Soapy soap sale!

 Week 4 of the fun new weekly sale program and y'all seem to be jumping on board with our ellenoire weekly sale campaign. I have a client who is 4 for 4 in this program and has shown up every week to take advantage of the savings and learning more about our products. This week all of our soap is 20% off the regular price starting on Friday.  Luxurious hand made 

ellënoire soap from $4.80 and our long time favorite Vermont Soap for $6.00.  Ellënoire Foamee Liquid soap is $5.60. Choose Unscented or choose from our extensive selection of scented versions. 

Here is why you will love the soaps we make and sell.....
Did you know that it was one little bar of soap that started all the passion I have for the cosmetics and beauty industry in the first place? I think I was about 9 and for a gift I was given a little round bar of peach colored soap, with a fragrance I thought was the best thing I'd ever smelled. I know now it was a simple European style floral likely made with synthetic ingredients but I would never have known that then. I kept that soap in my sock drawer and closed my eyes and sniffed it whenever I came across it. I still have that bar of soap. 

Many of the locals in my little town refer to my shop as the "soap store" which you likely know is only partially true. Because soap is such a big part of my original passion you will find lots of it in my shop. We make lots of soap in house and bring in many brands from around the world. Our selection has changed many times over the years and that is mostly due to my ongoing learning about ingredients although we still carry some fun/ highly processed soap. Everything in life should be at least a little fun. 

This week I'll post lots of mini posts about ingredients you may want to avoid when buying the soap you use daily. I'll help you understand the fun soap too and why using those daily may not be the best choice for your skin. I've gone into detail about soap ingredients before, but I meet  someone everyday who just uses the soap with the bird on it, or the soap named after the elephant tusk because they are cheap and when I tell them what's in their soap they're kind of shocked. I'll try not to be too preachy about the ingredients for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I believe my customers are smart enough to make informed decisions and I'm here to inform not to judge.  

So! Bring on soap week!

Don't forget, 20% off every bar or liquid soap in the shop from Friday to Sunday. You can pop by the shop and we'll take phone, email and web orders all week and have them ready for pick up or shipping for Friday at opening. You will receive the discounted price no matter how you order. 

 P.S. Watch out on this blog, facebook, twitter and linkedin for our weekly sales event updates starting every Monday!

Organic Body Wash & Body Lotion Sale

Have you been keeping up with the new sale program I introduced in January? This week we’ll introduce you to the bestselling products from the ellënoire everyday Body Wash and Body Lotion at 20% off the regular price. Body Wash for $12 and Body Lotion $13.60 for 500ml/ 16oz starting this Friday.

The ellënoire everyday line has 70% or more organic content and even at full price is the least expensive organic body line per ml on the market in Canada. The sale is on this weekend from Friday to Sunday so hurry and get your order in!

 

Why did we call it “ellënoire everyday Body Wash” and “ellënoire everyday Body Lotion”? Read on to find out….

 

  A few years ago my Tim and I were trying to work out why we just weren’t selling as much body wash and lotion as we thought we should be.  After all, each of the Ellenoire products were high quality, handmade, paraben free and even custom scented.  We decided that I needed to create a line that people would choose as their basic products to use every single day. What do most people use every day? Soap or Body Wash and some sort of Lotion was the answer. I kept telling him we already had those things in our product line up and I didn’t know why people couldn’t just see past the pretty label with my picture on the front at how these were great products to use daily. I was using them daily, he was using them daily and a lot of my customers were using them daily but it wasn’t enough. We needed a way to get people to replace their basic drug store level product with something we had created and convince them that it was better for their skin than those chemical ridden products. We also had to convince the people that were already buying organic and clean products at their local health food store that ours was better, less expensive and available in their choice of natural fragrances or totally unscented.  I came up with some great formulations but we still had to get the message across that it was all those lovely things, but for everyday use… well why not put that right on the label?  And this is how the ellënoire everyday line was born.

The two main products in the line are the Body Wash and the Body Lotion. We decided not to name them anything other than exactly what they are. We even labeled them in a way that suggested they were kind of generic, simple, and basic. Tim wanted people to look at the label, know exactly what they were looking at and buy it. The people who desired the natural ingredient info got exactly what they needed on the back (some people never, ever look at ingredients, some people care about nothing else, this product was set up to satisfy both types) Ellënoire everyday is 70% or higher organic content (close to 100% in the Body Wash) vegan safe, kid safe, paraben, silicone, sulfate and petroleum free. I compared the bottle size and the per ml price of every comparable organic body product I could find locally and online in Canada and made sure ours came in a bigger bottle and was the least expensive. You can bring the bottle in for a refill for a 10% discount. Both products come in unscented, a lavender and lemongrass blend, and a vanilla and bergamot blend. All scents are pure essential oils and the unscented is available for custom scenting with 1 of our over 100 essential oils for a small charge. The products do exactly what you imagine they should they are simple, straight forward, with no BS. The Body wash cleanses your skin gently but doesn’t strip your skins natural oils or leave a greasy petroleum residue like some of the moisturizing body washes on the market. The put that gunk in to mask the fact that the cheap detergent in the wash strips your skin of oils like paint remover strips paint. It’s gentle enough to wash your face, but only use the unscented if you have very sensitive skin.

The body lotion is light, luxuriously smooth and fast absorbing but leaves your skin feeling like you can pick up paper and get dressed soon after using it. I love the unscented one for face and body but use a scented one for special occasions since it leaves a whisper of natural scent that only I and the people that I let hug me can smell.

 I fought for the better part of 3 or so years with Tim on creating this line. I am notorious in our history of working on this business together for the last 11 years in coming up with reasons not to implement his ideas. The day we launched the product line in 2010 at a festival here in town we (I was anyway) were shocked at how quickly we sold out.  The line had remained a bestseller ever since. Everyday someone comes in to take advantage of our refill service.

  I thought Tim’s “brilliant” tag line for the product: “Good Stuff You’ll Like” was the most ridiculous of all his ideas. It turns out, he was right there too. If it comes from ellënoire there is no question it is good stuff, if I won’t use it myself it won’t go on the shelf … and clearly when the packaging and line ideas come from Tim you like it!

Try ellënoire everyday this week at amazing prices: Body Wash for $12 and Body Lotion $13.60 for 500ml/ 16oz starting this Friday for the weekend of February 14^th-16^th.  Good stuff you’ll love!

Feel free to pre-order on the website or at the shop or by phone to reserve yours at the sale price, and watch out for my posts for other tips and tricks on how to use these great products…. Everyday!

 

Sugar Scrub Sale

Have you been keeping up with the new sale program I introduced last week? This week we'll fix your dried out winter skin with 20% off our handmade Demerara Sugar Scrub. The 8 oz jar is $20, and the 16oz is $28.  Bar none, this is the best product to scrub away the winter blahs. You'll have softer hands, face, body and even scalp! The sale is on this weekend from Friday to Sunday so hurry and get your order in!

Why is scrub the most important step in winter skin care? Read on...

Oh winter, it really is the topic of the last few weeks for many of us in places that have been hit hard with multiple drastic weather changes. Many people in this part of the world are scrounging to get south or alternately complaining bitterly about the ice, the snow, the shoveling and the dry cold air. I'm not one of the complainers since I love the snow and just accept all the trappings that go with it.

I think all of us can agree that the dry skin, cracking cuticles and dry hair and scalp that come with the lack of moisture in the air is the worst part of it. The special this week is our ever popular Demerara Sugar Scrub. I've posted about scrub before and scolded many people for not wearing gloves outdoors in the winter over the years.

It's funny though, I read a lot of other blogs and about scrubs both for sale and handmade and for some odd reason people think scrub is only for hands. Do you want to feel like a million dollars? Do you want your skin to feel like you have the best skin in the room under all your winter layers? Then scrub a dub! Book a time, once a week and get to it. Draw a bath, or start the shower and take your scrub and some nice fluffy towels and plan on using 1/2 cup of scrub or more. Get your skin and head wet, put a tablespoon or so in your hand and apply to your dried out scalp. Yes, you heard me, your scalp.... then work your way onto your face, and all the way down your body until you get to your feet. Be careful with sensitive parts of your body or places you break out a lot. Be more aggressive with the drier parts like elbows, knees and heels..... and don't forget those hands and cuticles. Scrub until the crystals all dissolve and wash away.  Rinse yourself well, so no more sugar crystals are left behind.  Now, your skin should be glossy with natural oils, so pat dry or wrap up in our favourite robe and revel in how soft our skin feels. No need for lotion or oils after this product, but you can keep up the feeling all week with a petroleum free lotion, oil or balm.  The scrub is simply helping to take away a layer of dead skin allowing the new, softer skin underneath to breath and drink in moisture.  We even use it in the salon for scalp and hands.

Don't forget, our Demerara Scrub goes on sale this Friday for the weekend of February 7th-9th for 20% off the regular price and you can have it scented any way you like!

Feel free to pre-order on the website or at the shop or by phone to reserve your jar at the sale price, and watch out for my posts for other tips and tricks on how to use scrub.

Stay Warm!

 

   

Unscented Laundry week aka When a hug equals a headache

Unscented Laundry week!

This week we are introducing a new sales feature in the store and on the website. On Mondays I will introduce you to a product that you may not know about and then we put it on sale Friday for the weekend!  Sports Suds and Wool Dryer Balls are the products of the week on sale for 20% off the retail price!  Sports Suds is bar none the best unscented laundry product I've ever tried.  It's a simple white powder that was originally designed to get the stink out of sport and yoga type clothes, and I’ll tell you lots of cool ways it will take stink out of almost everything you own.  I use it for all of my laundry, all of the time. Wool Dryer Balls are a very neat, eco friendly way to get your clothes dry with no static and no scent......

Every day I will mention something good, fun or useful about this product here and on all our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, linkedIn etc.  On Friday morning the product(s) will go on sale until the following Monday.  You can reserve your product purchase by phone or email or order it online to hold it at the sale price for pick up or shipping starting on the Friday.

Here is why I think you should try them.....

Sports Suds are Canadian, Simple, Earth Friendly, Sustainably sourced and the product does exactly what they say it will. The happy people at Sports Suds up the road a bit in Milton make sure all Sport Suds products are made from naturally occurring ingredients of non-animal origin are non-toxic and hypoallergenic.  They DO NOT contain dyes, phosphates, UV brighteners, bleach or perfumes and there are no additives or fillers to create bulk and weight.   All Sport Suds products are safe for septic and grey water systems, highly biodegradable and certified safe for use in small lakes and streams (OECD 301A).  And of course, they never test on animals.

Moss Creek Wool Dryer Balls are Canadian, Reusable All Natural Wool Balls that last for hundreds of laundry loads.  What's a Dryer Ball?  You use them in your dryer as a replacement for disposable dryer sheets and/ or, synthetic fabric softener to soften clothing, reduce static cling and wrinkles.  Felted wool absorbs water and regulates humidity level in dryer.  The unbleached, undyed balls bounce around your dryer (making a lovely, peaceful bonging sound by the way) separating clothed and helping them dry faster reducing dryer time, saving electricity, time and money.  They work with all clothing types including cloth diapers, blankets, towels and down jackets.  Wool fibres do not come off on clothing.

You can buy these awesome products at an even better discount if you buy them together in the Unscented Laundry Week Special! Save and extra 5% on top of the 20% off I am already offering grabbing this deal!

AND this, is WHY it's Unscented Laundry week!

It's funny you know while I was starting to write this post I found out that today apparently is "National Hug Day" and I was working from home so I was not forced into any random acts of hugging.  You see, I'm not much of a hugger.  Sure, if you've known me for a long time and you haven't seen me for a long time then go ahead, but other than that I don't really get the hug thing.  If you must hug me, ask permission please. I understand some people get joy out of the process; some inexplicable warm and fuzzy feeling or some such.

What isn't funny?  It seems about 90% of people that hug me have some form of synthetic scented product molecule on their person and given my sensitivities that hug means little to me but an immediate unpleasant sinus reaction that leads within minutes to a very painful headache and there ain't nothing warm and fuzzy about that.

If you buy your fragranced products (Body Spray, Cologne, Perfume, Laundry soap, Dryer sheets, Laundry additives, Deodorant, Lotions, Candles and so on and on) in a department store, drug store and yes, a pretty little gift store even a health food store in some cases you probably reek of a synthetic fragrance.  I had a medical procedure yesterday and the nurse who put in my IV and the Doc doing the procedure were covered in synthetic scented yuckiness.  I hadn't eaten solid food in 29 hours and had consumed no fluids of any sort for 9 hours by the time I met the Doc..... my reaction was extra lovely given how heightened my senses are during deprivation like that and they are both darned lucky my stomach was empty or I surely would have made their shoes aware of how nauseous their fragrances made me.  Fragrance free environment my ass!

You should know by now at ellënoire hand makes a huge percentage of what we sell and almost 90% of it is left totally unscented on the shelf and is scented (with only essential oils and truly natural ingredients of course) if you request it.  Finding unscented products on the market is very hard for us sensitive people and I have a tough time finding any to sell other than my own brand.  Many large companies call their unscented products "Scent Free" but in most cases a "Masking Agent" ingredient is used to stop the fragrance receptors in your brain from detecting the chemicals they did not take out.  They may have taken out the scents, but they left the other yucky chemicals the scent was covering up in the first place.

Personally, after finally discovering a world with very few, if any artificial scents, masking agents or yucky chemicals I've found more than ever that I like the scent of real things.  The scent of people is quite pleasant most of the time.   The scent of unscented people wearing unscented cloth is kinda cool too.  Did you know cotton, smells different than wool or silk or....?  I bet many of you have never smelled the scent of totally unscented laundry.

Someday I'll explain why we would all get along better in the world if we weren't all covered in fakey-fake scents all the time.

But for now, try the fun, functional products I mentioned above, or try the unscented laundry week special.

Don't forget, we’ll be announcing a new spotlight sale early each week and start the sale every Friday!

An Angel in Disguise

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I Hope your holiday season was wonderful, quiet, crazy, and all of the things you needed it to be. The ellënoire staff are back at our normal schedule, inspiring curly haired clients to live natural and frizz free, making fun and functional soap, creating new recipes for awesome skin care creations and scouring the earth for new products to introduce to you.

We have a new curly angel in the ellënoire salon!  We are pleased and excited to introduce you to our newest stylist, Victoria.  Some of you have met Victoria in the salon while she was training through the fall. Victoria is a vibrant, young woman who I attended hair school with. In a bit of a gamble I offered Victoria a job this summer after we had completed the program,  hoping to entice her to come over to the curly side. Thankfully I gambled on the right girl and Victoria has turned out to be a curly angel in disguise!  Right away when we met in hair school I knew Victoria had curly hair. She had over processed, over coloured, painfully over- straightened, curly hair. Each week as I drove her home from Niagara Falls  and we got to know each other she asked me if the products I talked about would help her damaged hair and if so could she still wear it straight. Well of course I knew they would, but she always had an excuse not to try them.

It turned out my job offer came at exactly the right time for Victoria as she wasn’t very satisfied with the salon she was apprenticing at. Victoria started with us in the summer.  In fact we attended our hair school graduation together, myself as a sylist and salon owner and her with a great new job moving her career forward. Now, after 4 months of training in the ellënoire salon and her Level 1 DevaCurl Inspired Stylist course completed Victoria is more enthusiastic than I could have hoped for.  Even better she wears her hair curly every day.  Just last week when asked how she was finding working in a curly specialty salon as she replied “This is so much more satisfying than a regular salon!”  Welcome aboard Victoria!

For those of you who have not visited our salon yet, you can rest assured that both of my stylists are very excited to show up to work each day which is not something I ever recall seeing in a traditional salon…. And yes, we cut straight hair too!

P.S. Watch out on this blog, facebook, twitter and linkedin next for our new weekly sales event every Monday starting January 27^th !

ellënoire Holiday Gift Preview and 2nd Anniversary Celebration or is it 20?

 

Tuesday Nov 19^th  7pm-9pm

Old Dundas Post Office, Dundas, Ontario L9H-2C6

(With a brief chat at 8:15 by Noëlle about the new Curly Hair Salon and the many fun things we create at ellënoire)

Don’t finish your holiday shopping too early!

Join us for a relaxed evening of fun, product demonstrations, gift raffles and treats

Here are some of the items you will get to see, touch, smell and try at this event.

So Local you could touch it: Every day the ellënoire elves produce new handmade bath, body, face and home care products for men and women. Many batches are made and packaged in our glass enclosed scent room, you could come and watch things being made right before your eyes:.  Each product is made in small batches and blended using Noëlles original recipes using simple natural, plant based ingredients.  All products are left totally unscented until you request your product choice to be scented with your choice of pure essential oils.

Curated by Noëlle: There are so many amazing local and Canadian artists making stunning creations Noelle feels she simply must allow you to see some of her favourites. There will be Jewelry, Clothing & Accessories, Framed photographs, Handmade ornaments and cards and lots of other bits and bobs you simply must pop by and see.

Imported and exotic: Since ellënoire began in 1994 Noëlle has imported lots of products from around the world. Candles from Scotland, Soap from France, Shower Gel from Spain,  Paint and pastels from France, Hair Products from New York City, Towels from California, Silks from Oregon,

Scent without the headache: Custom Blended Natural Fragrance and Custom Scented Bath Products are the backbone of the original ellënoire brand. Come and sniff and test some gorgeous essential oils from one of the largest collections of pure oils in the country. Be comfortable with the knowledge that these fragrances are unlikely to give even the most sensitive of customers a headache like you may experience from the traditional selection available at drug and department stores.

 

Curls Night out: Our salon will be open with our Curly Hair Specialty stylists available to answer any or all of your detailed questions about your hair. Are you Curly or Straight?  How can I be Frizz Free all year round? How can I NOT wash and style my hair every day and still be presentable? What are sulfates? How do I tell me co-worker/ friend/ sister that he frizzy hair needs your help? There isn’t a curly question we can’t answer.

 

It’s been 2 years since we opened our doors here at the Post Office.

It’s the 20^th Christmas since I opened ellënoire in my living room.

We’d love to see you to celebrate both of these anniversaries.

Gone Training!

From Saturday July 27th at 3:30pm-August 1rst at 11am the salon and boutique will be closed so Sarah and I can go to a 3 day training program at the DevaChan Salon in New York City!
We will return with certifications as "Deva Inspired Advanced Stylists", which will make ellenoire the only DevaCurl Inspired salon with all the hairdressing staff trained to the highest level.  
Wish us luck! We will be excited to return with even more curly innovation to share with you. Don't forget to bust your butt to get into the store to get any products you'll need before we leave tomorrow! 
 See you soon!