Tag Archives: Neem

Why We Started Making Coconut Soap.

walking-in-town-together

We started making soap because we were both fed up with the quality of shop-bought soap.  The bars that we bought were a funny pink colour with an artificial rose scent.  We didn’t think much of the well-known brands either because they all smelled of unnatural fragrances and dried out the skin.  And so we decided to embark on the making of our own soap…at that time we did not have Internet on the farm and had to conduct our research at the Internet Cafe in town.

Our purpose was to make a good soap for us to use instead of having the buy the poor quality supermarket stuff.  The properties that we sought for in our home-made soap was a good lather and a moisturising bar with natural scent.

Generally speaking, soap is made from oil/fat and lye.  The oil/fat lends the qualities and properties to a soap bar and so we started off by experimenting with anything that we could find off the supermarket shelf.  We tried everything from shortening, to lard and a whole plethora of vegetable oils.

These attempts were a great learning experience: shortening was actually okay but the lard soap actually smelled quite piggy!!  We came out of the shower smelling like we had smothered ourselves in bacon!!  The vegetable oil made a soft moisturising bar but disintegrated very quickly into bits.

At the time, we were also making coconut oil and selling it to the lady at Punta Gorda market.  It was a slow, laborious process of grating, boiling and stirring.  We spent many full days setting up a fire (with coconut husks) and stirring our pot of coconut oil together under the shade of the coconut palms.   It was a very significant time, when we tried to seek meaning in our lives, after extricating ourselves from the rushing urgency and pressures of our previous lives as medical doctors.

I remember making a test batch of coconut oil soaps and eagerly waiting for the results.  When soap is made in this way ie. not commercially, the soap needs time to “cure” and this can take anything from 3 months or longer.  The longer you wait, the better…it is like a fine wine.  Anyway, after waiting 3 months, we tried this soap and discovered that it had all the properties that we were looking far.  It lathered well, did not dry out the skin and the natural scent was lovely.  The skin felt so clean and smooth.

This was the perfect recipe and we were using our own coconuts from the farm!

Our Lovely Coconuts.
Our Lovely Coconuts.

Our soaps are still made from this original coconut oil recipe.  In addition to this, we have created Medicinal Soaps and Chocolate Soaps.

Our Medicinal Soaps include Copal, Jackass Bitters and Neem and White Pitahaya.

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

Our Chocolate Soaps include Chocolate Artisan, Cacao Butter Soap and Chocolate scented soaps in four delicious scents: Chocolate-Mint, Chocolate-Orange, Chocolate-Mango and Chocolate-Vanilla.

Chocolate Soap Galore!!
Chocolate Soap Galore!!

To see all our soaps and apothecary items please go to casamascia.com.

Soaps At The Pharmacy!

Together.HorsesWe have just delivered a fresh batch of our medicinal soaps to Vance Vernon Pharmacy in Punta Gorda.  You will find Copal Medicinal Soap for treatment of  rash, itch and insect bites:

Copal Medicinal Soap.
Copal Medicinal Soap.

There is also Jackass Bitters and Neem Soap which is indicated for sensitive and irritated skin.

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

You will also find our popular White Pitahaya Soap which is a facial soap recommended for acne (here, they call it “bumps”) and oily skin.

White Pitahaya Soap.
White Pitahaya Soap.

If you do not live in Punta Gorda we can post within the country and internationally.  Check out The Apothecary section of our website for more details.

Casa Mascia Products in Placencia!

Munchkin.Feeling.Rightous

Hey Guys!!  Just another quick reminder that you can buy our Casa Mascia products at the Placencia Sidewalk Festival this weekend.  Annette Vernon (of Placencia Pop-Up Art) will be selling our stuff.  She will have all the favourites including our Copal Medicinal Soap, Oil and Ointment.  And there is much, much more!!  Okay, I am not that good with the marketing jargon… it’s maximum velocity, awesome and out of this world (Ha-Ha)!!

Here are some pictures to entice you:

Copal Medicinal Soap.
Copal Medicinal Soap.
White Pitahaya Soap.
White Pitahaya Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

Have Fun at the Festival!!

Placencia Sidewalk Festival 2016.

Standing.Together

Hi Everyone!!  I am writing to let you know that Annette Vernon of Placencia Pop-Up Art will be selling our Casa Mascia Apothecary products at the Placencia Sidewalk Festival next weekend.  She will have all the following goodies:  Copal Medicinal Oil Vials, Copal Medicinal Ointment, Copal Medicinal Soap, Itch Done Gone, Lemongrass Insect Repellent Balm, Jackass Bitters and Neem Soap and White Pitahaya soap.  Look out for all these products…

Copal Medicinal Oil Vial.
Copal Medicinal Oil Vial.
Copal Medicinal Soap.
Copal Medicinal Soap.
Lemongrass Insect Repellent Balm.
Lemongrass Insect Repellent Balm.

Sorry we won’t be there this year!!  If there is anybody that wants something that is not on the list please email me.  Cheers and have fun at the festival this year!!

Pet Stuff.

New.Munchkin.Gnome.Yellow.Boots

Hello Everyone.  We have just delivered some Pet Products to the Farm Store in Punta Gorda.  These include Jackass Bitters and Neem Pet Soap and Lime-Sulphur Pet Dip.

The pet soap is made from jackass bitters and neem leaf for control of fleas, ticks and mites without the use of strong chemicals.  The Lime-Sulphur Pet Dip is used for more severe infestations of mange, fleas, ticks and ringworm.

Both products are safe to use on your pets.  As you can see: our pets love Sulphur Dip Time!

Washing Dog with Sulphur Dip.
Washing Dog with Sulphur Dip.
Clean Cat.
Clean Cat.

For anyone who lives in Belize, outside of Punta Gorda, we can have these products delivered via Tropic Air.  We also ship Internationally.  Check out The Apothecary for more information and prices.

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap is Ready!!

Munchkin.Feeling.RightousHello Everyone!!  Our Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap is now ready and available for purchase in The Apothecary.

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

The neem leaves are dried in the shade and then infused in coconut oil which is used in the making of the soap.

Neem is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-helminthic and anti-viral properties.  In Aryuvedic medicine, neem has been used to treat skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.

Neem Tree.
Neem Tree.

The jackass bitters plant is a well-known herb of Belize which is used in treating ulcers and cold-sores.

Jackass Bitters Leaves.
Jackass Bitters Leaves.

A perfect combination for a gentle soap with soothing properties for problem skin.  It is also a wonderful “everyday” anti-bacterial coconut oil soap.

If you live in Punta Gorda or in the Toledo region of Belize, you can buy this soap at Vance Vernon Pharmacy on Front Street.

Pharmacy.on.Market.StreetThis is what the packaged soap looks like:

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

If you look at the packaging closely, you will notice that it only states “Neem Face and Body Soap.”  This is because we are still using our old labels…we are being eco-friendly and do not want to throw out perfectly good labels!!  So, I would like to assure you, despite the use of these labels, the soap is made from neem and jackass bitters!

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

Have a good night!!

Our Pet Dip and Pet Soap.

Together.HorsesToday we were in Punta Gorda doing our delivering, “hailing” and the usual town stuff.  In Punta Gorda, everyone knows you so you have to go through the custom of “hailing.”  Ignore this at your peril!  Basically, you need to say “Hello, how are you?” to everyone that you know…who happens to be crossing the street, sitting in their shop, driving in their car or standing in the queue in front of you.  If you can handle a bit of small talk then that is an added bonus because every-one loves to stop and chat. If you ignore anyone who knows you, you are considered an “ignorant outsider” or just plain rude.  These are the unspoken rules of a small community.

We delivered our Pet Products to The Farm Store in Punta Gorda.  This particular shop is owned by Mennonites (Anabaptist Christian Group who emigrated originally from Germany and now settled in Belize) and run by local Mayans who have converted into this particular faith.  The Farm Store sells anything to do with farming, hardware and pet supplies, basically, anything that is useful to man or beast!  We delivered the following:

Jackass  Bitters and Neem Pet Soap.
Jackass Bitters and Neem Pet Soap.

This is not the same as our same-name soap for people.  This one has a higher percentage of active ingredients so that it is extra strong for the treatment of fleas, ticks and mites in pets (usually dogs and cats).  Gentle but effective, without the use of strong chemicals.

We also took this opportunity to launch our new pet product: Lime Sulphur Pet Dip for Mange, Fleas, Ticks and Ringworm.

Lime Sulphur Pet Dip Label.
Lime Sulphur Pet Dip Label.

This is the label with the instructions.  We used recycled beer bottles for this product because they are the cheapest thing to use so that we could sell the product at a rock-bottom price.  Gnome created a tag to go with the product with regards to the philosophy of recycling; unfortunately, the network connection to the printer wouldn’t work so we didn’t get this part printed in time.  So, this tag will be on the next order:

Lime Sulphur Pet Dip Wrap.
Lime Sulphur Pet Dip Wrap.

…Gnome Philosophy stuff in small writing for anyone who cares to read Gnome humour.

We use all our stuff on our own pets; they are very healthy and have the reassuring smell of sulphur to them:

Washing Dog with Sulphur Dip.
Washing Dog with Sulphur Dip.
Clean Cat.
Clean Cat.

This is a picture of the very friendly bossie of the Farm Store.  He is a lovely young man:

Mr. Brian Cho at The Farm Store.
Mr. Brian Cho at The Farm Store.

So, you can now get our pet stuff at the Farm Store in Punta Gorda.  The products will be posted up in the Apothecary soon for those of you living outside Toledo or outside of Belize.

Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

Munchkin.with.UmbrellaHello Everyone!!  We have been making soap…yes, it is raining again so we have decided to do a soap marathon.  The Neem soap is back by popular demand and this time we have added jackass bitters to the formula.  The neem leaves are dried in the shade and then infused in coconut oil which is used in the making of the soap.

Neem is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-helminthic and anti-viral properties.  In Aryuvedic medicine, neem has been used to treat skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.

Neem Tree on our Farm.
Neem Tree on our Farm.

The jackass bitters plant is a well-known herb of Belize which is used in treating ulcers and cold-sores.

Jackass Bitters Leaves.
Jackass Bitters Leaves.

A perfect combination for a gentle soap with soothing properties for problem skin.  It is also a wonderful “everyday” anti-bacterial coconut oil soap. We will put it in The Apothecary once the soaps are cured and ready!  Here are some pictures to entice you.

Stacks of Neem and Jackass Bitters Soaps.
Stacks of Neem and Jackass Bitters Soaps.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.

Have a good night!!

Jackass Bitters Oil and Bottling Mead.

TogetherHello Everyone!  It is really funny weather today; first it was sunny and now its all windy and grey.  It can really affect your mood sometimes so we have tried to keep busy today in order to keep out of trouble!

I have a new product called Bitters Oil which is made from Jackass Bitters and Neem.  It is an effective treatment for cold sores and wounds of all kinds.  Jackass Bitters is used traditionally in this country to aid in the natural healing of ulcers and neem is known for its anti-septic properties.

Bitters Oil.
Bitters Oil.

I have started selling a few bottles in the local pharmacy in Punta Gorda (Vance Vernon Pharmacy).  The making of this product originally started with a personal request and since it has been working so effectively for this individual, I have decided to make it available to the public.  A big Thank-you to Miss Joyce for using and supporting the Bitters Oil!

Meanwhile, Gnome is keeping busy by bottling Mead:

Bottling Mead.
Bottling Mead.

Out of a 5 gallon bucket, he ended up getting 57 bottles.  Yay…we are going to get bubbly Mead!

And, he has been making soap:

Grating Soap.
Grating Soap.
Grated Chocolate Soap.
Grated Chocolate Soap.

And with a bit of Gnome Magic, beautiful soap was made:

Chocolate Artisan Soaps.
Chocolate Artisan Soaps.

Have a Good Evening!!