Soapmaking encompasses art, beauty and chemistry. At a recent advance soapmaking class where the students made soaps using a couple of coloring techniques: funnel swirl and good ole fashion swirl. Here are a few photos from that class where the canvas is made out of soap.

The first one reminds me of a galaxy far far away. It is amazing how each person uses the same tools, the same coloring, the same ingredients but yet each one is a unique work of artist expression through the medium of soap.

Recently I had a large soap order which left me with over 30 pounds of soap ends of perfectly good soap. Instead of throwing those pieces of soap away or having them take up space and months to use personally I decided to rebatch the soap.

So how do you exactly rebatch? Well it is not hard to do at all. You will need the following equipment:

• A Grater or Presto 02910 SaladShooter Electric Slicer/Shredder to grate your soap into shreds. This aids in the soap getting soft enough to remold.
• A Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-Quart Slow Cooker or any other type of slow cooker
  to melt down the shredded soap.
• A Spatula to mix the soap in the slow cooker.
• A Spoon to scoop the melted soap into the soap mold.
• A Soap Mold to shape the soap as it cools down and hardens back up.

The first thing you will need to do is grate the soap into shreds. Once shredded add the soap to the slow cooker. I put the slow cooker on high. For every 2 pounds of soap I added about 3 ounces of water or the liquid of your choice. I didn’t use too much liquid since the soap I was using was still moist and soft. After about 30 minutes I stirred the soap to make sure that all the soap had a chance to evenly melt down. Within an hour all the soap was soap. I also added one good squirt of castor oil. Castor oils is great for boosting lather just in case some of the lathering properties were diminished during the process. Before putting the soap into a mold an ounce of fragrance was added to boost the scent factor of the melted soap. Just in case the fragrance that was originally used burned off in the process.

After the soap was melted I scooped the soft soap out of the crock pot and into the mold. Every so often I would tap the mold so that the soap would evenly distribute and lesson the possibility for air pockets to be trapped.

The soap was allowed to sit in the mold for about 12 hours or enough time for it to cool and harden. I unwrapped the soaps and allowed the surface to air dry before proceeding to cut into slices.

This process allowed me not to waste soap nor have it sitting around taking space on my shelf. It was perfectly good soap to sell.

You can use this technique to get rid of any scraps of soap you may have and cut up chunks of soap to give it texture and personality.

So here’s to no more scraps of soap lying around collecting dust. Now you can rebatch your soap scraps and have a  whole new line of super soaps to offer your customers.

Back at the end of October Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey and New York like a sledge hammer. Many were lost their homes, lost power for weeks and lost the businesses. Being a resident of the State of New Jersey I felt compelled to share with those who may be in need of one life’s commodities, soap. I reached out to my soapmaking community and Erin Pikor owner of Naiad Soap Arts in San Diego, CA and Jenny Grimes owner of  Loft Soaps in San Francisco, CA graciously sent soaps to be apart of the donation.

Together we donated 116 soaps. The soaps were donated to Renaissance Community Development Corp Center located in Newark, NJ. Newark, NJ was one of the hardest hits area in regards to power. About 90% of the city was without power and slowly came back to life over the course of several weeks. It has been a hard several months and things are slowly coming back but many things need to be changed so that this type of disaster won’t have the severity of damage in the future.

Thank you Erica and Jennifer for helping those across the other side of the country in their time of need. They loved the soaps and were excited to be able to provide people with the basic necessities. Help is still needed throughout the state. If you want to see where you can help in the state of New Jersey visit Jersey Cares for a list of volunteer and donation opportunities.

Next month, Melissa Rivera, owner of Naturally Good Soaps and Essence and Aroma will be back to teach how to make Herbal Balms and Salves. It wasn’t until trying Melissa’s Healing Salve last year on #IndieCruise that I became a fan.  I had a bit too much sun and had a little sunburn. I put on the the Healing Salve she gave me and the redness was gone by the next morning. The healing salve is a staple now in my medicine chest.

I had a few questions for Melissa about her love for herbs and why use them in balms and salves. Here is what she shared with me:

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BEGIN MAKING HERBAL BALMS AND SALVES?
I love working with herbs and thought incorporating herbs into balms and salves would be a great way to give customers the opportunity to heal their skin with the beneficial herbs.

HOW WILL LEARNING HOW TO MAKE HERBAL BALMS AND SALVES BENEFIT MY PRODUCT LINE?
Many people are learning to live natural and cosmetics are a part of their transition. It doesn’t take a lot of money or raw ingredients to make a beneficial product that is easy to carry around.

DO I NEED TO BE A CERTIFIED HERBALIST IN ORDER TO CRAFT HERBAL BALMS AND SALVES?
You don’t need to be a certified herbalist however it is important to learn about the herbs and their beneficial properties. I do find that people never stop learning so even those who are certified continue to learn.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HERB TO WORK WITH?
I adore Calendula. It is such a beautiful herb and versatile. It is great for all skin types and wonderful for babies gentle skin. It comes in bright colors of orange or yellow and whenever I look at it, I smile.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE HERBAL BALMS AND SALVES CLASS?
Everyone should take the class!!!

So there you have it! The 411 on Herbal Balm and Salves. For more information about the class visit Herbal Balms and Salves. Thanks Melissa for sharing. Below are some pictures from our last Herbal Balms and Salves Class.

For the third year I attended #IndieCruise which was held from February 2 – February 7th, 2013. We departed from Fort Lauderdale, FL and sailed to Belize and Cozumel.  During our days at sea we spent the day time in mastermind sessions. This year all the sessions had a common thread of how to make more money in our businesses. Jennifer Hardaway, owner of KleanSpa presented “How To Expand Your Brand Through Mindful Collaboration.” Lela Barker, owner of Bella Luce and Lucky Break Consulting presented on “How To Get More Retail Stores To Buy Your Products, So You Can Make More Money“. I presented, “How to Make Money Teaching How To Classes” and Donna Maria Coles Johnson, owner of Indie Business Network taught “Top 10 Complementary Business Models for Handmade Entrepreneurs.”

Diane Humke, of Essential Wholesale, resonated a common thread in all presentations….DO THE MATH! She wanted us to not get all caught in the fun side of business which most creatives do but to remember the financial side of our businesses. What happens to most creatives is we get all caught up in making our products and selling them. Then reality kicks in and we realize we are working way to hard to not be making any money. Why? Because we failed to DO THE MATH!

If we do the math before launching a new product or service we may realize that it might not be worth our time to launch it or the price point we set will not make us the money we need to generate a profit so that we can pay ourselves a salary and reinvest the excess into growing our businesses.

We often realize this later and then have to inform our customers we are raising our prices. From now on I will constantly think on these three words DO THE MATH when I create a new product or service as well as analyze my current pricing to make sure I am pricing my products and services for what they are really worth. I encourage you to do the same.

One of my favorite movies is “Finding Nemo”. I don’t get to see it often but recently it has been resonating with me when I saw it on tv over the holiday season. My favorite all time scene is with Dory and Nemo’s Dad, Marlin. Marlin drops the mask into the deep sea which he feels was his only chance of finding his son, Nemo. Dory, who has befriended Marlin and is assisting him in his search sees Marlin is in a bad mood and has lost all hope. She swims up to him and asks Marlin “When life gets you down you know what you got do?” Of course Marlin doesn’t want to be bothered and Dory tells him “Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming, What do We do We Swim, Swim!”

This statement turned into song is so profound. In life and even if you are a small business owner there will be times when you want to throw in the towel. Often these moments will happen right before what we have been working so hard for would have manifest. Marlin was ready to give up looking for his son Nemo but Dory encouraged him to keep on swimming. What if he didn’t keep swimming? He wouldn’t have found his son, Nemo.

In 2013 there will be moments when you want to stop but I am encouraging you to “Just Keep Swimming!” In other words, don’t become so paralyzed from life that you don’t do anything to reach your goals or dreams. Keep moving forward even when you have a set back. If you keep moving you are bound to accomplish what you set out to do.

Marlin almost gave up. Dory encouraged him to keep searching for his son. Did Marlin find Nemo right away. No, in fact they had more disappointments or at least that is what Marlin thought they were; such as being swallowed by a whale. Which in fact was another bad situation that actually took them where they needed to go. Another blog post for a later date.

I have found that even singing this song throughout the day makes me laugh and smile. It lifts my spirits. Like Marlin says he can’t get the song out of his head. But guess what it brightens up my day and I want to KEEP SWIMMING!

Some of the students who attend classes attend for the fun of it. They often will take a class over again. Recently one of my students scheduled to take the lotion making class again after the soy candle making class that day. This time she had a mission…favors for her daughter’s baby shower. She wanted to make baby powdered lotion for the shower that she would fill in baby bottles as favors along with baby powdered candles.

At the next class after her daughters baby shower she brought the final favors in for me to see. I was amazed at what she created; a soy candle, lotion and sugar body scrub. I told her she has found her niche and even if she really didn’t plan on starting a business look out because she will be making favors for more baby showers, bridal showers, birthdays and anniversaries.

Gleydin’s first grand baby is in store for more handcrafted treats because she just finished taking an Herbal Balms and Salves class so I am expecting some baby booty balm making going on soon. Best wishes to you Gleydin and what a lucky grandchild you will have with a grandmother like you!

We all know that oranges are a great source of vitamin C. Not only are they refreshing to eat and drink they are also refreshing to smell. The clean sweet aroma of orange essential oil is extracted from the rind of the orange by cold pressing.

A whiff of orange essential oil after a hard day at work can be the pick me up you need to make it through the rest of the day. Have a fireplace? Add some to your wood used in the fire. The scent also has a calming effect which may be helpful with mellowing out.

Some safety notes include using it in moderation as it may react to sunlight if overused. It may also irritate the skin so use in moderation. Also, because it is a citrus essential oil the scent will fleet quickly making it a top note. To help anchor the orange essential oil you should blend it with another essential oil. On the skin never us it neat. Always mix it with a carrier oil or added as scent your soaps and other bath and body products.

Other essential oils orange essential oil blends well with:
Cedarwood
Lemon
Myrrh
Patchouli
Sandalwood

As you can see orange essential oil is definitely a must have in your collection of essential oils. If nothing else it will brighten your day.

October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. This is the 5th year of recognizing this day. But what makes having a Global Handwashing Day necessary especially since we don’t live in a 3rd world country.

Handwashing with soap is the number one way to prevent disease. Diarrheal illnesses and respiratory infections can be prevented just by getting in the habit washing your hands with soap after using the restroom, changing a baby’s diaper or before handling food.  This sounds like a no brainer but think how often you have observed a person leaving the restroom without washing their hands.

Rinsing with just water is not enough. Soap must be involved in the handwashing process. Soap helps to release the dirt that attaches to the oils on the skin. Water helps to rinse them away.

Change will happen as others especially children observe these habits from practicing adults. Get in the habit of washing hands after using the restroom, changing a baby diaper and before handling food.

So in celebration of Global Handwashing Day you guessed it WASH YOUR HANDS with SOAP! Encourage others to do the same and we all can live a healthier life.

Resources:

The Global Private-Public Partnership for Handwashing

 Clean the World

Running a business can be fun and exciting. Especially if you are manufacturing creative items like soaps. Often we get caught up in the manufacturing and selling of the finished products that we don’t keep up with the bottom line.

As a small business owner you need to understand your business financial numbers. It can be frustrating but important to know and understand. To start off I would like to discuss the importance of understanding your sales numbers. So let’s break it down.

Sales: Oh yea! We love those. I know I do. This is the actual transaction where someone pays you cash or cash equivalent for the product you just made. It is such a warm and fuzzy feeling and you are super duper happy someone is willing to buy your product.

Variable Expenses: What in the world are these expenses? Though they are called variable they have nothing to do with expenses that can vary from month to month. They are expenses directly related to making a sale. They include the cost of the materials to manufacture the product, the labor to manufacture the product, if there are any travel related to selling the product (do you deliver your product to the client), merchant account or paypal fees associated with the sale and commission paid to a sales rep. These expenses are directly related to the product of the business.

Gross Profit: This is what is left over after you make the sale and subtract all expenses associated with the sale. It tells you if you made money from the sales for the month and if you are profitable within your industry range. It is a good guide if you are making sufficient money.

Fixed Expenses: These expenses are generally the same from month to month or are not associated with the product or service your business provides. Expenses such as rent, utilities, administrative labor, insurance, dues and subscriptions, payroll taxes and professional fees are considered fixed expenses. With your fixed expenses you have to pay them regardless if you make money in your business or not. They are expected to be paid. This is why you need to know what your fixed expenses are so that you can set sales goals for your business to cover the fixed expenses from your business.

Net Profit: This is the extra cash in the bank! We all strive for a net profit. With the net profit you can use the cash to grow your business. You may need the extra cash to buy more materials so that you can increase your sales or hire more staff if needed to run your expanding business.

If you find that your gross profits are not enough to pay your fixed expenses then you need to look at your numbers more closely. Start with your gross profit. Are you pricing your product competitively in your market so that after your variable expenses you are making a gross profit that is sufficient enough to pay your fixed expenses? Also, look at where you are buying your variable expenses from. Look around for better resources for your materials so that you can save money on the materials. There may be a vendor out there that is closer or have better pricing. You just have to search.

Next look at your fixed expenses and see if there are ways that you can possibly save money. For example, maybe by switching your utilities company with another you will have substantial savings per month that will lower your monthly obligations or shopping around with insurance agents for better rates. Some items you will not be able to change but there are bound to be some fixed expenses that you can trim a few dollars off.

I know it may be taunting to think about the numbers of your business but take the bull by the horn and begin to understand how they work. Take a class with your local SBA office or other local entrepreneurial classes that will teach you how to understand your business financials.

Knowing your business financials is empowering and this empowerment will equip you with the ability to grow your business wisely.