Sweet Almond Oil

Almonds have a history of cultivation that dates back to way before they were even given a name, and by 4,000BC they were being used in practically every ancient civilization. The almond was given the name "sweet almond" after the 1768 botanical classification separating them from peaches and apricots.

Yielded from the pressing of the almond, sweet almond oil has many benefits for the skin. Similar to sebum, our skin's own natural oil, it is a very gentle oil, helping with the relief of dry, itchy or sore skin. As well as being high in minerals and protein, it also boasts naturally occurring vitamins including the valuable anti-oxidant Vitamin E.

Sweet almond oil is considered to be anti-imflammatory, and is very emollient. A light oil, readily absorbed without greasy after-feel, it is often the oil of choice for use with skin troubles such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

It's the Little Things

New to the web site are sample sizes of our soap bars. Available now in stacks of four, all individually sleeved and tied together topped off with a tag. There's also a set of four from the complexion bar collection. This is a great way to try Manor Hall natural olive oil soap. Take a look now on our sampler stacks page and try a little something.

The Joys of Spring

Three days ago I saw a robin wandering around the garden. It was going about its own business, picking up bits of grass and flying off when its beak was full. Then it would return, gather another beak full, and fly off again. Turns out, it was making its nest on the side of the house. This morning, I went outside and saw the nest perched on one of the downspouts. The photograph is about fifteen minutes old. Looks like I'm gonna get to see and hear baby robins in the near future. I feel so lucky.

Sulfate Free Liquid Soap

Added today are two new flavors for the sink side in our sulfate free liquid hand soap. Moisture rich olive oil, coconut oil and glycerin combine to leave your hands soft and cared for.

The new flavors (pictured above) are Pink Grapefruit Petals and Spearmint Lime. Check them out along with the rest of our sulfate free liquid soaps.

It's Better at Fenway

Congratulations to Jon Lester, 24 year old pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Last night, Lester became only the ninth Red Sox pitcher to throw a no-hitter at Fenway Park since it opened in 1912.

Lester had a year off from baseball to undergo treatment for non-hodgkins lymphoma, and now has come all the way back. In tribute to this feat at Fenway, above is the latest addition to Manor Hall's Around the World, a picture of Butter Me Better cheering the team on this Spring at Fenway Park.

Our Ingredients

Another day, another section of the web site. The Ingredients page is now up, and on there is a handy list of many of the ingredients I use and the qualities I use them for.

There's also a neat little feature that's been added to the product pages. Just hover the mouse over a purple colored ingredient in the ingredients list (shown above) and a little informational box will pop up telling you about it. How cool is that?

Reading Room

I had a very enjoyable day today. We finally got the Reading Room active on the web site, although it's still a work in progress, which will no doubt continue tomorrow. Still to come is the Ingredients section of the site, but... one thing at a time.

Meanwhile, you can check out the Reading Room here, if you fancy a short read or two.

Rose Geranium Essential Oil

Geranium plants were introduced to Europe in the 17th century from South Africa, Egypt and Morocco. There are over 700 varieties, though only about ten are used for the oil because of low yield. Rose geranium is a perennial shrub often used in hedgerows, it stands about three feet tall.

Distilled from the leaves and stalks, its scent is very floral and sweet, closely resembling that of a rose.

Antiseptic, astringent and deodorizing, rose geranium helps to tone and cleanse the skin. Also aiding the in the balance of sebum secretion, the skin's natural oil, it is helpful with acne, inflammation, and similar skin troubles. Rose geranium is uplifting to the spirits, helping to relieve anxiety and stress.

Ooh La San Antone

Add another state to the Around the World showcase. Up above sits a bar of Ooh La Lavender & Oatmeal, overlooking the hills of San Antonio, Texas. "Hill Country", they call it.

Next time you're going out for the day, take a wrapped Manor Hall soap bar with you. Click a pic somewhere nice and send it to us in an email. If we use it on our page, we'll send a voucher your way to spend on our web site.

Including Texas, that's now four continents, seven countries, nine states and Puerto Rico. Where are you taking yours?

Calendula

The bright orange petals of the calendula plant have been used for many centuries in herbal preparations. Medieval monks used it to treat insect and snake bites. During the American Civil War, the flowers were used in numbers by doctors in their treatment of open wounds. Its use as a very able antiseptic helped to stem bleeding, aided in the prevention of infection, and quickened the healing process.

Its flowers are still used today by herbalists for varied health benefits. The natural chemicals found in calendula help with healing by increasing the flow of blood to the wounded area, and also by advancing the production of collagen proteins.

The high amount of flavonoids found in the plant, are believed to be the reason behind its anti inflammatory capabilities. Flavonoids are natural chemicals, and act as anti-oxidants to protect from damage caused by oxygen free radicals.

Website Open

The website opened tonight as scheduled and the newsletter went out shortly after that. The new cart appears to be working perfectly. I must admit, I've had butterflies all afternoon about re-opening. It's a great feeling and takes me right back to three years ago when I first opened the doors.

Thanks to everyone again for your patience while we were closed. The popular five dollar priority shipping continues throughout May for all orders, to anywhere in the U.S. And the special coupon in the newsletter runs until this Friday. If you're not signed up for the newsletter, sign up here to get yours.

Face Food

Just uploaded to the site, and fresh from the Manor, four all new bars for your face. Each of them is chock full of wonderful nourishing ingredients to feed your skin. The four varieties are Evening Primrose, Camelina & Aloe, Carrot & Fennel Seed and Honey & Rose. Check them all out here.

This Month's Freebie

Every month I get to enjoy giving away a free bar of soap with every order. Never a mystery and always full size, the order box freebie for the month of May is a bar of Lemon Poppo Mint. Check out the freebie page to see what else can be free inside your order box this month.

The monthly newsletter goes out on Monday evening, and the newsletter crowd are anxiously waiting for their special re-opening coupon code. Sign up for the newsletter here to get your coupon code.

Making Natural Soap

The new site is up, but the shopping cart buttons are still disabled while we run final checks and make new additions.

We've made a new addition tonight and I am just bursting with it. If ever you've wanted to know how a bar of Manor Hall Soap is made, you can click the link, or head on over to the Manor and check out Making Natural Soap on the blue sidebar.