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At Dulse and Rugosa we have never used Palm Oil in our soap or in any product.  When our business first started, we formulated soaps based on oils that made sense to our Maine farm brand.  We loved our soap but realized as we moved from experimenting to growing a business that many soaps contain Palm Oil.  The reason for this is a combination of price and quality.

The controversy around Palm oil comes from the destruction of the rainforest in Indonesia.  Natural rainforest habitat is being turned into Palm oil plantations.  In economic terms, Palm oil makes good sense.  High yields on little land make Palm oil so attractive.  Currently, around 85% of the global Palm market is supplied by Indonesia and Malaysia, home to Orangutans- the great apes of Asia.  For orangutans the loss of their homes means they are forced to move closer to villages and towns.  Where they are considered pests and  nuisances and are often killed. Sadly, Orangutans may be extinct in just a few years.

Palm oil is used in soaps because it makes a long lasting bar with a nice lather.  It’s also a reasonably priced oil.  Many natural, earth friendly companies use Palm oil in their soap.  That’s why label reading is so important.

Can you guess who’s soap this is?

Saponified Organic Coconut, Palm, Olive Oils ([Organic] with Retained Glycerin), Water, Hemp Oil (Organic), Jojoba Oil (Organic), Salt, Vitamin E

It’s not just soap that uses Palm oil, it’s everywhere.

Here’s the ingredient list from some delicious organic cookies-

Organic Unbleached Wheat Flour, Organic Powdered Sugar (Organic Sugar, Organic Corn Starch), Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Sugar, Molasses, Ground Ginger, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate (leavening), Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier), Spice, Monocalcium Phosphate (leavening), Natural Flavor.

I love the World Wildlife Foundation’s “Peel Back the Label”  activity.  It’s a great visual way to understand how ubiquitous Palm oil is.

http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil

And even if you read the labels you might not recognize how Palm oil is labeled.

Here is a handy guide from WWF.

INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol

All words for Palm oil

It’s easy to think as an individual or a tiny company that your choices don’t really affect the planet.  

For more info in saying NO to Palm oil, check out these blogs and websites.

http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/Whats_the_issue.php

http://backporchsoap.blogspot.com/2012/02/palm-oil-in-cosmetics-series-part-one.html

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered who that person was?  I know the process of aging takes time but somewhere in our 30’s to 40’s our skin- especially our face starts to change.  Our ability to produce natural oil decreases and our face after cleaning can often feel crackly and dry.  

My nightly ritual involves giving myself a gentle and cleansing facial with our Sweet Island Oil.  There are many benefits of using oil over a mainstream face cleaner.  The first thing I notice is how my face doesn’t have that dry, crackly feeling after washing.  In fact, I don’t exactly wash my face, rather I steam clean.  

Here’s my technique for a clean, fresh ready for bed face.

For a nightly spa treatment (and stress reliever) pour a small amount of oil (about dime sized) onto your palms.  Warm the oil by gently rubbing your hands together.  Massage the oil into your face using upward strokes.  Rinse a washcloth under hot water (as hot as you can stand), ringing out excess water.  Gently lay the cloth over your face.  Close your eyes, breath deeply, think of something wonderful and beautiful as the cloth cools down to room temperature.  For a truly relaxing experience, warm the washcloth again and place over your face.  Sweet dreams!

At Dulse & Rugosa, we begin the process of creating our powerful yet pampering oil by infusing virgin olive oil with hand harvested Maine rose hips.  Rose hips are the fruit of the rose plant and our rose hips begin to ripen in Autumn.  We love rose hips because they nourish and protect our skin and work to tone and soften our face.  We love olive oil because it is rich in antioxidants and doesn't clog up pores.  

 We also use rose hip oil, which is made from the hips.  This is one of the best oils for our skin, especially as we get older.  It’s high in essential fatty acids.  These essential nutrients help rejuvenate, regenerate and reduce inflammation.  Basically helping to keep our skin hydrated and supple.

Finally, we blend in a small  amount of Castor Oil.  This is an essential oil for cleansing the skin.  With Castor, a little goes a long way.  It’s a thick, rich oil that blends beautifully to create a powerful, hydrating botanically rich oil.  

It’s best to give yourself an oil cleansing facial before bed.  There is no need to deep clean in the morning- you want to get rid of the day’s stress and debris as well as begin to relax.  If your skin is feeling especially dry as you start your day, massage a few drops on your face and wait a few minutes before applying sunscreen or makeup.  

We’re having a BOGO Sale on our Solid Perfumes.  Our sale ends Aug 1st and quantities are limited.

Shop here for solid perfumes.

Designed to be aromatherapy for you not the room, solid perfumes are an effective way to “escape” if only temporarily.  I find they are an easy tool in my daily stress management kit.  Perfect for pulse points, I also use directly under my nose when I want help in taking a deep, calming yoga breath.  I keep one in the car, one on my purse and one by my bed.  A friend rubs a dab in her hair when she needs a lift.  And with two for the price of one- you can too!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS- for each tin of solid perfume you order we will ship two of exactly the same scent.  If you want to mix it up, send a message via the contact us page or email us at dulseandrugosa@gmail.com.

Don’t you love when a colleague brings in donuts, cake or muffins?  Except for the calories and the willpower needed to resist a second helping.  Why not take in an assortment of solid perfume instead?  Put them in an attractive platter right next to the coffee and spread some joy.

Solid perfumes also make great stocking stuffers.  I love to stockpile goodies all year.  It’s important to have a special storage area because you want to find them again.  It’s such a joy to unpack my goodie box and see all my special treats.  It also helps cut down on the stress of last minute gift giving. Our Lilac solid perfume in particular is a lovely treat for a New Englander who has moved South.  They have the sun and short winters but they miss, miss, miss the fresh, sweet scent of spring in New England.

Solid perfumes also make wonderful thank you gifts.  Brighten someone’s day by leaving a tin as a thank you token.  The tins are wonderful for teachers, health care professionals or just leave on a desk or in a mailbox.  Especially thoughtful if someone is going through a stressful event.

Out on Gotts Island, rainy days are a welcomed break from sunny farm work.  It’s time to relax with a favorite movie and a big bowl of popcorn.  Carly and I both love popcorn, in fact, everyone in the family loves popcorn.  Including Saff and Tuffy, the dogs.  To curl up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn, a warm blanket and a bunch of snuggly animals is pure bliss.

We don’t have a microwave out on the island and honestly microwaved popcorn is such a poor imitation of the real thing that it simply can not compare.  For the best corn, you need a heavy 3 qt lidded saucepan with a handle.  You also need a really nice popcorn bowl, one that is large enough to mix all the ingredients together and easy for a few people to share.

Island Style Popcorn

Ingredients

3 TBS high smoke point oil, coconut, peanut or canola, I like to be sure the saucepan is completely covered but not drenched in oil

1/3 cup of popcorn, you should have a nice single layer of kernels

Nutritional yeast, Sea Seasonings, Old Bay Seasonings, Cayenne Pepper

Heat the oil, if you are using coconut oil make sure all the solids are melted

Put 3-4 kernels in the pan, cover

Once the kernels have popped your oil is ready.

The next step is really important.  When I bypass it I always end up with unpopped and/or burnt kernels.

Add the rest of the popcorn making an even layer

Remove from the heat and wait 30 seconds.  This allows the popcorn to get to exactly the right temperature.

Return to heat and let the popcorn pop.  shake the pan or hold a bit above the burner.  You should hear a steady pop, pop, pop.

Occasionally lift the pan lid up to allow steam to escape.

Once popping slows, your popcorn is ready.

Transfer to a large bowl and if you like melt some butter in the popping pan.

Now, you are ready to season your corn.

Nutritional yeast has a nutty, cheesy flavor and is packed with vitamins, minerals and proteins.

Sea Seasonings add the flavors and nutrients from the sea  http://www.seaveg.com/

Old Bay seasoning, it’s not just for seafood http://www.oldbay.com