FDA Globalization Act

This is an important issue that I think both customers and small business owners of bath and body products should be keeping an eye out for. There is a proposed law that is currently in the works that could hurt indie Bath and Beauty owners and put them out of business.





So if you enjoy having the choice of getting your beauty products from Indie business owners with a name and face and not some big box retailer, make some noise! Tell congress no way, the choice is yours.

Juneteenth Celebration in Mpls. MN

This weekend, I attended our Juneteenth celebration at Theodore Worth Park. For those that don't know, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery and dates back to 1865.

We arrived early enough to see the parade, which I had never done before. We watched the college Fraternities do their steps and B96, a local, radio station, rode by in their trick out 57 Chevy. Who could forget the Wells Fargo coach and it's beautiful Clydesdales as it passed.

It was great seeing old friends and family that you haven't seen in a while. One of my favorite places to stop was for Taquitos. I was a little disappointed to learn that they changed the recipe. I also enjoyed the soulful sounds of gospel music echoing through the crowds as we left. All in all it was a great day, for me.

Unfortunately the festival ended early as the result of 3 people getting shot. Apparently, a fight broke out and one of them started chasing the other shooting through the crowd. I can't help but to ask, "Are we really free?". A reporter asked a vendor about the violence. He replied,"It's sad, but we will be back next year!".

How was your Juneteenth celebration? Did it go off without a hitch, or did it suffer violence as ours did? I would love to know your thoughts on this. Feel free to leave a comment.

Huge sale at my Etsy Shop!

$$$$$$$$$$$ We are having a HUGE Summer sale and most items have been marked down throughout our store! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

We're making room for new lines and these are our lowest prices ever! If you've never tried you go girl, this is the perfect time.

So get it before it's gone!

Visit www.yougogirlsoaps.etsy.com!

New recipes for homemade bath and beauty - Banana Hair Smoothie

I am going to be posting recipes on a regular basis for making your own bath and beauty products at home.

The first in the series will be a Banana Hair Smoothie. This hair mask is great for those who have dry or damaged hair but can also be used for anyone as a boost. Everything is all natural with no added chemicals which makes it very beneficial.

Take 1 mashed banana, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons of honey, 3 tablespoons of milk and 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well and apply to hair. Leave for 15 – 30 minutes and wash out with a gentle shampoo.

Hope you enjoy! More recipes to come.

K.G.- You did it!!!

This blog isn't about soap or business. And I'm not a huge fan of basketball, except for any t4eam my son plays for. However, I just had to write it. Go Celtics!!!!!!!!!!!
Now before I upset any of my readers, I must explain.
You see, Kevin Garnet had been a MN Timber wolf for years a. We all loved K.G. (the kid back then) since day one. He was "our" superstar. He worked hard year after year to try to take our team to the top. So when it was time for him to leave, most of us were glad for him because he deserved a Championship and he probably wouldn't get it in MN. Well most fans just followed him to the Celtics and wouldn't you know it, he finally gets his ring. I can't believe it! K.G. we're proud of you!!!

Help your teen start a business

Recently, I gave a presentation to Beautiful, a girl's group that I work with, on how to become an entrepreneur. I shared with them how You Go Girl!, started as a n idea of my them 13 year old daughter.
One of my examples of a youth making it today were of Jasmine Lawrence, who started Eden Body Works, a hair care company which is now worth 3 Million. http://www.edenbodyworks.com/ (I actually picked up some of this at Walmart the other day and I love the Peppermint scent)! Chancey Hollowman also owns Harlem Lyrics, an urban greeting card company worth 1.2 Million. Both of these ladies started in their early teens!
I have always believed in creating your own wealth and my kids have picked up on that early. i remember when we had our bookstore, my children would sell candy to my customers and their friends at school. They did well too and those same skills have stayed with them today!
If you have youth that want to start their own business, a great resource is http://www.score.org/resources_young.html which list several business website for teens.

The business of social networking

Lately, the buzz in the business community is social networking. It's not just for teens and young adults anymore. Thousands of entrepreneurs have taken their businesses online and are enjoying free advertising. Communities have been popping up everywhere. Indiepublic, Divaprenuers, We love Etsy, are all apart one community, Ning, which allows you to even create your own social network and invite friends to join. And of course there's Myspace and Facebook. Twitter is another site that is similar, but allows you to see how others are doing by writing a short, quick to the point, sentence.

I must admit, at first, I was very skeptical. My husband and children all had Myspace pages and many people were telling me I need one. It took me a year before I joined, but I'm so glad I did! I have gotten many leads and sales from social networking that would have never came to my website otherwise.

I encourage any of you who don't have a social networking site that you belong to join the hottest trend in business marketing. Check out my myspace page for an example at: http://www.myspace.com/yougogirlsoaps.

And the winner is...

Congrats to Hil'Lesha who won our monthly drawing! She will get a lovely flower soap in the mail.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter for your chance to be entered in our monthly drawing. Visit http://www.yougogirlsoaps.com/ for more info.

A look at the history of Black Hair Care

I have been making my own hair care products for a long time now but I haven’t introduced them to market. I’m currently toying with a few recipes to come of with a perfect blend. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going.

Recently, I came across an article on the history of black hair care. The article refers to a book is titled “400 years without a Comb: The Untold Story”, by Willie L. Morrow. In it you will find interesting facts like:

In Africa and during slavery:
- Black used grits, corn meal, and powdered charcoal as a dry shampoo.
- Wild Apple leaves and chicken fat were cooked together and used as a hair oil and conditioner.

Post Slavery:

- The Sunday morning haircut was performed on the front porch where the recipient would sit on a stump or box. This was known as the first barbershop.
- To straighten hair, lye was used and often caused hair breakage, scalp burns, hair loss, and baldness

You can find this book at Amazon.com. Though expensive, it proves to be an interesting read!

Summer tips

Summer is here and I have got some great tips for you to get ready for this season of fun in the sun!

Time to go through those closets again. Take a look at your summer wardrobe. I literally just did this 2 days ago. See what works. Try on everything and the clothes that are out dated or don’t fit anymore, give away or take to a consignment store.

How’s your swimsuit? I know this is hard for women but it may be time to purchase a new one. Look for a size higher to allow for a great fit. Also, there are so many suits that flatter your body type. Just make sure that it fits.

Take a look at your summer accessories to see what matches well. Summer brights and natural stones are in. A cute pair of earrings or a stone necklace is perfect find. And don’t forget a new pair shades!

4. Take care of your skin. Make sure you moisturize everyday and exfoliate to slough of the dead skin. Try You Go Girl’s Whipped body scrub to get your skin silky smooth and beach ready.

Green Spring Cleaning

Since the kids are out of school, it's a good time for me to do some spring cleaning. Right now were going through old clothes and giving some away to a local thrift store and saving some for a garage sale. Our house will need a deep cleaning too.

As I looked through a magazine, I saw some great ways to clean greener and i wanted to share them with you.

To clean your floor- mix 1 cup Vinegar and 2 Gallons warm water

To clean your toilet bowel- pour 1 cup Vinegar and let sit for 30 minutes. Then scrub bowl with baking soda.

Tub and Tile- Remove grime and film with Vinegar on a sponge. Wipe down. Then use baking soda to scrub tub.

*You can add essential oils like Lemon, Lime, Lemongrass, or Lavender to get rid of the sour smell.

All of these recipes are all natural and contain no preservatives. because they are non toxic, they will help your family and the environment.

Check out http://www.lifebeautifulmagazine.com/ for more recipes and a delightful inspirational magazine.