For the past two months I’ve been attending local networking groups to try to get the word out about Nettlesome Pantry my herbal handcrafted soap shop. I have met so many interesting people from all different sorts of companies. The other day I was attending a Visit Utah Event and talking to a lovely lady who works in hospitality, when a gentlemen walked up and introduced himself. He was the owner of a violin repair shop in Salt Lake. I was not expecting that!
He asked about my soap and I told him all about my process and how it is “slow soap” and somehow the conversation meandered fluidly between soap making and violin making and he told me this story about a lady who’s grandmother was a violinist and when she died they just took her violin and placed in it’s case under a bed and it wasn’t used for 30 years.
Did you know that a violin that is a living thing?
If it’s not played everyday the wood fibers will contract and close up and the sound the violin makes will be just awful. But you can bring it back to life, by playing it everyday and opening those fibers back up. Imagine a 300 year old Stradivarius that is well taken care of will play just as beautifully as when it was first made!
As he was talking, I couldn’t help thinking about how my handcrafted soaps are like a living thing too.
-
They need to breathe and like dark, cool, dry places.
-
They react to heat and humidity (both of which they don’t like) .
-
Over time handcrafted soap cures and loses moisture (the water content from the saponification process). You might think that’s a bad thing, but as it does so, the soap gets harder and will last longer.
Over time the essential oils in soap will fade, which is a good thing. That means there are no harsh fixatives in my soaps that can cause headaches. Essential oils are made from the volatile oils of real plant matter, and those oils will slowly dissipate over time when exposed to air. If you find an old bar of handmade soap and it doesn’t really smell anymore, it’s still wonderful for washing hands and dishes and even getting out stains in laundry in a pinch.
0 comments