New Black Walnut Shampoo & Body Bar

Ditch the plastic bottle and avoid all those harmful chemicals! Our new multi-purpose truly natural Black Walnut Shampoo & Body Bar is perfect for the gym, at home, or travel. Featuring black walnut extracts and neem oil and scented with an invigorating lemon eucalyptus essential oil blend, this solid shampoo bar is for those who like to keep it simple and healthy. Simply rub the bar on wet hair to work up a thick lather, then shampoo and rinse as usual. Follow your shampoo with a lemon juice and water or an apple cider vinegar and water rinse for added shine.

Native black walnut Juglans nigra is known to be anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial and antiseptic and has many reputed health benefits. When rubbed on the skin, black walnut extract is said to be beneficial for eczema, psoriasis, and even skin parasites. External applications have also been known to kill ringworm. The brown stain found in the black walnut green husk contains iodine which has antiseptic and healing properties as well. Black walnut hulls can also be used to darken hair, but we're not claiming our soap will do any of this! We'd rather not bring on the wrath of the FDA or any other governmental body.

ps I tried to cover my gray at one point with black walnut hulls, and it was helpful (although not a miracle worker). Nowadays, I just let nature take it's course. Whatever will be will be.

My Bath Runneth Over!

Bird bath that is. Anybody else as tickled as I am that I don't have to fill up my bird bath anymore!!? Rain is a glorious thing! Here are some other cool bird baths in the Austin area, courtesy of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Master Gardener Tour. (Click the pic to get a better look.)  I bet they know what I'm talkin' bout!

Lovely Lantana

I can't believe how profusely our lantanas are blooming right now.  They have a spicy pungent aroma that I like, but some people find it fairly obnoxious.  Drought resistant Lantana urticoides is one of those plants with scarce and conflicting reports on it's usefulness in herbal medicine, so to be safe, I'm only going to discuss its topical uses here.  The berries are toxic and the spiny nature of the plants can cause dermatitis, but surprisingly, the leaf has actually been known to soothe insect bites, stings, cuts, scrapes, and rashes.  I can't say that I've ever seen a lantana leaf salve, but I'd like to stir one up someday.  Lantana leaf tea has traditionally been used in the bath to relieve rheumatism, arthritis, and other minor aches and pains.  Plus dried lantana leaves can also be burned as an incense that safely repels mosquitoes and other biting insects.  

Mostly, I'm just sayin they look lovely in the native landscape.

Symbiotic Relationship

What did the little green seedling say to the leaf?
"There's a fungus among us."

(I found this outside the soap shop front door....that seedling is actually growing up through the mushroom!  Awesome!)


But look what Jackie & Jory found this morning!  They one-upped me!!!

Global Handwashing Day Oct. 15

 The driving theme for Global Handwashing Day is children and schools, and the main objectives of this global celebration are: 

* Foster and support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap.

 * Shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in each country. 

*  Raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap. 

Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at the critical occasions.  More handwashing with soap means lower rates of infectious disease.  

Clean Hands Saves Lives!