This is my first “salt bar” made with Himalayan rock salt.  Since I am a big fan of Himalayan rock lamps, the next step was to make a salt bar.

There has been handmade soap made with Dead Sea salt, Hawaiian sea salt, and Himalayan rock salt in the market.  They all say it’s great for people with problem skin such as eczema and psoriasis.  I figure it must be good overall, even if you have normal skin.  You would think the salt would sting any cuts, but I think it helps it heal faster.

It’s not the most beautiful bar of soap, but does look like a piece of granite and feels just as heavy. So maybe it’s not that bad if you’re into collecting rocks. 

Himalayan salt is mined by hand from the deep salt range located at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. Unlike regular table salt, Himalayan salt is not chemically processed.  And unlike sea salt, it is free from pollution and contains 84 trace minerals.

If you have chunks of Himalayan rock salt, you can make sole (pronounced So-lay) out of it.  Sole is a mixture of the Himalayan salt in water.  You only need to take 1 tbs of sole daily, first thing in the morning, to feel it’s benefits. There are instructions on how to prepare it here.

The other thing I did different with this bar was use lard. I have bought handmade tallow soap and thought it was nice soap.Some people don’t like using animal by products for soap. Even though tallow (and lard) have always been a common ingredient in soap making. I also think it’s great to learn the art of soap making with different types of oils and ingredients.

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I first used Fullers Clay after trying Auromere’s Ayurvedic Herbomineral mud powder.

It’s scientific name is Calcium Montmorillonite.  Other common names are Oil Absorption Clay, Earth Clay, Bleaching Clay and Whitening Clay.

Fuller’s Earth is a naturally occurring sedimentary clay composed mainly of alumina, silica, iron oxides, lime, magnesia, and water, in extremely variable proportions.

Fullers earth is a mineral clay found through out the world.

Fullers Earth got it’s name from the workers who processed wool. The laborers were call “fullers” and they used the clay to soak up the oil from the sheep.

It’s an interesting clay that has many industrial uses. Found in laundry detergent, kitty litter, toothpaste, as well as cosmetic uses too. But the one used for cosmetic purpose are processed differently and considered to be cosmetic grade clay.

This is a great clay for facial mask. As it helps remove toxin from your skin. Leaving your face fresh and renewed. Fullers Earth is especially great if you have acne prone or oily skin.

And since it’s a “whitening” facial clay, it would offer gentle skin lightening effect on blemishes and brown spots. It may not erase all the spots in speedy time, but it would be gentle and easier on you skin.

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After buying and selling things on Ebay over the years, I’ve learn a lot about shipping packages with USPS.  Ebay makes it easy if you have a scale at home, you can just weight the packages and print out postage at home.

Today I want to share my experiences of shipping with the Unites States Postal Service (USPS).

First Class mail is the best way to ship.   I think it’s just as good as Priority Mail. Priority mail is great if you are mailing heavy items and want a flat rate. It usually delivers within 3 days. My only complaint is that the $4.95 box is too small.

Here is a list of prices for Priority Mail with USPS.

With Priority Mail, Express Mail and International packages you can avoid the lines at the Post Office and use USPS Click-N-Ship service.  These boxes are free and can be requested to send to your home within 7-10 days.

The shipping method I do not recommend is Parcel Post and Media Mail.  It may sound tempting to ship this way as the price is much cheaper.  It is the slowest way to mail anything. Makes you wonder if your mail was still delivered by the Pony Express.

Media Mail is described to be the following items:

Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. - USPS

Media mail is subject to inspection and you will have to pay any extras for items not consider media mail. Magazines are not media mail. Calendar was not on the list, but my local mail clerk said it was OK to ship media mail. A good thing to do is bring the stuff and pack it in front of the mail clerk (to make sure everything is legit).

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I’ve added a new herbal tea to the list of my current tea selection. It is made with dried raspberry leaves. Not to be confused with the common “raspberry flavored” tea usually found at the grocery store.

It is the dried leaves of these red raspberry that makes healthy tea.  Great for women’s health.  Photo by Juhanson via Wikipedia.

My raspberry leaves were loose leaves. I use a French Press to brew the tea. This tea has a surprisingly pleasant taste, reminds me of light black tea. It never gets bitter. It may become one tea I will enjoy drinking often.

To add a little twist to the raspberry leaves, I blended some dried hibiscus flowers to it. The hibiscus gives it a little fruity tang and a hue of reddish color. Not to mention some extra Vitamin C.

Raspberry leaves tea is rich in minerals (especially calcium) and Vitamins B1, B2, B3, C and E. Great way to help keep bones and teeth strong. It would also be good to drink during the cold/winter season to stay healthy.

Herbalist usually recommend raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women. As it helps with toning the uterus in preparation for childbirth. It is also a good tea for relieving menstrual cramps. I think this would make a great tea for overall women’s health.

Directions for brewing raspberry leaves tea:

1 cup of boiling water, 1-2 teaspoon of dried raspberry leaves.

Steep for 15 minutes.  Filter and drink at least 3 cups per day for health benefits.

Other benefits of raspberry leaves include treating sore throats, canker sores and stomach upset. You can also brew raspberry leaves to make your own herbal mouthwash. It would help sooth your teeth and gum.

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In 2010, California becomes the first state to ban trans fat from restaurants and bakeries. While New York and Boston have similar laws.

I have stopped eating many food that contain trans fat. Trans fat raises your bad LDL cholesterol and lowers your good HDL cholesterol. Trans fat is also called hydrogenated fats. It’s usually added to processed and packaged baked goods to extend shelf life. More money in seller’s pocket, bad health for consumer.

Last time I was at the grocery store and picked up a box of “Butter Croissant”. But soon put it back when the the ingredients listed partially hydrogenated oil instead.

This is the way a croissant should be made, with real butter!  It’s great as sandwich bread or with a bit of jam. Photo from Gunn’s Bakery.

Trans fat (hydrogenated oil) has been disguise as “healthy” fat substitute for a long time. The commonly used butter substitute is margarine and Crisco.

We have been mislead to think it’s better then butter. We are much better off cooking with real butter or lard (popular in Mexican food) then with margarine. And it taste better too!

Here is an excerpt of “The Skinny on Fats” written by Mary G. Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon:

” Instead of being eliminated, trans fats are incorporated into cell membranes as if they were cis fats—your cells actually become partially hydrogenated! Once in place, trans fatty acids with their misplaced hydrogen atoms wreak havoc in cell metabolism because chemical reactions can only take place when electrons in the cell membranes are in certain arrangements or patterns, which the hydrogenation process has disturbed.”

Trans fat lead to poor health such as heart disease and other metabolism problems. To have a healthier lifestyle, please avoid consuming trans fat.

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Once in a while I like to do a facial clay mask to “detox” my skin. I usually purchase only the jarred version that was already mixed. But soon became disappointed at the ingredients listed.

After much reading about holistic skincare, the best way to go is using pure dry clay and with the addition of natural ingredients, such as essential oils or herbs.

But if you don’t have all the clays and herbs, you can always try Auromere’s Ayurvedic Herbomineral.  They call it “mud powder” and include various Ayurvedic herbs and four different types of clay; Black Clay, Yellow Clay, Red Clay and Fuller’s Earth.  Clays are great as they have the ability to absorb excess oils and harmful toxins from the skin.

Auromere’s selected herbs and minerals are noted for their unique beneficial and rejuvenating qualities.  It helps to purify, cleanse and stimulate the body.  Leaving soft and smooth skin.

I just love Auromere’s Ayurvedic Herbomineral mud powder for it’s cleansing benefits.  But I didn’t like how messy it was in the shower. So I decided, what better way then to add it to handmade soap?  I’ve also added an uplifting scent from lemon essential oils.  Fuller’s Earth and lemon essential oil area also used as natural skin lightener.

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I am starting this year with a new cup of coffee from Cafe Du Monde.  It is coffee made with chicory root.

An odd combination you might think, but it actually makes very good coffee.  A coffee that is less bitter with a taste of  chocolate too.

This is my first coffee can of Cafe Du Monde.  And the price is good at $4.99 for 15 oz can.  It’s smell just like fresh coffee.

Requires opening with a can opener and the plastic lid is used to close it.  It’s not fresh coffee beans that you ground yourself, but it’s still very good to me.  I think this coffee is a keeper!

So how did people realize chicory root could make great coffee substitute?

Cafe Du Monde has this explanation for their company:

“The taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war.

Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew.

The Acadians from Nova Scotia brought this taste and many other french customs (heritage) to Louisiana. ”

The addition of chicory means it has less caffeine then a regular cup of coffee.  Which is fine with me, as I am usually a tea drinker.  What’s also neat about this coffee is the additional health benefits from the chicory root.  As chicory makes a good liver and blood cleanser.

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