The Super Powers of Prickly Pear

April 25th, 2012

Prickly Pear Sunscreen with Tint

Prickly Pear Sunscreen with Tint

Prickly Pear Juice and Cactus have nourished and healed bodies for centuries. It is an indigenous plant to the desert southwest (Sonoran Desert) and is totally sustainable. The plant grows around the world thanks to Europeans that transported the seed to South Africa, Australia, Africa and the Mediterranean.

So what is the big deal about Prickly Pear? The juice of the prickly pear promotes optimal cellular health. It contains a storehouse of nutrients, proteins, betalains, polysaccharides, amino acids, and higher beta-carotene levels than almost any other fruit or vegetable. The prickly pear plants of the Sonoran Desert have the highest concentrations of betalains of any plant on earth. Betalains are powerful nutrients that help cells resist toxins and bad bacteria as they strengthen the cells. They protect the body by neutralizing the raw elements our skin faces everyday like the sun, pollution, extreme temperatures, and wind. The prickly pear has special chemicals that help skin repair itself and strengthen blood vessels.

Recent publicity has underscored the power of the prickly pear. Research documenting its nutritional levels has been highlighted by Duke University, the University of Arizona and Texas and in 70 other scientific studies. Commercialization of the juice requires processing that reduces the vitamin concentration significantly. Harnessing the power of prickly pear means that we must harvest the fruit as our ancestors did. Wildcrafting and handpicking the fruit ensures the plant’s high amount of vitamins A and C, magnesium, calcium and potassium. Organic processing retains these nourishing properties by preparing prickly pear skin care products at low temperatures. The end results are exceptional skin care products. Every time you choose to spray or smooth skin care products made organically with prickly pear you are healing, soothing, and protecting skin from the “enemies” of the outside world by the exceptional concentration of polysaccharides.

The super powers of prickly pear are like learning a lot about healthy skin from our ancestors. Look for prickly pear to rejuvenate your skin. Sweet P’s has harnessed these powers in products that plump, moisturize and increase cell turnover in Cactus Nectar Mist. Moisturize and protect even baby skin with Prickly Pear Antioxidant Lotion. Protect skin with our broad spectrum Prickly Pear Sunscreen that is a 3 in 1 product that moisturizes, acts as an antioxidant, and sunscreen protections. Use the ultimate easy out the door product, Prickly Pear Sunscreen with Tint. This product is a 4 in 1 arsenal. Prickly Pear Sunscreen with Tint comes in three color tones and in moisturizes, protects, tints and is an antioxidants all in one! Sweet P’s even offers a Prickly Pear Pad Soothing Organic Soap and a Prickly Pear Organic Antioxidant Soap. Look for Sweet P’s to offer more Prickly Pear Products as nature’s remedy to promote optimal cellular health.

How to make “Happy Feet”

May 27th, 2011

How to make "Happy Feet"

How to make "Happy Feet"

Okay, walking around Tucson, Arizona in the middle of summer in over 100 degree temperatures does not make you think of “Happy Feet”!  You certainly do not have the image of cool and refreshed little tootsie’s either!  Let’s get down to the real point of what we can do simply and efficiently to make our feet happy.  Cry cracked heels, peeling dry skin, athlete’s feet, and gym shoe fungus are not the things we want to see in flip flops and summer sandals.  There are how ever three simple and quick things you can do to keep your feet healthy and happy!

Cracked heels need to be treated with the same steps you should take care of all of your skin; cleanse, exfoliate, anti-oxidant/moisturize, and protect.  The products you select are what make this area of the skin a little more special.  Cracked thick heel skin can be particularly tricky especially in the summer as skin is exposed to more sandal usage and water exposure and this means even more drying of the skin.

Cleansing feet with physical exfoliating soap bars made especially for feet that use essential oils like eucalyptus, tea tree and bay rum can help reduce fungus, infection and be antiseptic.  Please note that individuals with medical conditions or taking prescription medications need to ask their physicians before using any essential oil to see if they are contraindicated.  These soaps are specially created to clean even grim and dirt from heel skin.  One side of the soap produces a creamy lather and the other side has physical exfoliates that help massage the thick and dry skin.  I tend to recommend that my clients not use peppermint essential oil products until their cracked skin is heeled.  Peppermint can be very irritating and produce a burning sensation on cracked skin.  Physical exfoliating bars are easy to use and very effective.  We produce a line of Jojoba Seed Exfoliating Soaps specifically for this purpose.

The second healthy step in reducing cracked heel skin is to exfoliate.  We recommend a sugar scrub that is produced in a shea butter base.  These are products that may be used in spas and in homes.  Shea butter increases the elasticity of skin as it moisturizes.  Sugars are very effective physical exfoliants.  The less moisture applied before using the sugar scrub the more aggressive the dead skin removal.  We produce two sugar scrubs.  One is our Buttery Creme and the other is our Honey Brown Sugar Scrub.  Both are effective and moisturizing.  Simply apply a pinch and massage into moist, clean skin.  Rinse and pat dry.  Please note that if skin is cracked and bleeding this indicates the need for a physician to be consulted.  Never use a salt scrub on cracked bleeding heels or feet.  Salt is not forgiving and the user will be inflicted with unneeded pain.

The third step to healthy skin care is to use an anti-oxidant.  The fourth step is to moisturize and protect.  We try to create multi-functional products.  If skin care regimes are not simple and easy, people simply will not stick to them.  We have created a rich organic shea butter and jojoba oil based Ultra-Healing Foot Creme made with Prickly Pear Juice.  The prickly pear is considered a “super-fruit” rich with anti-oxidants and combined with our moisturizing trilogy, the Ultra-Healing Foot Creme, does two things in one step.  This product absorbs quickly so that you may apply and slide your feet into shoes almost immediately.  Simply use a small dab in the morning and at night.  It is so effective that within a few days your feet will feel that you need to exfoliate the dry skin that they are shedding.  This regime should be followed everyday for healthy foot care.

Okay, back to the original theme…results are Happy Feet!

What is a “Passion Melt”?

January 26th, 2011

A “Passion Melt” is a skin moisturizer or softener that is made with certified organic ingredients and scented with flavor oils.  They come individually wrapped in gold candy foil cups.  They are so easy to use its crazy!  All you do is take a chunk or the entire “Melt” and massage into the palm of your hand. Let your body temperature melt all of goodness of the organic oils and butters and smell the delicious flavors.  Even the driest skin can not resist the softening and moisturizing. A little goes a long way.

“Passion Melts” are a perfect way to add zing to a massage for your special person.  You can select a variety tin and have strawberry, raspberry, pina colada, vanilla, chocolate, and pecan as your flavor choices.  You can even request your own custom flavor.  Want to try just one?  We have individual Passion Melts gift boxed and ready to ship.  These skin care confections are the perfect gift for Valentine’s or any day that you want to give a gift that is special.

A few months ago, we were presenting a segment dealing with Aromatherapy and Sex, Brain, Get the Connection.  This program was sponsored by one of our local hospitals that provides education to audiences of all ages.  One of the guest speakers was a well known Psychiatrist that provided great insight into how our brains are wired.  During her Q & A, she stated that using a “Passion Melt” would be an enticing way to enjoy time together with someone special.  This Valentine’s or anytime that you want to enjoy the effects of a massage made with flavors, select one of these or an assortment tin and make your skin a confection!

Selecting the PERFECT Valentine’s

January 26th, 2011

Wasn’t life easier at Valentines when we were children?  All we had to do was either grab a card from a box of 20 and print a simple message and our name.  It does seem that selecting the perfect Valentine’s becomes more complicated the older we get.  Whether you are 12 or 70, you want to make sure that you have given the person receiving the gift the exact sentiment you desire.  Gift giving seems too taxing but it does not have to be!

The idea of Valentine’s is to let the ones you care about know that you are thinking of them.  All you have to do is ask yourself, what does this person need and what do they want.  Take a few minutes (just as you did as you were a child) and think about the person.  Create your message and send it to pmorris@sweetpskincare.com and your package will be shipped with your sentiments attached.  The hardest part now is to choose.  Navigating www.Sweetpskincare.com is like being a child in a candy store.  There are a lot of products in a lot scents.  Simply what you think the person would like and see what fits in your budget.  Do you want to give a gift set or a single item?  Do you want to have a fragrance created  or do you want the gift personalized?  Many website do not want personal contact from potential customers.  Sweet P’s does not fit in to that category.  We want to answer any questions and help you make the best choice.  Feel free to call us at 520.909.1192.

It is time to return to making Valentine’s giving easier.  We offer a Heart Gift Basket that allows you to choose the products you want.  Simply order the basket, the products, the note card and we do the rest.  Not too long ago, we had a client that said, “My mother has never liked a gift I have given her”.  We talked about her likes and dislikes and her needs and we created a gift set just for her.  She could not wait to let me know that was the first thing she had given her that her mother kept on talking about.  This is just one of the reason Sweet P’s exists.

During the past Christmas holiday, some of my shoppers wanted to make their gifts even more special.  They wanted their gifts to be personalized.  We love to create products made exclusively for “whoever”!  Nothing says that someone was thinking of you more than selecting the perfect gift and having it personalized for them.  This is perfect for the person that has everything!

Selecting the PERFECT Valentine’s is as easy as returning to your childhood.  Let us help you fill the heart basket, or personalize the single product, or create a special fragrance.

Experience the Power of Prickly Pear Juice from Sweet P’s

September 12th, 2010

Relive sunburn pain and parched skin with nature’s best anti-oxidant.

Sweet P’s Luxury Organic Skin Care has introduced a rich skin treatment in its Prickly Pear Juice Concentrated Anti-Oxidant Lotion.  Sweet P’s unique formula contains 80% concentrated fresh prickly pear juice, harvested directly in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona where the company is located.

After cleansing and exfoliating, it is essential to use an anti-oxidant that protects skin from environmental damage.  Sweet P’s Prickly Pear Juice Concentrated Anti-Oxidant Lotion soaks in immediately and prepares skin for sun protection products.  It is also an excellent sunburn remedy.  The pain caused by the release of prostaglandins in the skin is countered by the properties in the Prickly Pear juice.

Recent studies have shown that Prickly Pear juice promotes optimal cellular health.  It has been described as the “superfruit” because of its radical scavenger activity, high moisture content, rich proteins and high anti-oxidant levels.  Analysis has shown that the Prickly Pear has higher beta-carotene levels than any other vegetable.  It has been highlighted by MSNBC, eHow, Duke University, Home Remedy bible, and studies at he University of Arizona and Texas.  The juice is a storehouse of nutrients with broad and high contents of amino acids.  It contains high amounts of Vitamins A and C, magnesium, calcium and potassium.  Sweet P’s organic, cold-processing method ensures that these healthy attributes carry through directly to your skin.

Sweet P’s is a member of shopopensky.com

September 12th, 2010

Sweet P’s proudly wants to announce its alliance with Open Sky.  Shane Shirley-Smith, the owner of Environmentalbooty.com, one of the 100 Shopkeepers of Open Sky and a very special caring person, brought me into the community.  Shane purchased a wide variety of Sweet P’s products from Sampler Sets to 16 ounce Organic SunBlock.  We began our relationship through twitter.  Many of Sweet P’s clients start here and soon are calling me and asking questions.  As the owner of Sweet P’s, I want personal contact.   We love inquiries, questions, and want to share the unique passion that we are.  

 

Shane Shirley-Smith and Environmentalbooty.com represent OpenSky as a Shopkeeper.  The principle of Open Sky is to provide commerce based on relationship.  It was a “No-Brainer” for Sweet P’s to accept the invitation to become a part of Open Sky as a Supplier.  Sweet P’s has always held every customer relationship special and is passionate about what we create.  We want every client to receive the products they need in exactly the fragrance they want.  Shopopensky.com encourages interaction, believes in products that they believe are the best, and share a passionate vision.  The Organic Consumers Association choose Sweetpskincare.com as the “Gem of the Luxury Organic Skin Care Web Sites”.  We are proud to be a member of the Open Sky family and look forward to sharing our passion and vision of Luxury Organic Skin and Home Care Products.  Thank you Shane Shirley-Smith for bringing Sweet P’s into relationship commerce and thank you John Caplan (founder of Open Sky) for your vision.

Making your own Home Spa

September 12th, 2010

Doesn’t the word “Spa” make you think of slowing your pace down and treating yourself to luxury?  Regardless of what we do and where we live, we need to have rituals that treat ourselves as special as we are.  It does not have to be expensive to create this environment.  Organic Skin Care is meant to be simple, uncomplicated and totally effective on all skin types.  Set the mood just the way that Spa’s do.  Turn the music down low and slow.  Subdue your lighting, light Organic Soy Candles, or infuse the air the with fragrance from Reed Diffusers.  Select the products you need to pamper yourself.  Whether you are a bather or a shower person, Sweet P’s offers products that are toxic free and ready to fragrance just the way you want!  Even hard to find products are a specialty of Sweet P’s.  Contact us at PMorris@Sweetpskincare.com if there is a fragrance combination you desire.  

Select cleanser, exfoliate, antioxidant and moisturizers.  Turn your water on and begin enjoying whatever time you have set aside.  Many men enjoying having large Organic or Custom Glycerin Soaps in there choice of fragrance.  Sweet P’s offers your choice of color, fragrance and additives in Custom Glycerin Soaps.  Looking for soaps in special shapes, Sweet P’s has them.  Want to color coordinate your bathroom, we love to match what you want.  One client wants only red bars of soap.  She just lets me know what scent and shape and I produce one to a hundred bars or more!  Some of my clients love our toxic free Body Wash.  I have some clients that want to feel complete moisture after their wash and I customize and add special organic oils to accommodate their needs.

Cleansing is complete.  If you are a bather, sprinkle your bath water with Therapeutic Soaking Bath Salts and ease away muscle aches.  My personal favorite after a typical hectic pace is my Aromatherapy Blend Stress Relief Blend.  A few minutes in a tub with this wonderful concoction and the day begins to melt away.  It is now time to freshen your skin with an exfoliant.  Sweet P’s offers three choices.  Incredible Honey Brown Sugar Scrub is gentle enough to use on your face and aggressive enough to remove dry skin on your feet.  You control the dry skin removal with the amount of moisture on your skin.  The less moisture the more aggressive.  Massage into skin until crystal dissolve.  Rinse and you have moist fresh skin.  You may choose Buttery Creme Sugar Scrub or Souffle Salt Scrub.  Either of these are able to be scented as you wish but not recommended for your face as they are too aggressive.  If you shower, turn the shower head away from your body and enjoy the muscle relief massage.  Rinse.

Step out of the water and wrap yourself in towel.  Protect your skin from the Free Radicals with Prickly Pear Juice Lotion, a concentrated antioxidant treatment.  The secret to capturing all that moisture you just had on your skin is to moisturize within three minutes.  Sweet P’s specializes in moisturizing products.  The selection is tailored to your needs.  Select from Organic Shea Butter, Organic Jojoba Oil, Caressing Body Oil, Rejuvenation Massage Balm, Hand and Body Lotion, Hand and Body Whip, Solid Luxury Bar, or Organic SunBlock.

You have now pampered yourself with your own Home Spa.  Simple luxury in your choice of products and fragrances.  In today busy life style, it is important to remember to take care of our skin with toxic free products.  Call me @ 520-909-1192 with questions, inquiries or for help.

If I had to choose only one skin care product-ORGANIC SHEA BUTTER

September 12th, 2010

What one skin care product would you choose if you were stranded on a deserted island?  Look through your arsenal of skin care products and ask yourself what one product do I have that cleanses, moisturizes and is a conditioner for skin, hair, nails, and lips.  Organic Shea Butter is the product we would choose.  100% Certified Shea Butter is a natural wonder.  It is the only natural ingredient that increases the elasticity of skin.  Elasticity of skin is what we loose as we age, with sun exposure, when gaining weight or muscle mass, or pregnant.  It is easy to use and convenient to carry in your purse, pocket or to travel.  You may order Sweet P’s Organic Shea Butter in a travel tin by simply ordering the ounces you want and contacting us at PMorris@Sweetpksincare.com.  We have Spa’s and Resorts as well as individual clients that request having the Shea Butter scented the way they prefer.  Sweet P’s wants you to know that we enjoy providing personal attention.  Just order Organic Shea Butter in the size you need, then contact us if you want a travel tin and if you want the butter scented.  All of this personal attention is at no additional charge!

Cleansing facial skin with Organic Shea Butter is a breeze with Shea Butter that is unscented.  If you have never experienced Organic Shea Butter, you will be pleasantly surprised at how it appears as a creamy white solid and yet your own body temperature will let it melt and the feel is uniquely buttery but not oily.  Make up dissolves and is easy to tissue off.  Reapply another small dollop and massage gently.  If you are one of those people that likes a “washed” feeling, take a fresh wash clothe and run under warm water.  Apply the clothe to your “buttered” skin and let the warmth of the clothe seep the anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties of Shea Butter into your skin.  You now have clean, moisturized skin!  This is an excellent night time skin ritual.

Organic Shea Butter has a number of other uses that should not go unnoticed.  Use on your lips to soften and protect.  Yes, We did say protect.  Organic Shea Butter has been tested to have up to a 6 SPF (sun protection factor).  This factor varies and is not totally reliable but scientist do know that it does have a natural sun protective quality.  Use to treat skin that is scarred.  It softens and increases the elasticity of this new skin.  Organic Shea Butter is an aid for treating eczema, rashes, psoriasis and healed burn skin.  It is an excellent massage product.  Let us not forget to tell you what it does for nails and hair.  Massage into nail beds and cuticles to increase the moisture to dry, brittle cuticles and nails.  It helps prevent hangnails by moisturizing the skin.  Dry Hair and scalp love the attention that Shea Butter provides.  Use as an intense moisturizer by massaging into scalp and running through your hair all the way to the ends.  Leave in over night if possible and wash out with a DEA, SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), paraben-free Shampoo (gentle enough for baby’s hair and skin) like Sweet P’s Aloe Vera Shampoo. Need an instant, effective body moisturizer (with or without fragrance)?  Jump out of the shower or bath and dry your skin.  Use a small amount of Shea Butter melted into your balm and smooth over feet, legs, torso and arms.  If you choose to scent your Shea Butter, your fragrance will linger all day as the butter blends with your own body oils.  Quick efficient body care!

Why use Organic Shea Butter and where does it come from?  Organic Shea Butter must be processed at 100 degrees or below to retain all of the properties that make it such a superior product.  “Natural” Shea Butter may be processed up to one thousand degrees thus disrupting the natural goodness of this ingredient.  Derived from the nut of the Karite tree found the Savannah Desert of Africa, it takes about 20 to 30 hours to process.  Women who gather the nuts often carry 20 pounds up to ten miles.  They begin the process by cracking the hulls.  The nut meat (with embedded hulls) is then par-boiled to help separate the hull matter.  The butter is then sun-dried, ground and repeatedly rinsed in cold water.  Sweet P’s Certified Organic Shea Butter is fair trade providing a living wage for the women that gather and process the Butter.

Sweet P’s Organic Shea Butter leaves our business being creamy.  We are at the mercy of our shipping services hoping that the product arrives as it left Sweet P’s.  Every once in a while during shipping the temperatures during shipping may be at 90 degrees or above.  If this occurs, the Shea Butter if not cooled at freezing temperatures immediately may become grainy.  This grain texture is easy to remedy.  With the lid off the cosmetic jar, slowly melt the butter in 30 second microwave burst.  Look at the butter each 30 second blast and just let the solid melt.  Do not overheat.  Immediately and carefully carry the open jar to your freezer.  Let the Shea Butter solidify and it will reconstitute itself into the creamy form that we all desire.  In all the years of our business, this has only occurred only twice, but we want our clients to know that it can occur and feel free to ship the product back and we will refill the order without question.  If you have used your product and it melts simply pop it into the freezer and it will be like new.  Please remember that we value each and every client and want you to be satisfied and knowledgeable.  We want you to feel that you have been treated special and that we have served your personal needs and request.

Organic Spa Products

September 12th, 2010

Sweet P’s offers shoppers a wide variety of Organic Spa Product whether you are looking for wholesale or as an individual looking to purchase.  We currently supply a wide variety of Spas, Massage Studios, Resorts, Salons and Markets.  We supply Essential Oils, Effortless Massage Creme, Effortless Massage Lotion, Rejuvenation Massage Balm, Aloe Vera Massage Gel, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Jojoba Oil, three varieties of Exfoliating Scrubs, Ultra-Healing Foot Creme, Therapeutic Soaking Salts, Jojoba Hair and Nail Serum plus an arsenal of retail products.

Many of Sweet P’s shoppers want to create their own Home Spa’s.  We strongly encourage everyone to have rituals that are healthy, stress relieving and that promote a Home Wellness atmosphere.  Sweet P’s offers an entire line of Facial Care Products and continually adds new products as our clients suggest or make request.  We want our shoppers to ask questions so that we can respond to their personal needs.  We believe that the most economical and efficient products are what most people desire.  We want our clients to be treated like they are friends and that they leave experiencing Sweet P’s with a full understanding of how to use and enjoy these products.  

Sweet P’s uses Certified Organic ingredients in simple effective formulas.  Many or our products require no preservative and those that do require us to use Ecocert Preservatives that are good for humans and the environment.  We offer sample packs so that our shoppers may experience a variety of products without paying full price.  Sweet P’s receives many request for samples and this is our solution.  Clients ordering these sample sets may request that the products be scented in a variety of fragrances by contacting Paula@Sweetpskincare.com after or during placing the order.

Massage Therapist, Nail Technicians, and Estheticians provide an incredible service that is much needed in today’s stressful society.  It is imperative that these professional are using toxic free products as they are absorbing more chemical into their bodies than most other humans.  Their skin is continually touching and soaking in whatever chemicals their bodies are exposed.  Sweet P’s Organic Skin Care and Spa Products are designed to be toxic free.  This means that these products are good for you to take home and use as well as the professionals to use on your body.  As a consumer,  you have a right to know what is contained in the products you are using.  Sweet P’s has an ingredient list of our product lines on our website.

Come and explore the wide variety of products that are professional grade Organic Massage, Facial, Hair, Nails and Feet.  Simplify your skin care rituals and needs by using products that actually make you use less and are more effective.  I invite you to make personal contact by calling 520-909-1192 or emailing Paula@Sweetpskincare.com.

New Product introduction- Cactus Flower Hydrating Facial Mist

September 12th, 2010

Cactus Flower Hydrating Mist 1This new product is flying off of the shelves.  One spray and even the driest skin responds to the truly unique formula that is designed to hydrate, protect, soothe and heal skin.  Sweet P’s owner, Paula Morris was inspired by Kelly Tirman of The Open Sky Project (KellyTirman.com) to formulate a Facial Mist that really works.  Sweet P’s loves to get input from their followers and develop products driven by their needs.  We formulate using the most Organic ingredients in the most simple combinations to produce the most effective products.  Cactus Flower Hydrating Facial Mist is a must have product on everyone’s shelf.

Paula Morris has produced a Prickly Pear Juice Lotion and Spa Treatment for years that actually takes the sting out of sunburn.  The magic comes from the Prickly Pear Juice itself.  This self sustaining indigenous desert plant ripens during the summer, producing plump magenta fruit that Paula harvests.  These are little tricky fruit to gather as they have fine little needles that seem to find their way into everything.  The process of processing the fruit from harvest to juice is time consuming but well worth the effort.  This juice is the base to the Cactus Flower Hydrating Facial Mist.  The Universities of Arizona and Texas have both performed studies that identify the Prickly Pear as a “superfruit”.  It is an incredibly rich antioxidant that protects skin from free radical of our environment.  The prickly pear juice has many of the same properties of Aloe Vera juice with the added bonus of improving the skin’s ability to protect from UV rays.  Sweet P’s unique formula is enriched with Tripeptide-5 Complex that actually accelerates cell production and regeneration of tissue.   Hyaluronic Acid is a key component in boosting the lasting hydration of this remarkable product.

Cactus Flower Hydrating Facial Mist is a must use product after cleansing skin in the morning.  Your skin will feel the immediate impact of hydration.  A few simple sprays and your skin is rewarded with the natural botanical goodness of the product.  Use after cleansing skin at night for a lasting drink of moisture.  Wake up to fresh skin that has been hydrated through out the night.  The bonus is that your senses will love the natural fresh scent of the prickly pear juice formula.  Sweet P’s invites you to enjoy our Cactus Flower Hydrating Facial Mist and allow your skin to quench its thirst for moisture and renewal.