Who would’ve thought many years ago when I had this desire to create soaps, that it would take me 13 years to actually start! I must say once I started, I couldn’t stop. My background as an esthetician, aromatherapist & body care buyer for Whole Foods, led me in a certain direction. My first inclination was to go completely natural using only natural colors with all these incredible herbs and clays. I actually wanted the soap to look like those rustic cheeses you saw in high-end specialty shops, with the cheese looking so appetizing with the herbs visible to the naked eye. I actually created those soaps with hot process method, to look just like that starting out with chamomile, lemongrass, calendula and coloring with turmeric, green tea and beautiful clays. We all have our ideas when we first being but times change and so do our tastes.
I wanted clientele that could understand the natural way of living! I understand now, what I didn’t realize then was, that, perhaps, by my own mindset, I was eliminating customers who wanted handcrafted but liked pretty designs and colors that were brighter and perhaps more pleasing to the eye.
I stayed pretty true to myself for 3 years and then I wanted to play with the colors and designs, so I added micas to my color stock. Oh, I discovered color and the various shades of each and every color. I still won’t use neon colors but I think I have pretty much every shade of purple there is, considering my first company name was “Lavender Dreams” and by the way, yes, I did have a purple tent for the big art shows! 😂. Go big, or go home!
We all have a set ideas in our mind when we first begin soapmaking, but times change and so do our tastes. I still prefer to use essential oils but I have added a few fragrance oils as well! I believe I can say that I am finally broadening my horizons to appeal to a much wider audience. Why not, we don’t want to exclude anyone in our sales, nor are we making soap just for us!