
Of course, this is too good to keep to myself. My good friend is staying with me for a holiday (I know! who holidays in northeastern Alberta??? in winter?????) She is a similar age and is testing out the two new products.
Product number one is a hemp body butter made from hemp oil, hyrdrogenated vegetable oil and essential oils of vanilla and geranium. Geranium is very soothing to skin, especially kind to reddened skin and few are allergic or react to it. Vanilla is calming to the skin and can aid in the reduction of blood flow in tiny capillaries, so for acne rosacea it is very beneficial. Now, do not get panicked about hydrogenated vegetable oil being used for the skin. It will not clog your arteries! That only happens when it is ingested. For a body butter, it is smooth and hydrating. Hemp oil is the driest oil of all carrier oils, meaning it is quickly and fully absorbed in the skin, providing the wonderful glowing finish that a good product should.
Product number two is the body cream. This rich deep golden cream derives its colour from the sea buckthorn berry fruit oil. Sea Buckthorn, a native shrub to the cold climate of Siberia and the Himilayan mountains, grows well most anywhere. The berries a born along the branches in riotous clusters, but are soft, like high bush cranberries and hard to pick because the branches have huge thorns. In commercial production, the branches are cut off with the berries in tact, then frozen and harvested by thrashing the frozen berries from the branches. The berries are pressed with the seeds in them or pressed and the seeds then separated. The seed oil is rich in emollients and antioxidants. The juice from the berries is more nutritious than almost any other fruits on the planet and is similar to gogi or acai berries for its health benefits.
The oil from the berries comes from the seeds and the skin. Since the berries are bright, bright orange, the oil is orange as well. If it is used full strength, it can create an orangey pseudo tan. The body cream, which is great for the eyes and face as well as the entire body, also contains Meadowfoam oil, the oil with the longest fatty acid chains. This is extremely conditioning for the skin. There is also raw, organic shea butter, not heated, so no chemical changes have occurred and the best of the butter is still there. Cocoa butter is in there too, to add a barrier to the cream which protects all day long. A little grapeseed oil for quick absorbtion, Perilla seed oil for smoothing wrinkles and lines and Lavender essential oil for relaxing the skin are in the ingredients list.
The tins sell for $25 and the jars for $12. There are only small jars of the Body Cream. Samples in a small vial can be ordered for $2, plus postage. The body cream and the body butter will be sold in the farm store, and for now will be included in the sale items at the bed and breakfast. Happy Buttering!