PSquare Scents offers the pure and unique

&emsp;&emsp;A local business manufactures healthy products that may be just the thing to help you deal with the stresses caused by life these days.&emsp;&emsp;Paul Barnard has been handcrafting soaps and other naturally-made items and selling them on-line since 2004. In June, 2019, he and Paul Morack opened PSquare Scents, 405 Lincoln Ave., in Bellevue. The "P Square" name of the business is derived from the two owners: both are "Pauls." Their inventory includes hand sanitizer, candles, incense, body oils, bath products and much more.&emsp;&emsp;Last week the store reopened for business and is open seven days a week. Hand sanitizer is available for customers, and while Allegheny County remains in Pennsylvania's "Yellow Phase" of re-opening following two months of a stay-at-home order, face masks are required for entry. When the store was closed due to the pandemic, PSquare Scents' Web site (www.psquarescents.com) allowed customers to order items on-line and receive the product via US mail; on-line sales continue, of course.&emsp;&emsp;To make their products, PSquare Scents uses natural and high-quality ingredients that are pure and simple. Their items are not filled with the chemicals contained in most commercially mass-produced similar items. Chemicals can often cause headaches, rashes or other problematic symptoms in some people; those sensitive individuals generally don't have such reactions to PSquare products, they said.&emsp;&emsp;Sometimes PSquare's items may look a little different from what you are used to seeing. For example, PSquare uses no color chemicals or UV protector in their candles. Thus, all candles are white whether cherry, orange, floral or spice in scent. Also, without UV protector, when exposed to light, PSquare candles may discolor to slightly yellow. However, the natural soy wax used in making PSquare candles more than compensates for any aesthetic shortcoming. Paraffin wax, the base of most commercially-made candles, is derived from petroleum or coal and full of dye or other chemicals.&emsp;&emsp;Many different types of items are handcrafted at PSquare Scents, including: hand sanitizer, bath and hand soaps, body sprays and lotions, candles, bath bombs, shower steamers, incense, essential oils, potpourri, scent products suitable for pets and more. There are over 100 individual scents available in the store, and the scents can be mixed to create a near-infinite number of fragrances.&emsp;&emsp;To encourage children to wash their hands, PSquare Scents produces three unique and fun products. There are jars of tiny, individual gummy bear-shaped soaps; each bear is intended for a single use of thorough hand washing. There are soaps that are shaped and sized and look like an ice cream treat on a stick. Also available are "pet-containing" soaps that contain a small toy fish or turtle that is "swimming" in the middle of a clear bar of soap. After many, many hand washings, the toy pet will be freed for play.&emsp;&emsp;A zero-waste station of various products offers customers the option to purchase a reuseable container (or bring one from home) and fill it with the natural products such as shampoo, dish soap, cleaning solutions, bath teas, and more. Sold by the ounce, the container can be brought back to the store to be refilled. Thus, no packaging ends up in the trash and landfills. And selecting from the various scents, you can create products with personalized aromas.&emsp;&emsp;The owners say that any of the items sold at PSquare Scents make wonderful gifts. Cards are available for purchase as well as free tissue paper in various colors to top off the brown paper, handled bag.&emsp;&emsp;Currently, due to Covid-19 restrictions, no PSquare Scents classes are scheduled. However, Barnard said as soon as the governor grants Allegheny County the "green light," and classes would be permitted, PSquare Scents plans to return to offering various classes where participants learn how and have the opportunity to personally make their own candles or incense or other products. Often these classes are combined with beer or wine-tasting events by local producers of these alcoholic beverages. When resumed, classes can be registered for on-line on Eventbrite.&emsp;&emsp;Such a class was held Sunday, March 6, when over a dozen individuals participated in a candle-making class which was accompanied with wine-tasting from Refucilo Winery on the North Side's Western Avenue.&emsp;&emsp;The "students" sat at tables squeezed into the store front on which a tray of supplies was arranged at each place. Barnard explained the steps of candle making. First, the candle-makers would select the scent or scents of their candle. To do this, bottles of various scents were passed around and sniffed and different combinations were put together. The concoctions were sniffed and shared and discussed among the students. Of the fragrances from which to choose, some sounded tasty (sweet orange, banana bread, cheesecake, vanilla bean, sugar cookie) others were outdoorsy (butterfly garden, fresh cut grass, frosted pine, honeysuckle, lilac, lavendar); some suggested spices (rosemary, clove, sage) and the names of some of the "fragrances?" are best left to one's imagination (dragon's blood, butt naked, monkey farts.)&emsp;&emsp;After each candle-maker had filled a small glass container with the selected scents, Barnard provided each with a jar of melted wax. The scents mixture was poured into the wax, and the result needed to be stirred for several minutes. The jars were labeled and taken into the back room where electric fans helped them harden.&emsp;&emsp;Mission accomplished, the students relaxed and enjoyed wine and light snacks. &emsp;&emsp;More information about PSquare Scents and the products can be found on their Web site, www.psquarescents.com. This local store also is active on Facebook and Instagram. But the best way to learn more is to step though the Lincoln Avenue storefront door, where you'll be greeted by friendly personnel, see and be amazed by the wide variety of products available and breath in (through a face mask) the delightful scents.