Helping Hands

I have always loved scents.  Give me a good song to listen to, and a sweet scent to smell, and I am happy.  There are so many cues around us that tell us it's the "Holiday Season."  One of my favorites is the various smells.

Today I bring you two hand lotions that are sure to make you (and the people around you) feel festive!  The first one will blow your mind...er...*record scratch*...oops!  I just went to look up the link for this one, and it appears the company (Soap & Paper Factory) did not make their holiday scented hand cream this year.  Such a bummer!  I really can't believe it, because they sold out quickly last year everywhere I went.  So grateful I scored an extra for myself!  However, fingers (and toes) crossed they come back next year, because I have never gotten so many compliments before...people wondering if I had just cut down a Christmas Tree ("Frosted Pine" scent)...not kidding.  In the meantime, you can check out their other lovely hand cream scents (which fit perfectly in just about any purse you might be carrying).  They are super luxurious and would make awesome stocking stuffers!  Also note that the "Roland Pine" scent appears to be the same as the "Frosted Pine" from the past (or at least similar), but for now they only have it in soap, candles, room pray, diffusers, potpourri, etc.  Good stuff!

Soap & Paper Factory - Snow Drop Collection "Frosted Pine" Hand Cream & Indigo Wild "Frankincense & Myrrh Zum Body Lotion"

I did some searching around to find a good "Pine/Fir/Spruce" replacement hand cream to suggest, but I was stumped.  I know there are some out there, but I couldn't find any that meet my safe-ingredient-list-standards!  Then I remembered a product my father received as a gift from one of his customers a few years back.  I discovered it while visiting my parents house.  I found myself sniffing around to find the source of the awesome smell I was smelling, and I finally figured out what it was...my dad's hand salve.  It is called "Hard Core Hand Care," and the scent is "New England Woods."  It has an impressive ingredient list, and it is made not too far away in New Hampshire.  This is a great find for the loved ones in your life who have jobs/hobbies that beat-up their hands...note, it comes in a tin instead of a tube.  I tried it for myself, and this is some serious hand healing!  Check it out!

One of my very favorite scents of all-time, not just during the holidays, is Frankincense.  I really love it at church when they use the incense burner on and around the altar.  There is just something about it that transports me...takes me back...and lifts me up.  I just feel more connected to my roots and to God.  It is like it grounds me and enlightens me all at the same time.  Maybe it is triggering some sort of epigenetic response of my ancestors...whatever it is, I love it!  This time of year when I smell Frankincense and Myrrh I imagine the journey of the Wisemen and the feeling in the air that Holy Night.  All of those warm feelings and images are evoked when I use my "Frankincense & Myrrh Zum Body Lotion" by Indigo Wild.  Personally I only reserve it for use as a hand lotion, which I keep by the door for when I am running out into the cold.  It is silky smooth and packed full of hydrating and soothing ingredients.  And each time I catch a whiff of it I smile and feel content.  The power of aromatherapy!

Maybe you have a practitioner, mail-person, teacher, friend, or someone in your life you want to give a little holiday "Thank You" to...or maybe you deserve to treat yourself for almost making it to the finish-line of the most wonderful (and stressful) time of the year!  For whatever reason...these are the perfect little treasures to pick-up and have on hand this season.