en purenuffstuff blog http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2010/02/25.htm I got a copy of this this morning from the HSI Daily Health mailout and I thought I'd share it.  What with Palm Oil being featured on Panorama again recently, it's in the news again.  Palm Oil: Why is it Wrapped in Such Controversy? Dear Reader, It's one of the cheapest oils to produce and it's in more foods than you can imagine... In it's raw form it has been found to have numerous health benefits. So why all the recent controversy surrounding palm oil? The harsh reality is that its production poses a serious environmental threat to the Indonesian rainforests and its inhabitants. That's not its only drawback, as once it's processed and refined, palm oil also poses significant health threats to consumers - and that includes almost all of us, given how many products contain it. Just go to your kitchen cupboard and look at the ingredients listed on the packaging of some of the items you've bought... I'm guessing that ‘vegetable oil' is listed on many of those labels - right? Vegetable oil is usually a blend of oils and in the UK, the oils used most in vegetable oil are soya, rapeseed, sunflower, maize and palm oils. Palm Oil: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde... Palm oil in its natural raw form (red palm oil) promises to deliver many health benefits. Most of these benefits are linked to the high concentration of Vitamin E-tocotrienols (phytonutrient) it contains. Tocotrienol is a form of natural vitamin E that can protect against brain cell damage, prevent cancer and reduce cholesterol. Here are some of the health benefits linked to red palm oil: Atherosclerosis: Studies show that adding red palm oil to your diet can reverse the process of atherosclerosis. This has been proven in both animal and human studies. In one study, 50 participants were divided in to two equal groups. All participants were diagnosed with atherosclerosis and had suffered at least one stroke. With no other changes to their diets or medication, half of the participants were given red palm oil and the other half received placebos and served as the control. At the end of the study, in the group receiving red palm oil atherosclerosis was halted in 23 of the 25 participants. In comparison, no one in the control group showed any improvement. Lowering cholesterol: In a US study at the University of Illinois College of Medicine researchers demonstrated a 10 percent drop in total cholesterol in 36 subjects with high cholesterol. The subjects were given red palm oil capsules for four weeks. Antioxidant power: Red palm oil is the richest natural source of provitamin A carotenes (beta- carotene and alpha-carotene). It has 15 times more provitamin A than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes, proving it to be a ‘super antioxidant food' which makes it an ideal anticancer food. Cancer: Studies show that palm tocotrienols inhibit the growth of skin, pancreatic, stomach, liver, lung, colon, breast, prostate and other cancers. Most research to date has been done with breast cancer where tocotrienols show great promise. Tocotrienols not only prevent cancer from taking hold but actively block its growth and initiate apoptosis - a process where diseased cells ‘commit suicide'. Ordinary vitamin E does not induce programmed cell death in cancer cells. Only tocotrienols have this effect. Given these numerous health benefits, it is hard to believe that palm oil has suffered such bad press. But why? Palm oil consists of 50 per cent saturated fat. Saturated fat turns to trans-fat when put through a refining process called hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation. Most of the palm oil used in our processed and packaged foods are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, so all that natural and powerful goodness has been destroyed and the result is simple: Man-made trans-fats with no nutritional value. In fact, the only value it has is that it is cheap, adds bulk to products, has a neutral flavour and gives products a long shelf life. What are the health risks associated with palm oil turned trans-fat? Numerous health authorities have warned against the use of processed or refined palm oil in packaged foods. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute warned that the "high content of saturated fat... found in... palm kernel oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter" puts people at risk for heart attack or stroke. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned there is "convincing evidence" that palmitic acid increases the risk of heart disease. Coronary heart disease: The primary health risk identified for trans-fat consumption is an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A comprehensive review of studies of trans-fats was published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine that concludes that there is a strong and reliable connection between trans-fat consumption and CHD. Cholesterol: Eating trans-fats increases levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol), especially the small, dense LDL particles that may be more damaging to arteries. Unlike saturated fat, trans-fat has the additional effect of decreasing levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol). Diabetes: There is growing concern that the risk of type 2 diabetes increases with trans-fat consumption. The risk is especially higher for those in the highest quartile of trans-fat consumption. Obesity: A 6-year study revealed that monkeys fed a trans- fat diet gained 7.2 per cent of their body weight, as compared to 1.8 per cent for monkeys on a mono-unsaturated fat diet. Although obesity is frequently linked to trans-fat in the mainstream media, this is generally in the context of eating too many calories, but recently research indicates that trans-fat may increase weight gain and abdominal fat, despite a similar caloric intake. Liver Dysfunction: Trans-fats are metabolized differently by the liver than other fats and interfere with delta 6 desaturase. Delta 6 desaturase is an enzyme involved in converting essential fatty acids to arachidonic acid and prostaglandins, both of which are important to the functioning of cells. Prostate cancer: A recent US study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, has found a link between the consumption of trans-fats and prostate cancer. So even though raw palm oil is healthy in many ways it is rarely used in this form in processed foods. Instead, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated palm oil is used which has been proven to be bad for your health. Destroying the environment If the confusion about the possible health benefits and risks of palm oil is not enough to make you question the use of this ingredient in processed food, then hopefully this will: Many food manufacturers and suppliers aren't sourcing their palm oil from sustainable sources. The result is shrinking rainforests through deforestation and the total destruction of animal life in the rainforests As a result animal species like the Indonesian orangutan and elephants are at risk of becoming extinct in the next 10 years. How to avoid the consumption of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated palm oil (trans-fats) Many packaged foods now boast that they contain ‘no trans- fat'. For years, only true diet detectives knew whether a particular food contained trans-fat. This phantom fat - the worst fat for the heart, blood vessels, and rest of the body - was found in thousands of foods. But only people who knew that the code phrases "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" and "vegetable shortening" meant that trans-fat lurked in the food were aware of its presence. To complicate matters for the consumer, in the UK, there is no specific requirement for the trans-fat content of products to be included on food labelling. However, some manufacturers have started to do so voluntarily. On the up-side, hydrogenated fats must be declared on the label, so if a product contains hydrogenated fats, it may contain trans-fats. Look out for the words ‘partially hydrogenated' on food labels as these products may also contain trans-fats. If this is not listed on the label then ‘vegetable oil' should set off the alarm bells for you. However, once you start looking for this ingredient you will be surprised to see how many products contain it: Warburtons, the breadmaker said palm oil accounts for between 15-20% of the blend of oils used in its products. Unilever, the makers of Flora margarine, Knorr soups, Pot Noodles and Dove soap is the world's biggest user of palm oil. Premier foods, the makers of Hovis bread, Mr Kipling cakes, Cadbury cakes and Bisto gravy granules uses 30,000 metric tonnes of combined palm/vegetable oil each year. Nestle, the makers of Kit Kat, Quality Street and Aero uses palm kernel oil in a range of their confectionery and dairy products. Kelloggs, claims the vast majority of its cereals do not contain palm oil and, where present, it is in small quantities. Make sure that the products you do use, contain palm oil that is harvested from sustainable sources such as Roundtable For Sustainable Palm Oil and GreenPalm. Sources: ‘Vegetable oil allergy' published online by the Food Standard Agency in the UK, eatwell.gov.uk ‘Shining the Spotlight on Trans-fats' published online by Harvard School of Public Health, hsph.harvard.edu ‘Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good' published online by Harvard School of Public Health, hsph.harvard.edu ‘What are trans-fats?' published online by the NHS, nhs.uk ‘Trans-fat: Health risks' published online by the Palm Oil Truth Foundation, palmoiltruthfoundation ‘Serum Trans-Fatty Acids Are Associated with Risk of Prostate Cancer in ?-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial' by Dr. Irena B. King, published online Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, cebp.aacrjournals.org Red Palm Oil, by Dr. Bruce Fife, published online americanpalmoil.com/publications/Red Palm Oil.pdf ‘Palm oil products and the weekly shop' published online by the BBC, news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8517000/8517093 stm ‘Orangutan survival and the shopping trolley' published online 22.02.10, news.bbc.co.uk 759 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2010/02/17.htm Some of the eagle-eyed among you have noticed that our SPF 20 Lotion is no longer on the site so I thought it was worth a quick explanation. We've had to stop selling it because some new EU legislation has come into effect on the protection factors in sunscreens.  It's a good thing really, it will give us as consumers much more sensible options when we're buying suncream in the future, it's just a real shame for us because we were rather proud of that particular product. The thing is, until this law came into effect in the past few months, there was no standardisation at all across the board for SPFs in sunscreens (so, for example Ambre Solaire's SFP factor 15 bore no relationship to say, Piz Buins factor 15; they might have been leagues apart in terms of actual protection, which is confusing, dangerous and just plain daft). So, the EU have done a bit of work on this standardisation and now all manufacturers that make suncream now have to get each cream tested by an independant laboratory to verify that they offer the same protection as every other one in production.  Good news for consumers of course, but not so good for PNS, the tests are spectacularly expensive so effectively it means that small companies like us simply have to withdraw the product.   So, that is the story of PNS and suncream.  We're sorry you won't be able to buy it from us any longer and we'll carry on saving up the pennies so we can possibly, some time in the future, bring back what we know to be a stunning product.   744 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2010/02/11.htm You may remember that I've mentioned Our Boys a couple times, we're sponsoring them to do this amazing thing (row across the Atlantic that is) and we've made all thier skin care preparations of course.  Well, they've made it to the half way point now, you can read a bit about them on the BBC news site here.  We're so excited we can hardly speak here!  Keep going Phil and Skippy, we're thinking of you! 741 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2010/01/18.htm Just seen this little article about a new iPhone App, which may be of interest to you iPhone addicts.  You can now check on the safety of cosmetic ingredients on your phone - have a look at the whole article here.  Wonders will never cease eh? 738 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2010/01/04.htm Let's hope 2010 brings us all lots of wonderful things - we're hoping for a few in particular: the creation of a teleportation pod so we don't have to drive anywhere on icy roads and, in a perfect world,  the creation of a pill to help us lose the Christmas pounds quicker than we put them on.  Oh and world peace and all that too of course. One thing we will be doing in earnest this month though (as well as getting on top of all the orders placed over the holidays - thank you for all those by the way!) is getting straight on with sourcing some nice makeup.  So watch this space, it will hopefully be here soon.  Thanks so much for all your comments here on the blog and for the emails we've received from some of the shyer among you, it's really helped to solidify some of our own opinions and thoughts. So, that's what we're going to be doing this month - what are YOU up to, have you made any resolutions? 735 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/12/22.htm I can't believe it, but we're actually nearly there aren't we?  We've had a stunning year and we've only got you lovely people to thank for it, yet again.  So, from the bottom of our hearts we'd like to wish you the very merriest of Christmasses and the happiest and sparkliest of New Years. With HUGE love, Emily, Helen, Dean & Doug xxx 731 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/12/03.htm Hello again, I thought it would be nice to let you know what we've been up to in the last few weeks since I last posted.  Well, it's the run-up to Christmas now, officially (I'm allowed to say that now it's actually December!) so the shop is bustling with activity.  You'll notice the ever popular Gold, Frankincence & Myrrh Gift Box is back on the site, as well as the cheeky little Bath Hubug bar, we always have such fun making them :).  As ever though, there are a limited number of both of them, so grab them while you can.  We've also had the final chat about make-ups.  We've been talking about this to you for so long now that we realy do have to come to a final decision and run with it.   Just so you know, we've struggled with this for one really fundamental reason - we can not find a supplier of mica that can guarantee the colour consitency between batches that we need AND do it in the sizes that we'll need, which is as I'm sure you can appreciate, not on the scale of the big multi-nationals.  So we're going to have to buy it in if you really want it.  So, the question to you please is, do you want makeup from PNS?  We're very happy to source some lovely makeup from other companies that share our ethics (we have our eyes on a couple of them already of course) if there's a demand from you lovely people.  This will be the last time you'll get a chance to have your say on the matter so, what are YOUR thoughts on this please?     711 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/11/11.htm I've mentioned them before, but we're sponsoring two local men who are intending to row across the Atlantic Ocean in a boat they made themselves.  Yes, that's right, they're going to row it.  The Atlantic blinking Ocean.  You can learn more about the race itself here (clicky).  The two guys in question are not just incredibly brave, they're talented, committed and best of all, they're incredibly nice people.  The race starts on the 6th of December, but it doesn't start here so they have to go to the The Canary Islands first.  We're sure you'll join us in wishing them fair weather, whale-free rowing and good luck and health. We've helped them in the small way we can by supplying everything they're going to need to keep thier skin in good condition during this feat of astounding endurance - sun cream, Hair& Body bars and some very special balm that Helen's made for them to help heal, soothe and repair thier skin - the ultimate product test if you will. We'll keep you posted on how they get on as best we can, but you can keep en eye on their progress (and help them, they still need stuff) here (clicky). 710 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/11/03.htm We've now got a Facebook page as well. I've popped a load of photos on there as I seem to be struggling to post them here.  It's a better place for them to be honest, there's quite a few of them. We will  be using this page in future to give advance notice of some Special Offers and we will be doing the odd Facebook-only promotion as well, so it will be worth keeping an eye on.  Do let us know what you think of it. 709 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/10/29.htm If you're making a Jack-O-Lantern in the next few days, don't throw away the bits you cut out for the eyes and whatnot, make yourself a skin treat instead.  Pumpkin flesh is rich in vitamins A and C and the skin also has some powerful antiseptic properties as well, so it's all good stuff, don't bin or compost it, use it.  To make a facemask, pop the bits of pumpkin flesh into a blender with a couple of teaspoons of honey (a powerful humectant, or moisturiser, as well as being an antiseptic also).  You can also add a little bit of milk at this point, or better still, cream.  If you've got dry skin, then add a few teaspoons of olive or sunflower oil to this mix.  Oily skins will benefit from a few teasppons of apple cider vinegar or cranberry juice.  Plop this on your face, avoiding the eye area naturally, and relax for 10 minutes, then rinse off.  This mix will keep nicely in the fridge for a few days, don't feel you have to use it all at once. To make a body scrub, use the flesh and honey mix as above but add 4 or 5 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil and the same again of brown sugar - all these measurements are very "ish", do feel free to use more or less of any ingredient as you please remember.  A few teaspoons of ground almonds would be nice to add too if you've got them, but it works well without.  Then take yourself off to the shower and start scrubbing, using circular motions and working up from the feet and in from the hands, always working towards the heart. 708 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/10/24.htm So the ladies here are doing things with our evenings this Autumn, Helen and Rachel are doing courses this year so they've got homework.  I will be learning to play backgammon and sewing this year, I've always wanted to be able to make clothes, so that's the plan.  They boys?  Well, they're not as into the whole "learning new things" spirit as we are this year, we'll keep encouraging them... And it struck me that some of you haven't seen our lovely shop, so here's a shot of the outside, I can include one shot per blog post apparently, so I'll pop up some more of us, the shop and the making process over the coming weeks. 703 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/09/21.htm All here is going along pretty much as you'd expect at the moment.  We're getting nicely geared up for Christmas (oh I know, it's awful to be thinking about it so early, but we have to make soap months in advance) and we've got some super new products to launch for then.  The shop is getting a little quieter with the end of the tourist season looming, but we've had such fabulous weather this September that it seems even harder than ususal to welcome in the Autumn like we should.  On a stricly personal note, the blackberry harvest is the only thing that I'm taking consolation in at the minute, it's been incredible this year hasn't it? And I've been trying to catch up on some general reading as well (in between broadband hiccups) and have come across this which I thought might interest the active campaigners among you and this that I thought those of you whoe were as terrified about the whole mobile phone thing as I was might be interested in.  Have YOU seen anything interesting on the interweb recently? 697 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/09/10.htm We're approaching a bit of a milestone here at the minute, we're very close to the 10,000th order on this site!  That's not sales to date, we couldn't keep the old total :(,  but it's still a big thing for us.  In true Pure Nuff sytle, we'll be having a bit of a celebration here, but the lucky customer who places the magic number order will also get a bit of a treat of course, we like the spread the joy :).  So if you were thinking of placing an order, um, now might be a good time *wink wink*. 692 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/09/09.htm Today was the first day that I really smelled Autumn in the air here, you know that smell that's a bit cold, a bit fresher than Summer?  It was a little bit sad, what with having nearly no proper Summer but I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise, what with it happening every year and all, but still... On a lighter note, we've got some new stuff out now, so all the hard work over Summer is now coming to fruition.  The Gradual Tanning Lotion is already a hit - we had no idea how many people seemed to be waiting for us to make this!  And some new soaps soo, the individual soaps from the wildly popular Kasbah Box set are now part of the range for good, it seems you love them as much as we do.  Finally (for this week at least) the new Lemongrass and Ginger soap is ready for sale today (whit-woo!!) and it smells just as yummy as you'd think it would and it looks a bit like neapoitain ice cream which just makes it yummier :)  Check out the Handmade Soaps section for the details on all the new soaps (not forgetting the Special Offers Section for some bargains). 691 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/09/01.htm What do you read regularly?  Along the lines of eco/health sort of thing I mean, my near-obsessive perusal of Heat does not need to be discussed here...  It's so hard to try and keep on top of reading generally, but are there any in particular that you love or really rate?  We try and read every issue of the Ecologist and Natural Health and I do love them, the styles on both, while very different obviously, are really good, but I wondered if there was anything out there you think we're missing out on? Oh, and if you feel like being a little bit horrified, I saw this jaw-dropping little article today on the Campaing for Safe Cosmetics site.  I'm angry about it actually, I think they should name and shame. 684 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/08/21.htm I'm a little bit pleased with myself.  I did a proper home pedicure last night (yes, the other half was out, no-one should witness the amount of filing it takes to make my feet look like anything less than hooves) and I'm delighted to be wearing sandals today. I soaked my feet first in warm water with two squirts of Handwash (it was by the sink, I couldn't be bothered to go upstairs for any Squeaky Clean Gel but that would have been fine too) with a couple generous tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda and just one of table salt.  I did this just long enough to really enjoy a small glass of wine - that is my scientific measure of how long this process should take by the way. This softened the heels enough for the first round of filing (I wasn't joking about the hooves, really).  While I was doing that I let the Nail Oil soak in and that softened the cuticles enough to remove them from the nails with an orange stick.  A quick once over with the wonderful glass nail file followed to shape the nails properly.  Then into another foot bath with the same ingredients for round two of de-hooving.   By the time that was done, I had lovely soft feet and I finished off with by slathering my feet and lower legs in Heavenly Feet cream leaving them all tingly and really light feling.  The best bit about this was that I had to sit with my feet up (and perhaps another little glass of wine...) while it soaked in, bliss.   What do YOU do to give yourself a bit of a lift? 679 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/08/20.htm It's been quiet on the blog front, but not on any other, it's that time of year isn't it?  The shop has been wonderfully busy and we've all been doing a balancing act trying to get a few days off each.  I've been trying to get a bit of research done in and some of my favourites at the minute are these, I like the easy explanations on Wiki especially. Triclosan (the antibacterial agent used in lots of handwashes) Ethylene Dichloride (a solvent often used in shower gels) Magnesium Silicate (talc basically, what horrid stuff this is) What have YOU read on the web recently that scared you? 678 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/08/04.htm Hello all, it's been quite a while, so a bit of explanation is in order I think.  We've been inCREDibly busy, we received our biggest ever order from a new stockist, they literally wiped out 90% of our stock overnight, so we had a LOT of making to do to get back to normal stock levels.  At the same time, Helen was off as she wasn't well and Dean was on holiday, so it's been a little bit manic to say the least.  Rachel, Heleena and I came at the weekends and made huge batches of everything and now Helen's back, we're back to normal again.  It's the best kind of problem in the world to have though, so we're not complaining at all, I just thought you'd like to know that I've not been ignoring the blog, I've just not got to it for a while, sorry. But apart from that, we've been having a blast.  We've has some lovely ideas for Christmas (I know, it's awful, but we've got to start thinking about it now or we won't get it done in time...) and we've met even more of our wonderful band of internet customers.  Seems like a lot of people are holidaying in the UK this year, which is good to see. We've also had a meeting with our new friend Kevin from the Fishermen's Mission in Newlyn (or the Fish Mish as it's referred to locally).  The process of soapmaking means that there's a little bit of waste from every batch, trimmings and so on, they're perfectly good bits of soap, just odd shapes.  So we collect them up and when the box gets full we drop them off at one of the hostels in the area - I hate waste of any kind.  This time round I contacted the Mission and when we dropped off the box of goodies, we had a chat with Kevin there.  They do amazing work for the working men of the port and most specially for the families of men lost at sea in this most dangerous of occupations.  They provide lifetime support for these families and what they manage to do there on a wing and a prayer left a very deep impression on Helen and I.  So we'd like to help them.  We've been supporting the Precious Lives appeal for more than a year now and we're really proud of our contribution.  But we feel that the Mission is providing such a massive service to people at the worst time of thier lives and they really need help too.  So from the 1st of August 2p from every bottle and jar we sell will go to the Mission in Newlyn.  If you'd like to see for yourself what they do, have a look here. 677 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/07/20.htm I've not forgotten about it, we've just been unbelievably busy.  One of our number isn't well at the minute and of course it's holiday season, so we're short-handed.  On top of that we've gained a couple new stockists recently and they've literally wiped out all our stock, so we've been in the workshop all last week making frantically.  We're delighted of course, it was just something of a surprise :) Still, in the midst of all this, there's been a few nice things, we've had an idea for a couple new products and they're out for testing at the minute.  I'll be able to tell you more in about a month or so, but we're rather proud of ourselves.  The shop's been nicely busy too and it's a constant source of amazement to us how many of you pop in and see us - thanks to all of our internet customers who take the trouble to come in and say hi, it really makes our day. Normal random rambling service will be restored shortly of course.  Hope you're all well and look forward to seeing a few more of you before the season's out.     673 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/07/13.htm Yes, finally, we have new brochures available.  We'll be popping them in with all orders for the next couple of months as a matter of course, but if you'd like one before then, please drop us a line on the normal email (info@purenuffstuff.co.uk) and we will of cfourse oblige. 670 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/07/06.htm Sorry about being a bit quiet on the blog front for a few days, I've been spending time with my gorgeous niece who came to stay for a few days, been seeing Cornwall as a tourist which has been just fabulous. Then back to work today to a mountain of orders so I've been wrapping myself in packing tape all day, I never seem to be able to handle that stuff without sticking it all over me.  Anyway, the lovely Dawn Mellowship (author of Toxic Beauty, we'll have some in stock soon, it should be on all our bookshelves in my humble opinion) drew my attention to this article from the Daily Mail.   I didn't know that both butyl and propyl parabens were under investigation at the moment, did you?  Oh and finally, yet another of our super customers popped into the shop to see us today, this one all the way from Aberdeen, I think this might be a record! 666 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/06/24.htm It's Golowan time again here in Penzance, (clicky here for details) a wonderful week long festival of the arts.  The whole town is decorated with beautiful banners and we're all in festival mood.  Last night was the Chapel Street Open Evening bit of it, so we couldn't let that go without giving it some very special Pure Nuff treatment. So, throwing all sense of propriety to the dogs and dignity to the four winds, Helen, Rachel and I dressed up as fairies - wings, tutus, wigs, tiaras, painted faces and heaps of glitter. The boys joined in by donning elf ears and "Elf And Safety" tshirts (and glitter of course), thanks very much to our fabulous Fairylove friends for the costumes by the way.  We gave out free punch and small slices of soap (and more glitter, oh I got awfully free with that after a few cups of punch...) and watched the bands parading up and down the street and the amazing torchlight procession.  If you ever fancy coming to Cornwall at any time, try and make it for Golowan, it's something very, very special indeed. 662 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/06/19.htm Our Douglas is such a sweetie.  Helen, Rachel and I were sitting out at the back of the shop drinking tea doing the final edit of the brochure (we hope!) and Douglas just popped his head around the corner of the soap cellar steps and proudly announced that he's made one ton of soap so far this year.  Then he happily disappeared back down to his soap dungeon, love him. We're a bit excitable today, not just because it's Friday and we're finally getting close to getting the new brochure to the printers at last, but also because we're going out to dinner together tonight.  Nothing fancy really and for no reason other than it's nice to see eachother outside work sometimes.  What are YOU up to this weekend then? 658 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/06/15.htm I was in the supermarket yesterday, never one of my favourite jobs but as I wandered the aisles, I became more and more confused.  I kept seeing all these natural ingredients but in the strangest places.  What on earth have you been doing to need Aloe Vera in loo roll?  On second thought, don't answer that.  But what good will it do in washing up liquid that's chock full of so many harsh surfactants that it would be completely redundant as a smoothing agent (pampers your hands indeed...)? What could be the possible benefit of conditioning agents in nail varnish remover? Are people really fooled by this cynical addition of nice sounding ingredients that can't possibly have an effect when sitting alongside chemical counterparts? Then I found this article and it seems I'm not alone, all this is just another example of companies that really don't get the natural message in the first place leaping on the green bandwagon. And it seems it's not helping them much as it goes. *steps off soapbox and takes a few deep breaths* Have YOU ever been confused by natural ingredients in seemingly incongruous places, or do you think it's as good thing?     645 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/06/05.htm Don't know quite what got into me, but I've been through the place like a dose of salts today, cleaning out cupboards and archiving all our files, and most importantly, done a huge stock check too.  Very satisfying it was, the shop is all tidy and smart.  Helen hates it when I do this, she won't be able to find anything now for weeks. I realise that's terribly dull, BUT the interesting bit is that I found a handful of bottles and jars here that, while they're getting on in age a bit for us to sell, are perfectly safe to use and will be for quite a while.   So, you lovely people, send me an email with the phrase "GIVE ME FREE THINGS FROM PNS PLEASE" (with a note of your address of course) and I will send out what I have here on a first come first served basis when I get in on Monday. Have a stunning weekend all xxx 630 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/06/03.htm This is getting daft, we're not a bird sanctuary, but they keep finding us.  Kevin/Mary (see posts passim) is doing very well at my house now, no-one has claimed him so I think I have a new pet. Today we were out in the yard sunning ourselves working very hard when we heard a plaintive little cheeping noise.  At the back of the stack of empty 25 gallon oil containers awaiting recycling we found a teeny little chick looking very unhappy. We couldn't see his nest and you can't put them back anyway, so Helen's taken him home and will look after him till he can fend for himself.  She's got lots of birds already, so she knows what she's doing there.  Rachel named him Steven Seagull (the initial suggestion of Fluffy Pants as a name was quickly binned) and as soon as I can I'll post a picture of him (and Kev), we're getting that functionality soon. I wonder what will fly in next? 621 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/06/01.htm Everyone is in a good mood today, it's the sun, that rare glowing orb in the sky that's making everyone happy - it's just great isn't it?  The shop has been buzzing this morning - we've sold out of sun cream again so everyone must all be heading for the beach this afternoon.  I've said it before, but it's lovely to meet some of our internet customers face to face, that's always such a thrill, Cornwall's such a very special county so it's fantastic to see so many of you here. Oh before I forget - Canary news.  You may have seen my post on Friday announcing the spectacular arrival of Kevin the canary in the shop.  Well, the bird is now happily installed in our sitting room at home but has now, following a visit from someone who knows a lot more about birds than I do, been renamed Mary.  Oops. Today I've been out the back of the shop doing a bit of cleaning in what we rather grandly refer to as the yard, the wheelie bins were starting hum a bit (oh the glamour of being self-employed...).  So after scrubbing them out I've rinsed them with some tea-tree essential oil and they're all fresh again. There's just no end to the uses of essential oils is there? 615 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/05/29.htm This afternoon a canary flew into the shop.  Yes, I'm serious, a canary.  We have established so far that he's quite young and I've called him Kevin and I love him and want to keep him.  Only boy canaries sing apparently, there's an interesting Bird Fact for you.  I've called everyone I can think of, the RSPB, the RSPCA, the police, the local vets and the local radio station. So, what exciting things have YOU got planned for the weekend?  I shall be buying a bird cage and hoping the Other Half doesn't notice the new addition to the family :) 609 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/05/28.htm Oh it's good to be back!  I've had the most fabulous few days off tending the garden (the veg plot and herb gardens are both doing very well fact fans) and now I've got a lot of catching up to do here.  Dean's been keeping the orders going out (and posting on the blog, love him) and Dougie and Helen have been in the workshop making soap and creams flat out.  Now Helen's got a few days off with the kids and it's my turn... trouble is, my time off has left me in a mischievous mood, I feel prankster-ish. I'll try and control myself though, and I'll get busy with some ordering, we need lots of essential oils already -  my, you like them don't you? - have you got any special requests? Oh, before I forget, I've been growing some of the things I saw on that Grow Your Own Drugs programme, I really liked the sound of that hop and lavender sleep pillow.  I have a new Top Tip, when growing hops in your garden, give them plenty of room, they've been growing 7 inches a day and are now totally covering the arch and reaching for the sky. 605 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/05/22.htm I see that there has been no update to the blog for a few days. So I thought I would add a few notes. Well I have just returned from 2 weeks cruising the Caledonian Canal in Scotland. Feeling very chilled out and relaxed. Emily has gone on holiday herself down here in sunny cornwall. Helen will be taking a few days off at the end of next week. Douglas seems to be the one holding the company together by not taking any holiday so far. Weather is forcast to be great down here for the bank holiday weekend. Lots of sun, sea etc for all at pns.  We wish you all a great holiday and hope the weather is kind to you all. 602 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/05/14.htm We have now added essential oils to the site, under the DIY section.  I've tried to give a bit of background on the oil on each page and then suggest a few uses for it but in the interests of finishing the job before I hit 60, I had to keep it brief.  What we'd really like to do though is have a nice comprehensive list of uses under each oil, so can you please email me or reply to this thread with the ways you use EOs at home and I'll post them please?  Many thanks :) 580 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/05/13.htm Following on from Elaine's suggestion (and Karens and PNSFs support to the idea) in the previous blog post, we're now considering doing some sort of scents as part of the range. The options as we see them are: 1) buying in some nice, essential oil based products that aren't too expensive and have good ethics in their production.  There are a few on the market and tend to be oils in a rollerball dispenser, which I quite like (see reasoning below). 2) we could make some and use the lip balm pots to put them in, they'd be more of a solid balm that you can use on pulse points and be in the familiar PNS scents.  The pros here are that it'd be quite quick to get them out so you could buy them.  The cons are that I worry with the consistency that we'd have to make them in to be useable, they might be a bit melty, especially in summer, and the danger is that the product would leak out of the tins, not ideal. 3) we could invest in the rollerball packaging and make our own oil based roll on oil, again in the familiar PNS scents.  The pros here are that it would be a very safe thing to carry about in a bag and you'd know exactly what was in it.  The cons are that it might take a little while for us to source and print labels and make these available. So, with all this in mind, do you have any thoughts/preferences/questions/answers for us?   572 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/05/06.htm Well we've finally faced the fact that we can't make everything, so we've decided to add a few things to the site that we like and think you'll find useful - all of them will share our ethos though so you can shop with confidence. The first one I've put on is a nifty little hand sanitiser, does the job when you can't get to a sink to wash properly and doesn't cost a fortune either.  Let us know what you think of them. I'm also adding essential oils over the next few days, this is a long job though, so please be patient.  We're also on with sourcing some nice makeup, home cleaning products and toothpaste, these are all being tested by us first, so will take a few weeks to decide on. Is there anything else you'd especially like us to find for you? 560 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/04/27.htm From time to time a rather confused looking gentleman will come into the shop, bewildered by the array of bottles in front of him and it's pretty obvious to us that he's been sent in by his other half to pick something up.  I really don't know why, but some men seem a tad uncomfortable in shops like ours.  Well it happened again today.  A very friendly looking biker turned up about half an hour ago and just stood in front of the display counters looking a bit lost.  So I asked if I could help him with anything and if, perhaps, he was picking something up for someone?  He fixed me with a look of touching gratitude and blurted out "She smells of lemons, that's all I know!". So Sir, that'll be the Geranium & Lemon Cream Dream then won't it?  All the time I was putting it in a bag for him (after he'd recognised the jar of course) he was telling me how he'd been given VERY clear instructions on what to buy and how it had all just gone out of his head the minute he left the house.  I don't think it's just me, I really do recognise that scenario.  Dear of him.... 545 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/04/21.htm I'm opening up this discussion at the request of PNSF, but please feel free to join in if you have any opinions you'd like to share. To start us off, I'll chip in with our thoughts on the issues.  Aluminium Chlorhydrate isn't suitable in our our opinions for use on the skin at all, let alone in such a delicate area.  Google it and you can see some of the background on why and yes, before you say it, there isn't yet any huge amount of conclusive proof as to the link with breast cancer.  But I'd rather play it safe than sorry on that particular issue to be honest.  And don't get me STARTED on the idea of putting depilatories (hair dissolving ingredients) in deos either, that's just horrific - and I don't use that work lightly - in every conceivable way. So, with all that in mind, I still like to be nice to be near at the end of a hard working day.  So what's the solution?  I wasn't particularly struck on the idea of using a lemon (no, really, that's a natural alternative and it does work for a short time, or maybe I'm just particularly sweaty, it wasn't enough for me though) and many of the other products on the market (rosemary or dill based products for example) just smelled a bit, well, hedgey, to me.  So that's where the idea of rubbing a stick of salt on came from, the mineral salts kill the bacteria that cause the smell so I can stay sweet smelling to the end of the day without potential added risk of breast cancer.  They're incredibly cost effective as they last for ages and they also double up as a great little spot stick, so I like them. There are a couple ways of mining the allum salts though and not everyone can make the leap from roll-on to salt stick, so it's a big subject.  So, what do YOU think?  Are natural deos effective enough for you?  Do you hate the idea of using a solid stick of salt or is that appealing to you?  519 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/04/07.htm Helen and I are exhausted today, we came back on the train in the early hours of the morning after a couple of manic days in London at the exhibition.  It was great to meet the team at Natural Health Magazine and even better to get our printed copy of the award (logos will appear shortly on the site on the home page and in the Care section of course).  But it was also great to see what the rest of the industry is doing. There are so many exciting things to tell you about, so apologies for what is going to be a bit of a long post, but i really want to share what we're thinking about now. The first thing we looked out for was toothpaste.  This has been on our minds (see how I refrained from using the phrase "tips of our tongues" there, no matter how tempting it was?) for months for a number of reasons.  We thought long and hard about  making it ourselves, but there are a few reasons why we've decided not to go ahead with it.  Firstly, it would involve a lot of investment in new packaging and a machine to seal the tubes with, and secondly, there are actually some really good ones out there, so we don't need to re-invent that particular wheel.  So we found quite a few at the show and we're testing them all now, you'll see them on the site soon. Then we looked for makeup.  Again, the packaging was going to require a lot of thought and these things aren't cheap by any means.  So we looked at quite a few ranges and we're going to make a decision soon, we'll keep you posted on this too of course. Cleaning products were next on the list.  I know we've talked at length about these and I know that many of you are comfortable making your own products (friends of borax raise your hands here!) but there are quite a few people who aren't.  So in order to get the chemicals out and usher in a new age of toxic free living, we're looking to stock some ready made products that tick all our boxes. So why aren't we making all these products ourselves I hear you ask?  Well, if we were to start with whole new rafts of products, we'd have to charge quite a lot for them and this might have an impact on our costs across the board.  We're not comfortable with the idea of another price change though, so we're going to bite the bullet and deal with other companies who share our ethos, our rabid attention to details like provenance of ingredients, open communication and cruelty free production.  You are always our first priority, so it's up to us to make sure those things are in place before we stock anything else.  Plus we think it's sensible to really focus on what we're good at, making really pure, affordable skincare that doesn't harm the environment.  So, that's what we're thinking.  What do you think?  If you've got any thoughts on what I've said I'd love to hear them as usual - is there anything else you'd like to see on the site?  If you don't want to post here, then no problem, drop me an email.  I'm off for a few days now, but I will be popping in to the shop every now and again (I can't stay away from this place for any length of time!) so bear with me if I post at odd times please.  Have a superb Easter break everyone and l look forward to hearing what you've got to say.     510 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/30.htm I've opened up this new thread so we can have a bit of a debate about this, there's something to be said on both sides though.  I like the idea of the programme, it's taking us back to knowledge that we've forgotten. I say this all the time in the shop here, my nan used to make hand cream, she was quite locally famous for it in years gone by, her sister used to make soap and both of them used to barter for other goods with these home made items (wartime and all that).  It's only in the last 50 years that we've relied on other people to make things for us, we used to make all these products ourselves, creams, toothpastes, cleaning products, even makeup (my mum still tells tales of using soot from the chimney as eyeshadow and an eye pencil to draw stocking lines up the back of her legs).  We used to know what herbs were useful to us - and how to prepare them - I like that kind of self reliance to be honest. Before we get completely confused here though, I'm not for a moment suggesting that we all start to self-diagnose illnesses and stop going to the doctor altogether.  That's just daft.  But if you've had a proper diagnosis, then I really am open to the idea of treating a problem - let's use the example of dandruff - a number of ways.  The doctor might well prescribe something but if you choose to try to make your own shampoo (and not use the 2 at the same time, that would confuse the results) then I see no problem with that. When it comes to heart conditions, then really, I'd go with modern medicine every time, I'm just not in a position to tackle that kind of issue.  What do YOU think? 504 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/26.htm Well we said we had some big news and indeed we do.  We're delighted to announce that we've been given a  Highly Commended Award for our Eczema Skincare Products from Natural Health Magazine.  This means we're really playing with the big boys in the industry now and as it's our first major award  - get me, "our first", but you'll see:) - we're really celebrating.  Helen and I are off to Olympia in April for the proper formal announcements at the Natural & Organic trade show, but we really wanted to share this superb news with  our fantastic customers first - thank you all so much for your constant support and feedback, you really are the basis of our success. 495 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/26.htm Well we said we had some big news and indeed we do.  We're delighted to announce that we've been given a  Highly Commended Award for our Eczema Skincare Products from Natural Health Magazine.  This means we're really playing with the big boys in the industry now and as it's our first major award  - get me, "our first", but you'll see:) - we're really celebrating.  Helen and I are off to Olympia in April for the proper formal announcements at the Natural & Organic trade show, but we really wanted to share this superb news with  our fantastic customers first - thank you all so much for your constant support and feedback, you really are the basis of our success. 494 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/18.htm Is featured in Natural Health magazine this month, I'll try and post a copy of the page shortly, but it's nice to see the fruits of our labours in the national press :) 492 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/13.htm Check out the News page for the ins and outs, but we've made some major changes in the soaps and with very good reason.  So we've got a few soaps on Special Offer for a while (I know some of you have found them already because in the half hour it took me to make the changes on the site, 3 orders came in with them on!).    Grab a bargain while while we've got some of the old blends in stock. In other news, it's the weekend, I shall mainly be having a go at the garden, it's looking very neglected.  There's a stream at the side of our house, so I've got a little bit of wall building to do.  Plus that Grow Your Own Drugs fella has made me want to make a Hop & Lavender pillow, so I've got some hops to plant up.  Helen is looking forward to ferrying her brood about madly between football, tennis and various Red Nose related short-people activities.  Doug is walking another section the Coast Path again and the eminently sensible Dean is mainly watching the racing he says.  What are YOU doing this weekend? Hope you all have spectacular weekends whatever you're up to and, um, keep an eye on the blog next week, we have something of a big announcement to make (we're not allowed to say anything yet but I'M BURSTING!!). 485 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/10.htm Now, apart from falling a little bit in love with the man presenting it (wandering about his fabulous garden in his bare feet making lovely things and being so excited about them, oh I'm getting all teenager-ish about him!) - what sense the man talks!!  Have a look at this programme if you haven't caught it already, it's a stunning introduction to really natural skincare and I love his positive, sensible attitude to it all.  He makes it all very easy to understand and he goes step by step through some great little recipes you can make at home.  It's modern alchemy, he's definately cast his spell on me, that's for sure :) 481 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/05.htm I don't really know why, but I've always struggled to get a full night's sleep, it's been a constant part of my adult life and I've kind of learned to get by on a few hours a night.  Until this week. I was given a copy of this CD last week and I am delighted to report that I've had 4 straight fabulous nights of calm, uninterrupted sleep.  I've tried so many things (I can't tell you how many lavender bags, herbal tablets, teas and meditation books, rainforest or whale song recordings, that are languishing in various drawers at my place, hundreds of pounds have been spent though) that I'd rather resigned myself to my odd sleep pattern, but I have to say, I feel like a different woman now. 476 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/03/02.htm We have a whiteboard in the workshop so that we can keep a note of stock that needs making up within the next few days, keeps us all focussed.  So there's a list on the left hand side saying things like "foaming facewash" and "cream dream r&v", you get the idea, then on the right hand side we list out all the Custom Made orders, simple an effective.   I think I've had a bit too much coffee today though, I thought it was hilarious to write things like "chips" and "iced buns" on every other line while I was clocking up the orders this morning.  Rachel's just come into the shop and proper told me off for being childish and messing up her system.  I'm off to put some oil on doorknobs now to get her back... 473 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/02/23.htm You can now find us on Twitter, I'm still learning about it though, so let me know if you have any suggestions. Oh and while beetling about on the interwebulator I found this report by Greenpeace.  I weep, really I do, but I'm very, very grateful they're there. 466 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/02/18.htm Well we've had an ultra busy week, Helen's been off with the kids for half term, so I've been doing some making again, which is always fun.  Dean and Doug have been packing fiends though, so we're on top of orders.  I've not been getting much reading done though, which is a bit annoying, but I am halfway through re-writing the Sun section of the site, I'll let you know when that's updated properly. Oh, one thing, does anyone read Natural Health Magasine?   It's a really nice one, I'm thinking of subscribing to it (as well as the Ecologist, naturally).  One thing about not reading a lot of what I loathe calling "womens monthlies" is that you lose touch with all the new things that women are made to feel guilty about, it's ace.  Give it a go if you haven't already.  Just a personal aside about the Ecologist, I was thumbing through a few of thier older articles from 2006 - the never-ending research task of course - and came across articles warning in the strongest terms about the failings of the world banking system and how it could not possibly sustain the growth they were projecting. They really are on the ball that lot, if you've not checked it out, I strongly recommend it.  I love the style of the whole thing, informative but not preachy and exceptionally well researched and referenced. 462 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/02/10.htm Has everyone on the planet except me seen this?  It's scared the bubbles out of me, I will never carry my phone in my jeans pocket again..... 449 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/02/05.htm If you want to do a bit of general reading on the subject, but aren't armed with a Masters degree in biochemistry (or a medical dictionary to refer to) then these are ones that I'd start with: TOXIC BEAUTY - by Dawn Mellowship (price £7.99)  - an easy to understand and well researched, balanced directory highlighting the issues surrounding the chemicals found in everything from hair gel to hygiene products.  Dawn is a well respected beauty journalist and as a result her writing style is very easy to understand.  I like this one because you can either read it as a whole, or just dip into it to look up something you've never heard of before.  It also takes a serious look at the whole "organic" versus "natural" issue and explains what each of the many, many certifications really means to us as consumers.  And it mentions us, which was a nice surprise.  Informative and written from a more British perspective than most - which makes is more relevant to us. SKIN DEEP - by Pat Thomas (price £7.99) - Pat is the editor of the Ecologist (more on this later) and often does a feature in that called "What's in this stuff", which is where I imagine the seeds of this book were sown.  I liked this book for the no-nonsense explanations of the basics of the industry (what things like emulsions and surfactants actually are and what they do) and for some of the lovely make-it-yourself alternatives it lists out.  It also does some nice myth-busting (ever wondered what hypo-allergenic or ph balanced actually means?) which is much needed.  A good book to arm you well when reading ingredients lists too as it has a nice directory of the most common nasties.  And again, it mentions us, which we were delighted by, again has a British influence but doesn't ignore the rest of Europe either.   THE ECOLOGIST - If you want to keep abreast of well researched and reliable facts on every green issue from wind farms to fair trade but don't want to be preached at or spoken to as if you're a toxic drain on Mother Earth, then get a subscription to this monthly magazine.  It has good regular features and doesn't get caught up in hype, a solid reference and a good read. A CONSUMER'S DICTIONARY OF COSMETIC INGREDIENTS -  by Ruth Winter (don't know the price of this one, sorry).  This is a very serious and weighty tome and does exactly what it says on the tin.  It's just a reference book, by which I mean that it lists the ingredient, it's source, function and the research done on it (safe levels of daily exposure) and what the effects of long term exposure are. Not a light read by any means, but well researched and very reliable.  I refer to this often, but can't refer to it as a cosy fireside read, it's a workhorse, but a good one. COSMETICS UNMASKED - by Dr Stephen & Gina Antczak - (don't know the price of this one either, but I remember it not being cheap).  This is the Granddaddy of books on the subject and was the first I read.  Again, not an especially easy read, but incredibly informative and well researched.  Some great explanations of phrases used in the industry (do you know what a synergic effect is?  or what a buffer is?  well you will if you read this).  A great book for explaining exactly how the industry works and why things are made the way that they are.  It's more American than the others I've referred to, so the reasearch and laws it refers to aren't necessarily the case here (and it's a few years old now too), so further reading is necessary on most points, but if you want to become a very well informed consumer, you should read this at some point. Sorry for the incredibly long post, but this is a passion of mine so I get a bit wordy :0) Do you know of or have any other books that you think are worth having a look at? 442 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/01/29.htm I'm trying to catch up on my reading properly (yes, yet another resolution) and came across this article, not seen it before.  Take a look if you get a minute, it's interesting: http://safecosmetics.live.radicaldesigns.org//article.php?id=359 430 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/01/22.htm I started the New Year with lots of resolutions, one was to not let adverts wind me up.  Well, that's totally gone to the wall - I have a whinge to air already.   Note to mascara manufacturers the world over - if your mascara really is all that brilliant and will instantly give me "collossal" lashes, then why is it necessary for you to coat the celebrity selling it to me in false eyelashes please?  And if you think I don't have time to read the micro-writing the lovely Advertising Standards Agency force you to put up on the ad, you're wrong. Am I alone in this?  Or has my worst fear been realised and I've actually turned into my mother shouting abuse at the telly (sorry Mum, you know I love you really)?  Do adverts blatantly selling lies wind you up or does it all just wash over you? 428 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2009/01/05.htm Well we're back and what a break it was, we're all refreshed and feeling frisky again instead of frazzled.  While we're busy de-Christmasing the shop and getting the orders out, we're all talking about our favourite presents.  I got a fantastic book on Free Food (hedgerow dinners for us from now on, a great way to beat this credit-crunch nonsense) and Helen is still delighted with her electric toothbrush.  What was YOUR favourite present then? 419 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/12/23.htm Well, it's kind of the time of year to look back on your achievements and without going on for too long here, we can honestly say that we've been overwhelmed this year.  We've had the benefit of incredible support and inventiveness from our customers, for which we are so grateful.  We couldn't have done so much this year without you though, you surprise us every day and we can only hope that continues forever, our wonderful customers make life very fun. So I'll sign off until the New Year now and hope that you all have a very peaceful and chocolate-filled Christmas and the very bubbliest of all New Years. 418 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/12/19.htm We're not ignoring you, I've had a chest and an ear infection this week and I've been off work for a few days - normal service will be resumed shortly. 409 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/12/10.htm It's not a programme I normally watch, it's never about happy things is it, so it just gives me new stuff to worry about.  But it was quite interesting, it was about the global rise in allergies and asthma and what could be causing this.  Apart from establishing that there appears to be a link to one's family history, it seemed to suggest that there's much more evidence than previously thought that it's linked to modern life generally (exposure to car fumes and pollution in general, huge changes in diet, harsh or over-cleaning of the skin etc.).  It was also the first time I'd heard a scientist mention that exfoliation might not be a great idea.  When I get a minute (!) I'll check out the trade papers and see if they've picked up on that, but what are your thoughts?  Do you think it's actually beneficial or is it just a habit you've got into? 392 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/12/02.htm It must be nearly Christmas or something, we're all running about getting orders out, the workshop is busy as a busy thing (we've got two work experience kids with us at the minute too, what were we thinking?) and we've had to put some more shelves in the shop to cope with all the extra stock.  So, in between painting the shelves, I'm gilding the Gold soaps for the Gold, Frankincence & Myrrh box seets and trying to keep the website updated.  Helen's been busy today making up all the gift boxes, with a bit of help from the teenagers, on top of getting all the Custom orders made.  Dean's not too well at the moment, so we sent him home, I miss him!  Doug's been down in the soap dungeon ever since he got in this morning, I suspect he's creating something new but I daren't go down and see to be honest, heaven knows what he's up to.  If it turns out better than his soap on a rope experiment, I'll let you know :).    358 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/11/27.htm You may have noticed a wee bit on our Links page mentioning this incredible ambition two men from Newlyn have to build thier own boat and then row it, yes, you read that right, row it, across the Atlantic.  I've seen the waves that crash on this coast and I tell you, there's nothing on earth would get me out there in the shipping lanes in a 40 foot swell. But they're not just doing it because they think it'll be a laugh, they're doing it all for a very worthy charity, the Cornwall Blind Association.  Now, I can't begin to imagine all the skills you'd need to be able to even consider this, boat making aside, the navigation and survival skills plus the astounding fitness levels required just boggle my wee mind.  We think that's just amazing and so we're doing whatever we can to help them.  We're creating a few products for them to take with them to keep thier skin in great condition (it's hard to make things foam in salt water, but we'll crack it), some special balms etc for thier hands and muscles, we'll keep you posted on how that goes.  But in the meantime, please take a look at thier link and get in touch if you think you can help in any way, sponsorship's a great start, but maybe you have some practical help you could offer too?  These guys are doing all of this off thier own backs, literally, so please help them if you can.  I think they're absolute heroes, let them know what you think. 355 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/11/25.htm Helen's mother just gave her a quick call, she's staying with H's cousin at the moment and they had a look at the new site.  She says and I quote "It all looks very nice dear, I like the photos and I've even had a look at the Blag".  Love her, at 72 she's our very own Old Woman :) 348 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/11/20.htm I got taken to the pub last night by my lovely other half. Now, people do tend to bring up green issues around all of us here quite often when we're out socially, being in the business we're in, but this conversation was a bit different.  We were sitting with a couple mates, one a builder and the other an artist.  My other half mentioned how much he'd like a dishwasher (yes, I know I'm lucky, he does all the washing up) and that as soon as we can afford it, he's going to buy one.  I didn't get a chance to raise an objection before the other two rounded on him for even thinking of it.  Then, and this is the interesting bit, they started discussing how much hot water it's actually necessary to use, what dish soap they use and the relative merits of each of the brands (all of them eco-friendly). I think that by the time 3 guys like them sit around debating this kind of thing in the pub of a Wednesday night in a wee town like Penzance, the message really is getting through :) 332 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/11/16.htm Yes I know, there are probably more exciting things I could be doing with my Sundays, but I am outing myself as a saddo; worst of all, I'm enjoying it! I've updated our links page with some useful and I hope, interesting, links that we use a fair bit. Do let me know of any other good research sites you use and I'll post them too. 309 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/11/11.htm I'm still working on this. As you can imagine, we do a LOT of cleaning here, we need to keep surfaces spotlessly clean and oil free, the whole workshop basically has to be what we call Hospital Clean (well, actually, better than that, but you know what I'm driving at here...) and it has to be completely scrubbed down every day for obvious reasons, which means what ever we use has to be effective, but also safe as we use such a lot of it. So, I've tried the borax cleaner on the floor that was suggested to me, and it works a treat, but doesn't leave the clean smell I like without a fair sprinkling of essential oil (a touch pricey, even for us). So I'm exploring every natural alternative now, I'll test them in the workshop and let you know how I get on. My natural cleaning book is on my Christmas present list still, so any suggestions you have will be gratefully, as always, received. 306 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/11/04.htm We've been working really hard on the new products and scent options things, so we're really pleased, but what do YOU think? There's still a lot of work to do to get it just how we want it, but do you think we're heading in the right direction? Do let us know if you get a minute, thanks. 291 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/10/24.htm I must admit, I've done it in the past, but have found that since working with essential oils they're now rock hard so don't need to. I was astounded to read in an article while eating luch just now (tuna salad to day fact fans) that the glues that are used (most commonly methyl methacrylate - originally used in the Vietnam war for combat dressings) can not only cause permanent damage to the nails and surrounding tissue, but the people who actually spend all day applying these nails are now reporting problems with thier respiratory systems and also liver problems. Nails to die for indeed? :/ 275 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/10/22.htm Clare Balding of horsey telly fame has just been in as she's filming in the area. I am happy to report that's she's not only charming and friendly but also has beautiful skin. I fully expect not to get any more work done today now as we're now swanning about air-kissing and pretending to be famous (like the children we are). 273 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/10/20.htm With one thing and another, I only just got round to trying this at the weekend, well, to be totally accurate, I gently persuaded my other half to try it. I got in all the materials and gave the kitchen a good going over first to prove it would work, then he had a go at the bathroom. He loved making the cleanser up himself, the results were stunning and I now have a totally mould-free bathroom :)) Having used it on the shower cubicle and seen how glowing white it all is now, he went to the cupboard, got his beloved bleach and donated it to a neighbour to clean down the yard with (we can't throw things away). As he says, he'll happily use natural products when they're better than the ones he's used to, so this is huge progress for us. I don't know if it was the idea of making it himself that swung it, but I don't care, we're finally bleach free and happy. Thanks very much indeed to everyone who gave advice earlier :) 264 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/10/09.htm If you buy cosmetics or toiletries in Europe, you should read this first (sorry I can't link yet, but we're fixing that shortly) http://www.wen.org.uk/health/Reports/Prettynasty.pdf The lovely lovely Women's Environmental Network have produced a report on Phthalates that makes the points on this subject in an easy to read and clear fashion. Read it and weep as they say. 251 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/10/07.htm Well, I am anyway. Last Friday my beautiful dog and faithful friend of many years, Henry, died in my arms. He was a mad old lurcher/greyhoundy cross beast, not a thing of beauty to anyone but me I guess, but he was my constant companion and I loved him dearly. We travelled the length of the country together and so many of my best memories are tied up with him, usually with him managing to embarrass me horribly in one way or another, he wasn't beautifully well trained but by all I hold holy, he had spirit. So here's to all our dear friends, let's hold them close and let them know they're loved while we can, it's the only comfort we can have when they're gone. 243 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/09/29.htm It seems like we're all trying so hard to be as green as we can and generally clean up our acts (sorry) but there really are some things we do that don't seem replaceable by green alternatives. For example, we have to wear gloves in the workshop for obvious reasons, but it doesn't make us happy about the amount of waste we generate. And my whole saga with the wonderfully clean but woefully bleach-addicted Other Half is another good example. What very un-green things can't you avoid in your daily life (yet)? 232 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/09/16.htm Leading on from the clothes washing questions in the last few weeks, what do you use for general cleaning at home? Do you find that the more eco-friendly cleaners are up to the job or do you still harbour a deep set love of bleach that you can't quite get away from? To start us off, I'm using some of the more old-fashioned methods at home (vinegar and newspaper on the windows, baking soda to clean the fridge and the top of the cooker for example) and finding they actually work better than many of the chemical-laden offerings (with the added benefit that my flat doesn't smell strange). The bit that I'm struggling with is the tiles and grouting in our damp bathroom. Lemon and baking soda does work, but not for long. What do you do? 202 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/09/10.htm But "this week we 'ave mostly been" coping with a huge increase in orders for soap. Can someone tell me please, have we missed out on some wild new washing trend? Don't get me wrong, we're delighted of course and it is really great soap, but you can't help notice a change in sales trends. 201 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/09/04.htm We can hardly think straight this week - the tourist season is still very much with us so the shop's very busy, we're catching up with the order rush following a very nice mention in the Observer last Sunday (thank you Mr Observer) and what with the pre-orders for Christmas already, we're in a bit of a spin. I had no idea before I got into Retail that so many people are FRIGHTENINGLY organised - it's very impressive of course, but a teensy bit sad at the same time, I'm still waiting for Summer to finally happen :( Anyway, huge batches of both Condionter and all the Cream Dreams have been slaved over this week, that should keep us going for a wee while. Doug is experimenting with some super new soap blends too which is really exciting, we're using some lovely English oils this time, so will keep you posted on how his 'speriments get on. 199 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/08/29.htm Now, I know it's not strictly natural and I can't wear it on my fingernails for obvious reasons (who wants a flake of varnish turning up in a cream for example? - we wear gloves naturally but it's still not good practice) but I do like to paint my toenails, especially in the erm, summer months... Do you use any nail varnishes at all and if so, what are your favourites? I've been using some Sante ones that we used to sell here in the shop and of course they do have some questionable ingredients still, but they're far from the worst out there - what do you think? 187 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/08/23.htm So sorry for not getting back to you all just yet, but I've been in Yorkshire seeing my family for a week, I promise to reply properly to everyone early next week. Ooo and thanks VERY much to those who have mentioned make-ups, you must be a teensy bit psychic as we're just plotting about those now - we're bringing back more colours in both the foundations and the blushers (with better names, promise) and best and most exciting of all, the EYE COLOURS ARE COMING BACK!!!! Sorry to get all shouty but they're one of my very favourite things to do so I'm really pleased. One thing before we decide on packaging though, would you prefer to see them in colour co-ordinated trios or in bigger pots of single colours please? 169 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/08/12.htm I've had a go at everything you all kindly suggested now and I thought I'd let you know how I got on... The soapnuts really appealed to me, but they didn't really do all that great a job on my boyfriends' work clothes, but they worked a treat on the towels wash. I tried the sheets and duvet without using any detergent, that actually worked quite well but I have reservations about the high temperatures you have to use to get good results. Bit of a drawback with that one though when the seagulls dropped quite a lot of "luck" on the sheets when they were on the line, so I had to re-do them - for that I wasn't quite sure enough to do them without a bit of help from Ecover though to be honest! All this talk of washing though has got Douglas here thinking though, he makes a washing gel for himself at home and he's made some for us to try - would anyone else like to have a go and let us know what they think please? 155 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/08/04.htm I would like to know if anyone else has wondered what benefits "black diamond" or even "white diamond" (as recently advertised pretty much everywhere) add to my washing experience please, or could it be that it's simply inserted in the title to make the product sound luxurious and therefore make me want to part with lots of cash for it? 150 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/07/31.htm Are you feeling it? It's a phrase we keep hearing and I wonder what other people think. Being green (and I don't pretend to be perfect here AT ALL I promise you, I very much work on the 80:20 principle where my lifestyle is concerned) hasn't proved any more expensive for me personally as I think many "geen" options actually work out cheaper in the end - but what do you think? Is it a fad that will pass? 140 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/07/28.htm After a busy weekend spent enjoying a bit of sunshine (and of course catching up with the weeks washing), I was wondering... what do you use to clean YOUR clothes with? It's one of those things that I worry about, going to all this trouble to eat well, not use chemicals on our skin and all, what's the point in coating your clothes in harsh detergents? It's so hard to open up these questions without sounding like some holier-than-thou tub-thumper, but one thing follows naturally on from another doesn't it, so I thought I'd ask... 132 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/07/16.htm Do you already use an SLS free toothpaste and if so, which one? Do you have any strong views on the presence of fluoride in your toothpaste? We'd like to stock a toothpaste (making one is on The List Of Grand Ideas but we're not in a position to do it just yet) but we're really not completely inspired by what we've seen so far (personally, the idea of myhrr in a toothpaste leaves me quite cold, ditto rosemary, but Helen's keen). If anyone feels passionate about this subject, please drop me a line and if we stock what you suggest I shall find you a suitable wee gift. EDIT: Does anyone use the Sensodyne one that's not got SLS in it? It's commonly available and not too pricey. Or would you prefer to use one from smaller more ethical company? 123 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/07/15.htm I've found some lovely new stuff to order in for brushing and buffing (natural sustainably sourced sponges for example) and I wondered.... is there anything that you're struggling to find along those lines? Either drop me a line or reply to this thread and we'll try and find it for you. 122 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/07/07.htm And that's because so many of our customers end up being on holiday down here and they pop in to see us. Four people who normally order online have visited us today and it's always so nice putting faces to names, so if you're thinking of taking a break down here, then don't forget to come see us please, it makes our day! 121 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/06/26.htm And some sand in our hair too I think... or maybe that's just me. We've just come back from Hayle Towans where our lovely new friend Phil NIcholls has been taking some photos of us for the new website and brochure. Have a look at his website at www.philnicholls.co.uk to see how clever he is. We have no illusions that we'll look like rock stars in these photos of course, but at least everyone will be able to put faces to names here, which will be nice. 119 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/06/25.htm Today could be a blueprint for multi-tasking. I'm here alone so while I'm printing out orders and eating my sandwich (coronation chicken today fact-fans) I'm also waiting for a batch of sun cream to cool down (apologies to those waiting, we just can't make it quick enough at the minute) AND serving in the shop. And adding to the blog of course. I will *so* have earned a pint of cider tonight. Penzance is warming up for a great weekend though, it's Golowan week here, so I will have plenty of down time shortly. If you don't know what Golowan's all about, then take a look at this http://www.golowan.org/ - it's fantastic. 114 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/06/20.htm It's been manic here this week and time just seems to fly by so quickly at the minute. The tourists are definately here so we can see the shop's busier than ususal, it's so nice to see so many of our internet customers too, we love it when people pop in! The new product development has had to be put back a few days though, we've had some really great new wholesale orders to fulfill, which reminds me, I must update the Stockist section of this site so everyone can see where we're available. We're going to try and have a bit of a rest this weekend and come back with renewed vigour next week, we'll keep you posted on how we get on with development. 113 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/06/16.htm Sorry, we've been having a few problems with the site recently, so a few of my blogs have got lost in the ether... We'll be changing hosts I think so aopologies to you if you've been having trouble placing orders. I'm justa bout to update the post on Animal Testging of Cosmetic Ingredients though, so if you're keeping an eye on that then have a look at that section in a minute. In other news, we're doing some product creation in the workshop today, we're working on a few frivolous pampering items that we've been wanting to get out for ages (day to day business being so busy at the moment it's a struggle, but it's the best problem in the world to have). I'll let you know how we get on of course. 111 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/06/02.htm Yup, been to the big city, schmoozed with terribly important people and even made it back home. Actually the press launch thing was a lot less formal than I expected, but never having been to anything like that before, it was all still a bit terrifying. Janey was charm itself, as usual, and was very kind about making sure I spoke to a few people she knew I'd be interested in talking to, which was great. I even spoke to a few beauty editors (not "celebrity" ones they hastened to add!) so let's hope something comes of that. It was great to speak to people from the industry too though, very interesting for us as it's easy to get a bit isolated being so far away down at the tip of civilisation as we are. All in all it was very worthwhile, if tiring. After it all finished I was even lucky enough to meet up with some lovely customers who had invited me out for a drink to calm down, it was great putting faces to names at last after chatting for so long, so thanks to Cat, Gadders and Basket for that. Special thanks to Steff for making sure I got on my train home too, much appreciated! 110 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/05/28.htm We've been invited to a press launch of a book that the very lovely Janey Lee Grace is publishing. That means that I get to go all the way up to London (bright lights, big city!!!!) which I've not done since I moved here. I'm so excited I've even bought myself a new top, how sad is that? AND I get to go on the sleeper service from London back to Penzance so I've got all these Orient Express illusions going on now too, I don't get out much you know... I'll report back on Friday and let you know how tongue-tied I got with all the journalists :) 103 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/05/21.htm I've had a letter from Dan Lyons of Uncaged Campaigns, he's asked us all for our help. Some large cosmetics companies are attempting to put back the date by which all animal testing should stop. It would appear that there's just too much money to be made off the back of suffering animals. PLEASE HELP US STOP THIS. Here's the letter in full. I’m writing to you, as a non-animal testing company who we recommend through our distribution of the Compassionate Shopping Guide, to ask you to support our campaign to ensure that forthcoming European bans on the animal testing of cosmetics are retained and properly implemented. As you may know, the first phase of the animal testing bans in the EU’s Cosmetics Directive came into force in 2004. It’s now illegal to supply any cosmetic product which contains any ingredients which have been tested on animals where an EU-validated alternative test method exists. Additional regulations are due to come into force in 2009 and 2013, leading to a ban on the sale of cosmetics which contain ingredients which have been tested on animals for cosmetics purposes. However, our investigations indicate that there are no official checks in place to determine whether manufacturers are obeying the Directive. So the big manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble, are continuing to test on animals, while lobbying to shift the next deadline back from 2009. This means animals will continue to suffer and die for the sake of cosmetics. Meanwhile the majority of the public believe animal testing is a thing of the past and are unwittingly buying animal-tested cosmetics. As part of our campaign, an MP has now raised an Early Day Motion (EDM 1279) on our behalf asking the Government to fully implement the Cosmetics Directive and resist attempts to delay it. A copy of this is attached to this letter. We would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to write or email your local MP asking them to sign the EDM and help to ensure that the Cosmetics Directive is implemented effectively. You could also greatly assist the campaign by contacting your local trading standards department to ask them how they implement the Cosmetics Directive. I have further information and a template letter to help with this – please don’t hesitate to contact me to request this support. If you would like to take additional steps to support our campaign, such as including a link on your website or donating, please let me know. If you are taking any other actions related to the implementation of the Cosmetics Directive, we would be very interested to hear about them. Regards, Jonny Mears Campaigns Officer Uncaged 5th Floor Alliance House 9 Leopold Street Sheffield S1 2GY UK +44 (0)114 272 2220 jonny@uncaged.co.uk EDM 1279 ANIMAL TESTING OF COSMETICS That this House believes, in common with the majority of the British public, that it is morally unacceptable that animals should suffer merely because companies choose to develop new cosmetic products; applauds Uncaged's Boycott Procter and Gamble campaign as a vital means of relaying public concern to companies who perform toxicity tests on animals for cosmetics products; supports the transparent and thorough implementation of the animal testing and marketing bans in the Council Directive 76/768 relating to cosmetic products; calls on the Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to ensure the disclosure of relevant non confidential data in product information relating to animal testing of cosmetics products so that consumers can make informed choices; and urges the Government to resist attempts by cosmetics companies and non-EU states to prevent or postpone implementation of the ban on the sale of animal tested cosmetics products or ingredients. SORRY THIS POST IS SO LONG, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE AN EMAIL COPY THEN PLEASE DROP ME A LINE SO YOU CAN DO YOUR BIT TOO. 92 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/05/12.htm At last, the organic movement is finding it's teeth!! Dr Bronners in the States has got fed up with manufacturers making natural and organic claims about thier products, I've cut and pasted the article from the Organic Monitor here: 29/04/08 Dr Bronner's Sues Over Misleading Organic Labels Dr Bronner's Magic Soaps has filed a lawsuit against a number of the leading natural and organic cosmetics players and two certification bodies for making misleading organic labeling claims. According to the San-Francisco based soap manufacturer the offending companies and certification bodies are misleading consumers and falsely advertising products as organic that contain conventional agricultural or petrochemical ingredients. "We have been deeply disappointed and frustrated by companies in the 'natural' personal care space who have been screwing over organic consumers, engaging in misleading organic branding and label call-outs on products that were not natural in the first place, let alone organic," said president of Dr Bronner's Magic Soaps David Bronner. The company and the Organic Consumer Association (OCA) had previously warned the brands that if they did not drop organic claims or reformulate their products they would face litigation. However this approach failed to achieve the desired affect, according to the OCA. "The pressure of imminent litigation outlines in cease and desist letters sent by OCA and Dr Bronner's in March prompted some serious discussion with some of the offending companies, but ultimately failed to resolve the core issues," said executive director Ronnie Cummins. Some of the leading players are involved in the case, with accusations falling at the feet of ten companies including Hain Celestial, the makers of the Jason Naturals brand, Estee Lauder, the makers of Aveda products and Stella McCartney's Care range. In addition, both France-based certification body Ecocert and OASIS a US certifier have also been implicated in the case as Dr Bronner's accuses them of misleading consumers with their use of the term organic. According to Dr Bronner's, Ecocert allows both cleansing materials made from conventional agriculture and certain petrochemicals in products labeled as "Made with Organic" ingredients, and OASIS allows such ingredients to appear in "Organic" products. Ecocert has not taken the accusations lying down, however. According to the Associated Press, the body filed a pre-emptive lawsuit against the company saying that Bronner threatened to drag the company through the 'proverbial mud and to engage in widespread and negative publicity aimed at sullying' the organisation if it did not adopt more stringent standards. The natural and organics cosmetics industry has long been suffering from the lack of an internationally recognizable, reputable standard and although there have been significant moves towards European harmonization there is little evidence of this in the US. According to market research company Organic Monitor there is likely to be further proliferation in the number of standards as certification agencies, industry groups and retailers all strive to distinguish organic and natural cosmetic products. David Bronner himself has been very active in the development of the 'organic' and 'made with' standards of NSF International specifically designed for personal care products. Source: Cosmetics Design 83 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/05/08.htm Saw a trailer for this programme last night, not sure what the content will be but we'll be watching it for sure. We're secretly hoping they'll be exposing all that "New Wonder Ingredient" claims we see so often. Pentapeptides and Boswelliox are my current favourites, both as meaningless as each other and wonderfully "sciencey sounding". A quick Google tells you how much of a wind-up these things are, but it would be nice to see some questions asked of the companies involved. 81 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/04/30.htm I was doing a bit of experimentation in the workshop today, we're creating so many new products at the minute, and a new eye oil is the one that I'm working on most. The only problem being that I'm a bit of ham-fisted creature and I managed to spill a load of one the world's most expensive essential oils.... quite a lot of it. Bad me :( So today we smell a bit Churchy. 73 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/04/25.htm Last night I used baby wipes for the first time in over a year and I was astounded again at how effective they were. In fairness, I used them to clean the inside of my camper van as it's been languishing outside in the Cornish storms since last summer. My other half (very definately not a convert to the natural life.... it's a personal struggle) bought them and I used them under protest, but I have to admit they were amazing. They effortlessly removed the smelly green gunk that had built up inside and outside the skylights and they cut through the slime that mysteriously appeared on the dashboard like a knife through butter. The chrome now gleams like new too. They weren't so brilliant on the windscreen as they left a strange film on the glass but all in all they were very useful. I came in this morning and told everyone here my tale and Helen reminded me that everyone who has children uses them for cleaning at some point, whether it's to get gunk off trainers, baby seats or leather sofas. It struck me again how strange it is to me that knowing this, people use them on babies. You don't have to be a chemist to understand that anything that cuts through grease and slime must have some pretty powerful detergents in it and you don't have to be a doctor to know that baby skin is terrifically sensitive. 71 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/04/22.htm We're back on form after our dreary Monday, we've come up with a clever idea to make it easier to order exactly the scent of cream or hair cleanser or gel you want. We've talked about it to our web designers already so keep an eye out for some new options that will appear on the site soon. 70 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/04/21.htm We've got a bit of Mondayitis here today. Helen's had her usual frenetic weekend trying to keep five children safely occupied. I've been to Suffolk for the weekend catching up with old workmates. You really realise how far away we are down here near Land's End when you get on the road and don't get off it for the next 6 or 7 hours. So it's nice to get back into the workshop and do something calming and gentle like tending to batches of Conditioner - it seems so much easier than everything else we've been doing for the past few days! We've done a huge batch though, so that should keep us going for the next few weeks. Thank heavens Dean and Doug are on top form, they've had healthy weekends doing walking and things, so orders are being attended to well. Hopefully Helbert and I will join them in productivity land tomorrow. 69 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/04/14.htm We're in the middle of a really exciting time here at Pure Nuff Towers. We've spent the last year reasearching and developing some fabulous new products and the second phase of them have just gone out to our lovely team of volunteers to be tested to destruction. We'll keep you posted on thier progress and you should start to see some of them appearing on the site shortly. The first one, the new Intensive Body Cream, has already been introduced and is already selling well. But even when we're so pleased with new things it's always a bit nerve-wracking when they go out on trial, we just hope you like them as much as we do! 68 http://blog.purenuffstuff.co.uk/2008/04/08.htm We wanted to set up a blog as there's so many things that occur to us that we just don't have space for in the rest of the site - our opinions, things our fabulous customers tell us about, things we're struggling to find or have new information on, all sorts of stuff. So here it is, we'll promise to keep this updated so keep an eye on the blogspace and comment if you feel strongly - we love a good debate! Today's inspiration comes from a customer, we have been told that our deo stones are great for drying up breakouts of spots. Now we love a good multi-purpose product here as you know, so we were excited to try it out and do you know what? It works :) Drop us a line if you have any similar wisdom to pass on and have a top day, even if it's snowing as hard where you are as it is here. 67