Joy Lane Happenings
How to Clean Out Your Fall Candle Jar
How to Clean Out Your Apple Candle Jar After It's Done! It was a sunny, fall day when you left for the farmers market. A little crispness to the air, crimson leaves fluttering in the breeze, and those brilliant white, puffy clouds you only see in September. You meandered through the pumpkin stands, the heaps of carrots and other root crops, and bought yourself a little something to munch on from the local pastry makers. You were doing so contentedly when you saw them: fall candles. Apple candles, pumpkin candles, and lots of notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Feeling...
Shea Butter Lotion for Dry Skin!
The last lotion we used before formulating our shea butter lotion was greasy, didn’t absorb well, and was preserved using parabens. Perhaps worse (Okay, maybe not worse than parabens, but at least from a sensory point of view) it had a heavy crème brulee fragrance that was artificial and nauseatingly sweet. So, we donned our lab coats! Our goal was to formulate a lotion that was just the opposite: thick and moisturizing, yet light and airy, perfectly hydrating, easily absorbed, with a pleasant, true-to-life scent.
If you're looking for a new favorite lotion, enjoy reading below about how we found ours!
Helping Our Friends in Ukraine
Every day I read about Ukraine, and I think of the friends with whom I played volleyball, drank tea, and roasted marshmallows. I went to Ukraine 15 times throughout high school and college working at a summer camp just outside Kyiv and lived in Zaporizhzhia with Katy for almost a year, teaching computer classes in orphanage #3.
Charcoal Soap: Everything You Need to Know!
One of the strangest requests we’ve had from our customers was for Charcoal Soap. I remember it clearly, even though it was years ago, because two of our longtime customers both asked for charcoal soap in the same week. I had never heard worked with activated charcoal before or even knew what it was, but that was enough to get our attention and launch a sequence of experiments that led to our best-selling charcoal facial soap.
Since “Why is charcoal good for your skin?” is still one of our most common questions at the Portsmouth Farmers Market, so we decided to write a longer article all about charcoal soap for you here!
Courtyard Complete!
One of the hardest parts of owning a business and raising young girls is the daily grind of being home. I have rosy eyed memories of sipping a cappuccino in Istanbul or strolling past street performers in Mallory Square or shopping for paintings on Andreevsky Spusk in Kyiv. We haven’t traveled in years. Whenever we think about it, the logistics and investment quickly outweigh the benefits, but the memories are there of living overseas before Joy Lane Farm and our daughters were born, and someday, we’re looking forward to traveling again. I know this season is worth it. We love...