Donna Maria's Handmade Beauty Connection
April 18, 2005

1. HBN Update: Welcome New HBN Members!!
2. Feature Article: Stirring Up Bubble: The Joys of Making Your Own Soap!
3. Handmade Beauty Recipe Of The Week:  Coffee Mint Kitchen Soap
4. Handmade Beauty Trivia Question: win some lavender soap!

New Members

Yokelbees | Susan Deegan | Oregon
* bulk soaps, powders and herbs, plus 100% natural skin care products

Rivertree Soaps, LLC | Robin Buhl | New Jersey
* handmade soaps, bath & body luxuries that feel & smell so good you’ll love using them

Sinjin & Sage Handcrafted Soap | Peggy Deutsch-Knutson | Iowa
* handmade soaps, mostly hand cut and unpolished for the one of a kind, earthly look

HBN Members On The Move!!

Traci Vanover of The Creative Concept is excited to invite you all to the Soap and Candle Bee in Fort Wayne, Indiana on  June 11, 2005. The Theme is "Fresh Ideas -- Fresh Outlook" and I'll be the keynote speaker -- hope to see you there! (HBN members, put "HBN OFFER" in the shopping cart comments to get your FREE spa CD when you register!)

LAST CALL!! The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild is in the final planning stages for its Pittsburgh, PA, on April 27 - 30 conference! Enjoy their theme, "Transitions For Growth -- Reaching Your Goals." Speaker topics Master Soapmaking classes, Merchandising & Customer Service, Teaching Soapmaking in West Africa, Trademarks, Copyrights & Patents and more! Click here for details!

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical listings.

Maybe it's the magic we feel when we finally know we have stirred the soap pot long enough to know that it's ready to pour into the mold. Or perhaps it's the excitement we feel after the soap is poured into the mold and we feel a giddy sense of anticipation that becomes addictive after just one batch. There's always the possibility that we just love the scent blend we created, or we feel absolutely genius when we dump in those leftover oats and almonds at the last minute, turning that a plain batch of soap into something extraordinary for the skin. Or maybe it's plainly and simply the confidence we feel when with our own two hands, we have created something so utterly useful out of an otherwise ordinary group of natural things. Whatever the case, if you have made even one batch of your own soap, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you have not made any soap, then it's high time you do.

My discovery of handmade soap took place shortly after I decided I was in desperate need of something constructive to divert my attention from a failing marriage and a job that was no longer fun or challenging. As I strolled through my favorite local herb shop, I stumbled upon a bar of lemon scented handmade soap. When I smelled it, I was intoxicated. I thought lemon smelled like dishwashing liquid (or did dishwashing liquid smell like lemon??!). Little did I know that that what I thought was lemon for all those years was just a fake imitation of the real thing -- the essential oil that's found in lemons -- and that most essential oils are perfect for handmade soap.

The label on the bar I bought said that it was "handmade." I had hands, so in that case, I concluded, I must be able to make soap. Suddenly, I was bound and determined to discover for myself the ingredients I needed, and then how to combine those ingredients to make my own soap. Little did I know that I would need every bit of income from the full time job I had at the time just to support my habit!!

My search lead me to a company in Texas that sold essential oils. I bought a huge bunch of them (and nearly missed a car payment in the process!) and developed a great relationship with the lady in the sales office. I asked her if she knew anyone who could teach me how to make soap. She lead me to my dear friend Nan. Nan taught me how to make soap on the telephone. Again, I needed every dollar from my job to cover our marathon phone calls. I kept great notes (which today are absolutely hilarious) so I could know what not to do in the future when I made a bad batch, and what I should do over and over again to make good soap. After I made several bad batches, Nan suggested I buy a soapmaking kit. I did, and nearly died waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I was up all night into the wee hours of the morning making soap after I tore open the box. I actually don't remember sleeping that night. What I do recall is lifting the covers and lids from the box of soap about 500 times so I could sniff and see. Honestly I don't know how that soap ever hardened!

Anyway, I was determined to make soap, and make soap I did. At the time, I had no idea that HBN, and not a successful soaping venture of my own, would be one of the final results. Many HBN members from all over tell great stories about their soapmaking adventures.

• In the mid-90's, Susan Ryhanen of Creekside Soaps in New York became fascinated with soap making. She quickly began making batch after batch after absorbing all the information she could find at her local library and through online bookstores. Says Susan, "The books were great, but when I discovered soap making online discussion groups, I though I had died and gone to heaven. All of a sudden, at my fingertips, there was all the information I could ever need about the challenges of soap making!!"
• Maryclaire Mayes of New York's Alabu Soap tells a different story, but like Susan, she too was mesmerized. "One day a friend recruited our help on a soap making project. Her first attempts had failed and she thought that the project might make a challenging chemistry lesson for my home schooled children. Off we went. As we crowded into her kitchen equipped with goggles and gloves, she explained how lye combines with oils to make soap. This time it came out perfect. We were hooked."
• Kim Lutz-Isenhour of Lutzy's Lather in Pennsylvania had a different experience, having learned to make soap at her grandmother's feet. "I'm fascinated that so many common ingredients can make such useful products," says Kim. "That's what got me addicted to this! I wanted to share my love of "cooking" beauty products."
• Even though Ron Jonas of Willow Way in Indiana supplies soapmaking equipment, his life was also touched by the soapmaking fairy. Says Ron, "My mate and I made our first batch of soap and loved it. It wasn't long until we had outgrown the space in our kitchen and moved our soapmaking operation into the barn. Finding a way of cutting soap evenly and consistently became a crusade." Today, Ron sells air soap cutters so soapmakers both large and small can also create consistent, even bars of handmade soap.
• "Kismet," says Jessica Newens of Colorado's Tomboy Soap Company. She was immediately taken by the idea of making and selling soap after reading a book on soapmaking. Not only was it an appealing medium for beautifully subtle colors and textures, but she also loves the idea "that nothing is left -- that the entire product is used," she says of bars of soap.

Of course HBN's Online Member Directory is filled to overflowing with soapmaking stories as compelling as those included here. While everyone's experiences are unique, the common thread is an utterly uncontrollable addition to the joys of soapmaking after just the first few batches -- even if those batches failed!

The stories of soapmakers are as varied as the individual personalities of the people that tell them. I'm sure you have your own story -- please write and tell me about it. I may use it in an upcoming issue. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about but like to bathe and are eager to find out if you too can create a product that is at once useful and fun to use in the bath, you owe it to yourself to make at least one batch of soap in your life. But consider yourselves warned -- you will NOT be able to stop at just one, so you might as well start saving up before you even stir your first batch. Whether you call it "addicted," "died and gone to heaven," "a crusade," "hooked" or "Kismet," life as you now know it today will end with your first batch of soap.

To start you on your way, visit your favorite bookstore (on or offline) and search for soapmaking, or look for hobbies and crafts in the bookstore. You're sure to find some good books to get you started!

Coffee Mint Kitchen Soap is great for use in the kitchen to remove common cooking odors left by such things as garlic and fish.

When you visit MakeYourCosmetics.com, it's easy to buy the ingredients you need by clicking on our Selected Supplier links:

Essential Wholesale: pure essential oils, over 200 cosmetic bases, hundreds of carrier/fixed oils such as meadowfoam, cranberry, jojoba and shea butter plus a new Short Run Private Labeling Program!

Bramble Berry, Inc.: over 105 different fragrance and essential oils (including their exclusive "Energy" and "Relaxing"), all soap tested, soap molds and unscented soap bases!

SunRose Aromatics: pure essential oils (many organic), carrier oils and other aromatherapy products, each carefully selected for quality. Check out their new Perfumer's Emporium.

The Scent Shack: fragrance oils and soap supplies. Fragrance oils are pre-tested in cold process, melt & pour soap, and candles, and test results are listed at the Web site. Scents tested by soapers for soapers!

From Nature With Love: over 1,600 ingredients and supplies, including cosmetic ingredients, spa supplies, bath accessories and packaging supplies!

Last Week's Question: Name the three HBN members with "lavender" in their company names, and state which one of them actually harvests lavender on their farm.

Last Week's Answer: Wayward Winds Lavender Farm, Saratoga Lavender Farm, Victoria's Lavender. Wayward Winds harvests lavender on their farm.

This Week's Question: To make soap at home, you need to gather some equipment in advance. In addition to pots, pans, spoons and a soap mold, you'll need some safety equipment: gloves for your hands and forearms, a face mask for your nose and these to protect your eyes. 

Be the first to answer correctly and win some lavender soap!

Please read the contest rules here before submitting your entry. Put "TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWER" in the subject line or your answer will not be considered.

While time does not permit me to respond personally to all entrants, the winner's name will be announced in the next newsletter!

Visit our suite of Web sites serving the handmade toiletries industry:

HandmadeBeauty.com: the leading industry trade organization
MangoButter.com: 450+ suppliers of raw materials and packaging, updated weekly!
MakeYourCosmetics.com: ingredient encyclopedia & original cosmetics recipes
DonnaMaria.com: sound advice for your small business, Create The Life You Love™