coconut oil, olive oil & potassium hydroxide make up the actual soap. You start with the oil & when you add the potassium hydroxide {lye} to it, it turns into soap. Once the soap is made I add water to it to make it into a liquid soap. At this point it's super thin so I add in borax which is a natural thickener as well as a neutralizer. You have to use a neutralizer in soap in order to bring the pH down so that it's not too acidic or too alkaline. It needs to clean well & for my soap, it needs to be mild because it's primarily for babies. So pH matters. {I'll explain how I test my pH below.} Once the soap has thickened up, I add the glycerin & the castor oil. These two things not only make the soap more moisturizing, but they make it even milder for babies skin.

So there you have it. You now know what each ingredient is & what it's used for.

The Issue of pH

Potassium Hydroxide is a must for soap {or sodium hydroxide, it depends on the kind of soap you're making}. Anyway, you have to have it to make the actual soap. Potassium Hydroxide is alkaline & so you have to add in a neutralizer to your finished soap so that it's not so alkaline but instead balanced a bit more. Most soap makers use either citric acid, boric acid, or borax. {Find out why I use borax below.} The combination of the potassium hydroxide & the borax will bring the soap to a more neutral pH that makes it less irritating to the skin & eyes & helps it to clean better.

The way I test my soaps pH is by using a chemical called phenolphthalein. I take a small sample of my soap & mix in the right amount of borax to neutralize it. Then I add in my phenolphthalein solution & if it does what it's supposed to, then I know the pH is neutral & my soap is good to go. Now phenolphthalein is not added to the entire batch of soap. It's only used to test my sample. No chemicals are in my soap!!

Why I Use Borax

I use borax in my soap instead of citric or boric acid because it does so many great things for liquid soap. It thickens it, neutralizes it, enhances it's foaming properties, softens hard water, doesn't throw the soap out of solution since it's not an acid & also acts as a preservative... a natural one! How great is all that?

In Conclusion

So after all of this, I hope you understand why I use what I use for my soap & that you're comfortable with it & you trust it more. The next step is trying it our for yourself right here - Baby Swank Naturals Baby Wash & Shampoo. It comes in 2 oz. sample sizes & 8 oz. full sizes. Enjoy! I know we do!

New Shop Update

Pinterest

Wow! Let's talk about my new shop!

I told you about my plans for a new Etsy shop in my 2012 goals post a couple weeks back & about how I was going to keep you updated on it. Well here are my update plans.

I want to launch my new shop mid-March. Is that going to happen? I'm not sure. You see, I'm still trying to get into a good routine with my new little man & I haven't settled on anything yet.

As you may know, I also coach other creative business owners, moms in particular, to grab hold of their dreams & make them happen & let me tell you... I am soooo busy with that right now that between coaching & my kiddos I've not had much time to work on my new shop! It's terrible but wonderful at the same time.

I am chugging along though. My goal for January is to get my website up & lookin' all snazzy & that's getting there. My goal for February is to get a good amount of blog posts over on that site & to begin to transfer Baby Swank items to the new shop. And lastly, my goal for March is to actually launch the new shop.

Will that happen? Yes, it will definitely happen, but I'm not sure if it will happen on time or not. We'll see!

Like I said, my goal for this month is to get my website looking the way I want it too & it's getting there. I've worked with an illustrator on some graphics & I think I'm good there. Right now I'm working with a web designer on getting some things done that I can't figure out how to do myself. So, hopefully all of that will be done by the end of this month & I'll be good to go come February!

Can't wait to show it to you all!

xo, Meagan

Project 52 - Week 2 Photos

Here are this weeks Project 52 photos!

 Don't forget to participate & link up to your blog posts in the comments below! January is all about the Rainbow! Week 1 photos here!

Eco-Friendly Valentine's Day Finds

I heart Mom/Dad Toddler Tee

Valentines Day Card

Mr. & Mrs. Cushion

Crocheted Washcloths

Love Coffee Cozy

Initial Tree Ring

I Love You Baby Teether/Toy

Lunch Notes - Manly Adult

Christmas Bibs on Sale

Peppermint Men

Christmas Marbles

Red & White

Green Santa & Trees

Blue Snowmen

2011 Christmas Bibs are now on sale... 40% off! 

That's $13.20 each! 

Stock up for next year's gifts or for yourself! 

Bib bundles not included!

Click here to buy!

Project 52

Today I want to share a fun little project I'm involved in with you!

It's called "Project 52" & it's started by my friend Lakshmi. Lakshmi has a goal this year of improving her product photography & so she decided that she was going to select a theme each month & then photograph items that fit into that theme & share her best photo each week on her blog!

So I decided to join her in this project along with some other friends of ours because let's face it... product photography is tricky especially if you're not a photographer & I'm always up for improving on things.

This month's theme is "Rainbow" & so here are some of the photos I've taken for this week including the one above!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Thanks & see you next week!

xo, Meagan

2012 Giveaway Greatness

So I've decided that this year, 2012, will include some awesomely fabulous giveaways when it comes to Baby Swank. I'm limiting the amounts of giveaways I'm doing & saving them for the really big ones.

My plan is to do 4 giveaways this year. Some on blogs, one on my Facebook page, & maybe some other places I see that are a good fit.

Anyway, the first one is coming up this month & I want you to be a part of it!

If you remember the interview I did last year with Autumn from All About Cloth Diapers, then you'll know exactly where this giveaway will be held.

Autumn is reviewing my Herbal Bum Salve & my Herbal Bum Cream & then I'll be giving away 2 Baby Bums gift baskets to the giveaway winners! I can't wait & I'll keep you posted here & on Facebook. Definitely don't miss out on this. These baskets make great gifts at baby showers, not to mention to keep for yourself!

I'll post when the giveaway is live! Keep an eye out!

Why I'm Changing My Soap Making Process

Orange Vanilla Baby Wash & Shampoo

Now that 2012 is here, I've got some big changes up my sleeve. I told you about my plans to move into a new shop. It's not time for that yet, but I'll definitely keep you updated on it.

My first big change is that I'm altering the way that I make my soap.

I don't know if you know anything about soap-making or not, but making liquid soap is very different from making bar soap. I personally love both, but when it comes to baby soap & shampoo, liquid wins out every time for me.

The way I make my soap now is to take my soap & infuse the herbs into it. The problem with this is that it sometimes causes the soap to separate a bit, especially with the orange & lemon herbs. It must be the vitamin c in it. That's all I can figure because the other soaps don't really do it.

It's not really a big deal because you can just shake it & it all mixes back up, but I'm not really happy with the way it looks. Looks = sales, especially for my wholesale customers who are putting my products in their shops. It has to set on a shelf & it's not being shaken so when people look at it they're seeing the separation. Now most people probably don't think a thing about it, but others may.

So, I'm changing the way I make it by doing the herbal infusing during the actual soap-making instead of saving it for later. So it will be one of the first steps instead of one of the later steps in the process.

I've not tried it yet, but very soon. I'm hoping it turns out well! I'll definitely post new pics to my Facebook wall. If you're not following me there yet, you definitely should! There's a lot of conversation that goes on there!

Wish me luck!

Wondering What My Plans For 2012 Are?

This past year has been great. Life, business, all of it. I'm so blessed. 

In 2011, business speaking, I've added a product line, grown my FB page to 300+ followers, met some awesome friends & biz owners, grown my coaching biz & had a great year in sales.

But, I'm not finished yet. Not because I'm not content or greedy or anything like that, but because this is business & businesses are meant to grow. I have big plans for 2012 & I want to share some of them with you.

Let's start with the biggest one. 

I'm switching gears & opening a new shop. 

Yeah, you heard me! I've been hinting around at making this big change for a while now. So I'm here today to let you in on my little secret.

My natural skin care line - Baby Swank Naturals - has done so well that I want to expand it even further, beyond babies & in order to do that, I'll be phasing the herbal products out of my shop & into a new one. 

Now don't stress. I'll be giving everyone plenty of time to get used to my new shop & the products will overlap for a while. Right now is just the beginning of this new shop. I've still got a lot of work ahead of me. I'm working on graphic design at the moment & that doesn't happen overnight. I'll be keeping you posted on this big change & I'm definitely going to launch this baby the right way!

As for Baby Swank

Baby Swank will remain for the time being. Once I'm in the new shop {name to be revealed later} I'm not sure what will happen to it. Do I move the Washcloth Bibs over to the new shop too or keep all that good stuff in Baby Swank??? I'm just not sure, but if you have an opinion, I'd love to hear it.

Other than that...no matter which shop or what products we're talking about, here are some of my big plans.

1. I'd like to get 4-5 wholesale accounts with retail stores.
2. I'd like to get one of my products featured in a magazine.
3. I'd like to triple this year's profits.
4. I'd like to launch at least 2 new product lines.

Sound good? Sound ambitious? Great! 

As long as all goes well & business is staying in perspective with my family responsibilities, you'll be hearing from me throughout 2012 as I reach these goals & then in December, you can cheer with me as I say, "I did it!!"

Thanks for sticking with me & for all your encouragement & support. I need you!

xo, Meagan

A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Baby

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your friends & families. Ours was excellent. Busy & hectic, but wonderful & relaxing at the same time! 

We visited lots of family, gave & received a lot of gifts, ate too much food, & enjoyed our time together. What a wonderful season!

We also welcomed our third little man into our family early Wednesday morning {3:26am}. Yay! Uriah is finally here! He weighted 8 lbs. 5.6 oz. {my biggest so far} & he was 20 in. long. Labor & delivery was quick, all-natural, & with no complications! Praise the Lord!

I'm so glad it was before Christmas. I had time to recover & get things together before we had holiday plans upon us. 

He's a wonderful baby. He's calm & content & he's adapting well to our family... even with two excited little bros to get used too! Below are some pics. Enjoy! I'm sure there will be plenty more!

Little Uriah!

Ummm, baby love!

Meeting his big bros!

Some... of the family!

Judah is so happy to have his little brother here!

My midwife/doula, Angie, & I.

Stay Healthy this Winter

With little kids it always seems that someone has a cold, but bring on cold, wintry weather & you've got the flu & other nasty bugs to consider.

Here's what I use to keep myself & my family healthy during the winter months.

Double E Immune Booster via Bulk Herb Store

This herb mix is full of immune boosting herbs to help your body protect itself against those nasty little critters that want to make you & your family sick. 

It contains Nettle Leaf, Peppermint Leaf, Echinacea Root, Echinacea Tops, Elderberries whole, Ginseng Root and Rosehips. Best of all, it's totally organic & everyone can take it as much as they'd like. No contraindications here, but it's always good to err on the side of caution if you suffer from severe allergies to weeds, grass, hay, or plants.

It has a great flavor & the kiddos even like it. The echinacea & elderberries are what give it it's immune boosting properties & everything else has great vitamins & energizing properties to keep you going strong.

For me & my man...I take this mix & make a tincture out of it with Vodka.

For the little ones, I make their tincture out of glycerine...a sweet, edible syrup that doesn't affect blood glucose levels.

We all also drink it as tea sweetened with honey or maple syrups on these chilly Tennessee days.

Almost Ready

My, oh, my how time has flown!

Not that I knew it wouldn't. From the beginning of October I knew the next 3 months would pass quickly with all the holidays that are jammed into the end of the year, but still, I can't believe it's the middle of December & Uriah will be here any day now...hopefully!

So I'm still doing some last minute things to get ready for him to be here. So far I've cleaned out the dressers & the closet in the boys room to make space for his things. I've washed all his clothes up & they're where they need to go. I've gotten all the baby equipment out which has been washed & cleaned. It's all set up & ready for him. I'm stocked on diapers, feeding supplies, & baby products. Plus, I actually have our bags packed early this year.

So I feel like I'm more prepared. I'm still trying to get Christmas stuff together. The house is decorated, but there are gifts that still need to be wrapped. That's on my to-do list for this week! I think I need to stock up on laundry detergent too. Better add that to my list.

Anyway, all is well here. We're just waiting & getting more excited by the minute. Thanks for all your thoughts & prayers! I really appreciate them!

Get Your Holiday Glow on with this Easy Natural Facial Moisturizer

Do you ever look back at pictures & think, "What was going on with my skin!"

Don't let that happen to you this year! Be prepared!

Today I'm gonna give you another recipe for beautifying your skin & giving yourself a naturally healthy glow that will radiate in your holiday photos this year!

My first piece of advice would be to start out with the exfoliating scrub recipe I gave you last month. Use this 1-3 times a week or however often you need it to keep the dead skin cells off your face. This alone will give it that healthy glow.

Follow up with this recipe for a facial moisturizer that is light & absorbs well into your skin. Put it on before your makeup & especially after you wash your makeup off at night.

You'll Need:

1/2 cup distilled water
2 tsp. vegetable glycerin {draws moisture to your skin}
5 drops of essential oil {whatever smell you prefer}

Here's Whatcha' Do:

Quick & simple. Put all ingredients into a bottle & shake well before use. Apply via a cotton pad or using a spritzer attachment on your bottle to mist your skin & let it dry!

Here's to love skin in this year's pics!

Enjoy!

xo, Meagan

Are You Following Me on Facebook Yet?

Are you following me on Facebook yet? 

Just checkin! I'd hate for you to be missing out on all that's going on over there.

If you are, way to go! Be sure to leave me your thoughts & comments. I'll get back to you, I promise!

If you aren't, click here to "like" my page now. {Psst...you'll get a little something when you do!}

Winter Washcloth Bib Collection

If you want to keep your little guy or gal looking fashionable this season while being eco-friendly at the same time, these Washcloth Bibs are your ticket to eco-friendly fashion!

Check out the newest collection right here!

2011 Winter Collection

 Yellow & Gray

 Blue & Gray

 Red & Gray

 Pink Geo

 Blue Swirls

 Green Night

Get em' before they're gone...right here @ Baby Swank

Our DIY Advent Calender

Last year I wanted to make an Advent calender for the boys, but I never got around to it because I was busy. This year I made sure to put it into our schedule so that we could enjoy some extra seasonal festivities. In fact, we'll be doing a lot of festive things this year thanks to our Advent calender.

So here's a pic of our calender & below you'll find the steps I used to make it. It's simple & fun for the kids.

Start with scrapbooking paper of your choice. Cut into 4x6 inch pieces or whatever size you need to get the size pocket you want.

Fold & glue 1/4 inch all the way around. Fold in half & score with a bone folder.

Glue edges to create your pocket. Set under something heavy until glue dries.

Print off numbers 1 - 24 to put on your pockets. Cut out.

Glue your numbers to your finished pockets.

Print out tags for your daily activities, punch holes & tie with twine or ribbon. Write your activities on your tags...one for each day.

Put your tags into the appropriate pockets & hang up however you'd like! Be sure to have fun!

Below are a few of the activities we'll be doing.

Make an Advent wreath

Drive around looking for Christmas lights

Drink hot cocoa with marshmallows

Watch a Christmas movie

Paint holiday pictures on the windows

Read a Christmas story

Decorate the Christmas tree

Wrap presents

Make a homemade Christmas gift

Sing Christmas songs

Read about Baby Jesus's birth

Color Christmas pictures

Make ornaments for the Christmas Tree

....and more!

My Go-To Herbal Supplements for Pregnancy

I'm very blessed. I've never had any major issues with my pregnancies...not even minor issues really. I attribute this to being in good health in the first place & trying my best to take care of myself while I'm pregnant.

So today, I'm going to share some of the things I do & use to help me & my babies stay healthy during our 9 months together.

Supplements/Herbs:

First off, I always get an all-natural, whole-food prenatal vitamin. None of that synthetic stuff the Dr. offers. Those vitamins don't do as much for me & they make me sick. The natural one's don't. I also include a prenatal Omega pill of some sort. Usually Garden of Life brand for the vitamins & omega.

The next thing I do is to add herbs in on top of it. Once I'm further along in my pregnancy, I start taking Red Raspberry Leaf. I've taken it in capsules, I've taken in as a tea, & I've made a tincture out of it & taken it that way. The tincture is best, but for me it works better to do a bit of all three.

Red Raspberry leaf has a medically proven & trusted track record in helping strengthen the womb of a pregnant woman, & it is also reported to be effective in restoring the womb after delivering. It can be used to help all sorts of women's reproductive issues. {Link to Bulk Herb Store's Mama's Organic Red Raspberry Brew...where I get almost all of my herbs!}

Then the last thing I do before I have my baby is I use a labor prep tincture called "Gentle Birth". It helps to get your body ready to have a quick, safe delivery & it minimizes complications such as hemorrhage & things of that nature. 

I did not take this with my first pregnancy & you all know how long that one was. I did take it with my last & it went MUCH faster & easier. I'm sure the whole 1st baby, 2nd baby thing had a lot to do with it as well, but I'm sure this was super helpful.

Resources:

As far as resources for preparing for pregnancy & labor, BHS's has a new video & book series called "Making Babies". It's a 3 part series that takes you through the entire process naturally & healthily from pre-conception to postpartum. A definite must in my opinion!

The last thing I usually use is the book, Natural Childbirth - The Bradley Way. I love this book & I wish I'd had it for my first. Maybe things wouldn't have been so long & drawn out that way! It focuses on teaching your what your body is doing during labor & how to relax & work with it so you can have a quicker, easier labor. {Caution...mature images. Don't leave this one laying around for your kiddos to find!}

It definitely worked for me last time because I almost didn't make it to the hospital. I got there 17 minutes before Isaiah was born! We'll prepare better this time...promise!

Anyway, I hope this has given you a bit more insight into how I do things when I'm preggo. Again, #3 is almost here. I can't wait. I'll definitely keep you updated & thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, & kind words. It means so much!

xo, Meagan

{Some of the above links are affiliate links of mine, meaning I make a small commission if you use my links to make a purchase. I appreciate your generosity! Thank you!}