News — Dulse and Rugosa

                              Carly and her Maine Man are getting married!  

Planning any celebratory event means compromises, and weddings are no exception.  It can be especially challenging if you want your event to be zero or low waste.

Our general advice is to do the best you can, don't be too hard on yourself for mistakes and remember every action- no matter how small is better than nothing. 

When thinking about a special occasion outfit it's important to think long term.  Whatever you decide to wear you should feel beautiful and comfortable.  Look for a style that is timeless and has room for body changes.  You know a year or two later- you might have gained or lost a few pounds.  You want that outfit to still look and feel good.

I have a dress I bought years ago.  I wore it often to fancy work events.  I could change the look with jewelry.  And I don't think it's necessary to always have a new outfit.  The dress is lovely but the design is quite simple.  I also use it for Halloween as it made a great "Evil Queen" when I was a primary teacher.  Now with a few quick changes I can rock a mermaid at my October markets.  It's comfortable enough to set up and sell and that's important because you want to get milage out of an outfit.

For Carly's wedding because we both like to sew we originally thought of making a dress.  We spent hours looking a fabric and patterns but honestly I was a bit worried about the actual sewing.  I love to sew but my skills are a bit random.  Last June, we were at the Old Port Festival in downtown Portland, ME and around the corner was an Anthropologie.  This brought back some sweet memories.

Many years ago, Carly was a science teacher in Texas and I worked overseas.  I was visiting her and she told me she found the "perfect wedding dress" at Anthropologie.  It was such a beautiful dress and it was on sale.  We actually debated whether  she should buy it.  At the time she was single without a significant other and wondering what to do with her life.  We decided it was a bit premature.

During the market we joked about going in and seeing if this shop had her wedding dress- and they did.  She wanted something simple that was easy to embellish.    Another important factor was the dress needed to be useful after the wedding.  Neither one of us wanted to spend money on a single occasion dress.

Her dress has a bit of Marilyn Monroe flare which is perfect for her figure.  She is busy embroidery a circle that she can attach to the dress.  The only problem is- it's white.  That's the traditional color for wedding dresses but so easy to stain.  I figure she has two choices, she can dye it after the wedding to make it a soft neutral but not white color.  Or every time it gets a stain add a bit of pizzaz with a piece of embroidery.

Some tips for a sustainable special occasion outfit-

Buy something that makes you look and feel beautiful

Look for a style that allows for body changes, gaining or loosing weight.

Shop thrift, resell or vintage either locally or online.

Support an indie business and hire someone to make a one of a kind outfit.

Make your own.

What are your tips for finding the perfect wannabe wasteless outfit?

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The winter solstice is fast approaching, many of us have had our first snowfall and with all the cheerful twinkle lights it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We have lots of sustainable gifts and stocking stuffers for family and friends.  Our holiday gift guide has suggestions for all the unique personalities in your life.

The Mermaid-  Always be yourself unless you can be a mermaid
Keep your locks looking their best with our Seaweed Shampoo Bar, Herbal Hair Vinegar and a nourishing hair oil.

The Sailor- I need Vitamin Sea
a Cruising Bar with a rust proof tin will let your sailor travel the seas plastic free.

The Bearded Guy-a beard is a gift you give your face
Give some beard love this holiday season with our Beard and Scalp Oil.

The Comedian- laugh and the world laughs with you
Give the power of seaweed with a bar of Weed n' Shrooms soap or Seaweed it’s Legal Canva Bag

The Bathing Beauty- happiness is taking a long bath 
Make every bath extra special with our Hot Island Bath Tea or Bath Effervescents. 

The Stressed Mom- stressed is dessert spelt backwards
When mom has had too much it's our botanical perfumes to the rescue.

The Tattoo Artist- it's always a good day for a tattoo
Keep skin art looking good with our all natural, chemical free soothing Tattoo Butter.

The Vegan- be kind to every kind
Pure and natural vegan butter.

The Gardner- to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow
Give the gift of flowers and soft skin with our gentle Gardeners Scrub.

Sleeping Beauty-  prioritizing good sleep is good self love
Bring on the Zzzz's with our balm or roll on. 

And finally the stockings were hung by the fire with care
Place our shower shots on the floor of your shower and let the fun begin.  Aromatherapy for every mood.  

At Dulse & Rugosa, our little bit of good is to switch our packaging to be as plastic free as possible.  Some of our products have always been there.  Our Maine Seaweed Shampoo bars are simply packaged in tissue paper that is made from recycled paper products.  The "plastic" bags we use for other products are actually biodegradable cellophane bags made from wood cellulose fibers sourced exclusively with sustainable forestry principles.  Our Shower Shots are packaged in these cool non-plastic bags.  They truly are a happy hour for your shower and the happy continues with compostable packaging.   

But the truth is a lot of our packaging has been cheap plastic jars.  There's a reason for this- cheap.  When you're a small business starting out your focus is on getting people to try your products.  There is a BIG difference between eco packaging and plastic in terms of price per container.  Plastic is so much cheaper- I know this because as a consumer I find myself standing in the grocery store comparing the price of items based on their packaging.   We've been going through the same process as a business.

One of the biggest changes we've made is with our popular Island Face Scrub.  Our $5.00 trial packs were packaged in a plastic/foil pouch.  Now they are repackaged in a kraft/plastic pouch combo.
 There still is some plastic but it's a lot less.  The same is true for our larger size.  We've replace the plastic jar and lid with the kraft/plastic pouch.  It's much less packaging and that's good for the environment.

That's our little bit of good.  What's your's?

At farm markets I talk to a lot of customers about making changing in their skincare routines.  Usually someone is drawn to our products because they have a skin problem and are looking for a solution. Itchy scalp draws people to our Maine Seaweed rich shampoo bars.  Our Seaweed rich Island Face Scrub is appealing to women sick of breaking out way past their teenage years.  There is so much information that making skincare changes can be confusing.  

If you’re wanting to bring nature into your skincare routine here are three tips to follow-

• Listen to your body
• Give it time
• Don’t be afraid to experiment

Be the Boss of Your Body

You need to know and pay attention to your body so you can decide if a product works for you.  Everybody’s different and our bodies don’t react or respond in the same way.  Think about it like this- there can be a wide variety of factors that cause a skin ailment and even if a particular plant is known to have healing properties it might not be for you.  Perhaps you are allergic to an ingredient or you don’t like how it feels.  Then that product is not for you.  You have to be the judge.  It might be a great product but just not the right fit.  Very similar to falling in love with an outfit only to try it on and “Ugh”- great look just not on you.

Also as our bodies change, our skincare routine needs to change too.  As we age we often find we need more moisture to stop our skin from feeling so dry. This mean we need to find lotions and cremes that contain super moisturizing oils.  Seasons can also signal it’s time to alter our routine.  Summer skin needs to be exfoliated and in winter we definitely need to be making sure we are putting on lots of nourishing oils.

Time is on Your Side

Natural products can take awhile to work.  When someone is buying a shampoo bar I always talk about giving their hair time to detox.  It often can take two weeks for a new products nourishing effects to be fully noticed.  This is why you have to “know your body” so you can judge if a products is working for you.

Be Goldilocks to Find What’s Right For You

The great benefit of using natural skin products is how flexible they can be.  If your products are plant and natural oil based- that means no toxic ingredients then you can use them in a variety of different ways.  One example, when traveling I pack our Seaweed Shampoo Bar- it’s my shampoo, soap and I find it’s great to shave my legs with.  Another example, I use our Sweet Island Face Oil as a face cleaner, a friend mixes it with our Rose Petal Face Creme because she wants just a bit more moisture and a customer keeps her face happy by using it as a night creme on her face.  Another way to experiment is to play around with how often you use a product.  Maybe once a day is too much but once a week is just right.