Note: If you're interested in the soap making methods below, The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA offers classes on most of them.
I've tried a lot of the different kinds of soap making out there, so I figured I'd write about the different types, for those interested. I'm making some at the moment, so it seems like an appropriate time.
A lot of soap you buy in the supermarket isn't really soap, but a detergent bar. Soap involves the reaction of lye and fats to make a solid. Those who buy or make handmade soap are probably most familiar with cold process or melt and pour soaps. I'll start with cold process.
Cold process isn't totally cold- when you add lye to your water, it heats up rather quickly, you also need to melt your oils and butters, and then when the soap is in it's mold, it's probably creating heat as well. I know that's probably obvious to a lot of people out there, but I still feel cold process is a bit of a misnomer. Safety is a bit of a concern, but with proper precautions (goggles, gloves, and covering yourself up, plus keeping your lye away from children & pets), it can be a safe and fun way to make soap. I'm admittedly not too good at it, though that's more to do with my experimental recipes thickening up to quickly. Impatience also doesn't help, since I might combine my lyes and oils too fast.
The advantages to cold process include freedom to choose your own oils & liquids and creating beautiful designs. You're also starting with raw ingredients, so it's totally handmade. I'm honestly in awe of what some people do with cold process soap- amazing swirls, fancy layers, and beautiful colors. There are a few disadvantages, which can be avoided to a degree. Start with good instructions and a good lye calculator, and you've avoided a lot of them. Using tested recipes from a trusted source also helps when you're beginning. One of the biggest issues is a bad batch, at which point you have to either toss a lot of soap or rebatch it. You're also a bit limited in scents you can use. With fragrance oils, buy them from a store that mentions any issues that can come up from using the oils, such as ricing, seizing, or accelerating trace. Some of these problems can arise from using essential oils as well. And while I've seen recipes calling for sandalwood and rose essential oils, this would be impractical for many people. This would cost a lot of money, though it would make for a lovely soap.
While not necessarily a problem, cold process needs several weeks to cure, during which time some water evaporates out (leaving you with a harder bar) and the lye fully saponifies. Which brings us to hot process soap. There are a few ways of doing hot process soap, but I make mine in a crock pot. Your soap essentially cooks, leaving you with fully saponified soap that's ready to use (though it can benefit from curing time as well). There are fewer fragrances you can use, since anything with a low flash point will not survive the high heat. You don't need as much as with cold process though, so it can save you a little money. Colorants are a bigger issue, since some of them don't work well in hot process. It's also much thicker than cold process soap, so when it comes time to pour, it's harder to make nice designs. I still like making it though, since there are generally no surprises once you pour it into the mold.
Melt and pour is a good beginner's soap- you can pick up supplies at a craft store, making it more accessible. If you really like it though, better supplies are available online, and you'll save money that way, too. It is what it says it is- you cut up and melt your soap base, add colorants/scent/additives and then pour it into a mold. While you don't get to choose what your soap is totally made of, since you're starting with a base, you can use all sorts of colorants and scents, and create fancy designs in pretty molds. It's also safe for kids to make, since you're not using caustic ingredients. It's a nice way to get into soap making, if you're not sure if you want to try making cold process soaps. One big disadvantage is that it can sweat if not packaged properly, leaving clear beads all over your soap. This isn't very attractive, though wrapping it in plastic wrap seems to help keep this at bay.
Want a real challenge? It's possible to make your own melt and pour from scratch. I have never done this, though I've learned how to in a class. Too me it seems like a lot of trouble for something that you can more easily buy, I guess that can be said of all soap making. It's more complicated than cold or hot process soap, and involves extra ingredients. The soap I saw made wasn't crystal clear, though the sample I did melt down and I was able to pour it. It could be worth it for someone who wants to make translucent soaps from scratch.
Another challenge is liquid soap- this is a longer, more drawn out process, and requires potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide. I make this every few months for personal use, starting on a Saturday night and ending on a Sunday afternoon. You start by making a soap paste, which you then add to distilled water to get your liquid soap. I've had mixed results, though with some experimentation and research, I can sometimes get a nice thick gel. Other times it's a bit runny, and every time it's a dark yellow color. Insoluble ingredients fall out, so if you don't want that to end up in your finished product, you need the soap to sit for several days before pouring into your bottles. I also use a recipe that starts off lye heavy to make sure all the fats are saponified, and then I need to adjust pH once it's dissolved in the water. Some scents don't mix well with the final product, so that requires testing. While I probably won't ever make it to sell, since I find the end results unreliable, it is nice to make a liquid soap for less money than what you buy at the store. And I feel great when I do make a nice batch.
As mentioned in cold process, one more way to make soap is rebatching or hand milling. This involves grating up your soap, melting it down (in a double boiler, in an oven bag in your oven, or in a heat proof bag in a crock pot of water), adding your scent/colors/additives and then pouring into your mold. Often the melted down soap is more of a paste, so it's usually more like glopping it into your mold. You can create your soap specifically with this in mind, or use it as a way to possibly salvage a botched batch of cold process soap. It gives you more freedom in terms of scents and additives. I am making rebatched soap today- one that I using soap specifically for this purpose, the other using a batch of funky soap. Should the first batch come out nicely enough, I will be selling it at some point. It's has chamomile powder and lemon essential oil. The color isn't the nicest, since the chamomile powder turned it a muddy yellow, but I'm hoping the benefits of the soap out way it's appearance. The funky batch is currently melting in a double boiler. Even if the final result is better than the initial soap, it won't be for sale, since I don't want to risk selling a bad bar.
Fragrance, beauty, and business.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Book Review- Delivering Happiness
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, Tony Hsieh, New York, NY: Business Plus, 2012. ISBN: 978-0446576222 (paperback) 978-0446563048 (hard cover)
First off, the hard cover is cheaper is you buy the book used, but if you like your books all shiny and new, I gave the ISBN for the paperback as well, since that's cheaper than the new hard cover copies. I love used books, but generally like finding them in used book stores, where you can see them before buying them. Plus, it's more of a treasure hunt that way.
I borrowed this book from my firm's library- libraries are also great places to borrow books- they let you take them for free, as long as you promise to give them back in a timely manner. It was written by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos. If you've never ordered from Zappos, they really are pretty great. The prices are a bit high, but they don't compete on price.
This book would be a good read for a wide audience, whether they are interested interested in business or not. Hsieh goes into some personal stuff and writes about his previous company before going into how he became involved in Zappos. It gets a little weird at times with the Zappos stuff, kind of cultish, but there is still plenty of good stuff to take away from the book.
While I already knew about the importance of customer service and passion for what you do, it made me think more about company culture. It also seemed like Hsieh's investments and efforts for Zappos were a real gamble, that fortunately paid off for him. I'm thinking a lot of his decisions wouldn't work for other companies, but his ideas on keeping employees happy and making sure they're a good fit for the company are good.
I'm not business expert, and this book certainly didn't turn me into one. But if you're looking for an inspiring and somewhat useful business book, I would recommend it to you.
First off, the hard cover is cheaper is you buy the book used, but if you like your books all shiny and new, I gave the ISBN for the paperback as well, since that's cheaper than the new hard cover copies. I love used books, but generally like finding them in used book stores, where you can see them before buying them. Plus, it's more of a treasure hunt that way.
I borrowed this book from my firm's library- libraries are also great places to borrow books- they let you take them for free, as long as you promise to give them back in a timely manner. It was written by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos. If you've never ordered from Zappos, they really are pretty great. The prices are a bit high, but they don't compete on price.
This book would be a good read for a wide audience, whether they are interested interested in business or not. Hsieh goes into some personal stuff and writes about his previous company before going into how he became involved in Zappos. It gets a little weird at times with the Zappos stuff, kind of cultish, but there is still plenty of good stuff to take away from the book.
While I already knew about the importance of customer service and passion for what you do, it made me think more about company culture. It also seemed like Hsieh's investments and efforts for Zappos were a real gamble, that fortunately paid off for him. I'm thinking a lot of his decisions wouldn't work for other companies, but his ideas on keeping employees happy and making sure they're a good fit for the company are good.
I'm not business expert, and this book certainly didn't turn me into one. But if you're looking for an inspiring and somewhat useful business book, I would recommend it to you.
Monday, April 7, 2014
4 Day Bath & Body Boot Camp at The Nova Studio
I attended the 4 Day Bath & Body Boot Camp at The Nova Studio back in October 2010, and this week I'm returning to volunteer as a teacher's assistant for the perfumes portion of the camp. It looks like it's changed a little, since they're now teaching lip tints and gloss, but for the most part the same classes are offered. You don't learn to make soap, but you learn to make a wide variety of bath and body products, plus information on packaging.
You can take individual days if you're not interested in everything, but if you're traveling, it's a great way to learn about a lot of products in a short time. Some are pretty easy, and you can probably make as soon as you return home, like bath salts and salt scrubs. Lotions are a little more complicated, but seeing them go through it step by step will hopefully give you the confidence to try it on your own.
I had shied away from making perfumes after first taking the class- many of the essential oils cost a lot, including those wonderful floral middle notes. When they needed a teacher's assistant for the class about a year later, I agreed to do it, since it is a fun class. After that, I pursued perfume whole-heartedly, first with Mandy Aftel's workbook, and then attending her classes. I recently took my fourth class with her, and I now have a Level 3 certificate- I was really excited to receive it. I'm working my way through her second set of workbooks now- quite the undertaking I must add.
The perfumes class at The Nova Studio introduces you to several top, middle, and base notes, and you walk away with three new perfumes. The stand alone class is a bit different now, but in the bootcamp you make one each of oil-based, alcohol-based, and solid perfumes. The perfumes class this Thursday can be taken alone, or as part of the boot camp. It's a great class for anyone interested in learning to make natural perfumes, or for aromatherapists who want to make their blends smell nicer. If you're creating naturally scented products, you can also apply your perfumery knowledge to creating unique scents for your products.
You can take individual days if you're not interested in everything, but if you're traveling, it's a great way to learn about a lot of products in a short time. Some are pretty easy, and you can probably make as soon as you return home, like bath salts and salt scrubs. Lotions are a little more complicated, but seeing them go through it step by step will hopefully give you the confidence to try it on your own.
I had shied away from making perfumes after first taking the class- many of the essential oils cost a lot, including those wonderful floral middle notes. When they needed a teacher's assistant for the class about a year later, I agreed to do it, since it is a fun class. After that, I pursued perfume whole-heartedly, first with Mandy Aftel's workbook, and then attending her classes. I recently took my fourth class with her, and I now have a Level 3 certificate- I was really excited to receive it. I'm working my way through her second set of workbooks now- quite the undertaking I must add.
The perfumes class at The Nova Studio introduces you to several top, middle, and base notes, and you walk away with three new perfumes. The stand alone class is a bit different now, but in the bootcamp you make one each of oil-based, alcohol-based, and solid perfumes. The perfumes class this Thursday can be taken alone, or as part of the boot camp. It's a great class for anyone interested in learning to make natural perfumes, or for aromatherapists who want to make their blends smell nicer. If you're creating naturally scented products, you can also apply your perfumery knowledge to creating unique scents for your products.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Book Review- An Introduction to Perfumery
An Introduction to Perfumery, 2nd ed., by Tony Curtis and David G. Williams, Port Washington, NY: Micelle Press, 2001 (reprinted 2007 and 2009 with corrections). ISBN: 9780960875283 (USA) 9781870228244 (UK)
This is a textbook- not light reading, and while it's called an introduction, it's pretty intense for someone who might want a few ideas of things to blend to make a perfume. A lot of it is about working at a perfume house, and if you're anything like me, that's not happening. It goes over things like the chemistry and business of perfumery, including the things you might not want to think about, such as the household cleaners that need scenting. A lot of the experiments talk about using a lab, and if you're just sitting at home reading this, chances are you won't be able to do a lot of them.
I wanted to start with that so that no one invests the money in this book who won't find it suitable for their needs. For me personally, this was a great book, though not always the most fun to read. It covers many aspects, including the aroma chemicals and essential oils that might want to learn about, plus experiments on creating floral bases, such as lilac, rose, and gardenia. If you're interested primarily in natural perfumery, this book is probably not the best for you, since it doesn't go in depth into how to use the naturals.
I liked how it covered the chemistry aspects of perfumery, though those sections were sometimes daunting. The applications of perfumery sections were useful in learning exactly why chemistry is so important- not all scents are suited to all applications. It was a bit silly the way they talked about fragrance and some products you don't associate with fine perfumery, but products like laundry detergent and dish soap have their scents developed by perfumers.
As someone who thinks about top, middle, and base notes, it was also interesting to think of how some products don't need an evolving scent- for example, candles need to give off the same scent throughout their burning.
While the business sections of the book might be interesting for someone, they're more focused on big businesses rather than small, independent perfumers. It covers things like marketing, management, operations, and product development.
While I would not recommend this book to most people, I do think anyone who has a serious interest in all aspects of perfumery and fragrance might be able to useful. While I was certainly bored at times while reading the book, overall I'm glad I read it.
This is a textbook- not light reading, and while it's called an introduction, it's pretty intense for someone who might want a few ideas of things to blend to make a perfume. A lot of it is about working at a perfume house, and if you're anything like me, that's not happening. It goes over things like the chemistry and business of perfumery, including the things you might not want to think about, such as the household cleaners that need scenting. A lot of the experiments talk about using a lab, and if you're just sitting at home reading this, chances are you won't be able to do a lot of them.
I wanted to start with that so that no one invests the money in this book who won't find it suitable for their needs. For me personally, this was a great book, though not always the most fun to read. It covers many aspects, including the aroma chemicals and essential oils that might want to learn about, plus experiments on creating floral bases, such as lilac, rose, and gardenia. If you're interested primarily in natural perfumery, this book is probably not the best for you, since it doesn't go in depth into how to use the naturals.
I liked how it covered the chemistry aspects of perfumery, though those sections were sometimes daunting. The applications of perfumery sections were useful in learning exactly why chemistry is so important- not all scents are suited to all applications. It was a bit silly the way they talked about fragrance and some products you don't associate with fine perfumery, but products like laundry detergent and dish soap have their scents developed by perfumers.
As someone who thinks about top, middle, and base notes, it was also interesting to think of how some products don't need an evolving scent- for example, candles need to give off the same scent throughout their burning.
While the business sections of the book might be interesting for someone, they're more focused on big businesses rather than small, independent perfumers. It covers things like marketing, management, operations, and product development.
While I would not recommend this book to most people, I do think anyone who has a serious interest in all aspects of perfumery and fragrance might be able to useful. While I was certainly bored at times while reading the book, overall I'm glad I read it.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Librarians and Books
For my day job, I work as a research assistant as part of a law firm's library. I do not have my Master's in Library Science, though I had applied and been accepted into a program. I had a few reasons for not pursuing me degree, the primary one is that so I could focus more on my business, which would be hard with a full time job and classes. But I had other reasons as well. This has probably been going on for awhile, but since I started my job, I have seen all sorts of libraries cut back on their staff, so a library degree didn't necessarily feel like a path to job security.
This gets a little political, but I don't think it should really offend anyone. The governor of California, Jerry Brown, has appointed a journalist to the position of state librarian. This person does not have his degree, though he claims he will take some classes. No experience either, making him less qualified for this position than me. It angers me that there is so little respect for librarians, and I hope his appointment does not go through. I'm considering how to get my opinion best heard, and I hope any Californians reading this do as well.
While many people feel libraries and their employees are becoming obsolete, they really are a valuable resource. While there are many times you can enter a few words into Google and get the information you want in your first page of results, there are occasions where that doesn't work. A librarian knows the various resources out there, and can help you find the information you need- whether it's in a book, or buried online in a place not even Google goes (and there a many places it doesn't- paid databases, for example).
This might seem a little off topic for this blog. As someone who has spent years working in a library, and has spent a lot of time in public libraries as well as my college's library, I want people to realize that librarians do have value. It is a profession that requires an advanced degree for most positions.
Now getting back to normal things. My love of libraries sprang from a love of books. I have read a lot of books pertaining to fragrance and other products I make, and will start including book reviews from time to time. I don't review books elsewhere, but I feel this is a natural fit, and hopefully I can guide some readers to some helpful books.
This gets a little political, but I don't think it should really offend anyone. The governor of California, Jerry Brown, has appointed a journalist to the position of state librarian. This person does not have his degree, though he claims he will take some classes. No experience either, making him less qualified for this position than me. It angers me that there is so little respect for librarians, and I hope his appointment does not go through. I'm considering how to get my opinion best heard, and I hope any Californians reading this do as well.
While many people feel libraries and their employees are becoming obsolete, they really are a valuable resource. While there are many times you can enter a few words into Google and get the information you want in your first page of results, there are occasions where that doesn't work. A librarian knows the various resources out there, and can help you find the information you need- whether it's in a book, or buried online in a place not even Google goes (and there a many places it doesn't- paid databases, for example).
This might seem a little off topic for this blog. As someone who has spent years working in a library, and has spent a lot of time in public libraries as well as my college's library, I want people to realize that librarians do have value. It is a profession that requires an advanced degree for most positions.
Now getting back to normal things. My love of libraries sprang from a love of books. I have read a lot of books pertaining to fragrance and other products I make, and will start including book reviews from time to time. I don't review books elsewhere, but I feel this is a natural fit, and hopefully I can guide some readers to some helpful books.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Product Spotlight: Monoi Lotion & Massage Bars
Spotlighting a discontinued item might seem strange, but I want to call attention to these wonderful little bars while they're still available. They won't ship well over the summer- there's a good chance they'll melt if they're left on someone's hot doorstep or if they spend a long time in a hot USPS truck. I might bring them back next fall, but with a few changes to the formula and possibly in tube of some sort, for easier usage.
So what is a lotion/massage bar? It's a combination of oils, butters, and waxes melted together and poured into a mold. The result is a solid bar that melts with your body heat- I find it easier to use my hands to get it to melt, but it can also be rubbed directly into the desired areas. When used as a lotion, the ultra rich formula is great for dry skin, and is best used right after you towel off from your bath or shower. This will help lock in the moisture. The oil it produces can also be used like a massage oil- since it's in solid form, you don't have to worry about oil spills like you would with traditional massage oils.
I started with Monoi de Tahiti- coconut oil that has had tiare (gardenia) blossoms steeped in it. A lot of Monoi de Tahiti on the market has added synthetic fragrance to it, since the natural scent isn't very strong. The one I use has no perceptible floral scent to it, so each one is scented with natural essential oils. As some of you may know, coconut oil has a low melting temperature- it can be solid or liquid depending on the temperature of the room it's in.
Shorea butter and mango butter firm the bar up a bit, and add moisturizing qualities. Rice bran wax, which maintains some of the benefits of rice bran, keeps it solid. Each one is scented with a single note or a blend of essential oils.
Our Monoi Lotion & Massage Bars can be found in our Etsy shop sales section, along with a few other items.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Flowers
When I started this blog, I used the description "Flowers, fragrance, beauty." I just changed it to "Fragrance, beauty, and business," since that more accurately reflects what the blog is about. I had hoped to write more about flowers, and I still do, but mostly in terms of their fragrance or use in a product. But now I won't feel like I'm feeling so deceptive- I don't want someone to see flowers in the description, and expect to see posts with photos and words all about flowers.
I'll still right write about flowers, at least hopefully, from time to time. That will include today.
When I was young, I would sometimes walk with my grandmother through her yard (really, my father's yard) and her neighbor's yard, looking at the flowers. She would tell me their names, and then I would try to identify them on future walks. These weren't particularly fancy flowers, but I still enjoyed learning about them. She was frail throughout most of my childhood, and these walks were probably good at getting her out for a little bit. She and my father both died when I was eleven, but I believe the walks ended some time before that.
My mother's house had flowers, too, of course, but I don't remember those as well. There was rose bush by the driveway that was eventually cut down so it would stop scratching the cars- at least I think that's why it was cut down. There was a big lilac bush on one side, at least I think it was lilac. It had large clusters of purple flowers, and I know it wasn't wisteria. We moved to a place with lots of trees and shade. We grew hydrangeas along the path to the front door, and I remember little crocuses popping up through the snow as the first sign that spring was coming.
Living in college dorms and various apartments, flowers were of little importance. I had nowhere to grow them, though I sometimes had a bouquet in vase. When my husband and I bought a house with a yard, I was excited about having lots of flowers, and would look around the neighborhood for inspiration. But I had a black thumb and we never replaced our yard with drought tolerant plants and flowers (though we didn't water the grass either- my apologies to those who had to look at my yard). Lavender was the thing I could grow best, and by grow best, I mean it was the thing I could ignore and it would still thrive. Giant white calla lilies would also show up when the rainy season started with no effort on my part, along with a few other random flowers the previous owner had planted. But I never did get well at adding flowers to the garden, or keeping many of the other plants thriving.
I'm now back in an apartment, with a little house plant. It's over a year old, and the flowers are blooming again. Such a nice little plant- it seems to do fine with little attention.
I'll still right write about flowers, at least hopefully, from time to time. That will include today.
When I was young, I would sometimes walk with my grandmother through her yard (really, my father's yard) and her neighbor's yard, looking at the flowers. She would tell me their names, and then I would try to identify them on future walks. These weren't particularly fancy flowers, but I still enjoyed learning about them. She was frail throughout most of my childhood, and these walks were probably good at getting her out for a little bit. She and my father both died when I was eleven, but I believe the walks ended some time before that.
My mother's house had flowers, too, of course, but I don't remember those as well. There was rose bush by the driveway that was eventually cut down so it would stop scratching the cars- at least I think that's why it was cut down. There was a big lilac bush on one side, at least I think it was lilac. It had large clusters of purple flowers, and I know it wasn't wisteria. We moved to a place with lots of trees and shade. We grew hydrangeas along the path to the front door, and I remember little crocuses popping up through the snow as the first sign that spring was coming.
Living in college dorms and various apartments, flowers were of little importance. I had nowhere to grow them, though I sometimes had a bouquet in vase. When my husband and I bought a house with a yard, I was excited about having lots of flowers, and would look around the neighborhood for inspiration. But I had a black thumb and we never replaced our yard with drought tolerant plants and flowers (though we didn't water the grass either- my apologies to those who had to look at my yard). Lavender was the thing I could grow best, and by grow best, I mean it was the thing I could ignore and it would still thrive. Giant white calla lilies would also show up when the rainy season started with no effort on my part, along with a few other random flowers the previous owner had planted. But I never did get well at adding flowers to the garden, or keeping many of the other plants thriving.
I'm now back in an apartment, with a little house plant. It's over a year old, and the flowers are blooming again. Such a nice little plant- it seems to do fine with little attention.
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