Platypus Dreams.

Sharon, soap extraordinaire of Platypus Dreams sent me an email with some background information on herself. Thought I'd share:

......I love feed back and that is the only way that I can improve and keep getting better and better, without a challenge why bother. I challenge myself daily, that's what's so exciting, my customers feel the passion and love in the soap and they tell me that it's just different there is an energy about it.

I noticed that one person asked how long I had been soaping close on 4 years solid without a break as I started then as a full time soaper after a bit of mucking around which I do not count, I still have some of the very first batches. These soaps have proven to be invaluable with my research on what does what, especially in a humid environment and also studies on DOS and rancidity of the soap over time and how it performs in different water types. How long will a bar of soap last, well I believe that handmade soap with the right formulation and kept in the right conditions it will still be good in 10years or more. But the first time that I ever made soap was back in 1988 and it wasn't very good at all, in actual fact I threw it in the bin. I made some absolutely fabulous foot powder from a book that I had back then as well, that's another story all by it's self. But I have always dabbled in fragrance and essential oils even way back then when it wasn't that well known. I used to visit the first Perfect Potion shop in Brisbane around 1988 when it first opened as I worked 2 blocks away, what a treasure it was and I spent quite a sum of money on many many different EO's.

Just went and had a look at the funky chic one, arh yes idea was dreamt up around the time of the Melbourne Cup years ago (famous raceday for horse racing). I'm not into horse racing but the ladies get all dolled up and it's a major even across Australia, they work on outfits all year for this one especially the hats and oh so colorful. It was inspired by Ladies Hats on Raceday! It is a sod to make, rolling all the rolls and placing them in the bars in just the right position is not easy. The harder the soap is to make the more unique it becomes as others find it hard to copy and produce in volume. lol. Gotta find that edge somehow.... Pouring at the right time is another big issue (layers morphing when running through gel, colors separating within a layer etc) and also getting the colors right time and time again is not an easy feat.

Making a fancy soap is easy peasy but keeping the consistency batch to batch that the retailers require ie color matching their last order etc which is still left on the shelf is a major challenge, one that I love.

Give me an idea, any idea and if it's possible I will make it.

Anyway better move, catch you later.

Cheers
Sharon Elvin
Platypus Dreams
www.platypusdreams.com.au