Etsy has so much to offer shoppers — it's like a whole universe! In this Facts and Fancies series, I'll take you on a tour through Etsy's Categories. As we visit these "planets" one by one, we'll talk to sellers and experts and find some of extraordinary items on Etsy. (We'll also get some great insider tips along the way.) In this edition, we'll be cruising through the Bath and Beauty Category's Soaps, Salts, Scrubs and Bath Bombs, Lip Balm, Lotions, Deodorant, Fragrances, and last but not least, Men's products (and if that's not enough, look for Part 2 next week where we'll cover more types of items).

I hadn't thought of Bath and Beauty products as an art form before I found Etsy. These artisans and experts have convinced me that Bath and Beauty items have a unique role to play in the handmade universe: "Bath and Beauty products are so personal. You're exposed — often when you're naked — when you use them on your skin," says Donna Maria Coles Johnson, a small beauty business expert and the founder and CEO of IndieBeauty.com. "It's a sensory experience. Your personality connects with these scented products, and when they are handmade, the emotional experience is heightened. Memories are triggered by scents and the interaction between buyer and maker makes the entire process, from shopping to buying to using, that much more enjoyable."

You can think of these sellers as artists and their medium not as paint but, for instance, oils and bases, scents, salts and liquids. As soaper swanmountainsoaps put it, "The great – or terrible – thing about being a soaper is that EVERYTHING inspires you to make soap! I was looking at an amazing sunrise yesterday, with incredibly sharp hues of purple, hot pink and orange, and I thought, 'What a great bar of soap that would make!' Even your breakfast inspires you."
 
Soap by sunbasilgarden.

One of the best things about Etsy's Bath and Beauty Category is that you can contact a seller and ask for a custom order or ask about particular ingredients. Donna Maria points out that, while natural and organic items are currently very sought-after, it's important for shoppers to know what they are looking for.  "For example, 'natural' is defined by the person using the term," she says. "It can mean 'vegan' — no animal products — to one person and 'organic' to another. Donna Maria urges shoppers to look for ingredient listings at seller websites so you know exactly what's in a product before you buy it, and also, to ask sellers questions before you buy. "Transparency and clarity is important when you're buying personal care products for your family," she says.

Speaking of transparency...Do you know how Bath and Beauty products are made? There's a lot of chemistry involved (and you can find out more from the links below under Further Resources). But here's a core factoid to get you started:

Fragrance oils vs. Essential oils — According to Donna Maria, fragrance oils are either 100% synthetic or partially synthetic. Essential oils, on the other hand, if they are not adulterated, are the 100% natural, steam-distilled essence from plant materials such as tree bark, herbs or flowers. Contrary to the what you
might assume, essential oils are not "oily" in texture, but have a watery liquid feel. If a product is unscented, it usually means there are no essential oils or fragrance oils in the product, and to the extent you can smell anything, it's a result of scents contributed by something else, such as a base ingredient like olive oil for example. If smell of any kind is important to you, it's best to ask the seller if the product has a scent of any kind, regardless of where it comes from.

Soaps

Classic, pure handmade soap is one of the most popular items to purchase on Etsy. Once you start trying some different soaps, you might get hooked! It's easy because "many soapers offer sample packs in their shops so customers can get a feel for their products," says swanmountainsoaps. "These are a great way to acquaint a skeptical friend with the beauty of handmade soap!"
A sample pack from BLSoaps.

Because soap is such a personal item, you should talk to a seller about any skin sensitivities you might have. As swanmountainsoaps put it, "Any reputable soaper will tell you all of the ingredients in their products, whether they make soap from a base or from scratch, because so many people these days have allergies or sensitive skin. Just saying a soap is made from 'olive oil' or 'glycerin' or 'soap base' doesn’t tell you if the product might contain a possible allergen like a nut oil, or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) or sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) – detergents that can cause skin irritation in some people."

When you're browsing Soap in Bath and Beauty, you may encounter a bit of soapy jargon. swanmountainsoaps explains:

Cold Process (CP) and Hot Process (HP) — These are soaps made from scratch. It's an art and a science, and many soapers tweak their formulas for years, adding a percent of this or that oil here and there to find the perfect "recipe" for a soap that cleanses and yet conditions.

Melt and Pour (M&P) — Melt and pour soap, on the other hand, is already soap when you buy it. M&P soapers buy their base, melt it and add color and fragrance, plus sometimes other ingredients (ground oatmeal, for example) to "tweak" the base and make it their own. Usually the amazing shapes you see (like
LaveMeSoapCo's awesome camera soap or LoveLeeSoaps's hotdog soap) and most clear soaps are made from a base. “Re-batched” soap has been made using the CP or HP method, melted down again, played with, and re-poured into a mold (this is also sometimes referred to as “hand-milled” soap).

LaveMeSoapCo's  Cucumber and Cilantro soap with embedded loofah.

For cold or hot process soap, a soaper adds lye to liquid (usually water), and then adds that mixture to their oils. But why stick with water? swanmountainsoaps points out that soapers "can add beer (such as the one on the right from thebeersoapcompany), goat’s milk, coconut milk, wine, coffee…each of these lends a different quality to the soap. For example, beer soap is known for its amazing lather. Strong coffee added to soap can help remove kitchen odors from your hands. Goat's milk is chock full of emollients, vitamins and triglycerides that have long been known to work wonders on the skin."

"There are soap spa bars made with almost 50 percent salt like this one from magichands, scrubby soaps that help exfoliate away dead skin, soap bars made to shampoo your hair with," continues swanmountainsoaps. "Soaps can be left in their naturally beautiful state or colored. They can be scented with EOs (essential oils) or FOs (fragrance oils). And, they don’t always come in solid form! There is whipped soap, liquid soap, gel soap," even special soap just for shaving.

urbaneden confessed to me, "I don't shave my legs in the winter. I wear jeans or opaque tights. And my husband's an old hippie, heh. He doesn't care. But come spring, I want to bare my legs and I want them to be hair-free. Before I started making my Smooth Legs Shaving Bars, the annual spring shearing was no fun." When I asked what makes a great shaving bar, she replied, "Lots of clay to help the razor glide. Lots of castor and coconut oils to produce a great lather. Lots of skin-softening ingredients like olive oil and shea butter."

I was curious about the crazy diversity of soaps on Etsy, so I did a random search and found everything from honeydew to dentures. Go ahead and try a random word!

Salts, Scrubs & Bath Bombs
And you thought baths were just about getting clean! Donna Maria loves bath bombs that are just plain fun. She's personally drawn to "anything citrus...lemon, lime, orange" and recalled GrumpyGirl as a shop that "jumped off the page." (Check out GrumpyGirl's hilarious descriptions!)

swanmountainsoaps gives us the inside scoop on how to make bath-time the best:

Bath Bombs — A great way to add a little fun to the bath! And, for women or kids who can't use bubble baths (for some people, they can lead to urinary tract infections, which are no fun at all), these are a great alternative. Bath bombs are made from a combination of an acid (such as citric acid) and a base (such as baking soda) plus color, fragrance, and sometimes other ingredients like glitter or confetti. For a more luxurious bath bomb, a seller will add an oil such as shea butter or cocoa butter that melts into your bath water and helps moisturize your skin.

Bath salts by PacificParadiseSoap.

Bath Salts — These can turn an ordinary bath into an amazingly soothing experience. Often, a combination of salts is used, such as Epsom salts, mineral salts, Dead Sea salts — even Bolivian Pink Salt. As you soak in the salts, your body can actually absorb minerals like magnesium and sulfates. BellaLunaCrafts's Sweet Bay Rose bath salts, for example, are made with Epsom salts. For more information about the health benefits of Epsom salts, for example, go here. Add a soothing essential oil, and your troubles will go down the drain!

Scrubs — An invigorating way way to pamper dry or tired skin. It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes the best thing to do for dry skin is to exfoliate those dry skin cells away! Sugar and salt scrubs are very popular, but exotic scrubs made with crushed walnut shells, cranberry seeds, ground apricot kernels, ground orange peel, or ground loofah work quite well also.
This scrub (at right) by jklean has pieces of toasted coconut.

Once that layer of dead skin is gone, that new skin underneath is ready to soak up the moisture!

Lip Balm

Aside from being an absolutely omnipresent must-have in my purse, good lip balm makes a great little  extra element to any gift. Turns out these little sticks have stories to tell. Seller morganstreet, who is originally from England, told me she looks "back to my childhood there when thinking up new scents. For example: My Turkish Delight Lip balm is named after a British sweet that I used to LOVE as a child. It’s a rose flavored jelly-like block that’s covered in yummy chocolate." 

Always check for ingredients you might be allergic to. You may want to acquaint yourself with common properties of lip balm. morganstreet gives us the rundown:

Beeswax – A natural solid wax produced by honey bees. Beeswax has great conditioning and moisturizing properties. 

Carnauba Wax – A solid natural vegetable wax derived from the Brazilian Carnauba Palm tree.

Candelilla Wax – A solid natural plant derived wax.

Shea Butter – A solid fat derived from the fruit of the African Karite tree. Shea butter has many great benefits, including being moisturizing and an ability to penetrate the skin easily.

Jojoba Oil – Although liquid in appearance, jojoba is actually a wax. It is very similar to the skin’s natural sebum and has the ability to penetrate the skin easily.

Sweet Almond Oil – A nut oil derived from almond nuts. Rich in vitamins, it penetrates the skin easily and has great softening and conditioning properties. 

Lanolin – A thick waxy substance derived from the wool of sheep.  Lanolin is an excellent emollient and humectant.  Humectants attract moisture from the air bringing it to the skin where it’s much needed.

Vitamin E – Acts as an antioxidant. It also helps to keep your lip balm fresher for longer, though it's not a preservative.

Color – Colorants used in lip balms should be FDA approved for use on the lips. This means that a colorant could be safe for use in a wash-off product like soap, but may not be safe for use in leave-on products like lotions or for use on the lips or eyes.  If in doubt, ask your seller.

Coconut Lemongrass lip balm by YouStinkSoap.

Although some of the most common ingredients used in lip balm making are animal products (beeswax, honey, milk or lanolin), it doesn’t mean that vegans are out of luck. There are plenty of Bath and Body sellers here on Etsy who make lip balm with no animal products.


A close-up of morganstreet pouring her mixture into the lip balm mold.

morganstreet also shared this fun fact: "Did you know that flavored lip balms don’t actually have a taste?  (Except for lip balms flavored with essential oils.) They are actually scented with lip-safe fragrances!  When we apply lip balm to the lips, we’re actually smelling their scent. Since the nose is so close to the mouth, the brain is tricked into thinking that we’re tasting  it. This experience is further enhanced with the use of sweeteners added to the lip balm to give it a sweet taste."

Deodorant

When I asked urbaneden what she wanted to tell shoppers about deodorant, she said, "I can’t remember.  No, actually, that’s a little joke because I stopped using aluminum out of fear of Alzheimer’s disease, which runs in my family.  The evidence linking aluminum — the active ingredient in commercial antiperspirants — with Alzheimer’s isn’t conclusive.  But it’s a risk I don’t want to take. Besides, sweating is good! Sweating keeps us cool. Sweating allows our skin to breathe.  Sweating sends chemical pheromones out to potential mates, maybe even leading to love at first sight. However, when the bacteria in sweat multiplies and stinks…well, I can live without that."

So she, along with many Etsy sellers, prefers to make deodorants which work not by blocking sweat, but by blocking odor. While she's seen many types of deodorants on Etsy that neutralize odors with baking soda or vegetable protein, or with bacteria-inhibiting essential oils, she uses lavender, tea tree, rosemary and myrrh.  "This combination works for me," says urbaneden.  "But there are other anti-bacterial essential oils whose scents you might prefer, including patchouli, lemongrass, geranium, and the citrus essential oils."

There are also different methods and ingredients which give deodorants their glide-on-but-not-too-mushy texture. urbaneden uses beeswax in her deodorant which helps "keep it solid in hot weather," but there are vegan products too. Searching for "vegan deodorant" turned up this item from SpaTherapy, for example.

If you are concerned about damp pits, check out items like BehaveLittles's deodorant, pictured below. She uses it herself and says, "My own underarms are soft, dry, and comfortable for the first time since junior high!"

Lotions

This customer's boyfriend got hooked on lotion, so much so that they special ordered custom extra-large size — The Tub o' Zen!

The not-so-scientifically named bunnybuttapothecary came to her Bath and Beauty business to fill "the big void that pursuing a PhD in the humanities left in the scientific half of my brain. For me, formulating and concocting my products is kind of like a cross between baking and high school chemistry — it smells good enough to eat and sometimes things explode (well, rarely, but one can dream)." The intellectually minded bunnybutt suggests that shoppers do some research on which oils work for you. "For instance, something like cocoa butter, or even shea and mango butters, will result in a thicker cream with more body (especially if they're high up on the list of ingredient). Lots of liquid oils, on the other hand, will generally produce a looser lotion that goes on a bit lighter."

bunnybuttapothecary filled me in on the difference between lotions, creams, and butters, and some of their common ingredients:

Butters —  You will find that some butters to be pure butters and oils blended together (for instance, our Death by Chocolate butter will indeed be just that) and usually whipped to a creamy consistency. Products such as this contain no water and therefore do not require the ingredients which are crucial to their water-based cousins; namely, emulsifiers and preservatives. Many of the mass produced "butters" on the market today are technically thick creams.

Lotions and Creams — These can be grouped together on the grounds that they are both aqueous — meaning, water containing water — in the sense that they are an emulsion of water and oils. Creams will generally have a higher proportion of oils, but the general idea is the same. 

Emulsifier — Every lotion needs an emulsifier. That's the stuff that keeps your oils and water blended together (think mayo as opposed to straight oil and vinegar dressing). Some common examples are the polysorbates (20, 60, or 80) or soy lecithin. These are derived from various sources, generally plant-based, but strict vegans may want to inquire as many common ingredients (like stearic acid, which is often used as a thickener to support an emulsion) do have variants that are derived from animal materials.

Preservatives — Another key ingredient in any water-containing moisturizer, and one that has undeservedly gotten a bad rap in recent times. There are conflicting studies on both sides of the great preservative issue, but the crux of the matter is that you simply cannot have a regular lotion or cream without some sort of preservative. Simply put, a preservative is a chemical agent that works to prevent the growth of undesirable critters in your creams (like bacteria and mold and the like). These nasties thrive in water, so any water-based product has little chance of surviving unpreserved for longer than a week or two.  A preservative will generally be one of the last things on the list (most require a usage rate of less than 1% to be effective) and can be a single compound or, as is more likely, a combination of several.

Butt Naked Body Butter from TenDigitCreations.

So remember, as urbaneden puts it, "Unfortunately, as soon as you combine water and oil, bacteria starts to grow.  So this is an area where natural is not necessarily better."  ...Unless you want to treat your B&B like food that will spoil after a relatively short period of time.

Fragrance

So how do you find a fragrance just right for you over the internet? While you might want to test your nose against some common fragrances (Go ahead and sniff the roses! Sniff some scented candles at the mall!) and see what you like, you can then go to Etsy sellers who will often give you a custom experience that you can't get anywhere else.

Anhoki, a perfume seller, recommends searching for "a specific ingredient. Sandalwood, for instance." One of her best selling items is a "blend that came from an Alchemy request. It is a blend of Amber Sandalwood and Vanilla. Thanks Ami!"  With fragrances, part of the fun is feeling an emotional pull to the item. Some of the perfumes and colognes on Etsy have a personal story behind them. Anhoki is inspired by "everything. My latest perfume creation is actually based on a weekend getaway I recently had with my hubby of 13 years!" 

While exploring the Fragance subcategory of Bath and Beauty, keep in mind some basics. Anhoki shares some information:

Perfume —Made with a base of 90 to 95% alcohol.
Eau De Toilette — A base of 80 to 90% alcohol.
Cologne Splash — 80% or less alcohol. 
Body Sprays — Usually NOT made with alcohol at all.

KreatedbyKarina filled me in on solid perfume:

Solid perfume — A unique and discreet way to make yourself smell amazing! Because they are solid they don't leak, you can carry them on a plane, and you can scent your body without spraying it everywhere else. Solid perfumes tend to come in smaller sizes, but I've used a larger tin because this way you can really access the surface better. Don't worry — it's still fashionably flat, and perfectly purse and pocket-sized so you can take it with you where ever you go. Simply rub your fingers over its silky smooth sheen to liquefy slightly and then rub your pulse points, behind your ears, over your neck — anywhere you want."

lsmith31's solid perfume is "very deep, rich and warming fragrance that is softened with a whisper of sweet vanilla." Mmmm, makes you feel like you're wearing a "comfy sweater"!

If you're intrigued and want to try your hand (or nose?) at making perfumes or sprays, check out cowboycrow's e-book, The Alchemy of Fragrance Blending.

Men

Don't worry, exploring the Bath and (ahem) Beauty products for men isn't a strange Mars-like planet. You'll find a lot of the same types of items, but with a masculine look and different scents. Many of the products have a humorous twist on "macho" manly man products.  I know quite a few ladies who just plain prefer these scents and quite a few dudes who "like to smell like flowers."

SeattleSundries "started making soap many years ago because I enjoy knowing how the things I use each day are made. I have continued making it because there’s always something new and interesting to try, which is amazing since the craft of soapmaking has been around for thousands of years."

If you look at her items, you see that many of them are unisex, but for some reason her "shop seems to draw a large number of men, and women buying for their men. If you’re a woman who has a husband/brother/father who is difficult to buy for (as many men seem to be), a bar of soap is  great because you know they’ll use it, it’s not a big-ticket item, and (in the case of my soap) they can get a nice chuckle from the label." For some men, knowing they're already going to spend "$2.00 because the soap dish is empty, it's not too big a splurge to treat yourself to a lovely handcrafted bar…especially when they last so long compared to a bar of Ivory or Irish Spring." It's a practical luxury.


The Smooth Shave Soap was originally made for SeattleSundries' dad "because he has used a shaving mug and brush his entire life and I wanted to come up with a scented soap that he would enjoy using every day. A traditional 'wet shave' style is coming back into vogue, for whatever reason, and this bar has become very popular."

And as Donna Maria suggested, don't hesitate to contact Etsy sellers with your questions. These folks, after all, are people like urbaneden, who can't remember the last time she took a shower...in a good way — she loves taking baths too much! "I often work 70 or more hours a week, but my tub time is my daydream time and I never go a day without.  That’s where I think of scent combinations, color combinations, and how to meet my customers’ special requests."

Bath and Beauty Showcase | Bath and Beauty Category

More Bath and Beauty Posts | Facts and Fancies Series

Further Resources:

Etsy Teams —

• The Soap Artisan Friends of Etsy (SAFEteam) is a group of soapers and Bath & Body sellers who are committed to quality and safe products. They're also friends who like to laugh a lot!
• The Soaper Stars is another team full of wonderful and incredibly talented soapers, and they are affiliated with the Dish forum – one of the best resources on the web for soapmaking and B&B information. 
• The Green & Clean Guild - EGCG is a group of Etsy sellers who specialize in all things Bath & Body. Together we try to help educate the public about the merits of well crafted products from small businesses who care about their customers, as well as promoting Etsy in general. We also serve as advocates for Truth in Advertising and full ingredient disclosure for bath & beauty makers. Our blog can be found here: http://egcgswag.blogspot.com/

Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild 

Men's Shaving Resources 

Fragrance —
naturalperfumers.com and their Facebook group

BlackPhoenixAlchemyLab.com
sniffapaloozamagazine.com/

Special thanks go out to Donna Maria and swanmountainsoaps for sharing their expertise with me.

More about Donna Maria:
Donna Maria Coles Johnson is the founder and CEO of the Indie Beauty Network, a trade organization providing business services to independent manufacturers of soaps, cosmetics, jewelry, candles and aromatherapy products. She the host of the weekly #indiechat on Twitter and is an award winning small business advocate. Her legislative outreach was instrumental in removing language that was detrimental to small businesses from the draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. Her efforts continue with the FDA
Globalization Act of 2009. You can find out more at http://www.IndieBeauty.com and join Donna Maria on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/IndieBusiness.

More about swanmountainsoaps:
Christina Seine, aka swanmountainsoaps, is a homeschooling mother of 5 who lives on a little lake off the beaten path near Wasilla, Alaska. Her business is named for the family of trumpeter swans that nests near the lake their house sits on. She began making cold process soaps about 5 years ago, and that hobby-turned-addiction got her through many a sleepless night when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan. She’s a member of the Homefront: Military Spouses team and Soap Artisan Friends of Etsy (SAFEteam). She makes her Bath and Beauty products with as many natural ingredients as possible and grows many of the herbs she uses right in her own gardens.

swanmountainsoaps and the SAFE team have been instrumental in organizing Etsy's Bath and Beauty sellers around safety issues and best business practices in a series of Virtual Labs chats: The Virtual Soap Symposium, held each Monday through the end of April 2009, with workshops on melt-and-pour soaps, cold process soaping, marketing your shop and pending FDA legislation and current Good Manufacturing Practices. Contact her for more info.