I had actually heard other people mention this to me before, and hadn't really paid much attention to it. But hearing it again made me take note of my own hands, as I am quite fair skinned and have been exposed to a lot of sun in earlier times.  Yes, I believe my spots/freckles have also faded - and I am constantly washing my hands with liquid soap.

I decided to do some research and have found that many of the properties in essential oils do promote fading of the skin, especially lemon, but also many others. Perhaps that is why our age spots are fading! If true, I think it is great news - just another added benefit of using our natural liquid soaps!

3 March (Saturday) - Yea Community Market, Station Street, Yea - 9am to 1pm

4 March (Sunday)  - Twig and Bloom Boutique Market - St Joseph's Hall, Benalla - 9am to 1pm

18 March (Sunday) - Yea Autumn Festival, High St, Yea - 9am to 4pm

1 April (Sunday) - Healesville Craft Market, Healesville Racecourse - 9am to 2pm

LoveLuvo hears from supermum and eco-friendly local manufacturer Dindi Naturals

Dindi Naturals began about 5 years ago, with its creator Pip Guyatt mixing soap batches on the kitchen bench in the family home in Alexandra, a small town 2 hours north of Melbourne.

At the centre of LoveLuvo’s heart is our local community, and this is why we’re so committed to bringing our customers only the best in locally produced goods, with a particular interest in maintaining an ethical undertone. This is why we’re so smitten with Dindi Naturals.

“My eldest son was always suffering rashes, eczema etc. as he has quite sensitive skin. After a lot of research I decided to try making some natural goats’ milk soaps, which immediately worked well. At the same time I cut back on washing powder, which can be another nasty skin irritant.”

Pip quickly noticed how much the natural soaps also changed her skin – and immediately binned the commercial soaps she was using. Not content to let this discovery continue quietly, Pip gave some to family and friends, and they were all very surprised at how moisturising the soaps were. Word of mouth passed quickly, and before long Pip had orders coming in.

The Victorian mum was working part-time in office administration. She was always having difficulties finding after-school care for her two children because Alexandra is such a small town, so Pip decided to take the soap to the next level and start making it for shops and work from home. Her house was quickly filled with soaps curing/drying in shoe boxes in every available horizontal space. Business slowly grew and before too long she was making bigger batches in the shed.

“I did more and more research, bought a stack of books and joined health and soap-making forums. I had an insatiable appetite for information, and it was this that led me to issues like palm oil. I knew instantly that I wanted to make a product that was totally ethical, using fair trade, cold pressed oils and butters, and contained NO palm oil. I thought: if soap doesn't require palm oil, then why should we use it at all?  I've been conscious of environmental issues for a long time, so it was only natural that eco-friendliness be incorporated in all Dindi Naturals products.”

Dindi Naturals mostly package using Australian-made products/papers and recycled materials - and use hemp rope and string. Pip much prefers to use Australian produced essential oils, bush botanicals and spices, and plant/clay colourants whenever she can, and never uses artificial or synthetic colours or fragrances. LoveLuvo adores these aspects of Pip’s venture, and we’re all about advancing this eco-message, and of course, to pass along the miracle of all natural, luxurious soaps that you can enjoy without a guilty thought. Come into the store and check out our extensive Dindi Naturals ranges!

You can read this article and more by going to http://www.loveluvo.com.au/recent-news/loveluvo-hears-from-supermum-and-eco-friendly-local-manufacturer-dindi-naturals.aspx.

Saturday 7 January 2012 - Yea Country Market, Yea

Saturday 14 January 2012 - Violet Town Market, Violet Town

Saturday 4 February 2012 - Yea Country Market, Yea

A friend recently told me of her love of all natural scents, and mentioned that there was a natural lilac soap that she loved. I had to break it to her gently that the lilac scent was synthetic, and had been produced in a laboratory - nothing natural whatsoever about that. She was shocked.  I then went on to explain that if you see supposed 'natural' scented soaps like almond, coconut, rose, pomegranate, watermelon or violet, that they are mostly synthetic fragrances as a lot of these cannot be derived naturally without a huge price tag, which would make the cost of the soap prohibitive.

The essential oil of rose is usually reserved for high end products, as it is an expensive oil to produce, requiring more than 20 kg of petals to produce one teaspoon of the precious oil. I do add a little rose, in combination with other essential oils, to our 'heartfelt' bon bon, making it a very special gift soap.

This day was created in 2008 in order to raise awareness about the importance of washing hands regularly with soap, and is focused at school children. Washing hands regularly aids in reducing disease and infections which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. More information can be found at:

http://www.globalhandwashingday.org/Index.asp

Our range of liquid soaps make washing hands a pleasure. Made mostly from locally grown Australian virgin olive oil and pure essential oils, it is proving to be a popular choice for hand and body washing.  There is an inviting range of scents to choose from, and the gentle sudsing action isn't drying, but is a very effective natural cleanser in removing the bugs living on the lipid layer of your skin. The temperature of the water used is not important, as cold water is just as effective in spreading the liquid soap over your skin. Using liquid soap for handwashing is a proven method of reducing germ contamination. Browse our range here!

Our natural soaps are handcrafted and quality made with locally grown virgin olive oil, nourishing plant butters, soothing luxury milks, pure essential oils and organic herbs.  We value our customers and the environment -  that’s why we choose the finest, natural, fair-trade and organic ingredients that nature has to offer.  We carefully combine them to produce safe, luxurious body products that will benefit you and your loved ones and have minimal impact on our environment.

Natural ingredients are ideal because they provide nourishment.  Rich in vitamins and nutrients, they are good for the body.  Some of the ingredients used in our products are sheeps milk, goats milk, nut oils, olive oils, flowers, shea butter and pure essential oils.  With the growing public attention on milk soap and other milk-made products, we are proud that we capitalise on these naturally nourishing ingredients to provide you with skin-enriching products.

Goat soap is great for all skin types

We use sheeps milk and goats milk in our soap because of their high vitamin content.  Our goat soap is well accepted and greatly loved by our customers because of how it has nourished their skin.  If you’re wondering what’s in goats milk soap that makes it healthy and beneficial for your skin, the list below will tell you how and why. 

• It is naturally creamy and has special moisturising properties that help replenish and pamper the skin

                - Contains high amounts of protein, amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, citric

                   acid, zinc and essential vitamins like A, C, E and B

• It has a pH level (acidity) that’s almost the same as that of our skin which protects our body from the attacks of microbials, like bacteria and viruses, and other chemicals and contaminants

               - Contains caprylic acid that acts as a neutraliser to prevent skin dryness

• It has no artificial additives like alcohol, petroleum or preservatives, thus reducing skin irritation and allergic reactions
• It has alpha-hydroxy acid that chemically exfoliates dead skin cells and leave smooth, new cells on the surface

             - Contains lactic acid to aid in skin rejuvenation, making your skin clean, smooth and fresh

• It has natural glycerin, unlike commercial soaps wherein it’s removed and used separately for use in moisturisers.  Glycerin keeps the skin naturally moist.           

Based on the above list, you can see why a goats milk soap is definitely beneficial for your skin.  But you’ll even be more impressed with goat soap once you’ve learnt about its other health benefits: 

• It makes your skin feel refreshed, clean and smooth and eliminates the need for too much lotion or cream.
• It is ideal for sensitive skin because it has no harmful chemicals.
• It helps soothe, heal or prevent skin problems and diseases like psoriasis, eczema, itchiness, chicken skin, allergies, acne and dry skin.

 Goats milk soap is perfect to help you maintain a fresh, youthful glow and healthy, rejuvenated skin.

Our milk soap products are natural and beneficial

At Dindi Naturals, we include quality fresh sheeps milk in combination with goats milk in our milk soap because sheeps milk has five times the vitamin C and folic acid of goats milk.  This milk soap mixture provides stronger healing and nourishment for those with skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis, and reduces the effects of skin ageing.  With this combination of goat and sheeps milk, our range of milk soaps is guaranteed to leave your skin feeling healthy and rejuvenated.

Discover the amazing benefits of natural skin cleansing and moisturising with our all natural and environmentally friendly milk soap and body products.  Whatever your skin type, whether you have sensitive skin, dry skin or troublesome skin conditions, you can help your body feel fresh, revitalised and alive with our 100% natural milk soap.  Contact us now and let us show you the wonderful skin rejuvenation our milk soap can bring to you. 

24 September 2011 (Saturday) - Riverside Plaza Community Market, Shepparton

1 October 2011 (Saturday) - Yea Country Market, Yea   NOT ATTENDING DUE TO RAIN

2 October 2011 (Sunday) - Healesville Craft Market, Healesville Racecourse NOW RESCHEDULED TO 23 OCTOBER DUE TO RAIN AND FLOODING

23 October 2011 (Sunday) - Healesville Craft Market, Healesville Racecourse

29 October 2011 (Saturday) - Mansfield Bush Market, Mansfield

5 November 2011 (Saturday) - Yea Country Market, Yea

6 November 2011 (Sunday) - Healesville Craft Market, Healesville Racecourse

3 December 2011 (Saturday) - Yea country Market, Yea

4 December 2011 (Sunday) - Healesville Craft Market, Healesville Racecourse NOW CANCELLED DUE TO FLOODING

We have recently added new products to our range:

• bon bons - gorgeous little wrapped bars of luxury soap in twisted black tissue
• chunky bars - hand cut and stamped natural soaps in 6 different varieties
• bricks - large bars for big hands - funky tie dye and other popular scents

Off to the shed to make soap now.... brrrrrr - still freezing cold here in Alexandra!

Thanks for your patience.

Pip