Archive for the ‘travel’ Category

While I was formulating our solid hair conditioner I wanted another solid shampoo bar to partner it.

Now we already have a wonderful bar – our Silken Shampoo Bar- but I was looking for something with a milder pH more suitable for everyday use by everyone..not just those with psoriasis.

This meant that we had to stray from a  true, pure soap bar to one which contained other surfactants. Now I wanted this bar to be as mild as possible as I have a dreadful allergy to Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and harsh detergents – so the surfactant of choice was one derived from coconuts and was one of the mildest available. I also wanted to add in some deeply conditioning agents to improve the feel of the the product in the hair after it was rinsed clean.  The last thing I wanted was stripped hair!

Because of the mildness of the surfactant I was concerned that it wouldn’t cleanse and foam as usual shampoos do… once again I shouldn’t have worried. It produces a rich creamy lather and left my hair clean and full of body.

I took the shampoo with me on my China trip and it worked wonderfully. I was surprised at how little I used for each shampoo – especially with my long hair.  Followed up with my conditioner I didn’t have any of my usual frizziness that I get up that way. I was impressed!

So the second batch of the new shampoo bar is now being sent out to my dedicated band of testers …and we’ll see what the feedback is in a few weeks.

Well almost…. it is more a round tub!  I have been playing with making a solid hair conditioner that I can travel with – and I think we have nailed it!

Last week Chris and I went to China and Hong Kong on Moon Haven business and before we went I formulated a lovely solid hair conditioner with avocado oil and organic pink clay so I could travel with it in my hand luggage ( I travel light).

While I had chosen ingredients that were excellent conditioning agents for my scalp and hair I was at first sceptical about how effective and how easy it would be to use with my long hair. I shouldn’t have been concerned… the results were fantastic.

In fact, I am so pleased that I have now made another batch and have a merry band of testers with a variety of hair types trialing the conditioner.  I am awaiting the results with great interest.. and of course will keep you posted.

The wooden Busselton Jetty juts out into the crystal clear waters of Geogrpahe Bay

When you visit ‘down south’ and come to the Margaret River Wine region – not only is a visit to Moon Haven a must do but so is a walk along the Busselton Jetty.

For some time now the Busselton Jetty has been closed beyond the first 200m due to a huge restoration project.  With pylons being replaced and new decking… everything is due to reopen in May of this year.

At 1841 metres the Busselton Jetty is the longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere and I grew up  swimming around it.  From annual group  swimming lessons and daring each other to jump off the tower or the tallest diving board to walking to the end to go fishing – a lot of my life has been lived on and around the jetty.

What is fascinating is that for the years that I had been playing on the jetty I did not realise the wondrous ecology that surrounded the structure.  With the building of the Busselton Underwater Observatory at the end of the Jetty we all soon discovered that our playground was a haven of soft corals and amazing fish.

So if you are coming down south do call into the Busselton Jetty… while the first 200m is only accessible at the moment – come May you’ll be able to walk the whole length and book to see the wonders of life under the surface at the Underwater Observatory.  Believe me it’s well worth a look.

Eric, Chris, Laura and I are over in Melbourne to set up for the Home and Giving Fair at the Showgrounds.
The stand is looking great… the new Herbal Home range of linen heat bags, eye , dream, lumbar and neck pillows with coordinating table linen is going to be the hit of the show!

These will be available by early October!

Moon Haven's NEW Cupboard Keepers

Moon Haven’s NEW Cupboard Keepers were a hit at last weeks  Sydney Home and Giving Fair.
We are delighted with how they turned out.  The  four varieties

• Citrus
• Rose
• Spice
• Eucalyptus

are each filled with yummy petals, leaves and spices as well as the essential oils to match.

To our surprise the most popular has turned out to be the Citrus cupboard keeper with the Rose in a close second place.

Admittedly my favourite is the Spice cupboard keeper and the Eucalyptus is a favourite of our many overseas visitors.  So it seems that these are here to stay!

Phew… that was fun!

Eric, Chris and I have just returned from a week away at the Sydney Home & Giving Fair.

We met so many great people and had a lot of fun.

Our new cupboard keepers were a hit at the fair as were our designer series soaps and new bath teas.

We got to welcome many new Moon Haven stockists to the family – so it soon will be even easier to find a Moon Haven retailer near you wherever you are throughout Australia.

Keep a look out in our stockist pages for the updates as we ship out all these orders!

Artichoke from the Moon Haven garden

We have never grown artichokes before but after our visit to Turkey in June we decided that life was not worth being artichoke-less ever again.

So on our return and once the garden was prepared in went 10 artichoke seedlings.

I don’t think i have ever seen plants grow so fast or so impressively.

Whats more, you don’t just get one artichoke per plant …but soon after cutting the first head multiple others start to develop where the leaves branch from the stem.

Artichokes have become our nightly apetiser.  Eric prepares them while I get the rest of dinner underway.

Just before dinner Eric goes out to he vegie garden and cuts the days artichokes.  Initially it was just the one and if we were lucky two.  Tonight it was four… with a veritable feast readying for tomorrows harvest!

To prepare, Eric cuts the stalks close to the base of the globe and rubs this with lemon juice to help stop the discolouration.  Then he cuts the hard tips of the leaves with scissors and places the heads in 1/4 cup of water and lemon juice and covers with plastic wrap.  He then microwaves the two heads for about 5 minutes on medium high.

I prefer my artichokes with butter and so slide cold slices of butter into the heart to melt down.  Eric loves a little mayonnaise to dip his leaves into.

I think half the fun of artichokes is in the eating… each leaf pulled from the base and the fleshy partat the base  scaped away with your teeth.  I just love the savouring of the delicate flavours or each morsel.  The reward is finding the heart…all rich and butter like.

Once agian we get to enjoy the bounty from our garden and you just can’t beat eating fresh produce that was growing in your garden not 10 minutes before!

These beautifully crafted jars were made to hold essential as well as the carrier oils produced by the Dominican monks of Santa Maria Novella.

I estimate that each jug had a capacity of 4 or so litres of oil.  This would make each jug a very precious item amongst many others in the monastery…hence the beautiful deocration and craftsmanship of the pieces.

I would certainly loved to have taken one home with me.

Santa Maria Novella 17 century Citrus Press

Visitng the Santa Maria Novella Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica in Florence was a fascintating expreience. The museum still contains much of the equipment used over the centuries.

The Dominican monks extracted esential oils using both cold presses and stills.

The press seen at the left here was in full working order and had obvoiusly been well used.

The copper distillation chambers  were well beaten and just as well used. As you can see from the photo they were not very large and so any oils extracted were considered very valuable and rare.

The other piece of herbalists equipment that i was fascinated with was the grinder. Made of carved granite is was far heavier than expected – but the balance was such that it took little effort to spin the grinder within its bowl.  Even though i am sure it has not been used for many years the scent of herbs from ages gone by was intoxicating.

Herbal and Spice Mortle & Pestle circa 1700

Essential Oil distillery from Santa Maria Novella Florence circa 1700's

Eric and I visited the world famous herbalist shop of the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica Di Santa Maria Novella in Florence earlier this year.

The Dominican monastery’s first medicinal herb garden was established in 1221 to provide the herbals required for the monks own use. In 1612 the monks first offered their wares to the public in the same spot where the Santa Maria Novella Herbalist shop is today.

Above is an engraving of the monastery’s  distillery where essential oils were extracted from their parent plants.  You can see the wood fire hearths lined up in a row below the distillation chambers where plant material and water were gently boiled and the oils distilled off into beautiful ceramic urns and jugs.