myjslux81
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2020
- Messages
- 4
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Hi there! My name is Jenny Lux. I am not sure if I am doing this correctly but I saw that this thread was for new soap makers. The reason I am not sure if I am inserting my introduction in the right place is because I am legally blind/visually impaired. Due to birth defect and glaucoma, I have what is called tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is like looking through a large drinking straw plus I have no side vision. When I was in college my science classes fascinated me, especially chemistry and physical science which is where I learned about soapmaking. Teachers were forever giving out different examples of how their class was necessary to every degree at the school because science can be applied in so many different ways. We just don’t always think about it.
Back in 2011, I took a leap and started my journey with cold process soap. This was approximately one year before I graduated with my Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling. I have been crafting all my life, so soapmaking was a natural evolution for me. My mother, who was an art teacher, taught me how to use what sight I have to mask the differences of what I couldn’t see. It’s kind of funny because I didn’t get my first blind cane until I went to college, so when I run into old high school classmates and they see my cane, they are like, “When did this happen?” I found a great sense of pride when I tell them I’ve always been legally blind, but that I knew how to hide it so I wouldn’t get picked on. Okay now, I deviated from what I was saying for long enough. Like I said, back in 2011, I experimented and made several successful batches of soap that I sold to friends and family. By the time six months rolled around, I was doing my internship. I had run out of the soap and the time to make it.
My love of soapmaking has stayed with me, and I’m ready to start again. A lot has happened, but I am now getting back into the swing of things with a lot of research. I found this forum and I decided to post because I would love to have some support in my quest of soapmaking.
Before you shake your head and wonder why a blind person would want to make soap, I want you to know I do have enough vision to see when something comes to trace. What labels me as legally blind is the fact that I have 0° of side vision and my center vision is limited to that of the large drinking straw, as mentioned above. If I come off as abrasive, I do apologize. It’s just that after being told so many times that you can’t do this or that because it’s too dangerous, I just want to throw up my hands and say, "Let me try and let me make mistakes because that is the way I learn." That being said when I have made soap in the past I take all necessary safety precautions I wear gloves, safety goggles, pants, long sleeve shirts, and good, sturdy shoes and socks. I still have these tools and I am eager to get started again.
This time though, because of COVID – 19, I know for a fact we are in a crisis situation. By the time I make soap the cold process way and allow it to cure, the pandemic may be at an end. I have done a lot of research and have decided to try hot process soapmaking. In this way, I can get my soap into the hands of people who truly need it. I am planning to sell my soap for regular, before pandemic prices because I don’t see the point of jacking up the price. I want to build up a fan base that loves my soap because it is at a fair price, cleans well, and smells pretty. The name of my company, once I get it off the ground, will be Tennessee Valley Soap Company (Etsy Store Name: Tennessee Valley Soap) and I wish to start out selling on Etsy. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice if they could give me about selling on Etsy or selling in general? I have reserved the shop name tonight, but I am waiting to list until I get some Hot Process soap made!!!
Back in 2011, I took a leap and started my journey with cold process soap. This was approximately one year before I graduated with my Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling. I have been crafting all my life, so soapmaking was a natural evolution for me. My mother, who was an art teacher, taught me how to use what sight I have to mask the differences of what I couldn’t see. It’s kind of funny because I didn’t get my first blind cane until I went to college, so when I run into old high school classmates and they see my cane, they are like, “When did this happen?” I found a great sense of pride when I tell them I’ve always been legally blind, but that I knew how to hide it so I wouldn’t get picked on. Okay now, I deviated from what I was saying for long enough. Like I said, back in 2011, I experimented and made several successful batches of soap that I sold to friends and family. By the time six months rolled around, I was doing my internship. I had run out of the soap and the time to make it.
My love of soapmaking has stayed with me, and I’m ready to start again. A lot has happened, but I am now getting back into the swing of things with a lot of research. I found this forum and I decided to post because I would love to have some support in my quest of soapmaking.
Before you shake your head and wonder why a blind person would want to make soap, I want you to know I do have enough vision to see when something comes to trace. What labels me as legally blind is the fact that I have 0° of side vision and my center vision is limited to that of the large drinking straw, as mentioned above. If I come off as abrasive, I do apologize. It’s just that after being told so many times that you can’t do this or that because it’s too dangerous, I just want to throw up my hands and say, "Let me try and let me make mistakes because that is the way I learn." That being said when I have made soap in the past I take all necessary safety precautions I wear gloves, safety goggles, pants, long sleeve shirts, and good, sturdy shoes and socks. I still have these tools and I am eager to get started again.
This time though, because of COVID – 19, I know for a fact we are in a crisis situation. By the time I make soap the cold process way and allow it to cure, the pandemic may be at an end. I have done a lot of research and have decided to try hot process soapmaking. In this way, I can get my soap into the hands of people who truly need it. I am planning to sell my soap for regular, before pandemic prices because I don’t see the point of jacking up the price. I want to build up a fan base that loves my soap because it is at a fair price, cleans well, and smells pretty. The name of my company, once I get it off the ground, will be Tennessee Valley Soap Company (Etsy Store Name: Tennessee Valley Soap) and I wish to start out selling on Etsy. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice if they could give me about selling on Etsy or selling in general? I have reserved the shop name tonight, but I am waiting to list until I get some Hot Process soap made!!!