Datura

I am writing about Datura not because it has anything to do with Lanikai Bath and Body or even Hawaii (as far as I know). I am writing about it because I had never heard of it, and I just read about it in Armistead Maupin's new book "Michael Tolliver Lives."

Wikipedia says: Datura is a genus of 12-15 species of vespertine flowering plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. Their exact natural distribution is uncertain, due to extensive cultivation and naturalization throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the globe, but is most likely restricted to the Americas, from the United States south through Mexico(where the highest species diversity occurs) to the mid-latitudes of South America. It also grows naturally throughout the India and most of Australia. According to the old ayurvedic medicinal system (at least since 2000 BC) in india, this plant has versatile uses in medicinal preparations.

According to Armistead Maupin, this plant is poisonous. And that's the reason I am writing about it. Hawaii is remarkably free of poision -- very little poisonous fauna and very few poisionous flora. There is the oleander, and there are stories about people getting sick or dying from roasting hotdogs on an oleander stick -- but there aren't many.

Hawaii is such a beautiful, calming place that it even reduces the effectiveness of the poision in poisonous people. Lanikai Beach eliminates it altogether. And this is what we work hard to do at Lanikai Bath and Body: create a place and a space where you can find peace and calm, and the refreshment of being at Lanikai Beach.

Handmade Natural Soaps

Lanikai Bath and Body Maiden Hawaii Soaps are truly wonderful. Not only do they lather up and feel amazingly creamy, they smell great and they are long lasting. I wanted to be sure to mention them on our blog because I have just brought home another bar (pineapple coconut) and I feel so great every time I wash my face (or hands!)

According to one expert:
True soaps have a pH of between 9 and 10, which is alkaline on the pH scale (0=most acidic, 14=most alkaline). True soaps are effective cleansers because of their pH. Oils and dirt are removed from the surface of the skin and carried away by water. Natural soaps clean the surface and leave the other layers below alone so that the skin takes care of itself. Detergents that strip oils from layers deep beneath the surface of the skin can cause the body to produce a much greater amount of natural oil to make up the difference, causing skin breakouts. Natural soaps do not trigger this reaction. For most people, improvements in 'skin feel' are noticeable after a couple of days of using natural soaps, depending on how much damage the skin must repair first.

If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend them!

Earth Mother

"Earth Mother" is a phrase for a woman who is profoundly grounded and balanced -- open arms to everybody. To Hawaiians, earth is also mother -- I think it is, at least that is what my friend John DeFries tells me -- and sky is father.

In Jackson Hole Wyoming the earth seems immutable. It goes on forever, land (and sky) and the relative proportions of (wo)man and nature definitely seem more true and properly balanced than in the cities and suburbs we are used to. It is so solid, strong and powerful, the earth here, that you might want to call it masculine. But in fact, it is "earth mother" come to life.

In Hawaii, despite what we have done to make it suit our needs, earth-mother nature still prevails.
Oddly, although our assault on its beauty has been whole-hearted, it still prevails.

Our Lanikai Bath and Body aromatherapy "balancing" line is "Earth," a blend of Sandalwood, Rosewood, Patchouli and Bergamot Essential Oils. Sandalwood is balancing to both the mind and the body. Sandalwood trees once grew abundantly on the slopes of Haleakala on Maui. The essential oil, with its grounding and exotic aroma is distilled from the bark of the trees. It is known for its ability to harmonize, warm and balance. Rosewood essential oil -- distilled from the wood -- has a tonic effect on the nervous system. Patchouli essence is distilled from the dried, fermented leaves of the plant. It has a rich, woodsy and earthy aroma and is thought to stimulate, soothe the skin and is used as a fixative in perfumery. Bergamot, pressed from the peel of the citrus fruit, adds a light and refreshing note to this blend and helps to nurture and balance.

This is my last post from Jackson Hole. I am sure those of you who read it will be glad that my riff on our aromatherapy products is pau.

Still Uplifting, Air is Different Here

Winding down our visit here at Spring Creek Ranch, we have noticed how different the air is here, and also very much the same. In this beautiful month of August, the air here kisses you softly the way the air does on a perfect Hawaiian day. Of course we are at a higher altitude so it is not as oxygen rich, but neither is there fog,vog or smog so it is easy to breathe.

The wind itself behaves very much like our tropical showers (liquid sunshine). In much the same way that in Hawaii the sun is out and out of nowhere the rain appears, the wind here is soft and sweet and out of nowhere a powerful wind (no way you could call it a breeze) appears. To the uninitiated (me) it feels like you ought to take cover, and prepare for a storm. Not true. As soon as it appears it is gone.

Air --here and there, and probably everywhere -- is uplifting. The winds that come out of nowhere are uplifting as the Hawaiian trades. No doubt that is why we call the uplifting scent in our aromatherapy line Air. Lanikai Bath and Body's Air is a combination of the essential oils of Tangerine, Rose Geranium, Orange, and Ylang Ylang. Uplifting indeed.

Hurricane Approaching Hawaii

As CNN keeps telling us, a hurricane hasn't hit Hawaii in fifteen years. That was Iniki, which wreaked havoc on the island of Kauai -- some parts of which have never recovered. Usually, when a hurricane is approaching Hawaii, I am in Hawaii, expecting the hurricane, and hoping it won't come.

I am still watching it approach on tv, as I would if I were in Hawaii, but it definitely seems different not being there. I can't do anything. Not that I could, even if I were there. Like jetlag and time, weather separates you from your world. It is very dry here in the Grand Tetons and the wind actually rustles through the trees. Mark says the trees I am looking at are trembling Aspens. The wind lifts up the leaves so they shimmer in the light, while the boughs move up and down as if waving hello. It sounds different here. It smells different here. It feels different here. So it is hard for me to "get" that a hurricane is approaching my island home.

Especially one name Flossie. All of us still here from Hawaii (for the wedding) thought that Pacific hurricanes were supposed to have Hawaiian names. We feel a bit cheated by Flossie. Who is named Flossie anyway? Isn't that some kind of rabbit? No, that is Flopsie.

For now, Flossie is out in the ocean, gathering steam or blowing it off. For now, CNN says that Flossie will blow by 100 miles south of the island of Hawaii as a category two hurricane. That means rain and wind. Rain we need in Hawaii. Refreshing and Replenishing. Like our Lanikai Bath and Body aromatherapy product called Ocean, which combines the essential oils of Chamomile, Clary Sage, Lavender, Bergamot and Neroli. Ocean is replenishing. Like the rain. One of the good things that can come from a hurricane.

Fire in the moutains

Today we took a trip from Jackson Hole to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. The Geyser was certainly amazing, but more amazing still was the biggest fire any of us have ever seen, far away in the mountains of Wyoming? Idaho? We couldn't be sure. Rolling thunder of white and grey clouds tumbling across and down.

Mark reminded us that fires in the mountains are nature's way of helping renew and reenergize the forest. Without them, the forest wouldn't be the forest. It would be a deadly tinderblock built up over time until a fire started -- a fire that would burn so hot that it would kill the seeds, and therefore the forest.

Re-energizing with Fire. We knew it all along. In our aromatherapy line of pure essentials oils -- featuring Ocean, Earth, Air and Fire -- Fire is energy. A synergistic combination of orange, ginger, clove and cinnamon essential oils work together to create a stimulating and revitalizing effect. Like fire is good for the forest, Lanikai Bath and Body's Fire is good for body and soul.

Roses in Jackson Hole

Here we are at a family wedding in Jackson Hole. People are here from the East Coast, the West Coast, the Mid West, the South, Mexico, Hawaii and Paris. At first it seems like "destination weddings" are a lot to ask. But, in fact, any wedding is a destination wedding for some people.

This way, coming to a place that is beautiful, but that none of us is "from" makes it possible for a gigantic family reunion of a modern-day gigantic ground zero nuclear family.

The groom himself has thirteen brothers and sisters ... only one of them a full sister. So parts of the extended family from both sides and all of their "issue" are here. Kids now adults who lived together 40 years ago, and hated each other. Now they are so glad to see each other. All grown up and very okay. The youngest of them has finally gotten married --at age 43 -- so the wedding is sensible in all aspects: friendly and warm, classy but not snobbish, understated but elegant.

And Jackson Hole is very beautiful. Big mountains, big sky, big land. Very different from Hawaii. Even looking out at the most amazing mountain vistas, I would still rather sit in my backyard on the canal in Hawaii. There is nothing that beats the density of color in Hawaii -- when it comes to color, this place pales by comparison.

The flowers are different here -- little purple mountain flowers outside our lanai, the only color dotting a vast stretch of prarie grass (?). At the wedding there were plenty of roses. Beautiful, great smelling roses. Instead of favors, they gave donations to the Nature Conservancy and the Humane Society in each of our honors. We could pick.

I didn't think of bringing favors from Lanikai Bath and Body. Too bad. Our Kamuela Rose smells as pretty as the wedding roses.

The Big 755

I watched Barry Bonds hit the big 755 yesterday, and heard the boos and the cheers at the San Diego stadium. Bug Selig was there and he wouldn't smile, wouldn't clap...he even turned his back, and I think he acutally stood up before it happened, so he wouldn't have to when it did.

For all those people who sneer at Barry Bonds, I say go out there and hit 755 yourself. It's a big record. I saw A-Rod hit 500, too, and in the not too distant future, I expect to see him pass Barry, Hank, the Babe and Willie Mays. To leave them in the dust.

Not a lot of "serious sports" people like Barry, but there's no denying that he has accomplished an amazing feat. If I hadn't thought about sending our footcream to LeBron, I certainly would think about sending it to Barry.

But instead, I think Barry would like our complete Buddha Surf Line -- because it is UnZented. I think he would especially like our Out of Body Lotion. Slugging the big 755 must have been an out-of-body experience. Besides, Barry seems like an unzented guy himself.

Onshore Breezes

It has been hot here in Hawaii, just like everywhere else. Hot for Hawaii at least, with temperatures hovering around 89 and 90 degrees, especially in Kahului and Honolulu, where all the people live. Here in Kailua and Lanikai, it's not quite so hot -- but still unusual for Hawaii.

So the smart thing to do is to head for the beach. It's a miracle what an onshore breeze will do to the heat you are feeling. This past week it has been windy, and there have been lots of visitors walking the beach (summer house renters) and the ocean is dotted with parasailers, a few windsurfers and kayakers.

This week we saw an unusual amount of near-the-shore wave action which made it difficult for the japanese girls who were trying to get ocean bound in their rented kayak. Millions of years ago, we kayaked out to the Mokuluas on a windy day, only to find that our kayak leaked and in relatively big seas we had to swim it back to shore. This is why it was millions of years ago and will never happen again. My heart went out to our japanese visitors, who did not know what they were in for.

But the breezes -- even when the ocean is churning -- are soft and soothing. We named our Lanikai Breeze line after them. Soft and soothing like the breezes.