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Archive for the ‘Products’ Category

An Unscented Product That Does Not Smell Unscented

Posted in Business Related Questions, Products, tagged , , on May 7, 2010| 2 Comments »

I recently received a remarkable and valued question:  Why does the product received not smell unscented even though it is labeled unscented?

If a product is marked unscented it contains no fragrance or essences that scent. 

Every ounce of my business, except for accounting, is done in my soap shop.  Paper products (including soap boxes and shipping materials) may pick up an aroma from my shop.  

It is virtually impossible for an unscented finished product from my shop to become embedded with scent.  The products themselves are kept separate from the day they are made (beginning with the scrupulously clean equipment and utensils).  There is no cross contact between products. 

The only way I can guarantee a customer that they will receive a shipment that never hints of fragrance is to make unscented soap in my house, store it on a curing rack in my house, place it in storage bins in my house, and ship/package the product using materials that were also stored in my house.  And that is simply not feasible. 

FYI…the client and I did determine that it was the packaging that the recipient was smelling, not the product itself.  A nose not exposed to fragrance is significantly sensitive to fragrance.    

I welcome your comments and feedback!

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Product Monday – Natural Perfume

Posted in AGH Business News, Products, tagged , on April 26, 2010| 8 Comments »

Solid Natural Perfume and Beautiful Wash Cloths via Niece's Knitting

I have always been interested in aroma.

Natural aroma holds several qualities that I adore, such as: memory (remembrance of special times and places), relaxation, grounding, and even uplifting properties.

Today I prepared a spicy rose and geranium blend solid perfume for a friend’s 74th birthday. I thought she might enjoy keeping the compact near her, even if all she does is open it now and then.

I made a special blend for myself of oakmoss, lavender and frankincense. I cannot describe the herbaceous scent any better than mossy and relaxing. I will tweak it slightly and add it to my online soap store within the next two weeks.

My natural perfumes will be available in solid, sprays, and dab on (rich) perfumes. The solid blends will be available first. I am allowing the latter two of the three to age, to allow the natural oils to “marry.”

Lesson learned: I made a perfume 8 weeks ago, on a whim, late one evening. If I find the recipe that I wrote down I will be elated. It is a great blend. I am down to a few drops and will likely not be able to repeat it!

I can barely wait to explore more blends and finally offer them for others to enjoy!

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Product Monday – Cedarwood Rose Goat Milk Soap

Posted in Products, tagged on April 19, 2010| 10 Comments »

I will admit to it, I hold a great fondness for cedarwood essential oil.

Cedarwood combined with rose, particular blends of it, reminds me of something that I cannot quite put my finger on, something from the past.  I find it romantic and relaxing. 

In this blend the cedarwood definitely stands out, even though the recipe leans more heavily on the rose fragrance.  

Cedarwood is considered a “base note” essential oil in perfumery, meaning, its staying power is lengthy, it evaporates very slowly, holding its scent for a long time.

I love the looks of this soap, simple, yet pretty.

Cedarwood Rose goat milk soap is now available in the goat milk soap store.

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Product Updates – Lotion Preservative & Ocean Breeze Goat Milk Soap

Posted in AGH Business News, Products, tagged , , , on April 15, 2010|

Ocean Breeze Goat Milk Soap

Ocean Breeze Goat Milk Soap

I am including two product announcements in this blog post.

First, this is the Ocean Breeze soap that I placed on the website today.  This Ocean Breeze soap version replaces the one that I am deeply discounting due to a change in product style, not fragrance, as outlined in a blog post here.  I love the new look, do you?

Secondly, after the program that I put on last night, after one-on-one discussions with several people that are concerned about parabens (even though they have been deemed safe by the FDA), I have decided to retain the non-paraben preservatives that I currently use in my goat milk lotion.  You may reference the original discussion that I posted here.  Please jump in on this discussion if you would like.  Your comments are very much appreciated.

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Effective Preservatives – Goat Milk Lotion

Posted in Products, tagged on April 13, 2010| 85 Comments »

Common questions that I receive regarding my products are:  What type of preservative do you use in your goat milk lotion? Is a preservative needed in goat milk lotion?

A product that contains water must contain a preservative.

The only way for a person to get around the requirement of a preservative is to make a small batch of lotion for your own use, store it in the refrigerator, and use it within 2 weeks

Selecting a preservative for goat milk lotion requires careful scrutiny, meaning, not just any preservative will do the job effectively.

The preservative that I prefer is Phenonip.  It covers the special needs of preserving a lotion that contains milk, it leaves no detectable odor in lotion, and it does not affect the thickness of the formula.  On the other hand, Phenonip contains parabens.  Parabens developed a bad name in 2004 when they were suggested to be linked to the retaining of estrogen in the tissues of the human body.  Parabens have since, time and time again, been proven safe.

I currently use a combination of Cosmocil and Potassium K.  I worked the percentages of use out with a chemist to ensure I use adequate preservative for my formula, yet, I did not want to overcompensate because Potassium K tends to leave an odor that I personally find offensive.  Cosmocil also lends to separation of  the milk from the distilled water that I use in my lotion recipes.  Cosmocil is a common preservative found in contact lense solutions.  It is very mild.  Cosmocil by itself is not an effective preservative for goat milk lotion.

I am considering returning to the preservative Phenonip.  It is proven to be both safe for the body and provides ultimate safety for the product (and your skin)!

Questions are welcome at any time.

(Update effective 3/2012.  Questions are welcome by me, however, please research preservatives carefully.  Soap and lotion ingredient suppliers carry a wealth of preservatives, and useful information such as suggested usage rates.  If you find you do need help, consider investing in your product, or your business.  I offer consultation (here) on my website).  Thank you! Mary

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Product Monday – Soap Clearance

Posted in AGH Business News, Products, tagged on April 12, 2010| 7 Comments »

I will be deep discounting a few soap designs this week.

One such soap is Ocean Breeze (pictured above).  Ocean Breeze was designed to look like beautiful blue green sea water with white sea foam (embedded unscented goat milk soap).  As much as I loved the soap, the design was way too difficult to repeat.  So, I will be marking down the last several bars and posting pictures and a description of the revamped look.  The scent has not changed.

Moroccan Dreams is another soap that I will deep discount.  Moroccan Dreams has a fresh, slightly masculine scent, with hints of patchouli amongst other wonderful fragrances.  After designing Moroccan Dreams I became not so fond of the ultramarine colors that I chose for the soap.  I need a new design.  Fun fact:  a client’s husband kept stealing the Moroccan Dreams soap from her bathroom.  The wife would find it in his bathroom, being used as shaving soap.  The soap travelled back and forth several times (the last that I know).  I love that story!  Moroccan Dreams is not being discontinued, it will continue with a different look, same scent.

I plan to mark down additional soaps but have not determined which ones yet.  Spring is a good time for change and updates! All new discounts will be posted by Friday, 4/16.

If you want to keep an eye on my discounted products, you may want to visit the online soap store and scroll through the category discounted items.

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Product Monday – Lilac Goat Milk Soap

Posted in Products, tagged , , on March 29, 2010| 6 Comments »

Lilac is an ornamental flower of a shrub that cannot be distilled or manufactured into an essential oil.

So, in the case of lilac, a soaper finds a good quality lilac fragrance to add to their products.

I do not know about you, but lilac is a fragrance I look forward to each and every spring.

Today I upgraded the Lilac Goat Milk Soap photo in my online soap shop.  Gone is the dark purple, what remains is the different shades of lavender (light to medium swirled into the top of the soaps). 

Silky, smooth, and spring-like lilac.

Time to celebrate!

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Product Monday – Lemongrass Poppyseed Goat Milk Soap

Posted in Products, tagged on March 15, 2010| 10 Comments »

Today I am highlighting Lemongrass Poppyseed goat milk soap.  It is hard to believe it has been nearly a year since I last talked about it (here). 

Lemongrass Poppyseed goat milk soap is all natural. 

Lemongrass essential oil is derived from a grassy plant, unlike lemon essential oil (which is derived from the pulp of the lemon).  Lemongrass essential oil is steam distilled from the long grass-like leaves of the lemongrass plant, origins centered in India.

My description of the lemongrass scent is a sharp grass-lemon-citrus.

Lemongrass Poppyseed soap varies in color from light to deep yellow, and at times it picks up a slight pink hue, depending upon the season of milk, and an occasional change in shea butter (I use organic).

Lemongrass Poppyseed soap works well for a combination skin type, and great for an oily complexion.

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please let me know if you have questions!

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Product Monday – Natural Product Storage

Posted in Products, tagged , on March 8, 2010| 7 Comments »

I shipped a tub of organic whipped shea butter this week to a customer.  As I slid the package over the counter to the clerk at the post office my thoughts were, “Thank goodness this is not the heat of the summer.  The product would melt and lost its consistency.” 

With the changing of the season, it is a good time to re-cap the importance of proper storage of a natural skin care product.

  • Do not store natural skin care products in a hot environment, such as in your vehicle.  The products will heat excessively and the natural consistency will change and/or be destroyed. 
  • Keep natural soap high and dry…out of standing water.  A bathroom does become humid, and most of the soaps that I make hold up to a lot of moisture, however, sitting in a puddle of water does eventually soften the soap causing it to not last as long as it should.
  • When storing natural products for any length of time, the optimal environment is cool (or room temperature) and as dry as possible.
  • My lotions come with a “best used by” date of one year from date of purchase.  Do not mix my lotions with other products, as this will destroy the limitations to the preservative.  Definitely do not heat the product or add water to thin it down.

These are simple steps to ensure the natural products you invest in remain good to “the last drop.”

Have a beautiful day!

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Product Monday – Lilac Goat Milk Soap

Posted in In The Soap Shop, Products, tagged on March 1, 2010| 8 Comments »

 

Lilac Goat Milk Soap

I wanted to share a photo of the soap I made a couple of days ago, Lilac scented goat milk soap. 

For those of you that love a good old-fashioned fragranced soap, such as Lilac, this is a great match. 

I applied the color (safe ultramarine violet) to the top only, swirling it in at the end of the project.

Lovely.

Soap making has been a bit difficult for me recently.  I am working on Annie’s Goat Hill spring soaps, stocking up on the favorites.  Between kidding, studying, problems on the farm (pulling the well pump several times), my favorite job, making soap, has been a struggle.

It will get better! I am an optimist.  It is my job.

And I hope when I get back to making more soap, it comes out as pretty as this one did!

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