Life Moves Fast....And Here I Go!

So if you've been following this blog, you have been with me through quite a bit.  A whirlwind of life changes and a couple of career changes.

I started this blog in August, 2007.  Woah.  Seven years ago.  So much has happened in the last seven years.  I knew nothing about making soap when I started this blog.  I only knew that I just loved handcrafted soap and I knew that it needed to be in the spotlight.  If you didn't read this blog then, you may be interested how it all began.  You can go back to the beginning.  My first post asked people if they made handcrafted soap and wanted me to review it, to send it to me.  That my interest was to spread the beauty across the internet through the photos I'd take and the reviews I'd write.

I had no horse in this race.  Starting this blog was a hobby I created for myself.  I couldn't find anything about handcrafted soap on the internet except on how to make it, not the plain beauty of it. Starting this blog opened a world for me.  Within a couple of months readers encouraged me to make soap myself and when I did and failed, people asked me what soap calculator I used.  "What calculator??"  I was completely clueless.  And so readers were so sweet and encouraged me further.  For me, I had never met a group of people so community-based, so encouraging.  I felt at home in my new soapy world.

Eventually I harnessed the soap beast and rode that sucker until I got it!  Then I added soap to my line of bath and body goodies.  This blog has been not only a hobby for me, but one of my inspirational pools, my community support system and my creative outlet.

So with some serious family situations and personal deflation over the last year, I pushed through major obstacles and started a new business with two partners, my family.  We started Mad Oils. I feel like this is where I belong.  I enjoy sourcing raw materials and finding things for people.  I enjoy behind the scenes work.   I think it suits me.  I still want to connect with the community, to help customers succeed.  I want my customers to succeed!  That is why we are getting the best possible products.  But I needed you all to know where my path is going and where this blog has taken me.

Thank you for the 7 years of listening to me ramble on about soap, life, me, this and that.  And as I've said a million times, I have never claimed to be a writer, so I know my posts aren't grammatically correct.  I write the way I think and it's who I am.

I'm not done.  I'm still here and I'm still going to write and post soap porn and all that.  And I WILL try to post more often.  But I have certainly gotten caught up in life.  But life just started getting better!  So perhaps you'll see more of me, even though I'm busier!!

Love you!  xox Joanna

What To Bring To A Soap Conference - Guest Blog Post

There are soap conferences and gatherings all over the country, from the huge Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild Annual Conference to regional gatherings like Central Soapers Workshop, Alabama Soap & Candle Meeting, Tennessee Soap and Candle Social, Mid Atlantic Lights & Lather Artisans, and so many more!

For most of us, saving our pennies is the beginning and by the time we set sail for the conference, we're losing our wits! Plus, if you've never been to an industry conference, you might be totally baffled as to what to expect.

First things first, most soap conferences provide food (but double check with your specific conference!) You might want to pack a little snack, like a granola bar or trail mix to munch on if you get hungry in between meals. Add a bottle of water, trust me on that one.

While you might be sitting in on seminars and talks, there will be plenty of milling about and networking. So, wear and pack comfortable shoes that don't kill your feet. And clothing? Chances are casual clothing is the way to go. Wearing layers is a smart idea, as the conference location could be a little too chilly or a little steamy for your personal thermostat.

Speaking of networking, bring those business cards. The best part about soap conferences is meeting up with other like-minded folks. Bring some business cards to trade info! That last thing you want to be doing is scrambling to write down your info when talking shop.

It may seem like a no-brainer to remember medication, but I have to admit, I’ve forgotten! Also, make sure to bring your healthcare information, including an insurance card, just in case. The last thing you want is to get sick or hurt, but if you do, being prepared is important.

A little mini first-aid pack in your purse is a lifesaver: pack up a couple Band-Aids, a mini pack of Kleenex, a travel size bottle of hand lotion, and single dose packet of aspirin.

When you pack your bags, have a game plan for any swag you might pick up at the soap conference. Most gatherings have goodie bags or raffle prizes. Set aside money to ship anything home, if you need to.

Last, but certainly not least, pack a stellar attitude. Whichever soap gathering you are going to is a "once a year" opportunity to put your best foot forward and make connections. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by playing the shy guy.

Step out of your comfort zone and see how many new people you can meet. Scope out other attendees in advance and make preliminary connections on social media, if it puts you at ease. And while you might love seeing your soapy sisters (and brothers) that you already know inside and out, make sure to reach out and meet new peeps!

I'll be headed to Central Soapers Workshop, the HSCG Annual Conference, and the Alabama Soap & Candle Meeting this year. Will I be seeing you there? Make sure to stop and say, hi, okay?!

This post was written by Kenna of Modern Soapmaking, the soap maker’s best friend and go-to resource. 

(Thank you, Kenna, for this great post about soap conferences!  Great bits of info, and so true.... I had a 2 day migraine and forgot my migraine meds at the HSCG conference last year.  No bueno.  This year, I shall be prepared!)

The Soap Conference Part Deux

I feel pretty lucky to have been at the conference this year.  I met some wonderful people and left with lifetime friends and family, if you can even believe it.  Well I have decided to be part of the staff next year at the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild's conference in Tucson, Arizona.  I encourage you all to save up now and sign up for the conference.  It's not only a great learning experience, but a chance in a lifetime to meet people you may really connect with.  For now or for life.  It was an experience to say the least.  

Here are some photos that I cherish:

Tricia Samundsen and Me - last day of conference

Amanda Griffin, Charlene Simon and Me - Party Night

Charlene Simon and Tanya Rasley - Winning Duo

Mianra Artisan Soaps - A New Love

 

I'm having trouble writing this review for Mianra because there were yummy soaps and cakes she sent from Ireland, and I am kind of beside myself.  A small box of lovelies, but an abundance of quality minis.  Here a picture of the gift I received from Hajni Kele, owner of Mianra.  Wish the picture was better...

First of all, I know Hajni makes mostly cold process soaps, but I quite fell in love with her hot process soap, Cashmere Gold.

My photo of the gem

"A gorgeous blend of Vanilla, Amber, Mimosa Flower and Clove, made with cocoa butter and silk"

SCENT:  Well, I can really only add that I had to breathe slowly in to fully grasp the scent.  Ever changing gorgeousness, really.  When I first smelled the soap, I detected the vanilla and amber and then as the moment passed, the (normally sharp) clove scent slowly wafted in with the slightest hint of cocoa butter and then just when I had a grasp of it, the note changed yet again and went to the softest floral.  The scent itself was so gentle as if caressing my senses, and teasing me with delight.  A simple looking bar with gold mica glittering the top; the off-white color grounded the exotic level of scent that consumed me but not overwhelming at all.

LATHER:  Fantastic!  Super-sonic fat bubbles that quickly tightened and became a creamy lather.  Ah, a soap that soothes my love for seeing big bubbles, but my skin's need for the tight and creamy moisturizing bubbles.  As quickly as the bubbles arrived, they quickly washed off leaving my skin smooth and without a stitch of film.

MOISTURE:  My skin truly loved the way Cashmere Gold left my skin feeling.  AND smelling.  I felt moisturized without feeling overly soft and I felt clean and lovely.

She sent more beautiful looking soaps and they all left me happy and they are truly eye candy with simialr results, but my heart goes to Cashmere Gold, which was a surpise, really, because I don't know if I normally would go for such a scent.  I love it when soapmakers send me things I wouldn't have normally chosen.

Well done, Hajni!  Thank you again for sending me the lot of yums.  I absolutely have loved every second that I've had with them in my new home.  I have a big bathtub I have yet to use the bath treats in.  I will surely be relaxed on that day!

***

Let's see some soap porn of her work of absolutely stunning soaps.  I drool at my computer when I see her masterpieces.

Please go visit her website here:  http://www.mianrasoaps.com/

Expanding This Blog To Social Media

I decided it was time to create a FB group so that we can share ideas, photos, create dialog and do things that you may not be able to do here.  Come join me at The Soap Bar Blog Facebook Group.  I created a Flickr photo group where many of you have posted photos of your work and I just love peering at the photos because they inspire me.  You can join or peek at The Soap Bar Flickr Group.  I JUST as we speak, created TheSoapBarBlog on twitter!  Who knows why, really, except that perhaps we can all follow each other and get some inside scoopage on soaping experiences.

My intention here is to create a community.  The Soap Bar Community Outreach Program.  Let us unite...

I love you guys!

Fraud Or Friend?

I know everyone has to make a living, but the more I poke around, the more I see new soaps around that are private labeled.  Now, I private label my soap to a few companies, too, which means that I am part of the whole private label industry.  I'm a soapmaker that provides soap to people who can't make it and would like to offer them to their customer base. 

What urks me is that people are creating companies to sell soap and bath and body products, but are just ordering from artisans and wholesale outlets, repackaging the products and claiming they made it all. By hand. That is what makes me nuts.  Why create a company that carries and sells everything that was made by others and claim it's theirs?  Seems like fraud to me.  And dishonest.  One of the problems I see about that is the more "soap companies" or B+B companies that pop up, the more saturated the market becomes, making it harder for real soap makers to make a living.  It's true that some people are better at branding and marketing than others and these people get in there and sell the wares to customers that would have otherwise, perhaps, chosen other indie companies that make them.

I can't compete with certain companies that wholesale their soaps for $1.79.  Raw materials have almost doubled since I started soaping and where is the profit?  How can one make soap and sell it for that and be able to pay for groceries?!  I can't. 

I know that safflower and sunflower oil is cheaper than olive oil and shea butter, etc, but people don't care what it's made of as long as it claims it's organic.  Here is another problem I have.  Organic doesn't mean better.  Organic just means that pesticide wasn't used in producing the products.  That's not always a good thing. Don't insects and other pests carry disease and can be carried through to the food, fruit, oils, etc?  I have had food poisoning on two separate occasions eating organic foods.  Both were "pre-washed" and packaged. 

I have been tempted to call people out, but then it really doesn't matter what I think or who sells what.  We live in a free society with choices, and I honor and support that.  Who am I to say I think it's a double-cross?  I believe in rights, but it still makes me mad.  It's hard to always be telling prospective customers that my ingredients and formulations are of superior quality and that my scents are carefully chosen and blended, just to purchase from the cheaper supplier.  What can I do other than continue making the soap and products that are good and of high quality and stand behind it and hope I get through this recession.  Because it's hard out here.  This isn't my second job. 

This is everything.

Soap Travels Unveiled

These past two weeks have been incredibly busy here at the Product Body Headquarters.  Between life, filling and shipping orders and me getting a 2 day migraine that knocked me on my feet, I have finally gotten to Soap Travels.  I feel bad that I didn't get to it sooner, but it came at the busiest time of year for me.

Regarding Soap Travels, started by Cocobong:

Imagine receiving a little parcel containing three soaps from three different soapers. You get to choose one, replace it with one of your own creations and send it on its way again. This little parcel will travel around the globe, sharing your work with other great soapers.

Here are the contents of my package... they are all pretty and lovely:

wrapped

 unwrapped except for Miss Julia's (cocobong) because it was too 

beautifully wrapped and I knew which one I needed to keep.

Julia guessed that I would choose Patti Flynn's soap and, indeed, that is the one I am keeping.  I have never had the pleasure of trying Patti's soaps, so I must confess, I have been curious to say the least.  I have tried Julia's soaps, so that was right out.  The Mianra one is absolutely gorgeous, but I had to pass because of The Flynn. 

I am now going to send this package across the world to the next in line for Soap Travels.  Hmmm, what bar to include.... I guess we'll all have to wait for that blog post.  I have a special soap I custom-made for a Palm Beach magazine that is quite pretty.... maybe I'll send that one along.  Made with Atlantic ocean water, coconut milk, banana and mango powder and blue and green mica. 

Once I try The Flynn, I will post again with my mini "review" - you must know, I know!

I have to say how honored I am to be on this list of soapers who were chosen to be part of this awesome journey.  

Thank you, Julia!

Sliding soap. Bombs Away.

Every so often, my mother has an experience to share regarding my business, soap....whatever and writes a little short story.  This one was from last weekend and not so much regarding anything business related other than the horror I found under her sink.

the tragedy of body detergent.  Yes, this is what I found.

 __________________________________________________________________________

A story about my daughter, a sweet freak


I don't know if I ever brought this up in any of my stories, but Joanna and her husband and children all regularly go through my pantry and medicine cabinet pointing out and tossing those things that have expired.  Even Nina's friends have been heard to say "this is expired."  This is rather embarrassing, humiliating and obnoxious on their part, but I take a deep breath, being the good sport that I am and put up with their nonsense.


However, Joanna went too far this week end. Too much coffee or something.  She was sitting on the floor of my bathroom with the cabinet wide open pulling everything out and throwing everything into the garbage pail.  I should have known I was in trouble right then and there.  Suddenly she began yelling "bombs away" and slid the first bar of Irish Spring soap down the long hall until it went under my bed.  Then the second bar, the third bar and 16 bars later (all under my bed) with my grandson, Desmond bent over laughing.  She was done.  I couldn't even speak. 


I said "you come from very good breeding.  Your father was a college professor, your mother a psychotherapist, and you're a freak.  

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Ma." 

My daughter the diplomat.

__________________________________________________________________

When I found a jumbo box of Irish Spring under my mother's bathroom sink (you know the kind you can get at Costco or Sam's Club bulk stores) I was semi-mortified.  Semi, you ask?  Well, I do periodically find 20 year old aspirin or a box of cotton balls, where the box looks almost vintage, so I kind of figured that the soap must have been bought from before I started making soap.  I just want to mention that my mother keeps an incredibly clean house and everything is immaculate, so I don't want to paint a picture of my mom having vintage cotton ball boxes and 20 year old aspirin in a dingy water stained, hoarder-like household.  Not even close to reality.  My house will never reach the cleanliness state that hers has been like since I left for college.  That is, unless I have a cleaning service - which I sadly don't.

I digress.

So... the soap scenario was fun.  My son (11 years old) was 20 feet away, at least and I am sitting on the floor, sliding each boxed bar of Irish Spring down this long, perfect-brand-new-and-double-shiny wood floors and would slide right by my mother (who's face looked stunned), went under her bed and my son would laugh and pick it up from the other side.   We all laughed so hard, except, I had to explain that if I ever find another commercial soap box in the house, I may have to be more extreme with my sliding measures.

;)

Flickr Group Pool For The Soap Bar

It occurred to me that we, as a group of soap makers, have mounds of incredible experience and talent. I feel that as the writer of this blog, it is my job to bring you soap porn and to introduce you to new soap makers and designs, concepts, etc.

I was over at Flickr, a website which is like a public "bank" of photography, and I was browsing bath and body products for research purposes. While I was browsing, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I should start my own group (duh!) and have all of you post photos of your work, or work in progress, up in the Flickr pool and we can all become even MORE like a community. I've set it up so we can not only set up photos, but videos as well. Discussions are also enabled so if anyone wants to start one, can begin.

This is a whole new level of communication. It's not just me on a soapbox! It's us now. I am super excited about this... I am just shocked I didn't think of it sooner! My goodness!

Come join me:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/thesoapbar/

Unique Soaps

Decorative soap in Thailand - hand carved

Ice Cream Soapwich by AJ Sweet Soap

Fragranced with Cake Batter and chocolate fragrance.

Makes this a sensation for all the senses! Almost 6 ounces.

One Angel Wing Soap In Grace by Satin And Birch

The Wings are 4 x 3 1/2 And they are fragranced with Amazing Grace.

You have to see this chair being made by soap:

Soap Chair

"Soap

exaggerated

to the

scale of a chair."

Created by Nancy Wu

courtesy of bookofjoe.com

Crazy talent, right??!???

I'd Like To Say This About That

Amy Warden, of Great Cakes Soapworks, decided to run a Best Handmade Soap Blogs Award and The Soap Bar was nominated for four out of six categories. I am speechless. It is an honor being nominated and it feels amazing to be recognized. I want to share my thanks and tell you that you all have made The Soap Bar what it is, really. I started it and you helped me bring it here.

Thank you.

I urge you to go to Amy's blog and vote, for any of the blogs! All of them are wonderful. You should check them all out. I learned about a few I didn't know existed and I am thrilled to have them on my list of places to go to see talent, new ideas, other people's bursts of creativity and (hee hee) more soap porn material. Yay that! I also don't see this as a competition, really. I feel this more as a bonding with other bloggers and I wish we could all sit around a big breakfast table and have coffee and biscuits and jam and hang out.

Again, I urge you to look at all the blogs and continue learning and loving and growing and vote because as of 10:15 am, there are only 95 voters and there probably should be more. This is international, baby.

xox

Joanna

Titanium Dioxide: Is It Safe? A Re-Post

The following was written by Erin of Inner Earth Soaps and I think it's an industry issue that might be of interest to you. I have copied it verbatim.

*********

Recently I've had some customers asking me about titanium dioxide. I've always considered it to be a fairly innocuous product, but lately there have been some concerns over studies where it has been shown to be a possible carcinogenic, causing fear in consumers. So let's bring it out in the open.

What is titanium dioxide?

It's a naturally-occurring mineral, mined from the earth. After mining it is processed to remove impurities, leaving behind a mineral pigment in the form of a white powder.

Which products might contain titanium dioxide?

Soaps, make-up, toothpaste, sunscreen, food, plastics, paints, ink and paper, to name a few.

Why use titanium dioxide?

Apart from in sunscreen - where the titanium dioxide is used to block UV rays from the skin - it is a mostly aesthetic ingredient that makes products appear more white or opaque.

Is titanium dioxide safe?

Titanium dioxide is listed as a safe pigment, with no known side effects. However there is some debate over a specific type of titanium dioxide: ultrafine or nano particles. This is the type of titanium dioxide that is used in sunscreens, because the particles are small enough to be invisible to the naked eye, yet still reflect the UV rays. The debate is whether these particles are small enough to penetrate the skin and become a possible carcinogenic.

Does Inner Earth Soaps use titanium dioxide in their products?

Yes, in some soaps we do. Where it is used, it is listed in the ingredients. However, we don't use the ultrafine powder that is the subject of debate.

Even with this explained, some folks just don't feel comfortable using products containing titanium dioxide. So I've started experimenting with our soaps: some of the ones that currently contain titanium dioxide will be made without it. Below is our Honey Toffee soap. The one on the left contains titanium dioxide, the one on the right doesn't. You can easily tell the difference - the left one is much more opaque, and the layers more well-defined. I'm interested to see whether this new batch will be more popular.

What do you think? Do you use titanium dioxide in your products, or do you feel strongly about using products made with it? I'd love to hear your comments.

*******

If you'd like to read the comments left for her, leave a comment for her or see the original post, please go here. Thanks, Erin!

Also feel free to express yourself!