October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

To honor this important month of remembrance and awareness, Mama has created a couple special products to benefit the Dragon Dream Team of Akron, Ohio. Half all soap sales will go to the team. How did we come to choose them as our breast cancer charity of choice, you ask?

My Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2007. It was the most terrifying phone call of my life.



Early detection saved my Mom’s life, and the Dragon Dream Team, a group of kick-ass breast cancer survivors, lifted her spirits.

I've watched them compete in Ontario and Tennessee against other Dragon Boat teams around the country and was able to see first hand what an amazing organization it is.

The thing that moved me about all of the women is no one was there to talk about surviving what was probably the worst ordeal of their lifetime. They were there to compete and support and live.

When deciding how I wanted to contribute to this cause that is so dear to my family, I decided that because being a small business that relies so heavily on my community, that I wanted to give back on a community level. Even though I live in Atlanta and they’re in Ohio, these women are every bit a part of my community because of what they mean to my Mom.

The Dragon Dream Team soap is peppermint and rosemary, a scent combination that my Mom picked, and I think its uplifting qualities suit the team -- and its mission -- perfectly. We've also brought back a breast self exam oil called Boob Loob and and a hot flash cooling spray called Be Cool .  If you would like to support the team, click here to shop. Through the end of 2014, 50% of each purchase of these 3 items goes directly to the team!

To learn more about the Dragon Dream Team of Ohio, click here.  Thanks so much for your support!

Two new Mama stores opening this summer! (part 1)

-->

Big things are happening over here at Casa de Mama!  We've already announced to most people that we are moving our Decatur store less than a mile down the street to downtown Avondale, but the next piece of big news that I'm super excited to share is that we recently also signed a lease to open a second storefront at the Krog Street Market!  If you're not in the know, this is a brand new and very exciting project is a food hall/market in the Old Fourth Ward that opens later this summer.  It's in the beautifully renovated old Stageworks Building on Krog Street (at Irwin St) where Tyler Perry's studios used to be.  If you still haven't placed it, it's right across the street from Rathbuns and the Krog Bar. And it's less than a block from the Beltline, which is is the best part!  Hopefully I'll be able to fit in some roller blading time before work. (I think roller blading is back. If not, I'm bringing it back!)

A little back story about how all of this exciting craziness came about.  I have been looking for a second location in Atlanta to increase our retail presence for a couple of years now.  In 2012, I checked out every single intown neighborhood that had a Main Street shopping area and just could not find one that fit the bill -- small square footage with a lot of foot traffic. The stores in busy neighborhoods were too big and waaay too expensive, and the affordable stores didn't give us the exposure I was looking for. So we switched our focus and spent the rest of 2012 and 2013 concentrating on growing our wholesale business.  And we can now be found in over 80 stores in 25 states.  I'm super proud of that, but I'm most excited to get back to the key point in my business plan -- opening another retail store!  The big deal with me and retail is that Mama's main mission is to educate people about natural products because there's so much bad information out there. And while selling to other stores has helped us increase our brand presence, it has taken us a step away from our retail customers, who are the lifeblood of our business! That face-to-face interaction and feedback has been priceless in developing and growing our product line and helping people understand what our products, and natural skincare in general, is all about. So many of the same principles of food apply to body care as well, since skin is your largest organ and it consumes everything you put on it. And there's so much great information out there about good food but not so much with body products. 

 

I saw this lip balm at a grocery store check out.  Do any of these ingredients sound like they will moisturize your lips?

But the thing is, I honestly never really intended to open two stores in the same season -- that's nuts, right? We were really trying to figure out how to stay in our current store for at least another year while we got Krog rolling, but then we realized there's no way we could make it through another holiday season with two stores and a booming wholesale business in the space where we are now.  We are absolutely busting at the seams. I started looking for warehouse space close to where we are now and nothing was available. But a fabulous storefront in downtown Avondale Estates was sitting empty and called my name. And the fact that it's less than a mile from our current shop was a big bonus.

Avondale Estates may not have seemed the obvious choice for growing our business because up until the not-so-distant-past, it was kind of the town that time forgot. My husband grew up in Stone Mountain in the 80's and fondly remembers going to see movies at the Town Cinema and eating at the old Avondale Pizza Café location, but stalled development plans left much of the retail and restaurant district in flux in recent years. But you know that the Tudor Village was way too charming to fade away so it was only a matter of time until a new restaurant like the super cool Palookaville made its home there -- which seems to have quickly paved the way for some other great businesses. Sunbrimmer Records just opened across the street from Palookaville and a stylish new restaurant/bar called The Bishop (a few doors down from us) opens this week. We just found out there's a small batch whiskey distillery going in behind us along with an artisan vinegar producer.  Plus, we just saw the Coming Soon sign for a new bakery that's opening next to our store in the next couple of months and it sounds like a few really cool concepts have been pitched for the empty Town Cinema. Needless to say, my crew and I are beyond excited to be part of this renaissance in downtown Avondale!  Not to mention that moving our current store into this fabulous new storefront will mean lots of great changes for us.  For one, we'll have a bigger retail area and that means expanded store hours. We'll finally be open on Mondays, which means our salon and spa friends will be able to come to the shop. We'll also have a big ole dedicated classroom to make room for our growing soap and candle classes - no more squeezing past the classroom chairs on Saturdays to make it to the cash register! We'll also have a bigger and better stocked soap and candle DIY supply section.  And you'll be glad to know that downtown Avondale offers plenty of parking for an easy in and out. Although, we hope the new store is going to be so cute that you'll want to stay a while:) 

Our Avondale store grand opening is on June 7^th (with a soft opening on June 3rd) and I'll be putting out a lot more info in the coming weeks. We're still figuring out all the details, but I do know we'll have gift bags for the first 30 customers and a drawing for a free soap class. Oh, and our new address will be 112 N. Avondale Rd. • Avondale Estates, GA 30002.

More about the upcoming Krog Store once we get settled in Avondale in a few weeks. One thing at a time, people!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

To honor this important month of remembrance and awareness, Mama has created a couple special products to benefit the Dragon Dream Team of Akron, Ohio. Half all soap sales will go to the team. How did we come to choose them as our breast cancer charity of choice, you ask?

My Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2007. It was the most terrifying phone call of my life.



Early detection saved my Mom’s life, and the Dragon Dream Team, a group of kick-ass breast cancer survivors, lifted her spirits.

I've watched them compete in Ontario and Tennessee against other Dragon Boat teams around the country and was able to see first hand what an amazing organization it is.

The thing that moved me about all of the women is no one was there to talk about surviving what was probably the worst ordeal of their lifetime. They were there to compete and support and live.

When deciding how I wanted to contribute to this cause that is so dear to my family, I decided that because being a small business that relies so heavily on my community, that I wanted to give back on a community level. Even though I live in Atlanta and they’re in Ohio, these women are every bit a part of my community because of what they mean to my Mom.

The Dragon Dream Team soap is peppermint and rosemary, a scent combination that my Mom picked, and I think its uplifting qualities suit the team -- and its mission -- perfectly. Last year, we added a breast self exam oil called Boob Loob and this year we're debuting a hot flash cooling spray called Be Cool that will also benefit the team.  If you would like to support the team, click here to shop. 50% of each purchase of these 3 items goes directly to the team!

To learn more about the Dragon Dream Team of Ohio, click here.  Thanks so much for your support!

The Lotion Promotion!

If you've never tried our body lotions, this is a great time of year to start! From today through Saturday, March 9th, you can bag our amazing cure for winter skin for for 25% off! (discount applied automatically, no code necessary).

6 delectable scents!
click here to shop

A little history: Before I started Mama in 2004, I patronized a little shop in LA that had a lotion blending bar. I was able to choose my lotion base and add the scents that I liked, and I wore this lotion every day for a few years as my moisturizer and my personal scent. The shop closed right around the time my business got going, so it was a great time to find a replacement. Unfortunately, creating a lotion from scratch takes time, so I was forced to try a lot of other lotions during the void. This ended up being a great way to really identify the important things that I wanted from a good lotion - smooth application, a good balance of butters, oils and water, a blend that was thick and moisturizing but didn't leave you feeling like you had an oil slick on your hands -- that was a BIG one for me!  And then once I started researching ingredients, I discovered how many lotions contained mostly synthetic ingredients, so the objective became to create the ideal lotion with natural ingredients. It took well over a year and a lot of mistakes to come up with the lotion we had in mind. Cut to almost 10 years later -- our lotions are still handcrafted in small batches and we haven't changed the recipe one bit!

Did You Know? In body care products, manufacturers must list ingredients in descending order -- so the list starts with the largest amount and ends with the smallest amount -- and the rule of thumb is that the first few ingredients almost always make up the majority of the formula. So if a product boasts green tea as an essential ingredient but it's toward the bottom on the list, you can be sure that there's not enough in the product to offer any real benefit.

No machines here!
click here to shop

So why are our lotions so great?

First of all, we hit all the points on our lotions wish list.  Our body lotions have a thick, creamy consistency with just the right percentage of water so that they glide on smoothly but they're not at all watery. And they're uber-moisturizing, but the oils absorb quickly so you're not left with your hands sliding off your steering wheel.

Secondly, they're made by hand in small batches, which allows us to make sure the quality is consistent every time. And by our standards, handmade means you're getting a high quality product. I mean, who wants to work with second-rate materials if you're going to spend all that time creating something? Think of it as a home cooked meal vs a microwave dinner.

Thirdly, they have a shelf-life. Just as fresh food can't be kept forever, neither should a high-quality body product. We recommend using up our lotions within 9 months (zen is 6 months) of their made-on date, and we always ship within a month of making them, to ensure you get fresh product.

And last but not least, the first four ingredients of our lotions make up over 90% of the ingredients: water, olive oil, shea butter and mango butter. All of these are 100% natural and they're all skin loving ingredients. Olive oil is a wonderful moisturizer and shea and mango butters are super healing and soothing. So with the exception of a small amount (around 1%) of non-paraben synthetic preservative and a fatty alcohol compound*, the rest of our recipe is made of entirely natural ingredients - we even use 100% natural essential oils as our scents. (*This fatty alcohol compound is called emulsifying wax -- it's an essential ingredient in lotion making that ensures that the water and oil will bind together and will keep from separating during the shelf-life of the lotion.  Click here to read more about E-wax: http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/emulsifying_wax.php )

Did You Know: to push a natural agenda that isn't exactly truthful, some body care companies will use a synthetic ingredient but call it "natural" because it was derived from a natural ingredient. But cocamidopropyl betaine, which is derived from coconut oil, is a synthetic ingredient that isn't even remotely the same (as far as your skin is concerned) as using 100% coconut oil. Ask questions and read up to become a savvy naturals consumer. 

Serving up lotion at our shop in Atlanta!
click here to shop

And last but not least, the best thing about our body lotions is how many ways you can use them:

1. Massage onto dry cuticles. Do this regularly and you'll see quite a difference in the texture and strength of your nails!

2. Rub a small amount on your hands and use it to tame frizzy hair

3. Slather on warm skin right out of the shower for maximum moisturizing

4. On pregnant bellies to help soothe stretching skin and help minimize stretch marks (shea butter is great for this!)

5. On cracked and dry heels and hands (wear sleep socks or gloves overnight to really smooth and soften)

6. Soothe sunburned skin

7. Soften rough skin areas like knees and elbows

8. Some of you even use it on your face - even though we don't necessarily recommend it. (we love rebels!)

Have you found other uses for our lotion?  Please comment and let us know!!

3rd Annual Mama's Handmade Holiday Marketplace this Saturday from 11 to 5!

This Saturday, December 10th, Mama is opening up her doors to some of her favorite crafty friends for a fabulous Handmade Holiday Market! Lots of gifts to choose from, such as handcrafted jewelry and accessories, handmade belt buckles, beautiful baby goods, hand-blended teas, hip housewares, treats for your hounds, and of course, lots of bath and body products! Join us from 11 to 5 and shop some of Atlanta's best designers and artists - just in time to finish up your holiday shopping!


When: Saturday, December 10th from 11 to 5
Where: Mama Bath + Body • 743D East College Ave • Decatur, GA 30030 (behind the Cookie Studio)
What: 3rd Annual Mama's Handmade Holiday Marketplace
Find us: loveyourmama.com or call 404.377.7800

Who:
Cameoko Jewelry - http://cameoko.carbonmade.com/
Christina Kober - http://www.christinakoberdesigns.com
Jessica Swift - http://www.jessicagonachaswift.com
June Shin - http://www.juneshin.com
Just Add Honey - http://www.justaddhoney.net
Mama Bath + Body - http://www.loveyourmama.com
Orangeberry Baby - http://www.orangeberrybaby.com/
Princess and Butch - http://www.princessandbutch.com
Taj Ma Hound - http://www.tajmahound.com

Click here for more information: http://loveyourmama.com/mhhm2011.html

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

To honor this important month of remembrance and awareness, Mama
has created a special soap to benefit the Dragon Dream Team of Akron, Ohio. 50% of all soap sales will go to the team. How did we come to choose them as our breast cancer charity of choice, you ask?



My Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of 2007. It was the most terrifying phone call of my life.



Early detection saved my Mom’s life, and the Dragon Dream Team, a group of kick-ass breast cancer survivors, lifted her spirits.



I watched them compete in Ontario a couple of years ago against other breast cancer survivor Dragon Boat teams around the country and was able to see first hand what an amazing organization it is.



The thing that moved me about all of the women is no one was there to talk about surviving what was probably the worst ordeal of their lifetime. They were there to compete and support and live.



When deciding how I wanted to contribute to this cause that is so dear to my family, I decided that because being a small business that relies so heavily on my community, that I wanted to give back on a community level. Even though I live in Atlanta and they’re in Ohio, these women are every bit a part of my community because of what they mean to my Mom.



The soap is peppermint and rosemary, a scent combination that my Mom picked, and I think its uplifting qualities suit the team -- and its mission -- perfectly. If you would like to support the team, click here to buy a bar of the Dragon Dream team soap. 50% of each bar goes directly to the team.



To learn more about the Dragon Dream Team of Ohio, click here.

Toxic Ingredients in Cosmetics

I have started probably 50 blog posts on this topic, intending to do a series on why natural products are better for you, and how to tell the difference with all of the false marketing out there. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time for writing these days. A friend sent this to me, which pretty much says it all:
http://storyofstuff.org/cosmetics/