Hummingbird Farms No. 6 Body Oil (and Hair Oil!)

Hummingbird Farms No. 6 Body Oil is finally available on the market and our website!  I posted not long ago about my challenge to you to peruse the body oil section at the drug store or grocery store (or beauty/department stores) and see if you can find a body oil that does not contain mineral oil and/or artificial fragrance.  You can read more here, but I will reiterate that I’m not overly radical, I’m logical and well versed on cosmetic ingredients.  Mineral oil can have its place (as well as some synthetics and preservatives), but at Hummingbird Farms our philosophy is that natural plant-based products should be used first, and synthetics only when necessary.  Not to mention that our mission is to support American Agriculture in our use of plant-based ingredients.  BUT – what I am radical about is the use of artificial/synthetic fragrance in your body care (because you can smell really nice with wonderfully fragrant essential oils), but I will hold my passion about that for later.  

In the meantime, back to our No. 6 Body Oil:  I have been using it on my hair! Yes, I use No. 6 Body Oil on my body, but I have been using it on my hair, too.  I am so pleased with how it is working for both! 

This body oil contains 6 natural plant derived ingredients plus Vitamin E.  It is such a great product, and so good for you.  If I didn’t know better I would pour some in my coffee every morning and drink it, BUT please don’t! I haven’t tested for that.  Yet.   

First of all, Vitamin E is great for your skin and your hair.  Through our research, we have learned that Vitamin E is also a great preservative. Our No. 6 Body Oil only needed a very minimal amount of preservative because when you use essential oils instead of a bunch of fake stuff, you don’t have to use a lot of preservative to preserve the over abundance of synthetic chemicals being used.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, our No. 6 Body Oil contains six natural plant ingredients (hence the name, No. 6) plus Vitamin E: Sunflower Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Essential Oil of Lavender, Grape Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, and Jojoba Seed Oil.  That’s it! Six wonderful plant oils that should be incorporated into your daily use anyway.  We simply made it easy for you by blending them all in one bottle. 

So – how am I using our No. 6 Body Oil? I’m using it on my hair! Y’all – it’s fabulous! Now it might not be for everyone, but my hair tends to be a little on the dry and frizzy side, especially this time of year.  It has been so wonderful for my hair! I feel like I need to do one of those infomercial things just to spread the word….

After I blow-dry my hair I squirt a little oil in my hands, rub my hands together, and then run my fingers through my hair.  I can’t believe the difference.  I have also not had to do anything else to my hair after drying and rubbing the oil through it.  In the past I would run the flat iron through my hair just to control the frizz, but I don’t have to anymore.  Now if you do plan to style your hair after drying, I would recommend running the oil through your hair as your last step after you have styled.  

So – this post was longer than I intended, but I’m just excited to share with you this wonderful product.  

Oh – I haven’t even mentioned chicken skin! Do you have chicken skin? Those miserable bumps on the back of your arms? Well here is your solution! This oil is great for those miserable bumps (and I can attest to that, too).  Dr. Oz does a good job of explaining the scientific term and etiology of Chicken Skin here.  

Thank you to all our wonderful customers that have supported Hummingbird Farms Bath & Body through the years, and THANK YOU for listening to me when I am a little over excited….  

My best,

Debi

What would the pilgrims do?

So I thought I would actually do a post about Thanksgiving.  Heck – why not? It is Thanksgiving Eve after all.  Of course some may think Thanksgiving is now old news, being that we somehow have skipped this holiday and jumped right to Christmas. 

I’m still not sure when or why we began shopping for Halloween in August, Thanksgiving in September, and then pretty much skipping right over to Christmas before all the pumpkins have even been harvested from the fields.  As a child I don’t ever remember decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. In fact, it was always kind of a rule that we didn’t.  At least I always thought it was the rule….

I am quite certain that Christmas was far from the minds of the pilgrims on Thanksgiving Day, and I suppose they were simply thankful for surviving another year and for food to eat.  And to imagine that nowadays we stress ourselves out over getting our Christmas trees up before Thanksgiving when they were stressed out about their next meal - if there would be one...  For that reason, I still live by what I thought was a rule to begin with.  I just can’t bring myself to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  It’s just me, to each his own.  

Now I have been known to leave my Christmas decorations up until Elvis' birthday. 

Like I said, to each his own.  I'm thankful I don't judge.  Or that no one judges me…. 

So hear it goes, my many blessings and what I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve (and not in order of priority):

1.   I’m thankful for my immediate and extended family’s health and mine.  We all survived another year and believe me, it was a little touch and go there for a bit.  We had two Life-Flights out of the farm this year!  
2.   I’m thankful for the privilege of living at Hummingbird Farms.  
3.  I’m thankful that as a nation we still have our freedom and as of today, for the most part, are protected by The Constitution.  Most of all, I’m thankful for those that have fought and are currently fighting to allow us those freedoms. 
4.  I am thankful I have many wonderful friends, and especially thankful for those whom I have had most of my life so I don’t have to explain so much to them.  They just know…. 
5.   I’m thankful that I am an animal lover because they bring me so much joy in such an unconditional way. 
6. I’m thankful for shelter when I am cold, food when I am hungry, and water when I am thirsty. 
7.  I’m thankful for my husband, my rock. 
8.  I’m thankful I still have both my parents and sisters that know me better than anyone. 
9.  I’m thankful I know how to roast a fantastic turkey.
10.  And – just because it’s okay to be thankful for frivolous stuff (and I am human after all), I am thankful for the absolutely, most wonderful birthday gift that my husband gave me this year.  I had always wanted it, never thought I would get it, and it makes me feel very special everyday that I wear it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's a crude world...

Why is it so difficult to find a body oil that doesn’t contain mineral oil? Well, one reason is because mineral oil is really cheap and has been the basis for body oil and other personal care products for years.  It is commonly seen in your lotions, moisturizers, foundations, and lip balms.  Oh – and commonly used as a mechanical lubricant.  Because, you know – what’s good for our diesel engines must also be good for us… hmmmm.  If you want to know why you should avoid mineral oil on your skin, read here and here. 

In the meantime, if you have been having trouble finding a quality body oil without mineral oil, your search will soon be over! Hummingbird Farms will be launching our new Body Oil, sans the mineral oil, in about 3 weeks! Can you say avocado oil, lavender oil, and jojoba seed oil? Try moisturizing with these natural plant oils instead of mineral oil. 

Now I’m not bashing the petroleum oil industry.   After all, I am from west Texas and this industry has supported many families and enabled all of us to travel freely across the country and the globe.  And besides, West Texas crude oil was instrumental in winning World War II! I love me some crude oil…. But, I like it in our engines and battleships, not one me!

Now I’m going to assign you some homework:  The next time you are at the drug store or grocery store, stroll through all the body oils and see how many you can find that do not contain mineral oil and/or artificial fragrance to camouflage the smell of petroleum. 

Ready, set, go!