LuraLu's Lotions, Potions, and Soaps

It's time for the Saponifier's Reader's Choice Awards

2009-08-11T19:23:00.003-05:00

Announcement from Saponifier magazine:

Greetings!

Here we are again, collecting data for the Saponifier's 3rd annual Readers Choice "Supplier Awards"

Since the past two years 'Supplier Awards' proved to be so popular across the industry, we've opened the polls for 2009!

This has proved immensely popular, both with suppliers and readers, so we have decided to make this an ongoing effort every year. The industry seems to love it, and has drawn so much interest both far-and-wide making our 'Awards' issue the largest one- both in single-copy sales as well as new subscribers.

Place your vote at http://saponifier.2009-awards.sgizmo.com.

Please note: The count was reset at approximately 6:00 pm today (August 11, 2009). due to the possibility that the original survey might have appeared leading or suggestive in ways not intended. If you have already taken the survey, please resubmit your answers.

Go vote for your favorite supplier today!

Famous Quotes About Soap

2009-08-07T21:51:00.006-05:00

Making mostly natural handmade soap is one of my favorite pastimes. Soapmaking involves the use of lye, which can be dangerous especially around children and pets, so I have a designated soaping area in the basement, away from everyone else. I thought I might like to brighten it up a little with some art work. I have a metal sign advertising "Grandma's lye soap", and a painting of an old claw foot bath tub filled with bubbles and a bathing beauty. They're both nice, but I though it needed somethign more, perhaps a poster with some interesting quotes about soap. Here are a few that I like.

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul”
Yiddish Proverb

What is elegance? Soap and water!
Cecil Beaton

Anyone's life truly lived consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit.
Lillie Langtry

My grandmothers are full of memories, smelling of soap and onions and wet clay, with veins rolling roughly over quick hands, they have many clean words to say, my grandmothers were strong.
Margaret Walker

People used to complain that selling a president was like selling a bar of soap. But when you buy soap, at least you get the soap. In this campaign you just get two guys telling you they really value cleanliness.
David Brooks

Wash four distinct and separate times, using lots of lather each time from individual bars of soap.
Howard Hughes

“And a nice little boy had a nice cake of soap, / Worthy of washing the hands of the Pope.”
Rev. R. H. Barham

And one of my favorites, from the movie "Something's Gotta Give"
Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves): I knew you'd smell good.
Erica (Diane Keaton): It's just... soap.

LOL! It must have been a handmade beautifully scented soap, one of ours!

There was also a scene in "The Preacher's Wife" where Dudley (the angel played by Denzel Washington) was fascinated by Beverly's (Loretta Devine's) scent. And of course it was......drumroll.....you guessed it, soap :). I can't remember or find the exact quote but I loved it.

Do you have a favorite quote about soap to share?

Patchouli....do you love it or hate it?

2009-07-20T19:18:00.001-05:00

I don't know anyone one who is on the fence about patchouli. It seems to be one of those fragrances that you either love or hate. Some people say the hippies are to blame for the low popularity of patchouli. Their free and easy lifestyle didn't always lend itself to bathing regularly and they used patchouli liberally for it's supposed deoderant properties and aphrodisiac properties. Yes, aphrodisiac properties. I kid you not. I don't see that. I must admit, when my rather expensive bottle of patchouli arrived, it was definitely not love at first sniff. It smelled rather like dirt. My first impulse was to quickly garage sale it to some poor misguided soul who actually liked it. Fortunately, I took the advice of more experienced friends and tried blending it. I made soap a few days ago with it a blend of lavender and patchouli, and I DO love it! It adds a fascinating depth to the lavender. I've been told that when I soap it just by itself, it will smell better than it does straight out of the bottle. I'll let you know when I try that. For now, do any of you have any other patchouli blends that you just love? If so, please share.

Essential Oils vs Fragrance Oils

2009-07-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

When I first began to make soaps, I gravitated toward fragrance oils because they were easy. They were easy to get, easy to use, no blending necessary and for the most part they were less expensive than quality essential oils. I have my favorite fragrance oils that will always have their place in my products, however, as I have grown as a soapmaker, I find that I want to get to know essential oils as well. The key difference between fragrance oils and essential oils is that essential oils are derived from the the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant, whereas frgrance oils also known as perfume oils are synthetica. It is believed that most if not all essential oils offer therapeutic benefits. I am slowly building my collection of essential oils. So far I have sweet orange EO, rosemary EO, peppermint EO, clove EO, cinnamon EO, eucalyptus EO, and citronella EO. My latest aquisition was a rather pricey patchouli. We'll talk abou it tomorrow. When it arrived and I opened the bottle for a sniff, I asked myself why I had ordered it. I was not impressed. We'll talk more about patchouli tomorrow.

More help with labels for your soaps & lotions

2009-07-18T18:14:00.001-05:00

If you have Marie Gales book on labeling that I mentioned in a previous post, then you should know exactly what has to go on the label and what sizes fonts must be. Soyou have it made, right? Not so fast. If you're anything like me, making your labels "pretty" can be just as intimidating as getting them technically correct. I am happy to report that help is available. World Label is offering two different designs for candle and bath and body product labels. Each design is available in 10 different label sizes, some rectangular, some circular, and some oval. They are in pdf format and allow you to change the font type, size, or color with ease. Check them out here.

On Vacation

2009-07-16T11:13:00.003-05:00

As you probably guessed from yesterday's wordless Wednesday photos, my husband, my grandson, and I are on vacation. We're staying in an old Victorian inn on St. George Island. The proprietress, Jan, is very nice, and treats us like family. We'll be leaving tomorrow and Saturday I'll be in Atlanta for the Indie Breakfast with Donna Maria and Joann Hines, the packaging diva. I can't wait. I'll definitely be blogging about that over the weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T22:38:00.003-05:00

Are you Labeling Challenged?

2009-07-14T20:14:00.003-05:00

Labeling products properly is one of the most important tasks that I face as I work on building my business. Not only is important to the end consumer, who wants to know what's in the product that they are purchasing, it is important from a legal standpoint as well. As small business owners who produce handmade bath and beauty products, we are required to use INCI names for our ingredients and we are bound by FDA regulations, the Fair Product and Labeling Act, the Uniform Weights & Measures Law, as well as various state and local laws. There are rules regarding minimum font sizes, and rules for what can and can't be on the main label. It's enough to give anyone a migraine. So what's a soapmaker to do? Get a copy of Marie Gale's book, Soap & Cosmetic Labeling, 2nd Edition. It's an excellent guide to the proper labeling of soap, cosmetics and other bath and body products. There are lots of examples in the book. My copy is quickly becoming dogeared as I turn to it repeatedly. If you don't already own a copy of this book, do yourself a favor and get one.

The Unlovely Cake and Plain Jane Soap

2009-07-11T16:29:00.003-05:00

Hmmm, you may think, what do cake and soap have in common? Well, in this case, quite a bit. This zucchini cake with caramel frosting is decidedly aesthetically challenged, especially before it was frosted. It was a bit lumpy and had a ridge that ran all the way around it, probably where the zucchini settled into the batter. But just one bite of this exceptionally moist cake, especially if that bite has a bit of yummy caramel frosting, and you will forget all about how homely it looks. LuraLu's Plain Jane soap is like that too. It is quite plain, with no colorants added and no fragrance, but it gives tons of rich creamy lather, and leaves your skin feeling great with out that tight feeling that some soaps leave you with. Because there is nothing in this soap to irritate sensitive skin, it is beloved by those who have eczema, psoriasis, and other skin ailments. No, it isn't a miracle soap that will heal you. If it was it would no longer be classified as soap. It would be considered a drug and I don't do drugs. It's what isn't in this soap that makes it so special. There is simply nothing in it to irritate you. Try it you'll like it, I promise. And that's just what I told my husband about this cake. You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, and you shouldn't judge homemade cakes, and handmade soaps by their looks either. You may miss out on something wonderful if you do. By the way, one bite and my husband agreed, although he still says he would prefer an apple cake, and he still prefers his soap to be fragranced.

An inexpensive way to take better product photos!

2009-07-09T17:46:00.000-05:00

No, it doesn't require a fancy schmancy high-dollar camera. But if you're into that sort of thing, hey, don't let me stop you. For the rest of us, who just want to take a good product photo without spending a fortune, try the Ott-Lite. They've been popular with crafters for years with very good reason. The Ott-Lite produces a bright natural light comparable to daylight. They reduce eyestrain, show better truer colors and don;t cause glare and distortion. And most importantly for those of us trying desperately to take good product photos, anything photographed with an Ott-Lite shining down on it, is going to look a lot better than the same object under conventional lighting.

I found an Ott-Lite on sale at Lowes. It was originally $99, I think, and I got it for $39, but you could the same result by visiting Michaels or Joanns and purchasing an Ott bulb with a regular lamp base. That should cost you less than $10 and you'll be amazed at the difference it can make.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T20:50:00.002-05:00

I'm In Love With a Balm!

2009-07-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

Kiss-E All Natural Vitamin E Lip Balm, from T.A. Helton of Coffeehouse Suds is amazing! I know from personal experience how hard it can be to develop the perfect balm formula. Some are too hard and waxy while some are too soft and mushy. But just like the third bowl of porridge for Goldilocks, this balm is JUST RIGHT! I was fortunate enough to receieve one of these delightful strawberry flavored balms in the Bath Tweets swap at the Alabama Soap & Candle Association's annual meeting last month. If you've been looking for the perfect balm, your search is over. Try one. You'll be glad you did!

Neat Things I Found at Lotion Crafter!

2009-07-06T08:40:00.007-05:00

I just finished placing an order with LotionCrafter and for once I took the time to browse the site rather than just quickly ordering what I needed and moving on to the next thing. I am SO glad that I did. I found several neat things there. I found a spatula with a notch conveniently built in that allows you to set your spatula down across the top of your bowl without fear of having it fall into the bowl, and with no fear of contaminating it if you lay it down. I didn't know I needed this until I saw it, but luckily Jenny at Lotioncrafter did. They also offer a drip clip that allows you to clip a spoon to a bowl, and a wide assortment of tiny measuring spoons and cups. I also found a melting pot that can make lip balms a breeze. If you haven't taken the time to browse her site lately, be sure that you do, You'll be amazed at the tools she offers that can make formulating a lot easier and a lot less messy.

And the winner is .........Sindy Anderson (sssoap)!

2009-07-04T13:37:00.005-05:00

Congratulations, Sindy! Folks, I apologize for being late in conducting the drawing. I intended to do it July 1st, but as previously mentioned I took a few days off from the computer. Sindy, I'll pop it in the mail to you tomorrow. And Sandi, don't feel bad, you can still have one in exchange for another of those awesome lotion bars. As for the rest of you, keep those comments coming and if you're not following me already, please do. We'll pick another random winner on August 1.

If you're a blogger who runs competitions & contests on your blog or website, I highly recommend the free software program The Hat. It's a a simple but effective utility which offers an easy way to automatically determine a random name from the list of names you specify, and yes, it's the software that I used to choose the winner for the contest.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T08:58:00.004-05:00

Hi there! I took a break from the computer this past week to focus on family. I hope you noticed, LOL! I'll be back posting on a regular basis next week, and may post over the weekend if I find myself with a few spare minutes. I hope that you will all have a safe and happy fourth of July. I am a big kid when it comes to fireworks. There's a big celebration nearby at the American Village in Montevallo and I'll be there oohing and ahhing more than any other kid. While you're enjoying the festivities in your area, be sure to take a moment to reflect on the meaning and the history behind our celebrations. Be sure to share the history and the menaing with the young folks around you. Our forefathers fought hard and many gave their lives so we could all enjoy freedom, especially religious freedom. I don't think they would be happy at the way that God has been removed from the equation in so many ways. I know they wouldn't be happy at the way that prayer has been removed form schools and so may public events. Where is the freedom in that?

Ok, off my soap box now, or is it back on the soapbox? I'd like to share some patriotic soaps with you. Perhaps they'll inspire you as they did me.

Red, White & Blue CP Soaps from Kelly Bloom of Bloomworks and Southern Soapers

Red, White & Blue M&P Loaf also from Kelly Bloom of Bloomworks and Southern Soapers.

Patriotic Soap

Patriotic Soap on Etsy

Painted Patriotic Bird House Soaps

Patriotic Soap from SoapLove

Have a great 4th!

Last Day for Chance to Win LuraLu's Shimmering Body Souffle

2009-06-30T17:06:00.004-05:00

You too can be glowing, LOL, for free! Each pertient comment left today and each follow gets you a chance to win your own Shimmering Body Souffle from LuraLu's!

I'm Glowing, LOL!

2009-06-29T21:47:00.005-05:00

I had lunch with friends today at O'Charlie's and one of them told me I was glowing :). I did visit Palm Beach Tan yesterday for my weekly Mystic Tan (a spray tan, of course), But I've been doing that for a couple of months now and she's never said I was glowing before. My husband says it's because we had a very good weekend together and he showered with me attention, but since he does that on a regular basis, I don't think that's it either, LOL! I think it's my Shimmering Body Souffle with gold and bronze mica. Just a light touch gives you a subtle glow. Of course, it could also be due to the fact that I got to spend the entire afternoon making products. I made Creamy Bath Oil, Whipped Shea Butter, and Sugar Scrub, all in my favorite scent of the moment, Ginger Essence, And when I was done, I took one of each, stocked my bathroom, took a long, relaxing bath, and enjoyed them all, LOL! So it's a toss up...my "glow" could be due to one of my products, or it could be due to the joy that comes from just doing what I love to do. What's your vote?

Rosemary Mint Handmade Soap

2009-06-26T19:36:00.002-05:00

Hubby and I were playing with a light box that he made me and various props. He took some great photos for me, like this one of my rosemary mint soap.

I'm so excited! I got my soap stamp today

2009-06-26T19:22:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a custom soap stamp on Etsy. It arrived today. And of course I couldn't wait to try it. The soap that I stamped with it was about 4 weeks old, and I am amazed at how well it worked. I dipped a small paint brush in mica to really make it stand out and got a little heavy handed with it. I might get better results if I brush a little mica on the stamp itself before pressing into the soap. And the picture could certainly be better but my husband is the photographer in the family and he won't take any pictures until I make dinner. Can you imagine that, LOL? The nerve!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009-06-24T14:54:00.003-05:00

Top 10 tools for Making Soap, Lotion & other Bath & Body Products

2009-06-23T21:42:00.004-05:00

The neat little gadget I found yesterday (see it here) made me wonder....how many other neat little gadgets are there out there that I'm missing out on. So let's hear from all you soapers and bath and body crafters out there. What are some of your favorite tools?

Here are some of mine, in no particular order.

1) My stick blender. I can't live without it. In fact I have 3. One is for soap, one is for lotion, and one is a spare in case one of the other 2 should die in the middle of a batch.,

2) A crock pot. Again, I have multiples. I really like instant gratification so of course I like to do hot process, and frequently have more than one batch going at a time.

3) An accurate, dependable scale. This is a must have. Accurate measuring of ingredients is critical. I prefer to measure in grams as it is more precise than measuring in ounces, so that feature is a must, as is a tare feature that allows you to place the bowl on the scale then reset the scale to zero.

4) An assortment of stainless steel bowls and pots in various sizes from small condiment containers with lids to large stock pots.

5) An assortment of stainless steel spoons in various sizes from measuring spoons to large ladles.

6) Several heavy duty heat resistant glass measuring cups in sizes from 2 cups all the way up to batter bowl size for things that need to be microwaved.

7) Spatulas. My favorite remains the one that SoapEquipment.com gave to all of the attendees of one of our past Alabama Soap and Candle Association Annual Meetings. It's big, sturdy, and very heat resistant since it's made of silicone.

8) My infrared thermometer, the point and shoot type, that I can use for testing the temp of an emulsion to see if it's cooled enough to add preservative and/or fragrance. I can also use this if making soap using the method in Anne L. Watson's book, Smart Soapmaking, where you recognize trace by temperature changes.

9) Soapmaker Software - I use this for everything from keeping up with inventory/ ingredients to calculating correct lye amounts, and predicting the hardness, lathering ability, and conditioning of a particular recipe.

10) I can't say for sure on this one yet, but I'm thinking that digital measuring spoon that can also measure volume is going to have to be on my top 10 list.

So what's on your top 10 list? Do you know of any other cool gadgets that I need to check out? Maybe it needs to be a top 15 or top 20 list. I'm thinking now about my favorite soap mold, my cutter, goodness, the list could be endless, couldn't it?

I just bought the neatest gadget from ThinkGeek!

2009-06-22T17:52:00.005-05:00

It's a spoon that measures by weight or by volume. It is supposed to be accurate from .1 to 300 grams (.005 to 10.5 oz.) and allows you to switch between ounces and grams. You can also measure volume using the markings on the spoon. How neat is that? It will be so handy when measuring out tiny anounts of ewax, or stearic, or preservative when I am making lotions. Find out more about it here. In case you're wondering, no, I don't get a commission, LOL! I just think it's going to be a VERY useful tool. I can't wait for it to get here!

Cleopatra’s Beauty Secret…Cleanse Your Face Like Cleopatra did!

2009-06-22T12:43:00.005-05:00

Cleopatra’s beauty was legendary. Her beauty bewitched both Caesar and Marc Anthony. She undoubtedly had many beauty secrets. One of them was that she cleansed her skin with oil. Archeologists have uncovered tombs of ladies of that era that contained jars of cleansing cream in them. The cream was reportedly a mixture of oil and lime.

Have you ever tried oil-based facial cleansers? If you haven’t you should. They feel so good on your skin and they cleanse your skin ever so gently. I know what you’re probably thinking, especially if your skin is naturally oily..…Ick, Putting oil of my face, no way. The thing that you need to realize is this…like dissolves like. It’s a basic concept of chemistry that you may remember from your high school days. Also, if you have oily skin, using harsh drying products can cause your skin to produce even more oil.

To cleanse your face with an oil based cleanser, pump a small amount of cleansing oil into dry hands, then gently massage onto dry face and neck in a circular motion. Massage well, as it is the massaging action that loosens oil, grime, and makeup. Next, take a warm wet washcloth and place over your face. Leave it over your face for a couple of minutes until it begins to cool. Use the washcloth to gently wipe the oil and dirt off your faceaway. The texture of the washcloth should help to gently exfoliate, removing dead skin cells. Rinse your washcloth out in hot water and wipe away any remaining impurities. You may have to repeat a couple of times to remove any remaining dirt and oil. When done, rinse well with cool water to help close the pores. You'll be left with soft, clean skin, and a beautiful, healthy glow. No additional cleansing is necessary. If your skin feels dry and tight, follow with your favorite moisturizer. If you skin is prone to oiliness, you could use your favorite toner after cleansing.

If you want to go all natural you can do this at home with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). If you would like to try this but you would prefer a cleanser than can be rinsed away more easily, try Luralu’s Facial Cleansing Oil. An emulsifier is added to help it rinse off cleanly.

It's a Giveaway! Win LuraLu's Shimmering Body Souffle!

2009-06-21T11:53:00.007-05:00

It 's a giveaway! Who doesn't love free stuff? Especially when it's LuraLu's awesome Shimmering Body Souffle. Light and fluffy, it just sinks right in to your skin, leaving it with a subtle sheen thanks to gold and bronze micas. My blog is new and I want to extend my reach with plenty of followers and interesting commentators. You get one entry for following my blog and one additional entry for each pertinent comment made on the blog between now and July 1. Come on, you know you wanna win, LOL! Get your glow on with my Shimmering Body Souffle. It's also available for purchase on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26783772 at a special introductory price of only $12.95. If you want to request local pickup in Montevallo, convo me and I'll setup a custom listing for you with $0.00 shipping charges.

It's a Glorious Saturday here in Montevallo, AL

2009-06-20T09:20:00.007-05:00

I woke up early which irritated me just a bit...I confess, I was looking forward to sleeping in. It turned out to be a good thing though. I planted a giant hosta before it got too hot, and I made an awesome shimmering body souffle that I am very pleased with. It's light, fluffy, and sinks right in, leaving my skin soft, with a subtle glow. I even took a picture of it, and did all this before 9:00, LOL! Sometimes, when our plans don't work out, it really is a good thing. If I had slept in I might not have gotten any of that done. Oh, and I got a picture of my body souffle and a gorgeous double Kwanza daylily. Take a look!

Bloom Where You Are Planted!

2009-06-18T17:33:00.001-05:00

I noticed this little flower last week, growing in a most unlikely place, in a crack between the driveway and the garage. It's probably from a seed that fell from the windowbox under a second story window after the petunias went to seed last fall. My daughter must drive right over it several times a day, and still it thrives. You gotta love a tough little flower like that. I aspire to be that resilient. How about you?

So Who's LuraLu?

2009-06-18T17:00:00.002-05:00

That would be me, Alison McMillan Chappell, aka ArtsyAllieKat on twitter. That's actually the name of my budding bath and body business. It's a combination of my maternal great-grandmother's name (Leura) and my paternal great grandmother's name (Lula). Those who know me well, know that I am a genealogy buff. In the process of researching my family history I learned about quite a few amazing women in my lineage, with Leura and Lula being two of my favorites. Leura was a businesswoman, in a time when few women were in business. She and her daughters together with her husband Ben, ran the City Hotel in Monroeville, Alabama which was famous for it's wonderful family style meals. She also ran a sucessful dressmaking and tailoring shop too. She's an inspiration to me.