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Handmade Beauty Connection
June 11, 2001

A Publication of The Handmade Beauty Network
ISSN 1530-9630
June 11, 2001
Vol. 2, Issue 23

This Week's Sponsor: ---> Donna Maria's Aromatherapy Workshops

This month, I will conduct two aromatherapy workshops at the Smile Herb Shop in College Park, Maryland. For
registration details, call Smile at (301) 474-8791. An informative handout with an extensive reading list is provided
in both workshops.

June 16, 2001 – Introduction to Aromatherapy
12:00 to 2:00pm, includes Q&A and book signing

Review of essential oil properties and extraction techniques, safety information, proper dilution methods and choosing carrier oils. Students will leave with their own personal aromatherapy blend made in class, plus a working knowledge of aromatherapy. They are able to distinguish between 100% essential oil, fragrance oils and other types of scented materials. An informative handout with an extensive educational reference list is provided.

June 30, 2001 – Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions
12:00 to 2:00pm includes ½ hour Q&A and book signing

Building on the first workshop, we apply the knowledge of essential oils to make moisturizers from scratch using natural ingredients to soothe and nourish the skin. We cover basic skin type analysis so students can select the oils most appropriate for their skin. Includes demonstration of cream-making process, and creation of an original recipe suitable for most skin types. Students leave with their personal aromatherapy cream blend.

1. HBN Update - Welcome New HBN Members!!
2. HBN Member Success Spotlight: Chelmsford Herbal Soap Company
3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question ~ win an assortment of products (lotion, bath gel, body oil, etc.), courtesy of Fioravanti Custom Products
4. Create The Life you Love Business Tip: Pick Up The Phone!
5. Handmade Beauty Review by Donna Maria
6. Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions | autographed copies available!
7. Take A Moment To Complete Our Reader Survey!

1. HBN Update: Welcome New HBN Members & Members On The Move!

~ Welcome New HBN Members!!

Little Egg Harbor Soap Company | Kathy Notaro | New Jersey
* handmade all-vegetable cold processed soap

Fairies Kiss | Kathleen Vosburgh | Washington
* handmade soap, herbal, milk, Ayurvedic and specialty soaps

The Purple Sage | Bobbi Guerra | Arkansas
*high quality handmade bath and body products

Chandler's Soaps | Marie Gale | Oregon
*soaps handmade on a 5-generation family ranch

Crescent Moon | Edith Bennett | California
* custom blended essential oil products of all kinds

Willow Moon Soaps & Sundries | Lisa Kalmon | Wisconsin
* natural handcrafted herbal soaps and body care products

Learn more about our new member by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory.

2. HBN Member Success Spotlight: Chelmsford Herbal Soap Company

This week's Success Spotlight shines on Rebecca Lucich of Chelmsford Herbal Soap Co. Rebecca, a former CPA, runs her successful business from Chelmsford, Massachusetts and is involved in the manufacture and sale of soap and other body care products for wholesale, retail and private label.

To learn more about Rebecca, how she makes her business a success and, of course, the great soaps and other goodies she makes and sells at Chelmsford, click here.

Member Success Spotlights are one of the many benefits of HBN membership. To learn more about Success Spotlights and how you can start putting HBN to work for your business today, click here.

3. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: Last week's winner was Cindy Winn of Ontario, Canada. Cindy won a generous sample of shea butter, courtesy of HBN member BioChemica!!

Last Week's Question: I help connect you to the physical world, serving as a sort of foundation to assist in your growth and evolution. I am associated with the most dense parts of your body, responding quickly to certain essential oils including cedar, cypress ad myrrh. My element is earth and I correspond to the base and heel of your foot. I am associated with the color red. What am I?

Last Week's Answer: root chakra

This Week's Question: I am real, though lots of people in various industries don't want you to know it. I am attributed to the proliferation of chemicals throughout our environment. I result from exposure to such things as detergents, household cleaners, perfumes, plastics, polishes and automobile emissions. Once I attack, I don't let go, causing malaise, dizziness, memory loss, nausea and anything else that makes you miserable. What am I?

Be the first to correctly answer this week's question and an assortment of products (lotion, bath gel, body oil, etc.), courtesy of Fioravanti Custom Products!!

**Additional contest rule!! You must put "Trivia Contest" in the subject line of your answer. Please read the existing contest rules (unchanged) before submitting your entry here.

While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner will be notified by email and their name posted at the link above.

4. Create The Life You Love Business Tip

Pick Up The Phone!!
by Donna Maria

In a phone conversation last week, a friend and professional colleague told me how frustrated she becomes when people she relies on (vendors, etc.) don't call her when they need to talk with her about something important. We all know that in today's "online world," it is not only convenient but also cost saving to send someone an email message rather than call them.

But the convenience of email will never be a substitute for one-on-one conversation between professional colleagues and people in business, especially those who rely on one another for particular products and services. Let's face it, if all you need to do is confirm an order, send "form" information, or ask a simple question or two, email is great. But by now, everyone who subscribes to HBC probably knows that, with all its efficiencies, email is an extremely impersonal and sometimes wholly ineffective communications medium.

Perhaps next time, you should consider picking up the phone, and here are a few reasons why.

1. Personal Relationship Building. When you call someone for a particular business related reason, you should take care of business first of course. But during that call, watch and see how the conversation often inevitably turns to "the kids," "the new soap of the month," and "what you heard about the toiletries industry from so-and-so." You can't get that type of interaction in an email message, and building personal relationships through verbal communication is a very important part of being in business.

When I was in the "corporate job," I represented my company in a legal capacity. At the time, we were trained (some would say brainwashed) to hate and resent our corporate competitors. So, I daily did what I was told, doing my level best to thwart competitors' efforts to in any way undermine my company's efforts in the industry. One day, I learned that the president of my company played golf regularly with the president of our fiercest competitor, and that their sons attended the same school. It suddenly dawned on me that, though they headed competing companies, they saw the value of personal relationship building ... something that cannot be done on email. If you want your business
to be a significant part of the life you love, you will have to build relationships that can enhance both your business and professional lives. To do this, you have to pick up the phone now and then. It's worth the extra pennies.

2. Networking & Information Sharing. Another corporate job example. I remember a time when my company hired a new vice president for my department. His office was way down the hall in the corner and his preferred method of communication was email because of its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. When I worked late, now and then, I would go down to his office, stick my head in and say hello in passing to him if he did not seem too busy. Almost every time, he invited me in to have a seat and tell him how things were going. During these brief times, he often shared "inside" office information that I would not otherwise have known. Would he have done that if I had just sent him an email? Of course, not! I could have sent an email from anywhere, but the fact that I took a moment to say hello to him personally gave us an opportunity to chat and see one another as human beings. This enhanced our working relationship enormously, and served me well when I needed him in the future. This same concept applies to any business relationship. One-on-one interaction allows the exchange of valuable information, a commodity that is becoming increasingly significant to small businesses competing in today's global economy.

3. Professional & Financial Growth. Personal contact is extremely important if you want to build your professional reputation and maximize the future financial growth of your company. I recently read an article authored by the owner of a natural food store who explained that he gives prime shelf space to those manufacturers who take the time to personally (either by phone or in person) let him know that they value his account. He posed the question: "all other things being equal in terms of product quality, why would I give prime shelf space to someone I never hear from when I can give it to the company that send a sales rep to visit me personally?" Of course, not all small businesses can afford to send sales reps around the country, but the fact is, to any store owner, a phone call indicates a much greater level of interest and commitment than an email message.

With all of the competitive long distance rates available today, there's no excuse for not picking up the phone now and then and making a phone call. Try it! You'll be glad you did!

5. Handmade Beauty Product Review by Donna Maria

~ AmishMaid/Gramma Schneider's Elder Flower Face Cream
1 ounce jar | $8.00

According to HBN member Sandra Foley who makes this wonderful cream, herbal tradition says women have used elder flowers for years to bleach freckles and enrich the skin, giving it a fine texture and blemish free appearance. Since I don't have many freckles, I can't speak to that, but as for enriching the skin and enhancing its texture, that's another matter.

This rich, butter-yellow cream is fantastic! When I first opened it, I immediately sensed the warm scent of cocoa butter. If you love that aroma, you will love this product too! The cocoa butter in the formula sort of beads up into softly textured little teeny balls that you can feel when you scoop the product from the jar. I have seen this in other cocoa butter products in which the beads are hard and do not easily melt into the skin. But these were different ... on contact with my skin, they immediately smoothed out, and the cocoa butter absorbed quickly and easily.

While this product is specifically designed for faces, since I'm pregnant, I have of course slathered it all over my stomach for weeks. I'll be running out soon and will have to order some!

You can find Elder Flower Face Cream and lots of other skincare treats at Amishmaid, which you can visit through, HBN's Online Member Directory.

6. Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions | autographed copies!

A limited number of personally autographed copes of my book, "Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions" are available for purchase by sending me an email message at donnamaria@handmadebeauty.com or calling (301) 464-4515. The price is $20 and it includes domestic shipping and handling. For international shipping rates,
please inquire.

7. Take A Moment To Complete Our Reader Survey!

If you have not already done so, we hope you will take 30 seconds to answer the brief questions in our reader survey here. Please take a moment to complete our survey, which will help us to continue to provide you with the articles and other informative items you deserve!

If you have already completed the survey, thank you, and there's no need to complete it a second time!

Thank you!

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Donna Maria, Editor-In-Chief, DonnaMaria@HandmadeBeauty.com
Jenn Givler, Associate Editor, Jenn@HandmadeBeauty.com
The Handmade Beauty Connection
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