Hawaiian Body Products Partners With The Lanakila Learning Center

Lanakila Learning Center
Hilo based Lomi Stick Project Funds School Bus

The Ola Pono Collection by Hawaiian Body Products and Kumu Dane Silva on Hawaii island, is a collection of healing and wellness products and tools designed to promote a healthy lifestyle.

They have successfully packaged traditional Hawaiian healing modalities and philosophy in accessable contemporary packaging to bridge time and space thus providing alternative venues for self and family care.

In order to create the hand carved lomi sticks for this collection Hawaiian Body Products partnered up with Hilo's Lanakila Learning Center in a long term project that provides a cultural learning experience for the Lanakila teens, and hand carved lomi sticks for the wellness collection.

The funds generated from the production of the lomi sticks have literally been a lifesaver for The Lanakila Learning Center, without which they had no funding for their school bus.

This cultural project has provided not only a valuable learning venue and cultural connection for the Lanakila teens but has given them the necessary funds to purchase gas for their school vehicles.

This in turn has enabled the students to learn about the role of the rainforest in Wao Kele O Puna from a botanist...and the impact of the watershed on marine species from a marine biologist in Kapoho...and to develop an aquaponic project in Kalalau...and all of the other field trips that they can now participate in thanks to The Ola Pono Collaboration between Hawaiian Body Products and Big Island's Kumu Lomi Dane Silva.

Beth McCarthy in San Mateo!

Welcome to the new Beth McCarthy Salon in San Mateo, California exclusively featuring Ola Hawaii products and services!
Come in for an exceptional, transportive experience guaranteed to balance your mind, body, heart and spirit! Beth McCarthy loves all things Hawaiian and is committed to providing you with the most authentic Hawaiian experience you can find. To celebrate her grand opening Beth is offering a special treatment all month. Check it out!

Ola Makes Me Feel Vacationy!

Check out the link to this new blog to find out what the beauty product reviewer thinks about Ola's Pineapple Lime Sugar Cane Scrub!


http://www.cybelesays.com/my_weblog/2011/01/ola-hawaii-makes-me-feel-vacationy.html

Organic Spa Wisdom: The Healing Power of Touch

Mind & Body The Healing Power of Touch

We need touch to survive and thrive. Here's how you can put it into practice in your own life.
PrintE-mailFeedTwitter Facebookby Jeremy McCarthy Frederick II, the King of Sicily in the 13th century, considered himself a bit of a scientist. Among the many experiments he conducted during his reign was one he designed to determine the true, original human language. He believed that if you took infants at birth and removed them from their parents, ensuring that they never heard a spoken word, they would grow up speaking the original ancient language of humanity, giving a clue to the roots of all humankind.

He selected several newborns to be whisked away at birth and cared for by foster mothers who were instructed to feed and to wash them but to not speak to them and to not show them affection. Unfortunately for Frederick (and even more so for his subjects), the research findings were inconclusive because not a single one of the infants survived “for they could not live without the petting and joyful faces and loving words of their foster mothers.” Thankfully, Frederick’s research study has never been replicated. But many studies of children growing up in orphanages have shown that without the nurturing touch and affection of adults, children do not flourish. In medical settings with adult patients, touch has been found to be a powerful instrument for healing and relaxation, even when it is as simple as a nurse palpating a patient’s pulse. And loving touch between couples has been shown to reduce stress and aid healing. As it turns out, humans need touch to survive and thrive.

I recently met Rob Buckley, an extraordinary massage therapist from Colorado, who had a dream of bringing the power of touch to the “untouchable” castes in Nepal. The “untouchables” are those at the lowest level of society. They are considered to be so impure that they are kept separated from other members of society. They are banned from temples and other public buildings, are not allowed to drink water from public taps, and suffered other humiliations as a member of the lower caste. Although in Nepal, it is considered taboo to touch or be touched by a member of these castes, Rob believed that by teaching these “untouchables” the power of massage, they would have a marketable skill that would allow them to be hired by spas and clinics in more progressive areas of Nepal, or in neighboring countries where they could live a better life. Most importantly, they would stimulate a tide of social change as they learned to use their touch to create healing and joy.

What makes Rob extraordinary is not so much his vision, but that he made it a reality, opening a massage school in Nepal (www.himalayanhealers.org) where he has been teaching this new trade to these amazing people. Those who graduate from the school increase their earning potential dramatically, but the economic benefits are nothing compared to the emotional healing that his students go through. “By learning how to heal others they are healing themselves,” he said. “And then they bring that healing back to their family and their community.” Rob is a living example of how touch can heal and transform.

To practice the power of touch in your own life, bring some conscious attention to how you use (or don’t use) touch with the people around you:

Just touch. Consider using touch as a form of communication for family members and loved ones. Without using words, try using touch to communicate love, gratitude, forgiveness, or other positive emotions.

Feel the love. Imagine that you can feel the healing properties of touch each time you come in contact with a loved one. Feel your heart rate go down and relaxation go up. Notice the effect your touch has on others.

Open yourself to touch. Notice the times when touch is not welcome. What are the places on your body that you feel uncomfortable about? Whose touch do you avoid? Are there ways to use touch to heal and bring you closer together with the people you love?

Perhaps the most powerful way to use touch is to do what Rob Buckley does and bring it to those who are touch deprived. On the other hand, in today’s hi-tech, low-touch world, where social connections are virtual and friends are further away, maybe that applies to all of us. Maybe we are all becoming “untouchables.” But like the untouchables in Nepal, by touching others, we may just be able to heal ourselves.
Jeremy McCarthy has opened and operated luxury resort spas for the past 20 years. He holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology and pens the “Homework” column for Organic Spa Magazine. He is currently the director of spa operations for Starwood Hotels and Resorts and is on the board of directors of the International Spa Association.

Sustainable Cosmetics Summit 2010 Paris, France

The next edition of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit (New York, 12-14th May 2011)
Sustainable Cosmetics Summit Highlights Need for Positive Change

About the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit

Organised by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to encourage sustainability in the beauty industry by bringing together key stake-holders and debate major sustainability issues in a high-level forum. The proceedings of the European summit (Paris, 18-20th October 2010) are available for a small professional fee. More information is available from www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com
The summit in pictures http://www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com/paris2010summitpics.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Summarized from an article on SOAPWIRE)

London – Practical sustainability initiatives for the beauty industry were extensively discussed at the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit (www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com), which came to a successful close in Paris at the end of October. Held at the Paris Marriott Champs-Elysées hotel, the summit was organised by Organic Monitor and brought together 180 senior executives from 26 countries.

MAIN TOPICS
-How to cause POSITIVE CHANGE VS simply alliviating guilt. "Carbon Positive" VS "Carbon Neutral".

-Support sustainability and the environment particularly in social communities in developing countries including Fair Trade and the negative impact of de-forestation.

-Sustainability initiatives for cosmetic and ingredient companies

-European standards for natural & organic cosmetics.New logos for Cosmos-Organic and Cosmos-Natural are in the pipeline, enabling consumers to clearly identify certified products

-Some of the major technical & formulation issues associated with natural & organic cosmetics

-Sustainability issues concerning natural and organic fragrances.

-Packaging and Resource Management.
Goal posts in natural and organic are moving more toward sustainability issues

-Product design and packaging footprint are key factors: Sustainable Packaging. Focus has been mostly on re-cycling and eco-design, but needs to be more on how to re-use plastics and novel approaches to packaging.

-Green formulations and packaging. Avoiding parabens.

The summit has shown that companies are taking steps in the right direction, however greater strides are required.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hawaiian Body Products is a pioneer in sustainability, practising green manufacturing and using novel approaches to packaging.

Hawaiian Body Products is based on the Big Island of Hawaii employing local people and giving back to the local community. Hawaiian Body Products procurs dozens of natural and orgnaic ingredients from local farmers and suppliers across Hawaii. We support local agriculture and small businesses by promoting healthy and natural alternatives to personal care products around the world.

Hawaiian Body Products uses only organic, natural or naturally derived ingredients in our products. We list everything we put in our products on our labels, and highlight the organic or sustainably grown ingredients.

Hawaiian Body Products is committed to reducing land fill by avoiding non-essential packaging (boxes, plastic wrap), and by using recycled plastic and glass containers. Hawaiian Body Products uses cutting edge "Tree Free" (stone) labels which require less energy than paper from trees and preserves our forests.

Hawaiian Body Products is also committed to promoting the values of Hawaiian Culture which include treating the land with respect, honoring the wisdom of our ancestors and promoting the values of a healthy lifestyle.


About the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit:
Organised by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit is to encourage sustainability in the beauty industry by bringing together key stake-holders and debate major sustainability issues in a high-level forum. The proceedings of the European summit (Paris, 18-20th October 2010) are available for a small professional fee. More information is available from www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com
The summit in pictures http://www.sustainablecosmeticssummit.com/paris2010summitpics.htm

Simple Gifts!

The Waters ~ An Urban Spa Retreat
Tel. 519.888.SPAS (7727)
Fax. 519.888.9711
www.TheWatersSpa.com

Ola products are featured at The Waters Spa in Waterloo, Ontario where owner Carly Kuntz is Ola's exclusive distributor in Canada under the name of Blue Ocean Distributors.
Check out her website for spa photos and more information on The Waters Spa.

Being an award winning spa director gives Carly a unique edge as a distributor as she has a complete understanding of the product line from the inside out.

Using Ola products in her spa has given her first hand knowledge of how the products perform which gives her the experience to discuss how to use the products and how to cost them for professional use.

Carly has devised a complete Ola product road map for spa directors in Canada and can assist you every step of the way.

Look for updates regarding next April's premier Spa Exhibition in Canada where Ola Hawaii will be officially launched for the first time!

Happy Holidays from Hawaiian Body Products

If you are on Kauai please visit Palm Palm, a beautiful store in Koloa boasting Kauai's premier selection of luxury accessories and bath and body products. Thank you Marjorie for providing us with this gorgeous holiday display!