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Archive for the ‘Products’ Category

Tarts and Candles 002

It is Monday, the day of the week I have assigned to writing about a specific product.

Today I am showcasing a few products that have not yet hit the website, wax tarts and candles. 

I began working on these products last Thursday.  At first the colors jumped out at me, like BING.  Bright, wow.  But today when I stepped back in and took a look at them, they are rather pretty.

The scents are Summer Melon, Pina Colada, Ocean Beeze, Shortbread, and Mango. 

I have used wax tarts for years.  I have a couple of electric tart warmers around my home.  I like using electric warmers because there is no open flame involved.  And another benefit is I can pop the wax out of the warmer after I use it, put the wax in a baggie and re-use it at a later date.  I then can melt another wax tart fragrance.  Like soaps, I guess I have an addiction to fragrances.

I also chose to begin my testing and making of candles with votives.  I love the small votive cups.  I can burn one of my votives for 18-21 hours (or longer) in a proper votive cup, with proper care.  I feel rather safe using these as well.  I always place them on a surface that is non-flammable, like a stove top.  I never place them below a curtain, fabric, or a wooden shelf or cabinet, etc… .  And I never leave a candle unattended.

I will also be making glass jar candles.  I have not decided on jelly jars or the larger jars made specifically for candles.  I just do not know yet!

I can tell you this, the candles in the photograph are made from very fine quality soy wax.   The candles are fragranced at the maximum allowable percentage.  And they contain dyes made specifically for candles, safety in mind as well.  The wicks are also made of quality materials (lead free). 

My focus will be quality (ecologically happy wax, scent, burn time, and the suppliers reports of saftey tested materials).

I would love to hear your comments, concerns, questions, etc… ! Bring them on, you are a BIG help to me!

Candles have never been far from my mind.  I tried them once, back in 2004 when I started making soap.  I threw some together, never tried to sell them, but now I think the time is right.  Sell the tarts and candles individually perhaps, but more than likely in gift sets.  An Ocean Breeze gift set…mmm. 

I used to shop 3 or 4 times a year in a very small artist colony/resort town in Indiana.  I parked my car in a specific spot and had my foot trip through town very well planned out.  First I hit up the perfume shop.  They made perfumes to order, better than those in the department stores.  Next would be the herbal shop where I bought my handcrafted rustic soaps.  By this time I was wearing myself out with the excitement of what was in my shopping bags! Next were the candle shops.  Always some handcrafted potpourri (messy stuff) and candles.  I guess scent has always been something I love!

Have a beautiful Monday!

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               Orange Cinnamon Goat Milk Soap

Beginning today, each Monday I will showcase an existing product.  Even I get surprised from time to time when I begin reviewing products that I have tucked away.

A few days ago I retrieved a bar of orange cinnamon goat milk soap for my own use.  Orange cinnamon is an all natural soap scented with sweet orange essential oil with bits of cinnamon goat milk soap (made with cinnamon essential oil) embedded throughout.  It is a pretty soap, very lightly scented. 

As the soap left the curing rack, months ago (soap gets better with a little age), I thought it was fairly ho-hum.  The scent just was not there, but much to my surprise, as soon as water hit the bar of soap a few days ago the scent seemed to waft out at me.  Lovely…reminded me of a pomander hanging in a doorway, or perhaps a natural orange potpourri with cinnamon sticks.  No, the scent is not very powerful, but it definitely has its qualities.

This basic soap definitely exhibits wonderful glycerin qualities, and did not leave my skin feeling extremely taut.  I recommend it for all skin types.

To make way for the holiday inventory, orange cinnamon goat milk soap is discounted (“Y” a sale?) in my site’s goat milk soap store

As always, if you really like a product, let me know! On my list of goals for the upcoming week is to add updated testimonials to the website.

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Lilac Goat Milk Soap

Lilac Goat Milk Soap

Products that are natural, and nearly natural, those that I craft, are a bit more sensitive to heat and cold.  Why? They do not contain additives that hold the  product at the same consistency regardless of temperature. 
 
Take goat milk lotion, for example, if the lotion itself heats up to 100 degrees it will become slightly thinner.  Once the lotion returns to room temperature (75-80 degrees) it returns to its normal consistency, creamy, not too thick, definitely not thin.
 
Do not leave the goat milk lotion in your car.  The temperatures in a car are far too extreme for a natural product. 
 
Upon arrival, during the warmer months (and extreme cold), allow a lotion or cream type of product to reach room temperature once you receive  it in shipment.  You will shortly find a product in its natural state, as it should be.
 
A natural bar of soap also comes with special care.  You know, you probably can set a bar of Zest (sorry folks) on a bathroom shelf indefinitely.  It would not matter if the temperature was 101 degrees, nor would the humidity at 98 % make a difference, the soap would not sweat.  Some natural bars will sweat.  Keep this in mind if you do not have air conditioning to regulate the temperature and humidity.  A bar that fits into this example perfectly is my spa salt bar.  I have seen a salt bar sweat in my bathroom, before we cranked up the A/C! I have no problems with my soap melting, unless it is sitting in a puddle of water.  If the soap is made from inexpensive melt and pour bases (not the method that I use), you may experience problems with soap melting away in higher temperatures.
 
Use your best judgment…I would not say the products are perishable, but use good judgment with their storage.  They do not require kid gloves, but they do require a tiny bit of TLC when it comes to storage.  A good handcrafted soap or lotion can remain “fresh” for at least a year, and honestly, I have some for my own personal use that are older.
 
By the way, I cut the bars of soaps (in the photo) today.  They are swirled (just on top) with a light violet.  The color in the photo does the soap no justice…they are interesting and beautiful.  They will be a part of the “25” soaps that I carry, lilac goat milk soap is on that list. 
 
 

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As announced in the June newsletter, some of my goat milk lotion fragrances are now available in 16 oz. bottles, with a handy pump top. Lavender and unscented are the first in stock, with more to be added in the upcoming weeks. And, if you want a scent in particular that you do not see on the site, you can always drop me an email, I will be more than happy to try to help ( anniesgoathill@gmail.com).
I have been testing the larger (than normal 8 oz.) bottle out myself. I love it! Having a bottle with a pump leaves me hands free after stepping out of the bath or shower, which is leaving me less likely to skip the moisturizing step this mature skinned woman needs. Oops, yep, I said it, mature skin. 🙂

I am having a beautiful Monday here. Got up with the chickens, before sunlight hit, made lotion before 7:00 A.M. . Crazy goat lady I am! Accomplished a lot, and now I am being treated with a beautiful day with work behind me. Hope you enjoy the day too!

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I am focusing and catching up with odds and ends on the website, on the blog, and in the shop today! It feels super to make progress!
As announced in the June newsletter, the new product has arrived, Peppermint and Pumice:
Most of us deal with rough spots on our feet. Calluses and rough spots can be less than pretty, but can also make us uncomfortable in our shoes as well.
One of the best pampering remedies I have found for the problem is to soak my feet, or even take a long bath, and then use a pumice stone to gently slough off the rough spots.
Followed up immediately with an application of cooling and soothing peppermint goat milk lotion.
Next, a pair of white cotton socks goes on the feet, and then…relax!
This is one special treatment, especially when shutting down at the end of the day. Your feet will love you for it, and the next day you reap the benefits. Soft feet!
Peppermint and Pumice is available in the goat milk soap store under gift sets and/or lotion. The product is packaged in a cellophane bag, raffia tied.

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Summer Bundles

The Brown Bag special has been archived.

Today the Summer Bundles sale kicked in. It is a great bargain as well.

The current bundle consists of 5 bars of lavender goat milk soap, average bar size 3.5 ounces.

Silky smooth, all natural goat milk soap!

The total cost is $2o.oo, which includes a $5.oo flat rate shipping and handling fee.

The soaps are packaged in a cellophane bag, raffia or ribbon tied.

The Summer Bundles sale button is located at the bottom of my site’s store page.

I am writing this blog post on my phone…hope it works. My PC is doing funky things today.

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Up With The Roosters

Yes, the title and photo says it all. The day came to life very early this morning! I can just hear him crowing, the bossy fellow.
The husband is heading in one direction this morning for business and I am heading to the shop to work on filling orders and rebuilding the lotion stock.
Yesterday I took large boxes full of Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps gift sets to the retail location that displays my products. Once I returned to my shop I cut the rosemary shampoo bars from the freshly made loaf, the initial shampoo bars (made here). More on that product in the near future. I will discuss shampoo bars and what rinses can/should be used to maintain the proper hair PH.
The Brown Bag Special will continue through 6/30/09. At that time I am going to archive the sale. It was fun while it lasted! Many of the 3.5 ounce (average) bars are dwindling in number, but there is a nice supply still available for the Brown Bag Special. I absolutely love the newer chunkier bars (average 4.5 ounces)! The Brown Bag special, for those of you new here, includes 5 bars of goat milk soap (the same quality soap as the 4.5 ounce bars) for 15.00, plus a 5.00 flat rate shipping fee (special rate only for shipping within continental U.S.). These are assorted soaps, packaged in a brown bag (no individually boxed soap)…just right to get through the remainder of this slow economy! If you wish to place an order, the instructions and buy here button are located at the bottom of the goat milk soap store page on my website.

By the way…you know how honest I am…no rooster here…but I imagined up a strong image of the colorful proud guy crowing away a bit ago!

Have a fun Friday!!!!

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When I create a new soap I always save the small sliver from the end of the batch as a test soap. Yes, I am blessed. I get to try all kinds of soaps. For the tried and true soaps I leave the end pieces for customer samples.

I am happy to announce that the Ocean Breeze goat milk soap passed the test yesterday!

It smells wonderful, best described as fresh!

What inspired me was the dream of a clear ocean, beautiful blue green color, white sand, gently rolling waters, along with a cool breeze. I have not gone on a vacation in years, but I am one to get up before anyone else and take a beach stroll. Absolutely heaven. Back to the soap…does the soap smell like the ocean? No! It can also be described as a scent close to clean cotton. Fresh!

The soap lathers well and has some nice glycerin qualities.

Ocean Breeze will be moved to the website tomorrow.

I do not need to tell you this, but I appreciate and enjoy it, half of the first batch is on reserve for Alix at Casa Hice. She scooped the bars up as soon as she learned that they had been cut. She has an Annie’s Goat Hill Goat Milk Soap addiction. There is no cure.

There will be more Ocean Breeze soap in the soap pot in the near future, it is a keeper!

Have a good evening!

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Today I am spotlighting my rosemary mint goat milk soap.

Rosemary is not for everyone. If you love it, you normally seek it! I am one that likes it, especially in the summer months. If you have never had a chance to experience the scent of rosemary essential oil, I can describe it as fresh, strong, pine like, yet sweet.

Aromatherapists report that rosemary essential oil is helpful for re-energizing (due to mental fatigue or depression). Rosemary essential oil is used in soap products to help remove excess oil secretions in the hair, and assists with skin blemishes and dandruff. It also has some antibacterial properties.

This soap contains a touch of peppermint, along with finely ground rosemary leaves. Peppermint is said to have some energizing benefits as well.

I want to remind everyone, when considering the use of essential oils (especially in their natural oil state) always pay attention to your allergies or special health concerns (such as pregnancy, epilepsy, etc..). Be safe and be aware. There are a lot of good sites on the Internet that explain the precautions, such as Aromatherapy.Suite101.com .

Have a good evening!

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I have some blogging and comments to catch up on!

First, I thought I would showcase my lemongrass poppyseed goat milk soap.

Lemongrass is not extracted from lemons, but it has a very lemony scent, dark yellow to amber in color. Lemongrass is a grass, the essential oil is extracted from the leaves of the grass.

I have a few customers that regularly ask for lemongrass soap. It was also one of my original soaps, before the addition of goat milk. These particular customers are younger, with oily skin. If you have a friend or family member that loves the scent of lemons, or one that fights oily skin, this could be their soap!

The poppyseed provides gentle exfoliation.

Today’s soap is in the mold. I make soap in loaves, cutting the loaf into bars approximately 24 hours later. Todays soap (like the lemongrass poppyseed) is also an all natural soap, no colorants, scented with tangerine, sweet orange, grapefruit, and a touch of lavender essential oils. It smells clean to me!

One of my customers ordered up all of the smaller sized bars of unscented goat milk soap today. So, unscented goat milk soap has been removed from the discount section on the website. There are full sized bars remaining, just no discounted smaller bars.

That is it for the shop talk today!

I need to catch up on comments and questions next.

Having a beautiful day too? I hope so!

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