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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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!!
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