Cami

I read an interview last night that stated the owner of this company which is now called Jordan Essentials Bath has sold 600,000 solid lotion bars in the last 6 years. It has been her #1 selling product.. So I've been thinking and working on a recipe and was curious - how many do you sell in a year???? I know for some it is their best selling product as well... I think this is a nice addition to any bath line, I'm surprised the big boys haven't picked up on them yet.. I certainly hope they don't - because they will blow them out if they start selling these wonderful treats... and it seems more exclusive to those who make handmade items.... Without being too personal, do you generate a substantial amount of your sales or money selling these bars???? Something to think about... I will definately be adding these to our line as soon as I can.. Thanks for your input and sharing of ideas, it helps everyone here as well...:smiley2:

I decided to try and make lotion bars with just beeswax and avocado butter. I've been treaking the recipe the last few days, and not sure if I've got it correct.. Are your bars hard and melt on contact after rubbing the product over your skin, or are they soft and creamy to the touch??? Should you use more beeswax than butters or vise versa??? The recipe I got online calls for Vit E to be added also, but I haven't added that yet. I am trying to see what they are like before adding this, and trying to prevent them from being too greasy. Do any of you also add botanical or herbal extracts ingredients to your lotion bars??? Can you tell me more about how your bars feel please... I hope I didn't completely fail at this. I've been tweaking the recipe to see what it would be like... Thanks! Heres the exact recipe Avocado Butter Lotion Bar 3 tsp bees wax 9 tsp avocado butter ¼ tsp vitamin e ¼ to ½ tsp fragrance or eo 6 small deodorant tubes Melt beeswax and avocado butter together on low heat. After it is fully melted, remove from the heat and add vitamin e and fragrance. Pour into tubes.

Thank You Everyone for your responses.. I will certainly be calling next week and placing an order with them. Their prices seem very reasonable, and quite a bit less than other distributors who sell bulk oils... Thanks Again

Hello, I am interested in ordering oils - avocado, rice bran, grapeseed, olive oil, and beeswax from Soapers Choice, and just wanted to know from your experience, are these oils good quality, and are the shipping costs reasonable to Utah or the surrounding western states area?? Also have you tried their beeswax, and would you recommend it, or is there a cheaper source for white bleached beeswax?? Thanks for your advice.. Cami

Some of my favorite companies for marketing bath products include: Open Sundae's - They have done very well with their marketing campaigns and have been on many tv shows. Dessert products seem to be an upward trend in both young and mid'twentish women. Philosophy - They have a tremendous amount of capital and manufacture their own products, and own their own labs. Definately a company to watch. Bliss - Exceptional product line for spas and retail as well. Very creative with their marketing, and they now have contracts with JetBlue offering travel packs. These are just some of the companies I think are doing well in the Bath Industry... So who motivates or inspires you???????

I'm re-evaluating our product line and looking to see whats new and hot for 2008.. perhaps you've seen some great ideas worth sharing or discussing. If you've seen something good, please share... Thanks!

Thank You everyone for your responses... I am dealing with California and wanted to order from Texas but they said I needed to order from Cali.. If we don't get better pricing I will be calling Texas tomorrow.. Thanks also for the referral David... I'll be sure to let him know and hopefully he'll pass on some savings your way... I appreciate it and will let you know what I find out..... Thanks! Cami

Thanks Reese for the info.. Yes I was quoted wholesale... I think they have some of the jars confused and that is why the pricing was different.. I am going to call tomorrow and see what quantity discounts they offer....

Another observation.... I have ordered from Anchor in the past and when I compare 8 oz jars or larger between the 2 companies, Anchor has larger glass and is better priced... Has anyone else noticed this and if so do you have a preference for Anchor??? I was thinking of selling an upper end candle for spas and the average price of these candles for 7 oz tumblers is $21.95 on up... yes I know its high but that it was alot of companies are doing.... when I got the 7.5 oz and 9 oz and 110z jars from Libbey this week, they were alot smaller than the anchor jar.. Is anyone else selling a 7oz or 9 oz jar to spas for $21.95 and are you using Libbey or Anchor's glass?????? Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated please... Thanks

I just got some pricing from Reikes Glass Co.. and their prices are quite expensive... I thought they were supposed to be a large distributor, if so why are they charging so much for their jars. I found the same glass jar 8 1/2 oz Crisa smooth sided for .25 cents less from Green Leaf Candle Supplies... Does anyone have a better or cheaper supplier for Libbey Glassware??? By the time you add fright on these simple jars they are more than apothocary which are larger and include lids..... hmmmmm Thanks for any info.... Cami

Thanks everyone for the responses. I guess we'll just have to break down and buy the 25 pd cube.

I am looking to sample the 4627 comfort blend wax. Does any one know who sells this below 25 pds??? Thanks, Cami

Sorry this is a little more complicated because of our warmers... We are not burning our containers so we need a softer base to make these better since they dont have a hot throw from a wick and rely soley on the warmth from the candle lamp to melt.

The reason we are looking for a softer wax is because of the type of candle lamp warmers we use. We make wickless and with the warmers we use they melt the wax from the top down and if you have a softer based wax it throws the scent stronger and quicker into your room. These are not the typical warmers that melt from the bottom up - just the opposite from the top down. I am working on producing a softer wax so the throw is better. But the waxes we've tested are harder based than what we thought and it makes the melting process longer and not as good as with the waxes weve tested that are softer. The other melts weve tested are very soft and they throw the scent well and melt quickly. We just havent been able to find this particular wax yet and have tried Golden Brands and now Ecosoya. The ecosoya seems to have the qualities we like, it was just a tich harder than what I expected. After doing some research the CB Advanced from what other users have said is too soft for tarts, but when I poured them the very actually just as hard as what we tried with the golden brands.... and in containers it was hard also...I tried a Bath and Body works aroma candle this weekend, and the melt point and scent were teriffic. It released the scent very quickly into the entire room and it held alot of scent in the wax. It is super soft, but it probably is a soy/paraffin blend. We also tested 100% pure soy melts that were really good and they are made with a very soft wax. So were trying to locate a wax that will fulfill both containers and melts. I would prefer just a soy blend and non parafin due to our customers requests.So this is our delema....finding a soft non frosting wax...that will melt well with our containers and not be so hard.

We tried Golden Brands 415 & 444 & 464 last weekend for containers and these waxes were harder than I expected. This week we tried Ecosoya CB Advanced and honestly it was harder than I expected also... Is there a softer container blend out there that acts like this cb advanced but dosen't frost??? Can we add something to this wax to make it softer without ruining the non frosting capabilities it has.. I love the look, I just want to soften it a tinch...Thanks

Ok one last question.. from your experience would you say their frosted jars have a smooth texture on the outside or gritty??? I know it might sound funny but those other jars drive me nuts.. I hate the feel of them.. its like sand paper...

Thanks for the referral Kandlekrazy. I saw those a couple of days ago, but wasn't sure if it was the same container or not. If possible I would really like the smoother ones, the texture of the Anchor Hocking jars feels gritty to me.... Have you ever purchased from GenWax, I hope they have good service.. I guess we'll find out soon....

Does anyone know where you can get these frosted glass tumblers. They are very smooth and alot nicer than the Anchor Hocking 7 oz in my humble opinion. I think it might be like the crisa glass if I'm not mistaken.http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2602009&cp=2484529.2761797&page=4&doVSearch=no&doVSearch=no&cm_re_o=3AEwm-mniiI+Z2CjClA_n.nCjCPn7nd+-a&pageBucket=0&parentPage=familyAny ideas???

Does anyone know who actually makes these straight sided jars?? I am looking to purchase these in several sizes from 6oz on upto 12oz if possible. We have a spa client that wants some custom gift sets with these and I haven't been able to find even a local distributor on the west coast. If you know of a distributor or manufacture on the West Coast please let me know.Thanks!

Thanks for the responses... Has anyone used the cb 135 for melts??

I'm thinking of using CB Advanced for our Soy Melts in clamshells. Has anyone here used this wax for melts and if so what were your results.. I haven't used this before and I'm hoping that it will melt quickly and throw scent well... Thanks Cami

I am working on developing a cold spray for use in the shower. I have tried using some Witch Hazel and Glycerine and the scent of the Witch Hazel is over powering. I read a post with these ingredients so I thought I would try them together.... but it isn't turning out so good. I tried to make a formula earlier this year but had no luck. I've been looking at several formulas for different types of products, and there is a saline nasal spray that is just purified water and sodium chloride with no preservatives.. The salt is acting as one... Is it possible to make a formula like this - and just add menthol to this without needing a preservative???? Here is the formula I'm playing with... I am using a carrier - either water - witch hazel, glycerine, menthol, and maybe some peppermint, eucalyputus oils, and some polysorbate 20. Anyone have any ideas or recipes that would work for this.... Thanks

WHAT A LUNATIC.... I posted a comment on the dish also to warn the other members about her habits... Why on earth would someone go to such lengths to get free candles... strange.. the yahoo profile.. everything.... Haven't heard if anyone there was burned but if so, I bet they will go after her.

When I've made them they don't feel grainy for me.... I would add just a tinch more cocoa butter and that should make them smoother... Are you having a problem when it dissolves or after its completely dispersed in the tub??? My citric acid has crystals as large as turbadino sugar almost, so I think its the ratios with the cocoa butter... Let me know and I'll see if I can provide more advice.. Cami

Does anyone ever get air bubbles or foaming on top of their scrubs??? I have made a nice scrub with Sugar, Sodium Lactate, Glycerine, Sodium Laureth Sulfacetate... it has a nice consistency but after I have completely blended everything together it get a bunch of air bubbles on top... Does anyone else have this problem.. I dont think you get it when you use Shea or a thick oil... Any ideas to solve this problem.. they seem to just stay on top after it settles.. Thanks Cami