When most people think of food grade ingredients the thought is generally not synonymous with bath and beauty products, unless however you are talking about BellaVita Botanicals natural handmade products. Natural ingredients are the key to our formulas as we use food grade vegetable oils, plant butters and botanicals. We are not suggesting you eat our products, but we want you to know that only premium quality ingredients will end up on your skin. Ingredients almost good enough to eat, ingredients free from petro chemicals, artificial preservatives and certainly not tested on animals. Since our skin has the ability for absorption, it is important to know what kind of  ingredients  go on our skin and how safe they are.

Today’s project is one that goes back to simple basics. A simple basic ingredient that has been used for centuries, an ingredient tested and trusted with time; Sugar!  We have enjoyed it in our cooking, why not our skin!  Why Sugar for the skin?  The natural Glycolic acid in sugar not only helps condition and moisturize skin, but protects it from toxins. For this reason, Sugar can also help eliminate blemishes and restore balance to the skin’s oil production.  Glycolic acid, one of the natural alpha hydroxy acids naturally exfoliates skin. As we have discussed before exfoliation is essential to good skin health as it removes expired skin cells allowing for new skin growth. Skin that is not exfoliated tends to be dull and dry. Cane Sugar will be used as an exfoliant in today’s formula.

BellaVita Whipped Lemon Butter cream sugar scrub

I wanted to make a moisturizing scrub, something very creamy that provides gentle abrasion yet allows for sufficient exfoliation. Along with my fine-grained cane Sugar, I chose skin softening Apricot Kernel oil and combined it with cold pressed Shea butter; the very rich and smooth plant butter from the edible Karite Nut.  Shea is one of the top gentle moisturizers and healers in skin care and contains Vitamins A, E, F. These vitamins help provide skin collagen which assists with preventing wrinkles and other signs of ageing. Vitamin F contains essential fatty acids, and helps protect and revitalize damaged skin.

Along with the fruit oils and plant butter I decided to add some zesty Lemon oils which are refreshing and very cleansing to the skin. I added a combination of Green Lemon Oil and Meyer Lemon Oil.  Lemon is antiseptic and astringent which balances and rejuvenates skin.

Here we have the Whipped  Lemon Butter Cream Sugar Scrub. This scrub is light and fluffy, silky soft and smells like fresh-cut Lemons. This whipped indulgence just glides on while  the sugar gets to work and polishes the skin. Once rinsed off the rich oils leave behind a good moisture barrier which lubricates the newly exfoliated skin. This product contains food grade plant butters, fruit sugars and oils, along with expressed Lemon Rind oil. It looks good enough to eat and almost is!

Our sugar scrub comes in a 6 oz glass jar for $18.50.

Mother’s day is a wonderful day to give Mom something unique and thoughtful; and none more appropriate than the gift of pampering.  Whether your Mom is a sky diver, or a truck driver, a fortune-teller or an Ebay seller, she always appreciates a little R&R. What better way to pamper her with than natural botanical products that will make her skin smile. No need to spend hundreds of dollars at a Chic Spa, you can have our To-go version at a nominal cost. Viola, the BellaVita Relaxation Spa Kit for Mom!

This lovely little kit contains three unique all-natural botanical products that are designed to make Mom feel special. The first is the BellaVita Flower Bombe.  The bombe is an interesting bath accouterment. It reacts very much like a volcano once it is submersed in bath water. Made with all natural ingredients, this effervescent ball of floral fragrance explodes with foaming salt minerals, botanicals, and enriching skin oils that moisturize and soften skin. As the bombe spins and melts, the fragrance will envelope Mom into a world of sheer relaxation. If your Mom happens to be a roller derby queen, this foaming delight is perfect for her tired feet as it makes the best rejuvenating foot soak.Not only is water relaxing, but beneficial, as negative ions are highest around moving water. These negative ions help the body to relax and balance metabolism.  All you need to add to our Bombes is a little music and candlelight and you will have Mom captivated!

To this lovely experience we have included detoxifying triple clay facial bars made with luxurious Apricot Kernel oil to keep Mom’s skin looking youthful.  A formula designed with three types of natural clays draw impurities, refines pores and smooths skin; Moroccan Rhassoul Clay, French Green and French Rose Clays.  Rose Geranium and Tea Tree oils combine to calm and define skin texture.

We have topped this Kit off with our last surprise, a lovely aromatherapy Pillow Spray made with Mandarin and Lavender essential oils. Herbaceous floral Lavender and sweet Mandarin oils contain natural plant compounds that have a peaceful and calming effect. A light spritz on your pillow before bedtime will induce natural relaxation and restful sleep.  If Mom is an airplane pilot, this makes a great little travel spritzer as it aids in inducing sleep. This product  is completely pure and safe as both Mandarin and Lavender are known for their gentleness.

This gift has “Mom I love you” written all over it!  As always BellaVita gifts come beautifully wrapped at no extra charge.

BellaVita Botanicals Relaxation Spa Kit $35

Aromatherapy is founded on the holistic art of healing and treatment through the use of essential oils.  Plant oils with their natural properties and chemical compounds have the powers to effect mind, body and soul. Aromatherapy is best achieved through inhalation or topical application of carefully selected plant oils that naturally coerce the mind and body to a more natural balanced state. Our Limbic and Olfactory systems process delicate and complex fragrances, sending them to our brain for translation. Botanical extracts are very interesting because they exhibit specific aromatic messages which can be categorized into about 27 major scent types. The more familiar ones being floral, spicy, minty, fruity; more subtle ones being, smoky, powdery, waxy, earthy. Their complex botanical compounds can induce sleep, bring on calmness, or lift spirits and energize our minds. Healing essential oils can topically treat the skin with natural alcohols and esters which can fight microbes and fungus or treat an array of skin conditions.

We are featuring satin finish purse sized Essential Oil Atomizers that deliver gentle treatment through natural plant aromatherapy. These oils are designed to harmonize your mood with pure certified essential oil blends that naturally enhance your state of mind. These atomizers are handy for travel or office, and make an attractive gift. The Atomizer suspends and ionizes the oils into very fine particles which allows them to stay in the air longer. While these Atomizers are tiny, they can deliver over 60 fine mist applications.  The finely crafted atomizers have a secure inner refillable chamber too so you don’t have to toss these lovely bottles. Because these are 100% natural oils, with a small amount of organic Grape spirit alcohol, they may be used on the skin as well if you wish to enjoy it as a fragrance. You may purchase the set or individually. 1/3 oz Single Atomizer $18.50, Set $70 with gift pouch, refills $10.

Ylang Ylang

The Gold Atomizer contains our Uplifting blend.  This is a delightful Citrus blend of Grapefruit and Bergamot along with tropical Ylang Ylang. Citrus oils are always bright and clean and lift the spirits  Their sweetness brings positive feelings and renewal. The fruity floral exotic scent of Ylang Ylang is used as an antidepressant and induces euphoria. Rather than turning to caffeine for a pick me up; reach for an Uplifting botanical treatment.

Clary Sage

The Pink Atomizer holds our Peaceful blend which is a safe and comforting way to induce sleep or calm nerves. This is a blend of soft Lavender floral notes combined with the musky but clean outdoorsy scent of Clary Sage which creates your personal space for calm and serenity. Lavender is a renown soothing agent and Clary Sage has a slight intoxicating appeal which tends to tame and ease the mind. The combination of these two scents makes for a very interesting fragrance as they blend so beautifully together into one synergy. If you are not a Lavender fan this blend makes a good departure.

Vanilla

The Silver Atomizer delivers an Unwind potion created with the scents of soft warm spices and calming sweet florals. The combination of Nutmeg, Anise and Rose scents, create just the right mellow grounding effect. Tones down tense nerves and returns the mind to a gentler state.

Sensuous is the black Atomizer which contains a complex mix of woods and Citrus. In this blend, cloying notes of Oranges titillate the warm and honeyed wood notes of Himalayan Cedar and dark rich exotic Vanilla. This ambrosial blend takes on a playful sensuous character with its seductive musky notes which emanate from the aromatic Cedar wood. Sensuous seems to play off sweet and each one of these oils has it’s own unique sweet character.

The journey in soap making never ends. One could concentrate on creating variations upon variations on textures, colors and fragrances. Cold Process soap, which is one of the oldest and true methods of soap making, can generally be limiting as it does not take to molding very easily due to its texture and lengthy curing process.  Raw soap being somewhat fluid has many possibilities, however this Cold Process soap can be tricky and there are times you must move fast and get the soap poured immediately. Since soap making relies on a chemical reaction process, it can be fussy with the interaction of particular fragrance oils or additives which in turn affect its final look. Depending upon your favor with the Soap Gods, your soap can turn out great or go the other way and end up in the garbage can. Creating patterns in the soap can also be challenging as there is a small window of time to work with before the soap sets up. If you however have some nifty tools and special molds you can achieve some fun and interesting results.

Feathered pattern into Lavender Soap,

I was fortunate to find someone to make me a few new tools and molds. With some ingenious designing and some handy skills my mold maker created some unique tools that enabled me to make patterns in my soap that would otherwise not be possible.  These types of techniques can produce specific color sections or create swirled and feathered patterns in the fluid soap much like the technique of marbling paper. The end result; each slice being completely different which gives more variety and uniqueness.

Round Soap Loaf

This round soap loaf was made with three different colors and three different fragrances. A combination of exotic Jasmine, fragrant Lavender and a fresh marine fragrance teamed up in this 3″ bar. Our Tri-Colore soap has a clean and calming floral scent and its nice circular shape fits comfortably in the hand too.

BellaVita Botanicals Juicy Orange and Poppyseed soap

May I introduce you to our juicy Orange soap made with refreshing Blood Orange and Tangerine Essential Oils and exfoliating Poppy seeds which not only stimulate the skin, but leave it soft and smooth. The Citrus group of essential oils are renown for their uplifting powers which makes this the ideal wake-me-up shower soap. We have added swirls of rich and creamy Shea and Coconut which have a way of  buttering up your skin just to keep it moisturized.

Why make fancy soaps?

Answer: Colorful one of a kind soaps add a touch of luxury to the bathroom and using them makes it enjoyable because they are beautiful. Why not take art into the bathroom! These little works of soap art make great gifts too and come wrapped in colorful hand-made Mulberry Papers. Soap gifts are much appreciated house warming gifts and make delightfully fragrant party favors. If the bars are too pretty to use just place them in linen or lingerie drawers. Once placed in the drawer, the soaps maintain a long scent life.

Our wrapped art bars are priced at $8.95 for 4 ounces.  If you would like the entire loaf and wish to slice it up yourself we will send you a complementary soap cutting knife and you may specify your scent and color choice. BellaVita Botanicals offers custom labeling and has over 100 scents to choose from! Please allow 6 weeks for curing.

Each of us has a different perception of what a changing season feels like. A good deal of our experience and perception of seasonal change revolves around nature’s botanicals.  Plants are forever changing as they usher each new season by sprouting, rooting, blooming, and fruiting. These botanical seasons and their harvest provide us with a connection to earth as well as a reference point for the passing of time. It is the scent of evergreens and Peppermint that can transcend us back to a Christmas past, while the scent of drying aromatic leaves can bring on an Autumn chill.  Our memories conjure up associations with scents that leave long-lasting impressions, much like time in a bottle.

Time in a bottle is what I have decided to create today; a series of bottles each containing my interpretations of the four seasons of botanical scent. I wanted to unite the seasons with a single label which ties each solstice and equinox together so I have chosen a Cherry tree botanical with an evolving branch of blossoms. This is a multi panel label that takes the Cherry branch through the seasons of time. In Japan, Cherry trees called “sakura” and cherry blossom flowers themselves, are held in the highest esteem. The significance of the blossom to the Japanese culture is symbolic of the transient nature of life, as the Cherry blossom blooming season is very short.

My Autumn starts with the cooling earth after a hot dry summer. I take a deep breath and draw in the odors of a now spicy earth, seasoned by spent leaves, warm nuances of fragrant bark and fragrant forest moss. As the earth becomes moist again with refreshing rain, back notes of pungent tawny mushrooms lay dormant waiting to push themselves up through the rich soil.

My Winter arrives with the narcotic scent of Tuberose and freshly fallen snow that freezes into peaceful icy air.  Clear green notes of Pine, Spruce and crisp alpine Mint are warmed by the scent of brown sugar and wood smoke.

My Spring of velvety buds and dewy blossoms, bitter-sweet Bamboo shoots, Tiger lilies and pond lilies, teased by wildflowers and fields of fresh green hay.

My Summer is a warmth of golden sun that brings forth the botanical fragrances that hang in the summer air. Here, Exotic Orchids, Coconuts, Lime and Bay Rum mingle for a summer romance.

Four Seasons of Scent, BellaVita Botanical fragrance collection total of 4 ounces $75

Today I have selected three gorgeous golden orange botanicals that will create an Organic healing body butter. I have chosen a botanical seed butter, a cold expressed citrus peel oil and a fruit kernel oil which when combined, will provide a natural ointment for the skin. Each ingredient will help the skin stay moisturized, aid healing and help reduce wrinkling.. 

Mangoes are one of those exotic fruits that smell and taste just wonderful. While they are grown and eaten in most tropical regions of the world, they are also used medicinally.  The Mango which is rich in vitamins and antioxidants and possesses antimicrobial properties, is used in many parts of the world to treat an array of conditions. Mango is used extensively in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, by the natives of the Amazon rain forest and in Africa.  While many parts of the plant are used medicinally, the fatty acids in the Mango seeds are cold-pressed for its luxurious butter. Mango Butter has natural emollient properties, wound healing, and regenerative activity. This butter has been traditionally used in the rain forests and tropics for its skin softening, soothing, moisturizing and protective properties and to restore flexibility and reduce degeneration of skin cells. Mango butter also appears to have protective effects against UV radiation. Mango butter is restorative to dried or sun damaged skin, excellent for wrinkle control and is an effective emollient to combat skin stresses.

Mandarin Essential Oil, expressed from the skins of the Mandarin Orange, has a heavenly sweet and sedating scent. The oil from this powerful little fruit protects wounds from becoming septic as well as from other bacterial, fungal or viral infections. The potent botanical compounds form a protective covering on the wound and promotes the collection of blood platelets and leucocytes at the effected area, thereby checking the intrusion of microbes. Mandarin oil is one of nature’s essential oils that is particularly helpful in preventing stretch marks. Mandarin is very gentle and can be used by children as well as older adults.

Apricot Kernel Oil, sought out for its high vitamin E content and skin softening properties, is known for its ability to penetrate the skin without leaving an oily feel. Apricot kernel oil is also popular as a  massage oil and used in cosmetics that require a gentle oil. Rich in essential fatty acids like oleic and linoleic acid, Apricot kernel oil is high in vitamin A. Since it easily penetrates the skin, it is a good oil for prematurely aged, dry or irritated skin or for children. The excellent softening and moisturizing properties make it a good choice for face, hands and hair.  Apricot kernel oil helps skin retain elasticity, clarity, and suppleness.

I have combined gentle Organic Apricot oil along with healing Organic Mandarin Essential Oil and rich Organic Mango butter into a fragrant skin therapy butter. This buttery stick, with its uplifting scent, is ideal for controlling stretch marks, for repairing dry and irritated skin and soothing sunburn. The consistency melts with skin’s temperature and absorbs without feeling oily.  Our stick comes in a convenient push up tube for easy and clean application.

Organic Mango Mandarin Body Butter Stick 1 ounce $15.00

Ingredients: Organic Beeswax, Organic Mango Butter, Organic Apricot Kernel Oil, Organic Italian Mandarin Oil

These little chicks are tempted by our cute Parfum jars that look like mini pastel eggs. Our jars hold treasures of hand made long lasting solid Parfums in sweet spring scents. These are a blend of carefully crafted wax made by our botanical pollinating honey bee friends along with rich Coconut and Mango butters and a dash of fuzzy Peach kernel oil for extra luxury. The beeswax and butters melt onto the skin and keep the fragrance subtly in place unlike spray perfumes. The silky fruit butters are moisturizing and contain no drying alcohols or preservatives. Just apply to pulse points or apply to hair for fragrance and sheen. For those who have sensitive skin or allergies to atomized fragrances, you will find this method to be a pleasant alternative. Solid Parfums react and bond with your body’s own natural chemistry, creating a scent that is uniquely “you”.

BellaVita Botanicals Solid Parfum

Spring into Spring with botanical scents like Sweet Pea, Lavender and Beeswax, Sunflower Field, Baby Rose, Orange Blossoms and Lemon Sugar. Our Parfums come with a petite gift organza pouch. 1/10 oz  $8.50. Makes the perfect little gift to hide in an Easter basket….or for any sweet occasion. Fits neatly into purse, desk drawer or travel bag.

Being a soap maker, I have plenty of spare soap and lots of scrap pieces which end up in my bathroom. I have noticed with the array of soaps in my soap dish, I found myself using several different ones during my bath and I found it enjoyable. It reminded me of various entrees in a meal, or maybe like sampling different Sushis. I found I desired different textures, different scents and different fragrances for different parts of the body. It has made bathing more interesting and has managed to turn this activity into more of a ritual. After all, the bath should be relaxing, rejuvenating and a time where you can pamper yourself in solitude.

A foot soap should not be used on the face and a facial bar should not be used for under the arms. They are different areas of the body with different needs. It was this bathing pattern that I developed which made me think my readers just might enjoy doing the same thing so I compiled a little stack of soaps, actually half bars, and I’m calling  them Little Luxuries. Use these bars for selective areas while you enjoy the little individual experiences they offer.

Focus area Soaps  Feet are one of those areas that should just have their own personal bar of soap. Feet require special attention and can use a more aggressive washing. For a foot soap, one cannot go wrong with mint. It is an antibacterial and refreshing to the feet. Rosemary with pumice is another fragrant and antibacterial choice for cleansing the feet. An excellent combination for the face is our Honey Oatmeal bar which  makes a gentle antibacterial face treatment. For a special treat, our facial clay bars with detoxifying clay formulas, are geared to clear and brighten your complexion. For an all purpose body soap, one cannot go wrong with Lavender as it is excellent for all skin types and gentle enough as a face soap. Lavender makes the ultimate fragrant and soothing bath experience and is considered the comfort food of soaps. The underarm area is another region that requires its own antibacterial and cleansing soap. Mint is a very good choice for this as is Clary Sage, which works well with the chemistry of women’s bodies.

Orange Poppy seed soap

Salt Soaps

Invigorating and Exfoliating Soaps Citrus makes the ideal wake up remedy. The Aromatherapy benefits of Citrus are uplifting, fresh and clearing to the senses. Citrus oils are excellent astringents and antibacterials. Our Lemon Squeeze or Orange Poppy seed soaps deliver a very zesty and cleansing punch. Our exfoliant soaps contain tiny poppy or fruit seeds, or an array of sea salts making these soaps ideal for feet or for a feel-good bar as it tends to wake the skin up with gentle massaging grains. An exfoliate leaves skin smooth and soft and allows the skin to regenerate by making way for new cells.  Salt soap is one of my favorites for an underarm soap. Mineral rich Salt, as an exfoliant, has good drawing properties as it cleans pores and removes toxins. Another worthy consideration for a body soap guaranteed to invigorate you is our rippled massage bars which increase circulation and massage muscles while cleansing the skin. 

Healing Soaps  The medicinal scents and healing attributes of  Eucalyptus, Mints, Citrus,Tee Tree, Rosemary and Pine make good therapy soaps. These soaps are very tonic like and make a good choice when feeling under the weather or have sore muscles. These are good products to use  if you need a good antiseptic skin wash as well.

Fragrance Bars. There are soaps whose scents create an ambiance of romance or sensuality. Bathing to candlelight with a finely scented soap is one of the great inexpensive indulgences that we can give ourselves. Lavender or Violet soap, with its powdery notes, makes a nice dreamy scent. Jasmine is very exotic and sweet fragrant Rose is relaxing while Sandalwood is very sensuous.

My Favorite Soap! Clary Sage, is one of my all time favorites. Clary Sage oil, deriived from a variety of the Salvia plant family, has a wild outdoorsy clean scent. Clary Sage is considered to be a relaxant and calmant and contains plant estrogens that work compatibly with women’s body chemistry. The ultimate bar of soap for me is Lavender and Clary Sage. This combination provides relaxation and a premium herbal fragrance.

Little Luxuries  includes a random variety of soaps, no two alike, and will include a salt and massage bar- Pak of 5 bars,  2 ounces each. $18.00

Little Luxuries, BellaVita Botanicals

When one thinks of sore muscles they rarely think about the valuable uses essential oils can play in a rub formula. The original liniment formulas used ages ago were created from herbs, plant extracts and oils but today formulas utilize inexpensive substitutes and synthetic ingredients. There are a number of beneficial oils that make excellent liniments and can assist with muscle soreness. Some of the spicy oils provide soothing warmth such as Cinnamon, Birch, Ginger, Black Pepper, and Nutmeg. Herbal oils, such as Rosemary, is good for all forms of muscular pain while garden Marjoram increases circulation by dilating arteries.  Tonic-like oils such as Juniper berry and Eucalyptus, work on tension and stiffness and aid in  increasing circulation. The mint family, another choice for muscle work, is antiseptic and has penetrating and invigorating properties.

Bay

Our massage bar, made from Organic Cocoa and Organic Shea butters along with Sweet Almond Oil, easily slides along the skin distributing warmed lubricating emollients. Both Shea and Cocoa buttersare well absorbed by the skin as they penetrates easily and have a low melt temperature. Cocoa butter  is very high in VitaminE and antioxidants and is renowned for its skin renewing properties. The Almond oil in this bar is another wonderful nourishing emollient and aids in balancing the skin’s natural oils making it an all around skin conditioner. The textured top of this Liniment bar provides a deep but gentle massage allowing muscles to release their tension and reduce stiffness. Our massage bar offers convenience as the oils are  dispensed evenly and quickly providing a continuous relaxing massage. In addition to moisturizing oils, our bar contains a synergy of three essential oils which provide additional Aromatherapy benefits.

Jamaican Bay Oil Pimenta racemosa, stimulates lymph and blood circulation, has a warming odor and is good for strains and sprains. This is one of the spicy oils which produces a warm sensation which provides relief  for soreness. Praised by the Romans, Bay was used as a tonic and muscle liniment. This premium oil has a very nice fragrance and is considered to be mind clearing.

Australian Cajeput Oil Melaleuca cajuputi, shares properties with Tea Tree and Eucalyptus oils, both in chemistry and aroma. Cajeput has a sweet middle note and is very stimulating and warming with a penetrating, camphoraceous scent.  Cajeput has a long history of use as a massage oil for painful conditions of the muscles and joints.

Russian  Juniper berry Oil Juniperus communis, has been used since ancient times as a tonic and was burned as ritual incense. Juniper is very astringent and antiseptic and contains the botanical compound Camphene a type of natural camphor which is easily absorbed by the skin. The native Indians of the Pacific Northwest used Juniper berry for sore muscles and arthritis. Juniper berry has a slight analgesic effect which makes it effective for dulling the pain of sore muscles and stiffness.

BellaVita Massage Bar

Our generous 5 ounce Liniment Massage bar will last for several massages. Bar $20 

 Store in refrigerator. Not recommended for use during pregnancy

The journey today is to take the pure white plain unscented challenge!  It won’t be easy as I will have to refrain from opening my fragrance refrigerators. I will have to create a soap that will stand on its own as a break away bar; a bar that escapes from fragrance identity and color association, only to make the most out of being a plain Jane!  Where do I start? A good place to start is thinking about the choices of premium ingredients that I can put into this bar.   Since we are ending the winter season, my mind easily drifts off to Cocobana beach in the Philippines where beautiful coconuts bask in the sun.  I think about pure white sand beaches and envision meaty white coconut flesh that can be turned into coconut oil for my soap. The Phillipines has been home to premium Copra, coconut oil, for hundreds of years and happens to be one of their main crops.

Coconut is a Drupe

Coconut oil is considered hypoallergenic because technically it is not a true nut, but a drupe. A drupe is a fleshy fruit, such as a peach, plum, or cherry, usually having a single hard stone that encloses a seed. This oil makes a great choice for soap because it is gentle and moisturizing. Coconut is high in fatty acids which makes it a prefect cleanser as it is good lathering, easy rinsing and offers rich emollients. Why is it a good cleanser? Since Coconut is high in fat, it has the ability to pick up all these fat-soluble particles leaving skin clean. Though Coconut oil  is good at removing dirt and oil, it will not dry the skin as Coconut oil improves skin hydration and increases skin surface lipid levels. Coconut contains 54% Lauric acid and 20% Myristic acid. The lauric acid found in coconut oil has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. It is also great for fighting skin infections and its use in fighting acne is being explored. Myristic acid is easily absorbed by our skin and acts a lubricant and an anti-inflammatory.  It helps repair the skin barrier and increases moisture and hydration.

While I am exploring the use of the coconut it makes sense to use the other valuable parts of this drupe as well. In addition to the Coconut oil for part of the soap base, I will use the Coconut water, the coconut milk and the flesh for a total of four different products from one botanical.  As a note, this is the only botanical that offers a unique water product, so I have substituted the coconut water for my distilled water to which I add my Lye. For a good silky lather I have added a cup of really thick and creamy coconut milk as well to the soap mixture. This makes a very nice rich feel. I also added some finely shredded organic coconut as a gentle exfoliant.  Did this soap survive without fragrance? Yes it did and this soap turned out to be everything but plain!

BellaVita pure coconut soap

Here we have the completed soap-no colorants, no fragrances, no preservatives, no parabens, no sulfates, no phthalates, no paraffin, , just plain soap!