Tag Archives: Alabu

Cut From the Same Cloth…

Posted on September 15, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Regardless of all the insanity that has surrounded Thompson Chemists in the past few months, we have still not lost sight of whats important…YOU! :D As always we put our efforts in trying to find the newest, most exciting lines out there and making them available to you. The importance of supporting local businesses and natural products is never lost on us and we always try our hardest to find those companies that make a difference.

Created by the wonderfully knowledgable MJ, MJ’s Herbals are a collection of healing salves all handmade by MJ herself. With a rich background in herbalism and holistic healing, MJ made sure that her salves are chemical-free and certified organic. (Not only that, but they actually WORK!) We have difficulty keeping MJ’s Herbals fully stocked since customers love them so much!  Packaged in portable glass jars, the Lavender E Salve is perfect for headaches, the Arnica Salve rids you of bruises and muscle aches, Calendula for wounds and skin care, the First Aid as an antiseptic, antibacterial salve, and the Breast Balm to help strengthen breast tissue. Hand-pressed with care by MJ, it is very easy to fall in love with these wonderful, multipurpose salves.

With the discontinuation of (my favorite) Alabu scent, Purely Herbal, (Alabu, please bring it back!!!) new scents have been added to our already impressive repertoire including garden trellis, peppermint and lavender delight..each smell more lovely than the next. As Emily explained in a previous blog Alabu produces natural, locally hand made soaps that are ideal for all types of skin.

Loving Naturals was actually requested by a customer of ours and ever since we got it in it keeps flying off the shelves like candy and it is not difficult to understand why! Founded by two parents in attempts to provide their newborn baby with natural products and since they felt wary about all other sunscreens on the market, they created their own. This simple, totally organic SPF 30+ sunscreen has since then rocketed to the number 1 safest sunscreen spot on the EWG’s Skin Deep database.

Babo Botanicals was created in the same manner, a single mother earnestly trying to provide her two kids with safe baby grooming products and not being able to find any, decided to draw on her previous experiences in product development and Babo Botanicals was born! High in professional quality, organic and free of all “icky chemicals”, we are ecsatic to have Babo with us.

It makes us happy to see that these wonderful  people and families out there put so much love and dedication into what they do, they fit in right with us at TC. :-)

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Alabu Goat Milk Soaps: Natural, Hand-made, Local!

Posted on September 11, 2009 by | 2 Comments

When a customer comes in asking for a soap for dry, irritated or eczema prone skin I always send them straight to Alabu.

Alabu’s goat-milk soaps soaps are ideal for people with sensitive skin and it’s easy to see why! Compare their ingredients to those of any commercially made soap (even Tom’s of Maine!) and you will see a HUGE difference. Alabu’s Oat and Honey bar reads: “goat milk, saponofied oils of olive, coconut, soybean oils, cocoa butter, castor oil, oat flour, honey,” as simple as it gets.

Besides the fact that they make wonderful products, Alabu is the kind of company I love to see on our shelves, and it makes me happy to see it do so well here. These soaps are not certified organic, but they might as well be. (For more info on how it can difficult for small farms to become certified organic click here.) Better yet, they are LOCAL. Run by a family in Mechanicville, NY, the company began as a “challenging chemistry lesson for my home-schooled children,” writes founder Maryclaire. She and her family discovered how wonderful home-made goats milk soap was, and how much better for your skin than any store bought brands. Later, after making soap for friends and family (it was rather in demand!) they decided to start selling.

I feel that Alabu and their products (which are not limited to soaps, we carry their lotion sticks and face oils as well!) epitomize the return to a simpler, and richer, life, which, as a New Yorker (really a Brooklynite) I appreciate (read: long for). They are also lovely people. I’ve spoken to just about everybody on the phone and all of us here look forward to the newsletters they produce monthly (the adorable goat pictures featured here came from the newsletters).

So, if you’ve got dry, sensitive skin, eczema or just a passion for good soaps, stop in and see us at Thompson Chemists and pick up a bar of Alabu’s goat-milk soap. We carry Lavender Mint, Rosemary, Tea Tree (unscented), Buttermilk (unscented), Oat and Honey (unscented), Jasmine, Purely Herbal (our favorite! now discontinued! we have aprox. 60 bars), Baby Me (unscented) and Gingerbread (yum!). At only $4.95 a bar you can’t go wrong.

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Father’s Day Gift Suggestions

Posted on June 18, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Father’s day is fast approaching and we have hand picked a few items from our shelves at Thompson Chemists that your daddy dearest is bound to love.

First up from the Baxter of California line is the Invigorating Body Wash. We carry them in two scents, the Bergamot/Pear Essence and the Pomegranate/Lime Essence. I adore both for they both have such a light and delicate scent to it and leaves your skin feeling squeaky clean.

Next, if your papa has stubborn skin that is prone to ingrown hairs- treat him to the Truefitt Hill Shaving Cream. This wonderful product from the English company will give your father a whole new experience in shaving. The shaving cream comes in a 5.8 oz tub and will last nearly forever. My personal favorite is the West Indian Lime–there is a fresh and revitalizing smell to it. He will discover a smoother, more satisfying shave and if he tops it off with Barc’s Bump Down he is sure to have rid all ingrown hairs! Bump Down dramatically reduces the appearance of razor bumps and ingrown hairs all the while protecting and moisturizing the skin. I favor this razor bump relief product to others because it is lotion based, and alcohol free so it won’t burn or irritate your skin even further.

If you believe your father will prefer a shaving soap rather than a cream, I recommend he tries Alabu Shaving Soap This shaving soap has an undertone of cinnamon and has essential oils added to it to keep your skin from breaking out after shaving.

For the face, I’d like to recommend two things from Anthony Logistics for Men, a Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 ($31) and Astringent Toner Pads. ($20) The moisturizer has extracts of sugarcane, sugar maple, orange and lemon which helps minimize the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and blotches. The pads come in a tub of 60 pads and was actually a Men’s Health & Grooming 2008 winner. The Astringent Toner Pads have a slightly minty smell to it and leaves your face feeling fresh and clean. The purpose of the pads is to eliminate impurities, tighten pores and control shine. Also for the face, I also recommend the Clarifying Clay Mask ($15) from Baxter of California. The facial mask provides a deep-cleansing experience that tightens your pores, moisturizes and soothes your skin, all the while revitalizing it!

In addition to all these wonderful products, we also carry a variety of shaving brushes and razors, to see them just stop by the store and have a look!

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