A message from Noir Naturals’ Owner

Hello everyone,

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your prayers and concern.  My most recent hospital visit was a really scary moment for my family and me, but I knew GOD was in control, and everything would be alright.  As everyone knows, the soap making process involves dealing with lye, and it can be quite dangerous if not done properly.  From here forward I will have to take a lot more precautions when making our soap.  Soap making is something I love and a passion for me, especially when someone tells me how much it has helped them in some way.  I am going to keep bringing all of you the soap you expect, and look forward to seeing everyone at the shows soon.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as we will be praying that GOD shows us the best direction for the business.  Please also keep any suggestions coming our way.

Again, thank you for your prayers and concerns over the last 2 weeks.

Congratulaions to our Mother’s Day Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to our Mother’s Day winners!

There is a lot of love for mothers and we could not be happier.  We had so many entrants in our Mother’s Day Giveaway, we decided to add a fourth prize.  Congratulations to:

Elizabeth Crabtree – Argan oil
Jackie Jenkins – $20 gift certificate
Alberthetta Dugue – Shea Butter
Mona Comeaux – $10 gift certificate

We’ll be in touch soon with details on collecting your goodies.

Happy Mother’s Day!

To learn more about Noir Naturals, including our new Soap Club, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, G+, or Pinterest.  Not into social media?  Visit us at NoirNaturals.com to learn more about us, our products, and our travel schedule.

Give All Things Lavender for Mother’s Day

We love our mothers.  They nurture, teach, and cheer us on.  They are our chauffeurs, nurses, doctors, chefs, and police when needed.  Their work really is never done, and Mother’s Day is just one of the days they should be recognized.  For Mother’s Day, we’re taking 20% off our lavender items.  Why lavender?  It promotes relaxation and mom can always use a break, even if just for a few minutes.

On sale are:

• Whisper (Patchouli & Lavender) Goat’s Milk Soap
• Whisper (Patchouli & Lavender) Goat’s Milk Lotion
• Lavender Goat’s Milk Anti-Aging Body Butter
• Lavender Vegan Coconut Milk Soap
• Lavender Goat’s Milk Soap
• Lavender Dead Sea Salt Scrub
• Lavender Dead Sea Bath Salt
• Great Escape (Eucalyptus & Lavender) Goat’s Milk Soap
• Ingenue (Lavender, Spearmint & Lemongrass)  Goat’s Milk Soap
• Baby Noir ((Organic Chamomile & Lavender) Soap
• Blue Angel Lavender Goat’s Milk Hand Lotion
• Lavender Soy Wax Cubes
• European Lavender Massage Candle

Each of these items is 20% off their regular prices from Tuesday, May 7 until Saturday, May 11.  Mix and match to create the perfect collection for mom, grandma, auntie, sister, or the other mother figure in your life.  And don’t forget to enter our Mother’s Day Giveaway for a deserving mother figure.

What are your plans for Mother’s Day?  Tell us about it on Facebook, Twitter, or G+. Need ideas?  Check with us on Pinterest, too. Not into social media?  Visit us at NoirNaturals.com to learn more about us, our products, and our travel schedule.

Noir Naturals’ 2013 Mother’s Day Giveaway

Mother’s Day is a week from today.   Have you picked a gift yet?  What are your plans?  What makes your mom, grandmother, aunt, or other mother figure special?   Share with us and you can win!

We want to give your mother figure something for Mother’s Day, too.  Nominate yourself, mom, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, or another mother figure.  Tell us why this mom should win our 2013 Mother’s Day Giveaway and which prize she’d like -  she just might win.

This year’s prizes are:

Bottle of 100% Pure Organic Argan Oil (1.5 oz) – $25 Value

Our Ghana Shea Butter is free of any additives.

or

$20 Noir Naturals Gift Certificate

or

Jar of Organic Ghana Beige Shea Butter (4 oz) – $10 Value

We’ll randomly select three winners and make the announcement on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2013.

No purchase is necessary to enter.  Entrants must be at least 18 years of age, and legal residents of the continental USA.  You can enter once daily through May 11,2013.

So, will you enter?  Hope so.

To learn more about Noir Naturals, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, G+, or Pinterest.  Not into social media?  Visit us at NoirNaturals.com to learn more about us, our products, and our travel schedule.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Gardening on the brain

Spring weather makes us think of gardening.  We can’t help it. We love the sight of majestic old Oak trees and the colors of blooming flowers.

Lavender is one of our all-time favorites. Graeme Weatherston photo.

Azaleas are high on our list of favorites, too.

We’re not sure what this one is called, but look at the colors! Do you know what it is?

There is nothing like sitting under an Oak!

As for our garden, it’s temporarily on hold.  Until we can plant, we’ll enjoy the fruits of others’ labor.  Have you started your garden?  What’s in it? Containers, raised beds, or in ground?

To learn more about Noir Naturals, including more on our love of gardens, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, G+, or Pinterest.  Not into social media?  Visit us at NoirNaturals.com to learn more about us, our products, and our travel schedule.

Is Natural Allergy Relief Possible?

Spring has sprung down in the south and that means allergies are kicking.  While traditional medications work most of the time, we can’t spend the day in a hazy fog.  Not that we prefer sneezing, crying, or not breathing through our noses.  What’s a team to do?  Go natural.  Some natural alternatives work quickly and others need time.  All work fairly well for us.

Local honey is a tried and true alternative.  Why local?  Because the pollen the bees use come from the flowers native to our location.  A little honey every day helps one build resistance to the pollen and the allergies that come with it. Our allergies are less severe as a result, and we get to have a little honey every day.  That’s a win to us.  Other foods that are said to clear the sinuses are horseradish, hot peppers, and hot mustard.

When congestion rears its ugly head, we turn to saline solutions.  A good saline rinse will temporarily open nasal passages and make it possible for us to breathe freely.  It’s a shame that the relief is only temporary because saline rinses work.  There are many ready made saline solutions available – they come in bottles similar to the old school nasal sprays.  Basically you tilt your head, spray, and let the saline work its magic.  While we haven’t tried a neti pot yet, we’re looking at them in a new light. A neti pot a vessel for a saline rinse and people swear by them.

Herbal and homeopathic options are out there, too.  Butterburr and  Stinging Nettle have reported benefits as alternative antihistamines.  One study reports buttterburr as effective as the active ingredient in Zyrtec.   Homeopathic remedies work like local honey does.  The type of remedy one uses is determined by the type of symptoms and allergies he/she has.  For instance, a person suffering with watery eyes may take a different solution than one who has sinus pain and pressure.

When we posted a question about allergy relief on our Facebook wall, a fan told us about another option we hadn’t heard of previously.  A liver cleanse.  The liver is the body’s processor; it metabolizes food and processes fluids.  Keeping it at optimal condition should do the trick, but we haven’t tried it.

Something that works wonders is simple – cleaning.  Wash bed linens after and consider covers for your pillows and mattresses that block allergens.  Sweep, vacuum, dust, and mop at least weekly; more often as you can and wear a dust mask if you need to. If you can get rid of your carpet, consider it.  One of our team members reports better breathing since she pulled the carpet out of her home.

How are you fighting your allergies this season?  Tell us about it on Twitter, Facebook, or G+.  We have a few home remedies pinned on Pinterest.  Do you?

For more information about Noir Naturals, including our new Soap Club, visit us on NoirNaturals.com. 

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Spring Flowers

How does your garden grow?  Any colors in your space yet?

For more information on Noir Naturals, including what we grow, visit us at NoirNaturals.com, Facebook, Twitter, or G+.  To see some of our garden inspiration, check out our boards on Pinterest.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Gearing up for Oak Alley this Weekend

Our soy wax cubes last quite a while and are just $4 a package. Mix and match your favorites.

We made some soy wax cubes then made some more.  Be on the lookout for four new scents starting this weekend — Shanghai Sandalwood, Spring Wild Flower, Green Tea & Lemongrass, and Gardenia.

To learn more about Noir Naturals, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, G+, or Pinterest.  Not into social media?  Visit us at NoirNaturals.com to learn more about us, our products, and our travel schedule.   Speaking of travel, we’ll be at Oak Alley Plantation and cannot wait!  Come see us!

March Madness at Noir Naturals

When you hear March Madness, college basketball comes to mind, but that’s not what we’re talking

Oak Alley Plantation – we’re coming back!

about.  We have so much happening this March that it might just make us a little mad.

We are so excited about our travel schedule this month!  Not only are we making return trips to two of our favorite places, we’re adding another stop to kick off the month.  Join us this weekend in Pass Christian, MS at the Flea Market at Menge.  This market is the largest outdoor market on the Gulf Coast and was featured on Junkin’ with Val and Dave.  Rain or shine, we’ll be there from 8 am until 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday – we cannot wait!

If this weekend is bad for you, come see us at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, LA on March 16th and 17th.  We love going back to Oak Alley and love the history.  And those Oaks! There’s something for everyone at Oak Alley, including ghosts according to some.

Speaking of return trips, we’re going back to Houma, LA on March 23.  Look for us at the Southdown Marketplace Arts and Crafts Festival.  This one day show features music, food, and a wide assortment of vendors ready to show you what they’ve got.  The plantation and museum will be open, too. Admission is just $5 with children under 12 free.  Rain or shine, we’ll be there from 8 am until 4 pm.

What else does March have in store?  Soap news!  Stay tuned for more information on a new feature we know you’ll love.  Soap news not enough?  Hair care products are also on the way.  We heard your

Love our soaps? Stay tuned for a special announcement.

requests and will deliver and then some.

What are you March plans?  Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, and G+.  We can’t wait to hear from you.  Are you on Pinterest?  We are!

To learn more about Noir Naturals and the upcoming new products, visit us at NoirNaturals.com.

Blue Angel Goat’s Milk Lotion Isn’t Just for Caregivers

Blue Angel was formulated for caregivers, but is also perfect for anyone who works hard and washes his or her hands frequently.
This intensive formula is available in Lavender and unscented versions.

This Winter has been something else, eh? And if you have dry skin, it’s been murder.  Caregivers, cooks, and any others who wash his or her hands frequently are feeling the pain as well.  Sometimes regular lotion isn’t enough and heavy creams may be too much during the work hours.  Enter Blue Angel, a goat’s milk lotion inspired by nurses and mean for anyone dealing with dry, cracked damaged skin.

This hand lotion formula was inspired by the nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.  These angels work hard to help patients through every stage of the healing process.  They wash their hands dozens of times a day and then some, which strips away moisture.  We wanted to create something that helped keep their skin moisturized between applications.  Blue Angel is packed with some of the most moisturizing and healing butters and oils available. Mango, cocoa, and unrefined organic Shea butter blend with Jojoba, Meadowfoam, Safflower, and Vitamin E oils to form a creamy lotion.  And we add an extra healing kick with the addition of goat’s milk.