 If you live in a cold and grey climate like Ohio, February can be a struggle. Here's three things I (Polly) am doing not just to survive, but to thrive during this time.
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 Have you heard of this one? It's a key ingredient in our lip balm. It's similar to coconut oil, but it absorbs better and is more lightweight. It comes from the nut of the babassu tree (in the palm tree family) indigenous to the forests of northeast Brazil. Here's three reasons we love using organic babassu oil for lip care.  Babassu Palm Trees (
 Our lip balm is made with organic shea butter, organic babassu oil, and organic beeswax. The shea butter is a rich moisturizer while the babassu oil is easily absorbed by your lips. The beeswax creates a protective barrier while still allowing your lips to breathe. It also provides the firmness necessary for the balm to be in stick form.  Did you know that many lip balm manufacturers use petroleum-based ingredients? Our lip balms (and any of our products) do NOT contain any petroleum-based ingredients, like petroleum jelly, which can block pores and introduce unwanted chemicals. We also don't add any colors or dyes. We wanted to create a balm that is nourishing and full of goodness! The scent we add to our lip balms are called flavor oils, but they actually are an unsweetened scent, not a flavor at all. This is a higher-quality scent that is specifically lip-safe. If a lip balm has a taste, it often has an added sweetener that entices you to lick your lips. Although that can be fun, licking your lips actually causes a cycle of more dryness, so the added flavors and sweeteners are not helpful. In addition, these sweeteners can make the product less stable. We have a HUGE variety of lip balms here, including scents such as Iced Pineapple and Tangerine, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut Latte, and Mango Lassi. If you're looking for an all-natural scent, try our Peppermint Lip Balm, which uses peppermint essential oil. (Essential oils will have the scent and an all-natural flavor.) We also have a Menthol Eucalyptus Lip Balm with eucalyptus essential oil. We even have a Fragrance Free Lip Balm for an ultra-pure choice. To try any of our lip balms, you can use the code LIPS25 to get 25% off any of our lip balms on our website for the month of February.  Babassu Leaves (wirestock photo attribution)
 Cold and blustery weather paired with dry indoor air can really do a number on our lips. Take a look at this diagram of lip skin to see how different it is from the rest of our skin. 
What We Can DoHere's a few things we can do to combat dry lips.
 We hope that this information can help you better take care of those lips this winter!
 Even though this time of year is known for magic and happiness, we all know it can be especially stressful. Here's some things we are doing to try to keep our balance.
We wish you all the best as you navigate through this season. May your days be filled with peace and joy. ~Ben and Polly  If you're looking for a reprieve from the cold temps and from the hurried pace of December, make some time for a relaxing soak in the tub. We will often get questions about our bath bombs, so we thought this would be a good time to chat about all things bath related.  Why a Bath Bomb?If you haven't used a bath bomb before, you might be wondering why they've become so popular. With lots of fizz and aroma, they leave your skin feeling silky-smooth. Here's why so many people love them. A bath bomb...
 How Does It Work?The two main ingredients of a bath bomb are citric acid and baking soda. These two components produce a chemical reaction that creates fizzy bubbles. The fizz is actually the release of carbon dioxide gas which causes the effervescence that releases the aroma and moisturizing effects of the bath bomb. Here's a break down of the ingredients.
What Makes Martha's Bath Bombs Unique? If you haven't seen one of our bath bombs in real life, you may not realize how huge they are! Measuring three inches in diameter, these oversized bath bombs provide long-lasting effervescence and plenty of moisturizing power and scent. The extra-large size allows us to load these up with so much scented goodness! For example, each of our Lavender Bath Bombs contain about 1 teaspoon or 5 mL of lavender essential oil. For perspective, a 5 mL amber glass bottle is a common size for selling small bottles of essential oil.  Are Your Bath Bombs More Natural?Yes. Here's what's NOT in our bath bombs!
 Why Give a Bath Bomb?A bath bomb is one of those little luxuries that people might be hesitant to buy for themselves, but thrilled to use and enjoy. It's a great pampering gift for yourself or for a loved one. Especially in our current times, doing those small actions to care for our mental health is so important. Taking time to unwind and relax is just the thing so many of us need right now. So for the month of December, we're offering a 20% off coupon code for all bath bombs ordered from website. Use the code BATHBOMB20 at checkout to get this deal. You can shop our selection of bath bombs here.
 If you're in Johnstown, stop by Malone's 740 Shoppe on Main Street for some holiday cheer. We decided to decorate our display with our Engagement Christmas Tree! We call it our Engagement Tree because on Christmas Eve of 1996, Ben proposed to me (Polly) right after he gave me this Christmas tree and set it up -- complete with lights, garland, and ornaments! This little tree will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we hope you can enjoy it to this Christmas.
Wow! We can't believe the holidays are so quickly approaching! We are excited to share some seasonal scents and gift ideas with you. Here are some fragrances we are loving this December!  Winter ForestWith the classic scent of a fresh cut Christmas tree, Winter Forest is a brisk and nostalgic aroma, reminiscent of a vast piney forest. It's a timeless and complex pine fragrance with unisex appeal.  Gingerbread CookieOur Gingerbread Cookie scent is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. You'll love the notes of orange, cardamom, raisin, clove, cinnamon, rum, vanilla extract, gingerbread, and tonka. This is a fabulously festive fragrance!  We created a new Gingerbread Cookie Gift Set in this adorable gift box! The set includes a Gingerbread Cookie scented lotion, sugar scrub and fragrance mist. Who wouldn't love to receive this charming collection? You can find it here on our website. Just choose the Gingerbread Cookie option in the drop-down menu.  Here are two more gift sets for December. They feature the Essential Lavender scent (left) and the Tobacco and Bay Leaf scent (right). Each gift set includes a lotion, a foaming soap, and a fragrance mist. You can find them with the other holiday gift sets on our website here. Just use the drop-down menu to choose these scent options. Other scent options include Sugar Plum Fairy, Lingonberry Spice, Sleigh Ride, Essential Peppermint, Winter Forest, Fresh Snow and Frankincense & Myrrh.
We hope you love giving these gift sets as much as we enjoyed creating them. Merry Everything!!!  We had so much fun creating these gift sets! These gift boxes each contain a nourishing lotion, a cleansing liquid soap, and a fragrance mist. Spread some positivity and holiday cheer! This would make a great gift for a friend, co-worker, neighbor, or host. We have seven varieties of this gift box, depending on the scent you choose. The fragrances include
 We are also featuring two other gift sets -- this Bath Bomb Set and the Natural Beauty Set.  The Bath Bomb Set contains four oversized bath bombs, each three inches in diameter, that dispense long-lasting effervescence and plenty of moisturizing power. You'll receive a Lavender, Rosemary Mint, Vanilla, and Lavender Eucalyptus bath bomb in this ready-to-give box for $29.99. With the Natural Beauty Set, you can pamper someone you love with refreshing Pure Rose Water, Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Pure Argan Oil, French Green Clay, Microdermabraision Cream, and nourishing lotion. All of this for $44.99, and it also comes in a ready-to-give box.   No matter how your Thanksgiving holiday looks this year, we sincerely wish you a heart full of gratitude amidst the craziness of this time. The science behind how gratitude affects our bodies, minds, and souls is fascinating. If you're interested in learning more about the benefits of gratitude, here's an article from Positive Psychology that explains the neuroscience of gratitude and how it affects anxiety and grief.  Granville Thanksgiving Market Join us for a special Outdoor Granville Farmer's Market at Raccoon Valley Park on the Saturday morning before Thanksgiving, November 21st! Get all your fresh Thanksgiving produce and gifts while supporting local farmers and makers. We are also participating in the Granville Indoors Farmers Market this season at 115 W. Broadway most Saturdays until early February. We appreciate all the local support. Thank you! If you are interested in other local places that carry Martha's products, we always update that info for you at the end of each newsletter, under the "shop local" circle graphic. If you aren't signed up for our monthly newsletter, you can find the sign up on our home page. All the best,
Ben and Polly Gorringe Do you sell a shampoo bar? We get this question from time to time, and the short answer is yes, we do.  This is one reason our Castile bar soap is so unique. Our castile bar soap can also be used as a shampoo bar. Simply rub the bar over your wet hair to release the foaming lather. Then wash as usual. Our bars are hand-crafted with a combination of high-quality organic oils – coconut oil, olive oil, and castor oil. This exclusive blend ensures a gentle yet effective cleanser which lathers beautifully, and is great for both skin and hair!  Over the summer and fall, our supply of bar soap had dwindled quite a bit. We've been working on making more batches of soap to replenish our supply. We make the soap and then pour it into lined wooden molds to make the "loaves" of soap (pictured above). Each loaf is cut into seven bars of soap and then allowed time to cure before wrapping and labeling. For best results, store your bar in a dry environment and allow the bar to dry between uses, whether you're using it for a shampoo or for your skin. You can find our selection of bar soaps here. Why Use a Shampoo Bar?There are several reasons many enjoy using a shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo. Here are a few.
 Are there drawbacks to using a shampoo bar?
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