# venting



## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I took soap samples to the big health food store in town today. I took some surplus soaps from my other health store account, veggie bars with EO's, herbs, etc, small 4.5 oz bars width paper bands, really nice if I do say so myself.
Well, the manager is like, oh pretty, like the packaging, mm, smell great, ooh, great ingredients, (these bars are loaded w/ herb's, etc), then she stops! Oh, no, we can't carry your soap! It has LYE :twisted in it! We don't carry any soap with LYE in THIS store. I was taken aback because yeah I get that at FM"s but a health food store owner?
I told her, all soap has lye, and she says, not the soap here. I told her many folks don't list lye for label appeal, but she tells me that they she does not know how they do it but they have a special technique without the evil LYE. SIGH!!

So do I write them off, or swallow my pride and go back in a month and say here are my soaps (lye omitted from ingred. list), I leaned how to make soap w/out lye and see if she will take them? :sigh
Becky


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## Beverrlly (Nov 12, 2007)

Maybe buy a bar so soap from her, look at the ingredients and print off some information stating that sodium hydroxide IS lye....and maybe something about the saponification process. That is...if you need this store for sales.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I explain the soaping process to them. That there is no more lye, liquid, butters or oils left in the soap once made. That the only thing left is cleaning and benefits from the extras...extra oils and butters, GM proteins, herbs, clays and essential oil benefits. That all soaps are made with lye, and that folks doing melt and pour and detergent bars just get their base before the lye has been added. That they in fact are not making hand crafted soaps but are using kits.

Here...try my soap, this is a small gift for you and the gals in the store, you will be able to tell the difference on your skin quality after using my soap.

You don't have to label lye or anything unless you are making cosmetic claims and turn your label from soap to a cosmetic. I have never labeled lye because there is none in my soap  Vicki


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2008)

:yeahthat

I also emphasize that there is no lye left in the soap after saponification. I have a soaper friend in my area that had some people react that way to the lye. I suggested she word her label as Saponified oil of...

We all know the other soap had to be made with lye :rofl


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I am thinking about taking lye off my labels.
Yeah Vicki I tried to expain to her but you know that look people give the crazies, when they have that big eyed "you really believe that" look, sort of reaching for the panic button look, that is what she had and she did not want a bar. Sigh.
Really Vicki, now why WOULD she want a sample when it had GASP EVIL LYE in it? :rofl
Would you go back or write it off?
Becky


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Write it off. You have to have a relationship with your buyers, if not the owner of the store. It's hard with one store I have because the buyer isn't a Vicki fan...imagine  but the store owner loves me, and he has 3 stores. He blames her when my soap doesn't sell in her store. He needs to have one buyer for all three stores really. In the other two stores my soap sales are brisk.

Of course I have a very strong personality, and steer the conversation as soon as I make a connection with the buyer or owner. My soap is in their hand before they can say no. Because if you can get your soap into their hand...and I will be giving out Lill's honey in my OMH and your Cranberry marmalade scent, from now on...I don't know one person, man or woman or kid who has smelled it and not wanted a bar! Vicki


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

My bars say saponified Raw Goat milk, Is that Moronic, is it the oils that are saponified? I thought really it's the milk and the oils are saponified. but just the way I listed it.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I have started the "saponified oils of..." thing too. I have gotten, "Are your soaps made with lye?" Sheez! At my farmer's market there used to be 3 soapers there when I started last summer. One was a melt and pour gal who had some HP. Everyone LOVED her soaps! All those pretty clear bars in hearts and flowers! She moved to AZ and now it's just me and this ULTRA natural hper who only uses EO's and herbs and all veggie blends. She was not there consistently so I pretty much ruled the roost and our products were so different is was no big deal. But she used Lye and I use lye and we would just laugh at all those horrified looks on those anti lye people. 

It's been said before - No lye, no soap, no lie. gotta have it to make soap! And like you all have said, it's not there in the end anyway!

My health food store has been so very flakey. Brushing me off in Sept then emailing 2 days before Christmas for bath bombs for the holidays! What retailer doesn't have thier holiday stock by then? They just have been weird weird weird and kinda' a hassle. I say ditch them - maybe they are all bizzarre?

Bethany


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

SherrieC said:


> My bars say saponified Raw Goat milk, Is that Moronic, is it the oils that are saponified? I thought really it's the milk and the oils are saponified. but just the way I listed it.


It's all saponified, really it should say, "goat milk, saponified oils of palm, sunflower, castor, and coconut oils, fragrance" etc. I'm not sure GM would saponify all by itself!

Bethany


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2008)

I'm thinking everything you put in your soap is saponified except any extra fats left over from super fatting.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I go back and forth on whether or not to put lye on my labels. Some have it and some don't 'cause I cannot decide. LOL


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

I have sodium hydroxide on my labels- I actually do cosmetic type labels- and I haven't had problems yet. I get asked what it is- and tell people about the soapmaking process and how lye starts the reaction that becomes soap. I have also explained to people that those that say there was never any lye in their soap are using a melt and pour base- not handcrafting soap. I have actually gained customers this way- because of my depth of knowledge about my ingredients. :lol Making soap for a little over a year, and thanks to you guys, I have depth of knowledge :lol


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

I don't list lye or lard on my lables I list themilk/ oils and butters either FO or EO only if someone asks how I make it then I go into detail only a few times has anyone said anything abt lye and then I explain.


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