Essential U Blog

What Are You Thankful For This Year?

This year there is so much to be thankful for that it is hard to know where to start.  Dennis and I are thankful to have loyal customers, dedicated employees, supportive family, friends to lean on, faith we can depend on and healthy growing kids.  This year we have had the opportunity to witness little and big miracles in the life of our family.  We feel blessed to be in a business that we love beside a team that gives their all every day. 

    

I asked a few of our employees to share what they are thankful for this year.  Please join in by adding what you are thankful for in the comments section. 

Quick Questions Earn You Quick Deals at Essential Wholesale

If you want to get exclusive deals at Essential Wholesale become a fan of Essential Wholesale on Facebook or follow @EssentialWhlsl on Twitter to play along with our daily Quick Questions. Here is an example from Friday November 13th. 

     

How easy is that?  Join in for some fun and saving.  This year the Essential Wholesale Advent Calendar of specials will run exclusively on Twitter, Facebook and the Essential U blog...sign up...follow...fan us for great end of the year specials. 

Lasagna Bites

I love my Blackberry, it tells me where to go and when to be there and what to do.  In my world an event exists if it is in my Blackberry planner.  The only time my Blackberry fails me is when it tells me the wrong date, but that is a user error malfunction.  I put in my planner last week that the Essential Wholesale Appetizer Cook-Off was this Tuesday, when in fact it is next Tuesday.  As the only one "competing" today I was declared the winner of the day by Alex when he sampled my Lasagna Bites. 

    

Stay tuned next week for winning appetizer recipes during the actual Essential Wholesale Appetizer Cook-off.  I will be travelling but Alex says he is going make Lasagna Bites. 

A Closer Look at Sunflower Oil & Safflower Oil

Sunflower Oil (Helianthus annuus) oil is extracted from the seeds of the sunflower.  It is made up of predominately linoleic acid (48-74%), monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid oleic acid (14-40%), palmitic acid (4-9%) and stearic acid (1-7%).  There are several versions of sunflower produced ranging from high linoleic, high oleic and mid oleic.  The variations in the unsaturated fatty acid profile are factors of both the growing climate and genetics of the plant.  All sunflower oil has high vitamin E content. 

    

Sunflower oil is used primarily in the food industry but has applications in the cosmetic industry as well.  It helps form a seal that retains moisture but allows the skin to breath.  An interesting study found that sunflower oil used as a treatment for low birth weight pre-term infants lowered the rate of infections by 41%.  The theory is that pre-mature babies have underdeveloped skin which leaves them more susceptible to infections and that sunflower oil created the much needed barrier on the skin.

Essential Wholesale carries conventional Sunflower Oil and Certified Organic Sunflower Oil. 

    

Safflower oil (Carthamus tinctorius) comes from the seeds of an herbaceous thistle like annual flower.  Safflower oil is polyunsaturated oil that is similar to sunflower oil in nutrient values and shelf life.  Safflower and Sunflower are relatively unstable when exposed to high heat, light or oxygen.  Both safflower and sunflower are good to use in low heat or no heat formulas.  Safflower oil contains the monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid oleic acid (78.9%), unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid linoleic (11%), palmitic acid (6.2%) and linolenic (.02%). 

Blog-lossary of Cosmetic Terms :: B

Essential Wholesale is launching the very first Blog-lossary of Cosmetic Terms over the coming weeks.  If you find that a cosmetic ingredient or term is missing when we feature any given letter please leave a request in the comments section below.  That is the beauty of a Blog-lossary it is an ever growing and expanding cosmetic resource.

    

Bacteria is a fact of life in cosmetics, foods and pretty much any organism that contains even a trace amount of water.  David Steinberg has trademarked the perfect saying when it comes to bacteria, “Remember, Preservatives are Safer than Bacteria™” Gram positive and gram negative bacteria prefer slightly basic conditions pH 7.5 and warm temperatures 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.)  All gram negative bacteria are disease producing.  The good guys are the gram positive bacteria.  No bacteria can grow very well at pH of 8.5 to 9.  Fungi, yeast, and molds prefer acid conditions (pH 5.5-6) at room temperature to multiply. 

Alzheimer's the Kidnapper of History :: In Memory of My Uncle Tom

This morning it seemed that something was different, I could sense it even in the air I breathed, something had changed.  I couldn’t get my Uncle Tom off of my mind.  He has been dying for some time now, but this week the end was imminent.  When my phone rang and my parent’s phone number flashed on the screen, I knew, I knew what was different, Uncle Tom was gone. 

  

My Uncle Tom Kelley served in the Navy and he visited us everywhere we lived around the world.  He always came bearing gifts, stories, games and laughter.  I have memories of my Uncle Tom in every home I lived in as a child and young adult.  The first home I lived in that he never visited was in Oklahoma, during the first year of my marriage.  Despite that fact that he never crossed the threshold of that home my memory of him from that home is vivid. 

Revolving Hat Wearing Days

When I landed in the conference room today after buzzing around nearly every square inch of our building, Alex joked to the interviewee seated before us that we wear a lot of hats here at Essential Wholesale.  Today I’ve worn so many different hats that my head feels a bit numb.  I’ve worked as chief formulator, blogger, researcher, photographer, videographer, social networking participator, expert for magazine editors, interviewer of potential job applicants, co-creative-brain-stormer with Alex, quality control final-sayer, boss, developer and mail picker-upper.  My leading role in life is wife, mom and family co-coordinator so I just do all the other stuff on the side. 

    

Right now I’m judging the drive time necessary to get to my school board meeting on time against the number of thoughts I can get down on the page if I linger just a few minutes longer.  Do you ever do that?  See just how much you can squeeze out of every minute all day long and then at the end of the day you wonder what you did all day?  That happens to me because as life buzzes by some days nothing stays front of mind long enough to actually make it to my long term memory storage bank.  You know the kinds of days when everything you do is so quick that it sits in short term memory and gets lost on the way to your mental storage banks. 

Mrs. Vicky’s Coat Drive

Our wonderful Dave has always called me “mom,” and the term of endearment took on a more serious note when his mother passed away in 2004.  During November and December Dave sponsors a coat drive at Essential Wholesale in honor of his mother.  His coat drive has always had participation from Essential Wholesale employees but this year we are asking anyone local to bring their coats, hats, gloves, mittens and warm clothes in to Essential Wholesale for Dave’s Annual Mrs. Vicky’s Coat Drive.

       

I asked Dave to talk about why he started the coat drive and what he learned from his mother.  Dave said that his mother faithfully tithed to her church and unfailingly donated to all of the youth mission trips.  She sponsored two children in the Sudan and Ethiopia.   Many times she “sponsored” Dave’s young family early in their marriage.  Dave’s mom worked hard and gave generously.

Essential Wholesale Recipe Wall of Fame :: Kacie Makes Super Easy DIY Bath Bombs in Soap Molds

Kacie got creative and made super easy bath bombs using soap molds from Essential Wholesale Ingredients.  This is a fail-safe recipe that does not require bath bomb molds or complicated setting up procedures.  Kacie had gift giving in mind when she came up with this perfect stocking stuffer. 

  

Kacie not only wanted to make her bath bomb moisturizing but she wanted it to be very relaxing.  Kacie chose Deodorized Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter and Shea Butter for the butter portion of her recipe.  To make her product relaxing she picked Lavender, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang and Roman Chamomile essential oils.  With Sodium Bicarbonate USP and Citric Acid she had all the makings to make her bath bomb fizz. 

Blog-lossary of Cosmetic Terms :: A

Essential Wholesale is launching the very first Blog-lossary of Cosmetic Terms over the coming weeks.  If you find that a cosmetic ingredient or term is missing when we feature any given letter please leave a request in the comments section below.  That is the beauty of a Blog-lossary it is an ever growing and expanding cosmetic resource.

  

Acetylcholine is a white crystalline compound released from the ends of nerve fibers and involved in the transmission of nerve impulses.   

Acid mantle (lipid barrier) is a protective oily layer on the skin's surface which functions as a protectorate against environmental impurities and helps regulate moisture loss and water retention.