Gilley's Naturals

02/16/2026

Have you ever smelled Sweet Birch essential oil? The scent is akin to Wintergreen and is incredibly calming and reviving at the same time. How can that be you ask? It's uplifting and yet the scent grounds your spirit with it's slightly sweet and minty smell. It can ease your racing mind and helps if you feel "weak willed" according to one article I read.

Besides the effects it may have on your mind and mood, it has properties for helping with spasms and injuries working as a stimulant towards healing and fighting inflammation. Very helpful as a circulatory stimulant! We use it's "sister", Wintergreen in our Deep Muscle products for its healing and restoring properties. According to Bio Source Naturals it is "similar to cortisone, beneficial for bone, muscle, and joint discomfort as well."

Uplifting, just a drop inhaled in your hands can help open your mood and sinuses making you feel more invigorated and clear headed when you need your mind to rest. It's actually my favorite essential oil for just cheering your heart.

And here it is!

Aaaaahhhhh, the uplifting, rejuvenating smell of this oil will soon become one of your favorites. Besides being a terrific anti-inflammatory oil for aches, pains, and muscular conditions, it does so much more. Try it diluted for topical pain!A vaporizer or bowl of hot water, it helps alleviate disco...

02/12/2026

Gilley's makes a great all purpose moisturizer that many of you have used. We've gone to great lengths to find a base without the traditional parabens, stabilizers and additives that can be harmful with prolonged use.

To our lotion base we've added cucumber peel, green tea extract, geranium (benefits & conditions skin and rosewood (regenerating and antibacterial) essential oils (so it smells glorious too!)

You will love the immediate softening while enjoying the long-term benefits of this non-greasy moisturizer. Especially knowing that it will actually increase the moisture in your skin and keep dry skin at bay.

Now, for some people (myself included) this cream is not quite enough. My dry skin needs more so here are a couple of suggestions. The Marigold Eye Cream isn't only for fine lines and wrinkles but is also a terrific non-greasy moisturizer that helps add the elasticity and combats the tight feeling that dry skin needs,

If you like the scent of our Fabulous Foot Butter that also is a great face moisturizer! Especially as an overnight routine, you'll wake with an unbelievably soft and glowing skin.

Get an even better look at out Ultimate Moisture here.

When your skin needs extra nourishment, our Ultimate Moisture is what you want.Without harmful parabens and additives, this formula keeps well with few stabilizers. Contains water cetearyl alcohol (a fatty acid to help thicken), Ceteareth-20 (a 'fatty alcohol' from coconut oil), glycerin, su...

02/09/2026

Our skin needs moisture. Just as plants need watering, our skin does too! But how and what do we use to do that?

Moisturizers, bless their little elements. And how do you decide which promising one to use? First step, find out what type of skin you have, you probably already know but just in case. Dry, oily or a fair combination of the two. This will make an absolute difference in what form of moisturizer you rely on.

If you lack oil in your skin, you can probably thank your parents, dry skin is genetic. Dry skin is dehydrated skin so there is some benefit to drinking more water. It won't be enough to rehydrate it completely but it's a good place to start and will add all sorts of other benefits.

Dehydrated skin isn't genetic but environmental. Any type of skin can suffer from that so there's your next step after deciding your skin type. Dry skin will respond to a cream type moisturizer, while oily and combination skin will find the most benefits from a gel or lightweight lotion, something that doesn't clog pores.

Always try to moisturize your skin when it's damp. Your treatment will help lock that water in so leave it a little damp wafter washing.

Experts say to watch for these thing in moisturizers for all skin types...Humectants like hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid and glycerin. Emollients like ceramides and squalene and petroleum or beef tallow. I have some issues with the addition of petroleum in any form to any part of your body so we part ways on that....and on sunscreen. They're the experts but you make the decision!

Of course, if you're VERY dry, something on your skin overnight may be a terrific help. My mom should have had stock in Merle Norman cosmetics, she slathered her face with night cream faithfully and wiped it off each morning with tissue. Funny what sticks in your memory, eh? We know where I get my dry skin (eye roll).

I hope this was helpful, stay tuned for some ideas of pretty natural moisturizers from a pretty natural company you know and love. Yes, Gilley's Naturals!

01/30/2026

I'm still wading through the class on skin care and really loving it except that I realize how old my skin is, ha! But for the new product info I promised...

4 New Butters!! And the scents are INCREDIBLE. Believe me, they are really wonderful. We already have Lavender Butter, and if you have trouble relaxing, using it as a hand/body cream might be life changing. The new ones are Citrus, a beautiful orange color and an AMAZING smell, Jasmine that's beyond the moon! Chamomile Butter that may help with some skin issues because of the healing properties of Chamomile (besides being an incredible natural blue color) and last, Rose Butter that will make you think of the most beautiful rose bush you've ever ever smelled.

All these new butters will be up on the website over the weekend and available in one and a half ounce glass jars for convenient use. As we've learned in the skin series, moisturizing is almost EVERYTHING for healthier and beautiful looking skin and these butters may really help. Only 2 natural ingredients so they may work well for people with sensitive skin or sensitivity to fragrances or chemicals. This month every order will have at least two samples of the new butters so you can see what you think. Don't forget, because of their simplicity they can work as face moisturizers too and wouldn't it be incredible to have your face smell like Jasmine......

As always, I appreciate your business and for those near the Iron Range in MN, stop by F & D Meats in Hibbing to see Gilley's Products on sale there! We loved getting fresh cuts of meat there and are really honored to have Gilley's products in the store now. Your patronage means everything to both of us! Have an amazing weekend, better weather is coming, have faith!

Send a message to learn more

01/27/2026

New Products!!! WWWwwwweeeee HHHhhhaaaaaa! Posted by the end of the week; New butters that smell amazing, feel good on your skin and are affordable. What more could you want?

Send a message to learn more

01/22/2026

Do you know you skin type? It's important to your skin care routine and especially moisturizers so if you're unsure, do the pinch test now...

So you pinch the skin on the back of your hand or your face. Does it spring back or does it stay fairly rigid? (mine sprang back, phew) That tells you about the moisture in your skin which can help you determine your skin type. It will help you see if your skin is dehydrated, which is a lot different from dry skin. Get that glass of water you know you should be drinking! I think generally we all know what type we are but here are the choices if you wonder. Oily, dry, combination (a little of both in fairly specific areas on your face, especially the "T" from above your brows and down your nose) and sensitive. I'm sure you know if you have sensitive skin already, it will be pretty obvious because you can't use just ANY old thing on your face without a breakout or sensitivity.

So now with that general idea, let's talk about moisturizers. Next week I'll tell you which of the natural moisturizers from Gilley's fit the bill on certain ingredients so you can be informed.

Oily will want to avoid heavy oils and petroleum (and it's my own opinion that EVERYONE wants to avoid petroleum anyway). Dry can benefit from shea butter bases and ceramides (fatty acids) that generally come in capsule form for you to take internally and combination skin will benefit from squalene and glycerin in their creams. Sensitive should look for oat extract, avoiding essential oils and other fragrances. But if you have sensitive skin you probably already knew that, eye roll.

Another factor is the climate you live in. Is it dry or humid? You're going to need extra help if it's dry and if more humid, you'll want to go with lighter moisturizers. One more tip...Put your moisturizer or body lotion on partly damp skin, say after a shower or face wash. It helps lock in moisture and don't forget to just pat your skin instead of a full drying session.

Let me know if you've felt like this little teaching on skin health has been helpful, I can definitely make these posts a little more about things other than just Gilley's products. Even though THAT'S what drives it all... Have a great weekend and don't forget to relax a little!

01/20/2026

What do you think about your face? Not pretty or cute or whatever. Your face needs a little attention by this part of winter, no matter where you are.

Cleansing is the basic first step and here's the rub. You think more is better, especially if you have oily or problem skin but the key word is moderation. Moderation. Let me emphasize, MODERATION. Water, not hot (guilty) only lukewarm and not scrubbing (guilty again) but gentle so you don't remove the protective layer underneath the grime. The experts I'm watching say, once or twice (if oily or problem) a day with care. Think about how you scrub, moisturize and protect.

Consistency & patience with problem skin is crucial, it won't become radiant over night.

Did you know bacteria can replicate every 20 minutes on our faces? yuck. Whether you wear make up or not, that alone lets you now that cleansing is vital. A person in the city will have skin that ages faster than a person on the farm because of the pollutants they encounter. Try cleansing with just water if you don't have a city or make up prone face, and you may use baby wash cloths to do it. They suggest a different cloth for each day then into the wash. Also changing your pillow case (flipping it over) every other day so you aren't transferring drool and gunk from the day before. Seems smart, but will I? Probably not ... Have you ever tried a face chamois? You can just use water and come away feeling just as clean as with cleanser.

Different washes for different skin types. Do you know your skin type? It can be important so that might be your first step. Try to avoid sulfates that give you a great amount of foam (and are way more fun) but also a lot of chemicals that can be damaging. More and more companies are getting away from SLS and ALS that are tough on more than skin health, those chemicals can be stored in our brains. As if we didn't have enough trouble thinking clearly as it is!

Read labels and try to find cleansers that are sulfate and fragrance free, don't do more harm trying to do more good, eh?

Come back on Thursday and we'll talk about moisturizers! ooohhh bboooyyyy!

01/19/2026

More about that big organ, lol.

Turns out it does a lot more than most of us thought. We knew it was protective and a barrier for things but what things? Bacteria, toxins, illnesses, UV light are just a few of the big things. Healthy skin = radiant skin! I'm amazed sometimes when I see women on TV with this glowing, soft looking skin. How do they do that? There are three things that work for those results. Cleansing, moisturizing and protection through moisturizers and sunscreen.

Experts say moderation and balance are the critical factors too, because our lifestyle and foods play critical parts in appearance. We see our skin looks dull...it will turn over and replace itself every month! That's why keeping skin away from becoming too dry and stressed can even help fight infections and disease.

Skin actually communicates with out other organs so they can mount immune responses when needed. It's not just a protective organ but makes over 90% of the vitamin D we need for bone health. For most of us, as winter settles in we see so little of the sunlight we need for this that it's almost nihil. I heard it said that with the weak strength of the sun in our area of MN that walking around naked couldn't produce enough in the winter. Don't try this, ha!

So do you know what type skin you have? A lot of it's genetic but you can improve any type with care. More on skin types tomorrow!

01/16/2026

I've been going the class on skin through Masterclass and it's amazing. Who would've thought that that humble organ does and is meant to do so much more?!

Let's start with the basics....Our skin creates a barrier between us and the environment and is the first defense against illness, toxins, bacteria, UV light, and still has time to make vitamin D that keeps our bones strong and healthy.

Experts give this advise. Cleanse daily, just once. Stressing moderation for BEST results. Don't over exfoliate, it does damage by removing too much from your skin. Think of wood and sandpaper only without the toughness of wood. EVERYONE needs a moisturizer! Do what you feel is best for you and feels best, the expensive ones aren't THAT much better than others. It's a myth that the more you pay for skin care products the better they'll work for you. More is not better for care or products.

PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN TREATMENT, says one famous dermatologist. Regular gentle care daily. She says moderation brings the best results and she should know, it's what she does (and she went to Harvard, eye roll).

So begin to think about your skin as you would other organ health because remember (as you all guessed last week) it's the largest organ. Doesn't it deserve more care?

More on Monday! Have an incredible weekend!

01/12/2026

OH YOU GIRLS!! Good job on the question from Friday! You all nailed it.

Now let's talk about that big organ, skin this week. AI says, "Skin is the body's largest organ, a vital protective barrier made of three layers that shields against pathogens, provides sensation (touch, pressure, heat, cold) and is a dynamic, constantly regenerating organ, essential for overall health, with its color and texture varying across the body and influenced by factors like melanin and thickness". (Couldn't have explained it better myself! Which is the point I guess...big eye roll).

The first layer of skin basically protects our skin from things like infection, UV rays, injury and chemicals. I'd never thought of it before but it also synthesizes Vit. D from the sun. It helps water loss, more on some people than others and helps regulate our temperature.

When you think of all that your skin does during the day, it makes sense to give it some real care, eh? That's where Gilley's comes in. We hand manufacture healthier options for all types of skin care. There are some herbal remedies thrown in like 12 Herb Salve for healing and Wound Heal.

This week let's get to know that organ (bigger on some of us than others, ha!) and see where Gilley's products might be able to help. No big plugs I promise, so don't be scared. :)

01/09/2026

Contest Day! This is just a general question, the only prize will be the winner can do "the Smarty Pants Dance" so that means you can't search for the answer. Let's see what you think!

WHAT IS THE LARGEST ORGAN IN YOUR BODY?

Good luck, remember no Google or other help. Here we go!

01/05/2026

Is your house beginning to have that "I need some fresh air, when can we open a window?" smell? I know, I opened the door this morning and thought that same thing.

Our Air Alive is great for this! It not only cleans up the air without just masking the smells but you can also spray it on upholstery to freshen that up. Curtains, furniture, in your mop water, in a little bottle with some reed sticks and flipped often, some in the toilet brush holder, sprayed on toilet water as a "poo pouri", in a diffuser, and more! These ideas may help you get through the next couple of months until you really CAN open the windows.

This month every order will have a little sample bottle of Air Alive in it to see what you think and of course, if you have any more ideas...share!

Winters are a challenge but we can do it, right? I hope you're enjoying the New Year and have lots of hopes and dreams to focus on this year. Let's make this an outstanding one, one to remember.