BubblyRose
Well-Known Member
Okay when I first started selling bath and body products back in 2004 I was the only one in my area that did so. I was living in Maryland where there is a big "Back to Nature" community. I was having home shows and selling via catalogue and word of mouth. One thing that people would always ask me is "Do you make lye soap?" and my answer was always No. I had read about it and it seemed scary and too much trouble.
Fast forward to 2012 and I decided to try it. My first batch didn't do well (expired lye, no I won't name the supplier). By my second batch I was hooked! Mesmerized even :shock: . My first tester was my daugther who has ketosis of the skin (looks and acts like eczema but isn't). She loved the soap. My sil wanted to try because she remembers growing up in Georgia her older aunts making soap in the backyard with grease and lye. She fell in love and told an older gentleman in her church about my soap. When she said "lye" he asked about the process and shared his own story about growing up in Sumter, SC and his mother making lye soap on Saturday mornings using the household grease. He even remarked on the pungent smell of the soap. I gave him a sample to see if it was like he remembered. He tried, also, and loved it! He loved the feel, the clean and mostly that it didn't have that strong scent to it. After that he spread the word to all of his buddies and cronies.
The funny thing is they all had their own memories of mama, grandma or aunties making lye soap.
Now I know that in the soaping world to call it lye soap is a no-no but I have found that when I say I make natural soap most people don't get it. However, when I say lye soap I see that spark of recognition and I am also treated to beautiful nostalgic stories of yesteryear. Soap is almost as old as time but it is a common thread through most communities. I have used alot of the home remedies that I grew up with in my soaps (No, I don't market them having any medicinal uses). I just put the ingredients on my label and they tell the rest of the story for my customers.
One day I am going to write down the personal accounts that I hear. I might even make a 'story book' for my soaps. Like my Rosemary and Peppermint Tea soap: Tell the tale of Clown Face the dog that was left chained to a tree abandoned by his owners when they moved. He was left out in the sun for the entire South Carolina Summer and his face looked like it had been melted with a blow torch. Using Rosemary tea (distilled water and 15 stalks from the rosemary bush), the bravery of the dog and fortituted of the rescuer a healing rinse was created to help soothe and cleanse his tortured face. From there the Rosemary and Peppermint Tea CP soap was born. Long post I know but when I create these soaps I cannot help but smile when one of my soaps takes someone back to their childhood or to a crisp Winter evening. Anyway ... I would love to know if anyone else has this experience with their soaps.
Fast forward to 2012 and I decided to try it. My first batch didn't do well (expired lye, no I won't name the supplier). By my second batch I was hooked! Mesmerized even :shock: . My first tester was my daugther who has ketosis of the skin (looks and acts like eczema but isn't). She loved the soap. My sil wanted to try because she remembers growing up in Georgia her older aunts making soap in the backyard with grease and lye. She fell in love and told an older gentleman in her church about my soap. When she said "lye" he asked about the process and shared his own story about growing up in Sumter, SC and his mother making lye soap on Saturday mornings using the household grease. He even remarked on the pungent smell of the soap. I gave him a sample to see if it was like he remembered. He tried, also, and loved it! He loved the feel, the clean and mostly that it didn't have that strong scent to it. After that he spread the word to all of his buddies and cronies.
The funny thing is they all had their own memories of mama, grandma or aunties making lye soap.Now I know that in the soaping world to call it lye soap is a no-no but I have found that when I say I make natural soap most people don't get it. However, when I say lye soap I see that spark of recognition and I am also treated to beautiful nostalgic stories of yesteryear. Soap is almost as old as time but it is a common thread through most communities. I have used alot of the home remedies that I grew up with in my soaps (No, I don't market them having any medicinal uses). I just put the ingredients on my label and they tell the rest of the story for my customers.
One day I am going to write down the personal accounts that I hear. I might even make a 'story book' for my soaps. Like my Rosemary and Peppermint Tea soap: Tell the tale of Clown Face the dog that was left chained to a tree abandoned by his owners when they moved. He was left out in the sun for the entire South Carolina Summer and his face looked like it had been melted with a blow torch. Using Rosemary tea (distilled water and 15 stalks from the rosemary bush), the bravery of the dog and fortituted of the rescuer a healing rinse was created to help soothe and cleanse his tortured face. From there the Rosemary and Peppermint Tea CP soap was born. Long post I know but when I create these soaps I cannot help but smile when one of my soaps takes someone back to their childhood or to a crisp Winter evening. Anyway ... I would love to know if anyone else has this experience with their soaps.
