# What should I learn?



## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I have an opportunity to go up to Cinncinati and spend 2 days learning to make liquid soaps and lotions. My friend/race horse trainer, Shawn, is a retired chemist from P&G and has been on a freelance project with a lady that wanted to develop a line of natural makeup products. This lady had money to play with and bought gallons of essential oils and high end oils and additives for Shawn to use. She has abandoned this effort and had no use of the stuff so she left it with Shawn

Shawn told me that if I come up to pick up a race horse she wants to retire that she will give me all of the stuff she has and spend how many days I want to stay there and teach me how to make liquid soaps, lotions, hoof care products(I am developing a horse/pet line) and lotion bars. To top it off she will give me her professional mixer.

My DH will not be happy with this but I feel like it is to good to pass up. What would you want to learn the most if you were just starting out?


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## mullerslanefarm (Sep 12, 2009)

Oooof, bypassing M&P/CP/HP and going right to liquid soaps!

First thing I would want to learn about LS is how to pH balance it. And if it is made from synthetic detergents (aka, SLS, SLSa) or made from true soap)

Hoof care products sounds like a great product for your venue!


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I have a combination of oils and liquids that I had been using for skin problems with the horses but with studying up on soaping I have learned so much about oils that I have been changing everything. I still have never used an emulsifier. Shawn has a recipe for synthetic track hoof dressing that I am hoping that she will teach me to make and use it. EVERYTHING in my product line will be natural. It is easy to go away from that but I keep coming back to keeping it natural.

I am starting my list of recipes and things I want to learn. How to PH balance is now on the list - Thanks


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Well I see you are jumping right in there. I would have had a lot of trouble learning LS if I had not already accomplished CP soap in my opinion. Then it took me over a year to actually learn how to make a decent lotion and what all of the available ingredients would do in a lotion. Trying to learn too much in a very short period of time can be frustrating.

Not to be argumentative but what is your definition of natural??? Lotion has to be preserved. Heck I even use a preservative in my LS.


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## Guest (Oct 18, 2009)

Start with one product and learn to make it really well, know it blindfolded and when you start getting some regular repeat customers then start making another product.. 
You have picked two products that can be confusing and intimidating to make for some people, LS and lotion.. I know nothing about hoof care so can't help you there.. 
Know what you are making, and why it is a good product.. the biggest part of selling is keeping your customers coming back for more.. and if you know your product and why it works and can answer their questions you have half of it done.
when starting out take tons of notes and what works for you and your customers, ask for feedback.. test on family and friends.. get their opinion what they would change about it.. Take notes and more notes.. 

Yep, what is your definition of natural.. that can be very broad based.. 
I don't use a preservative in my liquid soap, have kept it longer than two years too, in fact I age mine for a year.. but I do in lotion, but it is still better than any commerical product.
Barb


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

The CP soap has been easy for me. I am getting really good feedback with some changes that I will make but most of those are because of me. My horse/dog bar is a huge hit and is working well for this humid/fungus ridden southern air.

I would like to use only products that people can pronounce. I look at the back of my body butter and can not pronounce many of them - have no idea what they are. I do realize that a preservative will be necessary in some cases.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, lotion has a lot of ingredients that some may not feel is natural. Body butters on the other hand are all oils and butters. I would classify them as all natural easily. Although the INCI names are not easy to pronounce. Your body butter may be an emulsified body butter meaning it is liquid based rather than all oils and butters. 

I thought CP was easy too until I ran into the soap fairies. I learned about hot processing or rebatching quickly.
It is all fun but it is also a large learning curve. I have a degree in biology and it has still been hard for me. 

My weakness is the chemistry part. Plus having to wait and see what the products do over time is critical. I was shocked when a lotion I made (same basic formula) with one tweak turned pink after sitting for a month. 

Good luck and have fun learning with a great tutor.


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

I have a degree in Industrial Engineering. I am finding that this is what I should be doing. I go to sleep thinking about it - I wake up thinking about it. I had given my horse trainer a bar of GM with peppermint, eucalyptus and lemongrass. He never knew that soap could be that smooth and invigorating - He was all complements


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

Cathy,
I'd be really interested in sharing ideas about the hoof oil/salve. I'm a natural hoof care practitioner and nothing on the shelves at this moment is anything that I can recommend to clients. I had decided to make my own a couple of years ago, but only recently, after learning how to make lotion, have I felt I might come up with a nice hoof dressing that offers what I'm looking for. It would need an immulsifyer, (my last attempt was too oily and much of the oil ran off), would need something like jojoba to carry it into the hoof, antibacterial properties, antifungal properties, non-drying, smell nice, etc. There is definately a market out there that is currently filled with products like "pine tar" formaldahyde smelling goop, stuff that smells like burnt wood and vinegar, and the list goes on. I've never seen any of them do much good, as they kill all the healthy bacteria too. Are you putting goats milk in yours? That just sounds so "user friendly".


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

I want some when you get it going! I have used a salve for hooves that has goldenseal and champhor and thymol.
I am not sure of the base but it is effective stuff.
Lee


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

I am with Barb on this pick one for me it would be learning the ins and outs of lotion because you can do LS later on your own.


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## Tallabred (Jun 12, 2008)

Shawn came up with this hoof dressing because it keeps the artificial tracks from balling up in the bottom of the hoof inside the shoe. I love it because it keeps the hoof from sucking up so much moisture and becoming a sponge. I know that it does not have mineral oil in it - shawn hates that stuff. I don't think that she wants to tell me because she wants me to go up and learn. Lee - I haven't forgotten to send you a bar of my pet soap - I will get it out this week.

It sounds like I need to concentrate on making lotions - I am excited - I could stay up all night making soap! I just finished another batch of my peppermint/eucalyptus/lemon - I LOVE this stuff - I really think that this is my calling.


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