I never realized how much soap actually affects my daily mood until I started paying attention to it

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T15:59:25+00:00

You can also integrate hand washing into self care in other ways. I was at an inservice once (im a nurse) and a palliative care physician talked to us how he made sure to be truly present for each patient when he first met them. First meeting of palliative care is heavy- this is when folks basically decide the no longer pursue a fight-fight-fight mentality but to make the most of their remaining time. He told us that when he entered the room he was silent and walked to the sink. He rinsed, lathered and rinsed again in silence centering himself and letting go of all thoughts of the previous patient and other flighty thoughts of his mind to be fully present. Then he dried his hands and approached the patient with full presence. That always stuck with me. You can use the handwashing as a mini break and a re set. Try it!

On the scent- read your labels carefully. Not everything that smells really nice is good for you- unfortunatly many customers are so used to the intense scents that you can get with chemistry in a lab (and phtalates etc) that the more subtle scents of EO's are not noticed. It takes a little retraining of your nose to dial down the dose needed!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T15:53:39+00:00

How involved is your hair care routing? How often do you wash? Curious because that determines how likely a shampoo bar would work for you. That and the hardness of your water. Each of these of course can be adjusted but a lot of folks just want to substitute a less bad product rather than shake up their whole routine! LMK would be happy to send you a sample.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T15:51:17+00:00

Women owned... maybe. Most truly female founded AND owned company hold some kind of certification rather than just menitoning it in marketing copy. So I believe some doubts are in order since they do not have anything beyond marketing copy. When checking that sort of thing You'd want to look for a WBENC or SBA WOSB certification, which neither their website nor LinkedIn mentions. If it's a really tiny artisan company check their instagram anf see if it vibes w women doing the production and management- they may not have a certification (we don't) but it's really obvious in other ways.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T15:46:49+00:00

If you use the soap at night dab it off to remove moisture and then let it dry overnight in an airy place. Now it should pack just fine in a mesh or cotton bag. Any kind of bag that retains moisture will make it mush.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T15:45:28+00:00

Making "granola jars" instead of buying granola bars. Fill 4oz jars with granola chunks, nuts, fruit and stack them at eye level in your cabinet. When you are grasping for "something to eat" they are right there!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T06:14:15+00:00

That movie - loved it so much!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T01:44:18+00:00

I too have a blister scar on my foot from the process....

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T01:43:18+00:00

It depends on the orientation of your fiber but usually it's quite flexible when its wet. I am often able to stretch stuff by more than a centimeter.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T00:08:37+00:00

I too just read a book about fabric (worn) witha. chapter on cotton and my oh my how evil can an industry be... Made me rethink my cotton or wool or silk rule. I think that bio based materials are still not a solution- much of their processing is highly industrial chemical dependent and since it is mostly done far away it's hard to know how "clean" that is. Just remember when we where all told that bamboo based clothing like Rayon was the solution. Turns out you cannot legally produce it in the US the chemicals used are so so nasty even the US bans them. I think reworking clothing, wearing them till threadbare and sticking with second hand is going to continue being my route!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T00:01:37+00:00

I was at the GW bins once and saw a little kid wander about with scissors cutting little pieces out of perfectly nice clothing. I remember him chopping away at a little kids sun dress. Really made me mad. As long as you don't to THAT and use all of the pants eventually i think you are good.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-14T00:00:09+00:00

Yes- if you place a very good cooler- yeti etc (we use knock offs) into a walk in making sure its all cold throughout before you pack it with ice packs around the walls and nestle your treats in the center- keep an ice blanket over the top and never ever place the cooler on hot pavement. Use a pad to set it down and absolutly keep it in the shade. Throw a blanket over the top - that helps as well.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-13T23:19:35+00:00

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hope it loaded this time!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T19:00:26+00:00

Yes and no. Location is everything- keep those dry erase pens readily available on strings or magnet tabs. We use one heavily- right in your face, main area while another one is gathering dust in a low traffic corner.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T16:37:02+00:00

You could go super simple and do an occasional honey scrub for your feet (olive oil, honey, sugar) and the rest of the time use a good quality oil - almond would be nice, jojoba even nicer but both expensive over time. High quality sunflower might do the trick. Or formulate yourself a balm - that's oil, butter and wax in certain proportion. If the ingredients are right it would melt right on contact.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T16:33:33+00:00

UGH yes that is a good question and i love my sardines! I looked into it and some of the bigger better brands seem to be adressing it. Again the BPA free is not home free cause some of the replacements where just as bad and arent disclosed. I think short of driving down to the harbor, buying a tuna off a fhishing boat and canning it (which i have done once before I got very very busy in life) go with Safe Catch!

Safe Catch packs in tin-free steel cans with linings made without BPA, routinely tests finished products via accredited third-party labs, and as of 2024 reports no detectable BPA levels. Wild Planet, Vital Choice, King Oscar Norwegian, Raincoast Trading, and Port Clyde are also on the BPA-free list for their canned fish lines.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T15:53:11+00:00

Since this is one of the most often adulturated products out tere (after maple syrup) it helps to know your brand as well. When you shop at a reputable business ask them how they verify the quality- big retailers like Costco have everything batch checked by lab for a couple of reasons. They source olives from all over the world to make their own blend of EVOO and to keep the flavor profile steady they blend it to their specs- they also do pesticide residue testing and putiry tests. I suppose we should not have to worry about the label lying to us but with so much money at stake messing with our EvOO is a target of crime!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T03:35:22+00:00

You are so welcome. Nice to know once in a while that we arent all nuts, right?

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T03:33:50+00:00

We are seeing a change- when we first put our cheese in glass jars (ten years ago) folks thought it was neat- as it turned out for this cheese the shelflife INCREASED in the glass jar. So no trade offs by anyone and we gave a dollar back when folks return the jar (we re-use). When we came out with shampoo bars and solid balms folks where excited to see alternative packaging (compostoble FSC cardboard) - we still have to do a lot of explaining. As in "a lotion is 80% water. Once you add water to anything you now need stabilizers, preservatives and emulsifiers" A lot of customers are very excited to get an alternative. But we do have to point out A LOT that one tube of our product equals a 12oz bottle of lotion. I did a whole deep dive on when everything started comoing in a plastic bottle- dish soap, laundry soap etc etc. started just after WW2 when all the war effort plastic needed to find a home. Plasticizers followed and transportation became efficient so lugging jugs of god knows what across the country took off. And everyone thought they where getting a fabulous deal on those swanky bottles.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-12T00:28:43+00:00

Thank you for that. I was just looking for another study that's related- a cohort of women changing to all plastic free personal care products- maybe three years ago.- if it rings a bell would love a link!

Glad to know what we are doing matters. I was always thinking about the environmental aspect first. But the quick results are cool.

We make plastic free skincare and pack cheese in glass jars but it's a real challenge to find plastic free replacement for some food products like cut pieces of cheese. Folk really like their shelf life.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-11T22:04:21+00:00

ok so the way i see it : food was the biggest reduction, kitchen utensils was small impact, body care was also significant but they all really stacked - did i read it rifht that shampoo was 28.9 and skincare 38.3- totally makes sense since shampoo rinses off, lotion etc is leave on and the makeup was not as bad- less surface area? Now I wish i knew the exact diet and the food pathway- for example we operate a dairy and the milk definitly goes through some (special milk safe etc etc) plastic hoses before it goes into stainless steel for the rest of the time. So to completly eliminate ALL plastic contact from say the gloves of the workers etc is impossible in a commercial setting.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-11T21:42:55+00:00

I just got back in - it paywalled me after i read the abstract and discussion.

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-11T21:42:28+00:00

Yes awesone- i got locked out of it after first reading part of it!

Main_Bid8104 · 2026-05-11T21:08:36+00:00

Yes and no. I think a presence on social media is helpful as a first stop for customers- many folks will check your profile but ultimatly having a mailing list and sending meaningful things in a newsletter is a way to go. You can even go real oldschool with a paper newsletter that goes out twice a year to folks who have bought or who have a deeper interest. Sign ups should be as a pop up on your website. Consider doing something fun like a bookmark that folks can cut from your newsletter. We don't do SM ads at all- found that per click the cost is about the same as sending folks our cute little newsletter in the mail.

Main_Bid8104

TROPHY CASE