Orchid Vanilla

Yes vanilla is an orchid.  It is, in fact, the only edible orchid in the very extended and very lovely orchid family.  We all know what the scent of vanilla is – at least I think we do — because of helping our Moms put it in cakes and cookies since we were kids.  

As it turns out, one of our friends Jim Redekopp and his wife are growing orchid vanilla on the Big Island of Hawai`i and it is a gourmet treat.   Vanilla is difficult to grow outside of Maexico and Central America, but the Redekopp’s are making it work.  You can visit them at www.hawaiianvanilla.com  They are the only commercial grower of vanilla in the United States.  According to Jim, Benjamin Franklin introduced vanilla to America.

We use vanilla in our products at Lanikai — specifically in our Orchid Vanilla line, and our Lanikai Girl Warm Vanilla Sugar Line.

 

Mango Season Upon Us

One of our favorite fruits is mango.  Starting around March Our Eyes are on the trees above, looking for the clusters of tiny yellow mango flowers.  Then we start praying that the winds won’t blow them away, and we wait for the mangoes of spring to emerge.Mango has a sweet smell and is deliciously syrupy.

Right about now, the trees are bursting with mango, some of them ready to eat, but most are not.  Before long, Punahou School will put out its cry for mangoes and mango chutney makers, getting ready for the carnival next February.

But we love the smell of Mango, too.  It is in our Mango Coconut floral line and also in our Poi Dog Island Mango Shampoo.

 

Coconut Oil is good for you and good for your skin too.

Coconuts are healthy!

Coconut oil has been described as “the healthiest oil on earth.” It is extracted from copra (the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut).  It helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling of your skin, and helps protect against skin cancer and other blemishes by keeping connective tissues strong and supple. Coconut oil’s antioxidants help bring back a youthful appearance to your skin and keeps your skin soft and smooth. The natural ingredients of Lanikai Bath and Body.

 

Bergamot

Ever wonder what Bergamot is?  It is in the ingredient list for many natural, organic beauty products, so you may want to know what it is and what it contributes to the overall effect.  Bergamot is an American herb that was once widely used by native Americans. It was introduced to the early colonists by the Oswego Indians, and Oswego tea was made by colonists during the time of the Boston Tea Party.   The dark pink, red and purple flowers smell pleasantly of oranges.

 

Noni

Noni grows in shady forests and also on open sandy or rocky shores.  The flowers of Noni are small and quite pretty; the fruit is large and pretty weird looking .. but very good for you, we’re told.  The fruit is green at first, and then it turns yellow and then white.  It has a strong small and bitter taste.  Noni is most valued for its high vitamin C content.  Noni seed oil is abundant in linoleic acid — which is a useful property for use on the skin in lotions that help with moisture retention and also function as an anti-inflammation element.

 

Calendula = Marigold

Calendula is Marigold!

Lovely sounding Calendula is an ingredient in most all of Lanikai Bath and Body’s products. If you say the word, it rolls off your tongue in a pleasing way. Now say “Marigold.” Because that is what most of us call Calendula.

From botanical.com: Marigold is chiefly used as a local remedy. Its action is stimulant and diaphoretic. It is useful in chronic ulcer, varicose veins, etc. Was considered formerly to have much value as an aperient and detergent in visceral obstructions and jaundice. (Does anyone reading this understand these words?)

For our part, we use Calendula’s powers as an astringent, toner and stimulant. In very small amounts, Calendula not only invigorates dry skin, it drys out oily skin. Such is the magic of nature. Calendula is also energizing and activating to the tissue and believed to help increase circulation. Now you know. Next time you are in a field of bright orange flowers that we all take for granted, say to your friend: “Allow me to pick some Calendula.”

 

Plumeria Haiku

Lovely Plumeria

This is the season of plumeria. Graduation stages and graduated students are festooned with them. The most popular are the “graveyard plumeria” — the super scentual, deeply yellow and white ones.

Here is my haiku:

Plumeria grows
In the graveyard scented strong
Sweet love left behind.

You can buy our perfect Plumeria Lotion online or in Kailua at Lanikai Bath and Body!

 

Puakenikeni

PUAKENIKENI

Orange. Yellow. White.
Trumpeting Wild Beauty.
Heady Scent. Yes! Hawaii.

Lanikai Bath and Body’s perfect Puakenikeni Jojoba Mist Spray is just right for
summer. Light on your skin. Lingers near your soul.

 

We Put the Lime in the Coconut

And your skin soaks it all up.  Coconut Lime is one of our most popular scents, because it is clean and fresh, and reminds you of a day at the beach.  Men and women love the product — whether it is in our special handmade soap, or our line of coconut lime verbena products, or our coco-lime candles.

We named this product Naupaka after the legendary lovers — you can read their story by clicking above.

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care and skin care.  It is known for its enriching, nourishing luxuriousness and the scent is familiar and heady.

These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and  properties which include antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial.

 

The Nose Knows

The sense of smell, we all know, is the most powerful of the five senses. People recall smells with a 65% accuracy after a year, while the visual recall of photos sinks to about 50% after only three months. According to www.senseofsmell.org “Our odor memories frequently have strong emotional qualities and are associated with the good or bad experiences in which they occurred. Olfaction is handled by the same part of the brain (the limbic system) that handles memories and emotions.

We can immediately recognize and respond to smells from childhood such as the smell of clean sheets, cookies baking in the oven, the smell of new books or a musty room in Grandma’s house.” One of the most famous moments in literature records Proust’s immediate recollection of his childhood with the smell of petit madelines at the bakery.

At Lanikai Bath and Body, we know how important the sense of smell is — and we know that it shouldn’t be overwhelming. We’ve carefully developed our scents with an expert in horticulture, resulting in products that are light and remarkably true to original flowers and fruits. Even so, they are long lasting and as pleasing as our lotions are light.

Our Mango Coconut recalls a lazy day at the beach. Our Plumeria is the stuff of dreams of stepping off the plane in Hawaii.

We love the scents of our beautiful islands ~ we’ve translated them in special lotions, butters, salts, scrubs, shampoos and gels so you can enjoy them every day. BTW, the wonderful scents of Lanikai Bath and Body come with only good memories!