mountainmadness

I use a lightbox as well. My husband made me one.

I had emailed Brenda and she sent me the instructions. It was easy, cheap and what a difference it makes!

I am not sure if I understand your question... but I will give it a shot.

If you are using fragrance oils for candles and soap you need to make sure that the fragrance is bath and body safe.

There are many, many scents that are for candles only and could hurt someone if used in soap. With that being said, there are many fragrances that are bath and body safe but do not like soap and will make the soap batch seize.

Perfume cannot be used in soap because of the alcohol in it. There are many companies that create dups that will smell just like the perfume but can be used in soap and candles.

HTH.

Jennifer

EO's are made from the plant, flower, herb etc. They are not artificial because they are the 'real' thing they can offer benefits.

FO's are synthetic and are man-made. They offer nothing but scent.

You need to be very careful when using EO's because like a drug, they have warnings for people that are pregnant, diabetic, children, elderly etc. They can be safe but you really should know about them before you just use them for smell.

I was just ordering from Brambleberry and noticed they have a CP video for sale. I have never watched it but I thought it would be a good visual for the newbie.

When the friends and family have enough soap and you KNOW it is safe donate to the women's shelter in your area. I have dropped off boxes of soap before and it is a real treat for them.

Have fun!

Jennifer

I am using the LaBomb colorants. They work well, make a vivid color and do not leave a colored, nasty ring around the tub.

Can I buy some? Please?

I will post my web address when it is up and running and send you a PM if you would like.

I have made 2 more since then that I need to post. I am going to be selling a total of 15 different scents.

Thanks guys!

Jennifer

Yes they do. When I first started out, I had read somewhere you could use them. They left a ring around my tub so that's when I tried BrambleBerry's.

I tried them too and had the same experience as you. The oily, colored ring around the tub was just gross.

I use the micas and oxides I use for my soaps..

Doesn't that leave a colored ring around the tub?

You will have to see if it is okay for candles but I purchase Sweetcakes Pomegranate every year as a seasonal scent for soap. It is the BEST!

I love your soap curls... nice job!

I expected nothing less.... as always, just awesome!

I get bubbles when I stick blend if I lift the blender up too much and get air. When I hand stir in the FO or EO it is gone.

I edited after I saw the picture that was posted while I was typing.

It looks like it is over stick blended... and the white on it is ash.

It looks different but not gross to me.... but if it smells rancid then I would not use it.

I love those boxes, but I have a question. Do you add another label to let customers know which fragrance?

Sandi G

GoodStuff Bath & Body

Did you notice the yellow oval spot on the bottom of the box? That is were the scent goes. You can either use labels or a thin Sharpie.

Thanks Brenda for the compliment. Boxes make life a lot easier!

I wanted to purchase this for B&B but low and behold, it is not skin safe.

She said they were working on a skin safe forumula.

Take it with a grain of salt and do not take it personally. People are not questioning the quality of your products they are simply asking a question.

"Does your soap lather well?" is a very common one. A lot of homemade soapers do not make soap that has a good lather to it- IMO. Also, many customers like a good lathering bar of soap.

Have fun!

Jennifer

OMG I LOVE those boxes Jennifer, I'd love to have the money to do those, waaaaaay classy!!

You said that you only use them for a wholesale acct. you have right? Why? Did they require/ask for something like that? Do you somehow include that price in their cost? I'm assuming you do.

Also, I really like the idea of using the nekked bars in just a glassine bag, but how do you give them the info. on the soap?

It would be difficult to sell the soap naked wholesale, although I have recently picked up a new account that does sell it naked. That is why I did the boxes. They did not require or ask me to do so. I have found that the wholesale accounts that sell my soap are normally tourist based so that is why I went for the 'Alaskan' look. At fairs and the market I do not gear my products that way.

When I sell bars naked I have black chalk board signs that indicate ingredients, scent and pricing. The bag only has the business logo and the scent on it. It will also have my website addy soon...

I have learned that time= money. I have more time to make soap by going the box route instead of wrapping and labeling all of the soap myself. I really hated it and it is way to time consuming. The boxes were actually cheaper than adding materials for wrapping and my time!

Thanks Michi.

Jennifer

Sandalwood is another good combo with ginger.

Castor oil totally changes my lather properties when I use it. I use it in my solid shampoo bars. I have found nothing that replaces it.

If you are in a bind you can purchase it just about anywhere. I have found it at Walmart, Fred Meyers, etc. It is sold as a laxative. It is not an expensive oil so buying a small quantity will not break the bank but as you know, it is always cheaper when you buy in bulk.

HTH.

Jennifer

I find that a slab mold is the best to swirl and layer with... I have three of the Brambleberry molds (18 bar mold).

I also use a window planter for my log mold. It is perfect. I use it time to time for various designs.

There are benefits to each so a lot of it is personal preference. I think that most of us that have been doing this for a while either use something different from when we orginally started or will change it up from time to time to try something new.

If I were you I would take my hubby up on the offer of making one. He could easily make a slab and a log mold and you can see what you prefer before you spend a lot of money on one.

HTH.

Jennifer

OMG...you are from Alaska....what about shipping charges?...cuz this company is from CA.

We get mail just like everyone else!

It is usually a bit more to ship but not terrible. Most companies will work with me and ship USPS instead of UPS or FedEx. That is when it gets really expensive.

Jennifer

Oh Jennifer those are great!!!!...How they did the art in the box. You gave them the art or they did it?....That was expensive?

The way that it works to have a box made with them..

1) Measure your soap and send them the dimensions. They will then send you a template of the box that you choose for the size of your soap.

2) Place all of the art work on the template. I hired a graphic designer, locally. I emailed her the template and she created it. The graphic designer charged me $60.00 (that is her hourly rate).

3) Once the template is the way that you would like the box to look, you email the template to the company. They print a box for you to proof.

4) Once you have reviewed the proof you okay them to print.

I ordered a large quantity, used the thickest paper, added a glossy coating with UV protection. I paid about .35 per box. The more you order the larger the break... I cannot remember what the minimum is.

IMO- presentation is everything.

Thank you.

Jennifer

I had custom boxes made for my wholesale accounts... otherwise I sell them naked and then just place them in a glassine bag with a label indicating scent.

I had mine done by www.boxcoop.com. I worked with Keri. She was awesome!

They actually posted a picture of my box on the website. If you click on soap boxes on the bottom and then the 2nd picture.... there it is.

Jennifer

Very cool looking Jennifer. I love that red color, what kind of coloring did you use for that? Thanks for reposting it, it was worth the wait.

Brick Red from Brambleberry.... It is the only true red that I have found.

Thanks for the kind words.

I'm sorry. I meant to do this on Friday...

I hope this works for those who couldn't view it.

Thanks for looking!

Just to be clear, I wasnt looking for the recipe per say but wondering if there was a special secret way to really pack the bath bombs so they are this hard!

I wound up breaking two meatballers and was using stainless steel measuring cups to pack mine tight but boy, those are perfectly round and you can tell they are hard!!

Again, Great Job!!

You are so funny.

I will always help and answer questions.

I will share two "secrets"....

1) 50% of the oils/butters in your recipe need to be solid at room temp. i.e. coconut oil, shea butter, mango butter or cocoa butter. This is what makes them rock-hard. You cannot achieve a rock hard bath bomb by just using Sweet Almond Oil or an oil that is a liquid.

2) If you use water in your bath bomb recipe, make sure that it is distilled. Minerals and other things in tap-water will cause bath bombs to crack.

I hope that helps.

Jennifer

You can get ash with both non-gel and gel. I get more with a non-gel but that is what I prefer anyway.

CareBare- I am assuming that you use warm lye solution if every batch gels. I use room temp lye and have to force mine to gel if that is what I want.

I have noticed also and have notes of the FO or EO that cause more ash. Peppermint EO is the most ashy- in my experience.

HTH.

Jennifer