I've always had an obsession for anything that smells good, whether it was a candle, soap, lotions, even flowers, but candles are my passion. I decided to try my hand at making soy candles and I was instantly addicted. I was drawn to soy because it was a renewable resource and offered a cleaner burning candle than traditional paraffin wax candles. I was so happy making candles that I quickly ran out of space to store them all and my family was over getting them for gifts for every occasion. I decided I'd try my hand at selling my candles but I knew in this rough economy no one wanted to pay $20 or $30 for a candle that they could seemingly by for $5 at any mass discount store. I wanted people to enjoy my strongly scented candles that lasted longer and burned cleaner so I priced them fairly so people could give them a chance. I don't believe you should have to sacrifice quality for price. My candles were a hit at local craft fairs so I continue on, then the soap making bug hit me!
I tried making a few simple soap recipes and just like with candle making I was instantly addicted. Commercial soaps or "beauty bars" are full of detergents and surfactants that will, sure, get you clean, but also strip away all the natural oils in your skin and irritate your skin too. After reading about all the wonderful oils that could be used for soap making and how awesome they were for the skin I branched out and started creating my own recipes with scents I loved. Then just like with my candles, I quickly had more soap than I could ever use! Since I was already out selling my candles I figured I'd bring my soap along and see how they did. I was faced with the same dilemma of pricing my soaps as I was my candles, why pay $4-7 for 1 bar of soap when you can go buy 10 for that price. Do you want to wash your body with the same product you scrub your bath tub with? Once you try handmade soap your skin will thank you for it and you'll enjoy this simple, wonderful daily treat!
Simply put, I price my products fairly so that anyone can enjoy them without sacrificing any of the quality that mass produced products are greatly lacking! I do hope you'll give them a try and enjoy them as much as I do.