To Sell or Not to Sell

I've been facing some dilemmas lately regarding my soap.  Although I love going to the open air markets and it's great to have a little extra money doing that, but, the downside is, the markets don't last all year.  I've been thinking about what to do when fall arrives and the markets close for the season.  Oh, there's always craft shows but those aren't very dependable and finding them can be challenging. 

I've had many people at shows ask me if I have a website and sell online.  The short answer is no.  However, it's something I've been toying with.  I know of lots of soapmakers that have Etsy shops and that's great but getting started in Etsy is a very slow process.  Seeing as how I'm technologically challenged, creating my own website is not really an option because not only am I incapable of such a feat, I can't afford to have someone else do it for me.  So what else is there?  Well, I have heard word that Amazon is going to start a "handcrafted" section for people like me.  That is another option I guess.

Here's my problem with selling soap online.  I really genuinely enjoy the face to face contact I have with people.  And that's weird because I'm generally an introvert and don't like talking to people.  The thing about soap is, it's mostly a fragrant item that I want people to smell before that buy.  I can describe a fragrance till the cows come home but until someone smells it they won't know exactly what to expect.  Yet, I am not only in no position to open a brick and mortar store, I also have no desire to go to that extreme. 

So what are my options?  Well, I know that there are options on facebook, but I need to do more research on that.  I know that I love making soap and I also love selling it.  I love the face to face contact with people and I love talking to them about the soap.  I will have to do more research before I make any decisions on this.

Restock City

It's time for some restocks!  I had an amazing weekend last weekend at the Farmer's Market and as a result, ran out of several different soaps.  So I've been doing some restocking this week.  Unfortunately, I didn't plan ahead enough to make soaps BEFORE I ran out of them and now I will be at the farmer's market tomorrow without some of my top sellers.

The first of which is Patchouli.  I'm going to be perfectly honest right now.  I hate patchouli.  I really really hate it, but there are those in this world that love it and I have since sold out.  I didn't want to sell it at all but I had people keep asking for it so I thought I really needed to have it on hand. 

I also ran out of my camo soap.  I'm thinking that with Father's day coming up people are dipping into my dude's soaps for Dad.  I will have the camo soap available this weekend though.  I was surprised at how well that one did.  I think the one I made recently is even better, don't you?

I like this one better than my last one.  It's just more "camo" looking. 

As I'm sitting here typing this I'm actually waiting for UPS to show up at my house and deliver more lye.  I seriously ran out of lye today!  Can't make soap without it so I have no choice but to wait.

And would you like to know what it is I'm making today?  Something I found on my numerous soapmaking groups on Facebook, LAUNDRY STICKS!   I'm so excited about them!  I'm not sure how people will react to them but I'm looking forward to making them available. 

See you at the markets!

Feeling Blue

I'm at a point now where I want to keep making soap but I'm getting low on creativity.  So where does that leave an aspiring soapmaker?  Well, since I've been in full swing at the markets I'm finding myself in restocking mode.  That's good because I'm making new soap but it's previous designs and fragrances. 

See, for me, and a lot of soapmakers, this is an art form.  The great thing about crafting soap is that it encompasses 3 senses, visual, olfactory, and tactile.  I mean, sight, smell and touch.  I want it to look visually stunning, smell divinely and feel luxurious as you're using it.  It makes me very sad when people tell me that my soap is too beautiful to use.  PLEASE USE IT!  It's beautiful, yes, but it's meant to be functional,  and I will always make more.

Tonight I made some more of my grease monkey soap.  This is my mechanic soap.  I've been pleasantly surprised at how well that one has been doing.  This is the third batch I have made of that one.  It's 100% coconut oil soap enfused with cornmeal for a mild grit.  I like using organic items, like cornmeal, to create the grit in my soap because I feel better about putting something like that into the water supply, as opposed to pumice or (gasp) those horrible plastic beads that some companies are using in their commercial soaps.  Look, I'm not a crazy hippie tree-hugger, but NO ONE should be putting that crap in the water supply.

So here's why I'm "feeling blue."  I made some more blueberry scented soap the other night and I like how the swirl turned out.

It's a little different than my previous blueberry soap but it's still kind of unique.  I used blue and purple  in the swirl, because blueberries are actually purple after all. 

The Next Step

I made some soap last night trying a new technique.  I don't think I have mastered it yet but I will try it again.  And again and again.  I saw this technique on YouTube so I wanted to give it a try.  Now looky here:

Okay, this isn't a bad design, but my vision wasn't 100% realized.  And the colors I chose didn't turn out as vibrant as I had hoped.  The color combo was supposed to be pink/orange/teal but some of the colors bled into each other more than I would have liked.  The orange is barely distinguishable. 

Well, I tried it again today but as we all know, soapmakers don't get to see their creations until 24 hours after they have been created.  It takes about that long (sometimes longer) for the soap to saponify and harden enough to cut. 

I have been using my PVC pipe mold again recently because I can and because I recently got some more caps for it.  OH!  And speaking of my round mold, I made some SHAVING SOAP!  I had a customer at the farmer's market ask me recently if I had some shaving soap and it was with great shame that I told him I didn't.  I went home and made the decision I had to get some shaving soap in my inventory.  Now I have it.

So perhaps that was the long way around to talk about a new soaping technique I'm trying but I was kind of excited about it and wanted to share. 

Cleanning your dog isn't Ruff...

So I made some dog shampoo!

I have had multiple people ask if my soap is safe to use on dogs.  Here's the answer.  Probably.  However, I tell them I can't recommend using my soaps on dogs.  I fragrance my soaps fairly heavily and I don't think that's good for dogs.  So I did some research, found a recipe that I actually had all the ingredients to and made it.  That's not all!  I happened to have bought (months ago) these cute little dog bone silicone molds and I thought this would be the perfect time to use them.  What do you think?

This whole thing took about 3 days to make because I had to make the bones first, and then I made the soap and put them on top.  Not only that, it took me 2 days to make the bones because the mold only has 6 cavities.  I made six bones one night, then six more bones the next night.  THEN the next night I made the soap and place them on top.  I had to blend it better than normal because it had to be thick enough so support the bones.  I was a little afraid they might since through but they didn't.  I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Now, since I didn't come up with the recipe on my own, I don't mind sharing this one.  If you're a soapmaker you can figure this out on your own. 

25% olive oil
25% coconut oil
30% tallow
15% shea butter
5% castor oil

Now for the record, I have always only made vegetarian soaps so I did substitute the tallow for palm oil.  I made a 2 pound batch, as I always do, and ended up with 10 bars.  I also left it unscented.  I know that most pet shampoos have some kind of fragrance in it but let's be real for a minute.  Dogs don't care what their hair smells like and they're better off without it, especially around sensitive areas like their ears or stomach.  If you absolutely HAVE to fragrance it then might I suggest just a few drops of lavender essential oil. 

It was fun making this and I plan to make more soaps with decorations on top. 

I'm super proud of this batch!

Perfecting My Recipes

Yes, there is an S on the end of the word recipe.  I went back to my local farmer's market yesterday, after a long winter.  I brought with me a whole new inventory of soaps.  I have spent the winter trying new techniques and perfecting my recipes and I think I've finally found the perfect recipes.  I have a main recipe that I make for the majority of my soaps, but I also have some soaps that have other functions besides just showers.  For example, I recently developed a mechanic soap (of which I need to replenish already!).  The mechanic soap uses a slightly different recipe. 

This winter, I made a huge soap supply haul at one of my favorite soap supply online stores and with it, I decided to purchase some kaolin clay.  I have heard many soapmakers talk about putting it in their soaps so I decided to try it.  It was cheap as dirt (probably because it is dirt) so I bought a 5 pound bag of it.  Well, it took a few tries to figure out how to use it and how much to use but I finally got into my groove and have been making some truly beautiful soaps with it. 

Since the soap we use here in my home is always my failed soap or my old soap whose fragrance has turned a little, I had never used any of the soap that had the clay in it.  I was cutting a loaf of soap the other day and per usual, I cut the ends off.  I decided to wash my hands at the kitchen sink with this end piece.  It was the creamiest, most luxurious soap I had ever used in my life.  I can't explain why it felt more luxurious than my regular soap but it did and the only difference I could figure out was the addition of the kaolin clay.  So I took another end piece into the shower with me.  Holy cow, it was amazing.  I rubbed it on my shower puff and got the thickest, fluffiest lather I've ever seen.  It made the shower an awe-inspiring experience.  Look at these two pictures.  The picture on the bottom has kaolin clay incorporated into the whole soap.  The one on top does not.  Can you see the difference?  It's amazing to me.

Finding My Niche

So last weekend I tried a new venue.  I originally heard about this venue from a customer at another show I did.  This woman raved about this place that she made so much money working at this location.  So I went there.  I paid my money for a slot and set up shop.  My first day was bad.  Not HORRIBLE but not at all awesome.  I tried to look at this with an open mind, recognizing that you can't judge a venue by one experience.  So, since I had paid for the entire weekend, I went back the next day to give it another chance.  Still no better.  I can accept that there are people not interested in my soaps, but I have done shows where my soap was just flying off the table so I know that it's a sellable product.  I even had repeat customers that come back again and again wanting my soap.  It's high quality soap.  So why was it that I couldn't give it away at this place?

The thing about selling products at any open venue like that boils down to one thing.  Traffic.  Let's say that out of 100 people that walk past my table, 2 people will buy soap.  Well, if only 100 people walk past my table in an entire day, then it stands to reason that I'm not going to sell much. 

So today I went to another venue, one I've done before, and had a fantastic day.  This venue, though fairly far from my house, has a significant amount of traffic and as a result, I have many people stop at my table to look at things.  Out of all the people that stop at my table the majority of THOSE people will buy something.  So as a seller, what I'm looking for are venues that have a lot of traffic.  There are 2 things that I would consider negatives about this venue.  It's 30 miles from my house and it's all open air so if the weather is rainy I can't do it.  But if the weather cooperates, then this is a great venue.

There is a venue close to my house that helped me get my start last year.  That venue does not have a huge amount of traffic, however, it is inexpensive and as I said, close to my house.  Another upside is it's on Saturday morning, and over by 12:30.  So even if I don't sell a lot, it's definitely worth my time to do that one.  So I think this summer I'm going to continue to do these 2 venues, one Saturday morning and one Sunday morning. 

And check out my latest creation.  This soap is scented with honeysuckle and orange blossom.  It's is both visually appealing and a treat for the nose.

Pat and Julie

I hate Patchouli  I really hate it.  I've said this before, but I think it smells like dirty hippies.  However, I've had many people at many different selling venues ask for patchouli scented soap so I made some today.  Blech.  I smelled it on me all day and I thought I was going to gag.  Maybe that's what put me in such a foul mood today. 

I've also been completely obsessed with making men's soap lately too.  My first one was some mechanic soap.  Take a look:

 

So what makes it mechanic soap, you ask?  WELL, first, it is made with 100% coconut oil.  Coconut oil makes a very detergent-like soap, but I did superfat at 10% so it's not too harsh.  THEN, I also added cornmeal to the soap to give it a gentle scrub.  Also, cornmeal is biodegradable so there shouldn't be any concern about it getting into water supplies. Finally, it is scented with lime essential oil.  Lime essential oil has mild antiseptic qualities which is good for someone that might have cuts or scrapes on their hands.

 

But that's not all.  I've made a couple different men's soaps lately.  I made one I call the crud cutter.  It's similar to the mechanic soap in that it's made with 100% coconut oil, but there's no cornmeal.  Also, I used tangerine essential oil instead of lime.  I like tangerine oil.  Unfortunately, the crud cutter turned out to look slightly less than manly so I'm not sure I can still market it as "man" soap. 

 

Then I made another soap for men that looks a little more manly and also smells manly.  This one is brown/green/white(ish) but was not intended to look like camo.  It's scented with tobacco vanilla.  It smells sweet and slightly smoky, like a pipe. 

 

So my next show I will bring out all my new man soap and hopefully, my patchouli soap will be ready by then too.  I need to start unloading some of this soap.

Manly Men or Women, Whatever

Hey friends!  It has come to my attention that I needed to add to my men's soap AND to target men more directly in my display.  So I have been working on soap that is more targeted to men.  Here we go.

The first soap I created is a mechanic soap that I have called Grease Monkey.  It's 100% coconut oil which is a very cleansing soap with a super thick lather, so it can cut through grease specifically for mechanics or anyone who works with really dirty stuff.  It also has cornmeal infused in it for a gentle grit to scrub and is also scented with lime and cinnamon leaf essential oils for their antiseptic qualities.  I know that mechanics and other people that work with their hands can get lots of cuts and scrapes so this will help them heal. This isn't so much a shower soap but specifically a hand soap.  Here it is:

So the next one is what I call Crud Cutter.  This one IS a shower soap.  What sets this one apart is that it also has 100% coconut oil, but also has bentonite clay which is great to absorb oil.  This is for any dirty man (or woman! I know they can get dirty too!) who might work outside or do other kinds of hard labor that gets them dirty, sweaty and gross.  This will clean it all up!  I don't have a picture for this one yet but I will soon! 

That's all I've got for now but I will be coming up with new ideas coming soon!  And if you're in the St. Louis area, come out to the Overland Farmer's Market on opening day, May 9th, to celebrate spring and maybe pick up a few things for your mom.  Mother's day is May 10th and I bet YOUR mom would love a soap gift basket!

Soapy Days

It's been a little while since I last blogged.  It's March now and I'm so anxious to get back into the swing of things.  For example, I need to get back into the craft shows, fairs and festivals.  I had a show this weekend.  I was so excited about it and had even spiced up my display a bit.  Take a look:

That handsome fella back there is my son.  So anyway, I was so excited about this show.  It was one of the worst shows I've even done.  The venue did a craptastic job at getting people in the door.  Well, live and learn.  That will be the last time I ever do that venue.  I'm not bitter about not making sales, ALL the vendors lost money that day.  It was just a horrible show for everyone.  Now I need to find new venues where I can actually make money instead of losing it. 

Welcome to My Soapy World

Hi.  This is just a basic introduction.  My name is Susan and I make soap!  I love soap. 

I don't have a lot more to say for introductions so I will just talk about the soap I made last night and tonight. 

First I'll start with last night's abomination, honey soap. Here it is:

It is both ugly and unworkable, but it smells awesome.  I don't know how to use it except maybe for potpourri.  What happened was, the sugar in the honey caused it to overheat, which started a volcano and ended up with poop looking clumps of soap all over my soap towel.  Not only that but, as you can see in the picture, the center got sunken in and it was discolored.  Well, you can't really see the discoloration in this picture but there are dark spots all through it where it kind of burned.  Such a sad mess.

Tonight, however, I made some BLUEBERRY/LEMONADE soap.  I can't wait to see it but I have to wait till at least tomorrow morning.  Maybe tomorrow night, I don't really know.  I will post an unveiling/cutting photo as soon as I get it cut.  STAY TUNED!