Lavender Rosewood Bar Soap Winners!

Wow! I'm thrilled to read the responses, questions, and comments we receive on our blog--keep the conversation going! It's great to hear how Young Living's products are benefiting your lives. By sharing your personal experiences and ideas, you are teaching and inspiring the rest of us. Please keep sharing!

Faye Durham asked the following question,

"How is the Lavender Rosewood bar soap made?
Does it contain animal by-products?"

This is the soap making process (thanks, Dale Robbins for this behind-the-scenes info!) :

The Young Living bar soaps contain no animal products whatsoever--the base is vegetable oil (palm, coconut, and olive oils, which are classified as vegetable.)

The soap making process is the "cold-process". Oils are added to a kettle. They are at about 85 degrees. A water and lye solution is blended into the oils. The chemical reaction between the fat (oils) and the lye/water solution (alkali) results in soap! It's a very simple process and requires little heat. Essential oils and other ingredients such as wolfberry oil are added just before the soap (in its more liquid state) is poured into a large mold. The soap rests in the mold for 3 days where it completes the process (saponification). After the 3 days the mold is removed. You then have a large block of pure soap. It looks like a 250 pound block of granite. A series of wires cuts the block into bars.

And the winners of this fabulous soap are...

Jill, who said:
"I own my own massage and bodywork business and hand washing is very important. I wash my hands before and after every client. The lavender/rosewood combination in the bar soap is so great for the skin, it inspired me to make my own massage oil using lavender and rosewood. It is my most asked for massage oil. I also added patchouli and ylang ylang to it. My clients even buy it for their homes. I feel it grounds me and nourishes my body, mind, and spirit. As a massage therapist my hands need to be very soft, even though I have to wash them 30 times a day at the least. The lavender/rosewood complements each other and helps to cleanse the energy in between clientele."

Sandy Lee, who said:
"I have already been using the Lavender Rosewood soap this month, for my shower soap.
I have gotten incredibly dry skin since I enter my 50's; nothing else seemed to really help!
Since I started using this Lavender Rosewood soap, it has made a tremendous difference for me!
Each time I use it I notice my skin is less and less dry!
Thank you for this blessing in my life!
And it smells sooo wonderfully, too!!"

Cindylou, who said:
"As a Registered Nurse and mother of 4 children the importance of cleanliness and particularly handwashing is a priority for me. I LOVE all of the FANTASTIC products that Young Living has provided me with in order to safely and effectively carry out this important safeguard. I would love to try the Lavender Rosewood bar soap."

Winners, please be sure to send me an email with your contact information so that I can send you your prizes.

The Best Bar Soap- Lavender Rosewood!

Did You Know

...that throughout history lavender has symbolized cleanliness? During the First World War when modern antiseptics were depleted, the public was asked to gather up garden lavender so the oil could be used to dress war wounds.

Benefits of Natural Lavender Soap

Lavender essential oil is a base in many soaps because of its natural antiseptic properties and pleasant fragrance. Natural is the way to go, but you'll only get the benefits and potency of pure, therapeutic-grade lavender essential oil with Young Living's Lavender Rosewood Bar Soap. It's oh so perfect!

Synthetic Chemicals in Bar Soaps can Cause Health Problems

My latest copy of UC Davis Magazine (Spring 2008) reports on a new UC Davis study that shows that a "common antibacterial chemical added to bath soaps can alter hormonal activity in rats and in human cells in the laboratory." (Click here for the full article.) Good reason to go natural!

Lavender Rosewood Bar Soap Contest

To celebrate the season of spring and all things clean, we're offering a bar soap contest. Simply send us a comment about the importance of handwashing or a question about our Lavender Rosewood Bar Soap before noon on Saturday, April 26th to be entered, and you may be one of three lucky winners to receive our luxurious Lavender Rosewood Bar Soap!

The Latest Research on Lavender

We have some fabulous classes and workshops lined up for Lavender Days, so be sure to mark June 27-28 on your calendars to learn, learn, learn! Interested in finding out about the latest research on the benefits of lavender essential oil? Then you'll definitely want to attend Karen Boren's class! Here's a sneak preview from Karen:

"As of today, there are 149 lavender essential oil studies on PubMed.gov, the website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. All peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals...exciting discoverings!"

We are thrilled to be bringing together the top instructors in their fields, from herbs and gardening, to cooking and bread baking, for a great educational experience at Lavender Days. If you're a gardening enthusiast, you'll be pleased to know that Joy Bossi of "Joy in the Garden" --the Salt Lake City based radio program--will also be teaching classes at our event.

Potting Lavender

We just got this question from c.miller:

I live in Salt Lake City and love your blog. I don't have much of a yard, but would love to plant lots of lavender. Does it grow well in pots? And what is the best kind of lavender to plant here in Utah? I am going to come to Lavender Days in June. I can't wait to come and see your beautiful farm!

Hello fellow Utahn! I am happy to see your interest in lavender and that you plan on coming to Lavender Days June 27 and 28! We have a ton going on, but I think one of the things you'll be most interested in is our classes on lavender. You'll be able to learn about growing lavender in your garden, as well as take a class on the latest research that has been done on lavender.

In the meantime, I'll try to give you some information you can use now. The type of lavender we plant at the Young Living Lavender Farm in Mona is Lavandula angustifolia, which we have found does wonderful in Utah's climate. It is not only great for aromatic use, but can be used in cooking as well. The lavender plant's root system is about the same size as the plant itself, so you could start it out in a small pot, but you will need to replant it in bigger pots as the plant itself gets bigger. Lavender also loves, loves, loves the sunlight. So wherever you put your potted plant, make sure it is in direct sunlight. If you do pot it make sure to put rocks in the bottom, because they don't like their feet staying wet. And like I said a few posts down, once the lavender is established it really doesn't need much water at all. I hope you have fun with your lavender plants this summer!

Restaurant Review

The restaurant at the Young Living Lavender Farm just got a fantastic review!

Here is what Logan Molyneux, a features editor at the Provo, Utah, based Daily Herald, had to say about us:

This babbling brook of a restaurant sits among fields of lavender and several kinds of flowers on a farm near Mona. It just opened for the season and serves lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Diners get a choice of the cook's special of the day or a heaping turkey sandwich, both served with wolfberry cheesecake and lavender lemonade.

The lemonade itself is good enough to merit the trip south, and the cheesecake will make you want to come back.

Thanks Logan. We like you, too!

Lavender is in the Spotlight--Again!

A lavender plant from the Young Living Lavender Farm.

I subscribe to a few magazines that I faithfully read every month. One of them happens to be Better Homes and Gardens. (You may have guessed this because I posted about one of their articles before.) Over the past year or so I think there has only been a few times that they haven't mentioned lavender. I have come to the conclusion that it must be one of their favorite plants/fragrances. And we at the lavender farm are happy they have come to our way of thinking!

May's issue of BHG spotlights lavender on page 132. It describes three planting zones that have different water needs: oasis zones, transitional zones and xeric zones. Lavender is part of the xeric zone, which means it needs little to no water once it is established. So not only will lavender make your home garden look and smell great, it will also help with your water conservation efforts!

Blue Agave Giveaway Winners

I am so excited that so many people plan on making the Lavender Lemonade recipe I posted. Please let us know how it turns out! We got a few questions about peeling the lemons and limes. I believe at the lavender farm they use a juicer that doesn't like peels, and that is why the recipe asks for the lemons and limes to be peeled. But if you plan on juicing them at home by hand (like me) you don't need to worry about peeling them. Also, there were some questions about other recipes or cookbooks. Young Living does have two cookbooks out right now. They have very healthy, very good recipes in them. Hum, sounds like they might be a good giveaway in the future!

On to the important stuff...the winners! The randomly chosen winners are lucky numbers 14 and 16! Namastehon and Daphne please e-mail your shipping address to webinfo[at]youngliving.com and we'll send out your prize. Congratulations!

Health is the New Status Symbol for Americans

Did you know that three out of four Americans view health as their personal symbol of success? Here are some more facts from a fascinating survey, which was released in January and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation:

• 80 percent of Americans say that being emotionally healthy is a "major" symbol of success.


• 58 percent of respondents prefer not to socialize with people who lead unhealthy lifestyles.


• Two-thirds of Americans say they would prefer to be talked about as someone with inner peace and emotional well-being than as someone who is outgoing and well liked (31 percent).

Lavender essential oil has long been known to offer the following emotional benefits that are so sought after in today's world:

• balancing


• calming


• uplifting

Here's a quick tip for including lavender essential oil in your daily personal care routine:

Keep a bottle in the shower and add a drop or two to your scalp while shampooing your hair. Take a few deep breaths while massaging the scalp, then rinse. It's a great way to start your day!

Lavender Farm Restaurant and Lavender Lemonade

The restaurant at the Young Living Lavender Farm is now open for the season! We are so excited to have Lisa, our lovely restaurant manager, back this year. She is always cooking up something yummy and fresh. Today I had a bowl of amazing, straight from the farm chili and our popular Lavender Lemonade. It was fabulous!

We just got a great question about our lavender lemonade from Whitney in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. She says,

"I was at the Lavender Festival last summer and had a chance to have some of that amazing Lavender Lemonade you guys sell. If you can, I would love to have the recipe."

Well Whitney, I am happy to give you the recipe. We just served the Lavender Lemonade at our Easter event and it was a huge hit! I heard that some people were nervous to try it, but once they did they couldn't get enough. It is a great way to add something unique to the usual summer thirst quencher. And because the recipe calls for Blue Agave, an all-natural sweetener, it is healthy, too! If you want to try some before you make it, come on into the farm's restaurant; it is always on the menu.

Lavender Lemonade
7 lemons, peeled and juiced
2 limes, peeled and juiced
14 c. water
1 ½ c. Blue Agave
1 drop lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Add more water or Blue Agave, depending on the size and tartness of the fruit.

Blue Agave Giveaway!
We are so happy about the restaurant opening that we want to do a giveaway. Anyone who comments on this post by Saturday, April 5, will be entered to win an 8 oz. bottle of Blue Agave. We'll pick two winners randomly. To comment just click on the comment link at the bottom of this post and enter your Google user name, but if you don't have one click on name/url and just enter in your name and comment. You can enter your url, but if you don't have one just leave it blank.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Click here for a map to the farm or call 1-800-371-0819 for more information.