New Beginnings

My New Year's resolution - my only New Year's resolution - is to blog more often.  I am not a fan of New Year's resolutions, but the timing seems right.  2013 was a big year for us, culminating in our move to a larger warehouse space.  The Christmas rush is over, and I have some time to get caught up on all the things I had to push to the side while trying to keep up with all the orders we received during November and December.   And, more importantly, I want our customers and potential customers to have as much information about our products as possible, so they can make informed choices about which products are right for them.  

As I write this, Northeastern Ohio, and most of the rest of the country is coming out of a deep freeze, and many of us are questioning the life choices that led us to live in places where the temps go below zero.  With the horrid weather comes additional skin care challenges.

One of the reasons that I started The Willow Tree Soap Company was that I had terribly dry skin.  Commercial moisturizers didn't do much for me.  My doctor even prescribed something for me once that didn't do much more.  Initially, I focused on making a soap that would not dry my skin but that had the fragrance of Bath & Body Works products (more about that in a later blog), but it didn't take me long to add moisturizers to our product line.

Our Body Frosting is hands down the best thing I have ever used for dry skin, and I have used a lot of things! What makes it so good?

• Chamomile Flower Extract - This soothes dry skin and is thought to promote healing of skin irritation, sunburn, rash and minor cuts, scrapes and burns.

• Lavender Extract - Lavender soothes irritated skin and restores natural moisture balance to all skin types.

• Allantoin - The most critical ingredient in any heavy duty moisturizing cream.  It is moisturizing and keratolytic, meaning it causes keratin in the skin to soften. This property helps skin to heal more quickly and to bind moisture more effectively. 

• Aloe Leaf Extract - Aloe Vera improves the skin's ability to hydrate itself, aids in the removal of dead skin cells and helps protect and rebuild your skin.

• Vitamins A,C,E & Pro Vitamin B5 - All essentials for healthy feeling and looking skin.

In addition, our Body Frosting is loaded with moisturizing butters - 5% cocoa butter and 2% shea butter.

We have sold the 2 ounce unscented Body Frosting since the very beginning of our company.  Over the years, we've received requests for a larger, scented version.  I was reluctant to add fragrance to this product, because doing so changes the texture a bit.   After doing some serious testing, I have come up with a scented version that maintains all the delightful qualities of the original.  We now offer an 8 ounce jar in a variety of scents, and the feedback has been amazing!

One final note about this product - even though the name implies that it should be used on the body, the unscented version is perfectly fine to use on your face.  I do so regularly in the winter to help protect my skin from harsh weather.  

Have you tried our Body Frosting?  Tell us what you think in the comments below!