SEABUCKTHORN - Blue Sage Naturals

LICENSED

2008-10-04T15:34:00.004-07:00

WOO HOOO!!!!!

I PASSED my esthetician tests!!! A practical and a written.
Now I KNEW that I knew I had failed that test. When she printed off the score, it showed I PASSED!!! YAYYYYY!!!!!

So I'm waiting on receiving the license from the State of Arizona. Then I think I will see about getting another job giving skin care treatments. The only drawback is you usually have to sell the products the salon has.
How can I, in good conscience sell garbage for people to put on their faces? I guess, like in school, find the lesser of two evils and recommend those.

Anyway, I will now be able to put L.E. after my name.
I'm SO proud of myself! This isn't a certificate, of which I have plenty. I am LICENSED.

And for my reward, of putting up with ALL the junk at the school, for putting in 53 hours a week for a month, for going to school when I was sicker than I had been in a very long time, I am giving myself the reward of going to Rocky Point! [Mexico]

I will be gathering some beautiful shells for those that would like to have 1 or 2 [with purchase] to use as a scoop for bath salts, flour or just as a desk top decoration. I've been down there before and the shells on the beach are quite astoundingly beautiful.

I'm excited. I'm proud of myself. And I'm proud of you, my customers for allowing me to do this.
How? By holding off on phone calls til I got done. By praying for me & giving me encouragement.

warmly,

Janine Joi

cool links to things

2008-10-04T15:24:00.004-07:00

Well, I've been researching again on sea buckthorn. I put a lot of links on the anappleadayetc.com website. They are under the 'links' link and under the 'learning' link.

I am also thinking of getting a still to make hydrosols. Ah, but which one? Glass still or copper still? I'm leaning toward the copper because it won't break! Does anyone have one, and which kind and why do you prefer that one over the other?

While futzing around check out these links:
I think the first one is on sheds. We need a shed. I've tried hiring men, no one wants to do it. OR they want someone to help them. huh? Like get your own help!

So I guess we will go to Lowe's and get the Heartland one.
Gotta get the boxes of containers moved so I can have
more room.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/how_to/4284709.html

http://www.pvcplans.com/pvc-pipe.htm

Does anyone here use twitter? It seems to be a lot of trouble, UNLESS it's someplace I can post the links and stuff I find. Which would be easier than emailing them to myself to save them. lol

Take care,

Janine Joi

Tomato recipes

2008-09-17T11:10:00.003-07:00

Hi Everyone,

My Dad sent me these recipes for tomatos. He's in a part of the country where tomatos grow well and there is an abundance. You will see where I get my sense of humor from. lol
********************

TOMATO JUICE
By
Dick Smith

Process

Start with 80 pounds of tomatoes or whatever you have.Pull out stems with pliers.Have big (like canning) pot of water boiling. Just a light boil or heavy simmer is fine.

Dump in as many tomatoes that fit comfortably. I slip ‘em in with a slotted spoon. I already learned you don’t fry bacon naked, and this is pretty close to that.

Take out as soon as skins start to crack with slotted spoon and put into smaller pot (just to carry them to the sink or wherever).

Dump in sink to cool for a few minutes or until able to handle. Or speed things up by putting them in cold water for a few minutes.

Over an eight-qt. pot peel off skins (they slip off easily) and cut chunks off from core (throw away core or hard white parts). Fill pot with tomatoes (about 6 quarts) to about 2/3 or ¾ full.

Ingredients (All approximate) – per every 8-qt. pot

1 TB granular garlic

2 TB Italian Seasoning

1 TB salt

1 Cup sugar (Your taste--we like the juice to the sweeter side.)

1 medium pinch chili flakes

2 TB lemon juice

1 TB Worcestshire Sauce

Bring to slight boil while mashing (stir the red foam back into the juice). Cook and mash maybe 5 to 10 minutes

Take pot to sink (or out in the woods) and whirl with a mixer or whirly thing. The whizzer (I call it) does a great job of smoothing out the juice AND kind of breaks or softens the seeds. We definitely like the seeds in it. We don’t want it like it comes out of a can from the store.

This made 18 qts. or 2 ½ gallons.

Rest in stainless pots or glass bowls overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours. Dip off carefully the clear juice floating on top. We drink this too. It just isn’t as rich. I put a measuring cup almost flat so it is draining off just the clear liquid, then I gently depress the bottom of the cup down a little into the main juice. I do it in 2 or 3 spots around the pot.

Pour into plastic bottles and freeze. It lasts a long time. You could use this as a base for soup in the winter by adding vegetables, rice, or sausage. This would make a hearty supper with garlic bread.

Active time

Picking – 2 hrs. Dick and friend
Processing – 4 ½ hrs. Dick and Carol
Packaging – 1 hr. Dick and Carol
Clean up -- 1 hr. Carol

Broiled Tomatoes - Medium Firm Tomatoes

Sherry (can omit)

Salt

Pepper

Dried Dill or whatever you want.

Mayonnaise

Grated Cheese (I used Parmesan)

Cut tomatoes in halves crosswise. Pierce with fork and sprinkle with Sherry (or omit). Season with salt, pepper and dill. Broil 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Can use toaster oven. Watch so they don’t get mushy. Combine equal amounts of mayonnaise and cheese and put a spoonful on each tomato half. Return to broiler to brown lightly. Excellent with barbecued meats or chicken.

If anyone has any recipes to share, please do post them here! It would be good to make this an interactive blog!

Janine

McCain vs Obama

2008-09-08T15:46:00.002-07:00

In this war of which person will be the better President,
watch this commercial made by a young man, Joe Cook.

NOTHING speaks louder than the truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Shark Steam Mop

2008-09-02T11:34:00.004-07:00

Hi all,

I am using the Shark Steam Mop for the first time.

I have two different types of tile here, one is somewhat sealed the other is not.

This mop gives me a WORKOUT. I am huffing and puffing when done. It will definitely give your back and arms a workout. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

In order to get enough steam out, you have to pump it a LOT. In order to do it enough, I have the radio station Movin 97.5 on. www.movin975.com ! LOL

There were spots on the sealed tile that I had to scrub at and it would have taken less time with that little scrubber on the end of a sponge mop. However, I can't find the 'old' cellulose sponge mops anymore. Those are my favorite mops.

The floor is a bit damp, it's not completely dry, but it's not WET like when using a mop, and it dries more quickly.

One thing about this steam mop, it is NOT as easy nor as light to use as they show on t.v. It probably has a lot to do with the type of flooring, I wouldn't be using this if I didn't have some strength in my arms already.

It also has a steam bottle to use on upholstery, window sills, stuff that you can't use the mop part on. I will try it on my car upholstery and a chair, along with window sills. I'll let you know.

A male friend tried using it, he was feeling it in his upper arms also.

UPDATE: For an hour after using it, because it has to be continually pumped to activate the steam mechanism, my shoulder was hurting. While workouts are fine, this is not. I don't want rotator problems b/c of some mop. Not that I would have them, but you get my drift.

AND, the first time I used it, I could feel my neck and back hurt. The strength needed to push this around on tile, popped my back out.

Update next day: I will be taking this back to Costco. My back hurts SO much. My neck is hurting. I would suggest not buying the Shark Steamer Mop.

Janine

It's Global COOLING, not warming

2008-08-14T23:34:00.006-07:00

As scientists have been saying for at least a year now, our earth is not warming, as the scare mongerers try to convince everyone, it is cooling. Below is an excerpt from here:
http://www.politickernj.com/bguhl/22291/
doherty-new-scientific-data-justifies-repealing-
global-warming-response-act

“There are many credible members of the scientific community who have questioned the theory of global warming, and now we have some scientists actually suggesting the earth’s temperatures may be entering a period of dramatic cooling,” said Doherty, R-Warren and Hunterdon. “With this growing level of scientific uncertainty, it makes no sense to enact a new set of economically damaging regulations prompted by the global warming hysteria of recent years.”

According to recent news reports, a top observatory that has been measuring sun spot activity predicts that global temperatures will drop by two degrees over the next 20 years as solar activity slows and the planet drastically cools down. They suggest this could potentially herald the onset of a new ice age. Following the end of the sun’s most active period in over 11,000 years, the last 10 years have displayed a clear cooling trend as temperatures post-1998 leveled out and are now decreasing.

Earlier this year, John Coleman, the founder of The Weather Channel, stated that manmade global warming is “the greatest scam in history,” adding, “I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a scam.” Coleman said the theory of global warming is based on fraudulent science.

How many know that we are really NOT in a global warming but a cooling period? Its the same with the hype on soy. Soy, as I have said for a LONG long time, it not good for you in the amounts 'they' have told Americans to ingest. It's NOT. There are reports, few and far between on how bad soy is.

A woman I met in Trader Joe's a couple years ago, said her family owned a soy farm and said soy is one of, if not THE most, worst thing to try to digest.

Folks, all things in moderation.
PEOPLE, wake UP! Stop letting those that are trying to separate you from your money TELL YOU what to eat and what to think and what you are 'allowed' to put on your bodies!!

8/12/08 New recipe

2008-08-12T10:00:00.006-07:00

Blue Sage Naturals supports a little girl in the Dominican Republic, through Compassion International. www.compassion.com.

On the site that tells info about her and her country, there is this recipe. I thought it would be a good one to share. I LOVE cooking foreign-to-me foods. Send yours in!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cooked Bananas
Green Banana Salad
3 green (unripe) bananas, peeled
2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 small cucumber, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1 stalk celery, sliced

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 Tb. wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. prepared dark mustard
dash of pepper

Heat bananas, water and salt to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until tender, about five minutes. Drain and cool; cut bananas crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Blend together dressing ingredients. Toss bananas and vegetables with dressing. Serves eight.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The echinacea is now blooming.
I am looking for places to go and collect herbs. I have found some yarrow in Northern Az that is sooo aromatic and clean and wonderful.

I am looking for comfrey, calendula and others that I just love to use. Conversely, if you have any of the above perhaps we can do a trade?

I found when we went yarrow collecting this past weekend, I am spending too much time working. What I used to be able to identify, now I can't. So I intend to get out more, re-learning the plants' names.

My next experimental crop will be Teff. It's a tiny, tiny seed that is ground into flour and high in protein.

The Persian Lilac is 10 feet high and 10 feet wide. The willow tree broke in the horrendously high winds we had a few days ago. That wind knocked down 70 power poles in Buckeye [a town south of Phx]. It was a strong wind. Strongest I have ever seen here in 7.5 yrs of living here. Consistently strong. We've had microbursts here, but nothing like that was. Whoever heard of a willow tree breaking???

Here's another article on something totally different;
eating meat, which we are totally for. Meat in moderation provides many needed nutrients...amino acids, vitamins. Here's the article: http://thetundradrums.com/news/show/1492

Have a good one,

Janine

8/7/08 updates

2008-08-07T12:44:00.004-07:00

Hello all,

I took my practical test on Monday for the Esthetician license. Now I have to study 21 chapters from the book to take the 110 question test. Everything from electricity to chemistry to massage to anatomy.

I am pretty sure I passed the practical. I know of only 1.5 things I did incorrectly. The half is questionable. It was nerve racking for the first 45 min. What was supposed to take 1.5 hours took 2, due to one of the examiners taking SO LONG to check people.

If you want to contact me during the day, I am mostly on yahoo as joijama not bluesagenaturals.

My garden is flourishing. Get this...I planted echinacea plans this year from whichever home store I purchased them at...and they are SETTING flowers!! Ech is SUPPOSED to only bloom on 2 yr old stock. Cool. Maybe it's the organic dirt? Or that I baby them?

Let's see. From the garden we have been eating, all organic of course...watermelon, zucchini, using the herbs...sage, tuscan rosemary, parsley, lemon thyme, oregano.

The tomatos quit producing..BUT, I learned from an expert that tomatos only pollenate and grow when it's 90F or below. So, we'll leave the plants in til Fall.

The zinnia volunteers from last year are just beeeeutiful.
I LOVE zinnias. So many colors, so many different petal varieties, so many petals...so pretty. And carnations for the aroma.

Oh, I've been giving out leaves of the two HUGE plants of the Holy basil I have and one gal made tea out of it, said it was wonderful. I think I will do the same today. I am allowing them to go to seed, so hopefully if I get an abundance, I will offer them to anyone who would like some.

I'm still looking for land to plant sbt trees. It is SO hot here, they are SO stressed. It's been 115F for several days here. Parts of each tree die regularly. If anyone knows of any land within a 500 or so mile range to Phoenix, that has either abundant or available abundant water, let me know please.

Neem oil, soap and water in a sprayer killed the yellow and black striped worms that decimated the grapes. If anyone wants the formula, write and ask.

Steve found a patch of yarrow up North. We will be going there this Saturday. It is VERY aromatic and clean.

I received a VERY wonderful email this morning from a gal who loves the seabuckthorn shampoo. I will post it on the site later today. On the shampoo reviews page. [located on the shampoo page, top]

Finally, found this fabulous website for HOW TO install windows and doors. It's not local to me, but it will be to many of you. http://www.how-to-install-windows.com
I need to go get one of the videos. We have an 8 ft wide sliding glass door that needs replacing.

That's it for now. I hope everyone is having a safe and happy summer!

Janine

News 8/2/08

2008-08-02T10:10:00.004-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted I know. :) I was just reading this article and I think it's important that all parents read it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment
/nature/attenborough-alarmed-as-children-
are-left-flummoxed-by-test-on-the-natural-world-
882624.html

It's a long url, hopefully you can cut and paste. I hope. It's about how kids nowadays cannot identify plants and animals. And if left to continue in this fashion, they won't grow up caring for nature. I DO hope you take your kids and grandkids on nature walks. Identifying animal tracks, plants, herbs...these are all useful to know.

On the home front, I take the practical exam on Monday Aug. 4 for the esthetician license. If you pray, I would appreciate all prayers that I will remember every tiny little detail. If you don't pray, please send good thoughts my way. I have been practicing every day for a week. I've failed more than I've passed. :( It's because I haven't been doing it every day, as I did at school.
Today is Saturday and I will be doing a self test every two hours.

It has been 115F here of late. It's hot. Because it's so hot, we are not supposed to give blood, because heat takes the iron out of blood. That is one of the things I learned upon moving here. Weird huh?

I just learned online nitric oxide is a VERY good thing to ingest. Here's what I copied to print out for me, maybe you can use it.

Eat more fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients
Eat more foods are rich in l-arginine [20 mg/day]
l-citrulline found in WATERMELON, converts to l-arginine
Eat more fish
Take Vit. E and C
Take seabuckthorn oils for the high omegas
Exercise more, at least 30 minutes every day
Reduce consumption of fast food and highly refined foods
Stay well rested
Drink plenty of water and drinks high in antioxidants

Nitric oxide has been called the "miracle molecule," and the" spark of life" because of its extraordinary importance in the health of virtually every cell in the body. Nitric Oxide is a molecule that may prevent and cure many diseases at once.

8% of watermelon is lycopene. Lycopene needs certain fats in body for better absorption, like avocado and spinach.

Once cut watermelon needs to be refrigerated and eaten.

And REALLY watch out for Herbalife products. Even though 'endorsed' by Dr. Ignarro, he benefits from the sale, big time.

Well, I'm off to go test myself.

Janine Joi

News on the homefront

2008-06-13T09:53:00.004-07:00

Well, it's a NICE feeling to still, in this heat, go in the backyard and pick fresh, organic lettuce, tomatos and zucchini. I make delicious salads. I add all the herbs from my garden, parsley, sage, lemon thyme, tuscan rosemary, spearmint leaves, a stevia leaf and rose petals. It tastes really good when I take a bit of salad that has sweet in it, along with the bite of vinegar from the sesame dressing.

I've finally got fencing up overhead, a little at a time, so the grapes can crawl across and it will shade that part of the yard.

The sea buckthorn trees/bushes are doing well. Even after we lost all the big ones.

The clementine tangerine tree isn't looking so good. It's small and new, I hope it will withstand the summer. The Meyer Lemon is doing great, lots of lemons for winter.

The zucchini has begun to take off. At least it freezes well, unlike cukes, which we had last year. Even the watermelon vine is starting to produce babies. IT had better get a move on!

The comfrey and stevia are doing great, however the echinacea and horsetail are suffering. Horsetail needs it wet ALL the time and the ech..I dunno, too much sun I guess.

I even have basil up and zinnias blooming, both volunteers from last year!

I have dwarf crape myrtle in back by the pool, they smell LOVELY.
I also have a butterfly bush in the back. The seeds of this bush are winged and look like butterflies. I read a magazine article 9 years ago of a woman that paints them for earrings and brooches. I thought it was neat, so I searched til I found one. But I don't have time to do anything with them. If anyone would like any to try to paint, let me know, I'll send you some.

The front yard...I will try to take a good pix of the Persian Lilac bush. It is HUGE and covered in purple/bluish blooms. It looks much like a butterfly bush. The desert willow is blooming..and growing. I'll have to cut that back soon. Chaparral is smelling up the yard and doing well. The teatree tree is growing taller and doing well, and the polonia, it's growing but the leaves were yellowing. I think it wasn't getting enough water. When I was at school all the growing things suffered.

I have two protected elephant trees in my front yard. That was dumb. They grow to 10x10. That's about how big my yard is! LOL Actually it's about, I dunno, 30x20? It's not huge. We are the cornerstone house on a cul-de-sac. The end house, the one that didn't get all the yard.

I have 5 major trees in that yard. We shall see what happens in the coming years. I keep cutting back the elephant trees.

I have 5 little pomegrante bushes near the front of the house, dunno if they will bear fruit.
And I have a tuscan rosemary, [huge] and 2 jackson- perkins Lincoln red roses in front.

I have in pots..a gardenia that is dying, a lavender that can't take the heat, white and purple petunias that smell divine at night and red cockscomb.

Everything is getting watered now, so they are doing better.

Lastly, water accidentally drained out of our pool a few months ago. It was fiberglass lined. It cracked. HUGE cracks. we had to get it resurfaced. Lotsa $$$$. It is FINALLY done. The pool is 10 feet deep, only old houses have pools that deep here, ours was build in 1970, slump block, we put pebble tec in it, so it has a darker bottom, which is supposed to let us swim earlier in the year and later. It took 2 full days and 2 full nites to fill up that baby. Something like 40,000 gallons? I dunno.

So what is it that owning a house ALWAYS costs so much money??? Dang, do things ever stop breaking??

Janine

GRADUATED!

2008-06-11T10:42:00.003-07:00

YAYYYYY! I AM OUT OF SCHOOL!!!! I put in 53 hours a week for the last 2 months at school. THEN I came home and worked here 4-5 hours at night. It has taken it's toll. At some point in the near future, I WILL be taking a vacation. However, first, to get my license and play catch up with all the things that didn't happen here.

I graduated from there on Monday. My stress level went from a high buzz to a quiet hum. It's amazing.

I hired a new gal, Stephanie, a few weeks ago. She goes to the same school. She is wonderful. I've never met someone who works like me. Actually, she bypasses me in work. She is learning all aspects of the business.

Stephanie has tried her hand at answering emails, and has done wonderfully. She's been the new shipping department. She is filling and labeling products. Stephanie is a Godsend.

We have stock on hand now, instead of being out alot. We concentrated on that the first few weeks Steph was here.

We'll be in Las Vegas at the end of this month, going to a Cosmetic and Esthetician conference. If any of you reading this are in Vegas, give me a ring, maybe we can meet for iced tea.
As soon as I get my license, I will then have on the website, 'products formulated by a licensed esthetician'.

I MAY rent out a booth somewhere in town to perform skin treatments using my products. There is just no comparison between my products and the products on the market today for skin treatments. I cringed every time I had to use another product at school full of chemicals. Personally *I* couldn't use them, all of them made my face burn or itch.

However that will have to be perhaps later this year if there is any interest locally.

Well, I'm off to water the plants. How NICE I now have the time to water the plants!

God bless each of you,

Janine Joi
p.s. I changed my name also.

March 31, 2008

2008-03-31T20:50:00.006-07:00

And I know WHY now sea buckthorn works so well on cancerous cells, regenerating skin cells, encouraging hair growth and making the skin glow, just to name a few.

My Persian Lilac is leafing out, as is the Polonia tree, the seabuckthorn trees are leafing out and we have a couple of new babies. Spinach, Holy Basil, Lettuce, Zucchini and watermelon seeds have sprouted. Tomatos are doing well with one tomato on one bush. Horsetail is doing better since we started wetting its feet more. Comfrey is pushing out more and more leaves, the dill plants are thriving, lemon-thyme [I love the smell of lemon anything], parsley, sage, rosemary [Tuscan] and thyme, are all doing well.

LOL did anyone start singing the song?

The grapevines have lots of leaves and we are waiting til the viny part gets longer to get it to hook on the fence. Chaparral, weeping willow teatree tree, willow tree/bush, mini pomegranate bushes, dwarf myrtles and lavender bushes are all doing well. It's SPRING here!
With loads of pollen in the air to prove it. :)
And we have a small yard. Can you imagine if it was large? Oh the Meyer Lemon tree and the new Clementine tangerine trees are BLOOMING all over, and smell SOOOOO sweet.

Gonna plant potatos as soon as I figure out when, moving the herbs to another planter.

I'm trying to decide on whether to dilute the seabuckthorn oils and offer them for sale that way also. Any ideas?

Janine

Feb. 21 08

2008-02-21T20:58:00.003-07:00

Well, today ended the third day of school for me. Full time job and full
time school. And I'm not as young as I used to be! Seems I'm tired all the time. lol School is exciting. I'm going to become a licensed Esthetician.

Then you know what I'll be? An Herbal Esthetician. There's not many of
us in the country. :) You know me, I like being the first or one of the first. :)

I've been taking a coaching course online with the creme de la creme of business coaches, Donna Maria Coles Johnson at http://www.indiebeauty.com Tonite it's on getting your blog going, so here I am, trying to get this going again.

Let me know what you would like to talk about.

Janine

NOP certified, first in the Nation

2008-02-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

Blue Sage Naturals Announces NOP Certification for Sea Buckthorn Oils

Blue Sage Naturals, first in the US and abroad to offer NOP certified organic Sea Buckthorn [SBT Seed and Berry oils. Highly touted oils for use in formulations for skin care, SBT oils are higher in essential fatty acids, beta-carotenes and tocotrienols than any other oil.

Phoenix, Ariz. (PRWEB) February 6, 2008 -- Natural herbal cosmetics company Blue Sage Naturals today announced it is the leading US supplier of National Organic Program (NOP) NOP Certified Organic CO2 Sea Buckthorn Seed and Berry Oil, juice powder and capsules. Sea Buckthorn, a breakthrough natural skin care ingredient, is a full spectrum plant extract that contains high levels of essential fatty acids and vitamins that are helpful with all kinds of skin conditions, including rosacea, inflammation and eczema.

"SBT seed and berry CO2 oils are added to cosmetics because they soothe dryness and inflammation, and may even speed up healing of scar tissue from cuts, scrapes and burns," said Janine Phariss, president of Blue Sage Naturals. "For several months, we have been anxiously anticipating final NOP certification of the Sea Buckthorn products we have been carrying for years. Now, with NOP certification, our U.S. based customers are assured of the highest quality Sea Buckthorn oil for use in the cosmetics they manufacture."

The addition of the NOP Certificate for the Organic Sea Buckthorn to our line of ingredients means more people will enjoy healthy, organic skin care. It's 100% pure, 100% organic and 100% good.

Trends in natural and organic cosmetics are going the same way as the organic food market, with sales of organic cosmetics increasing at a rapid pace. Consumer concern about harmful chemicals in cosmetics is widely believed to be driving the interest in certified organic cosmetic ingredients. The demand for higher quality cosmetics is helping them to become more widely available, and Blue Sage Naturals plays a critical role by offering manufacturers Sea Buckthorn oils, an effective skin care ingredient that is also NOP Certified Organic.

As the first and only distributor of NOP certified organic CO2 Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil, Blue Sage Naturals is helping its customers respond to their customers' demands with an oil that addresses the skin conditions in the most healthful way possible -- organically. Our NOP Certified Organic products have met stringent federal organic regulations.

Blue Sage Naturals NOP Certified Organic Sea Buckthorn is available in 4 forms:

Organic Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil (first and only US distributor)
Organic Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil
Organic Sea Buckthorn Juice Powder
Organic Sea Buckthorn Capsules

NOP certified organic Sea Buckthorn is also an ingredient in Blue Sage Naturals' branded line of cosmetics, including soaps, facial serums and skin balms, all made with natural and organic ingredients.

"For years, Blue Sage Naturals has been committed to distributing products that help people take care of their skin naturally," said Phariss. "The addition of the NOP Certificate for the Organic Sea Buckthorn to our line of ingredients means more people will enjoy healthy, organic skin care. It's 100% pure, 100% organic and 100% good."

Blue Sage Naturals

Blue Sage Naturals is the leading distributor of NOP certified organic CO2 sea buckthorn berry and seed oils, and manufacturer of salves used for eczema, inflammation and rosacea. From Seabuckthorn Soap to Sea Buckthorn shampoo that encourages hair growth, Blue Sage Naturals uses quality ingredients with no chemicals other than the tiny quantities needed to preserve lotions and shampoos. More information is available here: http://www.BlueSageNaturals.com/seabuckthorn.php

Branding from the Corporations

2008-01-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

The days of branding have changed drastically. What worked before is NOT working now for the corporate companies. Lately Unilever has been promoting one product with negative self imaging for those that use it, while promoting another product, Dove, with great self images.

Most, if not all of the huge conglomerates are faceless entities. They have no feelings, no heart, no soul.

This is another area where Blue Sage Naturals completely diverges from what 'mainstream' companies do. We, as the company, have feelings, we have faces, we talk with you, we spend time with you, we pray with you. Tell me, what other companies do that?

Blue Sage Naturals is not an invisible entity, we do not broadcast contradictory messages. We are a green company, we are natural.

A question has been posed:
"Will companies have to be branded as well? One corporate mission and value statement that governs all of their brands"?

This begs the question...companies will have to be honest, aboveboard. No longer will large corporations be allowed to get away with being hypocrites, liars and deceivers. People are becoming more educated on ingredients. We are all wanting products and goods that are good for us and those we love.

As each month and year progresses, 'we the people' will force more corporations to be honest in their dealings with us, or we will find one that is. Consumers are much more aware and educated these days regarding ingredients, labels, fire retardants and WE THE PEOPLE are fed up with the lies, scams and detriments to our health, faceless entities foist on us. People are at last thinking for themselves for the most part.

Blue Sage Naturals has always been a 'green' company. We have been herbal and healthy since the beginning, back in 1991. We were green and herbal when being green was NOT cool. Blue Sage Naturals has been formulating and producing products for the health of people, not for the health of their pocketbooks. Blue Sage Naturals is run by people who care. People who take the time on email or phone to listen and answer questions not answered on their website.

Just as the best places to work are those that recognize people are human, whether they are employees or customers, so the best companies to do business with are those that wear their values on their sleeves, that don't compromise, that stand for what is good and helpful.

Blue Sage Naturals is branded as a company that not only is GREEN, it also has heart, soul and cares about their customers. It's not hard for us to make sure all our brand values are consistent. It's who we are. It's our core values.

That's the difference between faceless entities and Blue Sage Naturals.

Core Values.

What do you think?

NOP certification for Blue Sage Naturals Seabuckthorn!

2008-01-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

Well folks, once again, Blue Sage Naturals has a FIRST! We are the only company to have NOP certified organic seabuckthorn products. From seabuckthorn seed oil to sea buckthorn berry oil to sea buckthorn juice powder to sbt capsules.

What does it mean and why is this important you ask?

NOP is the National Organic Program that was finalized in 2004. The NOP came into being so we as consumers, would have a definite standard set of rules governing what does and does not make something certified organic.
It takes three years to become NOP certified organic.

While Blue Sage Naturals has always had certified organic seabuckthorn oils, they have only been approved certified organic Outside The United States. Which resulted in the 'OTUS' symbol throughout our website.

Organic manufacturers particularly want to be able to put all organic ingredients in their products. Many manufacturers purchase their CO2 seabuckthorn oils from Blue Sage Naturals. For most of our customers, the fact it is certified organic for Australia, Mexico, Canada and so on, was enough for them.

However, having our oils NOP certified organic means you can now put Blue Sage Naturals seabuckthorn oils in your products and the manufacturers or consumers that may have been a little leery, no longer have to be.

Having NOP certified organic sbt oils means manufacturers can now add it to the label as 'certified organic', instead of it taking up the precious 5% room of other ingredients.

It's a big deal for us because we can now cater to ALL avenues of purchasers of our seabuckthorn oils. It's a great feeling being FIRST!

Blue Sage Naturals brought seabuckthorn SEED oil to the United States. We were the first company selling seabuckthorn oils online. We are now first again in having CO2 sea buckthorn NOP certified organic products!

Blue Sage Naturals set the standard for CO2 extracted Seabuckthorn oils.
Aubrey called for our oil, however they decided to go with a 'lower carotene, less price' sbt berry oil. Only $8 difference folks! Blue Sage Naturals does
not dilute our CO2 seabuckthorn oils sold online. In the future we may
dilute seabuckthorn oils sold in stores with an organic ingestible oil, however we will never dilute them and sell them on the website.

NOP certification. Exciting, renewable, healthy, Certified!

Dec 5, '07 updates

2007-12-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been too wordy lately. We've been busy.
I took down the forum. It was basically a place where reviews
were posted, no one really talked there. And it was too much for
me, so I kept the reviews and will put them on the page link off
this blog. I think I will put all the reviews on that one page. Unless it
proves too unwieldy for me, which I suspect will happen.

I have made a change to the wholesale policies page. It now includes distributors. I have to work the price sheet for the distributors now.

I will be selling Steves Stuff twice a year in 4 oz jars only. I need to
cut back on what I do, however I can't take off products people have
come to rely on to heal whatever problem they are using it for.

For a limited time, I will have Seabuckthorn Body Lotion available in 8 oz jars. I will see how well it sells. I will have unscented, and perhaps two
other scents. Rose Geranium and Lime. I'll have to see what I come up with.

This blog is a great place for you to leave comments and reviews of products. It's a great place to chat.

I also have IM available, my name is bluesagenaturals on yahoo
messenger. I'm not on there a lot. But you can chat with me when I am.

Til next time,

Janine Marie

Product news

2007-11-12T23:18:00.002-07:00

Well, it's almost the middle of November and I still don't have the gift page up. I will do that tomorrow, 11/13/07. I've been trying to figure out how to do upc codes and just all the behind the scenes stuff it takes to run a successful business!

I have taken Comfrey Ointment off the site and I am trying to reduce, again, the numbers of products I am making.
Gone are the seabuckthorn blends. I figure those that purchase those can just purchase the separate oils and make their own blends.

I've taken the SnuggleKisses soap off the site. I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep it as a brand.

And we are doing our best to get a sale going for the gift giving season.

Steve's back is better, now he has to catch up on shipping.

The weather here is beautiful. Warm during the day and cool at nite. My persian lilac is still blooming, the freesias are up. [what ARE they doing??], the butterfly bush has set it's butterfly seeds, the grapes are dying back,
the pomegranate bushes are still sort of in between actually blooming out and just sitting there with blooms waiting to blossom. weird.

The seabuckthorn trees are mostly pulled now, as we need to erect a shed
to hold business supplies. We still have some babies coming along which we'll keep. We've found using the sbt leaf extract is really excellent in the facial serums and other products. I've also taken to grinding them up and putting it in yogurt and other foodstuffs. The protein in the leaves is quite high, as is flavinoids, vitamins, amino acids, etc.

We have seabuckthorn juice powder here, that I still can't figure out how to get it on the site, as a marketable product, that I add something too. Those are the rules of insurance. Personally, I add it to grape juice or other sweet juice and it's wonderful and I know I'm getting a powerhouse of vitamins and flavinoids. But I can't sell it that way. Maybe I'll steam my face with it and see how that is. Then I can sell it as a facial steam. What you do with it is up to you!

Til the next time,

Janine Marie