River County Soapworks produces high quality soap and toiletries that are both pleasing to the senses and terrific for your skin. I invite you to try our products.
Over the winter I loss my beautiful mare Sasha in a tragic accident. It was heartbreaking for me and my husband in his infinite wisdom brought home a alpine goat named Emily to keep our little shetland pony Snuffy company not to mention give me something else to focus on. Now all my customers who know me first hand and have always looked at the goat milk soaps in my handmade soap collection and asked the question “Do you have your own goats?”, know that I never wanted goats. No way, no how! Absolutely not! Yes, I do make quite a bit of goat milk soap in addition to my shea butter handmade soap bars but goats are mischievous and gregarious creatures and I didn’t want the hassle. Boy has time changed my tune! Little Miss Emily dropped a baby one evening and my husband knew that anything that has fur on it and especially a baby fur animal just warms my heart. I wondered why he kept saying “You know, Emily sure is getting round.” He knew that goat was pregnant when he brought her home! I am now officially and happily attached to my little goat herd. They are so much fun and a delight to interact with. Snuffy is the big boss now and baby loves to jump on him and run circles around him. He has a lot of patience with her and everyone has settled right in. No, I still don’t have any intention of milking goats to make handmade bar soap with. I will still buy my goat milk in bulk. There isn’t enough hours in the day. After all, we are a “artisan” handmade soap company which basically means I do everything. LOL!
Emily & Baby
Our Baby a bit bigger. She grows really, really fast!
And..this is one of my favorites. Before I took this photo the baby was jumping on Snuffy. She got tired and layed down near him for a snooze!
One of the problems of having a handmade soap company is finding “fun time” for experimentation. I’m in the process of testing some essential oil blends in soap and decided to try my hand at some different handmade soap designs while testing these blends out for longevity and appeal. One of the blends is “Mojito” which has Lime, Bay, Spearmint, Litsea and Bergamont in it. I poured handmade soap layering three colors of white, green and gold one on top of the other in a small log mold. This test mold yields seven handmade soap bars so it is the perfect size for testing a scent or soap recipe in. After the anticipation of cutting into the handmade soap log, I was very pleased with how this soap looks. Reminds me of tie die and smells wonderful! If you like the look of this soap it will end up in the grab bag.
Well, after several requests from wholesale soap customers I broke down and purchased some molds that will support handmade bar soap for smaller guest size bars. These molds will produce 1oz handmade soaps in the size of 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1/2 inches. This size is perfect for hotels, bed and breakfast inns and make nice wedding favors too.
As an handmade soap company I want to include both handmade bar soap and also handmade liquid soap. I’m almost ready to add liquid soap to the web site. The only thing holding me up is what type of bottle and labels. We are close though and I hope to have labels designed in the near future. Then it is only a matter of bottles & tops! In the meantime, I thought I’d share how I make my handmade liquid soap. The process takes a bit longer than handmade bar soap but once you get the hang of it then it is like anything else, practice makes perfect! Here is what I do.
1. Combine Melted Oils and Potassium Hydroxide on the cook top using very low heat. Stick blend. The solution emulsifies.
2. After stick blending for a bit you will feel the solution start to smooth out.
3. Then you get bubbles…big fat bubbles….
4. After the bubbles comes the beginning of the taffy stage….
5. Thick taffy…
6. Before you know it you can’t stick blend anymore. The soap is too thick and won’t budge. I take a big stainless spoon at this point and flip the paste around. Turn your burner off. I used to cook the paste on the stove top in a rigged up double boiler. What a mess this used to make. Remember you are cooking the soap paste for several hours. So now, I just turn my oven on to 185 degrees, put a lid on the pot and cook the paste in the oven.
7. This is the paste at 3 hours. When I first started making liquid soap I read to cook it for 3 hours. Well.. that is definitely not enough time for my paste. I cook for several hours until I get a good translucent gel. When I say several hours I really mean it. I’m talking 12 or more. This has saved me a lot of frustration.
8. Here is the liquid soap paste ready to be diluted. It’s perfect! Can you see the difference?
One of the first questions I get from a new wholesale soap client is “What are your best selling handmade soap fragrances?” and “How do I choose, you carry so many fragrances? Let’s make it easy. You can’t go wrong having a selection of handmade bar soap that includes citrus, lavender and mint. Those simple fragrances please just about everyone. Don’t forget to include a floral like Gardenia or Plumeria and a spice like Applejack & Peel or Warm Citrus Spice. I know it can be overwhelming to choose from a large selection. Keep things simple. Start with six or eight different fragrances but include a citrus, lavender, mint, floral and spice fragrance. We have several different handmade soap bars within those categories to choose from. Enjoy the process!
In my “old” age I have got into fitness. I’ve been running and lifting weights now for about a year and a half which for me is a real milestone. Recently, I joined a “boot camp” at my gym. After running my three miles I faithfully participate in this camp. It’s a real challenge and when I’m on the third set of bear crawls I feel like I’ve lost my mind. We sweat a lot! Sometimes cry. It is pure pain. I was thinking what handmade bar soap I make that would be invigorating and refreshing after a good sweat. I’d like to give a bar of my handmade soap to my classmates. Personally, I like the Lemongrass or Peppermint & Tea Tree soap. Both of these handmade soaps get the dirt, grime, mud and sweat off nicely and the poppy seeds invigorate after a good work out. Think I’ll bring a bag of these to my next boot camp experience.
already and I’m back at the Vancouver Farmers Market selling my handmade soap along with some natural bath and body care products. It is heartwarming to me that I have customers that continue to buy handmade soap from me year after year. I really appreciate the continued support I receive from everyone and I love visiting. That just makes my week end! This year I decided to change the booth display around. It is a bit different but I think it offers more room. I make quite a variety of handmade bar soap and need all the room I can get!
