Pomace Olive Oil

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well. Pomace olive oil is used in all of our bar soaps and can be found in our Cactus Nail Balm. Did you know that green olives and black olives come from the same tree? Black olives are ripe whereas green olives are unripe.



Pomace olive oil is solvent extracted from previous pressings of olives using the pits (pomace) and flesh (skin). 95% of the more than 750 million olive trees cultivated worldwide are from the Mediterranean but global olive oil production comes mainly from North Africa, the Near East and Southern Europe.

While pomace olive oil is the lowest grade of olive oil, it is not used in cooking or on salads, it adds to a very nice bar of soap. Pomace olive oil has a high percentage of unsaponifiables, and it tends to draw the oils into a quick saponification. It's composed mainly of the mixed triglyceride esters of palmitic acid, oleic acid, other fatty acids, with traces of sterols and squalene. The composition varies by time of harvest, region, altitude, cultivator, and extraction process.

It is an excellent emollient, to soften and soothe dry skin. Contains anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, is a great choice for sensitive skin and people who suffer from eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.

Thanks for stopping by y'all. Hope you have a fabulous day!


Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Beauty Review and Powerful Beauty

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well. Today is a double hitter kind of day and I love it. Oh yeah....Happy Friday!!

KD and the gang at Your Daily Vegan reviewed our Peppermint Tree Foot Balm™, Cactus Nail Balm™ and our Orange Vanilla Butter Me Up Body Balm™. A big ole southern thanks for their awesome reviews and so glad Cactus & Ivy rocked their world! Your Daily Vegan is one of my new favorite sites to visit so stop on by and give it a read!



My fabulous new friend, who also shares my interest for the love of horses, asked me to give her my definition of Powerful Beauty for her site, Bionic Beauty. Jami has reviewed Cactus & Ivy products in the past and I love her down right, bare bones, honest opinion. If you want to achieve powerful beauty, I highly suggest you subscribe to receive beautiful goodness in your inbox each day!

Thanks for stopping by y'all and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!


Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Botanicals and Herbs In Bath & Body Products

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well and you had a fantastic weekend! I love to use herbs in Cactus & Ivy creations. We use botanicals and herbs like marigold petals, spearmint leaf, horsetail leaf, blue poppy seeds, vanilla powder, eucalyptus leaf and the list goes on.

There are many forms that can be used to add color, exfoliating and medicinal purposes to bath and body creations. Most botanicals and herbs come in solid (leaf or seed) and powder form. All of Cactus & Ivy products are created with ingredients that will result in a product with a purpose.



When I created Cactus Nail Balm, I searched for an herb that would be beneficial to the health and growth of fingernails. Horsetail - Equisetum Arvense - In folk medicine, horsetail is used for poorly healing wounds, ulcers, swelling, fractures, brittle fingernails and hair loss. It is rich in silica and silica acids, which are very beneficial to healthy hair and fingernails.

I continue to research botanicals and herbs to offer you the finest bath and body products that will add benefit to your daily routine. If you have a particular botanical or herb you would like to see me incorporate into a product, bring it on! You should know by now that I love feedback of all forms!

Thanks for stopping by y'all and I hope you have a wonderful Monday!


Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Cactus & Ivy Loves Feedback

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well. I am presently fighting off allergies or sinus issues and I do believe I am losing.

Today I am taking the time to post some reviews and to thank all who have provided me with valuable feedback on Cactus & Ivy products. In case you haven't dropped by the website lately, here are some that can be found on our Raves & Reviews and Press pages.

February 6, 2009 - Cactus & Ivy received some love from Naomi Serviss on her Spa Trekking blog! Naomi is a freelance writer specializing in spa-trends, travel and health issues. She also happens to be one fantabulous chick, also known now as a Guinea Chick™! Naomi is not on a Trek at the moment so she decided to share some of her spa-related goodies and Cactus & Ivy happens to be on the list! Read Naomi's spa column Spa Trekking. You ROCK Naomi and thanks for the love!
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Lisa -

I seriously, truly love the Cactus Nail Balm™. My hands are a mess from soapmaking and in just one day, noticeable difference. I can't stop using it, I love the concept, it's so clever, it smells amazing, and my hands feel so much better. I would heartily recommend your stuff to anybody.

Michelle G.
Cleveland Heights, OH
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January 13, 2009 - Cactus & Ivy Soy Milk Lip Balm™ gets a fabulous review from Shannon with A Girls Gotta Spa! Woo-hoo!!! Loving the review love!! Read the review here

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Hi Lisa,

I picked up my package from the post office this morning; everything I tried was great. I especially like the new packaging for the Nail Balm. This is the first time I've ordered from Cactus & Ivy and I have to say based on the products I've tried and the customer service, which has been truly great, I will definitely be back to order again.

Sincerely,

Sharon
Miami, FL
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December 11, 2008 - Woo-hoo!! I could so get used to this!! Our Soy Indulgence™ line received a fabulous review from Sonja with The Coveted. Sonja is a former model that also reported the news for TV stations in Seattle, St. Louis & San Francisco. Her love of skin care and make up began at an early age and now. Sonja has expanded her interests into all natural beauty lines. Thanks Sonja for your rocking review! Read Sonja's review here
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Lisa, thank you for your email. I did receive your products and am VERY satisfied, and plan to purchase from your company again. I especially love the foot balm in the deodorant style container. I also really like that I can personalize each product. This is a perfect feature for when I want to send gifts! Thank you for following up, and I look forward to ordering from your company again soon.

Jessica
West Hollywood, CA
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December 4, 2008 - Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! Cactus & Ivy has received more review love. It feels like Christmas is already here! This time, the review is from Jenny with BabyAssFace. In my opinion, the name rocks and so does Jenny! Read her review of our Soy Indulgence Coconut Soy Bath Grains™, here

While you are on BabyAssFace, take a moment to sign up to get posts delivered right to your inbox. You'll be happy you did!
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So, there ya have it. To read more fabulous reviews, visit Cactus & Ivy. I also wanted to let you know that Cactus & Ivy will be in Southern Living Magazine, the March issue, which comes out at the end of February. It will only be available in the South Carolina editions, however, I am working on getting a digital copy. I will keep you posted.

Thanks for stopping by y'all!! I hope you have a great day and a fantastic weekend!

Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

What Our Customers Are Saying!

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well and having a fabulous Monday. The mini vacation over the holiday has left me rested and ready to face the New Year head on!

Just a reminder, the Design a Valentine's Line contest ends tomorrow, January 6th at 11:59PM CST. Go to Chic Shopper Chick for the rules and entry.


I am taking this opportunity to celebrate some of the comments from our customers. Feedback is so important to me. Good, bad or indifferent, they all play a role in how I create products for Cactus & Ivy.

When I teamed with Erika, Chic Shopper Chick, to do a contest, one of the things I asked for was feedback on the Cactus & Ivy website as well as The Southern Accent Blog. I am still overwhelmed at the amount of feedback received. One of the comments that appears frequently is they would like to read reviews/testimonials from customers. Now, I thought it was a good idea to post comments/feedback from our customers, so I dedicated a page to them. However, the link is in the wrong location on the site if it is not getting noticed. Duly noted!


Read Raves & Reviews from our customers! Here are just a couple that can be found on the page:

Lisa - "I seriously, truly love the Cactus Nail Balm. My hands are a mess from soapmaking and in just one day, noticeable difference. I can't stop using it, I love the concept, it's so clever, it smells amazing, and my hands feel so much better. I would heartily recommend your stuff to anybody."

Michelle G.
Cleveland Heights, OH
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Hi Lisa, I picked up my package from the post office this morning; everything I tried was great. I especially like the new packaging for the Nail Balm. This is the first time I've ordered from Cactus & Ivy and I have to say based on the products I've tried and the customer service, which has been truly great, I will definitely be back to order again.

Sincerely,
Sharon
Miami, FL
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Also, to read reviews we've received from beauty blogs and sites, visit our Press page. Feedback is awesome so feel free to leave me a comment here!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator-Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy