I’m all for taking home souvenirs of your trip, and one of my favorite things to do is to bring back beauty products made with indigenous ingredients of the region. That’s why I’m crazy about Island Soap & Candle Works products that I sniffed out at the ABC stores and at Hilo Hatties. Stash any of these products in your Samsonite on the return flight home – and you’ll have a Maui memory that lasts a long, long time. With these products, you can escape to paradise and relive the swaying of the palm trees and the fruity tropical drinks that a Maui trip is famous for.
Island Soap & Candle Works ‘ handmade products are not only gorgeous, they are environmentally friendly. The factory uses solar panels. The packaging is forest-friendly, in that it is made of recycled paper of Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. And instead of using styrofoam “peanuts” in packing, the company simply uses unwanted surplus newsprint from the local newspaper. (That’s pure genius.) They also do not employ any animal testing.
Bestsellers are the lotions that all list coconut oil as their main ingredient. These succulent scents come in varieties that include Plumeria Blossom, Mango Coconut Guava, Pineapple Passion Fruit and Creamy Coconut. All also have matching soaps – and they are adorable. The Creamy Coconut coconut-and-palm-oil soap comes in a green box somewhat resembling a vintage Hawaii poster, with an image of a palm tree and palm fronds, with orange end caps. All you do is push one end to reveal a small oval soap that has the markings of a pineapple. They’re the perfect gift for you or a friend. A remarkable memento!
Also drool-worthy are the shea butter soaps, that are marbleized squares of just-picked goodness. The Hawaiian Sunrise scent is awesome – it’s pure orange citrus that you rarely find in skincare products. Other favorites include Island Passion (passion fruit) and Pineapple Paradise, and all come so beautifully packaged you will want to display the boxes in your bathroom.
And like all great companies, this one has a cult item that everyone lusts for. It’s the Surfer’s Salve, an emollient mix of olive oil, plantain leaf, comfrey leaf, beeswax, aloe, rosemary, tea tree oil and more. Apparently Jennifer Aniston’s hairdresser, Chris McMillan, uses it on the A-lister’s trendy tresses. Its healing properties work wonders on rashes, sunburn, bug bites and minor rashes. “It has a cult following,” says Jim Psaila, the general manger of Island Soap & Candle Works. This is also now available in a new tube.
And if your hair and skin crave Surfer’s Salve, your lips will lust after the beautiful lip balms, containing macadamia nut oil, palm oil, olive oil, and beeswax. Unlike some lip balms that only further dry out your lips, these are completely soothing. The four-pack of Hawaiian Sunrise, Kauai Kiss, Pineapple Paradise and Island Passion even comes in its own little plastic carrying case. They’re all handpoured, handpackaged and handlabeled every step of the way.
All Island Soap & Candle Works products contain that desirable dose of aloha that you won’t find anywhere else.
For more information, call (800) 300-6067.
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