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Continued from page 39 After completing her Masters, Anne decided she was best- suited to staying at home and raising her children. But she still indulged her passion for the fine arts through focusing her spare time on what she calls “her first true love,” “Peinting Sea Buckthorn oil - extracted from a plant primarily found in Central Asia and highly recognized for its healing properties - with ground apricot seeds. The end result of her experimentation is an exfoliating hands milled bar with a refreshing spearmint scent. While today she still enjoys painting, Anne says has become her primary means of creative expression and she continues to focus her energy towards creating a truly unique oduct. The “real treat” with her products, Anne explains, is the healing and conditioning properties of the goat’s milk she sources exclusively from a local farm. “Goat's milk is very therapeutic,” she says, adding that farmers have traditionally used all types of milk - cow’s milk, buttermilk, almond and soy milk — to care for their skin. However, Anne cred- its the unique structure of goat’s milk in particular, for providing a distinct nourish- ing quality to her products. “The protein and high fat content in the goat’s milk creates a very creamy bar, she says. It is also easier for hu- mans to ingest and digest goat's milk in comparison to other milks, she adds, which Anne believes could be why the milk has such a favourable effect on the skin. Keeping in line with her dedication to quality, Anne relies ona variety of health-promoting essential oils, such as tea tree oil and peppermint oil; herbs, including lavender and rosemary and non-animal fats, such as olive, palm, hemp, avocado, jojoba and coconut oil, to create her products. “All of my ingredients have a specific purpose,” she ex- Plains. it’s a delicate balance; you have to find the right combi- natio1 Never one to miss out on the latest health find, Anne con- tinues to research and experiment with all sorts of therapeutic ingredients. Some of her more successful finds include Moroc- can red clay paired with sea salts and dried marigold flowers from her own garden mixed with succulent lemongrass oil She has also discovered the restorative benefits of combining 42 FOCUS - AUGUST 2010 lains that the “creative fun” part of the process is testing each new find with different ingredients and in different ratios to find the winning recipe. Through trial and error - and a lot of research - Anne discovers which components produce the most desired affects, such as a rich lather. “There's actually a lot of science to it,” she says, adding that when she pinpoints her favourite combi- nations, she makes sure to take notes for future reference. must sit for 24 hours wrapped in cloth. The following day, after the soap has hardened, Anne removes the soap from the moulds and slices it. Then the sliced bars must “cure” for three weeks. “Some ingredients re- quire up to four to six weeks,” she says, adding, “but the whole process from start to finish is completely natural.” This focus on creating a natural, sustainable and environmentally-friendly product is a philosophy that Anne has prided herself on ever since having her own children and realizing her responsibility in caring for their health. “You have to define yourself, who you are and what's important to you,” she explains. “I wanted to make sure everything was natural,” she says, adding that all her prod are non-toxic and p! and wrapped in biodegradable packaging. “I didn’t want my kids being exposed to chemicals and artifi- cial things in the hot ler desire to teach her children about living a healthy lifestyle coupled with her ere ‘The Lively Lemongrass Bar