gigisiguenza
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- Joined
- Jul 11, 2015
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My cousin came by couple days ago to drop off mail, and was perusing my mountain of soaps. She was picking them up, oohing and aahing over the colors and scents, asking when she can try them etc, and she commented on how different they are than the ones she's run across in her travels (she's a flight attendant). She said since I started making soaps, she's been on the lookout for it everywhere she goes, because she never really noticed it much before and is now very curious about how many different styles and types there are.
In her travels she's run across soaps so overly scented they were obnoxious, and it turned her off because she said she couldn't imagine wanting to smell like perfumed soap all day. She's run across ones so fancy, she said she saw no point in buying them because they'd never get used, they'd just sit in a bowl and get dusty. And she's run across ones that looked so much like commercial soaps (e.g. dove) that she didn't trust they were really handmade, so saw no reason to pay over $6 a bar for what she suspected was actually commercially produced soap being touted as "handmade".
All this got me thinking about the perfect bar and how we each define it. I've seen all the soaps she mentioned and understood her perspective, and began looking at my own soaps, asking "would someone see that and think - perfect! - or would they look at it and think - too plain, too simple, not enough scent. As an artist, I create what I like looking at, so it makes sense that as a soaper, my soaps would reflect the kind of soaps I would by myself.
But I wonder how many people who sell soap make soaps they don't really like? I couldn't imagine doing it. I have to love what I'm creating and be striving towards a visual in my head that inspires me to create it. Don't get me wrong, I think that the soaps shaped like cake slices, cupcakes, airplanes, etc, are all very pretty, but I wouldn't buy them because they don't make me want to wash with them. I feel the same about the giant oversized bars, or the ones with elaborate toppings like balls, cookies, stars, glitter, etc. They are pretty and I love looking at them, but they don't make me want to wash with them.
The perfect soap for me is one that makes me want to lather it up...
... fits in my hand so I can wrap my fingers around it
... is thick enough to not feel flimsy but not so thick it feels cumbersome
... has soft edges that are comfortable in my hand and on my skin
... looks luxurious and creamy, like you could cut it like butter
... is softly scented, so when the hot water hits it, the smell blooms, but dissipates later
... smells of natural things, like foods, flowers, herbs, etc
... looks hand crafted while still being readily identifiable as soap
... leaves me feeling soft and conditioned, without feeling greasy
... and finally, appeals to my personal aesthetic in color combos and pour style
What's your idea of the perfect soap?
In her travels she's run across soaps so overly scented they were obnoxious, and it turned her off because she said she couldn't imagine wanting to smell like perfumed soap all day. She's run across ones so fancy, she said she saw no point in buying them because they'd never get used, they'd just sit in a bowl and get dusty. And she's run across ones that looked so much like commercial soaps (e.g. dove) that she didn't trust they were really handmade, so saw no reason to pay over $6 a bar for what she suspected was actually commercially produced soap being touted as "handmade".
All this got me thinking about the perfect bar and how we each define it. I've seen all the soaps she mentioned and understood her perspective, and began looking at my own soaps, asking "would someone see that and think - perfect! - or would they look at it and think - too plain, too simple, not enough scent. As an artist, I create what I like looking at, so it makes sense that as a soaper, my soaps would reflect the kind of soaps I would by myself.
But I wonder how many people who sell soap make soaps they don't really like? I couldn't imagine doing it. I have to love what I'm creating and be striving towards a visual in my head that inspires me to create it. Don't get me wrong, I think that the soaps shaped like cake slices, cupcakes, airplanes, etc, are all very pretty, but I wouldn't buy them because they don't make me want to wash with them. I feel the same about the giant oversized bars, or the ones with elaborate toppings like balls, cookies, stars, glitter, etc. They are pretty and I love looking at them, but they don't make me want to wash with them.
The perfect soap for me is one that makes me want to lather it up...
... fits in my hand so I can wrap my fingers around it
... is thick enough to not feel flimsy but not so thick it feels cumbersome
... has soft edges that are comfortable in my hand and on my skin
... looks luxurious and creamy, like you could cut it like butter
... is softly scented, so when the hot water hits it, the smell blooms, but dissipates later
... smells of natural things, like foods, flowers, herbs, etc
... looks hand crafted while still being readily identifiable as soap
... leaves me feeling soft and conditioned, without feeling greasy
... and finally, appeals to my personal aesthetic in color combos and pour style
What's your idea of the perfect soap?
