Presentation

[Dorymae]

I'm been asked and am considering doing a presentation on bath and body products, demonstrating some easy DIY recipes.

I have thought sugar scrubs ( oil based), lip balm, and perhaps all oil based body butter. ( as opposed to an emulsified butter. )

The presentation will be pretty open as far as the audience, no one that does this kind of thing regularly but moms and regular working class folks. I do expect there will be a high percentage of people who are Spanish speaking because I have been told there will be a translator.

I have no fear of public speaking which is a good thing but I have never tried to teach someone to make bath and body products either, so I'm thinking the simpler the better. The forum of presentation is NOT hands on for the audience, and there will be no actual interaction or question and answer so I'm thinking I need to be very through with my information.

I also considered bath bombs but I'm afraid it may be too difficult to explain the texture and they are not always easy to mold ( or unmold).

So does anyone have any tips? Anything I should be sure to mention? Can you think of any other easy things that would be simple to show?

For anyone who has done presentations before - any tips?

 

[KristaY]

Congrats, Dorymae! What a great opportunity to get exposure in your new community.

I like your idea of sugar scrub, lip balm and body butter. They don't require a lot of complicated steps or difficult to find ingredients. In your area, people should be able to find everything they need in just a stop or 2. I also like the idea of a baby butt balm. Something very simple like SAO with a few drops of lavender and chamomile EO's. Mother's love simple, handmade ointments for their babies.

People love hand-out material. Make up a sheet you can give to each person (that wants it) with the recipe and the steps to make each item at home. You can even include where they can find the ingredient if it's not something they may have in their pantry already. Basically do your lesson plan using that sheet of paper so the audience can follow along. Keep the steps clear and simple but add items of interest as you go. So if the lip balm recipe is beeswax, CO, vitamin E, whatever, give the reason and the benefit of the ingredient as you add it. If there will be a translator, you need to use words that are easy for that person to quickly translate without having to think a lot about it. I've had to work with various translators a lot lately and really had to work hard to keep the language simple so the conversation wasn't as stilted. If you're speaking to an audience of Spanish speaking people, chances are they have family members that are fluent in English so the hand-out material will not go waste at home.

Good luck with it!

Edit: I forgot to add another point that will interest people. WHY they would want to make their own body products. People like the idea of having total control over the ingredients they use and, people like to save money. If you can show a trade name lip balm that costs xx$ with 20 ingredients, then show them by making their own it will cost x$ with only 4 ingredients or whatever, their eyes will light up.

 

[Dorymae]

That is a wonderful idea with the baby balm. I think lavender would be nice (as well as safe) but I will need to remember to mention that people can be allergic to just about anything, so if they have any question as to the ingredients they should consult their pediatrician.

Love the idea with handouts, I could also make it available online as well.

Great ideas thanks!

 

[KristaY]

Yes, the allergy issue is important to talk about. I think you should even include it on the hand out. Make a statement that they should patch test on themselves, plus consult the pediatrician for their babies. People can be allergic to anything so they should test even when using the most basic ingredient like OO. Better to be safe than sorry.

Online info is perfect. In this day and age, people usually look to the web for info so that'll be great!

 

[lenarenee]

I wouldn't include a baby balm for this audience as you're not only going to have a mix of languages (what if translation isn't accurate enough), and also an audience you know nothing about in regards to their level of common sense, intelligence and ability to follow instructions.

Babies are more prone to sensitivities because of their immature systems, and if any little thing causes them harm, a parent is far more apt to complain/cause problems/sue. Even a verbal and written warning about allergies can be overlooked or ignored.

I think the scrub, balm and butter are wonderful ideas: those would interest any of them, especially since they can make those for gifts as well as personal use. Maybe even solid perfumes.

Sounds like this presentation is something you'd really enjoy!

 

[LanaBanana]

How about bath tea with ingredients such as oatmeal, sea salt, Epsom salt, chamomile, lavender, flower petals, herbs etc.

 

[Cindy2428]

You could also work with the people who approached you and they could possibly recommend someone to translate your handouts. Google translate comes up with some weird stuff. If they don't have someone, maybe the local HS Spanish teacher could use it as an extra credit assignment.

 

[Seawolfe]

I can bang out a ton of bathbombs - because I use a half-round bowl as a mold - bam bam bam on a lined baking sheet and I have a sheet full. Dunno if that helps - but its fun

Definately handouts and intarweb links. Can you do power point slides behind you as you speak to hit the high points? If you're outside thats not an option.

 

[Dorymae]

Wow thank you guys, great points ! Solid perfumes, bath teas, translating the handout and bath bombs in half rounds or silicone molds could work much better than the spheres I was thinking of!

You guys really do have great ideas, I'm thankful for having such a great forum, with great people to bounce ideas off of, many heads are better than one!

I don't think I'll have a screen to work with for power point but it is something to check out!

Thanks!

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

If you do a body butter, bring one that is chilled and ready to be whipped (packed in an ice chest). So, you talk about percentage of solid to liquid fat, this stuff is awesome, blah, blah, blah. Weigh it out, melt, & hand mix. Explain at this point you would shove it in the freezer and stir every 5-10 minutes until it looks like..... (This is where you go all Food Network and pull the one magically ready for the next step out from under the table!) Show them what it looks like firmed up, then whip it and scent it in front of them.

Another thought, if there are going to be a lot of Latina women there, you might consider including Avacado oil in one or two items. I'm just speculating that they MAY be quite familiar with that oil? (I could also be way off base there... Just thinking its popularly grown and eaten in many South American countries- maybe the oil is popular too...).

Good luck. Sounds like a LOT of fun!

 

[DeeAnna]

Lard is also another fat to consider using for a Latina audience, if you're open to using animal fats. I am very pleased with the skin care products I am making with lard.

 

[Dorymae]

Avocado oil is a great idea! It is very popular here and I've seen it sold in all the Mexician grocery stores! ( that is where I buy it!)

Yes I do think a bit of food network magic is called for as well. Thank you!

 

[Dorymae]

Lard is also another fat to consider using for a Latina audience, if you're open to using animal fats. I am very pleased with the skin care products I am making with lard.

I use lard in almost all my soaps. I haven't tried it in a body butter yet. I can certainly try a few small recipes an see if I can come up with a decent recipe!

 

[DeeAnna]

I encourage you to give it or tallow a good try. They are badly underrated. My hands take beating in my day job and I'm getting effective skin softening and longer lasting barrier protection with lard based products than I would have guessed. Lard is an inexpensive household staple in many Latino households at least in our area, so that might also be a plus for your class.

 

[powderpink]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned already, but make sure you spend a few moments on adding tips for troubleshooting the recipes.
E.g. Things like "why is my body butter grainy/not fluffy/too fluffy/hard?" "Why won't my lip balm set?" ( I'm not really good at thinking these up on the spot, but I think you'll get it ).

other than that I think it's a great idea Especially if you introduce easily obtainable ingredients for the community.

 

[Dorymae]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned already, but make sure you spend a few moments on adding tips for troubleshooting the recipes.
E.g. Things like "why is my body butter grainy/not fluffy/too fluffy/hard?" "Why won't my lip balm set?" ( I'm not really good at thinking these up on the spot, but I think you'll get it ).

other than that I think it's a great idea Especially if you introduce easily obtainable ingredients for the community.

Yes! Thank you, wrote it on my list!

 

[not_ally]

Love that you and the posters here are thinking of locally sourced ingredients in the community that you are presenting to. It makes such a difference, for some people it can be hard to get to a store in another part of the city/county, or even to order on the internet. Also, Dory, thanks for the heads up on looking for avocado oil in Latino groceries, I never thought of that. There are tons near me but always have ordered on the internet b/c I didn't think about local sources for it.

 

[not_ally]

DeeAnna, if you get to the point where you are comfortable doing so, would you mind sharing your thoughts on lard/tallow in skin care products? I would love to add them to B&B but usually use pre-made bases for those so it would be great if you could. Also, I always have fun and learn a lot from your explanations. No pressure, though, you do yeoman's service around here as it is