Let's talk ingredients first. There are a couple places I rely on for the best stuff to put in my soap.
#1. GOOD EARTH!!! I go upstairs, and if I;m lucky...Jackie is there!
I get my herbs and favorite brand of essential oils right here.
They have a wonderful selection of dried herbs and flowers that
I like to use. The essential oil brand that is used the most in my soap
is NOW. I love their website and how they educate you on the proper
use for their essentials. Good Earth folks are friendly and informative.
They are cool people all around and I don't feel bad when I drop a wad
of cash there! About 90% of herbs and add ins I use come from this local
store.
#2. WELLINGTON FRAGRANCE COMPANY!
I have been shopping with Wellington for 6 years and counting.
Before I began Curat..I used to own Al-Eryani Fragrances. I like
their customer service and the essential and aromatherapy products
they carry are really good. I also use their coconut oil from time to time.
This is not a store...they are strictly web-based and products are
shipped from their Michigan location. Good folks to do business with.
Plant oils come from friends in New Jersey. I haven't found a company who supplies the amounts I need at the right price. Great thing is...I have pals who deal with thee oils and they break down the drum for me.
On to my wacky ideas for great soap!
I love to eat, I'm also a sous chef. I am also a member of the Fragrance Foundation. CFSS is my title
and I am trained as a fragrance sales specialist since 1999.
I use my knowledge of food and scents to come upwith soap combinations that are unique and different.
It sounds crazy...but it works! My top soap to date is Cherry Bombastic. Black cherry, paprika, chilipowder yerba santa leaf and poppy seeds. This would make one great cookie!! Then there's the recent hit, SULTAN. This soap really utilized both of my skills. It contains a custom fragrance blend that I made myself, and great foody spices. It came together really well. The next soap I am excited over is one that combines lime, corriander and black cardamom! Look for it soon.
The one main goal I have for the soap is not to be a duplicated item....or a remake on a soap I like. I mean, don't get me wrong, I use soaps made by crafters that I absolutely wished I came up with. But hey, it's THEIRS! They took the time and effort to come up with a winner and I would be a complete jackass to rip it off and change the name. One fave of mine..and I mean FAVE, is the ginger soap by Flower Child, aka, Jackie at Good Earth. I love it and may she be blessed plenty because it's a top seller of hers. I took the ginger and built a soap around it. THE HERBALIST is MY take on ginger. It's different from Jackie's and people love it. Her soap INSPIRED my version of a ginger soap. There's a lot of copy cat soapers out there.
May God bless them, lol.
Many ideas come from the way I feel,and my personal life. My soap is also my personal barometer!
My friends can tell when things are fun and happy because I'll premier 3 fruity soaps in a row. Or if I'm a bit discouraged, I'll fall back on floral scents that remind me of my grandmother. My soap is very personal to me.
I am just grateful that cool people love it! When you buy a bar of Curat soap, it goes towards my family's livelihood, now how can that not be appreciated? Exactly. It SO IS!
