08.15.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:37 am by admin
Here they are … the Farmers’ Market series on the curing racks
I’ve been waiting all summer for this! We had such a cool, wet spring and early summer, and all our great Kentucky vegetables have been late coming on. Finally last week I felt the “really good stuff” was out there at the farmers’ market. I gathered up great produce, including wonderful heirloom tomatoes and organic cucumbers for this year’s Farmers’ Market soap series. This was a group of soaps I produced last summer made from locally-grown vegetables, and they were very popular. In fact, they were sold out by Christmas, and by that time all the good vegetables were gone. I’ve been waiting all year to get these soaps into production again, and this time I made a double batch.
What’s prettier than a red, ripe tomato?
They’re all shea butter soaps, so of course I started with that and olive oil. Shoppers are becoming more savvy at the market and seeking out heirloom tomatoes. We have several heirloom tomato growers around here, and I came home from last week’s market with three beauties. They got mashed in a blender, and I used the entire fruit, skin and all, deducting that weight from the water phase. They were enough to color this soap batch a bright orange color … no artificial color needed here! Heirloom Tomato Rosemary soap is now on the curing shelves.
Cucumber Basil Mint smells like a fresh, Kentucky morning
The Cucumber Basil Mint soap is lovely as well. When you sniff it, you just want to keep on sniffing … it’s as fresh as any Kentucky morning. Plus cucumbers bring that cool, calming quality to skin care.
This got me to thinking about the amount of locally-grown products I include in my soaps — everything from honey (Petzinger Farm) to tomatoes (Hazelfield Farm) to carrots and cumcumbers. Then there are other additives not locally grown but helpful to skin care such as oatmeal, almonds, Rhassoul and Rose clays, corn meal, green tea, spices and dried herbs.
Being able to create these soaps reminds me of how grateful we should be to the good farmers and gardeners willing to bend their backs to their task every year, and to the land itself that gives us good harvests again and again.
Sharon
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Posted in Uncategorized at 5:58 am by admin
Anna’s EsSCENTials Bodycare (that would be me) got interviewed for about five minutes at 7:15 a.m. this morning on a Frankfort radio station. They were doing a series on farmers’ market vendors, and the host, Stacey, called yesterday and asked me to do it, which of course I did not want to do. I’d rather be hit with a sledgehammer than speak in public, but that’s part of this industry too. Those of us who make soap must also be educators in a sense, because there are very good reasons why our handcrafted products are superior to commercial ones.
All in all, it went pretty well I think. It started with a short history of my company and why commercial soap isn’t so good for you. I managed (I think) to squeeze in a little of my philosophy of making excellent products available at reasonable prices affordable by most everyone. Also, this week I finished my farmers’ market soap series for the year so I got to talk about that, and Stacey asked me about my new Ultimate line which I described in detail, listing ingredients such as mango and shea butters, pomegranate seed oil, aloe, calendula and all the rest. I also remembered to get my Web site address in (www.annas-soaps.com), thanks to my son reminding me last night to do so.
Well, I’m glad that is over since I didn’t sleep very well last night just fretting about it. Tonight is our second evening farmers’ market here in Owenton, with one more to go in October. Can it really be August already?
Sharon
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08.02.08
Posted in Everyday Journal at 11:53 am by admin
I just returned from a soapmaker’s conference in Texas. Sponsored by the Texas Soapmaker’s Association, this is one I look forward to attending each year. The registration fee is more reasonable than some others, the agenda is top-notch, and I get to spend time with my best soapmaking buddy who also makes the trip.
That’s me in the red shawl, freezing to death in a Texas hotel meeting room, and Charlotte (Laughing Rabbit Soaps). We may look a little goofy, but we’ve been listening to serious speakers and seminars for two days and we’re having fun!
This year I came back with some fine new information and several things to think about.
For example, there is a new essential oil I cannot wait to get my hands on. Called Owyhee (which for people who care about things like this is the old-fashioned spelling of Hawaii), it was developed by Jeanne Rose, a well-respected aromatherapist who also spoke at the meeting. She gave us samples of the oil combined with a California lavender and I thought it was luscious! To me it made the best properties of lavender even more pronounced, adding just a touch of a “fruity” note. Its therapeutic properties are impressive as well since it appears to be a substitute for expensive Roman Chamomile.
Another new product that struck a note with me is called Olive Squalane which also has a number of therapeutic properties. Additionally, there is no greasiness to it, and it permeates the skin quickly. It can be used in either lotions or soaps. Originally squalane came from shark liver, but this is a totally vegetable product and is highly stable.
Purple carrots anyone?
There were others. Anyone ever hear of Black Carrot Juice? The truth is that carrots should be purple! That is their original form, and purple carrots contain 50% more beta carotene than orange ones. How did they get to be orange, you ask? Well…remember from history class the “House of Orange”? They were a royal family line in Europe who, the story goes, decreed that all their vegetables should be orange! The mutation to orange carrots grew from that time, and purple carrots are now almost unknown. I think farmers market vendors should seriously think about growing purple carrots. For myself, I am interested in using them for the color and beta carotene they bring to a soap.
Other products discussed were neem oil (great pesticide, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, pain suppressant, etc.) and caffeine powder, which is being used in creams and scrubs these days, promising a little “lift” along the way. The lift part is not studied yet, but I have to say it smells good.
Big Batch Soapmaking or How to Make a Business Out of a Hobby
I was grateful to hear several speakers focus on moving from a small, one-person operation to more serious business models. It is not an easy jump to make, and many of us are not sure we want to anyway. But generally we all feel we want more income from our efforts, especially in times like these as we see our material costs skyrocket.
To be honest, one of the things that bothered me as speakers talked about this subject was that, with a couple very stunning exceptions (keynote speaker Sandy Maine and Jan from Round Top Soaps), examples focused on grabbing market share with products I would not choose to make. They used artificial scents and colors and looked to me like a junior version of Bath & Body. I won’t get on that soapbox again, but I really want to see more soapmakers opting for products that add serious healthcare benefits.
Interesting facts
Did you know there is a mention of lavender in Arabic and Muslim literature some 3,000 years ago?
Keep your citrus essential oils in the refrigerator. Also all blue oils.
For every 2 ounces of essential oil distilled from plant material, there may be about 200 quarts of water, or hydrosol, produced. That hydrosol also contains properties of the plants and could be very useful in our products.
Beekeeping and cheesemaking equipment can sometimes be useful for soapmakers (cutters, thermometers, heat tapes, pots, etc.)
For efficiency’s sake, it is possible to pre-blend pigments and solid oils and use them as necessary.
If Proctor & Gamble used natural lavender essential oil in their products, they would use seven times the total supply of lavender the world produces!
I thought this shelving idea was a nice one. A vendor at the conference brought shelves like this, with a slanted front allowing for a sample soap to sit.
Enough for now
That gives you a taste of this year’s conference, held in Austin, TX (which I thoroughly enjoyed). We went looking for Willy but didn’t see him. We did, however, enjoy some great Southwestern food, and then about sunset 750,000 bats took off right on schedule from beneath a big bridge while we tourists stood on top watching in awe.
Thanks to all the conference organizers. I know it’s a huge task, and it’s only done for love. And once again, thanks to Charlotte and Dan of Laughing Rabbit Soaps, who shared the weekend with me and made it a joy.
Sharon
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07.30.08
Posted in Everyday Journal, Farmers Markets at 4:12 pm by admin
That’s the title appearing on the front page of The State Journal, Frankfort’s daily paper. Frankfort is the state capitol of Kentucky, and I attend a Saturday farmers’ market in the city, traveling about 30 miles from my own space here in Owenton.
Recently the paper decided to do a feature story on one of the Frankfort market’s vendors each week with the idea that market customers would like to know a bit about the background of those who bring produce and crafts to each week’s sale. The series has been very well received, and it appears that market sales are up as well.
This photo appeared with the article.
My week
A reporter and photographer visited my soap studio for an interview and photographs, and on July 16, an article about Anna’s EsSCENTials Bodycare products appeared in The State Journal. If you’ve ever been interviewed, you’ll know what an uncertain experience that is. You do your best to answer questions and provide the most pertinent information, and then you leave it in the hands of the interviewer. Later you wring your hands remembering the important stuff you forgot to say…such as your Web site address and blog address! Oh well.
Ashley Trosper was the journalist who interviewed me, and Hilly Schiffer did a great job with photography, especially given what she had to work with…me and a relatively messy studio.
When the article appeared, I held my breath. However, I can’t tell you how pleased I was. When I talk to people at a market, mostly I feel like a walking advertiser and I do not like it. I try to get across my special interest in health-giving products, but generally feel pretty clumsy at it. Ashley, however, was as smooth as silk in her article. I’ll quote bits of it here.
Here’s another photo used in the story, showing salts used in salt scrubs.
Excerpts from the article
“They call her the Soap Doctor. Sharon Lombardo, creator of Anna’s EsSCENTials, says making homemade soap combines science and artisanship.
“…It is her infatuation with skin care that motivates Lombardo to use natural oils from plants in a highly concentrated form.
“…Her soap formula has an olive oil base, which Lombardo said is extremely beneficial for the skin. She also uses sunflower, almond, coconut oils and various herbs.
“ ‘It’s partly about the fragrance,’ Lombardo said. ‘But it’s also about the healing properties.’
“ …‘You have to research a lot,’ Lombardo added. ‘It matters to me to know I’m always looking for the best things for your skin.’ “
The article goes on for a couple more columns and uses three photos. I guess it doesn’t get much better than this! Oh, and at last week’s market, I made a number of sales to people I had not talked with before. It occurs to me that this concept of writing articles about market vendors might be applicable for farmers’ markets in other areas as well.
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06.27.08
Posted in Everyday Journal, Farmers Markets at 12:15 pm by admin
Here’s my soap tent at the recent farmers’ market held on the state capital grounds sponsored by the governor’s wife, Jane Beshear. Customers are Shirley Hardin and Aaron Fisher.
This is the year to combine politics and soap I guess, and I had an interesting day I thought you might enjoy reading about.
Our Frankfort, KY, extension office, in conjunction with state government, held a special farmers market sponsored by Jane Beshear, the wife of Kentucky’s governor.There was a bill signing at the same time, with lots of press coverage, that had to do with supporting Kentucky’s markets and farmers. It was a well-coordinated event, and I was invited to set up, along with other vendors, on the grass outside the state capital building.
I went, not knowing exactly what to expect. I decided to take a good display however, and was glad I did. Because about 11 a.m., people began pouring out of the state office buildings, and I think even those who hadn’t expected us to be there were pleasantly surprised to have a full-blown farmers market (probably about 30-40 vendors) on their front lawn.
I say this was well-coordinated because planners had lots of helpers there to unload each vendor, supplied tents and assigned spots that separated like-vendors, and even provided box lunches. They were also there to help us pack up after the event. These thoughtful services made an impact on all of us, especially since many of us had taken off work to be there.
On the other hand, I have to say, it’s been a long time since this soapmaker has been in the midst of so many suits and power-dressers! I’d almost forgotten the atmosphere (and do not miss it!) Thank goodness for my sandals and casual clothing. It helped me through a 90-degree day, even wearing my “Soap Doctor” smock. I actually felt sorry for the women in heels and form-fitting dresses and the men in the ridiculous number of layers they must wear.
After the signing ceremony and all the speeches, politicians and others milled around and enjoyed offerings of fresh vegetables, flowers, baked goods and SOAP. At one point I looked up to see an attractive woman in a bright red dress greeting me. It was the governor’s wife who came by my booth and told me she had heard about my soaps already (REALLY???) and that she wanted to change out the soaps in the governor’s mansion and use mine instead. Well, you coulda’ knocked me over, so I said, “Okay.” (I hope everybody is impressed with my intelligent response.) Anyway, I was pretty complimented.
The good thing was getting to talk to new people who don’t ordinarily make the Saturday farmers market. I had a pretty good day, although with all the money I felt was floating around there at the moment, it was not spectacular. But a good day is a good day.
Sharon
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05.12.08
Posted in Uncategorized, Everyday Journal at 12:54 pm by admin
Wildflowers make every Kentucky spring a wonder, even in my little woodsy garden.
I apologize for not getting this blog better fed last month. All I can say is if you want to be a soapmaker, don’t go breaking any limbs. It’s pretty near impossible to make soap on crutches. The crutches are gone now, for about two weeks, and I’m trying to convince my right leg that it might try to remember the proper way for a leg to function … with limited success. For the time being it is achy, cracky, stiff and slow. Sounds a little like the rest of me some days, but I try not to think of that too much.
Anyway, spring has come to Kentucky and the foothills of the Appalachians. It’s such a beautiful time. The redbuds and dogwoods were gorgeous this year. Daffodils have come and gone, and all the spring flowers and irises are blooming right now. My eyes feast on the delicate colors like a visual banquet fit for a queen.
I have managed to make soap enough for spring festivals, and last week I began with two farmers markets. This year there are two new soaps … well, three counting the new “Ultimate” series. But the ones I have not talked about yet in this journal are a new Lime and Mint and Lavender Vanilla Lace. It’s always nice to go to markets with something new to talk about each spring. Occasionally I’ll make a soap just for that, with the idea that it is a one-time thing … buy it now if you want it.
I’m pretty sure the Lavender Vanilla Lace will be a favorite and will be around for a while. It is such a nice, warm combination of fragrances. The vanilla is a great scent, known to be especially exciting to our male friends. The problem with it is that it darkens any white soap. But if you can find a way to make that work for you, it’s well worth the tradeoff I think. There are vanilla fragrance oils that do not discolor the soap, and another option is to combine the essential oil and fragrance oil, if that’s an option. I used shea butter in this soap as well.
Here you see the new Lime and Mint soap along with its sister, Cinnamon Orange. They’re unique and nice for spring.
The Lime and Mint soap is one I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I think lime is a great, full, fruity essential oil. I’ve added it as a supplement to other combinations, but this time it gets star billing. I added a lime slice to the top of each bar and lime bits in the soap. It’s pretty and fun. The problem is all the hand work. There’s no way you can charge for all the special care that goes into this soap. But it sure is pretty!
Happy spring, everyone!
Sharon
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03.21.08
Posted in Everyday Journal, Trade Shows at 12:55 pm by admin
…or…Out of Control, Snowballing Chaos
Here you see one table with soap samples, our “The Soap Doctor Is In” sign and a pretty fountain in the background.
Let me apologize up front. I’ll keep this post as short as possible, but I’d advise readers to settle in with a good cup of coffee or hot chocolate. I hardly believe this story myself!
It all started the evening before we were leaving for the Kentucky Crafted trade show in Louisville. Most everything was in boxes, crates and packing containers and just needed to be carted down the 25 stairs and packed in the truck. Debra and I had pretty much loaded up her vehicle when I came tripping down the staircase with another load of soap.
“Tripping” is the operative word I guess, because by the time I got to the very bottom, tiny step, that’s exactly what I did. I went sprawling, soap everywhere on the street, and me flat on my back staring up at the sky and mentally crying, “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” It didn’t seem to help though. By the time I got out of the emergency room that evening, I had a set of xrays showing a fracture in my right leg, a sprain in the left, a pair of crutches, a splint, a bunch of bandages and orders to call the orthopedist in the morning.
That’s me, splint and bandages, before the cast.
When you’re not sure what to do, just do something
Well, sometimes when you don’t know what to do, it’s easiest to just go ahead and do what you had planned on doing in the first place. Debra and I decided that rather than wait until the next morning, we’d head over to Louisville that evening and get a jump on things in the morning. She added a tiny wheelchair her daughter had used in the past to our load, and away we went, with me trying to replay the situation in my mind hoping for a different ending. That didn’t seem to help either.
The next day we managed to get our booth built, or rather, Debra did. She went way above and beyond all rules of friendship by doing all the dragging, lifting, tugging and building herself while I looked for things I could do to be helpful. I definitely found out you can fall out of a wheelchair if you lean too far forward. And I also learned that crutches are really a death trap in disguise. Nevertheless, as the day went on, our booth began shaping up nicely.
Debra hanging a poster. How do you thank a friend like this?
I did my best to be useful!
This year’s new look
Remember from the last post I said I intended to do a new look this year with black curtains, posters and some elements from last year’s booth for continuity. It turned out the stuff from last year’s booth didn’t even get packed…and in fact, there were other things that got left behind in all the hubbub. But I had made black curtains and tablecloths, and we did have our favorite fountain from last year.
Everything was experimentation and trial-and-error, and we just kept at it until the booth began to emerge. My little “The Soap Doctor Is In” sign went in the middle, and both Debra and I had our lab coats with “The Soap Doctor” appliqueed on the pockets. The new Ultimate line went in the middle on its own shelf, and the other soaps got grouped where appropriate. We had a shelf for lavenders, one for “man soaps” and then another shelf with samples of each soap. We tried to spread out the product so a number of people could shop at the same time in the 10×10 ft. space.
“The Soap Doctor” in a wheelchair…any contradictions here?
At the end, I thought it just looked too plain. I wanted to put something on that big black backdrop. But Debra kept telling me that simple was better, and as the weekend went on I got more used to it. There was a definite elegance to the booth that I liked. I have to say, though, that black tablecloths are really hard. Every fleck of soap not only stuck but showed up. Wipe them away and you got big streaks. That’s a problem for next year.
We’re almost ready!
Ready for business
Finally, by Thursday afternoon, our booth was built and we were ready for business. Luckily I had prepared lots of specific literature and had things organized before deciding to crash down the staircase. It was a pretty slow afternoon, dedicated to wholesale sales, but that was expected. Finally, we headed back to the restaurant and a good meal complete with margarita, to the hotel and a much better night’s sleep.
Friday dawned on another wholesale day, which also went as expected with a few sales and a lot of interested buyers. I had prepared buyer’s packets complete with samples of literature, price lists, business cards, etc. to hand out. Buyers are moving fast and they appreciate your being very prepared.
Chaos on top of disaster
Sometime about noon on Friday rumors began to spread through the convention center about an impending “blizzard of the century” which, according to convention fear-mongers, was bearing down on Louisville and was ready to eat us all alive. I figured I’d had enough of disaster for one weekend and decided to ignore them all, but stories kept growing. By the time we left the convention center that evening, snow was indeed falling hard enough to look serious. We headed back to our now-favorite restaurant, another good meal and another margarita!
Sure enough, by morning the entire town was shut down…except the Kentucky Crafted show at the convention center. Here we had hundreds of exhibitors who, at great expense, had carted their art across the state, invested in booth space and equipment, and could not exactly wait until the next weekend. These shows are scheduled a year in advance. There would not be a re-do. But outside, expressways and highways were almost unrecognizable. The blizzard was in full force. Those of us on the roads at all just crawled along and prayed.
For this show, Saturday and Sunday are the retail days, and that’s when most of us hope to at least break even on the show costs. However, this Saturday, police were telling everyone to stay home, and they did. We had a convention center pretty full of vendors talking to each other, and that was the extent of the business for that day.
By Sunday a few people ventu red out, but the hoped-for surge to make up for Saturday never occurred. It was a relatively slow day, but there were some modest sales. And for me, after four days of limping around on crutches and in a wheelchair (you wouldn’t believe how slow and tiring it is to move around that way unless you’ve done it!), I was really looking forward to seeing if I could find my own bed at home and just stay there a while.
Well, I won’t bore anyone further with tales of how I got all this stuff back UP the stairs and at least tried to put things away, make soap to fill orders from the show and get back to work. Let’s just say it’s an ongoing struggle and leave it at that. I have a lot of very fine friends who have made my existence much easier. In the meantime I got a Kentucky Wildcats Blue cast and am now hobbling around in a “moon boot.” I’m supposed to stay off the leg for another few weeks and then begin to slowly put weight on it, but I don’t get out of the moon boot for another four weeks.
Conclusion
I promised I’d let you know what I thought of the black background and other props. Basically, it’s a thumbs-up. I thought it added an elegance I liked. But I will rethink the design slightly for next year. It needs a few extra touches. I’d like a small table to do some demonstrating and possibly an “anna’s” sign that would be remembered by customers. I’ll adjust some of the literature and signage, but overall it worked well. And the posters with the pretty green leaves added another good touch I think.
The trade show was a financial disaster this year, perhaps less for me than for many. But my perception is that disasters just do happen once in a while, and you must simply write them off and learn what you can. In my mind, this weekend had enough disasters so that if the law of averages balances things out, I should be good to go for a while!
Sharon
Another treat…a trade show “neighbor” who does these amazing sculptures had forgotten the shovel for his miner. He bought a cake of cinnamon clove soap and carved a temporary shovel for his miner. The shovel you see here is actually made of soap!
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01.26.08
Posted in Everyday Journal, Trade Shows at 1:58 pm by admin
Last year’s Kentucky Crafted Trade Show aisle. See Anna’s EsSCENTials corner booth on the right.
I thought it might be time to discuss the issue of trade shows and trade show booths. I’ve done the Kentucky Crafted Trade Show (this year March 6-9) in Louisville for about five years. It’s been a great experience, I’ve made friends and learned a lot, and it’s enabled me to broaden my business to quality outlets.
BUT … I have never been pleased with the look of my booth. I think it’s hard to design an aesthetically pleasing and functional booth! Maybe others out there have struggled with the same problem. I’d have to say mine gets better each year with the addition of some new element (last year a fountain), but overall, I know it’s just not as good as I’d like.
Sun, Sea, Sand and Soap
My initial thought was to pull on a tropical theme for the booth design. I like anything tropical, so that was easy. And there seems to be an easy tie-in with soap products as well.
Many soapmakers design around the old-fashioned, down-home, hand-made concept, and that is very valid. I’ve seen some dynamite booths with washtubs, barn lumber, etc. But often these soapmakers have partners to help them build these “sets,” and I am fresh out of one of those. Whatever gets built, I will do it myself.
The other issue is hauling all this stuff to the show. It’s heavy, space-consuming, and when you’re exhausted and ready to go home, it’s usually painfully slow to disassemble.
Other Ideas
Another, growing theme for a trade show booth appears to be an “upscale” version, focusing on cosmetics rather than soap, although the soap will be in there somewhere. There is much more potential markup on creams, scrubs, lotions and the like — even more if you want to sell the “complete package” and all the marketing that goes with it.
I understand the desire to be profitable in your business, and just because I don’t spend much time focusing on that part of the business doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to have it happen. However, I have to say I inevitably grit my teeth and frown when I take a close look at products coming from these environments. Using the guise of health and “green,” I’ve found they lack the quality I feel they could and should have. Packaging, though — they’ve got that down in spades (to make up for ingredients I guess). I’m sorry to be so negative, but it’s gotten so when I see really nice, professional packaging, I almost shudder. I’m quick to say that “packaging is everything,” but it still hurts to see so many women buying into the look rather than the quality.
This Year’s Design
However, back to the main theme of this post.
I’m about to design this year’s booth, and with the help of the Kentucky Platinum 10 Project group I’ve been working with all year, I’m actually excited about it for the first time ever.
After another of my diatribes about soap ingredients at a recent meeting — what each is good for and why others are not so good — they suggested I use the label, “Soap Doctor.” Well, my first reaction was about all the things I do NOT know. I’ve been at this for nearly a decade and have learned a great deal from my experience, that of other soapmakers, a library of good literature, seminars, conferences, and professional associations to which I’ve belonged. Even still, the more you learn, the more you want to learn.
My second reaction to the title, “Soap Doctor,” however, was very positive. In a nutshell, it differentiates me from a whole bunch of others. I just hope it isn’t too pretentious or doesn’t promise too much. But at last weekend’s Whole Foods Market health fair I turned up with a sign proclaiming “The Soap Doctor Is In!” A couple of people stopped to talk and laugh about it. I was pleased.
Last year’s booth — colorful but too unfocused I think now.
The second good idea the group offered, after looking at photos of last year’s booth, was to do the whole thing in black so the products and people (me and my helpers) in the booth stand out. I did not realize, but fire-retardant fabric is available, evidently made for the theater. I found a source and came home with a bunch of it. The next step is to make backdrops and probably table coverings.
I intend to keep a number of props from last year’s booth. I have found people actually come looking for me year after year, and having something recognizable besides the name does help. The other thing I’ve done is pay extra for a corner booth. I think it is a worthwhile extravagance.
These are my ideas so far. If anyone else has experiences to contribute, please do so. I’m still not happy with shelving I have (the need to get things up off the table but not topple over at the wrong time) and other details. In the meantime, happy trade show-ing to everybody.
Sharon
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11.26.07
Posted in Everyday Journal at 12:09 pm by admin
As part of my effort to upgrade Anna’s EsSCENTials soap line through the Kentucky Platinum 10 Program, I finalized the recipe I’ve chosen for my new salt scrub. I’ve tried a salt scrub before, but only half-heartedly. This time I wanted to get it right.
While there are both salt and sugar scrubs on the market, I decided that for my niche, which is health-oriented handmade body products, salt makes sense and sugar does not. With salt at least you are getting minerals to absorb. What health benefit could sugar possibly bring to a body scrub?
Anna’s EsSCENTials Hawaiian Alaea Salt Scrub — Aloha and mahalo.
I chose Hawaiian Alaea Sea Salt as my primary salt. It’s a beautiful, naturally-colored orange-red salt high in minerals, and also, Hawaii is my favorite place in the world, so that’s enough reason right there. I also used Dead Sea Salt and several oils known to be easily-absorbed by the skin. I chose a combination of skin-care essential oils including clary sage and peppermint.
Lots of people have never used a salt scrub. At the recent Larkspur Press Open House & Holiday Sale, I should have given customers a way to try it with a demonstration. I’ll figure that out for next year. But everyone who tested it for me reported that they absolutely loved the way their skin felt after using it. I was happy with the recipe and intend to order containers with self-sealing lids that I hope will help with leakage.
For a peek, see the photo in the following article from my table setup at the holiday sale.
Sharon
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Posted in Everyday Journal at 12:02 pm by admin
Anna’s EsSCENTials “Ultimate” Mango-Shea Skincare Bar makes its debut. Notice also the new Hawaiian Alaea Salt Scrub to the right.
Anna’s EsSCENTials’ new Ultimate Mango-Shea Skincare Bar has made its debut! And it was a great hit. All my worries and fretting were for naught. The scent combination was commented on favorably by almost everyone, and when they heard the concept of putting together the “best of the best” including berry seed oils, mango and shea butter, aloe, olive oil, calendula and all the rest, they seemed about as excited as I was.
Actually, I think I sold about half the first batch already at the Larkspur Press Open House, and I have another show next weekend. It looks like I’ll need to get back in production with this soap soon. Now there’s a good problem to have.
Note the new black “minimalist” label. The Platinum 10 group wanted me to leave EVERYthing off except for maybe one word. I couldn’t do it though. I got my Anna’s EsSCENTials logo on and the soap name. Everything else including ingredients and address info is printed on the inside of the label.
Sharon
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