Let me tell you an amusing little anecdote. Several years ago I wandered into an upper scale bath shop. There on the shelf was a lovely glass spray bottle with a label proclaiming the end to dry skin. The bottle was travel size, perfect for carrying in a large purse or beach bag. Just spray it on, rub it in, and never have dry skin again; or so the label claimed.

After reading the list of ingredients, I rather agreed it was an excellent product to end dry skin. The problem wasn't with its claims; the problem was with its price. This 8 oz. miracle bottle sold for around $12.00 and was nothing more than pure olive oil.

Now, while convenient and attractive packaging is rather nice, I hardly think it's worth it. A gallon of high quality pure virgin olive oil can be purchased for less than $15.00 at any of the large discount warehouses. So why would you pay such an exorbitant price for something you could purchase elsewhere at a tenth of the cost?

The problem for consumers is lack of information. Most of us wish to retain our youth. We revel in the thought of younger looking skin. We just haven't been educated in reading the labels. Nature has provided us with a fabulous array of choices for keeping us healthy. The cosmetic industry is fully aware of this. Its a mutli-billion dollar industry, a behemoth, and it is propagated under the theory that most of us will never take the time to look closely at the list of ingredients and realize that were being taken to the cleaners.

Let me give you a nifty little example. Many years ago I was a sucker for after-bath oils. You know the stuff; wonderful oils that were to be applied immediately after your bath and made your skin feel like satin. Years later, after I developed a pension for making my own soaps and skin care products; I went back and read the labels and nearly cried. Ingredients I could have purchased at my local grocery or health food store were being re-packaged and sold to me at outrageous prices.

So, let me give you a suggestion. Pick up a bottle of olive oil, slather it on after a bath, and see if it doesnt feel as wonderful as the higher priced specialty products youve been buying. If youd really like to dress it up, blend 3 parts olive oil to 1 part sweet almond oil. Sweet almond oil can be purchased at most health food stores. If you're having difficulty finding a high quality olive or sweet almond oil, we list many suppliers on our website. Blend in a few drops of essential oil for fragrance if you like, my personal preference is Jasmine and Ylang Ylang. In the end you will have a product that will rival any on the market today at a fraction of the cost.