Gift Giving

Due to high volume, orders are taking at least 2-3 extra days to process, please plan accordingly. Gifts for Christmas, special occasions or another holiday during December should be placed as much in advance as possible and no later than December 11. Thank you!

Order any one of our Gift Packages and receive a package of our Herbal Teas. Package includes 5 tea bags each of the following:

• Cold & Flu Blend - Use at the first sign of the cold or flu. Traditional formula to help sweat out a cold or flu. Contains: Peppermint, Elder blossoms.


• Mother's Blessing Blend - This delicious tea is full of nourishing herbs which are loaded with vitamins and minerals (especially calcium-rich herbs) for Mom and baby. It will help with sleep, ease anxiety and help with morning sickness too. Contains: Nettle, Raspberry, Lemon Balm and Peppermint.


• Beautiful Skin Blend - This delicious root blend is a great help to those dealing with inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema and acne. Contains: Oregon Grape and Licorice.

Visit Belly Buttons & Babies and order your Gift Packages!

Hand Massage Technique

Aromatherapy goes hand-in-hand with the belief that state of mind can also help with physical problems. Massage has many benefits; improving circulation, toning the skin and relaxing muscles. There is nothing more powerful than the power of touch to heal the mind, body and spirit.

Here's how to give someone a Hand Massage:

- Place about a quarter size amount of lotion into the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together (this warms the hands prior to giving a massage).

- Start from the wrist and work towards the fingers gently massaging the lotion into the hands. Keep the hand sandwiched between your hands.

- Follow the contours of the hand with gentle, stroking movements.

- Gently, slowly squeeze and stretch the fingers, one at a time, from the left little finger over to the thumb.

- Always rub "up" the fingers from the knuckle to the nail.

- Gently massage each of the finger joints.

- Use your thumb to stroke the palm, then the wrist, in a circular motion adding a little pressure.

Would you like to learn how to make your own Perfume? Visit Belly Buttons & Babies and order our guide.

Beauty Treatments Right in your own Kitchen

You've just done an amazing thing - you've given birth to your baby angel. Now you're the one that needs to be babied.

Nature has given us great bounty. In many cases it is not necessary to purchase expensive products, often made from chemicals, from stores in order to enhance the quality of the skin. There are plenty of products right in your own kitchen that can help you enhance the quality of your skin and can even help you feel great. These products are a testament to the great qualities that are inherent in the most ordinary things that can make us beautiful, cleansing the skin and brightening the complexion.

Creating facial masks from common kitchen products has been done for years. Even the most common and ordinary products make great facial masks. While essential oils and special clays can be very effective, there is no need to use them if you do not wish to. Simply head to your kitchen cupboards and refrigerators and create any one of the following face masks, and feel the good effects almost immediately. For best results, it is recommended that you apply a facial mask once a week, rinsing your face first with warm water and then rinsing with cold (to close the pores) after you finish removing the mask.

Egg mask.
It seems a little strange to create a face mask using eggs, but it is a tried and true method for toning the skin. The egg actually helps tighten the skin, giving you a firmer face that is less wrinkled and less prone to sagging. Simply beat one egg white until it is stiff. Then you just smooth it over your entire face. After 20 minutes, remove the mask. You can adjust the mask to your skin type by adding lemon juice to the egg white (just a drop) for oily skin or putting in a bit of honey for dry skin. The skin on the inside of the shell can actually work as an acne treatment. Just place the skin over the breakout and leave on for 30 minute or even overnight to help reduce the appearance of the acne.

Honey mask.
This is a very easy mask. It is cleansing, and the honey acts in the same way as an antibacterial. You need warm, runny honey. You can run your honey container under warm water or soften it in the microwave to get it to the desired consistency. Be careful with the microwave, however, as you may get the honey too hot. You just want it warm and runny, not scalding. Smear the honey all over your face. Even those with sensitive skin can usually use this treatment. After about two minutes, it will start to feel as though it is pulling. This is when you rinse the mask off with warm water (follow with cold as soon as all of the honey is off of your face).

Acne mask from kitchen items.
If you want to help control your acne, a simple mask made from what you keep in your kitchen can assist you in your fight against acne. For a major breakout, form a paste using one half cup strained tomato pulp and powdered milk. When there is enough to make a paste, blend until the mixture is no longer pasty, but is smooth. Then apply and leave for 20 minutes. You should wash this off with warm water. Because Vitamin C and Potassium are found in tomatoes, this will also help your skin heal from the acne.

You can create a variety of nourishing masks if instead of tomato you use carrots, bananas, or cucumbers. Simply mash whatever you are using (you will have to steam the carrots first) and substitute it for the tomato pulp.

Strawberry alpha hydroxy mask.
Take four or five large strawberries and mash them up until they become a thick pulp. Then cover the face thickly with the pulp. Lie down quietly for about 20 minutes before washing with warm water followed by cold. It is important to note that this treatment is not a good idea for extra sensitive skin.

These easy to make facial masks are fun and inexpensive to create from items found in the kitchen. They are also quite effective. One more treatment that can help with rough facial skin is to use mayonnaise. This also works on your elbows. Make sure you use only a light layer, and make sure that you only leave it on for 15 minutes before washing it off.

Visit Belly Buttons & Babies for great gift ideas, body care and skin care for you and your baby.

Help Relieve Stress and Tension with a Massage

Massage is helpful for relieving stress and tension, for aiding relaxation, for easing aching muscles, and for general pain relief as well as for improving skin tone and general well being.

For an aromatherapy massage, essential oils are added to a carrier oil, such as almond or jojoba before applying to the skin. Pour a small amount of prepared massage oil in the palms of the hands (1/2 to 1 teaspoon will do a back or leg adequately). Massage gently and always massage toward the heart. Do not massage near varicose veins (glide around them), on hot, swollen joints, or when a fever is present.

Foot Massage:
A foot massage is excellent for relieving tension and to revive and re-energize a tired body. It’s complete bliss for swollen or aching feet. Spread the prepared oil all over one foot and around the ankle. With hands cupped around the foot and fingers steadying the front of the foot, use the thumbs to make circular pressures on the sole. Gently squeeze and press the foot as though you were trying to make it into a pliable piece of dough. Repeat with the other foot. Belly Buttons & Babies offers a Triple Mint Foot & Leg Cream that is ideal for pregnant women.

Facial Massage:
Facial massages will help care for any type of skin in every condition, both during and after pregnancy. Apply the prepared oil very sparingly to the face and neck at night after cleansing. Always use gentle upward movements to apply the oil (to reverse the effects of gravity). Try not to drag the skin.

Aromatic Baths:
For an aromatic bath during pregnancy, add 2 to 4 drops of the chosen essential oils to a warm bath (never too hot). Swish the water around to disperse the oil. Relax and soak in the bath for ten to fifteen minutes to enjoy the aroma and let the oils to their work.

Sitz Bath or Bidet:
Both a sitz bath and a bidet are used for washing and soothing the hips and genital area (particularly useful for just after childbirth). A sitz bath can be improvised by filling an ordinary bath with enough warm water to just cover the lower abdomen. Add 2 drops of the chosen essential oil to a sitz bath or bidet. Mix the water well before stepping in. Soak for five to ten minutes.

Footbaths:
Add 2 to 3 drops of the chosen essential oil to a bowl of hot water. Soak the feet for ten to twenty minutes.

Bubble Baths During Pregnancy

Pregnant women can take regular baths, as long as the water is warm. As long as there isn't bleeding and doesn't have a ruptured membrane, a warm bath is soothing, especially on the lower back.

A hot bath (and this includes sitting in a hot tub or spa), however, should be avoided.

A woman's skin may be more sensitive while she's pregnant, and the soaps used in the bubble bath can cause skin irritation. Finding bubble bath especially made for sensitive skin may alleviate the risk of rash.

You don't want to take a bath when you are alone in the house. Make sure someone is around to help you out of the tub.

Bubble baths to be very relaxing, especially at night if you have trouble sleeping. I encourage you to use candles or lavender oil to create a relaxing, soothing atmosphere. A warm bubble bath also helps relieve the aches and pains of pregnancy.

It's important to treat yourself to something special to ease your mind of stress at a time when you are overwhelmed with worries. Pamper yourself with bubble baths. You deserve it! Visit Belly Buttons & Babies for great gift ideas!

Looking After Yourself Before, During & After Pregnancy

Massage is especially good for a woman during pregnancy to help relax the body and ease discomforts.

Scenting the air can also relax or rejuvenate you, and it’s easy to do.

Add 2 to 6 drops of essential oil to a bowl of hot water, or 2 to 4 drops of essential oils to a diffuser to add a soft fragrance to the air. You can also add 2 to 6 drops of essential oil to a cotton ball and place it behind a radiator or, with a gentle oil such as lavender, place it under your pillow.

Where Aromatherapy Helps Most
Some of the most important ways in which Aromatherapy can help you enjoy your pregnancy and your new baby are:

• It can help you deal with stress.
• It will aid relaxation, help develop a more positive outlook, and, therefore, help with the birth. A happy, relaxed mother is one who is more likely to cope well with labor and to relax and bond with her baby afterward.
• It can help with tiredness, aches, and pains, and it can provide relief from all kinds of minor ailments that result during pregnancy.
• It can back up and complement what is learned at relaxation and prenatal classes.
• It can help prevent stretch marks by keeping the skin well nourished, and it can aid in helping the mother feel good about herself during her pregnancy.

Mothers-to-be who experience the benefits of aromatherapy are more likely to be in touch with their bodies and their pregnancies, which benefits both mother and baby.

Check back soon - learn how to give your baby a massage! Visit www.bellybuttonsandbabies.com for your baby's skincare needs.

Tips for Post Pregnancy Skin and Hair

For the first 3 to 4 weeks after your baby is born, you will more than likely be too tired at night to do anything more strenuous than have a quick wash or bath. Cleanse your face and splash several times with tepid water to close the pores. Tone with either rose water if your skin is dry to normal, or orange water if your skin is oily or combination.

After a bath or shower, continue use our Mom & Baby Cream. It will not only help keep your skin soft and supple, it will help prevent stretch marks that can form as your body shrinks back to its normal size. The light scent is also cheerfully uplifting.

Tips For Post Pregnancy Hair
Eat a good, well-balanced diet with plenty of protein and vitamin B. Avoid coffee and alcohol – they can deplete stores of B vitamins. Get a good haircut in a manageable style, preferably one that adds bounce and volume if your hair is lifeless. Gently massage your head when you wash your hair to encourage the blood supply to the scalp.

Shampoo: To about ½ tablespoon of very mild baby shampoo, add 1 drop of any of these essential oils: Sandalwood, lavender, rosemary, geranium or Roman Chamomile (for dry or normal hair); Lemon, cypress, lavender or rosemary (for a dry scalp or dandruff); Tea tree, roman chamomile, rosemary, lemon or lavender (for thinning hair); Rose for an truly indulgent treat.

Fragrant Brushing: To help stimulate the circulation on the scalp, place 1 drop of rosemary essential oil onto your hairbrush. Bend your head forward, and brush the hair downward toward the floor.