A very good day

Aside from spending half my day Christmas shopping, I had a great day.

I had an appointment at the gift shop of the new library in our city.  They have decided to sell my soaps in the shop.  I am thrilled, especially since there are other soapers here in town who are better known than I am, I would have thought they would have beaten me to the gift shop.  I’m trying not to get giddy over it.  They’re buying a small quantity to start, and they may not reorder.  But for now it’s pretty cool.  So local peeps: go down there and ooh and ahh over my soap , and buy it all up!!

 Also, this makes the second gift shop I’ve picked up this week so it’s turning into a very good week.  But the funniest soap news is that I now have my mail carrier as a new customer.  When the weather turned cold I gave him a lotion stick and a small bar of soap ( I have always loved giving my mail carriers presents).  I hear mail carriers have a terrible time with dry skin from the mail and weather.  The next time I saw him he raved about the lotion and told me the soap made his truck smell good for days after I gave it to him.  Today he called me with an order for soaps and lotions for Christmas gifts, for other mail carriers I’m hoping.  How funny if I had all of them tromping to my door to buy lotion and soap.  Ha! 

I still have a lot of Christmas soap left: Cranberry Spice, Nutcracker Suite, Christmas Past, Frankinscence and Myrrh.  The website: www.mississippimoonsoap.com  Check it out!  It’s probably too late to get it there by Christmas, unless you’re local of course, but they make a great gift anytime, and a great gift to yourself!!

Tomorrow: more evil shopping.  Exactly why am I killing myself buying gifts for people either 1)don’t need anything, or 2) are capable of buying it themselves?

Conversation last night at my house:

me to DH: Your brother’s Christmas card arrived today from Texas.  He sent a $40 target card.

DH: Hmmm. 

Me: We ought to buy him something, don’t ya think?

DH:  Probably. Like what?

Me:  How about a $40 target card?

Is it me or has Christmas gotten stupid?

And one last thing:

Photo of my niece from her birthday party the other night.  Notice the lovely hat/scarf combo she’s sporting.  Look familiar?   I think she really liked them.

Annual Craziness

I’m a nutcase getting ready for the New London craft show.  Any locals out there?  It’s Friday night 5:30-8pm and Sat 8am-2pm.  It’s kind of a cool show.  One woman makes these quilted pillows I just love.  Another woman makes these bags in the Vera Bradley style. 

I’ve got two weeks of work to do for the show and one week to do it in.  Pardon me for being absent from here this week.  It’s not pretty.  I should be off packaging soap right now instead of sitting here.  On top of everything I had the most perfect post and I swear to God it just deleted itself before my very eyes.  WordPress is run by ass monkeys.

Come see me at the craft show.  I’ll be the one knitting enormous white soldier socks for ’socks for soldiers’.  And if you can’t make it, go order up some soap and lotion sticks for some people on your list.  They’ll think you’re cool.  The holiday soaps go quick, so don’t wait too long.  My favorite is Frankincense and Myrrh! 

See you next week. 

Attention Murderers and Meth-heads

After a morning browsing books at the library used book fair and half-assed cleaning my house, I’m spending the afternoon waiting for a shipment of lye to arrive.  I spent way too much time last week on-line and on the phone trying to track down a sizable quantity (for the right price) for the soap business.  Most people have no idea how easy it is to obtain lye, and why it shouldn’t be so easy. Lye has a long history of being used in soap-making, but there are many other uses.  Did you know you could dissolve nearly anything organic, including a human body in a vat of lye-water?  You probably know it’s a fabulous environmentally friendly drain cleaner, but did you know it’s a key ingredient for making meth?  And last week I learned a new one; a sweet little German-American grandmother uses a weak lye solution to make soft pretzels.  Who knew?

One thing I noticed when trying to locate lye in my area several years ago was that I could buysmall quantities in the drain-cleaner section of a walmart or grocery store.  Not anymore.  The meth-makers have ruined that option for me.  I quickly graduated to buying bulk lye, so I wasn’t too affected.  But in three years the price of lye has tripled, mostly due to demand from meth-makers I believe.  I’ve noticed that the suppliers play games witht their pricing. One supplier quoted a price of 11 pounds for the same price another supplier quoted for one hundred pounds.  Another interesting fact is that aside from general questions from suppliers, not one questioned me extensively about my intentions, required ID, or mentioned any restrictions on the sale of lye to discourage meth-making.  I expected to be required to sign my life away and end up on some watch-list or something.  Not even close.  One supplier emailed saying, “this formulation of lye can be dissolved in methanol”.  When looking up methanol online I found it’s used to make meth.  So I supposed she wanted to let me know I was buying the right thing if I was making meth.  And the company I’m buying it from is so kind that they’re delivering it directly to me from another town with no added fee.  I suppose that is because of hazardous chemical regulations, but I thought it odd.  If I was a meth-maker how nice it would be to have it delivered to me in case I got pulled over on the way home.   

Another chemical used to make meth, anhydrous ammonia, has been disappearing from fertilizer supplier’s backlots by the tankfull for years.    Huge tanks would just vanish overnight, being stolen by those intending to make meth with it.  Recently it was announced that a harmless additive has been included in the tanks (and tanks labeled accordingly) to make the chemical ineffective for meth making. Now they’ve noticed they’re not being stolen anymore and they don’t even have to lock them up!  I’m half-expecting them to do the same thing to lye.  And if they do it could render it useless in soapmaking.   There will always be soapmaking websites who sell it for $10 per pound, but that isn’t cost effective for me.   

It pisses me off that I have to pay more for this material because of idiot meth-heads.  It annoys me that our government isn’t requiring tighter regulation of the chemical.  They can make it nearly impossible to buy Sudafed, but they can’t regulate bulk sale of lye?  What a crock.  I should shut up, if they get tough on lye sales, I’ll be out of business.

Crunch Time

“Rain” soap in the drying stage (4-6 weeks)

Some people have just begun to think about the holidays.  I have already been having panic attacks for months.  The soap business is incredibly busy from Nov. 1-mid January.   In order to have soap ready I have to start making it in August and September.  By the time Nov. 1 comes I’m thoroughly sick of soap in general. 

People love the soap as stocking stuffers and packaged with lotion sticks for a skin care duo.  What makes it even better is that I only make certain varieties at this time of year.  The hottest sellers are Frankinscence and Myrrh, Nutcracker Suite, Christmas Past, and Cranberry Spice.  This year I have a new one, Orange Clove, which is incredibly yummy.

So, if I’m a bit scarce in the coming weeks, it’s because I’m making soap, cutting it, packaging it, working on brochures, business cards, and making lotion too.  I’m a nutcase.  And did I mention I have three kids, and a part time job? 

I watched a program last night about lottery winners (isn’t cable TV swell?).  It got me thinking about what I’d do with my life if I won gazillions of dollars.  I decided I’d work my soap business full time and start a kid’s knitting program in the schools.  I’d give money to many other programs locally like getting music and art back into the schools as it used to be, homeless and battered women’s shelter, food pantry, etc.  Maybe even a job training program for people trying to get off government aid.  Having that much money would make me feel a responsibility to do the right thing with it, to use the money as an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.  So why don’t I feel that responsibility now?  There are many things we can all do on a daily basis to positively impact the lives of others, and they don’t take a dime, only your time. 

What would you do if you won the lottery?  Not what would you BUY, but what would you do with your daily life?  And how could you make a difference now in the lives of others?

Handcrafted Soap – #2: The Difference

 

 My first experience with handcrafted, cold-processed soap was about five years ago.  I got some as a gift, used it on ’special occasions’ for pampering myself, and when it was gone I made no effort to replace it.  I think this is most people’s approach to HC soap.  It’s a shame because it is one of the best things you can do for your skin, especially if you have a skin problem.

My second experience with HC soap was at a craft fair here in town. Her soaps all smelled wonderful, but the most surprising thing was the difference in my skin from using the soap every day.  I was a shower gel and body lotion user up to that point, I’d slather religiously after showering.  I noticed after a few days of using HC soap that my skin was much softer, like baby skin, and I didn’t need lotion anymore.  I felt like I’d made a huge discovery.  Why hadn’t anyone ever told me about this???  I continued to buy soap from that soapmaker and I began giving her soaps as gifts, and my friends were amazed about their new soft skin.  Soon after this I began to do some research on the Internet and bought some soapmaking books.   My first batch of soap was decent, not the best I’d ever used but it smelled good and still had the skin softening benefit.  I decided to start a cottage soapmaking business.  That was three years ago. I have some loyal customers and I have had people tell me their skin problems cleared up after using my soap.  Talk about job satisfaction!  I have done some some craft fairs and even took part in one of the largest ones in the region that first year I was in business.   I have since decided those are just too much work with three young kidlets and a DH. 

Handcrafted Soap Makes Does Amazing Things

The best part of the business for me is that I am helping people.  I have customers with psoriasis, eczema, and incurable rashes who buy my soap regularly and say that it helps them immensely. One customer said she has used a high-end cosmetic line for years and has always battled with acne and bumpy skin on her face.  She assumed that was just ‘her’ skin-type and continued to use her regular product because she felt it did the best job.  After using my soap (and discontinuing the other cleanser) she told me her skin had cleared up completely and she noticed a huge improvement in the texture of her skin.  I was as shocked as she was.

How Handcrafted Soap Is Different 

HC soap is different than most soaps on the market.  To be called soap the ingredients must be plant derived oils such as palm, coconut, and olive.  Most commercially produced soaps aren’t made from plant oils but from petroleum oils like mineral oil.  These are called detergent bars.  I used to think I was doing a great service to my face by buying ‘beauty bars’.  It’s still a detergent bar and you might as well use a bar of Ivory as a beauty bar.  Shower gels and pump hand soap gels are also in the detergent category, they may smell great, but they are drying.   (Many people tell me at craft shows, ‘I don’t use bar soap’ as if bar soap is inferior.  I guess they’re shower gel people. If only they’d give my soap a try, they’d see the error of their ways instantly!) Most people call all bars and gels ’soap’.  But there is a difference.  Petroleum oils are especially drying to the skin (not all oils are good for the skin).  Another major difference: glycerin is produced naturally by combining lye, water, and oil in the soapmaking process, whether in a factory or in a HC operation.  Glycerin is a wonderfully moisturizing oil that is a great benefit in soap.  It’s so great for the skin that the soap manufacturers siphon much of it off during the production.  They sell it to cosmetics companies for use in many other products.  But your soap gets the short end of the deal, and so does your skin.  Also, in commercial soap making, they add preservatives and other chemicals that can make the soap irritating and harsh.  All in the name of making a buck.  As with most things, you get what you pay for.  Cheap soap isn’t doing your skin any favors.  Even if you can find store-bought soap that’s truly ’soap’, there may be additives you don’t want, and glycerin removed.  The commercial soapmaking industry is a tricky business.

Ingredients Matter To Your Skin 

Small scale HC soap makers have an advantage.  We don’t have shelf-life issues that huge commercial soap companies have so we don’t need to add preservatives and harsh chemicals to benefit our bottom line.  Our customers don’t want them.  And our customers are willing to pay a bit more for a product that is truly good for their skin.  Not only does HC soap have skin softening glycerin, but most HC soapmakers add additional moisturizing oils and butters like shea, avocado, aloe vera, jojoba, cocoa butter.  These oils, and the glycerin remain on your skin after the soap is washed away.  The soap cleanses the skin just as well as commercial soap, but you’re left with softer skin and a more enjoyable bathing experience.  The scents available these days is mind-boggling.  I never knew there was a difference in quality in scents.  I buy the highest quality.  I get loads of compliments on the scents of my bars.  (Twice I’ve had people tell me they’ve had the soap sitting out and a person took a bite because they thought it was fudge or candy.  That was the almond oatmeal, it does smell good enough to eat, like fudge almost.  But duh, I would never think it was food.  People are so funny.)  HC soap has a wonderful lather, it’s amazing the difference from store bought soaps, truly luxurious!  And another perk, HC soap lasts longer than other soaps, especially if it’s a older bar.  The longer a soap ages, the more dense it becomes and the longer it will last when it’s used, So older soap is better than fresh soap.  HC soap, stored properly will last years.  There are museums with old soaps on display which are hundreds of years old.   As long as it’s kept dry it’ll probably last eons.  Most soaps will only lose it’s scent after a year or so, but bars with extremely high amounts of extra moisturizing oils could become rancid, which would make them smell bad and look spotty.  I’ve never had that happen.

Sorry about the super long post.  I had to get it all in there.  Consider this a PSA for your skin.  And now for the plug:  I’m having a sale on my soap site.  Three 4 oz. bars for $12 (plus shippng).  It’s really a good deal.  I’m shocked at the price some sites are charging.  It’s a fancy-schmancy issue.  The more fancy the biz is, the more they think their product is worth.   I think it’s important to not price myself too high, it becomes mainly a pamper/gift issue then.  I want people to use it every day.  Also, it’s important to watch ounces of bars when price comparing, also ingredients.  I’d stay away from soy oils as  it makes a mushy soap when wet, it just seems to melt away when the bar is only half gone.  Some oils just make better soap.  My favorite base oils are the ‘magic trio’ of olive oil, coconut, and palm.  (Look for those when reading labels of HC soap.  They make the best soap.)  The additional moisturizing oils I use in soap are mainly avocado, aloe vera, and goatsmilk.  Ladies, goatsmilk soap is the absolute best thing for your face.  Don’t listen to that ‘don’t use soap on your face’ advice.  That’s old advice originating from the cosmetics industry who want you to buy their high dollar products (which are petroleum based!).  Detergent-based (petroleum) cleansers are much, much more drying to the skin on the face than soap. 

If you happened to miss it, I did a post this last week on making soap, complete with photos, and this post on using HC soap for washing your handknits.   I’d love to hear what you all think, that is if you’re still awake.

Soapmaking 101

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I made a batch of Vanilla soap today.  It’s been a couple months since I’ve made any soap at all.  Sometimes I feel like I’m not really in business.  Summer is pretty nuts with the kids home on summer break.  I’m anxiously awaiting getting the business going again in Sept.

I thought it might be interesting for you all to see how soap is made.  Yes, I make it my kitchen.  No, it’s not ideal.  Hopefully someday in the near future my workshop will be in the basement, complete with a kitchen-ish area.  God forbid I splash lye in my eye and have have no water handy to flush it with.  Folks, if I splash lye in my eye I don’t think water will save me. It’s dangerous stuff.  Which leads me to my next point.  Just because I’m explaining it here, please don’t attempt it unless you do your homework.  There’s lots of good info out there in books and websites on making soap if you’re that interested.  

When I first found out about handcrafted (cold-processed) soap I thought, “Huh? You can actually make soap, what, like making brownies?” I was amazed that it could be done in a home setting.  It’s basic chemistry, really.  But like in any chemistry, you need to wear your protective gloves and goggles and keep kids, pets and nosy spouses out of the way. 

Lye (sodium hydroxide) is what makes the magic happen.  There’s no soap happening without it.  The lye looks like salt.  It has to be added to water to be useful for soapmaking.  The water and lye get weighed and the lye is carefully added. The fumes are very toxic so I usually take a break at this point and get other materials ready, far from the lye pot, which is looking like a fuming witch’s brew.  (I use the down-draft vent on my Jenn-Air, it helps suck out the fumes.) There is a chemical reaction when lye and water mix.  It creates heat (this pot never receives any heat from the stove) and the pot becomes hot, probably about 150 degrees. 

The oils are weighed and put in a separate large pot and melted until combined and quite hot, then heat is turned off (hence, the name ‘cold-processed’).  Both pots have to cool to luke-warm, then lye/water mix goes into oils pot and is mixed until looks like pudding.  Other goodies are added here like fragrance and poppyseeds, or wheat germ, etc. and the mix is poured into the molds.  I put it in my oven (no heat, only the light on, as if rising bread) and it rests there for about 18-24 hours. Then, like magic, it’s no longer pudding consistancy, it’s semi-hard soap.  Then it gets cut and it sits to cure (harden more) for about 4-6 weeks.

It’s a messy process and a time consuming one.  I neglected my entire family this afternoon, except for yelling for them to get out of the kitchen.  I really have to for safety, the lye will burn skin, blind, and can burn your lungs if inhaled.  I yell because I love them. 

More chemistry:  Lye, water, and oil combined produce soap molecules and glycerin molecules.  The soap cleanses your skin while the glycerin moisturizes your skin.  Also there are other moisturizing oils added like aloe vera oil, shea, and avocado (my favorite).  Handcrafted soap is like no soap you’ve ever used.  Your skin will love you for it.  And don’t tell me how much you love your Dove, it can’t touch this.

A funny story: a woman came up to me at a farmer’s market last season.  She said, “Is this lye soap?” I said yes.  She said, “I heard lye soap is harsh, do you you make any soaps without lye in them?”  Silly woman.  She didn’t have a clue what she wanted.  Not all HC soaps are created equal.  If not made correctly a soap could end up with active lye in it and could harm someone.  Hence, harsh soap.  Our grandmothers probably endured a lot of this type of soap, fine for laundry, not for skin.  In properly made soap, the lye molecules are totally ’used up’ by the oil and water and only leaves soap and glycerin behind. A good scale is very important.  And even a good soapmaker can have a bad batch, but hopefully it will never be sold and used.  Always test a new skin product on the inside of your arm before using on your face or body (this is always good advice, especially if you have skin issues or allergies). 

So there you have it, more than you probably ever really wanted to know about HC soap and how to make it.  There will be a quiz.

The Joys of Handcrafted Soap – Part 1: Your Handknits

I’ve been tossing this idea around for weeks.  How do I inform my blog friends about how great handcrafted soap is without boring you, without spending an hour on a huge post, yet giving you info that is useful in a short concise blurb. Here’s my solution.  I’m going to tell you a bit at a time, like a soap opera, get it? 

For my first installment I’m going to speak to you knitters out there, and since I myself am I knitter I think I can understand you fairly well.  One of my first questions when I finally finished my first knitting project was “How do I wash it?”  fortunately I had already been making soap for awhile and so I tried my soap on my woolen knits and I was shocked at how well it worked.  It leaves the FO soft and clean.  If you have soft water you’ll have even better results.  I use it on acrylics also but the reason it works well on wool is that it’s moisturizing properties moisturizes the wool fibers to leave them soft, yet not greasy.  Wool fibers are animal hairs, similiar to our skin.  The oils in the soap are nourishing for the fibers, just as they are for our skin. 

For small objects I handwash in the sink, soaking a bit first in soapy water.  For larger things like sweaters I add some water to washing maching, add some soap, either by making lather with my hands or grating a bit of a bar over the water and mixing it around, then soaking awhile.  Then about 30 minutes later I come back to actually wash it and let washer spin out, refill to rinse and spin out and done to dry on a towel or flat drying rack made for sweaters. 

You won’t believe the difference the soap makes in your knits, and it smells great too.  It’s also economical, more so than speciality woolen washes (which are detergents and do not put any moisturizers in your knits.)  Soaps also work better at getting out organic matter in your clothing, such as blood, grass, dirt, food, etc.  I use handcrafted soap as a stain stick for all my laundry.  There’s hardly a stain I cannot remove if I do it the same day.

Handcrafted soaps and soap from the store shelf are NOT the same.  You won’t get the same results, probably not even close.  These days HC soaps can be found fairly easily.  ebay, farmer’s markets, local speciality gift shops, and my website, Mississippi Moon Natural Soap Co at www.mississippimoonsoap.com.  Try it – you’ll be amazed.

On My Soapbox

I started a cottage soap business a few years ago called Mississippi Moon Natural Soap Co.  I put the cart ahead of the horse a bit by thinking I could run a business while being a stay at home mom.  It works great if I stay up half the night making soap.  Sleep is really over-rated anyway.   Martha Stewart says she only sleeps 4 hrs per night.  I've finally decided I cannot do it all and I can wait till my youngest is in school next year to run the business properly.  I still have inventory and sell many lotion sticks (they are so fabulous, especially if you knit or work with your hands!)  One very cool thing I am still doing is speciality soaps for baby showers/bridal showers.  Get it? Soap for your shower!  I thought it was entirely clever.  I even wrap the soaps in a label printed with baby info or wedding info.  You can find the site at :www.mississippimoonsoap.com .  Sorry if the photo isn't great.  I'm still figuring it all out, and pressed for time before my house is entirely awake.  Virgin hot coffee is waiting for me not five feet away, I think I'm doing pretty well.