New Website

We're excited to launch our new website!  Here are some of the cool new features we have:

• Coupon codes - it's now easier for our online shoppers to take advantage of deals and discounts that were previously given to customers at our store front in Milwaukee, WI.  We randomly post codes on our Facebook page, Twitter account and through our newsletter.
• Wishlist -  you can now create an account and start a wish list
• Registry - you can create a Halo Soap registry if you are registered at WishPot.com
• MyRewards - we now have a rewards program where every dollar you spend gains points that can be used towards gift certificates for future purchases.
• Deal of the Day - we are going to start offering a Deal of this Day.  This will typically be 30% off the regular price of that days item.

Our new website is a constantly changing project.  Over the next few months, we will be adding our line of soy candles, Brethren of the Coast Skin Care for Men and adding to some of our existing product lines.

We will also be implementing an Affiliate program.  If you have a blog or website where you'd like to make money by linking to us, please contact us if you are interested in being one of our first affiliates.

Halloween Inspired Bar Soap

We have two new soaps at Halo Soap - with some spooky Halloween style labels!

Poison - Created with an eerie yellow-green color similar to what you would imaging brewing in a witches cauldron under the full moon. Unlike this name suggests, this soap will not poison you! It will actually moisturize your skin quite nicely and leave you with a pleasant scent.

Reaper - Created with wisps of purple color like the eerie mist luring the reaper to your doorstep! This bar soap is made with a sweet, white floral fragrance, reminiscent of a gentle calm before the storm of the Grimm reaper coming for his next victim!

Menthol Crystals

Menthol crystals are produced through peppermint essential oil extraction.  They help relieve muscle pain, the can clear congestion, and are cooling and refreshing.  We use these in our Crack Stick series of lip balms - one of our biggest sellers!

We also use menthol crystals in two of our foot products to help tired feet relax.

Products: Crack Stick, Vanilla Crack Stick, Chocolate Crack Stick, Vailla Peppermint Foot Scrub, Vanilla Peppermint Foot Balm

Allantoin

Allantoin is a natural chemical compound that can be found in the comfrey plant.  It can be found in sources such as cow urine as well, but we only use the comfrey derived type in our products!  (No cow urine...)

Allantoin is a natural soothing, anti-irritant, and skin protectant.  It also increases the smoothness of the skin and promotes the healing of wounds, burns, and scars. It is added to skin care products for its moisturizing effect as well as its ability to cause the outer layer of dead skin cells to loosen and shed.

Even the FDA has approved the following statements for non-prescription, drug products containing allantoin:

• For the temporary protection of minor cuts, scrapes, burns and sunburn.
• Helps prevent and temporarily protects chafed, chapped, cracked, or wind burned skin and lips.
• Relieves dryness and softens cold sores and fever blisters.
• Helps treat and prevent diaper rash. Protects chafed skin/minor skin irritation due to/associated with diaper rash and helps protect from/seal out wetness.

You're no dummy!  Do a Google search for 'allantoin' and you'll read all sorts of useful information about the product!

Products: Neem Cream, Butt Balm, Starboard Men's Aftershave

Neem Cream for Eczema, Rosacea and Psoriasis

This cream is perfect for problem skin areas.  Made with neem oil, this oil has been used in India for thousands of years to treat psoriasis, rosacea and eczema.  But neem cream is great for so much more!  Neem also relieves dry skin, soothes itchiness, redness and irritation and It improves general skin health and immunity.

The olive oil used in this cream has been macerated in herbs and botanicals that aid in healing minor skin infections.

Allantoin gives this cream an extra soothing kick, as it helps with skin protection and anti-inflammatory issues.

We suggest using this cream on areas that need extra special care: extremely dry skin, rashes, areas with eczema, etc.  However, many of our customers like to use this cream as an all over body butter,  or even as a night time face cream.  So you should use it how you see fit!

One downfall to all the great benefits of neem oil is it's unpleasant smell.  We've done a pretty good job at blending this scent with tea tree and litsea cubeba essential oils which in themselves supply a wide range of healing properties.  Most people don't mind the smell or even like it after being blended with the essential oils. Either way, this cream is great for anyone who has skin problems.

Want to read some feed back about this cream?
 ~ Here is what one customer had to say about our Neem Cream: "THIS IS MIRACLE CREAM!!! You would not believe the difference in my skin. From red skin, bumps, & dry skin, to beautiful clear skin that I haven't seen for years! I will be back for sure!"
~ Here is what one customer had to say about the scent:
"I was scared to open this after reading the description. I mean, how terrible could it smell? Well, I was relieved that this smells wonderful! The light lemony scent smells delicious!"
~ This is what one customer had to say about using the Neem Soap and Cream together:
"I have been using this product, together with the carrot neem face soap, for about a month, to treat mild to moderate rosacea on my cheeks and neck. It does work! The red flushing on cheeks is gone, and there are virtually no red bumps on my neck. Impressed! Container is small, but a little goes a long way, and the neem smell is not at all overpowering. Thanks for an effective, natural product!"

You can get a sample of the Neem Cream here.
You can also purchase our Carrot Neem Face Soap, a good soap to pair with this cream.

Ingredients: distilled water, botanical infused olive oil (calendula, comfrey, plantain, chamomile), neem oil, liquid glycerin, vegetable derived emulsifying wax, palm stearic acid, allantoin, tea tree essential oil, litsea cubeba essential oil and paraben-free preservative.

BUY SOME NOW!

Neem Oil

If you haven't heard by now, I must tell you that neem oil is amazing.  We currently use it in two of our products and those products FLY off the shelf.  I mean, it's like they grow wings and disappear in the middle of the night because I'll open the shop the next morning and at least half of what is left of the stock is spoken for.  Yeah.  It's that good.

Let me tell you a little about neem oil.  Neem oil is pressed from the seeds and fruit of the neem tree, native to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It can be helpful to a variety of skin issues including  psoriasis, eczema and rosacea.  It can be used to ward off insects.  It makes great soaps, lotions, hair treatments, etc.  It's really great if you have skin issues.  But it smells disgusting.

The terrible smell of neem oil is actually what contributes to it being so good for your skin.  If you remove some of the bad smelling components of the oil, you will be decreasing its effectiveness.

There is a plethora of information about the benefits of neem oil plastered across the internet.  Just do a Google search for 'neem oil uses' and you'll see what I mean.

Please note, you should not take neem oil internally with out speaking to a professional first.  I'm not sure why you would want to ingest it, but I still felt the need to warn you.

Neem oil itself makes a good natural pesticide and it's effects are increased when combined with it's cousin, karanja oil.

Products: Carrot Neem Face Soap, Neem Cream

Rose Water Toner

This toner is made with rose water, which has excellent soothing effects, can improve the condition of dry and aging skin, as well as cleanse, purify and tone skin, and reduce swelling and redness.

Toner removes excess oil on the surface of the skin.  It tightens and strengthens the skin as well.  Rose water is a gentle, effective toner while witch hazel acts as a mild astringent.  Rose water is great for all skin types and mature, aging skin.  You can spray this product directly on your face or on a cotton ball to wipe over your face after cleansing, before cream application.  You can also carry this product with you for spraying a refreshing application on your skin through out the day.  This product comes in a plastic recyclable (#1) bottle and a spray pump top with over 4 ounces of product.

Ingredients: rose water, distilled water, liquid glygerin and witch hazel.

You can get a sample here. Or try our new Lavender and Chamomile toner here.

Thanks for shopping at Halo Soap!

Glycerin

Me with a bottle of glycerin., a photo by Halo Soap and Products on Flickr.

Did you know it's sweet? I didn't. Very interesting...

Crack Stick Lip Balm

Anyone who has tried my Crack Stick lip balm knows it's one of the best lip balms out there.  I get orders for this one 5 times as often as any of my other lip balm.  Here's a little peek into making it.

 

 Here I am measuring out the amount of menthol crystals for the Crack Stick.  Not too much that it's overwhelming, but just the right amount to make it cooling and tingly!

 Then I add the crystals to my melted lip balm base (which I of course make myself, no pre-purchased bases here!)

 

 Then they go into the tubes to cool!  I do a special way to avoid the top caving in, creating an unflattering "cone".

Enjoy!

Making Steampunk Octopus Owl Soap

I took a few pictures while creating my special Steampunk soap.

 

Here's the mold I special ordered and what the octopus owl looks like when he's popped out of the mold.

 

 Here's an idea of how big my little buddy is.

 

 And here he is embedded in a big ol' chunk of glycerin soap.

Enjoy!

Wedding Favors

Now available at Halo Soap - wedding favors! And you don't have to live near our shop to have an active part in designing your favors because we ship samples before and throughout the process.

Well, we always had wedding favors available, but now the process is a little more streamlined.  Before, we would talk about different options, then I would have to put together a mock up, email you pictures, you'd come in a few times, check thing out, blah, blah blah.  Now there are actually pictures ready and price lists and this makes it a bit easier!  I don't have all the possible ribbon choices on hand, but as time goes on and as orders are placed, I hope to get a nice stock pile of ribbons for brides to choose from.

These don't have to be just for wedding favors!  They can be for the bridal shower, baby showers, birthdays, whatever.

You can get a wide variety of personalized labels.  Here's a package options for 78 favors.

I have a bunch of different styles designed and can work with you on different designs if you are looking for something I don't have.

There are various sized favor packaged available.  Here's one for 38 favors.

If you check out these favors listed on Etsy, you have the option to purchase a sample package for $8 which comes with your choice of a few different ribbon colors, a few scent options, two random soap samples wrapped and labeled so you can get a feel for the size, and extra sheets of our wrapping paper so you can see how the paper contrasts with the ribbon and with the rest of your color theme.  Also, if you purchase a sample package and decide to go with our one of our favor packages, you'll get $8 off the favor package.

New Essential Oil Bar Soap

An herbaceous soap with hints of citrus and mint. BUY HERE.

Notes of spruce, fir, cypress and pine with undertones of cedarwood. BUY HERE.

A lovely blend of citrus and ginger with hints of spice. BUY HERE.

New Candle Scents

Two new amazing candles scents are now available at our shop!

We're already selling the Nectarine and Coral, so stop in and get yours before they are gone :)

Tea Tree Acne Products

We now have two new acne products:
Tea Tree Acne Toner - helps remove excess oils from the skin while tea tree oil kills bacteria.  You can read more and purchase it here.

 

Tea Tree Acne Serum with Salicylic Acid - a light weight oil based moisturizer/acne treatment. You can use this product either as a moisturizer after washing and applying toner, or as a spot treatment.  You can read more and purchase it here.

The full set of Tea Tree Skin Care products can be purchased here.

In other news... we will be launching a new e-commerce website in the coming months!  In the mean time, we will not be updating our website, but listing all new items on Etsy.

Eye Cream for Dark Circles and Puffiness

The long awaited Halo Premier Skin Care Eye Cream for Dark Circles and Puffiness is here!  This product features two cosmetic active ingredients to help with dark under eye circles and puffiness.  It also combines natural oils, botanicals and extracts to moisturize and help reduce wrinkles around the delicate eye area.

This product features two cosmetic active ingredients for puffiness and dark circles: Eyeseryl® and REGU®-AGE. Eyeseryl® is a tetrapeptide with anti-edema properties and proven efficacy in reducing puffy eyebags in as little as 15 days. Clinical tests have shown REGU®-AGE to be a proven fast and effective tool to reduce dark circles and puffiness around the eyes, strengthen the connective tissue and reduce inflammation and prevent UV damage. Additionally, caffeine increases micro circulation and reduces puffiness through tightening the skin.

This product also contains our proprietary anti-aging extract mix plus licorice root extract and eyebright extract to further aid in removing dark under eye circles.

We’ve also chosen a blend of oils to moisturize without feeling heavy. Jojoba oil closely matches the sebum of the human skin so it easily penetrates without an oily feeling. Borage oil is used to slow aging and argan oil contains antioxidants which slow the effect of free radicals that can cause oxygen damage to your skin.

Finally, hyaluronic acid makes this product a superb moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid is the natural gel between skin cells that serves as a water reservoir for the cells. As we age, skin loses hyaluronic acid and the ability to hold sufficient water in this reservoir. Feeding new hyaluronic acid to the skin may help hydrate skin's intercellular reservoir, raising the skin's moisture level, and smoothing down age lines. Hyaluronic acid gives this formulation a soft gel texture and a nice feel.

To use this product, remember a little goes a long way! Dab a little of this cream under your eyes and let it soak in for a bit. After a few minutes, gently blend the product into the skin around the eyes.

 

Ingredients: distilled water, anti-ageing extract mix (calendula, centella asiatica, chamomile, elderberry, ginger root, green tea, hibiscus flower, olive leaf and pumpkin seed extracted in distilled water and glycerin), Eyeseryl® (water and acetyl tetrapeptide-5), emulsifying wax, REGU®-AGE (hydrolyzed rice bran protein, soybean protein and oxido reductases), hydrolyzed wheat protein, fractionated coconut oil (caprylic/capric triglycerides), meadowfoam seed oil, jojoba oil, evening primrose oil, licorice root extract, eyebright extract, squalane, stearic acid, argan oil, borage oil, vitamin e (tocopheryl), vitamin B3 (niacinmide), optiphen (phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol), shea butter, olive oil, caffeine and hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate).

Have any questions?  You know what to do: stacie@halosoap.com

Colorful Gift Sets

We went outside the box a little when creating baby shower gifts.  Everyone in attendance received a bar of soap tied to a colorful tissue holder.  No two were the same!  It was fun creating such a colorful array of products.
 

Looking for something similar for your special event?  Send me an email! Stacie@halosoap.com

Tons of Soap!

I've been going crazy making butt loads of soap.  I let a few of scents dwindle a little too much and many of them are sold out before the new batches are even ready to be wrapped!  All of these batches are lined up along our back wall so that you can purchase them before their ready date.  (We'll attach a label with a 'don't use until' date.)

Here's what's waiting:
~ Verbena Bamboo
~ Ocean Rain
~ Gardenia - NEW!
~ Mauna Loa Volcano Soap
~ Soapy Clean
~ Pearberry
~ Hazelnut Coffee Soap
~ Citrus Splash
~ Red Clover Tea
~ Lilac
~ Dirt
~ Carrot Neem Face Soap

And I'm making more batches daily.  Sometimes multiple batches daily.

Finally, New Candles

Hello.

I feel so bad because a surprisingly large number of people have been coming in looking for candles lately.  I admit, I didn't go too crazy making candles because they usually only sell well around the holidays.  However, more and more people have been coming in to purchase candles!  I think everyone is starting to realize how nice and clean soy wax candles burn compared to paraffin or even soy/paraffin blend candles.  And don't forget the price!  Compare Halo's prices to other big name candle brands and you'll see what I mean.

I know, I know, you can go to Wal-Mart and get candles the size of my $15 large candles for $5.  But have you noticed the quality of the candles you purchase at stores like that?  (or the lack of quality...) Those candles tend to tunnel, give off a waxy scent or no scent at all, or burn leaving lots of soot behind.  Not to mention Halo Soy Candles are made in America.  By an American.  So there's that.

Anyways, here's a list of the scents we recently stocked the shelves with:
*(M) means we also carry the scent in Moon Melts
~ Nag Champa (M) - EVERYONE loves this one!  It's super strong and a good unisex scent.
~ Lily of the Valley (M) - another really popular scent, especially in our lotion and body butter!
~ Frankincense and Myrrh - although you would usually associate this scent with Christmas, it has been really popular even after Christmas!  I've gotten requests for more of these candles and also for more of this scent in soap.  Which is also available at the shop.
~ Pearberry (M) - another much requested scent, we have this in our large and small candles as well as in Moon Melts and soap.
~ Juniper Breeze (M) - another popular scent.  We carry this scent in bath bombs and body butter and lotion, and now in candles and Moon Melts!
~ Jasmine (M) - a nice flower scent for spring in a lovely deep purple color.
~ Hazelnut - we make this scent in tea lights and since then we've been getting requests for candles.
~ Plumeria (M) - this Hawaiian flower scent was a slow seller for a while, but it is recently becoming more and more popular again.  We also have this lovely scent in soap and body lotion!
~ Red Apple (M) - This scent is great for spring and summer.  It's a nice fresh juicy apple scent.  Mouthwatering!
~ Lemon Verbena - I wanted to add another yellow colored candle to the mix so we now have Lemon Verbena in a candle scent!  It's not the same exactly fragrance that we use in our bar soap.  This scent has a stronger lemon bite.  It's very fresh smelling!

Read this post about properly burning soy candles.

Other candle scents to watch for soon: Ocean Breeze, Gardenia and Honeysuckle.  Plus a special edition spring scent! 

Two New Soaps: Egyptian Musk and Frankincense & Myrrh

Well, the title says it all!  We have two new soap scents that we are adding to our product line.

First, Frankincense and Myrrh.  This was so popular during the holidays that we decided to bring this scent on full time!  It smells sensual and sweet and has a lovely dusting of gold mica on top.  Finished off with a glittery gold wrapping, this soap is lovely!

Second, Egyptian Musk.  A customer had come in looking for the scent Egyptian Musk. I had ordered a sample vial of this scent and fell in love!  Not to mention the scent of Egyptian Musk is recognizable to many people.  All in all, it seemed like a no-brainer to make this lovely scent into a bar soap!

Up next - Sweet Musk!  While ordering musk samples, I had ordered the Egyptian Musk as well as a scent called Sweet Musk.  Sweet Musk was such a favorite!  I was originally going to use just the Sweet Musk, but because of the popularity of the name Egyptian Musk, I decided to make both.

Soap scents to look forward to - Sweet Musk, Gardenia and Honeysuckle.

Products to look forward to - anti-wrinkle face creams and eye creams.

Valentine's Day Flowers

My man is out of town this week so he sent me flowers.

I'm not home often enough to enjoy them there so I'll be bringing them to the shop to enjoy :)

Valentine's Day!

Hello all.

If you are signed up to get my newsletter via email, then you know we have a lovely little selection of gifts for Valentine's Day!  If you aren't signed up to receive the email newsletter, then you should do so using the widget on the right.

Stop in and I'll help you put together a Valentine's Day gift basket.  Mention reading this blog post and get 15% off a gift basket worth $25 or more.  Woot!

New Products at Halo Soap!

It's been a while since my last Halo Soap post.  I've been working on some new products so I wanted to write about them since I didn't get a chance to get the items on my website yet!

Before that though, let me direct your attention to the new tab at the top: Buy Now.  I've recently opened a WePay shop.  WePay is similar to PayPal for accepting payments, but with out all the b.s.  PayPal has some pretty sketchy business practices according to this post and this post on Regretsy.  So now we have multiple options for making Halo Soap purchases!
1. At our brick & mortar shop in Cudahy, WI
2. Through our website (where we currently use PayPal but will be starting to add the option of using PayPal or WePay)
3. Through our Etsy site (which uses PayPal, but you can also choose to pay with money order or check)
4. Through this blog! Which has an embed of the WePay shop.  Pretty cool!

Ok, on to the really good stuff.

Coconut Milk Body Lotion

 Pamper your skin with coconut milk, virgin coconut oil and botanical oils chosen for their ability to moisturize without feeling heavy. Coconut milk makes your skin soft and smooth. Kukui nut oil is excellent for skin conditioning after sun exposure. Macadamia nut oil can slow down the effects of aging. Jojoba oil matches the natural sebum in human skin. Use this body lotion after Halo’s Coconut Dead Sea Salt Scrub or any time you want to soften your skin with a touch of coconut!

This lotion has a lovely coconut scent. Some coconut fragrances can be plastic smelling or have too much of a vanilla scent, but this is a nice, tropical, exotic coconut scent.


Coconut Dead Sea Salt Scrub

ead Sea salt is filled with vitamins and minerals that are great for your skin. Virgin coconut oil softens and moisturizes your skin along with other botanical oils. Virgin coconut oil can even help premature aging of the skin due to its high content of antioxidants which block free radicals that are responsible for premature aging.

This body scrub has a wonderful coconut scent and would be perfect with our Coconut Milk Body Lotion

We made this body scrub using 100% Dead Sea salt. There are not filler salts (regular sea salt, epsom salt, etc) just pure Dead Sea salt!

You can use this product as a body scrub in the shower or as a hand scrub by keeping it next to the sink with a spoon. You could even use this as a bath soak by placing a few spoon fulls in the tub.


Calming Lotion for Psoriasis and Eczema

We've set out to make a product to help with psoriasis and eczema with out the use of neem oil. Although neem oil is excellent for helping with these skin issues, the smell of neem oil is not pleasant. We've been getting excellent feedback on our Neem Cream so we know that psoriasis and eczema are common ailments people deal with.

Where as the Neem Cream is better for spot treatments because of the smell, this lotion is great for a full body application. There is no added scent, just straight lotion with ingredients chosen for their ability to help with psoriasis and eczema.

Apricot Kernel Oil - has anti-inflammatory effects on the skin
Avocado Oil - helps relieve dryness and itching of psoriasis and eczema
Evening Primrose Oil - has high contents of GLA to promote skin healing
Argan Oil - has lots of vitamin e, antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids
Black Currant Seed Oil - anti-inflammatory to help with skin flare ups
Borage Oil - high content of GLA and can reduce dryness and itching
Cranberry Seed Oil - has omega fatty acids to help with psoriasis and eczema
Hemp Oil - contains both omega fatty acids and GLA
Jojoba Oil - matches the sebum of the skin making it a great moisturizer for dry, scaly skin associated with eczema
Kukui Nut Oil - has vitamins A, C and E to protect the skin
Rosehip Oil - fatty acids for skin regeneration
Tamanu Oil - has anti-inflammatory effects and can aid in producing new skin tissue

Additionally, extracts like chamomile and calendula further soothe the skin while vitamin B5 helps reduce inflammation and itching.

This lotion has no added fragrance and is made with paraben-free preservative.

This lotion may be too heavy for some to use as a face lotion. If you choose to test this lotion as a face cream, please note that argan oil can increase large pores and acne, and rosehip oil can aggravate acne and blemishes. On the other hand, jojoba oil helps control acne so use your best judgment on the application of this lotion.


There you have it!  New products at Halo Soap.  More to come!

March of Dimes March for Babies - Devoted to Dylan

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.  My friend recently lost her baby boy and has organized a March for Babies Walk set to take place April 28th, 2012.  You can visit the Facebook page for this event to see how you can participate.  You can also help by donating through the March for Babies organization website.


Facebook Page
Donation Page


This is her message:
"Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. Our team is walking in March for Babies because we want to do something about this. I know you care, too. That's why I'm asking you to join us. It's easy: just click the join this team button.
My husband and I will be walking for March for babies, in memory and honor of our beautiful son, Dylan Leonard McGraw. We found out early in the pregnancy, that Dylan would be facing many obstacles. Dylan was born on August 14, 2011 via an emergency C-section. The moment I was able to see him, I fell head over heels in love.
Dylan showed us life and love in the absolute purest form. He knew no race, religion or of any matters/beliefs the rest of us allow to get in the way. He is the definition of forgiving and patient. Throughout countless blood draws, assessments, diagnoses, and eight surgical procedures, his little body and enormous spirit forgave, and loved unconditionally. If he was startled or scared he'd begin to cry for a moment just to let you know, and an instant later, would stop and forgive. Dylan is the strongest person I know, he fought and fought, but in the end, his little body just couldn′t.
Dylan has taught not only his family these lessons, but also friends, and even the staff that worked on him at Children′s Hospital Of WI. We receive notes and letters from people telling us how much Dylan has inspired them or changed their lives. We hope these letters never stop. It is the greatest gift that they can possibly give us, knowing our son′s memory lives on and that he has touched so many people.
Please join our team, Devoted to Dylan, and help us honor him by raising awareness to infant prematurity, birth defects, and infant mortality. If you cannot walk with us, please donate to the cause. March of Dimes funds research to help prevent or treat birth defects, they also provide services at the hospitals for the families going through the scariest time of their lives."