Here’s something for the hair from the House of Mascia! This is actually a Golden Oldie and was one of our first products; it is now back by popular demand. It’s just one of those things…as soon as we stopped making the product, we received emails asking, “…where is this?” and, “I bought this a while ago and I can’t find it anymore.”
And so we have it available in The Apothecary and if you live in Punta Gorda, it is available at Vance Vernon Pharmacy.
This is a hot oil treatment that can help re-condition dry and damaged hair:
Allspice and Orange Oil helps stimulate circulation and encourages hair growth.
The combination of base oils nourishes the hair especially if it is sun-damaged, chemically treated or in general bad condition.
The copal resin has natural anti-septic and anti-fungal effects. The anti-inflammatory property of this ingredient also soothes irritated and sensitive scalps.
Allspice And Orange Hair Oil.
And this is how you use it:
Warm vial of hair oil in glass of hot water while washing hair. Dry hair and apply oil to hair. Wrap in plastic for 20 minutes. Relax. Re-wash with shampoo.
We are pleased to inform you that we have Cacao Elixir 8oz bottles for sale in The Apothecary. Usually they are snapped up by chocolate connoisseurs at Elixir Tastings before they even get into the on-line shop.
Cacao Fruit Elixir 8oz.
The Cacao Fruit was gathered in May of Last year; the pods were cracked open and the Elixir has been through a lengthy process of infusion and regular siphoning since then.
It started with the Cacao pods:
Cacao Pods.Cacao Fruit Elixir.
The Final Product:
Cacao Fruit Elixir.
This is our Profile for the Cacao Fruit Elixir:
Colour: Amber brown with hints of burgandy.
Clarity: Very slightly translucent.
Nose: Musky, earthy and reminiscent of freshly cut hay.
Taste: Sweet and coats tongue with an unctuous velvety layer. Complex taste with chocolate tones.
Medicinal Indications.
Digestive Stimulant. Mood-lifting properties.
Serving Suggestions.
Store in the freezer for a cool, sipping liqueur. Pour into a liqueur glass or shot glass and enjoy. Excellent after-dinner digestif especially after a heavy meal.
Serve in a highball glass over ice and top up with soda. Add an orange twist to complement the chocolate taste and aroma.
With the start of the rainy season in Belize, the bugs have come out; the whole army of biting bugs include mosquitoes, botless flies, sandflies and noseeums. It can drive you crazy especially when they get aggressive and start buzzing around you. Here are a few tips to keep the bugs at bay:
Wear long sleeves and trousers and socks when you can. Bugs favour the elbows, ankles, face and neck area and reducing the amount of exposed areas, makes less skin area available for biting.
light a lamp or candle 10 feet away from the area that you plan to be using; this will draw any biting insects away from you and actually incinerate them. Make sure that the flame is away from pets, children and causes of mischief.
Bathe regularly and only wear clean clothes after bathing. Biting insects are attracted to body odours and sweat that accumulate without bathing. As a general guideline, the bedroom would benefit from becoming a zone that can only be entered after bathing first to reduce biting insects at night.
Don’t leave anything that can gather standing water near your dwelling. Favourite spots are plant pots, containers and old tyres.
Try and live in a raised dwelling otherwise you need an open fire all the time in the tropics.
After all the above factors are taken into account, it is appropriate to consider using an insect repellent. Incidentally, …wink….wink..nudge…nudge…this Brand works very well.
Since we are in the business of making hand-made soaps, many people have asked,
“Why Buy Hand-Made Soaps?”
For many people who are not into Artisanal, Hand-Crafted goods, the question is valid and I would like to take the opportunity to explain the reasons.
Soaps are made from fat (eg. tallow, coconut oil, olive oil, etc) and an alkali, usually Sodium Hydroxide (commonly known as lye). These two ingredients react together in a chemical process known as saponification.
Firstly, you need to know about cold-processed and hot-processed soap making.
Cold-Processed Soap Making.
This is typically the process used in making small batch hand-made soaps. The process involves mixing ingredients and allowing the reaction of saponification to occur at room temperature. It is important to note that the making of fine soap involves accurate measurements because it is a very exacting process; too much fat will produce rancid soap and too much alkali can cause skin irritation. Soap-making requires skill, practice and strict measuring.
In other words, you can’t Glug Glug!!
Cold-Processed soap results in a small excess of fat (this is called super-fatting). Also, the glycerin component of the soap remains (compare this to industrially made where all glycerin is extracted as a side product). For these reasons, hand-made soaps are more moisturising than shop bought soaps.
The other advantage of Hand-Made soaps is that the maker can choose the fats and oils according to the qualities that they wish to impart to the soap. For instance, we use coconut oil which allows a rich creamy lather and has characteristic emollient properties.
At this point, I would like to mention briefly that some “Artisanal Soaps” may be made from Melt and Pour Soap. I will go into more detail about this another time. For all intents and purposes, this is a commercially made soap which requires Melting and Pouring into moulds only. In other words, the soap has already been made…people are just re-pouring it. Therefore no soap-making skills are required in this process.
We make Cold-Processed Soap!!
Our Soap.
Hot-Processed Soap Making.
This is the process of making your shop-bought soap which is sold by the millions or billions. The fat and lye are added together in extremely exacting amounts so there is no “super-fatting.” This is boiled and after saponification occurs, the excess fluid is drained off. This fluid contains all of the glycerin component which is extracted as another industrial raw material. So, at this point the soap can be rolled, pelletised and/or flaked so that they can be put into a machine that can make the bars.
Industrial soap does not have the extra fat and glycerin that a cold-processed soap contains.
So, the reason why you might choose to buy Hand-Made Soaps is to have the extra emollient qualities of the soap. You are also supporting an individual rather than an industry.
See you at Cacao Fest 2016 today! Casa Mascia Apothecary will have a booth in Punta Gorda and all the fun starts at about 9am. We will bring our Chocolate Soaps, Chocolate Body Wash, Copal Oils and Soap. And much, much more at Runaway-Not-To-Missed-Bargain Prices!! Ha-Ha…you can tell I don’t have a marketing degree!
It has been a few months since the new market opened in Punta Gorda, Toledo. I will take more pictures next time for some of our readers that don’t live in Toledo. For the town locals, this is to let you know that our Copal Medicinal Oil and Copal Medicinal Soap are available at Mrs. Juanita Bochub’s stall (Stall No.10).
Juanita Bochub.
Punta Gorda Market is now located centrally so it is within easy walking access. Juanita has been selling our products for quite a while but I thought it was worth a reminder. Juanita and I go back a long way; when we first started on the farm, we made coconut oil and she sold this at the market for us.
We are planting out some more Pitahaya (Dragonfruit) along our stone planting beds. Once the cactus start drooping down, they will start to flower. The most common variety in Belize and Central America is the one with red pulp. The more common type in Asia is the white pitahaya. These plants tend to prefer dry areas and have a hard time with wet feet. We have planted pitahaya in Toledo with some success on high, dry ground. We harvest the seeds to make our White Pitahaya Facial Soap:
White Pitahaya Soap.
These facial bars are made from coconut oil and are indicated for acne-prone skin. They are deeply cleansing and exfoliating.
White Pitahaya Soap.
We use this all the time; that’s why we have beautiful skin!!
Beautiful Skin!
If you are in Punta Gorda, you can purchase these soaps at Vance Vernon Pharmacy. Otherwise, check out The Apothecary for ordering details.
Here is a recipe straight from the farm using our own green bananas and coconut cream.
Bunch of Green Bananas.
Remember that you can buy our freshly squeezed cream at Green Supaul’s in Punta Gorda.
Coconut Cream.
This is a wholesome vegetarian dish made from green bananas and lentils cooked in creamy coconut cream. The green bananas taste like yam and so adds an interesting texture to the taste experience. If you would like to view the recipe, click on this link to Green Banana and Coconut Cream Lentils.
Everyone always asks us which soaps are our favourite. Artisan Clay Sandalwood Soaps are our choice soaps; in fact we make a whole batch just for ourselves. These are made from coconut oil and the lovely violet clays of Bladen. For more ordering details and product information check out The Apothecary.
Since we are in the business of making hand-made soaps, many people have asked,
It has been a few months since the new market opened in Punta Gorda, Toledo. I will take more pictures next time for some of our readers that don’t live in Toledo. For the town locals, this is to let you know that our 
