.....If I only had a sale for every time I've been asked this question!
How would you respond? Here are a few options:
A) "Love. In every single bar." (includes a complimentary upchuck bag)
B) Launch into a crash course in the science of soapmaking to wow/overwhelm him with my knowledge.
C) Offer a personal introduction to every bar in my lineup and its unique ingredients.
OK, maybe not. When I first began selling my soaps, I floundered on this question until one customer--bless her lil ol' heart--followed the question with another. "Do you use goat's milk?" And that's the real question my customers had been asking.
In my area, goat's milk soaps have an excellent reputation (as they should!) and it seems assumed that handmade soaps of any respectable quality should contain goat's milk. I wonder if this is a common customer concern or just prevalent in my area? Anyway, yes, I most certainly use goat's milk and have used it most than any other liquid. That's why my mom and I and countless other soapmakers took up the hobby in the first place; it was a way to use up excess milk from the goats we raised.
Years later, with the family goats now history, I returned to soapmaking and discovered the Wonderful World of Soaping Liquids. I tried water, beer, yogurt, wine, kefir, fresh cucumber puree and just about anything that struck me as soapable with great success, many of which are in my regular line-up.
Now that I've recently been able to source local goat's milk, I will be increasing the number of soaps that contain the milk, with all its skin-enriching vitamins and moisturizing creaminess. I'm not surprised they are well-loved; it's as if every bar is a soap-lotion combo.
But soap is more than just goat's milk or beer. Stay tuned for part 2!
How would you respond? Here are a few options:
A) "Love. In every single bar." (includes a complimentary upchuck bag)
B) Launch into a crash course in the science of soapmaking to wow/overwhelm him with my knowledge.
C) Offer a personal introduction to every bar in my lineup and its unique ingredients.
OK, maybe not. When I first began selling my soaps, I floundered on this question until one customer--bless her lil ol' heart--followed the question with another. "Do you use goat's milk?" And that's the real question my customers had been asking.
In my area, goat's milk soaps have an excellent reputation (as they should!) and it seems assumed that handmade soaps of any respectable quality should contain goat's milk. I wonder if this is a common customer concern or just prevalent in my area? Anyway, yes, I most certainly use goat's milk and have used it most than any other liquid. That's why my mom and I and countless other soapmakers took up the hobby in the first place; it was a way to use up excess milk from the goats we raised.
Years later, with the family goats now history, I returned to soapmaking and discovered the Wonderful World of Soaping Liquids. I tried water, beer, yogurt, wine, kefir, fresh cucumber puree and just about anything that struck me as soapable with great success, many of which are in my regular line-up.
Now that I've recently been able to source local goat's milk, I will be increasing the number of soaps that contain the milk, with all its skin-enriching vitamins and moisturizing creaminess. I'm not surprised they are well-loved; it's as if every bar is a soap-lotion combo.
But soap is more than just goat's milk or beer. Stay tuned for part 2!
It's not just your part of the world. I find that goats milk handmade soap is all that many people have heard of and so they believe that must be the best ;)
ReplyDeleteYep! Most of my soaps contain goats milk, yogurt or both...
ReplyDeleteMy personal revelation came after the gazillionth time I was asked "Which soap is the best for dry skin?" I answered for the gazillionth time "Oh, I would recommend my Goats Milk-Honey" Dooh!
That's when I began adding it to almost every bar!
I am also an addicted fan of goat milk soaps and since I discovered it,I can't use water anymore. The soap containing goat milk is so different from the other soaps.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered for a long term if goat milk soap was universally loved--I'm glad I have my answer now. I remember the first time I used water instead of goat milk, Natalia--I felt like I was cheating!
ReplyDeleteYour comment made me laugh, Heirloom--my revelations generally come at the gazillionth mark, too!
I feel like a broken record at market when I get asked "hey, you don't put actual bear fat in your soap, do you?" every 5 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI desperately want to say YES! but I hold myself back and launch into my small introduction of olive oil and why it's awesome in soap....
I have recently started using Goats Milk with great success. I found a local herder who freezes it into ice cubes for me to use. It's lovely!!
Hee, hee. That reminds me of when my name was Just Peachy Soaps and people would look at my label and say, "Oh, you make peach soap?!" (Yep, nothing but peach scents here!)
ReplyDeleteHow nice that someone freezes goat milk for you! I freeze mine in sour cream-sized containers and ice cube trays and keep them in tubs in the freezer. It's handy!