My latest handmade soap just off the curing rack is “Bergamot goat milk soap” which also includes Seabuckthorn oil and Himalayan salt. I especially like to use this as facial cleansing soap.

Bergamot is definitely one of my favorite scents. Bergamot is usually added to Earl Grey tea and gives it a natural citrus flavor & scent. I also like that the scent is very uplifting without being too overpowering.

The salt is what gives it the white speckles. The salt blended in well as it’s not at all scratchy on the skin.

The goat milk also makes it a very creamy and moisturizing bar of soap. So a perfect bar for winter dry skin. And I had to add Seabuckthorn oil, as it’s one of the best natural oils for skincare.

Ingredients: all veggie oil, including Seabuckthorn oil, goat milk, distilled water, lye, bergamont essential oil, Himalayan salt.

Note: This bar of soap didn’t come out perfectly on the sides… but it’s a larger bar than I normally make. It still makes a nice bar of soap.

I was driving past the orchard this weekend and decide to see what’s in season. Nothing much really as the best time to visit is in the fall. That’s when all the fruits are ripe and ready.

In summer, everything is still young and green, from pistachios to pomegranate. I didn’t have a chance to snap a good photo as it was near closing time.

What took me by surprise was seeing the berries on the seabuckthorn bush. So I finally got the chance to taste fresh seabuckthorn berries.

The berries are super sour! Tasted just like lemon. It’s amazing how a tiny little fruit can pack such a sour punch. And inside these little berries was a hard little seed.

Seabuckthorn really does have lots of thorn. So picking out the little fruits, just to sample was scary. The thorns are very sharp and pointy.

These fruits are also known as seaberry. They are now fruiting at the International Fruit Orchard located at Emma Prush Farm in San Jose, Ca.

My latest batch of handmade soaps include many natural ingredients.

The first bar is my favorite, made with Sea Buckthorn oil. The oil of this berry is full of vitamins A (derived from -carotene), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (-tocopherol). So a perfect ingredient for soaps and skin creams.

There’s also turmeric powder in this batch too. Turmeric is commonly used for natural skincare in parts of Asia. Many of it’s benefits include getting rid of blemishes to dark spots.

Turmeric root is anti-bacterial and has been used in herbal medicine to treat skin infections and burns.

When using turmeric powder you have to be careful not to stain your clothing. As it’s very yellow and won’t come off easily. So adding some of the turmeric root powder to this batch of soap is a better idea.

For a natural scent, I’ve added grapefruit essential oil. It has a light and uplifting scent to it.

The soaps are still curing in my crate. So it won’t be ready to use for another three to four weeks. I put the soap crate on the top shelf of the coat closet. Allowing it to cure in peace. It makes the closet smell very nice too.

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I just love seabuckthorn, despite the “thorn” part of it. Last spring I ordered 2 Seabuckthorn plants from a nursery in Oregon. During the summer months, they were looking good.

By September, both plants were losing leaves and the male plant was history. But the female plant was still branching out on the side. For what is suppose to be resilient plants, they sure are difficult to grow.

Anyway the female plant didn’t look so well as the leaves eventually fell off. But I still had hope. And to my surprise, this spring it is full of leaves! Now I can say this is my 3 year old seabuckthorn plant.

I didn’t plan to get anymore plants because they were expensive, about $20 for each plant plus shipping of $18.95. Then I saw Gurney’s had some Seabuckthorn for the same price. Female plant $19.99 and 3 male plants $19.99. But their shipping price was way more reasonable.

The plants all arrived nicely packaged. But they looked more like twigs with buds. I guess they call it “dormant” plants. I’ll probably be keeping them all in the containers until they get big enough to put in the ground.

Another way to get rare fruits is to join the California Rare Fruit Association. Membership is $41 per year and includes a color magazine, tastings, garden tours, free grafting and pruning classes. They usually have annual plant sales too. I really don’t have the time or space right now. Maybe in my golden days.

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I am always on the look out for all natural and effective beauty product, so I was looking forward to giving Lina Hanson Global Face Serum a try.

I’ve used many interesting facial oils in the past, including Sea Buckthorn, Rose hip oil and argan oil. But this face serum made by Lina Hanson includes all the best orgainc oils combined into one package.

Some oils include Neroli, Camellia seed, Ylang Ylang, Marula, and Baobad. The product is 100% natural, free of parabens, silicone, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances or other chemical ingredients.

This is the sample they’ve sent me.  I’ve been using it mostly as a nighttime face serum. Although I have used it occasionally in the morning. I love that it absorbs and sinks into the skin so well.

I especially like the Camellia seed which helps brightens skin and lightens spots. And Marula oil is rich in antioxidants and a great source of Vitamin C.

After using this face serum I’ve noticed my skin is much more hydrated.  It has also made my skin appear bright, soft and looks absolutely healthy.

Another nice thing about Lina Hanson Global Face Serum is that it’s fair trade and supports sustainable harvesting. Several ingredients are harvested by women around the world to help promote their economic growth and to give them a sense of empowerment.

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Back in spring I planted 2 Seabuckthorn (seaberry) plants. Sadly the male plant didn’t make it. And I didn’t think the female would make it either. Now this is all I have of the female plant. I was able to save the female plant by moving it into a pot.

What happen is all the leaves started to fall off over the months. Then this little branch started to grow from the side.

I’m still wondering if I should re-order the male plant. But it will cost me at least $40 to get a new plant and that is too much for my gardening budget. So I’m going to grow them from seed or cutting.

At this point I would be happy with just one plant with lots of leaves. At least I could make healthy tea with them.

I’ve been wanting to grow Seabuckthorn for years now.  So I finally reserved 2 plants in the fall. They came all the way from a nursery in Oregon.

Seaberry is such an amazing plant that bears healthy orange berries. I hope to make jelly, tea, and other yummy stuff with them. But that may take at least 3-5 years to see any fruits from these plants.

The female plant has more leaves and is 2 years old.  The male plant just has tiny little brown buds and it’s 1 year old.

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I love seabuckthorn for it’s highly nutritious berries and leaves.  I’m counting the days until the arrival of my own seabuckthorn or seaberry bush next month. In the meantime I’ve been admiring these seabuckthorn plants at the San Jose International Fruit Orchard.

Here’s a photo of the tip of the male seabuckthorn. The leaves are much smaller than the female bush.

And this is the female seabuckthorn. I think this may be the little berries, but we’ll find out by end of the year.

There were lots of giant big thorns which would make picking the fruits or leaves very tricky. But I did get a few leaves to make into tea.

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I’ve recently added new soaps to my Etsy shop.  Holiday special: Get 2 FREE guest sized bars of Acai berry soap with your order.

Minty Moroccan Clay Soap: Two of the best clays are added to this minty soap. A great bar for the holidays (think candy cane). Or any time of the year for those who like refreshing mint to feel awaken and bright.

The bottom half has French green clay, it’s very absorbent and helps remove impurities from your skin. It can help tone damaged skin and revitalize the complexion and tighten pores.

The second half has Rhassoul (aka Moroccan clay). It has a long been used in ancient Rome and Egypt in natural skincare. It’s consider to be premium clay popular at day spas. It’s a great clay for those with oily and acne prone skin.

Sea Buckthorn Luxury Soap: Sea Buckthorn oil is known to promote the healing of skin such as burns and eczema. It also helps improve skin condition, especially with dryness and wrinkles. It also leaves your skin feeling very pampered and moisturized too.

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Sea buckthorn is also known as Seaberry and Siberian pineapple. I really wanted to start growing my old sea buckthorn plant this year. But it’s a bit too late now, so I’ll have to wait until spring of next year.

Here is a small sea buckthorn plant at the International Fruit Orchard. I think it’s about 2-3 years old. Maybe in a few more years there will be bright berries on them.

I picked a handful of leaves from the bush to make tea. I used the dried leaves and steeped them in hot water for about 5 minutes. It tasted very pleasant, reminded me of raspberry leaves tea. I wouldn’t mind making tea from my own sea buckthorn plant soon enough.

The Republic of Tea has green tea mixed with sea buckthorn berries. Starting at $10 for 3.5 oz tin.

“Sea Buckthorn is native to the shores of the Northern Baltic Sea in Germany where locals consume the berries to ward off cold and flu. Sea Buckthorn berries are mildly tart, like an apricot, and rich in vitamin C and E.”

Not to mention, sea buckthorn is also grown naturally in Siberia and Mongolia.

Sea buckthorn is more popular in Europe, where they make them into fruit drinks and jam. Here in the U.S., they are showing up more in the natural health and beauty department.

Since it’s a very labor intensive harvest, the cost for both oils (berries, leaves, and bark) of this plant is still very expensive.