Remember the seized soap a couple of weeks ago?  Well…I did something I don’t normally do and took some of those  soap balls and put them into another batch of handmade soap.   I am very happy about this because the bad batch didn’t end up in the landfill and I got to do a new technique in the process.    Wasn’t sure how many soap balls to actually use so had to shoot from the hip so to speak but I think the new batch is pretty cool looking!   I also enjoy providing something out of my normal range to my customers who buy handmade soap.   So, how did I know how much soap to fill up the mold with since the soap balls were going to take up some of the volume?   I did not want to end up with an overflow of soap.   This is what I ended up doing and it worked perfectly.

Mold Size – 20in x 17in x 3in x .4 = 408oz of the oil portion (ppo) to normally fill this mold.   I measured out 2lbs 10 oz of soap balls and then calculated that 386 oz of oils would be needed to make enough soap to cover the soap balls and complete the block of soap to fit the mold.  Worked perfectly with no leftover raw soap!

These soap logs are scented with Blackberry Sage fragrance oil and smell delicious!

Popularity: 5%

When customers want to buy handmade soap from us for problem skin and ask what handmade soap we carry that I would recommend, the first handmade bar soap that comes to mind is our Oatmeal, Milk & Honey soap.   For several reasons really.   Oatmeal has long been used to relieve dryness, eczema, inflammation, rashes (think diaper rash), and even bug bites.    When my kids were just babes and either their little bottoms were burnt from diaper rash or they had irritating bug bits I would put some whole oats in an old sock and squish them around under running water in the tub and have them soak.   We always got relief and healing that way.   Our Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap bar also contains a generous amount of honey and heavy cream.  Remember Cleopatra?  Only milk and honey baths for her!    Honey in skin care is primarily known for it’s humectant and antimicrobial qualities. (A humectant is a compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture.)  For this particular handmade soap, I added wheat germ oil which is naturally high in vitamin E.  It has been one of our most popular retail and wholesale soaps. 

Popularity: 15%

Lately, I have been really busy making many batches of handmade soap in the shop.  Those of you who buy handmade soap from me know that I like to use color quite a bit.  Otherwise, I’d be bored with making lots and lots of plain handmade soap bars!  I just like color!  It’s a fun part of the whole process for me.  You would think as a handmade soap company I would have come up with a simple solution to mixing pigments up some time ago but I have to confess that the light bulb just went off about a month ago while I was busy mixing up some soap batches.    A few years back, I purchased a mini mixer to mix up small test batches of lotions and it has been sitting staring out at me on the shelf every time I go into the shop to mix up some more batches of handmade soaps.   This little mixer is the perfect solution to avoiding clumps in your color solution.  I just add a bit of oil to the colorant and mix away.  No more clumps of pigments!   Perfect, clean color in the final handmade soap bars.   Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.

Popularity: 21%

Well…it’s quickly becoming apparent that pricing is climbing quickly on a certain essential oil I use a lot of in making handmade soap.   All forms of Lavender oil is taking a huge hit.   I am starting to get concerned.   We are not talking little price increases but huge jumps and quick ones at that.   I think Lavender is the most asked for fragrance when customers buy handmade soap directly and also when we wholesale soap.   Big sigh…from what I can find out this is the third year for bad Lavender production and so we could see high prices for the next year or so.  Not good at all.  I’d really hate to have to use a Lavender fragrance oil until pricing comes back down but may have to if things get too much out of hand.  We will see!  Not only Lavender but Patchouli and Coconut Oil are also climbing again.  Oh fun!

Popularity: 12%

For those that like to buy handmade soap it’s always fun to try something new.   I am gradually adding to my goat milk soap line and have a new handmade soap to introduce.  I’m calling it Summer Solstice because it reminds me well, of warm summer days.    Anyone who lives here in Washington this year will appreciate that I need something to bring summer back into my life.   The weather just hasn’t been cooperating.  Anyhow, this handmade soap is scented with Litsea Cubea, Lavender & Patchouli.   The resulting fragrance is warm, sunny and bright.  Just like a bright summer day!

Popularity: 32%

The weather has been just awful here in the Portland/Vancouver area.  Rain, drizzle and more rain.   Selling handmade soap in wet weather isn’t a whole lot of fun.  Measures can be taken but really it’s the pits!  Anyhow, I’m set up at the Portland Saturday Market in downtown Portland.  This is a large artisan market where people tend to come to buy handmade soap.  After helping some customers choose which handmade soap bars they wanted and sharing some talk about the “lovely” weather, I noticed that most of the  handmade soaps were sitting in a puddle of water in the displays.   I must be really dense because I have no clue how long it had been raining or when the rain had started.   So in my haste, I go to pull the display back out of the rain and get the soaps off of it and the whole thing fell down.   Handmade soaps and display in a big crash on the concrete!  Never in almost 10 years has this happened at any event I’ve ever attended.    Talk about being a bit embarrassed.  Yeah, I was.  Probably a bit red in the face too.   As I’m standing there looking in disbelief at the mess I just made with the rain coming down, three lovely young women stop and bless their hearts help me put everything back together again.   Thank you ladies for all your help and kind words of support!

Popularity: 24%

On the weekends I can usually be found selling my handmade soaps and body care products at the Portland Saturday Market.   This has been a hard market to transition to as the booth space is only 8 x 8.  Usually, fairs and markets allow a 10 x 10 space.   Now, you wouldn’t think that it would make much difference but it does.  Quite a bit.   A lot of people travel to this market to buy handmade soap so this is a great market for me to be in but it has also left me scratching my head trying to figure out how to place tables, what table sizes to use and where to place all the handmade soaps I bring with me so that they are easy to see and reach.   Seems like every week I’m trying a new setup.   Haven’t quite found what I like yet but I am determined to work it all out.   Right now I’m using two (2 x 4) tables but am thinking of switching to a six footer and one of the 2 x4’s.   This would allow more product but might make things too tight.  Anyhow, I will just have to set the tent up in the yard again and play around.  The good news is we are in the process of designing a new display system that would hold all 24 different handmade soap bars that I usually bring to market.  This display system would be stocked in the shop, would fold up and I could carry it to market already full.   This would save so much time and effort.  Don’t ask me how it would all work.  I have no clue!  That’s up to my other half who worked on the design last week end.   A mock up will be done next weekend and maybe then I can wrap my brain around how this will all work.  I’m visual ya know!   

Popularity: 21%