Monday is a Holiday at Skin Free Skincare

We thought we would let you know that next Monday is a special holiday! It is my assistant, Tammy's Birthday! We take birthdays seriously at Blue Ridge Gypsy Studio!
In addition to sharing gifts, we will be taking Tammy to the new wonderful Mexican restaurant in neighboring Amherst. They make fabulous Margueritas at this place, which is the reason we decided to close shop after lunch. It will definitely be siesta time after cake.

Talk about Tammy's party brought up talk about hangover cures. As a pharmacist, I have my own special remedy that I always recommend:

Julie's Guaranteed Hangover Cure:
You need one medium bottle of Gator-Ade in your favorite flavor

2 tablets of Pepcid or famotidine (Total 40 mg)

3 tablets of Aleve or naproxen (Total 900 to 1000mg)

Take the Pepcid with the Gator-Ade.
Wait 20 minutes(preferably in a horizontal position)
Take Aleve with more Gator-Ade
Remain in horizontal position for 20 minutes while finishing Gator-Ade

Feel Better? You're Welcome!

We'll try to be in Tuesday. Later, Jules

Twitter Moms: The Influential Moms Network

One Mom Against Eczema & Her Brood Try Out Skin Free Products

Cindy from One Mom Against Eczema reviewd four different products for us and had her kids help out with the review.

The reports were interesting and not all positive, so you know they are honest! No. 1 son did not find the Skin Free After Shower Spritz very helpful or moisturizing. As you know the Skin Free After Shower Spritz is 100% oil and it to be applied immediately after bathing while your skin is still warm and moist. This is the first negative report that we've gotten on the Spritz not being moisturizing enough. I would suggest that they continue using the product on a regular basis because he must have some very dry skin. Application technique may also be an issue. The application must cover the skin and not just hit spots for it to be thoroughly effective. He did like the Extra Moisturizing Soap.

Cindy also used the Skin Free Corrective Face Nectar on her hand. Novel approach, but effective! She found this product to be her favorite and it cleared up her cracking skin and itchiness. Every one comments on the scent of the SFCFN. It contains carrot seed oil and Tamanu, both are a little stinky. We try to compensate by adding Geranium Essential oil, which is also good for the skin. Some still find the aroma offensive. It is nutty and pungent. I don't think it's worth the trouble to dilute it with sweet smelling oils that would only reduce it's effectiveness.

The Skin Free Niaouli Butter Stick seems to be the family's fave. They used it on hands and other stray patches of eczema. Cindy liked that she could hand it over to her 3 yo who could apply it himself without staining his clothes or making a mess.

Over all, I think they liked us. None of the products burned when applied to the skin (although the 3 yo got soap in his eye, which was unpleasant). Why don't you go visit and see for yourself? Thanks, Cindy & Crew. Good Job!!

JoAnna on the Lake - Come on Down! You've won the Skin Free Mem Day Giveaway

Hallooo Joanna on the Lake! I'm not sure what lake you're on, but you need to paddle in to shore and contact us with your UPS shipping address (send to julieh@ceva.net, please). You have won the Skin Free Memorial Day Giveaway which includes:

1) Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Liquid Soap

2) Skin Free Sweet and Smooth Sugar Scrub

3) Skin Free Whipped Tamanu Body Butter

Yeah!!!

It's great to combo up a little Liquid Soap with the Sugar Scrub and get rid of those nasty scaley dry skin cells left over from winter before you start showing off a little summer skin at the beach ( or the Lake, as the case maybe!)

And I just can't tell you enough wonderful things about Tamanu for your skin. It's even good for sunburn, but I perfer it after a nice cooling tea bath. A What Bath?

Yes, tea (like orange pekoe or some other garden variety brown teas) contain tannic acid. Tannnic acid will take the sting out of sunburn immediately. I always get those gallon size mega teabags at the Sam's or Costco's because they are easier to use than opening 2 dozen of the little bags. Even if you aren't really burned, a nice soothing lukewarm tea bath is very relaxing after extended sun exposure and helps prevent sun damage.

After your soothing tea bath, apply Skin Free Whipped Tamanu Butter to make your skin free great and heal any other sun damage that might have occurred. Sounds like a great spa treatment to me!

FYI, if you get badly sunburned on your face or neck, you can use the larger tea bags as a poultice after soaking in cool water. You won't believe how quickly the pain goes away!

Let's be careful out there! The ozone layer is slipping away. Ciao ciao ciao, Jules

More Skin Free Giveaways for All my Friends!

Good DAy! It's Thursday and our short week is almost gone! Ready for another weekend? With the almost constant Spring rain we've had in central VA, it seems my life is a constant struggle to get the weeds out my lush garden! You have to really enjoy the cool rainny weather because it's generally the prelude to a sweltering drought that will last most of the summer. C'est la guerre!

Are you ready for another give-away or two? Chelsea over at Mama Makes Money has Skin Free Whipped Tamanu Body Butter waiting for a lucky winner. Her Contest lasts through June 14th, so you have plenty of time to partake of the fun!. You will absolutely love Chelsea's Retro blog look. It's very Anne Tainter and looks good enough to eat, so go visit!

I almost forgot it's time to announce the winner of our own Contest winner. Let me run check and see who gets the goodies and I'll be right back. Ciao ya'll. Jules

Firmer Derma from Skin Free Skincare Products

Having just turned 56 in April, I spend more time these days noticing that my neck and jowls are becoming less appealing in the light of day.

I know that collagen breaks down naturally over time, but I don't have to LIKE it!!! Soooo... i decided that I should do something about it.

I love the way Skin Free Lite Moisture Cream for Daily Use makes my skin feel velvety smooth. I use it in the summer time to prevent dryness after sun exposure or swimming in the pool. I decided to use this product as the base for my new Skin Free Firming Matrix Cream.

The new secret ingredient I'm adding is a combination active natural moeity from a Spanish company called Provital. Provital has developed Homeostatine(R) from two botanicals, galactomannan derived from seeds of the Andes mountain tree Caesalpinia spinosa, and marine pentasaccharide (MPS) from the ocean algae Enteromorpha compressa.

Combining these two polysaccharides forms a 3-dimensional matrix. Galactomannons have natural moisturizing properties and allow the matrix to interact with the stratum corneum of the skin. The MPS molecules are tiny and can penetrate the epidermis to promote the synthesis of new collagen. The MPS also inhibit the synthesis of collagen degrading moeities and inflammatory moieties.

The end result is a natural increase in collagen, a decrease in collagen breakdown, and rejuvenated, firmer skin. Sounds like a plan for me!! FYI, this product is being tested by me and a group of other women. We are going to do before and after pictures and get back to you with the results. If we like what we see, there will be a major giveaway!

The Coupon Queens of Laurel Ridge Evaluate Skin Free Skincare

Miss Katie, one of the Coupon Queens of Laurel Ridge was kind enough to review our Skin Free Eczema Relief Pack, which contains Skin Free After Shower Moisture Spritz and a couple bars of our Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar.

Actually she designated her husband as chief guinea pig and you know husbands can be a little skeptical from time to time. Not this gentleman! He says that Skin Free is "awesome"! It's great for his really dry skin and his psoriasis.

Katie likes all the non-toxic ingredients and the fact that it has no fragrance. So do I!!! She's got a lot of other great things to say about the products, so go on over and visit her site.

Later, Jules

Three Great Skin Free Skincare Products now on Walgreens.com

Well, in the midst of finally trying to get my Twitter rocking and my Tweetdeck functional, I completely forgot to mention that Walgreens.com now carries the same three products that they put on the shelf. These are:

Skin Free Super Moisture Body Balm

Skin Free After Shower Moisture Spritz

Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar.

So, if you shop online at Walgreens.com, add some Skin Free to your cart. Your skin will thank you!

Running Away with Skin Free Skin Care!

I'm not sure that it isn't exchange student abuse (just kidding ;), but Alexis over at "Running Away? I'll Help You Pack" has some pretty wild leg shots of her exchange student before and after using the Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Skin Free After Shower Moisture Spritz from the Skin Free Eczema Relief Kit we sent her.

Anyway, there's a give-away involved here and you folks have THREE (3) chances to pick up some Skin Free all your very own. Ain't Life grand?

Thanks to all those crazy folks who started followin' me on Twitter last night!! I guess I need to get my Tweet Deck running and start tweeting right now!

Later, Jules

Memorial Day Celebration Giveaway!!!!

Who wants fabulous skin for the summer? Who wants fabulous skin for Memorial Day Weekend?
Who wants to win a Skin Free Gift Set containing Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Liquid Soap, Skin Free Sweet and Smooth Sugar Scrub, and Skin Free Whipped Tamanu Body Butter?

Well, here's what you do:

1) Follow our blog

2) Tweet about this give away on Twitter.com

3) Tell us how much $$$ you have to spend on our website SkinFree.net to get free shipping (here in the comments for this blog entry).

Now how easy is that! Good luck and get going! Extra Tweets count as extra credit.

Winner will be announced on Wednesday, May 27th!! Thanks, ya'll Julie

Monsters in My House Mom Blogger Autum Reviews Skin Free

I love Moms who Blog!!! They are so great to be reviewing my products and Autum from Monsters in My House is no exception.

I love that Autum reviewed some different products AND she posted pix of her results. Whatta Woman!! Not every one would be brave enough to show themselves coated in French green clay, but Autum wears it well.

She also reviewed Skin Free Corrective Face Nectar and (yeah!!!) It Works! I am so happy about that. Actually, the Corrective Face Nectar has a pretty cool combination of oils in it that do work on wrinkles, redness, dryness, scarring and sun damage. The best oils here are Tamanu and Carrot Seed.

Tamanu, from the south Pacific, has a naturally occurring skin growth stimulating moeity that is helpful for fixing scars and healing tissue. Carrot Seed contains a naturally occurring retinol agent that helps repair sun damage and scarring.

Unfortunately, these two are a little stinky, so I've corrected that with a dash of organic geranium oil that also helps in soothing damaged skin.

Since the entire product is made from oils, you use less and it works better at plumping up dry skin and wrinkles. Some of my best friends swear by this stuff!

Please visit Autum and see what she has to say on the results.

Voices in My Mind and Soap in my Hand Review

Deanna et al from the Voices in My Mind blog just wrote up a nice review for Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and Skin Free After Shower Moisture Spritz. She's also kindly promoting a little give-away of Skin Free products, so maybe you should visit and see what you can win!!!

Some People are REALLY Happy That Skin Free is at Walgreens

"My name is Donna And I'm from Chicago IL.

I would like to submit a testimonial for your wonderful products! They are the only products which have fixed my face. For years I've been combatting dry, sensitive, reactive skin. There were times my skin hurt so much Iwould break down in tears. My dermatologists were at a loss. They kept recommending products, both over the counter and prescription, and all of them didn't help, sometimes they made it worse. I stumbled upon your soap in Walgreens and within 2 days, my skin began to heal. No more burning, flaking or redness. Just smooth, healthy skin. I've just placed an order for more of your products. Please don't ever discontinue your bar soap!

Thank you so much for creating a product that does what it says!

We've been to three area walgreens and bought all the bar soap up! Thank you again!"

3 Garnets and 2 Sapphires Awarded to the Skin Free SkinCare Products

Karen C has very graciously reviewed our Skin Free Eczema Relief Kit, our Skin Free Spa Scrub Kit, and our glorious Skin Free Whipped Tamanu Body Butter over at her blog. As a life long sufferer from eczema, Karen is the perfect person to assess the effectiveness of these products. SHE LIKEY! She likey so much, she's got a forever contest (well, 2 weeks ;) for you to win a luxurious jar of Skin Free Whipped Tamanu Body Butter all your very own!!!

This product is very versatile. I use it on my face. I use it on sunburn after I take my tea bath. I use it on my ancient alligator legs. I use it on my overwashed hands. My husband uses it to massage my aching back (hmmm, me likey:)

Speaking of tea baths for sunburn! Lukewarm water, lots of tea bags, soak! The tannic acid in the tea takes the pain away immediately and helps you turn a nice golden brown. If you use the big family size bags, you can even apply them as a poultice to really painful parts. Slather on a great emollient after--preferably Skin Free Balm, Spritz, or Tamanu-- and you are good to go!

Speaking of going, go check out Karen's blog and win something!

Big John's Girl was Skeptical, but Skin Free Won Her Over!

You can read a good example of a skeptical customer who is quickly won over to Skin Free Skincare after trying the products. Sarah Morgan wasn't all that sure about our products and then we sent an Eczema Relief Kit to try. We have a Convert!!! You can read her account at her blog http://bigjohnsgirl77.blogspot.com/2009/05/skin-free-review-and-giveaway.html

It's funny, there are a lot of skeptics out there and some of them are Dermatologists!! When when took our Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap to the American Academy of Dermatology in February, our presentation poster read, " We want to change your mind about soap!" Many Derms won't recommend soap of any kind or they go for the typical Dove, Purpose, Basis route. we challenged as many Derms as we could to take the soap and try it that night. Even the really skeptical ones came back for more to share with their patients.

Nothing makes a pharmacist feel better than getting an MD to try something better for their patients!

Super Healthy Kids Blog Author Amy Likes Skin Free Stuff

Amy blogs to talk about the challenge and rewards of feeding her kids healthy food. She has three kids, is a graduate of Health Education, and loves food. My kind of girl!!! Her blog is about putting into practice all she learned in college and her years working in the community health field to find healthy foods her kids will also enjoy.
She works part time for the Department of Health, counseling with state employees about improving their health. She also heads up the healthy lifestyle program at her kids elementary school. Most importantly, she's also president and developer of the Super Healthy Kids, Healthy Habits Plate.

I feel honored that Amy chose to review Skin Free Skin Care because she's been turning away products that aren't natural. Here's what she likes:


1) SkinFree has simple, recognizeable ingredients.

2) It did not sting or burn!!

3) SkinFree is cruelty free and vegan.

4) They are available at CVS and Walgreens, not just online.

5) They have a toxicity rating of 0! Did you hear that ZERO.

6) No colors, fragrances, petroleum products, or harmful chemicals.

Well Folks, she listed all the things I thought about while formulating these products. Please visit Amy's blog to read more of her great ideas.

She is also offering a Giveaway!!! and We have sweetened the pot a bit with a discount offer for those that don't win.

Winner of $50 Gift Certificate for Skin Free Skincare

Hey Folks! We just did the drawing for the winner of the $50 Gift Certificate for Skin Free Skincare. Our lucky client is Amanda Bornich!

Thanks Amanda for being a loyal customer and supporting Skin Free!. We emailed you a separate message, so you can collect your prize!

That's what reading the blog can do for you!!

All the very best, Julie

Babies Gotta Have It Gots To Have Skin Free Skincare Products!

Wendy Stetson over at "Babies Gotta Have it" is a riot!!! Her review of Skin Free Skincare describes how it greatly improved her mange. I just love mangie people who get good results from using my products.

In a private email Wendy said, "Thank you so much! I'm loving your products and have passed along one of the bars of soap to my brother-in-law who is plagued with eczema. I did so reluctantly because I wanted to hoard it all for me. But he's suffering.:-) Thanks again!"

BTW, if your dog is mangie, Skin Free Skincare is non-toxic (just ask the Environmental Working Group). So bathing him/her in our Skin Free Extra Moisturizing Soap and moisturizing the mangie parts with our Super Moisture Body Balm or After Shower Moisture Spritz would be a good thing. And don't forget to tell your vet how well it works!

If you've never heard of the Environmental Working Group, you need to check out their research. You can also review all of the skin care products that you normally use for toxicity in their massive "Skin Deep" database.