I'm so easily excited!
Having made my first batch of soaps after getting my certification I have now just cut it and PH tested it with one week to go until it is ready! Just need for it to finish drying so I can wrap it, label it, and I can start selling it!
Will also spend this week working out how best to take pictures... piccies below, but they are not my best! Sorry!
Ohhhh.... I am so excited! My certification for making my soaps to be legally able to sell them arrived this week! So so so over the moon!
OK, so I really need to get better at updating my blog!
I thought I would update you all today on how things have progressed with my soaps...
After unmoulding the batch I showed you all I waited for the minimum 4 weeks (couldn't quiet be patient for 6 weeks) and have been really pleased with the results! I was so happy - they lather great and I feel they leave my skin much softer afterwards!
I have now decided to go and get my recipe checked by a lab to have it certified to meet the EU regs. The company I have found seem very helpful and I can have my base recipe checked and then get them to add essential oils to my certificate as and when I am ready and happy with the tester results... So to start with I have decided to do 1 or 2 variations with essential oils and then the plain one which personally is my favorite! I am e-mailing the details today (scary and exciting) and then in a couple of weeks I should have my certificate to be able to start making batches to sell to lots of lovely people! So hopefully in 8 weeks (so June time) I will start uploading soaps to sell! I am really pleased with this as I gave myself until October to be up and running so really chuffed that it should be sooner!
Now for the cheeky moment - if any of you would like to be notified when they come on sale, please let me know and I shall send you a little message...
From a very very excited Gem!
Afternoon all...
Well I have finally done it! I've made a batch of soap using my own recipe that I created!
So far I have been using a recipe that I was given on a workshop I attended. I thought it was a good idea to use a tried and tested one for family as Christmas pressies! I have been using the soap with that recipe for a while now, and thinking about what I like about it and what I would like to have different in the soaps I make in the future...
I loved the lather and the fact it wasn't really soft so didn't dissolve away after a few uses and also the fact it was very natural. I did however want it to be a bit more creamy and moisturing. I have spent a fair bit of time on soap calculators working out what would work best for me and finally settled on the ingredients and quantities of each.
On Weds I finally made my soap (using a hand blender than the usual hour whisking by hand) and it turned and went in to the moulds very quickly! I split it in to two leaving half plain and putting oats, honey & lemongrass essiential oil in to the other half!
It has now been unmoulded! The honey bar has gone a amber type colour from the honey that I used and I am pretty pleased with how they have come out looking! Now I just have to be patient (something I'm not very good at) and wait 6 weeks to try them out! Fingers crossed!
Below are some piccies!
Hope you all have good weekends!
Gem
I have finally done it - I must be mad!
On twitter! Find me under inalather
Gems
Blimey! Are we really now in 2011 - where does the time go!
Hopefully 2011 will be a productive and exciting year for us all. I have two New Years resolutions (I haven't done any for the last few years as usually I'm pretty rubbish at sticking to them!) This year I am determined to get In a Lather off the ground, and be better at sending cards and remembering events like birthdays and anniversaries!
To start off I am trying to clearout my card shop on Folksy as I don't really want two running... so have a Jan sale - http://www.folksy.com/shops/GemsGems
I hope you all have an amazing 2011 and the year brings you lots of happiness and exciting things!
Gems
OK - so clever me decided that as my front room had been annoying me for quiet some time (not decorated it since we bought the place 5 and a half years ago) I had enough and last sunday decided it would be a great idea to rip all of the wallpaper off! What was I thinking! and this close to Christmas!
Anyways I have a lovely victorian home. The downfall of which decorating is never an easy task! The previous owners kindly decided to put artex on the wall with the chimney... took hubby a week to scrape it off one alcove! We knew we would have to have the walls skimmed, but when we took the fake wall in front of the fireplace off - yes you heard correct - a fake wall to make the room smaller! - there was nothing but the whole from the original fireplace (maybe one day someone who owns the house after us will open it up and make it pretty again!) and the surrounding red brick covered in chunks of concrete! - More than just a quick skim! Friends to the rescue! one recommended a plasterer they used before who magically we phoned on Friday and today came and gave us a gorgeous flat wall!
Now just to do the woodwork, lining paper, painting and rest of papering and I may well have a very pretty room ready in time for Crimbo! Wish us luck!
