Milling soap part II

A couple months ago, I wrote a blog entry about milling soap and what that means for a handcrafted soapmaker vs. a commercial soap manufacturer. 

Huge difference.  Commercial soap milling is a manufacturing process that involves removing the skin-softening, moisturizing glycerin that's a natural by-product of soapmaking so it can be used more profitably in lotions, creams, and other cosmetic and skin care products.  That's why so many commercially-made soaps are harsh, drying, and even irritating to the skin. 

With this in mind, it was especially interesting to stumble across this little press release from a company in Dubai that does exactly that -- removes the glycerin from soap and sells it for substantially greater profit to cosmetics manufacturers. 

Makes me wonder who buys what's left over.  Proctor & Gamble?  Unliver?  Henkel International?

Soapmaking & social media

I am WAY behind the curve when it comes to using social media, whether for personal or business purposes.  But I'm becoming a convert.  I've got a Facebook page now.  I've got a Twitter account too.  And there's egg on my face because it wasn't too long ago I thought both were frivolous.  

Are either of them proving useful?  Yes.  Facebook is a vehicle for connecting and communicating with customers, potential customers, and friends/associates.  I'm still in the process of figuring out exactly how I want to use it and what I want my Facebook presence to be -- I'm studiously observing how others use it to get a better feel for its potential. And I'm seeing that it actually is a useful tool for creating and building relationships. 

Same for Twitter, except I'm so new to it that I don't have much to show for any of my tweets -- yet.  But I've got a lot to show from having read other's tweets.  One guy I'm following, for example, tweets all the time on a whole range of subjects in technology and innovation.  Some fascinating and very useful stuff. 

And I like Twitter's libertarian spirit. You can follow or stop following whoever you choose whenever you choose. Anyone else can do the same in choosing to follow or stop following you.  People can block individuals from following them if they want, though I can't imagine that happens very often. 

What I've come to realize in all this is that I'm behind the curve in using these tools because I didn't understand them, and in my mind that became a reason to ignore them rather than a reason to learn about them.  Embarrassing to admit, but a valuable lesson! 

New product photos

I was so impressed with the photos Lydia Krupinski took of my soaps that I'm going to experiment with redoing all my soap pics.  Having just made several fresh batches of bath bombs, I decided to start with them.  Whaddya think of this one?  Thumbs up?  Thumbs down?

 

How to name a soap

As I was packaging a new batch of jasmine sandalwood soaps today, I was reminded of one my favorite farmers market stories. 

It was late morning, and two young men wandered through the market.  One looked like a very ordinary kind of guy.  The other was anything but ordinary.  A vintage English driving cap on his head, artfully unruly long hair sticking out below, sunglasses, chains around his neck, black fingernail polish, black pants with zippers all over them.  Let's just say a young man who enjoys being on the cutting edge -- or the lunatic fringe, depending on your tastes -- of fashion.

So the two of them stop by my table and the flamboyant one is checking out the soaps, sniffing and offering his assessment of each soap's scent.   The overall verdict?  "I LOVE your soaps.  And they have such great drag queen names!  I think I went to high school with Rosemary Lemon!"

What a HOOT!  And he was so right.  One of my other soaps at the time was Ginger Lime, a tart and spicy drag queen name if I ever heard one.  And the innocently sweet but voluptuously curvy Cucumber Melon. 

I remembered this because when I first made the jasmine sandalwood soaps, I was wondering if that was what I should call them.  But when I realized that Jasmine Sandalwood is just about the most fabulous name a drag queen could have, the decision was made!

Aspiring drag queens who haven't yet settled on a stage name, this might be you . . . but Peppermint's taken.  Don't even think about it.  She's fierce.

Edgewater Soaps in feature interview on Sprout Chicago blog!

Many thanks to fellow Edgewater resident and craftperson Lydia Krupinski of Pierogi Picnic for featuring Edgewater Soaps in an interview for the Sprout Chicago blog!  Described as An Urban Guide to the Green Life, Sprout Chicago " . . . takes you into the heart of good and green life in Chicago.  From local news and restaurant reviews, to interviews with green go-getters and profiles of eco-events, Sprout Chicago is your source for sustainability in the city." 

The interview is great and the photos -- which Lydia took -- are stunning.  Got me thinking I should retake all the pics on my website . . . !  (Or hire her to do it, maybe?  What do you think?)

How we make buying decisions

This is amazing.  It's about how people make buying decisions.  If you don't see yourself in it immediately, it's only because you -- like me -- do this all the time without being conscious of it.  I guarantee that you will soon start to catch yourself doing exactly what he describes.

The first part of the video is Siamack Salari, the ethnographic researcher who analyzed and identified the buying decision process.  It's a little dry when he explains the process (although it's an excellent explanation of what ethnographic research is if you're not familiar with it), but keep watching.  The videtaped examples that follow are truly uncanny.  If you were to see them in a different context and without the benefit of his narration, you'd say, "So what?  A woman buying some hamburger buns."  But she's doing more than buying hamburger buns.  She's going through a very specific thought and decision-making process.  The same one you and I do almost every time we buy something.

Establish a reference point. Compare to the alternatives. Make a decision. Do a final check to be sure. 

If you'd like to check out his website, which is also very interesting, it's called Ethnosnacker.com

Chicago's DIY Trunk Show!

Just three more days to the 2009 DIY Trunk Show!  Do Not Miss It!  Saturday, November 21, 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse in Wicker Park, 1419 West Blackhawk.  Just a couple blocks away from the Milwaukee & Division el stop on the blue line.

We'll be there along with more than 100 independent Chicago-area artists, artisans, and craftspeople.  It's a one-of-a-kind show and it's great fun.  It's organized by a committee of dedicated, hardworking volunteer craftspeople -- no one benefits from this except the craftspeople themselves.  And it's one of the few shows that gives priority to local artists and craftspeople.  Admission is free!  Come out and discover how vibrant and vital the Chicago-area craft scene is.

Do It Yourself skin care recipes

This is so fun!  I've added a page to my website for do-it-yourself skin care recipes, and my first two DIY recipes are for hand sanitizer and a seaweed facial mask. 

"A seaweed facial mask?" I hear you ask incredulously.  Yep!  And I really like it.  I'm not much of a spa treatment person myself, and I'd never experienced a facial mask until I tried this.  I was quite surprised by how good it made my skin look and feel!

Maybe I'm more of a spa person than I thought . . . perhaps a closet spa person.  All I know is you gotta love anything so simple that makes such a difference.  I'm a new man.  See?

Global Handwashing Day!

Of course you -- being the well-informed and up-to-date person that you are -- already know that today is Global Handwashing Day.  And you've probably planned some especially festive handwashing activities to celebrate the occasion. 

I'm embarrassed to admit that I did NOT know today was Global Handwashing Day until I ran across the L.A.Times article posted just below this entry.  And while I have no celebratory activities planned, I do at least have a handwashing song to contribute.  Let the festivities begin!

Soap addiction

It's true that some people are addicted to soap.  They LOVE soap, and when they pass by my table they always stop and they always buy something.  Or several somethings.

"Addicted" is their word, not mine.  Just last week a customer asked how she could get my soaps once the farmers markets were over.  I told her she could get them online through my website, and also mentioned the stores that carry them.  "Good," she said.  "I just want to make sure I can still get it, now that you've got me hooked on your CRACK soap!"

Crack soap!  I laughed about that one all day long.  I'm cracking up all over again even as I write this.  I love that she's a true fan, though the comparison to crack cocaine isn't exactly flattering . . . ! 

Well here's a new twist on addictive soap.  From the Northwest Florida Daily News online police blotter:

14-year-old sells cocaine, actually soap
October 2, 2009 2:30 p.m.
Angel McCurdy
FORT WALTON BEACH — A 14-year-old boy was arrested for felony charges of selling counterfeit controlled substances.
According to a Fort Walton Beach Police report, the juvenile sold a quantity of suspected crack cocaine to an undercover police agent.
The boy sold the supposed cocaine for $145 and then fled the area.
He was arrested at his home on Wright Parkway on Sept. 11.
Officers found that the sold drugs were not cocaine, but that it was pieces of soap.
The boy admitted to officers that he cut up a bar of soap at his house and then sold it as crack cocaine.

Now why didn't I think of that.  $145 dollars for a truly addictive bar of soap!  I've gotta raise my prices.