kidsngarden

All my soaps are GM from my own goats. I milk them and put it directly in ice cube trays. I weigh the cubes out when it's time to soap. I usually melt just a few in the microwave to dissolve my sugar in. I add the lye slowly to the Frozen GM, but it only take 1-2 minutes. and then I stir until all the cubes are gone. My lye always gets dissolved. I use anywhere from a 26-33% lye solution. Most of my soaps are 100% GM, but some I do half water and if I do that I take advantage of it and mix the lye with the water and let it cool to RT then add it to the oils, mix to light trace, then ad the GM. Having RT oils is the way to go. Also if you add honey you need to be extra careful about having everything be cooler than cool. I don't do anything to prevent gel, but I don't cover. They are half gelled I guess because they still manage to heat up pretty well. But I love them the way they are and so do my customers. I have no discoloration due to half gelling except in my recipes with honey in them. My bars can be pretty darn close to white sometimes. It depends on the FO and if there's honey AND what kind of oils I use. I use a lot of lard - sometimes up to 60% and also coconut which are pretty white so I think that helps. Bethany

I think it was this? http://www.happi.com/articles/2007/07/the-grayson-report.php Interesting article I thought. Gives me food for thought on marketing. Bethany

I hadn't Heard of HAPPI. robin so I googled it. Interesting site. What article are you referring too? Bethany

I use white vinyl labels for all my products. They are great, except that they get scratched in transport back and forth from the farmer's market and sometimes grubby hands touch them and leave marks. I found shrink wrap bands for my 2 and 8 oz jars at the sage. Anyone know if there are tubes for my 1, 2 and 8 oz bottles somewhere? Thanks, Bethany

RTB??? Bethany

I mean the detergenty kind that isn't even really soap - the deoderant bars or whatever... Deodorizing? I don't think any more than my CP bars. So was it to keep our tubs from having soap scum? Why have things evolved so most of the "soap" in stores isn't even soap anymore? Bethany

There's a gal at our market who does the same, but that's the only way she does it and it's all HP. She charges $5 and inch (about 4 oz). I've thought about it but my issue is the coloring. Since some fragrances darken over time and with the cure it would look wierd I think when they were cut. Especially dragon's blood. I've cut into BARS that were at least 6 weeks out and they were still very light in the center. And even some of my colorants are different after the cure too. But I guess once the customer got used to it it wouldn't matter. Bethany

Wanted to say that this recipe is holding up in the heat very nicely! Bethany

You can get cocoa butter deodorized. It's called deodorized or white cocoa butter. Bethany

micahs Bethany

$3.00 here too. Bethany

I wake up thinking, "Ooooh! I get to cut some soap today, I wonder how it turned out?!" Bethany

Oh! The fedex and ups guy are two of my favorite people! It's like christmas! And as for room, I keep getting rid of more and more things to make room for B&B supplies -pretty soon it will be like, "Couch? Who needs it?" LOL! Bethany

GM soap then lotions then sprays. This week I am introducing GM liquid soap which people have been asking for, I expect it to do well. Bethany

I'm fairly sure I posted this on the whisk so I apologize if any of you have read it! I live just shy of an hour away from Brambleberry's storefront, Otion Soaps. They sell pretty much everything that's on the site at wholesale. They just had to open up a store because everyone was stopping by the warehouse and disrupting the flow of the online business. It's pretty cool there, I've chatted with Anne Marie personally several times and it's always a blast to sit at the sniffy bar and try before I buy. Now that I have you green with envy.... This spring I went up there with one very specific essential item in mind - Sodium Hydroxide. Yes, the mighty lye - the necessity of all CP soap makers. I was totally out and had TONS of soaping plans. I hadn't soaped in about 6 weeks and was having withdrawals. I had grown accustomed to heading there and getting a couple 10 pound jars and some new FO's of course! (Nowadays I have to special order it 50 pounds at a time!) I go in and say, "I would like 2 10 lb jars of lye please. "Sorry we are out. We are having problems with our distributor. We may have some by next week".... I think my head may have spun around with steam coming out of my ears. I heard myself say, "What do you mean you don't have lye? I need lye! How can a soaping supply store be out of lye!" The poor gal began explaining the problem but all I could hear was, "Sorry, we are out" So I ordered some to be picked up the next week, paid and left. But it the meantime I wanted to soap, NOW! In the skagit valley I have searched fruitlessly for roebic so I began to drive to Bellingham's Lowes muttering under my breath, "Don't have lye, what kind of a business are they running anyway? I need to make soap yesterday. Lowe's better have it or I don't know what I'll do..." I went into Lowes straight to the Drain cleaner and there on the top shelf was Roebic crystal drain cleaner 100% sodium hydroxide! Can you hear the angels singing? I quickly grabbed four as if there were a mob of people surrounding me to get at them. I'm fairly sure I was shaking by the time I got to the register. I'm sure I looked like a meth addict. But probably because I am such a fatty they new I couldn't possibly be an addict so they let me buy it ! I remember saying, "Its for soap. I'm so glad you have this. Really so glad." By the time I got to the car all was right with my world. My name is Bethany and I'm a soapaholic. I refuse to get on the wagon, ever. No one can stop me... Bethany

Thanks! Tomorrow I will be reworking my price sheets. I am feeling really good about things now. Bethany

Thanks! I think I will do like soapmaker and have the percentage off retail go up as the order does and lower my lot size, maybe to 6 on the body velvet. This is how it worked this time. I told her I would be happy to offer her a variety of lotions at 25% off retail and she took it. She ordered 12 variety and a 12 lot of one fragrance at the 50% off retail price. So it's working out. This is tricky business I tell you! Thanks so much for the input! Bethany

One of the best things I did when making bath bombs is to use an electric hand mixer - a little dusty, but those puppies don't have chance to fizz on me! I do use a bit of water mixed in with my FO and oils, no witch hazel and it works out wonderfully! Bethany

I've done one wholesale order thus far and am pursuing it more and more. Right now I am working with a very small local shop. They don't have huge traffic as their entrance is in an alley, but it's cute their clientelle seems to suit natural bath and body products. We have come to a stalemate concerning my minimums and I'm wondering if I am expecting too much. If I change for her I will change for everyone though because I don't think it would be good business to do otherwise. Besides that this store does not get the traffic to merit bending the rules. I have a wholesale price sheet that gives the suggested retail and wholesale price (which is generally half the suggested retail amt). I have a $50 mimmum order and want things purchased in lots (meaning same fragrance per dozen, etc.) Right now this gal wants my body velvet which wholesales at $3.50 per 2 oz jar, the lots are in quantities of 12. She wants to buy two different fragrances, but doesn't want to buy 24 jars for her small shop. She's asking if I have any "ideas" for her on this. My reasoning behind the lots is that I'm already taking a hit on profits and I need to produce in bulk to make it worth it. one batch of lotion can make 12 2 oz jars. (and to be honest I usually make in triples and divide into three different fragrances) one log of soap is 12 bars. so those are the quantities I chose. Am I shooting myself here? should I reduce the lots to 6 on the soaps and 2 oz lotions? I'm figuring as my business grows I will not want to do a little of this and a little of that to fill an order so I'm thinking ahead. Is my $$ minimum ok? TIA, Bethany

Pretty sure www.the-sage.com has cyclo that can be shipped by air. Bethany

Soaped honeysuckle and also Jasmine tea and LOVE THEM!!! Pumpkin spice smells divine in the bottle, but haven't soaped it yet - this week hopefully! Bethany

Ok, I'm starting to figure out what 3 I want to add for CP soap and lotions. So far I will be adding BB cedar saffron back in and I got Solas pumpkin spice which smells divine in the bottle - haven't soaped it yet! So what do you all have to have for fall and winter? Bethany

Ok, I'm new at LS too, but I bet if you soaked something in the dilution water and strained it really well it would work just fine - but be sure to strain it our you may have problems with the pump! Bethany

I'm figuring on scenting mine milk and honey or something bakery scented - then brown works! Vanilla, almond - even toying with dragons blood. I can't wait! I'm going to try GM liquid soap tomorrow. Today the kids and I scented the first batch of LS I made and had sequester a few weeks. It's still so drying - I think I've been spoile by all my GM bars - but hopefully GM liquid soap will be not so drying! Bethany

I had another soaper tell me that anise raises blood pressure even if smelled in soap - I haven't found anything to confirm that yet...anyone else know? What if it's in lip balm? Bethany