Well – there’s new scientific proof of what has been believed for centuries – certain scents really do reduce stress. Nice, eh? Here is an excerpt from the UPI press release from July:

“Japanese researchers have confirmed what many aroma therapists have long advocated — the scent of plants like lemon, mango, lavender reduce stress.

The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found certain fragrances alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress levels.

Akio Nakamura of the Technical Research Center at the T. Hasegawa Co. in Kawasaki, Japan, and colleagues note that people have inhaled the scent of certain plants since ancient times to help reduce stress, fight inflammation and depression and induce sleep.

Aromatherapy, the use of fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health, has become a popular form of alternative medicine today, Nakamura said.”

According to the article, lab rats were exposed to stressful situations – and some rats inhaled Linalool (a natural scent believed to have a calming influence) while the other rats didn’t breathe the Linalool. Those that inhaled the Linalool “returned stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes — key parts of the immune system — to near-normal levels.” Pretty cool!

We at Garden Girl have believed this since the beginning – that’s why we so carefully chose our blends of either energizing or calming essential oils for our shower gels and body lotions. Check them out if you haven’t tried them. There’s one for every mood!

Ok – I know that I sell body wash – and yes, that is mainly what I use because I love it and it leaves your skin more moisturized than bar soap, but once in awhile I like to use bar soap just to change things up. I like the simplicity of it, it almost feels “retro” now!

My favorite? Hands down it’s Dr. Bronners Peppermint Organic Bar Soap. It is creamy and rich and smells amazing. I love peppermint in the shower – it wakes you up (which is why I love Garden Girl’s Alive body wash too!)

On Dr. Bronner’s website, they describe the soap as follows: “The peppermint essential oil tingles the body and clears the mind. Because therapeutically peppermint oil is a mild stimulant it increases vitality and clarity. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Wrapped in 10% hemp-flax / 90% post-consumer recycled paper from Living Tree Paper Co.”

My biggest pet peeve? It doesn’t last as long as I’d like. If you decide to try it, definitely buy it at Trader Joe’s if you are near one. It’s around $2.75ish vs. the $4.19 on the Dr Bronner’s website!

A long, dragged out weekend ending in the boys being just plain filthy and icky has inspired this Monday’s special offer.

Our One Day Sale this week features a sort of BOGO offer:

Buy any body lotion (or even Little Lamb baby lotion) and get the matching body wash FREE!

Yep – that’s right. Just plain free. The only “hitch” is that you have to spend $35 or more on your order.

So now you can cover yourself in a rich lather that is SLS/Sulfate-free, paraben-free and phthalate-free. Our shower gels have YUMMY fragrances that can wake you up or calm your senses. There’s Chill Out [mandarin grapefruit], Mellow [lavender, rose geranium], Jump Start [lemon, lime, jasmine] or Alive [peppermint, basil, rosemary]. They make a great bubble bath too!

Then you can deeply moisturize with our fabulous body lotions in the matching scent. Our lotions leave your skin hydrated and glowing with the combination of aloe, jojoba, shea butter, and hydrolyzed silk. Plus it is packed with antioxidants from green tea to fight free radical damage to skin cells.

This week there is no coupon code needed – just simply write

FREE BODY WASH PLEASE

in the comments section when you check out. And you’ll be on your way to a happy shower in no time!

And as always – please feel free to leave feedback either here or on our Facebook site:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Needham-MA/Garden-Girl-Skin-Care/26714478326?ref=share

Have a great week!

Next time you see that commercial for Oil of Olay body wash with “spa exfoliating ribbons” or the Clean and Clear Daily Pore Cleanser or the Dove Gentle Exfoliating Foaming Facial Cleanser (or any of a number of other “big name” products) – think about this: those products use tiny spheres of plastic (polyethelene to be exact) to exfoliate your skin. So by using those products, people are sending those beads down the drain and into our groundwater – eventually making it to oceans and streams. We all know that there is way too much plastic that is ending up polluting our planet – so do we REALLY need to create more products that could be made using alternative, earth-friendly ingredients but instead choose non-biodegradable, pollutive plastic to further clog up our waters and poison our wildlife?

Check out the full article here: http://www.slate.com/id/2193693?nav=wp

Not really convinced that this could be a problem? Consider this – did you know that there are people that study SAND? According to a National Geographic article (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0506_040506_oceanplastic.html):

“U.K. researchers in Plymouth and Southampton, England, found that microscopic fragments of nylon, polyester, and seven other types of plastic are widespread in sediments around British shores.”

The scientists said “We believe that these [fragments] probably represent only a small proportion of the microscopic plastic in the environment.”

According to the article there was “approximately three times more plastic in the water column in the 1990s compared with the 1960s.”

“Estimates for the longevity of plastic range from a hundred to a thousand years,” said the leading scientist “Since we’ve only been [mass producing] plastics for 40 years, we still don’t have a full handle on their longevity.”

Really – can these big brands at least make some ATTEMPT to do the right thing?