I recently had a suggestion for a new candle fragrance from my Sister. She loves the sweet and spicy aroma's around the holiday's and we were browsing through my list of fragrances from my supplier and she came across a Spicy Apple Cidar scent and said "Ya gotta try that one!".... I haven't been real impressed with some of the appley scents I've tried in candles. I am a bit persnickity about my candles and how well they throw, and altho, there are some fine fragrances out there, they just don't cut the mustard when it comes to candles, like they do for body products.

Well, reluctantly, I made a candle with this fragrance, expecting it to be about like the other appley scents I've tried.... suttle and faint, and some of them, you can't smell at all once they burn. This one however.... is the keeper of all apple scents! It has a deliciously warm and spicey apple cidar scent alright, so it holds true to its name.... but, when it is lit.... OMGoodness is all I could say. I lit the candle in the bathroom and left the door open. 20 minutes later I walked into the hallway and the scent wafted up and smacked me in the nose... WOW! What a fantastic candle! So..... another wonderful addition to our wonderful candle like.

Something else I want to note about this great fragrance: alot of apple cidar scents are over powered by cinnamon.... this smells like a nice elixer of apple cidar and not apple and cinnamon or just cinnamon... it's just right!

Well, as I had noted last week, my difficulty in finding wholesale or direct olive oil continues on. I recieved two emails this week in return for a request of wholesale information to two companies. 1) Denied me an account for the purpose that the olive oil would be used in soap and not food. I guess I am going to have to not mention what I am using it in for future inquiries. I just don't grasp that at all.
2) the other email "regretfully" denied me because I do not use enough olive oil per month to meet what thier minimum sale to me, but, if in the future I encrease production to meet the eqaulivant of 10 - 55 galon drums a month, which is their minimum of 2 pallet requirment, they would reconsider me, and, offered me to buy 32 oz. bottles by the case as a discount. I did the math on their discount by the case, and it comes up to $4.00 higher than what I am buying my olive oil at a discount already!

I am frustrated to say the least. It doesn't appear that the olive oil will be raising in price again for awhile unless there is a natural disaster somewhere, which is always possiable and I pray not. One individually suggested I use a cheaper oil in my soap to keep cost down! GASP! What? My formula is Olive Oil based and that is what makes it so great..... buying cheaper ingredients to keep cost down, would put me on the same level as commercial manufactures and I will most definately not sacrafice my customers skin, my skin or the qaulity of my soap to produce it cheaper. The cost of olive oil did indead increase, but it was small enough the the cost of my soap didn't go up much either, by only a few scents per bar in fact.

I will continued to hunt down manufactures and look for resturant suppliers to help me find olive Oil at a lower cost, without compromising the qaulity of my soap. Until then, the discount I currently recieve will suffice for the time being.

I recieved a sample of a new fragrance in my supply shipment the other day that I thought was interesting and I plan to make a test candle out of it to see how well it does strenth wise. It's called "Downy Fresh" , and you guessed it, it smells just like downy fabric softner. I cannot imagine using this fragrance in bath bombs or lotions, but I would imagine it would make a nice candle for those who enjoy the clean cotton/linen fragrances. I would imagine, if it throws as well I as hope, that it would make your home smell like freshly washed laundry. I personally, like the clean crisp smell of laundry straight from the dryer, it has a comfort to it.

Also, a while back, I got a sample of a fragrance called "Mary Jane". I think it has a really stinky skunky weedy smell to it. It reminded me of the prairie flowers we would pick in the pasture behind our house growing up. I believe they are called Indian Paint Brush. They are beautiful flowers, but they smell awful. lol Well, this particular fragrance oil is discribed to smell like fresh Cannibus. For those who know that smell and appreciate it I suppose, you'll be interested in sniffing it to see. Much to my surprise, it has become a popular fragrance, so I have started making a novelty candle with it. Straight Mary Jane in one, Magic Brownie in another and lastly a layered candle called 4:20 by request, which is layered with Mary Jane, Fudge Brownie and Caramel Corn. I intend to test the last two before I list them in my novelty stuff. I personally think it smells yucky, but there are some who adore it. After all, it's not what I like, right? lol

My Ultimate Sampler Candle in a rainbow of colors and fragrances. I don't believe in wasting anything! With each candle pour there is always a little left over, so I started layering the left overs into 26 oz. apothecary jars. Each Candle is 8 layers and completely unique and differant from each other. You'll never get one the same as the last. These candles are so much fun to make, but even more fun to burn and sample the differant fragrances. Made with a little of this and a little of that...."This 'N That" 26 oz. candle, $27.99

I just added two new candle fragrances to the menu. These two fragrances are just amazing and so far everyone loves them.

Birds of Paradise is a sweet blend of tropical berries and vanilla blossom. Very nice throw!

Beneath the Stars, this one is one of my favorites with blends of Grape, Peach, Citrus, Plum, Rose and Musk, very sweet and fruity, wonderful throw..... I even made a spray bottle of linen/room/car freshener and it works WONDERFULLY!!!

New LAYERED CANDLES Unique to Soaps 'N Suds

Peppermint Patti- Three layers, 2 fragrances, Chocolate Drizzle and Mint.
Iced Pumpkin Crunch - 3 layers, 2 fragrances, Pumpkin Crunch and Warm Vanilla Sugar
Cherry Fairie - 3 layers, 2 fragrances, Juicy Cherry and Clean Cotton
Monkey Burps - 4 Layers, 4 Fragrances, Banana Cream, Cotton Candy, Cherry and Bubble Gum
Afternoon Tea - 3 layers, 3 Fragrances, Tea and Honey, Sugar Cookie and Lemon Drop Cookie
Dessert De Jour - 3 layers, 3 fragrances, Creme Brulee, Fudge Brownie and Cupcake
Afternoon Delight - 3 layers, 3 fragrances, Birds of Paradise, Exotic Coconut and Jamaica Me Crazy
This 'N That - 8 layers, 8 fragrance and colors, whatever is left over from previous pours , creates a totally unique , rainbowed candle. Each one will be differant each time!

I am happy to say that everyone LOVES the new body butter souffle's, particularly the Mango Tango and the Cocoanut Creme... but especially the Mango Tango. It has been so popular that I sold out of my readily available stock in two days!! WOW! If that doesn't tell you how great it is, I don't know what will. So, I am pleased to announce, I will be adding them to the perminant Soaps 'N Suds menu in the body butter section of the store, and I just made a fresh batch last night, sold one today and have 7 left over. So hurry and grab yours today. After the seven I have left right now, there will be a 7 - 12 day lead time for a new batch because I am waiting for new jars to arrive.. yep... we used ALL of the packaging!!

Next in line for the body butter souffles will be the selection of 'Sweet Thang' Dessert body souffles and Rocky's Hemp and Butter Blend. I've decided to start packaging Rocky's in a jar rather than the bottle so eliminate waste and irritation. :)

Here are a few common questions I have gotten lately. I thought I would share them in case my readers are wondering the same.

Q: So, is what you do , making lotions and soaps , the same as Bath Junkie or Bath works in our mall, custome scenting premade lotions?

A: No. Those bath and lotion bars are wonderful places, but we are completely differant. What they do, like you said, is allow you to pick your favorite fragrances and mix it into a premade lotion "base" for you.... customized lotion and perfume scenting. Their products are not handmade or natural formulas like mine. What I offer is natural skin care, soaps, lotions, bath bombs, roll on perfumes, candles and more, made with raw and natural butters and oils and less water. All of the formulas and recipes are my own that I have spent alot of time in my kitchen and on my note pads working on in ratios and percentages to get just the right amount of ingredients to create a natural skin loving product that will make a differance with your skin and heal your skin conditions, not mask it with water and mineral oils.

Q: I see alot of people make soap out of a soap base and they pour it into molds and sell it as handmade, is that what your soap is?

A: No. That form of soap making is known in the crafting community as "Melt and Pour" soap. It is used by hobbyist, not "true" soap makers. My soap is made from scratch, by hand in the old fashion cold process method, the way our grandmothers and great grandmothers made soap. The differance between mine and my grandma's soap is, she used animal fat, because it was readily available and cheap enough to whip up some soap when they needed it. My soap is made with Olive Oil, Palm oil, cocoa, shea, mango and a variety of other rich butters and oils. These ingredients are extremely moisturizing and gentle on your skin. Melt and Pour soap, as fun as it is, is made up of the same type of ingredients as commercial bar soap. In fact, if you take a bar of ivory, melt it down, color and scent it, pour it into a mold, you have handcrafted soap. Handcrafted soap and handmade soap are two differant things.

Q: Can you make me a body cream with a differant scent than you offer on your list? I like the scents you have made, but I would like something more personal to me.

A: Yep! I am always happy to make special orders. You can pick any one of my butter blends that you like and I can add the fragrance to it the way you like it with the appropriate ratios of course. I currently have around 100+ fragrances to choose from, and out of those 100+ only two or three is for candle and incense use only and not suttable for skin. I make sure I choose fragrances that are strong enough for my candles but skin safe.

Q: If I custom order a body cream with a special scent, will I have to buy a certian amount like I do the soap?

A: No. You can order one jar, two jars or how every many you needs without a minimum order, becuase I can make small batches like that in the creams. The soaps, I make in 5 and 10 pound batches, and I request that special orders have a minimum of 6 bars to help me cover the cost of making the specialty soaps in case you're the only one that likes it and it doesn't sell. lol make sence?

Q: Do you make gift baskets?

A: Yes I do! I don't keep them on stock, because I am currently doing business in my home, however, I do make gift baskets for special occasions when they are requested. Custom gift baskets are alot of fun because you can pick what items you want to give and I can make suggestions of what I think would be good too, and together we can design the perfect gift for christmas , birthdays , valentines days etc. I want to list some on eStore soon, with the holidays coming up too. Each basket price is based on the cost of products included and the basket. The baskets are arranged neatly and wrapped in heat shrink wrap and topped with bow embellishments. a truly customized gift for friends and family with delicate skin, or someone who appreciates handmade goodies!

Q: Do you do refunds or returns?

A: It depends on the circumstances. When it comes to cosmetics, fe, lotions, soaps, perfumes etc, things you use on your body, I do not do refunds or exchanges. Those items are considered a final sale due to the federal and fda health laws. It is to easy to contaminate those types of items. What I suggest doing, before purchasing is try one of my demos, they are available to test out at Merle Norman Pure as Gold in ALBQ, and I have demo for you to try . Test it on a small patch of skin to see if it bothers you. I use cosmetic spatulas, where you can scoop a small amount out without touching the contents of the jar to prevent contamination, and I offer soap slivers for samples for you to try out also. Candles are a final sale, unless they have not been used and are in the original container and in the same condition they were in when they were purchased. If you must return it, I will gladly exchange it for product of equal value or the same product in a differant fragrance. All internet sales are considered final. A good rule of thumb when testing a product, is to look at the ingredients and judge if it contains something you are known to be allergic to. My products are natural and great for sensitive skin, however, there are some folks who have allergies to specific types of foods or fragrances. FE, if you are allergic to nuts, you will most likely be allergic to shea butter because shea butter is pressed from the shea nut.... you're looking at a possiable allergic reaction if this is your allergy. :)

Q: Where do you get your ingredients and how do you do all of this?

A: Awh, that is a trade secret. :) I love my work, but, it is my work and what I do to provide for my family. If I let my secrets out, everyone will be doing it and I won't be able to take care of me and my kiddos. ;) I buy my supplies from very repuable wholesalers. I have spent alot of time over the years hunting them down and setting up business with them. Alot of these places prefer not to do business with a small business owner, but I've been doing this for a long time now. Also, I cannot share my methods or recipes, but I can tell you, you can look at our FDA approved labels to see what the ingredients are so you know if it's good your skin or not. There are certian things, I cannot share. No one, not even my family members know my recipes or methods. I feel sorry for the Busch family when thier dog decides to black mail them with their secret family baked bean recipe for more tummy rubs and beggin' strips! ;)lol

Q: There is one candle I love from this other company, can you make a fragrance that smells just like it? I'd rather buy it from you because I like the all soy wax.

A: If you tell me the name of the company and the candle, I can hunt around and see if I can find a "type" fragrance to match it, or try mixing it myself. I carry alot of fragrances that are comparable to other companies like BBW and V's S. They will say on MY packaging, for example, Love Spell Type. Which is my most popular type seller right now. I call it type, 1. so folks will recognize what it is suppost to resemble and 2. I cannot call it what the other company calls it because it is trade marked and not the original, so calling it a type or a version lets you know what it smells like, but protects me from copy right infringment. as an artist and a designer, I don't appreciate people taking my work and claming it as their own, so I respect everyone else as well. ;) Some fragrance types I may not be able to find, but, I usually do, it just takes time. ;)

Q: What is your favorite soap, lotion, candle and product that you make?

A: Wow, that's a hard question! lol I use everything I make and I have a hard time deciding which soap I want to use when I take a bath because I love them all. I think, my favorite soap is Original Oatmeal, Milk and Honey. I love the way it feels and it smells so wonderful, but then , I love the Natural Goats Milk Soap because it moisturizes MY skin the best. ;) My favorite body butter.... Gosh, I don't know. I use a differant one everytime. I am currently using Wild Honey Lotion Bar after my bath, and Shea and Honey Body Souffle before bed. I just don't know. It's hard to have a favorite because I love them all!! My favoite candle, to date is Caramel Popcorn and I like the Bird of Paradise, but I test them all so I can't really decide. haha My favorite fragrance of all of them has to be the Oatmeal Milk and Honey fragrance because it's so soft and sweet. :)

Q: You don't always have the same kind of candle jars, why is that?

A: To keep the cost of my candles down, I tend to buy from my wholesalers when they have containers on sale or liquidation. The reason being, is I can charge for the actual candle it's self and not have to raise the cost higher for the jar. When I find a container I really like, and it's on liquidation I tend to buy in bulk or cases so I have several of them to work with. I tend to stay in the same sizes by ounces so the candles do not fluctuate in price unless the cost of wax increases, which it does from time to time. So, for 6 months or as long as the containers will last I may have froasted jars, and other times I may have the classic apothecary jars. Just depends on what is on sale at the time. I like to pass the savings on to the customers. :) I will continue to do this, until which time I find a perminant container from a perminant wholesaler with a great price.

If you have any questions you would like answered, please feel free to post a comment on my blog, or email me. I would be more than happy to answer it for you. ;)

Rachel

Well, I am looking at some new packaging for the Body Souffle's, including the dessert souffles.

The new formulas are so thick, there is no way packing them in a lotion bottle will work! lol I am looking at some clear single wall domed jars. They appear to be cheaper so far, and if this is so, the over all price of the butters will go down by a few cents. I know it's not much, but, a little cheaper is better for everyone! :)

I like the idea of the domed jars better than the bottles, because you can scoop out what you need and when you get low, you don't have to shake the bottle. That's one thing I hate about lotion bottles. Turning them upside down to get the last bit out, shaking them, swinging them... ugh!

The dome jars I am looking at will be 6 oz. they are on back order until august 12th. They are clear with a black domed lid, but I am also looking at a sleek flat black lid.

This will make it easier to see the product through the plastic, and give it an elegant look with the black closure, and easier to use with no waste.
Our 9 oz bottles were $12.99 - 14.99 depending on the butter blends, the 6 oz containers are $7.99 to 9.99 depending on the blend. :) I am looking at some larger jars also, about 8 oz. Makes a very large jar, but for those who like to buy in bulk, it's idea. I just haven't decided yet. They all look so wonderful. :)

The old formula of Sweet Thang Dessert Souffle was nice, but I think everyone will be alot happier with the newer one. It's much thicker like an acutual souffle.

The newer formulas are highly concentrated so a little goes a long way. Rather than having to take a large scoop, just a bit on the tips of the fingers covers a larger area. So I think everyone will be very happy with it. So far, I have had a lot of happy customers and wonderful reviews on the mango tango, shea and honey, and cocoanut creme souffles.... orders are going nuts. I had it ready for one day and I've sold out. So, there is a 7 day lead time before I will have more ready on the Mango Tango especially. I still have Cocoanut creme and Shea and Honey on hand, but only a few jars, so hurry if you want to be the first to try it. ;)

Love , peace and Cocoa butter -

Rachel

You know you love your work, when you have fun doing it and it doesn't seem like work at all, more like a hobbie. :) I have had so much fun making my own products, but above all, testing the finished results and journaling how they perform, and what results they have. I always had alot of fun testing the new products "the cosmetic company" I work for sent out to me as "top secret" and comming soon.

I've been testing the results of cocoa butter on stretch marks for a while now. Product wise, Mine vs. Theirs. A while back they came out with this really expensive stretch cream. Upon looking over the ingredients, it contains, in basics, the same ingredients as their alpha hydroxy wrinkle and line smoothing creams for your face, but with a touch of cocoa butter at the end of the product list. It raises the stretch marks a bit to look more even and smooth with the undamaged skin, but it realy doesn't have any perminant results. If I stopped using it, the stretch marks looked the same as they did before.

For years people have "believed" that cocoa butter helps to prevent stretch marks during pregnany and helps heal them after pregnancy.
Here is a cold hard fact that no one likes to hear and everyone everyone likes to pretend doesn't exsist in hopes for a miracle cure to get rid of stretch marks.
Once ya gottem, they aren't going away perminantly, however, you can help them fade, shrink and look better. If there were a miracle drug or surgery to make your skin look perfect the way it did before children and before weight gaine, NO ONE would have stretch marks anymore.

I know this bugs me beyond words. Alot of marketing is based on the emotions of people who suffer from specific problemed skin. I am not saying their aren't good products, because they are, I use alot of them. But the fact remains, no matter how much money you spend and how much you try, we will get lines and wrinkles from getting older and we will always have stretch marks and scars from life events. However, we can take care of them they can fade!

This is my experience from what I have seen so far with my own stretch marks and scars. "Their product plumped and raised the scars to appear smoother , but after I stopped the application each day , two or three times a day like suggested, the scaring and stretch marks looked the same as to prior use.

Now, a stretch mark is caused from the skin stretching to the point that it cannot stretch any further and the elasticity breaks down. That part of the skin has seperated and will not mend back together. SO, to me, the object of creating a cream or some sort of product to help stretch marks, would have to be a repairing cream that helped regenerate and mend together the broken elacticity of the skin. Whether it can be done or not, is not the question. Maybe over time and more research such a miracle cream can be found. Maybe I will be the one to discover it, maybe i won't, but the question for me is, does cocoa butter really help stretch marks?

I make my own cocoa butter creams, and I use it on my stomach every day. I havent been putting it on the stretch marks I have my legs, so I can see if there is actually a differance.

After one week of using pure emulsified cocoa butter, I have definately seen a differance. I really need to take some pictures to post, but I hate my stretch marks and that is going to take alot of courage. LOL!!!
So after a week of applying my straight cocoabutter cream, has olive oil too, I have noticed they do look alot better. they look lighter, and as if they have faded. They look thinner and not swollen and puffed up to meet the rest of my skin like "their" cream made them look. when I run my hand over my stomach, it feels smoother. I wonder, if prolonged use of straight cocoa butter will eventually heal them to the point that they are almost completely gone.

For the first time in ten years, my stretch marks are looking great!!! I don't know tht they will ever disappear, but the cocoa butter does make them look alot better and it gives me hope that more experimenting with natural ingredients that I may eventually be able to repare by regeneration, the damaged skin. even if it's only by fading and skrinking. A smaller stretch mark is better than a larger one, right?

I don't know that using pure cocoa butter and vitamin e will remove stretch marks with continued use, but it does seem to help.