Linen for Health - Join New Discussion Group to Share Information

Join the discussion - share ideas on using Linen for your health.

Join here now

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Lots of New Linen Products and Internet Sites for Healthy Linen Products

There is a lot happening in the Linen Studios located in Riga Latvia. Winter is a great time to reflect and create ideas and concepts for the new year.

Take a look at our new sites:

+ http://www.healthylinen.com/

+ http://www.linenpaintings.com/

+ http://www.linenphotos.com/

+ www.RigaLatvia.net/souvenirs/

More changes to come soon with a revised Latvian language site at http://www.lins.lv/

Also a new Shopping Cart and hopefully even prices and payment in Euros, Dollars and British Pounds.

Payment using either PayPal or Google Checkout as well are coming soon.

Your comments and suggestions are encourged, welcomed and appreciated.

Healthy Linen Products are now listed on our new Ebay Store and auction site as well as our Amazon.com site.

Always happy to answer any questions.

Happy New Year from Riga, Mike Johnson, General Manager,

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Original Oil Paintings on Pure Linen Fabric

Out latest product - original oil paintings on 100% Linen fabric.

Small sizes to be attached to other products like bags, mounted and framed, fronts for hand made greeting cards and photo prints for greeting cards.

Each one is an original and a one of a kind.

View Gallery of all paintings

Price US$22.95 each for small size and US$110.00 for large size plus packaging shipping charge.

Great Holiday or Special Occasion gift.

send email for ordering information: sales@linen.lv




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New ideas for ladies Purses from 100% Linen Somas

Designs by: Virdžīnija,
Riga Latvia





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Linen Ladies Tote Bag - Lina Soma

Available now in Riga

Visit our Factory Outlet or order by Internet

Elizabetes 22-6 Cross Street Marijas iela

Call +371-2-925-6731

email: sales@lins.lv

Introductory price including Oil Painted image
Only 12.00 Ls -- US$25.00 -- 17.00 Euro + shipping


Select your Accent image - price included

from our selection of Original Oil Paintings on Linen fabric. Each one is an unique handpainted original.



Introductory price including Oil Painted image
Only 12.00 Ls -- US$25.00 -- 17.00 Euro + shipping

Shipping additional by Latvian POST





Introductory price including Oil Painted image
Only 12.00 Ls -- US$25.00 -- 17.00 Euro + shipping


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Excluse Design - Linen Napkin - Pure 100% Flax

Announcing our newest Exclusively designed Pure Linen White Napkin.

For all occasions including that elegant lunch -

Soup & Salad anyone ?



30 cm wide by 26 cm tall - 11.8 in x 10.2 in

Sold individually at US$6.50 each and packages of six (6) for US$36.00

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Your Friend in the Sand - Healthy Linen Beach Towel

It's that time of year when we all head to the beach for a day of fun in the sun!



Be sure and take your Healthy Linen Large (1.0 x 1.4 meter -- 39.4 x 55 inch) Beach Towel along for the tough workout.

Available online from our studio www.HealthyLinen.com/en/products/bath/ US$46.00 including shipping charges by Air POST from Europe

or online on Amazon Com Internet Store

Only US$33.20 plus shipping from our studio.

They are great for swimmers by the pool as well.

Order two or more and they are only US$29.05 each plus shipping

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Latvian Fashion Designer Irena Siladievinja

email for more information: sales@linen.lv

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Childrens Bed Linen Complex - Pure Linen Flax

Cute Linen Ideas for the Home

Linen Ideas for Children

News

Our Healthy Linen Curtains were recently featured in a Latvian Newspaper under the topic of Environmentially Friendly Products for the Home

Latvian Newspaper Latvijas Avise

July 9 2008

(Latvian language)

Feedback

The bath towel is a great success !

(Healthy Linen Large Bath/Beach/Sauna Towel)

Used daily for my session at the pool. On first encounter it felt sort of thin and harsh, but it works like magic. One wipe and you are instantly dry. Doesn't stick to you like the fluffy cotton towels. Fellow swimmers are intregued. (I have given) Give them your e-mail.

My wife did another check of a couple of the "high end" bath "linen" shops. Of course they have linen, the best quality cotton (editor comments - they don't know the real difference) .

Of course cotton is cheaper, but if (these are) "high end" shop surely they should also offer real linen.

Vancouver, very cosmopolitan city, one million people, no one offering real linen bath towels? Rediculous!.

One has to go directly to Latvia.

Vic B - Vancouver Canada - July 2008

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Just to say, my linen order arrived today!

Healthy Linen Body Towel

I am so pleased !

They are even finer than I imagined - sewn beautifully, and just precisely the kind of cloth that Louis Kuhne of Germany mentioned for his baths over a hundred years ago.

There is no question that I will be ordering bath towels and quite a number of other articles at a future date. They are far larger than what is sold as a cotton terry washcloth here which is maybe 12"x12" - more or less. It is a perfect size - and I would never have thought that a larger washcloth would even be made. I have never known of a larger size, or considered one.

Item #2, the Personal Face towel - is simply wonderful --- and it is the large towel of this design for bath/sauna/beach that I will be ordering in time to come.

Joan - Minneapolis USA - June 2008

Elegant Looking Curtains from 100% Pure Linen

Linen Flax materials are simply wonderful for curtains. The materials look rich and vivid and some materials will change their color and appearance in different lights and background lighting conditions.

Take a look at our recent photo albums
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Line will shrink from 5 to 12 % normally in the direction of the roll when washed so you may want to prewash the fabric before you finalize the length.

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Lina priekšauts - Cafe Apron

Mājas lapa

Designer Cafe Apron - In stock - ships worldwide

Order now at Amazon.com -- only US$28.95 plus shipping



ships from Linen Fantasies Design Studio in the European Union

Fancy Aprons for that Perfect Dinner Party

Introducing our new Collection of Fancy Aprons made from 100% Pure Linen Flax materials. Great for the kitchen or serving that perfect dinner to family and freinds.

Also available are our BBQ Aprons just in time for summer.

Take a look at the slideshow and send us an email for additional information.

Some products are available on Amazon.com




email: sales@healthylinen.com

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BBQ Apron - Just in Time for Summer Parties

Order Now ! - Only US$ 27.95 plus shipping

Our new BBQ Apron is now available for Worldwide Shipping.

Order today from Amazon.Com . Buy two (2) or more and receive a 30% discount





100% Pure Natural Linen Flax material.

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Latvian Design and Home Furnishings Showcase - SPICE Center - Riga Latvia

Studio Linen Fantasies is proud to participate in the SPICE Center's Latvian Design and Home Furnishings Showcase being held Wednesday 30 April and Thursday 1 May in Riga Latvia.

Announcing our new BLOG - Healthy Carbon Lifestyle

In keeping with our theme of living a Healthy Lifestyle, we are rounding out our BLOG offerings with more information on the carbon footprint topic. Using products made from Pure Linen Flax materials, you will be reducung your total carbon footprint as Linen Flax is grown with less chemicals, processed with less energy, washed in cold water and with less soap and dryed naturally using no energy.

click for more information on Carbon Footprint

Announcing our new BLOG - Healthy Carpert Care Network

In keeping with our theme on a healthy lifestyle using natural environmentially friendly fabrics, we have created and introduced our new BLOG to provide information on Carpet care in the office and in the home.

Please take a few minutes and investigate our new site: Healthy Carpet Network

Window Washing Cloth & Towel

Spring has sprung here in the Northern Hemisphere and .... ugh ...it's time to wash those disgustingly dirty, streaked windows again!

The textured 100% Pure Linen FLAX wash towel is perfect for the task.

Absorbing water and a lot of dirt and grime quickly it makes the window washing task faster and easier than ever.

As the sun show brightly this afternoon, I found myself in my livingroom looking through hazed windows.

I had to do something, so I grabbed the blue bottle and my HealthyLinen Wash towel from the bathroom.

To my great pleasure, it worked and worked well.

Over the next couple of days we will perfect the technique and POST more details and a step by step process that we recommend.

Of course, one towel will NOT clean all your windows... Its not a magic towel to any extent of the imagination.

So you should have several (5 or 10) and they are easy to wash and dry making ready for the next window washing round.

Due to fiber makeup in Pure Linen Flax fabric, linen produces almost no lint as your windows are even more spotless.

Best of all this window cleaning towel can be reused over and over again.

By the way, the same concept applies to your dishes and drinking glasses. Wiping them with a Pure Linen Flax towel leaves them cleaner, and both lint and streak free.

Now project this to you personally. After shower, bath or sauna, drying with a Pure Linen FLAX towel will leave you feeling the difference.

Linen absorbs about the same amount of water than a high qualityCotton towel; but, it is our experience it grabs the water faster and feels dryer to the touch.

Give it a try yourself ... Feel the difference!

Is Linen and Flax the same?

Linen is made from a Bast fibre or skin fibre taken from the "inner bark" skin or bast surrounding the stem of a certain flowering plants with net-veined leaves (dicotyledonous). The Flax plant (usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

LINEN made from flax, one of natures natural products is a beautiful, elegant, durable, refined luxury fabric. Linen flax is the strongest of the vegetable fibers and has 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. Linen table cloths and napkins have been handed down generation to generation. Not only is the linen fiber strong, it is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free. Fine china, silver and candles are enhanced by the luster of linen which only gets softer and finer the more it is washed.

Linen is from flax, a fiber taken from the stalk of the plant. The luster is from the natural wax content. Creamy white to light tan, this fiber can be easily dyed and the color does not fade when washed. Linen does wrinkle easily but also presses easily. Linen, like cotton, can also be boiled without damaging the fiber.

Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, this fabric is cool in garments. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during the laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily.

Does a Linen Towel absorb more water than a Cotton Towel?

What a great question?

The answer is maybe yes and may no. It all depends on the way the fiber is woven.

But, in our opinion, Linen absorbs just as much and perhaps even more.

One thing is that we believe that Linen fibers will absorb water much faster than a cotton fiber and will feel dryer to the touch.

Therefore when used as a bath towel, your body will feel dryer and will be dryer faster with Linen fabric.

Used as a kitchen towel, dishes will dry extremely quickly and will be almost lint free.

You shoudl give it a try yourself.

Why Linen?

First of all, what is Pure Linen?

The term "linen" refers to yarn and fabric made from flax fibers; however, today it is often used as a generic term to describe a class of woven bed, bath, table and kitchen textiles because traditionally linen was so widely used for towels, sheets, etc. In the past, the word also referred to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, waistshirts, lingerie, and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. Linens were manufactured almost exclusively of fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatissimum. But textiles made of cotton, hemp, and other plant fibers have also been referred to as 'linen' which can make the exact referent of the term somewhat unclear and confusing to the buyer.

Linen textiles may be the oldest in the world. Their history goes back many thousands of years. Fragments of straw, seeds, fibers, yarns and various types of fabrics which date back to about 8000 B.C. have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. Linen was used in the Mediterranean in the pre-Christian age. Linen was sometimes used as currency in ancient Egypt. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen because it was seen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand spun yarns, were extremely fine and cannot be matched by modern spinning techniques.

So why is Linen so comfortable?

Linen fabric breathes, much like human skin, it can absorb up 20% or more of its own weight in moisture, while still feeling dry to the touch.Linen also absorbs the moisture rapidly which makes it wonderful for bath and kitchen towels. You and your dishes will dry quickly. Even better, your drinking glasses will be lint free.

Linen is also truly healthy. Linen cannot provoke allergies, it is anti-static and can even help soften and preserve the skin due to its natural pH balance. The non-allergic, antibacterial, and antimycotic (Suppressing thegrowth of fungi) properties of linen are emphasized more and more often and is something the buyer should seriously consider.

Thanks to linen’s temperature-regulating properties. In hot weather, linen absorbs moisture and excess heat, while in cool weather it retains body heat. Highly absorbent and a good conductor of heat, linen fabric feels cool to the touch.

Over time linen becomes softer and even more comfortable.

Why does Linen wrinkle?

However, if you are not found of wrinkles, linen may not be best for you. Linen is the strongest of the vegetable fibers with 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. It is smooth, making the finished fabric lint free, and gets softer the more it is washed. However, constant creasing in the same place in sharp folds will tend to break the linen threads. This wear can show up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily explaining why it wrinkles so easily.

What about static electricity?

Static electricity that can build up on our bodies and everyday objects, and the mini-shocks that may result, usually only cause mild discomfort, and have not been shown to have a detrimental effect on human health. However, some people do appear to be particularly sensitive to static shocks, and in such cases the constant anticipation of the shock can contribute to high stress levels.

Some people produce more electrostatic charge than others, for various reasons including body size and the materials their clothing and shoes are made of. Clothes made from wool, silk or synthetics, and plastic-soled shoes can all cause electrostatic charge to build up. Some people simply feel electrostatic shocks more than others.

Linen is one solution to this problem. It minimizes the build up of static electricity, and is not a source of it.

more information

Products offered for Export for sale in your Shop Boutique or Internet site

If you have a store, Boutique, or Internet Store, we have compiled a set of products that may be suitable for sale in your location.

We have not established firm EXPORT prices as it does depend so much on the volume of items produced and packaged for export shipment.

If you send us an email sales@linen.lv with the items that you are interested in (describe either the SKU number or Photo number from the album and give us an estimate as to the number of them that you might order in the next three months. We will then quickly calculate special EXPORT prices for you packaged in bulk and ready to ship. Shipping, handling, export and import paperwork and customs processing and duties on arrival in your country would be you your account.

In Norway, we are selling exclusively through an Internet store. You may view their website and get an idea of how they present the products and what they charge for each item. http://www.lobelia.no/and http://www.lobelia.no/?pageID=133

In the United States we are currently selling through Amazon . com

Perhaps there is some other product that you have seen and would like us to include it in our offering. Please let us know about this product and an Internet link or photograph would be helpful and we will investigate if we can make and sell it to you.

We are happy to answer any question .

We work with an International Shipping Company DSV http://www.dsv.com/

Perhaps they have either an office or agent in your country location.

We await your reply with desired products and an estimate about purchase volumes.

Best regards, Mike Johnson, General manager, Studio Linen Fantasies, Riga Latvia

How to use - exfoliating body towel & wash towel

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Exfoliating is the process of assisting to remove old dead skin cells from the surface of ones body. In this process, the natural beauty of your skin is allowed to "SHINE".

There are many Internet sites with technical and medical information on the exfoliating process, so we will not try to cover it in this posting. Just a word of medical caution: If your skin becomes red and/or uncomfortable, STOP your procedures and ask for competent medical advice.

Other mechanical device products that have been used are natural sponges called "Loofah" and are NOT as easy to use and do NOT form fit to the users hand and the body.

Therefore, we believe that our Body Towel and/or Wash Towel are superior products to the Loofah.

Our Body Towel and our Wash Towel are both suitable to be used in the bathtub, shower, or sauna. However, you may find that the smaller size of the Wash Towel is easier to use in the bathtub.

The main advantage of the larger Body towel is that when you are standing, it is easier to hold with two hands and work the hard to reach areas behind your back and under your feet.

However when in the bathtub, the smaller Wash towel may be draped over your toes of your foot and used to scrub and work the areas of your feet and ankles while you are relaxing in the water.

Just place the foot with the towel underneath the bare foot and press down with the bare foot onto the Wash towel and then with some force slide the bare foot over the surface of the Wash towel.

You can easily work the areas under your opposite foot, on top of your toes and under the middle and bottoms of your foot and heels.

You may also easily slide the foot with the wash towel up and around the area of your lower legs and around your ankles. When finished with one foot, simply change the towel to the other foot and repeat the scrubing on the opposite foot.

Next take the Wash towel in your hand and scrub the remainder of each leg, your knees, elbows, arms and upper body and your head, neck, face and so on.

Lie back in the water and enjoy your massage scrub.

Feel the difference !

When finished in the bathtub, you may use the Body towel to dry yourself off. If you haven't scrubed you back, just hold the Body towel with both hands and work the area of your back.

A Linen material towel absorbs a lot more water than a normal cotton towel.

When finished, be sure to stretch out or hang your wash towel and Body towel to completely dry before your next use.

If you feel a little tingle on your skin, you might try rubbing in a small amount of high quality body lotion in those areas.

Healthy Linen Products may be purchased online from our Internet Store or through Amazon.com

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Shopping bags are great for trips to the market

Wow, 22 Lbs - 10 Kg of fruits and vegetables in one bag! - Take a look !

Environmentally friendly as well.

Will last for years making the cost of ownership over time very, very small.

Easy to wash and care for and easy to fit in your purse or large jacket pocket.

Available in four colors: Natural tan, Burnt Red (shown) Blue, and Black.

Order several today.

Healthy Linen Products now listed and sold through Amazon.com in USA

Many of the Healthy Linen Products are now listed and sold through Amazon.com's USA Internet store.

Delivery for a few months will be from our manufacturing facility in Riga Latvia. As we better understand the levels of purchases by items type, inventory of Towels, Shopping Bags and Table Runners will be in Amazon's USA warehouse and processed and shipped by Amazon.com staff.

This is an exciting new capability for the Studio Linen Fantasies Company.

Introduction - Purpose of Healthy Linen BLOG site

Pure Linen is not a first choice fabric for people to purchase. Cotton and cotton belends are less expensive and easier to care for. But, Linen is a wonderful fabric that people learn to enjoy wrinkles and all.

This BLOG site is intended to provide tips and ideas and information how to purchase our 100% Linen Flax products and enjoy them to the fullest.

Linen abuse is allowed in some conditions - he he he

If your linen is new, hard and "tough"and scratchy, then consider our tips for abusing - code word for softening it.

Wash your linen and when it is still wet beat it with a wooden pastry roller or other clean smooth wooden object. beat it and while you are doing it rid yourself of your daily frustrations.

But be careful where you are seen abusing your linen or you may have to answer some questions poised by the local law enforcement folks. Or at least your neighbors will wonder about you.

Yes, linen gets softer and better with each use and washing.

Just don't fold and bend linen tightly or sharply as linen fibers easily break when folded.

Wrinkles - how to remove - don't bother trying

Linen is a wrinkle friendly fabric. Just look at it and it has another wrinkle.

So if you like linen, you are used to wrinkles and accept that linen will have wrinkles!

Live with them and enjoy them and enjoy your soft and loving linen products that when carefuly cared for will last a lifetime.

Linen is cool in the summer and contrary to common logic not so cold in the winter.

Linen likes water and has an afinity to absorb water - its self regulating of its moisture content.

Don't wory so much about ironing linen to get rid of wrinkles.

Wear and use line year around and enjoy the wrinkles. Be proud of them!

Stain removal on linen fabric

Red wine stains should be covered at once with sugar (or salt) to absorb the moisture. If the wine stain has dried, try using club soda to moisten the spot.

Sugar or salt must be wiped off quickly.

The following link has some excellent stain removal recommendations. --click here for strain removal chart --


If your linen table cloth is stained, try washing it in white vinegar. I suggest that you first test a small spot before doing the whole thing. The vinegar tends to neutralize stains and oxidation and is very gentle.

Also try a product similar to Oxyclean as this will more than likely take out the spots. Use a large bowl big enough to hold the cloth use use about 3 big scoops of Oxyclean. For difficult stains soak over night or for a few days. I suggest that you change the water and add Oxyclean several times sometimes after the water sits a while. Use real hot water with the Oxyclean - BUT NOT boiling water.


As with all things, we can not guarantee anything. Common sense applies.

I am not associated with the company manufacturing Oxyclean nor do I endorse this product other than suggesting that you consider using it for your difficult stain removal tasks.

Ironing linen

If you want to iron linen, use a very hot iron and try to iron it before it dries.

Iron the reverse side first (be sure your iron surface plate is clean); then iron the front side quickly.

How is the best way to wash linen products?

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Of course it depends on the product and what accessory items have been attached. So this discussion will focus on mostly simple linen products like towels and basic items.

Linen likes water... a lot of water! Cool water, not hot water, temperature 30 °C - 86 °F

Note: it is possible to wash linen in higher temperatures but it wears out faster than in lower temperatures.


So if washing in a machine don't turn the level dial down leave it on a higher setting and don't pack the items too dense use about 1/2 capacity of the wash tub.

Of course don't waste water either, you need to have common sense and a balance on how much water to use.

Linen likes mild soap something like you might wash delicate wools and silk. Also use a minimum amount of soap.

Use oxygen bleaches (hydrogen peroxide) for white linen. Experiment to see how much is needed. Chlorine bleaches can cause yellowing. Chlorine bleaching is not recommended for linen.

Thats a capital NOT, please.

Try a couple of tablespoons of cream rinse for your hair in the final rinse cycle. Linen is cellulose fiber, and cream rinse may make linen more soft and lustrous.

After a basic wash cycle, rinse well and consider a second rinse. Again, linen likes water.

If hand washing, be careful not to add too much soap and to rinse vey well. Removal of all soap will help prevent large brown spots on linen, which are caused by oxidation of cellulose by the residual soap.

For drying, we recommend using a machine spin cycle even if you hand wash.

Try NOT to fold and hand wring linen as linen fibers are long and brittle if bent sharply.

Linen does not like heat so best to let dry naturally. Avoid heated tumble drying, as it increases the possibility of permanent wrinkles and creasing.

We recommend a wooden clothes rack with larger diameter rungs as when linen drys it get creased easily.

Linen may shrink slightly when washed. Hand stretching while wet will return the item close to its original dimensions.

For example, take a towel and hand stretch it taught in several directions to assure the natural shape and then hang on a rack. Over the next couple of hours hand stretch again in several directions.

The linen will dry almost like it was ironed.

If you want to iron linen, use a very hot iron and try to iron it before it dries.

Iron the reverse side first (be sure your iron surface plate is clean); then iron the front side quickly.

Linen table textiles can be starched after the wash to achieve beautifully folded napkins.


For linen pants when you hang them to dry be sure they are folded where you want the seam crease as it will turn out quite good much like those metal pants frames you used to use.

We will cover stain removal in a later POST.

As always, use common sense and keep it simple and your linen will last a lifetime.

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How do I order your products ?

What a great question! We would be pleased to process your order and provide you our delightful product experience.

If you are fortunate to be in Riga, Latvia (part of the European Union), then please call and visit our Studio located in the center of Riga very close to the train station. click for a map and directions

If you live in North American order is is easy and our prices include AIR POST - insured shipment from Latvia which takes about 14 days.

You may purchase through Amazon Com or from our Internet shop.

Not all of our products are listed on our Internet store site; but, 99% of our products may be ordered and shipped to the USA. If you see something that is not listed, please send us an email and tell us what you are looking for. Maybe we can make it for you on a custom basis. Payment for North American shipments from our Internet shop will be by credit card in USA Dollars and will be processed by our California office Michael Arthur Johnson Company . The Amazon Com shopping site processes their own payments.

Shipment to other European countries, Australia and New Zealand will be processed by our Riga Latvia office and payment is also by credit card and may be in Euro or Latvian Lats currency. Ordering for European shipments is also done on our English language website but credit card processing is done by a Latvian bank instead of a USA bank.

If you read Latvian language, then you may wish to visit our Latvian language website http://www.lins.lv/ as it does have some items and photos that are not shown on our English language site. Don't worry if you don't read Latvian language, simply look at the photos and you might see something that you like.

All of our photo albums are on line. -- click for photo albums

If you have some question, by all means, ASK -- we have special phone numbers from North America and from Europe and email are answered many times a day -- click for contact information

Thank you for considering our Healthy Linen products,

Best regards, Mike Johnson, General Manager
an American living in Latvia

How do I ask a question?

We would be pleased to receive and reply to your question. However, please be aware that we are a manufacturer of products and not a detailed expert on medical issues or the theory of linen production and weaving.

Please press the Contact Us button and send us an email. We will respond withing 24 to 48 hours.

Linen is NOT Hemp

Linen Flax is not the same as Hemp;

but, they are made from similar plant stalks.

The use of hemp can be traced back to 8000 BC in the Middle East and China where the fiber was used for textiles, the oil for cosmetic purposes and the seeds for food.

From as early as 5 BC to the mid-1800’s hemp fibers were used to manufacture 90% of all ships’ canvas sails, rigging, nets, and caulk because of its strength and resistance to the destructive effects of salt water. Hemp was also used for making paper, twines, carpet thread, carpet yarns, sailcloth, and for homespun and similar grades of woven goods. From the 500’s to the early 1900’s, many of the worlds greatest painters including Veronese, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, created their masterpieces on hemp canvas.

From the 1500’s to 1700’s hemp and flax were the major fiber crops in Russia and Europe and in 1606 French botanist Louis Hevert planted the first recorded hemp crop in North America in Port Royal, Acadia (present day Nova Scotia), where it became a major crop.

The Pilgrims first brought hemp seeds to America in 1632 and by 1850 hemp was America’s third largest crop. In fact, early American farmers were required to grow it. Two U.S. Presidents, Washington and Jefferson were hemp farmers when the U.S. was formed and they signed the Bill of Rights. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were first drafted on hemp paper. Hemp was the world’s largest single industry until the mid-1800’s.

Hemp was formally christened Cannabis sativa L. in 1753 by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus.

Linseed oil is made from seeds of the Flax plant while seeds and oils from the Hemp plant are eatable. Hemp seed oil has been dubbed, "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil" due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of both the required essential fatty acids (EFAs) for long term human consumption.

What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?

Marijuana and hemp both come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L., but from different varieties. There are different varieties of Cannabis, just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of dogs, Canis familiari.

Marijuana is the flowering tops and leaves of psychoactive varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their high THC content.

Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, are low-THC varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their seeds and fiber. Hemp is grown legally in just about every industrialized country except the USA. For more detailed information see Hemp 101.

There is one caveat worth mentioning.

Due to the extreme sensitivity of the urine drug test for marijuana, it is possible for the test to show positive after one has eaten hemp seeds or taken the oil. This is more likely to happen if unhulled seeds or products made from unhulled seeds were ingested as some resin could stick to the seed hull. It is also interesting to note that a drug test may read positive for opium if one ingests a poppy seed bagel or muffin before testing.


Hemp stalks are dried and broken down into two parts:

thread-like fibers called the "bast" and the inside pulp or "hurd." They have some applications in common, yet each one has its own very individual and distinct applications as well.

The long bark fiber from the stalks is cleaned and spun into threads and yarn for cordage, rope, carpets, or knit or woven into a variety of durable high quality textiles which can be used for an endless variety of products including clothing, curtains, upholstery, shoes, backpacks, and towels. The variety of fabrics made from hemp range from those as tough as burlap and denim, to cotton-like fabrics, to those as fine as silk, or as intricate as lace. The original Levi’s were made of hemp cloth and today designer Giorgio Armani, as well as other clothing manufacturers, is weaving hemp into clothes. Shoe companies are now using it in the manufacture of shoes. Within the last few years many cottage industries, offering an amazing array of hemp products, have sprung up.

Hemp fabrics have added beneficial qualities of being stronger, more insulative, more absorbent and more durable than cotton and they don’t stretch out of shape. Natural organic hemp fiber "breathes" and is biodegradable. It is remarkable that hemp will produce 1500 pounds of fiber per acre, whereas cotton will produce only 500 pounds per acre and it is estimated that half of all agricultural chemicals used in the US are employed in the growing of cotton.

One of the disadvantages of hemp clothing is that it is not naturally soft like cotton. It has more of a texture comparable to burlap, or canvas. When combined with other fabrics, or if it undergoes a special processing treatment, it can be made to be extremely soft.

Linen is not cotton - Pure Linen Flax

Linen fabric is one of the earliest fibers to be made and it comes from the flax plant, which grows all over the world in wet regions like Southern Latvia, Lithuiana and Belarus (Bielorussia). Flax is a tall, reed-like plant, with long fibers which make it easy to spin into thread. You cut the plant stalks, and then leave them to soak in a tub of water or a stream until the hard outside stem rots away and leaves the long, soft fibers underneath. This process is called retting the flax.

Then you take the fibers and spin them on a spindle into linen thread. Linen can be spun coarse, or it can be spun very very fine, depending on the skill of the spinner and what you want to use it for.

The Egyptians made sails out of coarse linen, for example, but used very fine linen for expensive tunics.

It is hard to dye linen, so mostly people wore it white or a tan color, the way it is naturally. It is not as warm as wool, but it is much softer and more comfortable on the skin (after you wear it a while; at first it is stiff and scratchy).

People were spinning and weaving linen by about 5000 BC, even before wool. In the first millennium BC, the Egyptians mostly wore linen, while Greeks and West Asians and Germans mostly wore wool. By the Roman period, however, many people wore linen tunics for comfort with wool robes over them for warmth, and in the Middle Ages in Europe this continued to be common, so that "linen" got to mean something like "underwear". The word "lingerie" is related to linen.

Also, as it is used on tables and for bed covernings, a common name "linen" is now used for both. This can be confusing for the unaware buyer. Read the labels and product information carefully. It should say 100% Linen or 100% Linen Flax materials.

Healthy Linen products manufactured from Studio Linen Fantasies in Riga, Latvia, is made from 100% Linen Flax materials.

Reference: Carr, Karen. "(History of Linen)" Kidipede - History for Kids. 2007. February 17, 2008.

What is Psoriasis?

What is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease in which skin cells replicate at an extremely rapid rate. New skin cells are produced about eight times faster than normal--over several days instead of a month--but the rate at which old cells slough off is unchanged. This causes cells to build up on the skin's surface, forming thick patches, or plaques, of red sores (lesions) covered with flaky, silvery-white dead skin cells (scales).

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, genetic disease manifesting in the skin and/or the joints. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. In plaque psoriasis, the most common type, patches of skin called "lesions" become inflamed and are covered by silvery white scale. Psoriasis can be limited to a few lesions or can involve moderate to large areas of skin. The severity of psoriasis can vary from person to person; however, for most people, psoriasis tends to be mild. more info

A process of periodic exoliating the skin manually with a product such as our Healthy Linen Body towel is normal and healthy for your skin and should not be confused with Psoriasis.

However, if your skin is sore and red, then you should discontinue manual exfoliating and contact your medical doctor for advice. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Exfoliating the skin .. helps to create radiant skin look

Human skin has a natural process where dead skin cells "slough off - flake". But, when the skin is oily or too dry, or as we age, the natural process may need a little help.

Routine manual exfolliation is your best method to produce that radiant skin appearance and feel.

Everyone skin is different so be careful and not be too rough and damage your skin. Skin exfoliation is an irritating process that actually, is beneficial to most skin types. However, it can be quite challenging to determine the fine line between good irritation as a result of exfoliation and aggravated, inflamed skin.

As always, play close attention and monitor the look and feel of your skin. If in doubt, stop the manual exfolliation and ask your medical doctor for advice.

When your skin is dry, then dead skin cells accumulate more quickly.

Even a small amount (layer) of dead skin cells can cause your skin to dull in appearance.

The objective of exfoliating is to remove dead cells from the skin's surface which will result in skin with a fresh healthy glow. Regular skin exfoliation over time, will increase the skin's capacity to absorb moisture, reduce fine lines and diminish acne.

First you should soften the skin in the bath, sauna or shower. Next you need to rub the skin carefully with an abrasive textured device like our Healthy Linen Individual wash towel or our larger Healthy Linen body towel.

The individual wash towel may be used while in the bath, sauna or shower and the Healthy Linen Body towel is meant to be used for additional rubbing and drying after you are finished with the wet process.

How do I use a Healthy Linen Body Towel? printable version

What's a Healthy Linen Body Towel ?

Have you ever felt like this?

So pure and innocent are the young. So natural, so loving, so vibrant and free. Remember the last time you were around a child?
Isn't that a great feeling?

Wouldn't it be nice to feel young and so alive again?There is nothing more important that your health - I am sure everyone might agree with this statement.

Many people may also agree that another important aspect of a person is their appearance.

Our skin is definitely one area of our body that is noticed and is thus a main part of a person's look and for some, touch and feel, too.





Our exclusive towel made from 100% natural Linen Flax materials is created to assist both men and women of all ages keep their skin beautiful and soft.

Used after bath or shower, or in a sauna for massage or pedicure, it's textured surface works to exfoliate the skin removing the flaky loose skin cells.

It is 100% natural with Linen oils and fibers that have for centuries been linked to royalty and used in hospitals, too.






Linen Flax is one of the most compatible natural fibers with human skin and body fluids.




It's companion individual sauna, shower and bat cloth is used wet in the bath, shower or sauna.


The larger Body Towel is used in a massage drying process after the skin has softened in the shower, bath or sauna.

As a regular part of your bathing or showering ritual, the Healthy Linen Body Towel is an easy way to keep your skin soft and beautiful much like the child pictured above.




















Life without a Healthy Linen Body towel ...



whimm ?



... is it life?

How do I use a Healthy Linen Body Towel ? printable version

Introduction

Greetings from Riga Latvia, a part of the European Union.

Linen has been a part of traditional Latvian culture for centuries.

Our Linen Fantasies Studio in Riga is creating EXCLUSIVE designed products from 100% Linen Flax materials and selling them world wide.

Please take a few moments and browse our photos and websites.

We are always available to answer questions, listen and read your comments and questions.

In our studio, we have creative designers working to innovate new techniques based on traditional methods and materials.