Essential U Blog

Everything I Ever Needed to Learn I Learned in The Special Education Department

On the humiliating walk from my 5th grade homeroom down the hall to the Special Education Department, I learned the fine art of being humble.  It wasn’t a voluntary lesson.  I didn’t choose to leave my classroom every week to go to Special Education Department.  I felt it was bad enough that I wore the same military issued glasses as every other speckled girl in school.  I had the additional privilege of a weekly trip to Special Education throughout my entire 5th grade year. 

    

I tried to walk casually down the hall as if I just had a bathroom pass.  Once I walked past the restrooms and down the hall that only led to the Special Education Department...there wasn’t much use playing it off.  Normally no one said anything as I made my solitary walk down the vacant hallway.  It was later when I returned to class or was at lunch that people questioned what was wrong with me.  No one dared make fun of me, because I had already shown that I would fight back when I punched a boy in the nose on Hospital Hill for making fun of my friend (but that’s a different story altogether).  

Beware of H1N1 Fraudulent Claims

You do not want your cosmetic, aromatherapy, herbal or soap product to make the FDA's new list.  The FDA has started The Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products List.  The purpose of the fraudulent list is to “alert consumers about Web sites that are or were illegally marketing unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products in relation to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus (sometimes referred to as the “swine flu” virus).” FDA

    

According to the FDA, “This list does not include every Web site that is marketing products related to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus without FDA approval, clearance, or authorization, only those Web sites to which FDA has issued a warning letter.” and goes on to warn, “Even if a Web site is not included in this list, consumers should exercise caution before purchasing ovebefore purchasing over the Internet any product purporting to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat, or cure the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus.” FDA

Essential Wholesale Recipe Wall of Fame :: Heather Makes CinnaMint Lip Gloss

Heather is our new Office Manager at Essential Wholesale.  Heather knew immediately what kind of product she wanted to make for the Essential Wholesale Recipe Wall of Fame.  Heather told me that 15 years ago she tried to make a lip balm from scratch from a recipe that she found but that her batch failled.  Heather said that her CinnaMint Lip Gloss was a dream come true. 

  

Heather chose Melt & Pour High Gloss Lip Balm as her starting base.

Wordless Wednesday :: Guy Having a Bad Hair Day

Anise Oil, by Steven Borden

One essential oil that has come up repeatedly in the last few weeks is Anise oil.

    

I’m not usually partial to very sweet scents, but Anise is definitely an exception.  While Anise, Pimpinella anisum and liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra are not related, they can both be recognized by the powerful liquorice-like aroma which the two share in common.  This is thanks to the aromatic compound anethole produced in abundance by both plants. Anethole is also what gives Anise and liquorice Root their special medicinal and aromatherapeutic properties.  

A Closer Look at Rosehip Oil

Rosehip Seed oil (Rosa mosqueta) is extracted by cold pressing the seeds of the bright red bud (hip) of a wild rose bush native to Chile.  The rosehip seed pod is what is left after the rose petals fall off of a rose.  I find that in nature nothing is wasted and the power packed oil that comes from rosehips is a great testament to that fact. 

    

Rosehip oil has a high content of unsaturated essential fatty acids (80%).  It is made up of monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid oleic acid (15-20%), unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid (44-50%) and linolenic (30-35%).  Rosehip oil contains bio-available trans-retinoic acid which is highly compatible and easily absorbed into the skin.  It also contains a high vitamin C content. 

Essential Wholesale Studios Presents...

 

Chemisty Corner: Natural Polymers, by Ryan Mader

Polymers are large organic molecules that are composed of a number of repeating units, or what can also be called a chain. Polymers can occur in nature or be synthesized in a laboratory. Synthetic polymers, commonly known as plastics, are generally produced commercially on a very large scale and have a plethora of uses.  

    

One of the simplest and most common synthetic polymers is Polyethylene. Polyethylene is made up of chains of repeating –CH₂– units and is used to form objects like milk cartons, shampoo bottles and plastic baggies. We encounter and rely on a wealth of synthetic polymers in our daily lives whether it’s the container housing our deodorant or a prosthetic heart valve.

What Color Do You Live Like?

In the past few years I have been strangely attracted to the color red. I’ve got a red purse, red jacket, red camera, and red van. It isn’t even my favorite color and I don’t look good in red. But red speaks to how I want to live. I want to live out loud, vibrantly, loudly, and fully. Red doesn’t care if other approve of it. Red stands out in a crowd.  Red takes chances and refuses to blend in. Red, to me, lives like the song “How You Live and has no regrets. Red is at peace with itself.

    

My daughter Selah drew me a picture recently and had all my kids sign it. It has rolling hills with a skyline in the background. On it she wrote, “Mom, I love you. We love you. You give us some much atenchen. Love, Selah, Caiden and Keegan.” Right there, right in that moment I knew that I was living my life as a mother intentionally. Despite the pressure I am under during the day at the office caused by me leaving promptly at 2:45 p.m. in order to be there to pick up my kids, I know I am at peace with how I am living.

I keep the picture hanging right by my desk so that when the pressure of juggling business and family feels overwhelming a quick glance can remind me of why I chose this path to live.

Red reminds me to live it out loud, live with intent, live like red.

What's your favorite color? Which one describes how you want to live your life? Are you living your life intentionally?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Let's make a rainbow together!!

Tis the Season, by Barry Weinmann

My day started as usual.  I opened the doors at 6:30 am, turned on the lights, and went to my office to print the morning report, checked e-mails and created the daily production schedule before everyone arrived for the day.  Then before I knew it, it was 7:00 a.m. and the crew was all here and ready to go. As I walked from department to department a theme starts to emerge bringing back memories of long ago.

    

In the manufacturing department there’s the smell of Chamomile, Lavender, Peppermint and melting butters in the air. The compounders were working diligently on their assignments for the day. Kyle was finishing the Peppermint & Tea Tree Conditioner and Kevin was preparing butters and oils for a private label balm.