Author: Sara

My six-year-old daughter was home from school this past Monday, getting over a stomach bug.  I’d given her a soapmaking kit I got at the HSMG Conference the previous week and told her that she could now fly almost-solo in making her first soap.  After the squeals and hugs and “Oh, Mommy, you’re the best!”s, she asked, “But not with lye, right?  Because I’m not old enough to do lye soap.”  Nope, she’s not; she’ll start out with melt-and-pour, just as I did.
I cut up the soap block for her and showed her how to melt it in the microwave.  First, she added the color, a gorgeous royal purple.  (Don’t ya just LOVE that tiny little pipette?)

A well-known Viking-heavy credit card commercial asks, “What’s in your wallet?”  I ask you, “What’s in your cell phone?”  I had the time and extreme boredom required to clean out my cell phone the other day.  There were text messages going back over two years that needed to be deleted or moved.  I did this partially because, with the number of texts I’m sending and receiving lately, it doesn’t take long for me to run out of memory, and really, I’d rather have the memory to snap that picture of one of my girls.  Also, I’ve been eyeing a new phone for a few months now and want to have my “must saves” squared away.

While I was cleaning out my text messages – and yes, that meant reading most of them – I started noticing what a treasure trove of daily life my texts were.

Daily Stuff – Texts from my husband asking if I knew of anything we needed at the grocery store or telling me he’ll pick up our daughter from day care.

Romantic Texts – Kisses flying through space to land in my phone.  Simply “I hope your day’s going well.  I love you.”  Sweet little moments of knowing my husband’s thinking of me at that moment during his work day.

Pictures – Pics from friends, one of whom seems to have a fascination with sending multiple camera phone self-portraits.  (Why???)  A picture showing a new haircut.  My aunt enjoying her second-best birthday celebration in recent years.  Christmas breakfast.  Things my husband spots while he’s out, like the house that had Halloween and Christmas decorations up at the same time – in early October!  Then there was this, arguably the best treasure of all these pictures, each pixel worth a thousand words and a million memories.

This is my recently departed Grandpa holding my then newborn baby last August.  It’s the only picture I have of them together.

Question:  What’s in your cell phone?

While I was at the HSMG Conference last weekend, I took advantage of the opportunity to sit in on two sessions, both of which were very chemistry-rich.  Let me preface this by saying that just being in these sessions was a matter of extreme self-discipline and personal challenge.  You see, while chemistry is now pretty much my life, I did horrible at it in high school and college, earning C’s at both levels.  (I guess I should take some sort of solace in the fact that, while the work got harder, I didn’t get dumber.)

The first session was led by Dr. Cindy Jones of SageScript Institute (a Colorado company) and dealt with the Chemistry of Cosmetics.  The second session I attended was led by Dr. Kevin Dunn of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and was an hour-and-a-half on trace, which is one small part of the cold- and hot process soapmaking process.  I learned how emulsifiers work.  I learned the difference between the molecular structure of saturated and unsaturated fats.  I learned what it means when a fatty acid is referred to as an “Omega-3 fatty acid.”  And I learned that light trace in soap has a viscosity of 150 centipoise (my new favorite word that I try to find a way to use daily).

I’ll expound on these answers (because, really, doesn’t everyone want to know them?) this week.  I’m curious, though.  What’s the latest thing you’ve learned that helps make you better at what you do, be it a business or a hobby?

I am having a simply fantastic time at the Handscrafted Soapmakers Guild annual conference in Denver, Colorado!  I’m not sure where to start.  If any of you, my customers, live in Colorado, I must say that it’s a simply gorgeous place to visit and the people here are incredibly friendly.  I know you’re proud to live here.  This was my first trip to Colorado – shoot, it was my first trip west of the Mississippi River! – and it’s been very nice.

The conference is aMaZiNg!!!  I’m learning so many great things about how to do business even better, so be looking for those improvements in the next couple or few months – definitely by summer’s end.  Friday was Day 1, and it was mostly soapmaking techniques.  Two of our group went to the session on advanced melt-and-pour soapmaking (and these ladies already make fantastic soaps!), and my friend Ela and I attended a 2-part class on liquid soapmaking, which had been my nemesis.  In the first 15 minutes, I learned where I’d been messing up and in the remaining hour and 45 minutes, I learned how to make a (hopefully) fabulous bottle of homemade liquid soap.  Saturday was Day 2, and the sessions tended to focus primarily on branding, driving your business, eCommerce and so forth.  Today is Day 3, and our sessions cover the legalities of manufacturing and selling, as well as social media.  I return home to my lovely family tomorrow, much, much wiser and with a new great network of friends and colleagues.

I’ll be posting pictures when I get home to share on my Facebook fan page.  Not a fan, yet?  No problem!  The link is here.  Join up today.  When I get home, I’ll be setting up some great post-conference special just for my FB fans.

Am I the only one who’s tired of Winter and has the hands and feet to prove it?  Oh my gosh, they’re so dry and chapped, even with frequent applications of superior moisturizing lotion!  This dry, cold air is wreaking havoc on my skin, just as, I’m sure, it’s doing to yours, too.

But there’s hope.  According to the calendar (if not the meteorologist), Spring is a mere two weeks away – give or take a day or two – and soon after that, the weather will once more warm up enough for us to don the latest and cutest sandals, whether they’re last year’s cute Spring purchase or will be brand new this year.  Now, how to get your tootsies ready for those stinkin’ cute shoes without breaking the bank on a salon pedicure?  Sweet Treats for Summer Feet is your answer!

Sweet Treats for Summer Feet will help you get those Winter-weary, dried out, rough-skinned feet back into prime sandal condition.  Each kit contains a hefty 5-ounce bar of shea butter and sugar glycerin scrub soap, a pumice bar to tackle those really stubborn calluses and 4 ounces of goat’s milk and shea lotion, scented with a tingly essential oil blend.  I also include my tips for best results.  I’m following one right now, sitting around with white cotton socks on in order to allow my own body heat to help all that luscious moisturizer to do its best work.

After your feet are exfoliated and you’ve slathered them with a rich emollient cream, then you’re ready to top those tootsies with some color.  I LOVE Sally’s Beauty Supply for the best nail polishes!  Sure, they’re a bit more expensive than you’ll find at your local drugstore, but these are top-of-the-line, salon-quality nail polishes.  Can’t beat them for sharp, long-lasting color and brilliant shine.

It has no frills, no fuss, no anything except for all-natural, vegan-friendly goodness.  It’s Just Plain Soap.  I created this soap a couple of years ago to meet the demand for a moisturizing soap that’s well-suited for people who are sensitive to particular fragrances.  Many people who claim they’re “allergic to soaps” aren’t allergic to soaps so much as they’re allergic to the synthetic chemicals in detergent bars, likely including the perfumes used in them, the artificial fragrances.  Still, some people are sensitive to even essential oils, which are 100% natural and plant-derived.  So, for all those people who prefer unscented, natural soaps, there is Just Plain Soap.

An earthquake hit, and hundreds of thousands of people died.

An earthquake hit a small island nation, and thousands more were injured.

An earthquake hit, and hundreds of thousands more are without homes, without clothes, without food, without water.

Then the call came – twice.  The first came through the WSP Soap and Candle forums via a post echoing an article in Saponifier magazine.  The second call came by email from Leigh O’Donnell, president of the Handcrafter Soapmakers Guild. 

The call came, and I answered it.

With the high number of injured people in Haiti and poor sanitary conditions following the earthquake, disease and the spread of bacteria are now rising as serious problems on top of the problems already existent.  The call that came through the HSMG and Saponifier magazine was for soap and lotions – soaps to clean skin, helping prevent the spread of diseases; and lotions to soothe dry, parched skin which, in turn, helps promote wound healing by keeping the skin supple.

I didn’t think twice about it.  I had lotions that I’d made while we lived in Durham that were now over a year old, and I had soaps that were on clearance for the better part of last year that were cluttering up my website and taking up space on my soap shelves.  I had a choice to make:  I could keep these products for our own use, or I could send them to Haiti.  They have a much greater need for soaps than we do.

From the moment we’re born, touch is a major part of our lives.  We’re wrapped snuggly in a blanket and placed in our mother’s arms, where we’re warm, secure and happy.  As we grow into children, that need and desire for touch doesn’t disappear; it manifests itself in holding hands with our friends, hugging our parents (or, in my older daughter’s case, hugging anyone who’ll stand still long enough) and sitting on an available lap.  When we hit our teens, we’re holding hands with members of the opposite sex, hugging our girlfriends, back-thumping our guy friends and still hugging our parents – when no one’s around to see us.

Then what happens?  I don’t know, but somewhere between going off to college and entering the “real world,” we forget that we need touch, so we’re often left feeling bereft, but not quite sure what’s missing or how to fill that void.  Most of us date people, getting intimate touches.  We eventually get married, complete with its touches, and life continues with holding hands, kissing, making love, spooning at night and cuddling on the sofa while watching a movie.

How often, though, do we as adults get those soothing, comforting touches that were ours as children?  I’d suggest, not very often, and that’s where a good massage comes in.  I’m aware that there’s a split between those for massage and those against.  I’d suggest that those who are against it think of it as something dirty, something that’s lurid and perverted, best kept to the back rooms of “massage parlours.”  Those who think massages are wonderful recognize their therapeutic benefits.

There are three main types of massage for adults:  Therapeutic, relaxing and erotic.  Therapeutic massages are those that often work deeper tissues, working out muscle knots or cramps, maybe even alleviating headaches with the right touch.  I picture a tiny little Japanese woman walking on the back of the person she’s massaging.  Relaxing massages aren’t quite as deep, focusing instead on soothing tensions and using touch to lull a person into a state of relaxation and a cessation of tension.  Erotic massages are made to tease and tantalize more than relax.  The fundamental bliss of human contact is still there, but in this case, the emphasis is on paying special attention to the erogenous zones and using touch to heighten and enflame the senses.  Erotic massages often lead to a “happy ending,” if both parties are in agreement about it.  (Google for more information on massages.)

My new massage oil is a proprietary blend of high quality, 100% natural oils chosen especially for the unique properties each one brings to a massage.  Some oils absorb quickly into the skin.  Others have a really nice slide.  Still others contain vitamins or antioxidants, making the oils themselves very good for the skin.  They come in a variety of fragrances and I’ll soon be adding flavors.  I encourage you to pick up a bottle today and try it out.  They come in two sizes – an 8-ounce bottle for your bedside table and a 2-ounce bottle that’s sized to fly to a romantic get-away.  You won’t be sorry!

In a later article,I’ll discuss the benfits of massage on babies.

…But I need your help first.

Massage oils in scents is easy – unscented, lavender, rose, patchouli, vanilla and maybe some custom blends.

Massage oils in flavors is a bit more challenging, and this is where I need your help.  Please take just a moment to vote in the poll to the right here ——> Yeah, that’s it… And let me hear your opinion on what flavors you’d want to use in a flavored massage oil.  This product would have the same luxurious benefits as regular massage oil, but with the added treat of being flavored with an ingestible flavor oil, making whatever may follow your massage more enjoyable.  ‘Cause, really, something may smell great, but it may not necessarily taste so great.

The poll closes in a week, on 31 January, so go ahead and cast your vote while it’s still fresh on your mind.  You may vote for more than one flavor.

Thanks so much!  I appreciate your help. 🙂