Wordless Wednesday

What Makes Our Cocoa/Lime Hemp Lip Balms so Delicious?

I’m making more of our Cocoa/Lime Hemp Lip Balms today. When we first created them and passed them out to friends I remember that they were surprised that there were so few ingredients, that they were 100% natural, and Vegan-friendly.  So, what exactly is in our lip balms?

• Organic Coconut Oil:  Coconut Oil is high in natural antioxidants, which protects skin from damaging free-radicals. It also helps keep skin firm and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Coconut Oil can help heal and repair the skin and make the skin smoother and more evenly textured by removing the outer layer of dead skin cells.

• Organic Cocoa Butter:  Hothouse uses certified organic cocoa butter that is expeller pressed and unrefined. It is a solid fat derived from the roasted seeds of certified organically grown African Theobroma Cacao tree. It has a chocolate aroma and an ability to moisturize the skin and provide a breathable barrier against the elements. Cocoa butter also has antioxidant properties due to tocopherols as well as certain polyphenols that suppress free radicals and soothe skin irritation. The benefit and value of cocoa butter has been known for thousands of years.

• Hemp Seed Butter: The industrial Hemp plant, Cannabis Sativa, should not be confused with the marijuana plant Cannabis Indica, a distant cousin. The appearance, planting patterns and uses of the two plants are quite different. Cannabis Sativa belongs to the hops family.  Benefits include: high in oleic acid (57%), high in omega-3, omega-6 and 1.7% gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, and extremely beneficial for mature or dry skin.

• Candelilla Wax: A natural plant wax derived from the leaves of the Candelilla shrub.

• Natural Vitamin E: The Vitamin E we use is a natural certified GMO (Genetically Mutated Organism) free oil obtained by vacuum distillation of vegetable fats (Certified GMO free wheat, corn, soy or canola sources). Considered an antioxidant superstar, Vitamin E functions in the body and on the skin to protect cells against free-radical damage and preventing skin damage. It can increase SPF, improves the surface of the skin, promotes wound healing, and has moisturizing and anti-aging effects. Vitamin E is an umbrella term for a group of compounds called tocopherols and tocotrienols.

• Lime Essential Oil: Obtained from the peel of the lime fruit, this citrus essential oil is stimulating and uplifting.  It has astringent, toning and refreshing properties.

Wordless Wednesday

New Tangerine Creamsicle is in the House!

New Body Butter Scent:

Just in time for Summer, we have launched a new Body Butter – Tangerine Creamsicle!  Made with pure natural Vanilla and Tangerine essential oils, this is a treat that will remind you of the pleasures of Summer.  Let your skin drink in the benefits of our organic ingredients!

Tangerine Creamsicle Organic Perfume:

We have a new addition to our Organic Perfume line!  Perfect for taking on vacation or carrying with you in your purse, our perfume is made with luscious organic grape seed oil and pure essential oils.  This is a yummy, uplifting scent that you don’t want to miss!

Wordless Wednesday

The Benefits of Using Sugar Scrubs

Using a sugar scrub can help clean skin’s surface and unclog pores, which helps with cell turnover.  By using a sugar scrub weekly, you will see a huge difference in the way your skin looks and feels.

How is Our Sugar Scrub Different from Other Sugar Scrubs?
Our Whipped Sugar Scrubs are 100% natural and you can them no matter if you have oily, dry, combination or mature skin.  We use pure unrefined cane sugar (which does not contain bone char) and add natural exfoliants like blueberry seeds, ground vanilla beans, rose hip seeds, and ground apricot seeds. Hothouse Botanicals’ Whipped Sugar Scrubs also contain ingredients to help hydrate skin such as organic coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic shea butter, and natural Vitamin E.

Using a Sugar Scrub:
After cleansing skin, use a sugar scrub to exfoliate and condition the body.  Apply a handful of sugar scrub to wet skin and massage in circular motion over the entire body.  After rinsing off your sugar scrub, all of the dead skin cells will be removed and your skin will feel refreshed and healthy.  Be careful when leaving your tub or shower, since the moisturizing ingredients are slippery.

Instant Manicure:

Don’t have time for a manicure?  Take a few tablespoons of sugar scrub and massage it on your hands and nails in a circular motion for about a minute.  Rinse your hands and lightly towel dry.  Your skin will look radiantly healthy and your nails will be gently polished!

Wordless Wednesday

Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale at Hothouse Botanicals!

We are having a limited time Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale on all of our Aromatherapy Bath Salts & Fizzy Foaming Baths!  Choose from our four signature aromatherapy blends: Bergamot/Ylang Ylang, Bourbon Geranium, Lavandin/Litsea Cubeba, and Vanilla/Lime.

Our Aromatherapy Bath Salts: Dead Sea and Bali Reef Salts are combined with pure essential oils to create a mineral rich aromatherapy bath experience. Dead Sea Salts are highly prized for their unique high concentrations of magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium, which help to provide relief from muscle aches and pains as well as dry skin. Bali Reef Salts are produced using an ancient method in which sea water is placed in canal systems (made of tree trunks) for evaporation, then the solid salt crystals are dried by a coconut husk fire and finally the sea salt crystals are sun-dried again; they are believed to have the power to purify and sanctify. Tired muscles and minor aches disappear while your body and mind are refreshed.

Our Fizzy Foaming Bath: Looking for a bath product that incorporates the fun of a fizzy bath bomb with a long-lasting aromatherapy foam bath?  Look no further, our Fizzy Foaming Aromatherapy Bath is perfect for you!  When added to your bath water, it instantly fizzes and then foams creating a luxuriously decadent moisturizing bath.

• sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate free and paraben free
• safe for whirlpools and spas
• no synthetic fragrance, preservatives, or color

Check us out at: hothousebotanicals.com

Win a Bourbon Geranium Soy Candle, Plus Two New Reviews!

Maryann from Matthew’s Puzzle tried our Lavandin/Litsea Cubeba Bath Salts and our Bourbon Geranium Aromatherapy Soy Candles.  She said that she was “…drawn to Hothouse Botanicals because of how they make their products. They are all made with pure natural essential oils – natural aromatherapy for the user! There are no synthetic fragrance or color, which it so important when following a biomedical protocol. Hothouse Botanicals contain NO Parabens, NO SLS, and are “dirty dozen free”; something we need to consider not only for our autistic children but for our own health and the health of the planet in general. Hothouse Botanicals is thinking globally, one person at a time. The products are also 100% Vegan friendly and cruelty-free.”

Maryann liked the Lavandin/Litsea Cubeba Bath Salts which have “… a delicate lavender lemon aroma that could help calm and sooth.  I used it with the boys in their nighttime bath…the boys slept beautifully.  Now I want to try it myself so I can detox and relax too.”

Maryann loves the fact that we use recycled glass containers for our soy candles.  Regarding the Bourbon Geranium Soy Candle, she says that “…it has a soft rosy-minty scent that is perfect for the spring and summer.  I could really see using it during an evening dinner party on your patio, the candle and the fireflies providing just the right lighting while your guests enjoy a glass of chilled white wine.  It would set the mood quite nicely.”

If you’d like to read the full review and enter to win a Bourbon Geranium Soy Candle, please visit  Matthew’s Puzzle and follow their instructions.

Jessica from This Dangerous Life reviewed our Vanilla/Lime Whipped Sugar Scrub and our three Organic Perfumes.  Jessica describes the Whipped Sugar Scrub as “HEAVEN.  Our youngest has been home sick the past week, and let me tell you….this sugar scrub saved me!  Every night I used it in the bath, after the baby wentto bed (for all of two fitful hours at a time!) and it was such a release.  And my skin just loved it!”  She says that our Organic Perfumes “…are just as amazing!  I loved that they are solid because then I can put them wherever I want.  I discovered that if I put them on my pressure points, then the scent would kind of rejuvenate itself during the day!  It was awesome.  My favorite was totally the licorice candy scent.  I was hesitant to try this one, because licorice perfume?!  Weird right?  WRONG.  It smelled so good, it made my kids hungry.  I love licorice, so I loved faintly smelling it all through the day.  There are two other scents too- Love’s Embrace, a floral scent with jasmine and spice, and also Seductress (hubba hubba) which had violet and bergamot.  I loved these two also, but the Licorice Candy won me over.”

Read Jessica’s entire review here: This Dangerous Life

Ovarian Cancer Awareness: Remembering Anne Rita Monahan

A friend of ours, Anne Rita Monahan, passed away on May 13^th.  Anne Rita, a local Arizonan, battled ovarian cancer for the last eight years.  She started her foundation in 2007 to fight back against ovarian cancer.  The ARM Foundation’s mission is to promote awareness and education about ovarian cancer and raise finances to help fund the discovery of an effective, reliable screening tool that will help detect ovarian cancer early and give women the best opportunity for full remission.

Ovarian cancer does not cause many early signs until the cancer grows.  Ladies, if you are experiencing the following symptoms continually for more than three weeks, please see your doctor:

• pressure or fullness in the pelvis
• abdominal bloating
• or changes in bowel and bladder patterns that continue and/or worsen

Anne’s lasting legacy is the ARM Foundation, which will continue her fight to help prevent unnecessary deaths to ovarian cancer.  If you would like to make a donation to ARM, please visit Anne’s website:  www.anneritamonahan.org

Anne, you will be missed.