A Rain Forest in Your Shower

Skincare is always important – especially during stressful times before a wedding. Make sure you’re taking care of your skin not only through a daily cleansing, toning, and moisturizing regimen, but also with high quality, plant-based soaps. There are lots of options out there these days and the latest product I’ve come across is Wembé
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Wembé is a company originally based in Paraguay. It was started by a mother and her son, Rolando Zuccolillo several years ago in an effort to share the health benefits of Amazonian plant life with the world – to help their own community and make efforts to help the rainforest at the same time. Their products contain no silicone, petroleum, parabens, sulfates, phenoxythanol, polyethylene glycol, synthetic fragrances, or dyes. They also use organic ingredients whenever possible and carry an array of vegan and gluten free products that are hand-crafted in Paraguay. They employ roughly 20 people and pay fair wages to their workers.

I got to try a few of their soaps myself and would love to share my experiences with you. I tried the Assai Berry Detox soap, the Mango Cleansing Blend soap, and the Loofah Exfoliating Blend bar. The first two were similar in texture – they left my skin feeling refreshed and very soft and smooth. The soaps are very aromatic and smell so pure – you get nothing but real, potent essential oils. The Loofah Exfoliating Blend has somewhat coarse plant sponge in it that helps scrub away dead skin. It is a bit abrasive, but to me in a good way, because that means it’s cleaning on a deeper level than something more gentle – it’s also kind of like getting a nice back scratch.

They also carry a moisturizing stick, a make-up remover bar, and a skin treatment bar. For a nice cooling soap, try their Snow Cleansing blend – it has mint and eucalyptus that will at least temporarily lower the temperature in the middle of a heatwave.

Whether you’re planning a wedding shower, gifts for bridesmaids, or just want to treat yourself to an at-home spa experience, give Wembé a try. They make high quality products that really deliver and they’re a Green America Approved Business. They even have gift sets available that make gift-giving easier. For more information, please check out their website here: Wembé.

Bringing the Spa Home

Planning a wedding is a very stressful time, even if you have someone doing the bulk of the work for you. Often unexpected details require your attention and compromises can be made in your diet, sleep schedule, and other details. It’s important to take time to slow down and relax before the big day to return to a centered, balanced space. The maid of honor and bridesmaids in general have the opportunity to assist in this process.

Dropwise Essentials, a San Francisco-based company, is also here to help. Owner Donya Fahmy personally created each product in the personal care line and has a deep understanding for how important it is to use natural, plant-based ingredients that are going to come in contact with the skin. She recognizes the benefits of using organic essential oils and plant-based materials, both for consumers and the environment.

If you’re a maid of honor in search of gift baskets for an at-home spa experience, look no further. Dropwise Essentials offers essential oils and diffusers, bath salts, body oils, lip balms, lotions, candles, and more! You’ll have no problem selecting the perfect products that everyone will enjoy. Pampering the bride-to-be with tantalizing products is such to put her at ease and help bring her focus back to the true importance of a wedding – a celebration and honoring of love between two people.

With Dropwise Essentials, you get the real deal. They use organic ingredients whenever possible, reusable and recyclable packaging, electronic record-keeping where possible, energy efficient equipment, and they even donate materials to non-profit organizations. Their products contain no synthetic ingredients or petroleum-based ingredients and are hand-crafted in North California. The company is also backed by its numerous partners and affiliates, such as The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Green America.

There’s even an entire section on their site devoted to wedding and bridal gifts so that the work is already fully cut out for you. I’m quite impressed – I think you will be too.

For more information, check out their website.  For free tips and valuable health and beauty information, subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or visit the Aroma Zone blog.