We’ve reached the end of our Soap Crafting-inspired tutorial extravaganza week. In case you missed it, we started out with an awesome beer soap, got fruity with a strawberries and cream recipe and yesterday we introduced a beeswax soap using a fun spoon-plop technique. And below, find our final recipe — Sudsy Shampoo Bars! These shampoo bars are a biodegradable, packaging-free alternative to traditional liquid shampoos, and contain a mixture of several hair nourishing oils. Keep in mind — the nature of soap is to clean, and these bars have a pH of around 7 (slightly less than regular cold process soap). These bars will leave your hair feeling nice and refreshed and in my experience, I needed to load on the conditioner to really make my hair soft and lovely. [Read more…]
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Invigorating Shampoo Bars
Sweetheart Shampoo Bar Project
These adorable shampoo bars were inspired by the classic Valentine’s Day candy.
This recipe was created to gently cleanse while moisturizing the hair. It’s formulated with Foaming Noodles – SCI and Bubble Boost – CAPB, which are surfactants derived from coconuts. They make everything nice and sudsy. Find more surfactants for DIY soap here.
The Heart Clamshell Mold gives the bars a cute shape that fit perfectly in your hand. These molds are reusable, and can double as packaging. The color comes from Pink Quartz Crystal Dye – we recommend adding the color a drop at a time to achieve the perfect hue. Feel free to swap out different colors – find all the Liquid Crystal Dyes here.
Find the full recipe HERE!
Hair Recipe Roundup + #ThrowbackThursday Video!
On Tuesday, I showed you how to get fun rainbow colored hair using only LabColors and Stephenson Organic Hair Conditioner Base. If you missed that tutorial, check it out here. While the pink tips of my hair are gone (I got a hair cut a few weeks ago), the hair care fun doesn’t have to stop. =) There are many fun hair recipes and tutorials to keep your hair in tip-top shape.
LabColors can be used to dye light or blonde hair; learn how in this blog post!
In the LabColor Hair Color Tutorial, the Stephenson Organic Hair Conditioner Base diluted the LabColor slightly and made it easier to apply. If you prefer to create your own hair care products, the How to Make Shampoo and Conditioner video on Soap Queen TV shows you how. This video is an oldie but a goodie (made in 2010!), making it a great #ThrowbackThursday. The video first demonstrates how to customize a shampoo base, then how to create a conditioner from scratch.
The process of creating homemade conditioner is similar to making a lotion. Conditioner also includes many of the same ingredients as lotion, such as distilled water, oils, BTMS-50 and Optiphen. The How to Create Homemade Lotion Recipes post goes over the basic ingredients of emulsified products and how to use them.
If you like the idea of creating your own shampoo rather than using a base, the Argan Oil Shampoo is great for dry hair. The addition of carrot and nettle extract give the shampoo great hair-loving properties. If you prefer a different type of extract, feel free to customize the recipe to meet your particular hair needs. Learn more about extracts in this Sunday Night Spotlight.
You can also create solid shampoo bars with the cold process soaping technique. In the Sudsy Shampoo Bar recipe, citric acid is used to lower the pH and make the bars gentle for the hair. The Invigorating Shampoo Bars have zesty Tea Tree Essential Oil to make your hair smell amazing.
Top: Sudsy Shampoo Bar recipe, Bottom: Invigorating Shampoo Bars
If you don’t have the time to wash your hair, dry shampoo is a fantastic option. Simply shake the powder into your roots to absorb excess oils. Making your own dry shampoo is incredibly easy. Learn how in this Dry Shampoo Tutorial. The shampoo can be customized with fragrance and color. We used Relaxing Fragrance Oil, which is a luscious blend of lavender, pine and vanilla.
Dry shampoo is a great option for busy mornings when showering is not possible.
Love the idea of brightly colored hair, but need something a little less permanent? The Hair Chalk Recipe and Application Tutorial shows you how to create hair chalk that can be customized to any color you’d like. The hair chalk works great on both light and dark colored hair. This makes it a great option for brunettes who don’t want to bleach their hair to achieve rainbow locks.
Have you ever made shampoo, conditioner, or other hair products before? I love treating my hair to homemade hair care products.
Soapy Social Media Roundup
Happy weekend! I don’t know about you, but this week flew by…I honestly can’t believe it’s Saturday again already =). Earlier this week I made a trip to Vancouver for a marketing conference. I came back feeling inspired and motivated and, a little overwhelmed with all the great ideas to implement. I can’t wait to share what I learned with the rest of the team; they can help take the ideas and turn them into a practical reality.
Here on the blog, we are getting a head start on holiday projects with a series of tutorials featuring sparkly micas. The projects for this week focused on gems and included the Sparkly Garnet Soap Gems and the Emerald Swirl Cold Process Tutorial. Next week, get ready for rose gold inspired projects, followed by copper, silver and gold.
In the meantime, checkout my favorite pins, ‘grams and tweets from the week below!
Left to right, clockwise:
- I love these colorful DIY Coconut Lip Glosses from Nest + Venture. The colors look perfect for a variety of seasons.
- If you love beer soap, this DIY Oatmeal Stout Shampoo Bars will be right up your alley! Made with Oatmeal Stout Fragrance Oil, I bet they smell amazing.
- This Superfood Chocolate Smoothie Bowl looks delicious…such a great way to eat chocolate for breakfast =)
- This blog post is full of amazing soap packaging ideas and inspiration. I particularly love #38, #44 and #46. Which are your favorites?
I’m really happy with how this project turned out! The mica lines are made using Copper Sparkle Mica, and it’s scented with Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil. The tutorial will be coming soon so be on the lookout!
Last weekend, I the family and I visited a mushroom farm. It was so interesting to see how they are grown! We’re going to try our hand at growing some ourselves. On the right is a sparkly cold process project, with lots of mica painting and mica covered embeds. Click here to learn more about mica painting.
With the holidays coming up, we have been experimenting with different sparkly packaging. Be on the lookout for the tutorial for these glitter soap boxes next week =)
- Have you ever considered all the half used soap thrown away at hotels? This man collects hotel soap across the United States and sends them to impoverished nations.
- Love him or hate him, this article on Donald Trump is a fascinating read.
- If you love coffee and baked goods, CoffeeFlour may be your new favorite ingredient! The flour is made from the discarded coffee cherry, and hopes to provide new jobs to coffee farmers.
- Recently, I have been training for my first half-marathon. This list of 5 Reasons to Run You First 5K really rings true for me!
- Unfortunately, infringement is a common in business, especially in the creative community. Click here to find out what to do when someone infringes on your idea.
I hope you all have an amazing weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat.
Summer 2015 S.O.A.P. Panel Update
Every season, eight savvy soapers are chosen to be a part of S.O.A.P. – Scent Opinion Awesome Panel. The panel is sent eight secret fragrance oils to help us choose which should be added to the Bramble Berry fragrance oil line. The fragrances are sent with no name or descriptors to ensure opinions are unbiased. The panelists can test the fragrances in any kind of product they like, including cold process soap, melt and pour, bath fizzies and more.
After the testing period, the panelists fill out a survey. The survey includes questions regarding each fragrance oil, including how it performed, what it should be named and overall score. We also encourage the panelists to create social media updates to keep us updated throughout the testing process. Recently, the 2015 Summer S.O.A.P. Panel wrapped up (see the list of panelists below). The panelists did an amazing job of thoroughly testing each fragrance, and gave us fantastic notes to help us choose which ones to add to the lineup. Based on feedback and scoring we are only adding one fragrance oil from this S.O.A.P. Panel (hint: it’s chocolaty, minty and slightly buttery) so be on the lookout for the new addition! Checkout the panelists and their test results below.
Summer 2015 S.O.A.P. Panelists
Jessica of Sea Holly Beauty Company
Madie of Madiecakes
Kristie of Seven Seas Soap
Kelly of Soaping Soprano
Lauren of Single Barrel Soaps
Sarah of Sunflower State Soap
Amy of Sole Sanctifier Soaps
Jessica of Spoon River Design
Kristie of Seven Seas Soap did an amazing job of testing each fragrance oil in various projects, including cold process soap, bath bombs and scrubs. In the video below, you can see watch Kristie and her daughter smell each fragrance oil and give their opinions. Then, Kristie took the fragrances to the street and asked the public for their opinions. The whole office loved this fun video! It’s so interesting to see what non-soapers think of the fragrance oils. =)
Soapy Social Media Roundup
It’s hard to believe that the first week of August is already gone. This summer has flown by. The family and I have been taking advantage of the sunshine with plenty of boat rides, day trips to the beach and outdoor activities. Below, you can see that Lily has become a big fan of control! She loves to help her dad “drive” the boat around the lake, and, sit in the driver’s seat of my car. Her fierce drive to lead is apparent already.
Next week on the blog, get ready for a collection of tutorials inspired by the classic film, The Sound of Music. These projects will include lots of florals, Snowflake Sparkle Mica and fresh scents. I can’t wait to share them with you! The film is meaningful to me because it’s one of the only films my folks would let me watch as a kid so I have almost all the songs memorized. I love social media and connecting with you all on there; if you missed anything, check out my favorite pins, ‘grams and tweets from the past two weeks.
Left to right, clockwise:
- This idea for “Polka Dot Soup,” as an activity for sensory play looks so fun. I’m sure Lily would have a blast grabbing the various color chips!
- I love projects that take one object and make it into something completely new. This Tea Cup Candle Sconce Bird Feeder Tutorial is such a clever idea for recycling old cups.
- What could be better than cookie dough? Cookie dough fudge of course!
- I love the cold process design trend of a solid layer with a swirl top. This “Skipjack” Drop Swirl by Petals Bath Boutique is a great example of this technique.
I have been experimenting with the “Circling Taiwan Swirl,” and absolutely love the results! The soap below was made with Energy Fragrance Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Black Oxide, Fizzy Lemonade Colorant, Electric Bubble Gum Colorant and Super Pearly White Mica. I almost don’t want to cut it! =)
We have been busy planning new projects for several episodes of Soap Queen TV. On the left are shimmery champagne cold process cupcakes, made with Champagne Fragrance Oil. On the right are melt and pour gemstones inspired by rose quartz. Some comments on Instagram said these melt and pour gems reminded them of meat, so I may need to tweak the colors slightly, haha =)
Snapchat:
Find me on Snaphat via “bramble-berry” for behind the scenes peeks into soaping sessions, upcoming tutorials and random insights into my schedule. The video below is my Snapchat story from Wednesday, which includes a live demo of the beautiful 12 Color Linear Swirl Cold Process Soap. Be on the lookout next week for a full length episode of Soap Queen TV!
Twitter:
- Sugar is sneaky. Sometimes the food that seems to be the “healthier” choice, is not at all. A great example of this is at Dunkin Donuts, where a smoothie contains more sugar than a donut.
- These Avocado Shampoo Bars from the Nerdy Farm Wife look amazing! I love the rustic simplicity.
- If you have a huge weight lose goal (or even a small one), this article has some great insight. The author lost 100 pounds, and learned a lot about himself along the way.
- Do you drink too much caffeine? Check out this infographic to find out.
- Speaking of caffeine, here is what happens to your body after drinking a can of Coke. Scary stuff!
I hope you all have an fantastic weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat.
Facebook Photo of the Week (July 26th ~ August 1st)
This week was chock full of information, from oils and fragrances to organization tips. The Sunday Night Spotlight: Jojoba Oil explains how this versatile product is somewhere between an oil and a liquid wax, and how it can be used in scrubs, lotions, lip balms and cold process soap. Have you used Jojoba Oil in your products?
Facebook Photo of the Week (August 9th ~ August 16th)
Welcome to another weekend, everyone! Hopefully you had a fun and productive week — I know I did because my Mom was here to help out with the craziness that comes with two kids and two working parents. To celebrate the release of Soap Crafting, I created a series of cold process recipes inspired by the book. Each recipe was chosen for its unique additives or challenging new technique. I hope they help you expand your soaping skill set. The recipes are Busy Beeswax Soap (soaping with beeswax), Sudsy Shampoo Bars (soaping with citric acid to lower pH), Strawberries and Cream (adding cream and fruit puree to soap), and Bramble Berry Soap (soaping with beer).
In baby news, Lily spent mornings at home with the nanny and Grandma this week and then came to work with me in the afternoons. It’s hard to believe, but she is almost 3 months old now. She is turning into quite the charmer. Having Mom/Grandma around to help help take care of Jamisen and Lily and our garden was such a relief; bless her; she planted all my Fall starts in the garden. It’s always a great time when she comes to visit. I’m looking forward to a fun, family-filled weekend since Grandpa arrived on the train late last night (and we let Jamisen stay up to welcome him). But before we take off to Farmer’s Market, here is our Facebook Photo of the Week. These little guys are just wait for their kisses to turn into Prince Charmings.
This week’s photo comes to us from Michelle Daniel, owner of Tea Time Creations, LLC. What I loved about this soap was the sheer amount of detail that went into it. The handmade frogs with their little tongues and eyes, the reeds growing up the sides of the cake and even the unsuspecting little black fly sitting next to the frog. I can’t imagine how many hours of painstaking focus and precision it must have taken. Michelle made this soap for the Holly Swirl Challenge hosted by Great Cakes Soapworks, which presents awesome competitions with a different theme each month. Michelle has plenty of her other creations displayed on her website, blog and shop too, and sometimes it’s hard to believe they aren’t edible! Thanks to Michelle for this excellent display of creativity, and thanks to everyone else who posts, comments and interacts with us each week on our Facebook page. I look forward to seeing your wonderful photos each and every week.
Michelle’s website: Tea Time Creations
Michelle’s Facebook Page: Tea Time Creations
Michelle’s Blog: Tea Time Creations
Be sure to post pictures of your soap creations on the Facebook page each week for a chance to win a gift package from Bramble Berry, and don’t forget to check Soap Queen regularly for soapy news and updates!
Make it Monday: Cold Process #UniqueTops
Last week’s Make It Monday challenge was such a blast, and we had over 100 soaps submitted in the #natural colorants theme of the week. We saw everything from Calendula to Activated Charcoal to amazing homemade blends of different herbs and spices! Take a look at our Facebook album to see all the soapy goodness. Check back later today to see the winners of last week’s challenge.
Are you ready for this week’s challenge? Drum roll please…
Interview with Arcadia Aromatics
Bramble Berry: Your photography is clean, professional and very artistically staged. Do you have any sort of art background or photography training?
Lisa: Oh my no. I’m such an amateur. I just do a lot of reading & researching. I’ve learned many tips & tricks about using natural lighting vs. light boxes and it’s helped me to fine tune the color and contrasts of my photo’s. I prefer to shoot images of my products using the ‘hero’ shot (a shot which shows product alone) rather than a styled shot (which uses other appropriate elements along with the product). There’s a great tutorial and how-to article on “The Storque” on Etsy here.
Lisa: You’d be surprised at how far my soaps have come in the 5 years that I’ve been making soap. The very first year I soaped, my bars were so small and skinny, it was embarrassing really. Again, through tons of reading until my eyes were bloodshot, I educated myself about fatty acid profiles (with the help of some VERY talented & more experienced soapers) and properties of oils and butters so that I eventually was able to formulate an incredible recipe for my soaps that made it easier to sculpt the tops of the logs after the pour. I’ve tweaked those recipes to perfection over the years and I’m happy to say that my current 3 soap formulas have been perfected and haven’t been tweaked in a very long time. Depending on the FO or EO used, some batches are thinner than I’d like, so it takes a little bit of patience to wait until the soap batter is thick enough to allow me to sculpt the tops. My trick? Simple, I use an ordinary kitchen whisk. Make the whisk your friend and you’ll be able to get very high whips, peaks and textures. I also purchased a ‘tank’ soap cutter from For Crafts Sake, which was made to my specifications. This allowed me to make sure my bars were all uniformly cut to a very thick bar. Everyone comments on the size of my bars. They’re quite large and heavy in comparison to most handmade soap.
I love to get creative with the tops after I’ve sculpted them, by using raw materials and ingredients that I feel compliment the name or scent of that particular soap. For example, on the cinnamon frosting soap, I thought that putting some cinnamon chips on the top of the soap after I’ve textured it, would be a nice touch that would draw the eye directly to that soap. It worked. Everyone loves that look and I’ve had other soapers ask me if it would be alright to try to duplicate that look themselves. Sure, I say…. “go for it.” There really are no original ideas, only the realization and fulfillment of an idea. Besides, every soaper puts their own twist on things anyway. Have fun, I say. Experiment, play around. That’s what’s so exciting about this craft, whether it’s just a hobby or your primary business. There are so many ways to do the same thing.
Bramble Berry:Tell us a little bit about your solid shampoo! The bars look great!
Lisa: Aaaah, my solid shampoo bars. One of my best selling b&b products. People love them because they’re extremely economical, great for traveling because there’s no leaky mess in a bottle to worry about, and they last forever. I could never understand the reason behind paying for a bottle of water (liquid shampoo). Such a waste. With our solid shampoo bars, there’s no waste, no bottles to clutter up landfills and you’re getting a product that not only is better for the environment, but it’s a fantastic product for the health and conditioning of your hair, if I do say so myself. You get a literal mountain of thick, creamy, foamy lather on your head with only 2-3 swipes of the bar. I’ve been going to an upscale spa for almost 10 years now to get my hair done and every time I go, my stylist remarks about how healthy & shiny my hair has become since I started making and using the solid shampoo and solid conditioner. It’s basically all the same ingredients that I would use in my liquid shampoo, minus the water. I use many different emollients for the conditioning that your hair needs, plus I add in the extra goodies like panthenol, hydrolyzed wheat protein and cocoa butter. The surfactants that I use are very mild and gentle and contain no harmful chemicals or sulfates. These solid shampoo bars will clean your scalp so well that you’ll be amazed at how fast your hair grows after consistent use of the product. We can’t even wait a full 6 weeks in between hair cuts in my household.
Bramble Berry:Your salt bar looks awesome! When do you add the salt? Is it a lot of salt? A little? Tell us more about the concept behind the bar.
Lisa:Much to my own surprise really, I can’t keep my salt bars in stock. They sell very, very well. I say that I am surprised because I didn’t think that my customers would really ‘get’ what the salt bar is and how to use it. It’s not a regular bar of soap, it’s not a salt scrub. It’s a combination of the two. You won’t get tons of lather like you do with one of my bars of soap. Instead, you’ll get a lovely white, milky, lotiony effect. You won’t feel a lot of scrubbiness, it’s not harsh or overly abrasive. Rather, it’s very much like a smooth river stone would feel if you rubbed that on your skin. It’s very smooth. But don’t be fooled by that, you definitely will be exfoliating your skin and you’ll notice a healthy, radiant glow after stepping out of the shower with just one use. The idea behind the salt bar has been around for ages, but I’m fortunate enough to know an incredibly talented soapmaker who lives in Denmark, that openly shared her methods and techniques to perfecting the salt bar. Of course being the formulating tweaker that I am, I couldn’t leave well enough alone after reading and researching about this type of bar, so I came up with a few extra ingredients that I add in with the salt, to help give the bars that extra ‘umph’. I have my own technique and methods for making these bars, but I’ll have to keep those a secret for now. Haha! But if you want to try your hand at making your own salt bars, I’ll give you a few hints: Use a high % of coconut oil, as this is one of the few oils that will actually produce a lather in a salt environment, calculate the total amount of your oils/butters (NOT including the water & lye) and then use equal amounts of fine dead sea salt (do NOT use the iodized). If the salt feels too coarse to you, just throw it in your food processor or grinder. You don’t want a powder, but you don’t want large, rough chunks of salt either. Always use the FULL water amount suggested by your favorite lye calculator and superfat your batch at least 10%. I superfat mine at 15%. I soap using the cold process method, but for this soap batch, I use the CPOP method. Be prepared to move fast, because of the high salt content and depending on your scent choice, these batches set up very fast. Stick the whole log into the oven at 170 degrees for 2 hours, turn the oven off and let the log sit inside the oven for an additional 3 hours. Once you remove it from the oven, you need to unmold and cut right away, otherwise the salt content turns the log into a hard, solid brick very quickly and you’ll be unable to cut the log into bars. Voila, salt bars! Hope that helps.
We’ll have Part II of the Lissa from Arcadia Aromatics tomorrow.
Introducing the Hygge Collection
We have new items just in time for your fall and winter projects. The Hygge Collection includes comforting scents, moisturizing oils, and packaging that’s perfect for holiday gifts.
The collection is inspired by the Danish concept of hygge (hoo-gah), which is the everyday pursuit of happiness, comfort, and connection. For us, hygge is making products to treat ourselves and those around us. That’s why we chose these new items.
Lingonberry Spice Fragrance Oil
This fragrance is the perfect mix of fruit and spice. You’ll love the comforting notes of apple, cinnamon, and mountain air.
Cinnamon Cocoa Fragrance Oil
One sniff of this fragrance and you’ll be hooked. It’s a warm mix of coffee beans, nutmeg, and vanilla.
Cashmere Fragrance Oil
You need this fragrance in your collection. The notes of blueberry, magnolia, and violet are hard to beat.
Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil
Try this refreshing fragrance in DIY holiday gifts like soap, scrub, foot soak, and bath bombs.
Birchwood Oud Fragrance Oil
Pick up this scent today and enjoy the complex mix of kaffir lime, sea salt, and amber.
Hygge Fragrance Collection
Try all five new scents and find your favorite. Don’t wait, it’s only available while supplies last.
Lingonberry Seed Oil
You’ll love the way this oil feels on the skin – it has a silky and lightweight texture.
Oat Oil
This oil absorbs quickly and leaves your skin feeling hydrated all day long. It’s rich in fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E.
Turmeric Shea Butter
You need this natural product in your collection. It’s a mix of moisturizing butters and turmeric root extract, which will leave your skin feeling smooth.
Pumpkin Extract
You only need a few drops of pumpkin extract to add something special to handmade soap, lotion, and bath bombs. It helps moisturize the skin.
Liquid Cashmere
This is a must-have product for DIY skin and hair care. It adds a silky feeling to DIY soap, shampoo, and conditioner.
Menthol Crystals
You only need a few crystals to add a minty scent and a cooling sensation to handmade soap, scrub, and lip balm.
Pumpkin Powder
Pick up this powder today. It adds a subtle yellow color and mild exfoliation to DIY soap and scrub.
White and Black Twist Tubes
These tubes are perfect for handmade lotion bars, deodorant, and solid perfume.
Narrow and Wide Wooden Wicks
These are a must-have for handmade candles. You’ll love the even burn and comforting crackling sound.
4 oz. and 8 oz. Lidded Glass Jars
You’ll love this sophisticated jar for handmade candles. Just pop the lid on and it’s ready to store, gift, or sell.
Cooling Foot Care Kit
This kit comes with the supplies you need to pamper yourself and your loved ones. That includes printed instructions and labels.
Cashmere Soap Kit
This kit comes with the supplies you need to make 12 luxurious bars of soap, including pumpkin powder, a reusable mold, and printed instructions.
Lingonberry Spice Candle Kit
Candles are the perfect holiday gift. This kit comes with the supplies you need to make them, including printed instructions.
Full Hygge Collection
Add all of the new items into your Bramble Berry cart. They can be used in handmade products like soap, lotion, and bath bombs.
We can’t wait to see all the designs you create with the new products. Share using #BrambleOn.
Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Sept. 10th ~ 16th)
This week we introduced the new Autumn Frost Fragrance Collection. It includes four non-traditional fragrances: Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, Vermont Maple Fragrance Oil, Sparkling Snowdrop Fragrance Oil and Cedar and Amber Fragrance Oil. We tested hundreds of fragrances and found the best for your fall and winter projects. Learn more about the collection in this post. Until September 30th, try the collection and save $10.
Chatting with Emily of Shieh Design Studio
Emily of Shieh Design Studio and Soap and Restless is well known in the soaping community for her gorgeous creations. Emily is a masterful soaper and has a keen eye for design. In fact, Emily is a designer at an architecture firm, and her skills show in every bar of soap. Emily’s product photography also sets her items apart – check out her beautiful photos to see what I mean! To learn more about Emily, including her photography tips and advice for starting a blog, in the interview below. -A.M.
Emily’s gorgeous Honey Moon Soap, watch her make it here!
How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
I started soaping in the summer of 2010, it would be 6 years in a few months. I don’t have a fancy story of how I started making my own soap from scratch, just simply not satisfied with the feel and scent commercial wash left on my skin. What really caught my interest in making my own soap and other bath & body products is that the OCD me loves the idea of having total control. I love how I can personalize every aspect of my bath & body products from the way it looks to the way it smells and feels.
What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
To be honest, selling bath & body products is never my main source of income, it’s more of an obsession and hobby than anything. I’m not really good at running profitable business, I’m afraid to give any business advice. However, I’ve always told myself to keep an open mind. There is so much to learn in making bath & body products, even the most experienced senior soap makers can learn a thing or 2 every so often. The science and art of making soap, or any bath & body products in the matter of fact, is endless. With an open mind, your possibility is limitless.
Left to right, clockwise: Viva la Juicy (type) Soap, Melon Mojito Soap, Opium Poppy Soap