Soaping Variables

 As I get to know my new soap studio… I am stumbling upon surprises with each batch lately.  We can all read a book about soap making to get started… watch tutorials… listen to advice… but our soap won’t turn out the same as someone else’s as our ingredients come from different sources and our environments are so different.  

Lately, strange things have been happening to my soap… my tried and true orange poppyseed set up on me for the first time ever.  I couldn’t get those smooth-sided rectangular bars this time.  So I did what I could with the tops.  Pretty for photos and presentation, but not my favourite for using and previously would have made packaging really difficult.  Swirly tops won’t affect our new packaging (I will reveal new packaging soon………...).

Then my lemon sea salt soap set up on me… yikes!  This one got so hard I had to push it into the mould.

Now, my shaving soap looks like this?  I know it will cure nicely and look uniform soon, but just so different from previously made batches of the same soaps.

I am using the same ingredients, the same tools, applying the same methods….

BUT - It has been uncharacteristically cold and rainy here over the past few weeks.  I have never soaped in this studio in winter before.   I am still learning about how environmental factors affect my soaps… 

Thank goodness I am still learning.  If I ever stop learning and being surprised, I am pretty sure I would get bored.

Happy soaping everyone!! xo Jen

Christmas Soap Packaging

  As tomorrow is my first pre-Christmas market, I am busy packaging our Christmas soaps, as well as preparing the baskets for our Christmas raffle.

My husband and I argued about discussed and discussed the Christmas soap packaging and had to agree to disagree in the end. I liked the parcel with bow on top (I know I know, so unlike me to go for anything plasticky… but for some reason I liked it) and my husband preferred simplicity.  He is soooo into our logo that he always prefers the logo to be the protagonist, not the bow, nor the soap type, nor the wrapping.  So, we agreed to package some my way, and some his way.

As I have written about before… he is detail oriented and I am big picture. How fortunate I feel that we are able to appreciate the balance our differences bring to the table.  I see clutter, not dust.  He’s doesn’t mind that the clothes sit in a pile on top of the dresser instead of making their way into the drawers… but he notices a hair that falls from my head if I forget to wear my hairnet in the studio.

So, here is both.

Sneak tweaking peek… This week I have been CONSUMED with the new packaging for our entire soap line… we have been thinking about changing things for a while, mainly to simplify things as packaging has become so time consuming and our time is so valuable.  The solution hit me like a bolt of lightning earlier this week and I have been so excited about it that I have even woken up in the middle of the night, to jot down ideas…  I used to get excited about going out on a Friday night… now I can’t sleep because of new packaging?  Ah well, at least I am passionately excited about something.   It’s currently coming together piece by piece and I will reveal more when it is finished!!

 

Happy and passionate soaping and holiday preparing!!!  Xo Jen

Pure Castille Soap

 My pure Castille Soap is the simplest and gentlest soap I make.  Two active ingredients: organic extra-virgin olive oil and distilled water. No scent.  Super smooth and hard. Moisturizing.

 

The timing is different to my other soaps as it takes 3 days in the mould before I can even remove it. 

 

Even after 2 days in the mould, if I try to remove it, it is too soft, like butter, my finger would go right into it.  Then I wait until the perfect moment for cutting and stamping?  Ooops… this one was too early…

But wow, what a soap!  Minimal gooey, un-bubbly lather.  Wonderful on dry and sensitive skin.  This used to be a small-quantity experimental soap, but so many testers have come back requesting more that I think I will be including it in my regular line.

Happy soaping everyone!!

Xo

Jen

Our First Trade Show

Our first Feria/ Trade Show was such a wonderful experience!  I wish we had more photos of the other stands and of my husband and I in action once the crowds arrived… but the great news is that we just got too busy!!!  We have all sorts of ideas to improve for the next trade show but all in all I think we did pretty well!  Some photos to share with you…

pre-fair packaging fest

earling morning car-window shot on the way there 

set up

 

Some of the tools of the trade... I put them on show as it was an Artisan Fair and lots of artisans were actually doing their crafts there, like the glass blower, the ceramists, the basket weaver, the baker.... Lots of people were fascinated with these soap making tools

behind the scenes...

  

the "office"

getting samples ready...

 the quilting stand 

 

ceramics

glass-work

"hotel Volkwagen"

another early morning photo

me at work, when the first customers started arriving... 

 

I love trying new things… so here are some of the firsts that we did this weekend…

First big trade show

 

First time selling in Murcia

 

First time sleeping in a Volkswagen Camper Van (a secret wish of mine for more than 25 years!)

 

First time my husband and I have worked so closely together non-stop for 3 days, and I was surprised how well it went. I really cannot imagine anyone else that I could have enjoyed it so much with. Maybe Dad…

 

First time setting up an Expo / trade fair stand

First time using our new Naturalmente Mediterraneo tall marketing stand

First time selling 10 hours straight in a row without stopping

First time meeting a lot of the other trade fair people we met, from all over Spain

First time gorging on these amazing Murcian meat-pies…

First time we giggled ourselves to sleep two nights in a row…

First time (in a few years) that I didn’t even THINK of accessing internet for 3 days running… pathetic isn’t it?  I realized afterward how dependent we are on it

I am sure there are a whole lot more firsts… but I gotta go get my shop set back up…!!

Big hugs and kisses to you all!! Xo Jen

Wine Soap

I am currently developing some wine soap and skincare products for a local Winery – Bodegas Perfer. Pretty excited! On Saturday, I participated in a trade show at their Winery and I met lots of new people, gave out tons of cards and samples, and made some new clients.

 

 

 As with all of my soaps, the majority oil is local organic extra-virgin olive oil and this one also has sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil (first time I have soaped with grapeseed oil), shea butter coconut oil and castor oil. I added nothing for colour and I may in future batches.

 I am trying to create a great-smelling essential oil blend that has the properties to accompany the properties offered by wine in skincare. 

This soap has lavender, frankincense, patchouli, cedarwood and ylang ylang.  Can’t say I am in love with the scent… so I will keep experimenting.

Will be away this weekend for a 3 day hand-made trade fair in Murcia!  Will be our first big trade show and I can’t wait!!

Happy soaping everyone!!!

Xo Jen

Liquid Soap Packaging

I am so pleased with the results of my latest batches of liquid soap and have begun playing with packaging…

I have never been a fan of plastic, which has been a dilemma of mine for liquid soap packaging…  Growing up with a very naturally focused mother has had its influence on me.  She almost never used plastic.  I was the kid with the paper bag lunch.  My chocolate chip cookies had sunflower seeds and nuts in them.  She also never used Teflon… she stuck with cast iron pans.  She left her hair grey, never died it.  She always looked so beautifully natural… and still does.  She didn’t believe in unnecessary surgery and when they told me to get my adenoids and tonsils removed, she took me to a naturopath when I was 12 years old and they put me on a special diet with no dairy, sugar or wheat for a year… pretty difficult for a 12 year old.  But it worked.

So Mum?  Thanks for always staying true to what you believe in and feel good about and for passing that on to me.

I try to stay true to what I feel great about as well, but without judging others.  I decided not to use palm oil in my products and although I use glycerin in some things, it is palm-free glycerine.  I love the smell of sandalwood but don’t feel great about the potential environmental and controversial harvesting issues so am not using it.  Now I’ll do my best to use as little plastic as possible as well.

I tried glass, but realized that when I get to the point of selling liquid soap, it will be too heavy to ship.  Also, something strange… it smells weird in the glass bottle… it may be the cork top.  It also poured too quickly.

 

These are working well for me for now, even though the pump top is plastic.  The soap itself, medium lather, with loads of local organic extra-virgin olive oil, soft and mild, with lavender essential oil and a hint of patchouli.  It is still pretty liquidy, but I am getting the hang of getting it slightly thicker.  I think I will begin experimenting with adding local organic jojoba oil as well.  So many experiments on the go!!!

I am giving these out as gifts to some friends but feel pretty excited that I am getting close to being able to sell my liquid soap.  Oh yeah!! I almost forgot to mention that I have been using this batch lately on my hair and really liking it! Pretty excited!

 

Happy soaping all!!!!

Xo Jen