I recently did a soap party and our most popular product was the Blissful Baby Butter. After talking with customers it was clear that its popularity was due to three things

• ​Colloidal Oatmeal- Blissful Baby Butter is full of Colloidal Oatmeal making it perfect for dry and sensitive skin types.
• Natural- You won't find fragrance, dye or other chemicals of any sort in our Baby Butter.
• Colder weather- The air is drier, cooler and winter is on its way here in New England. This means dry skin is bound to become an issue.

Now if you're thinking "but it's for babies, not for me"... It's true I designed Baby Butter for babies, but it is perfect for anyone, especially for those with sensitive skin. I use it on all three of my children, myself and even my dog when his nose gets dry.

The popularity of Colloidal Oatmeal got me thinking, what else can I do with it? Our Blissful Baby Soap, Matcha Smoothie Mask, Cocon'Oats and Honey Soap and our Oats and Honey Tub Truffle all contain Colloidal Oatmeal, but maybe a lotion? So, I will be working on a lotion for anyone who doesn't want the intense moisture that a butter provides.

At that same party I was asked about sensitivities to bubble bath products which also got me thinking. Our tub truffles aren't made with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLA) which is a bubbling agent that a lot of people have sensitivities to. We use Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA) to create bubbles in our products and SLSA is much more skin friendly. Another cause of irritation in a bubble bath could be fragrance and dye. That being said, I only buy quality fragrances and colorants that are phalate free to keep our products on the skin friendly side. Last, but not least, if you soak in a bubble bath for long periods of time irritation is more likely to occur. I sent this customer home with some of our Tub Truffles to try. The jury is still out on whether or not she had any issues, but my fingers are crossed that because of our quality ingredients, she will have Blissful baths with our Tub Truffles. However, I don't like to disappoint so if she does have sensitivities to our Tub Truffles I am working on a Truffle that will not have a bubbling agent, fragrance or colorant. To take that skin loving goodness one step further I'm going to add colloidal oatmeal to make it extra soothing.

Be on the lookout for our new Colloidal Oatmeal products and remember to moisturize especially with the season change. Wishing you Blissful Showers and Baths. -Cassie

Fall is officially here... Which means it's time to dig out our cozy sweaters, crockpots and pumpkin decor. This also means that it's time for fall fragrances such as pumpkin spice, cranberry & orange and apple cinnamon. Pure Bliss is stocked and ready for fall.

Pumpkin... Do you love pumpkin? I certainly do! I've whipped up Pumpkin Cheesecake Scrub, Pumpkin Cheesecake Tub Truffles, Brown Sugar & Pumpkin Lip Scrub and Pumpkin Spice Soap and they all smell good enough to eat, but please don't.

If pumpkin isn't your thing maybe cranberry is? Sparkling Cranberry Tub Truffles are in stock and Cranberry Orange Soap Cupcakes are on the curing rack. It's also that time of year when lip balm becomes essential so we've made up a Cran-Grape Lip Balm that's perfect for fall.

For all of the Halloween lovers I've been brewing up Bewitched Tub Truffles, Sugar Scrub and Soap. Bewitched is a spicy cinnamon fragrance with notes of apple and cranberry... The perfect treat! If it's a trick you are looking for... Bewitched Soap Cupcakes look good enough to eat and will be available soon.

Enjoy Fall, jump in leaf piles, pick some apples, go leaf peeping and don't forget to pamper yourself! Wishing you Blissful showers and baths! -Cassie

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It's that time of year again... Pumpkin spice everything, which is fine by me! Last week I found myself on a mission for a snack that was healthier than Pumpkin Spice Oreos, so I created this recipe.

If you like the sounds of Pumpkin Spice Latte, check back in about a month for a Pumpkin Spice Latte Soap. In the meantime, give this granola recipe a try.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Granola

3C Quick Oats
1C Sunflower Kernals
1/2C Shredded Coconut
2TSP Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2C Coconut Oil
1/2C Packed Brown Sugar
1/4C Honey
1TSP Vanilla
1/2C Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans
1/2C M&Ms

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut and pumpkin pie spice, stir together. Next, in a small saucepan stir together coconut oil, brown sugar and honey. Cook over medium heat until sugar is melted, about 5 minutes (don't stress, the oil and sugar won't mix together). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Now pour the mixture over the oat mixture in the bowl. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are coated with the oil mixture and then dump out onto baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. When the granola is a nice golden color, remove from the oven and allowed it to cool completely. Once it has cooled mix in the express beans and M&Ms. Enjoy!

This would be a great snack for a fall themed at home spa day! Lots of fall fragrances are coming to Pure Bliss soon. Wishing you Blissful showers and baths. -Cassie

When we shop small business we are not only buying a product, we are buying someone's time, passion and creativity. I personally pour my soul into all of the products that I make at Pure Bliss (figuratively, not literally, you won't come across little bits of my soul in your body scrub). When you buy someone's passion and time you are getting so much more than a product... You're getting quality.

Now let's talk about what they get... Satisfaction for one, it's a great feeling when someone wants to buy a piece of your passion, creativity and time. Stability, this is important because it allows them to continue doing what they love while supporting their family. This also allows their business to grow, which is potentially creating jobs and helping to stabilize the economy.

Yes, it's true, shopping small business is typically more expensive than shopping at Walmart, but you are getting so much more. I have never successfully found a product that someone poured their soul into on the shelves of Walmart. Another thing to consider about pricing is that smaller companies do not buy at the same wholesale level as larger companies, which means they are paying more for supplies. When you factor in the cost of supplies, equipment and time, more often than not, the buyer is getting a great deal.

My brain is currently spinning, trying to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. I know it seems early to most people, but factoring in supply shipping time, production time and curing time... A soap maker has to get a head start. That being said, I have decided that I will be doing all of my holiday shopping with small businesses. This means that my family will be receiving quality, unique gifts this year that someone like me dedicated their time and effort to make and I will be supporting others like me! Now I know for a lot of people this might not be realistic, but even an effort to buy a few things from a small business can make a difference.

Next time you buy from a small business, remember all that you are getting and if you get the opportunity to talk to the maker, ask them about their passions and why they do what they do. To all of my customers, Thank You for your support! Wishing you blissful showers and baths! -Cassie

Green tea has many health benefits, it's even great for our skin! This prompted me to create our Matcha Smoothie Soap, there's a face mask in the works as well! So sticking with the theme I figured I would share my favorite way to drink matcha.

Simple Matcha Smoothie

1/2 a banana chopped into 4-6 pieces
1-2 tsp matcha powder (to your taste)
1-2 tbls honey
3/4 C ice cubes
1 C vanilla almond milk (or milk or juice of preference)
handful of fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy. This is the perfect drink for an at home spa day. Make this smoothie, put on a mud mask and draw a warm bath... relax and enjoy.  Wishing you blissful showers and baths! -Cassie

On my list of favorite foods (right next to dark chocolate and strong coffee) is raw honey. If you get the chance to pick up local raw honey, I promise you wont be disappointed (except for when you run out and buy the "honey" at the grocery store). Lot's of people have been buzzing (pun intended) about the benefits of consuming local raw honey, but what about skin benefits?
Honey is a natural humectant, which means it draws in moisture and locks it in place. This makes it a great addition to skin and hair care. Not only does it moisturize (and smell great), honey is an antioxidant, which benefits skin as well.  If you still aren't convinced look into it sometime, you might be surprised by all that honey has to offer.
As for Pure Bliss Body Confections and honey... we are working on an entire line made with raw wildflower honey. We've got some beautiful CoconOats & Honey soap on the curing rack as well as a shampoo & conditioner in the works. These are all made with Maine Raw Wildflower Honey, colloidal oatmeal and coconut milk for extra skin and hair loving goodness. These are just the start of our honey products so be on the lookout for more.
Wishing you blissful showers and baths, -Cassie

This week I'm working on beer and wine soaps that will be available in a month or so. Beer soap is pretty popular these days. The idea of using beer in soap is pretty neat in it's self, but did you know that it might actually be good for your skin and hair too? There have been studies around the world claiming that beer not only helps to control oil, but that it also softens the skin.

"I don't want to smell like a beer."

Don't worry, soap made with beer doesn't smell like a beer. Our beer soaps are made with fragrances that compliment the very faint beer smell that is left once saponification (the process of converting oils & lye into soap) is complete.

If you're interested in trying beer soap, raise your glass (or shower pouf) "clink". A Citrus Shandy bar will be available in a couple of weeks with more varieties to follow.  I hope you enjoy our beer bars. Wishing you blissful showers and baths. -Cassie

Disclaimer: I have no scientific evidence that beer helps to control oil or soften skin. At Pure Bliss Body Confections we use beer in our soaps for cosmetic purposes only.