Valentine's Day is supposed to be the day for lovers. But hello? We think there's a way to make it special whether you're romantically involved or not. How, you ask? Well, with random acts of smoothness of course! 

Just think about it. For every star-crossed lover that's going to be enjoying marked-up champagne and over-priced roses while gazing into the eyes of their beloved we're betting there are at least four others that are rolling their eyes at the insipidity of it all.

So we're throwing down the gauntlet here. Let's start a movement to transform this so-called holiday into a day that brings joy to someone who's not expecting it!  Imagine getting a Scrubs-n-Kisses package from an anonymous giver in the mail on Valentine's Day. How cool would that be? Or better yet imagine being the giver of such joy. Even cooler.

Maybe it's your old roommate from college, or your bff who just is having a rough go lately, or your sister, or your daughter away at college, or someone you know that's been sick.Go ahead. Make their day.

Who says Valentine's Day has to be about lovers? Let's make it about kindness! The world could definitely use it. So spread the word people! Tweet it. Post it. Instagram it. Tell everyone you've ever met. Be the change you want to see in the world.

We'll start the movement. For the first 14 days of February, everyone that buys a Valentine's Sampler will be entered into a drawing to be eligible for a Random Act of Smoothness. We'll choose one per day.

Our Featured Scent of the Month

          What’s orange, has a stem, and is a fall and Halloween staple? PUMPKINS! Do you want to hear a crazy fact? Each year in the US, farmers grow more than 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin! That’s kind of incredible. Pumpkins have been around for over 5 thousand years in North America and they now grow in 6 out of the 7 continents, which is awesome considering they are rich in vitamins A and B, potassium, iron, and protein. With its rich history, yummy aroma and all it has going for it in the good-for-you department, why wouldn't we make a pumpkin scented scrub?!



It’s time for fall! There are so many reasons we love this season—the beautiful weather, back to school and, of course, apple season!

Apples are a rich source of rejuvenating vitamins A, B, and C that can help your skin stay smooth, youthful, and glowing. These antioxidants can also provide protection from harmful UV rays.

Since it’s back to school time, we wondered why apples are often associated with teachers? Well, as it turns out, in the 1700s, teachers were poorly paid so grateful families in the US, Denmark, and Sweden would bring a baskets of apples to their childrens’ teachers. It has also been said that poor families would bring baskets of apples as payment for their child’s education. During this time, apples were considered special and expensive because they were hard to plant and harvest.

Fast forward and the apple tradition is still alive; however, it’s now a sign of respect to give an apple as a gift to the teacher. Sadly, it’s not currently acceptable to pay for your education with apples! In its most recent survey of college pricing, the College Board reports that a "moderate" college budget for an in-state public college for the 2012–2013 academic year averaged $22,261. That’s a lot of apples; about 1113 bushels as a matter of fact!

In any case, we’re celebrating Apple Season by bringing back our all-natural Granny Smith Apple Body Scrub! Remember, an apple a day, keeps the dry skin away! Maybe you could even bring an apple scrub to your favorite teacher :) Check it out here: http://simplesugars.myshopify.com/collections/body-scrubs/products/granny-smith-body-scrub

It is my humble opinion that if you wouldn't eat it - you shouldn't be putting it on your skin. Because what you put on your skin can get absorbed into your bloodstream. Now admittedly there is controversy over just how dangerous various chemicals actually are for you. Here's my take on it - WHY USE CHEMICALS IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? Sure, maybe you're not going to drop dead after using a certain shampoo but it's something you do daily so why take a chance? JUST SAY NO to chemicals in your skincare. It's better for you and it's better for the earth. So with that I bring you the premier Evil Ingredient:

SODIUM LAUREL SULFATE/SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE

What are they?  Well, technically a sulphate is a salt of sulphuric acid. In simpler terms, they are dangerous and highly irritating chemicals.

What  do they do?  Bascially, they make suds and lather. They are also grease strippers. So, you're likely to find this ingredient, often listed right after water ( which means it's the 2nd most prominent ingredient) in your shower gel, body wash, shampoo, hand soap, toothpaste and there's lots of it in Dawn dishwashing detergent. ( I can't even get near that stuff !) It's a very common ingredient because it's cheap and we, as consumers, like the suds.

Why are they bad for you? Sodium Laurel Sulfate is actually the more harsh of the two. Afterall, this ingredient was first used to remove grease from the floor of garages. It can be highly irritating to skin and mucosal membranes and is very drying. Obviously, very, very bad for sensitive skin. Sodium Laureth Sulfate was designed to be a little gentler but  there are concerns about cancer risk with it. So neither one is a good idea. There are actually lots of pretty scary animal studies on these two bad guys that I won't mention here - but you can find them if you google.

What are the alternatives? Well, there are several. First of all - we need to get over our fascination with lather! Suds do not equal clean. Learn it. Secondly, there are more and more products that contain no sulfates. So read your labels and don't buy products that have these ingredients listed. A newer alternative to these is called sodium coco sulfate and the Environmental Working Group has given it the thumbs up for safety. But be aware that it is new so there aren't too many studies to actually prove safety yet.  So ditch your shower gel and just scrub with Simple Sugars instead! You'll be clean AND smooth AND healthier AND softer AND kinder to the earth. Any questions?

Our next contest is to guess the super smooth summer scent using the clue we give you! Tweet us your answer with #summersugarscrubs and the people with the correct answer will be entered to win a free scrub. Here it is: The scent of this scrub can possibly help increase your performance on tests? Guess the answer and you will be entered! Contest ends Sunday at 11:59pm EST and you must be following us to be entered.

(above photo by Robin Rombach/Post-Gazette)

Since obtaining a partnership with investor and fellow Pittsburgh native, Mark Cuban, on ABC’s “Shark Tank”, Simple Sugars’ all-natural body and facial scrubs have been flying off the shelves and raving testimonials are pouring in just as fast! The wild success of Lani Lazzari’s handmade line of scrubs has not gone unnoticed. Her drive as a young entrepreneur first earned her a “Shark Tank” deal, and now a shout out by Mark Cuban on LIVE with Kelly and Michael praising Simple Sugars as the best investment he’s made. As Mark simply states, Lani’s business is “killing it!”

See Mark Cuban’s segment below:

You can read more about Mark Cuban’s Simple Sugars shout out on LIVE with Kelly and Michael on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (by Sara Bauknecht)

If you're a Lilac fan, better get it while you can! This seasonal scent is about to be retired until next spring once the existing stock levels are gone.

Click here to get some!

Join Lani at Cheeks in Shadyside this Saturday, June 1st for a Simple Sugars scrub demonstration. There will be lots of fun and goodies to go around, so stop by and say hello! 

 

Stay smooth~

An Update from Lani’s desk: 

Wow what a ride it’s been! We are happy to report that we are making excellent progress in our efforts to catch up after what we affectionately refer to around here as Super Storm Shark Tank! We ended up with an astounding 23,000 orders as a result of the show. (Remember, we were told to prepare for 600-800) 

Phenomenal. And daunting. And very much like getting hit with a Tsunami. 

We have had every imaginable issue from unforeseeable supply chain hang ups to annoyingly unacceptable delivery issues. Our main priority has been to maintain the high quality of our product despite having to rapidly hire and train new people and produce more product in 2 months than we have in the history of Simple Sugars! We have been frustrated by the fact that despite doing all we can we haven’t been able to provide the level of customer service we previously prided ourselves on, but please know that we are completely committed to getting back to providing unsurpassed service to our customers.

For those of you that hung in there with us and were kind and gracious enough to be patient during this exceptional time, we value you and will guarantee you a MUCH better customer experience going forward. For those who are frustrated, we are honestly doing the best we can under the circumstances and were NEVER out to “scam” or ignore anyone. 

Despite all the growing pains, the amazing reviews we’ve received from those of you that are reporting the excellent results you are having make it all worthwhile and very fulfilling for all of us here at Simple Sugars. 

Now for the good news, by the end of next week, we will be caught up and ready to begin shipping orders of in-stock products on our regular schedule (within 48 hours). Custom orders and gift packages will go out within a week. 

We have learned a lot and have MANY changes and improvements already in the works and on the drawing board. There are more big things ahead for us and we are excited and ready for the challenge! 

We hope you will join us for the ride. We look forward to keeping you Smooth for Life 

Stay Smooth~
Lani