LuminousBoutique

They last so long I wouldnt recommended more than a 2oz bar. Guest soap sized molds work really well. The tins are a great idea too. I saw someone at a honey farm that used their own beeswax who poured them into silicone muffin pans, then placed the round into a tin after that. I've also seen them poured in round molds and then simply wrapped in candy foil, those were 1.5oz if I remember correctly.

JEEZE LOUIZE!!! That's $4 an OUNCE!!! *faint* Guess I'm pretty outta step with the jet set!!! :lipsrseal :tiptoe:

I know.. I still marvel at it. But... its Utah. This place is ALL about appearances and keeping up with the Jones. People here dont blink twice at spending mass amounts of money for something just because its "hot" or popular (like those horrible "Juicy" track suits. Seriously what is up with that?). So I guess they based that price on what soy candles sell for at Macy's/Nordstroms and so on. Good for me, bad for local economy... more bankruptcies and foreclosures every day and yet no slow down in retail sales... ridiculous!! I wish I could get that much on my own.

Anybody have any ideas how to display 1/3oz roller bottles neatly and keep them looking neat as people purchase them. I've tried to find acrylic stands and have found nothing. I do have a store and would love to sell them but have never figured out how to display them.

Any help is appreciated.

Candy

there are wood ones... this website is just an example, I know I've found them cheaper elsewhere... http://orderselections.com/display-racks.html and since they are unfinished wood you could stain or paint them. They come in all shapes and sizes which is nice. I've also seen people use cups/baskets that store them upright, but that can hide the label which is a pain.. so these wood stands are the best option I've found. My DH is going to make me some since we have a drill press, but they arent too spendy to just purchase if you shop around.

Everything Stella said. I base my pricing off cost, then add what I think is reasonable for labor (not much since its just something I love doing) and then I do adjust for local market conditions but NOT based off big retailers.

Walmart can sell their candles for WAY less than I could ever do.. but my typical customer wouldnt go to walmart for a candle... so why worry. I base my adjustments on local gift shops which are right down the block from the farmers market, on etsy, and on feedback from my customers. Repeat customers, to me, mean something is going right. And if someone asks why "its so expensive (ha)" I simply explain to them that I am not a factory, I cant pump out 4,000 candles an hour, and I am soley responsible for all costs.. but that with me they can put a face to a product and know they are getting a good quality product that I will stand behind.

I buy everything in bulk. Jars, Containers, Packaging, Labels, FO's, Wicks, Wax.. 50lbs or more at a time. But I am also past the testing stage with the two varieties of candle I sell.. so I know what will work and I can afford to buy in bulk knowing none of it will go to waste. When you are testing.. you generally cant afford to buy 50 lbs of wax only to find that wax doesnt work for you. There was no real way for me to figure out pricing until at least a year into selling, because everything needs to be tweaked, and sometimes you find your supplies for even cheaper later on or from a new supplier. I can only make so many candles... Soap is the main part of my business, always has been... that takes some of my time, but I'm also a mom of two toddlers.. so I explain that to them as well. I cant make more than 40 candles a day and thats at FULL capacity. Someday with more space I could do better im sure.. but for now, thats it. I can tell you there is no way I could make a living off of this, even on days I make $800 in sales.. once you take out supplies, booth cost, and money spent on travel and so on... you are lucky to break even or make a spare couple hundred to invest back into some new supplies. Luckily my husband makes a good living for the family and my business is only funding itself.

Its the same for soap, too. I know how much an ounce all my oils cost me so I can add it all up and say.. ok there are 42 oz of oils in this batch of soap and they cost me x, plus 4oz of FO which cost me x... then x 2 or 3 depending on the bar. Soap I am less flexable on, I know I make a superior product to some others in my area, and I wont lower my price to match theirs. If a customer asks why, I simply explain that my oils cost more, so I have to charge a bit more. If they cant accept that, I give them a sample of mine.. and they can go buy the canola only bar (seriously. theres a guy who sells CANOLA ONLY soap.) of soap and then come back to me next week, KWIM? I'm ok with not making a sale once, because I know next time they will come to me. It can be the same with candles.

I use soy. GB 464, which took alot of testing to get right but I'm very happy with now.

my Masons are 8oz, they go for 12.00 at the market, 10.00 on my website (I have some up for 8.50 because they are clearance, I need to get them gone to make room for new scents and I may stop selling them online altogether due to shipping costs). I have a store that carries them who sells them for 15.00 pretty successfully.

the line I make for the upscale boutique that they private label is an 8oz tumbler that only holds 7oz wax, they sell them for $28.00. I make a decent amount off of those candles, but they don’t sell hundreds of them, just a steady stream. I'd prefer not to share what I wholesale those for.

my storage is an uninsulated room (what used to be a porch that was bricked up around and now is a giant walk in closet of what I suppose used to be the front of the house... ugh) that gets to about 40 in the winter but never much lower than that I know of no matter what its doing outside... its possible with this cold we've been having (a balmy 19* most of the time here). But- I've never had my FO's freeze and they store quite well in there. I put all my FO's in amber glass bottles if they dont automatically come in one, and I keep them in an old wood dresser, so it provides a bit of insulation and I think that helps too.

Basil, Sage and mint from BCN really did dissipate any headaches I had. It's not EO form, but basil is supposed to be helpful forr mental and physical fatigue that helps ease sinus congestion and headaches. I did learn that in Chicago years ago.

Sage is one EO you have to be careful in using, because it can cause eplileptic fits or convulsions. Because of the dangers of Sage, clary sage is used as it is said to be less toxic. It's used for stress and tension and relaxes muscles, which is said to make it more useful for those who suffer from migraines as well, according to one book I have.

The mint part (in the BSM FO) ... I'm not inclined to think it was peppermint used, but can't be sure if it was spearmint or cornmint actually. Perhaps it was a dummied down mint, but it's present and gives off a refreshing scent. By smell alone with that FO, if I were going to try it in an EO blend, I would probably opt for cornmint, which isn't as distinctive as peppermint or spearmint (IMO).

Mints help with nausea (and migraines can certainly bring that on) and tend to uplifting and refreshing in nature. Spearmint is thought to be sweeter than peppermint. Cornmint just smells like a mint to me with no real distinction. Cornmint acts as a regulator and as a sedative, according to what's online.

Oh yes they really do. Ginger too.... when I was pregnant I ate mint leaves every morning to combat nausea and had mint oils in a diffuser, it helped a ton.

I'll have to test my finished blend on myself after the week I've had, lol

I am very new to the soaping world. Where do you get your cream of tartar?

That recipe calls for a whole cup of it and locally it is very expensive.

you can order it online from spice suppliers/food storage websites.. its still spendy but much less so than buying it from the grocery store in those small containers! The best I think we have found on the board was this: http://www.thevintnervault.com/index.php?category_id=12&p=view_category BUT... they dont show you shipping until you enter your CC info and I'm not willing to do that. I found it elsewhere for 26.16 for a 5lb bag from bulkfoods.com (who also have citric acid, for bath bomb making) but thats 10 bucks more than the other place... so really I think it just takes alot of searching and I think it might not be possible to buy it anywhere but online and save a buck unless there is a food storage supplier anywhere near you. I live in Utah and food storage is HUGE here so I am going to look into it.. its just a hard to find ingredient I think. I know Costco doesnt have it.

I'm just getting into making things so I haven't made my own yet, but the migrastick that they sell is peppermint and lavender. Hope that helps! (I use it and it works great, even found that it's good on my sinus headaches too.)

thanks I'll check that out!

According to a book I have, aromatherapy is better used as a preventative measure for treating migraines.

A cold compress made with equal proportions of lavender and peppermint oils might work on the temples or forehead and marjoram on the back.

That's not me making a diagnoises, just what's in my book.

Thats it! I could not for the life of me remember majoram.. some websites suggested basil too. Poor guy gets massages, takes meds, and even does accupuncture. He calls his headaches "tony" and it causes some real confusion on his facebook updates "tony is kicking my ass today" "Tony wont leave.." lol.

thanks guys!

my friend Dan suffers from migranes and asked if I could make him a blend of EO's that would help in a roller.. I would never try to sell something like that because I dont want to be accused of making medical claims BUT I would like to help Dan out and send a few his way.. does anyone know what that blend is? He lives 1500 miles away so I cant test it on him but I would send him a few versions if thats what it takes; His are so bad that he cant work and I really want to help.

I seem to remember it being peppermint, lavender, and maybe lemon... but I cant find any of my aromatherapy or essential oil books.. pretty sure that box never made it here when we moved.

Anyone know?

The thing is, I didnt order them from NG.. I bought a bunch of FO's off a member on here. Most I bought from her were great (from all different suppliers)... but the two from NG were no good.. so that was obviously why she was selling them, but the others I got from her were great FO's so obviously my opinion of NG oils was formed based on that. I also dont appriciate getting FO's in plastic bottles.. when they come like that I have to move them over to amber glass bottles and thats a pain. Its all personal preference I guess.

After re-reading this I went back and looked at the bottles again.. and they DO leak. I held them upside down, and laid them on their side.. and they leaked. All three.. so its nice to hear thats not a problem for everyone.. but it is a problem with the three I got.

OMG, You picked the three nasty fragrances that they carry!!! LOL Seriously, give them another chance. Country Garden is nasty, Cranberry Relish is blech, and Hydrangea Heaven is just floral overload IMO. They have so many wonderful choices--don't limit yourself to just three!

I bought 3 off of here actually which are from natures Garden.. I'm unfortunately not overly impressed with them (natures garden)

I bought Cranberry Relish... which has a berry smell but not a strong cranberry to it. It smells very sweet.. synthetic sweet. My husband says he smells blackberry in it, and almost a bubblegum smell. Its strange. Not BAD, but not cranberry.

Country Garden.. which is less floral and more "old lady". All four of my test smellers (my mom, husband, neighbor, and mail carrier <hehe> ) thought it was too strong and very "grandmas panty drawer".

and Hydrangea Heaven was impressive, it really does smell like hydrangea and I'm happy with it.

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tried to make liquid soap by shaving up some CP soap and whipping it with olive oil and distilled water... for two or three days it was OK... but after about a week it smelled like death and actually tingled when I put it on my skin! Yikes.

With preservative it likely would have been OK... but I learned my lesson... much easier to just make it from scratch, lol

Her name's not Nancy, is it?

nope, lol... Barbara Ann.. and shes convinced the beach boys wrote that song about her, so you know... nuts. hehe

love 'em!

I agree about the squeeze bottle... would they fit in a lip gloss filling tray? That would help too! I never make more than one or two at a time, so I use pipettes.

for home use/testing hot glue works well too

I bought 3 off of here actually which are from natures Garden.. I'm unfortunately not overly impressed with them (natures garden)

I bought Cranberry Relish... which has a berry smell but not a strong cranberry to it. It smells very sweet.. synthetic sweet. My husband says he smells blackberry in it, and almost a bubblegum smell. Its strange. Not BAD, but not cranberry.

Country Garden.. which is less floral and more "old lady". All four of my test smellers (my mom, husband, neighbor, and mail carrier <hehe> ) thought it was too strong and very "grandmas panty drawer".

and Hydrangea Heaven was impressive, it really does smell like hydrangea and I'm happy with it.

They come in plastic bottles which actually leak at the top a bit... I'm just not impressed overall, so I wont be buying from them again. So far Snowdrift, Candle Science, Peaks, and Candle Source have been wins for me. I live about 45 minutes from Majestic Mountain sage so I am going to drive up there and buy some stuff and I am going to test smell all of their FO's if they will let me.. they cost a bit more but I wont have to pay shipping or worry about getting one I wont love when it arrives.. so I will let everyone know how that was once I get back from doing that. Waiting for tax money for that trip, LOL!!

I find people do not look at the label , they just love that it is handmade soap and feels so good on the skin .Lard is da bomb in soap .Sodium tallowate is beef tallow.Sodium lardate is lard .

ah, yeah thats right.. i forget tallow and lard are different.

very nice! I need to pick up some of that stabilizer.

Check out this tutorial on here, http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73514 its a simpler recipe, less oils... I would try that first! It is a GREAT tutorial

alot of people, I've found, wont use it because they dont like the IDEA of lard... not because they are vegan or vegetarian. little do they know its already in most soap they use. Its in dove. "sodium tallowate" is lard, and its the third ingredient in the beauty bars... so yeah. You can mention that if anyone brings it up.

I choose not to use it - but I think it helps if you do to explain to people that its already in most of the soaps they use.

Both In the summer I hate using oily scrubs but in the winter I like the moisture they provide.

I havent tried it.. but Chem store is pretty good, and you could always start with a small order.

As for my body wash- I make it so much more affordable because I can make small or large batches and just like theirs I can scent it one bottle at a time... Its a bit more time consuming of course but hey thats the life right? I dont sell it because I've found people dont really buy it often enough to justify the cost of bottles and labels... but I make it for myself, friends, and family!

The recipe is simple enough.. its Castor, coconut, sunflower, and olive. You use Potassium Hydroxide lye for liquid versus Sodium Hydroxide for bars. Its done in a crock, overnight, then in the AM you add in your distilled water! I store mine in gallon buckets with a spout but I've seen people store them in gallon jugs too. You can make great laundry/all purpose soap using just coconut too. I wouldnt use that on the skin though... too drying. You can add silk to it as well, to make it a bit more conditioning.

Yeah its really nice I got to learn from her She scares the crap out of me when she soaps though... no gloves, mixes her lye on the kitchen counter along with everything else.. soaps while she cooks dinner.. lol. Shes nuts. :laugh2:She just says "I havent burned myself yet!" yeah grandma.. theres a first for everything

WOW! thats amazing. Truly beautiful soap! It looks like waves on the ocean! Especially with those colors. So pretty.