# Arrggg



## Carolyn (Oct 27, 2007)

Ok, DD1 had a friend that worked with her for several years, she is from Kenya. Her and her husband moved away and decided to sell her Black African soap, whipped shea, akind of ointment that helps headaches, aches and pains. It helps DD1's migraines, so she buys it from her @ $10.00/oz. She also has lip gloss maybe a few other things along with her jewelry. They travel the craft show circut and do very well. She has been encouraging DD1 in this venture. DD1 has been researching the ointment and there are many online recipes, @ $10.00/oz, Risha would like to make her own--not neccessarily for sale. They have a "mutual friend" that told the other lady that Risha was trying to copy her recipe so we could sell it. So this lady called Risha and asked her if it wasn't bad business and sneaky to be buying the ointment to copy it. Well Risha told her that there are many recipes online and that she didn't need to buy her ointment to get the recipe, but that it helped her migraines ( which may quit now, cause Risha quit her full time job) and she would just like to make her own for herself and then the other lady said--"I suppose you are going to copy my own idea of whipped shea also". Risha just about dropped over--her idea??? Risha told her that her mom (me) is on a goat forum that has a soap discussion on it and whipped shea has been on there for quit some time and the other lady said "Really??" Now to claim it is her own idea?? So Risha has researched shea a lot, some sources say it is a nut, others say it is a seed--like sunflower seeds, but one thing she did find for sure is that it has natural latex in it and that people that are allergic to latex shouldn't try it. Anyone have anyone have problems with it? this lady supposedly sells so much whipped shea that they mix it in a cement mixer to be able to produce enough to sell. Think that would work? Just wondering if it is possible or if she is "stretching the truth a bit"? Carolyn


----------



## Theresa (Oct 26, 2007)

I bet she is stretching the truth a LOT! Do you know how much shea it would take to mix a in cement mixer? And your DD is right, whipped shea has been around for a long time. Also, if your DD wanted to sell things this lady is selling then really I don't think there is much she can do. Some people are afraid of competition.
Theresa


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Sure it would work but I for one sure can't afford to fill my cement mixer with shea or anything else. Risha needs to keep her mouth shut abt anything or ointments regarding this lady's stuff. Make her own and leave out something or add something the other lady has or doesn't have. Gosh we are all copying Barb and Vicki's stuff on her all the time and tweeking it to suit our own ideas.


----------



## Carolyn (Oct 27, 2007)

Her family in Kenya harvest shea butter and send it to her for shipping costs, this woman sends a portion of the money she makes back to Kenya. She claims that she makes up and sells about 200 lbs in a 2 weeks period traveling the "big shows". Her husband goes one way and she goes another way in the summer and fall. I thought it was very strange that she was encouraging Risha and telling her what and how to make it on the craft show circuit, then saw our setup and changed her mind. Oh well. People ask us questions and we tell them--you can find info online and yes they can find it online, but we also enjoy the goats, my daughers and now DIL beam when people look at the pictures of the goats and they talk about the personality of each goat and their names, if these people decide to make soap--more power to them. Well Risha is keeping her mouth shut about what we are going to do--she thought the one was a friend--we also sell fabric napkins, cloth tote bags, cloth diapers, mama pads, fabric wipes, nursing pads, a few cloth toys and now I am sewing doll clothes. I also am working on wool diaper covers ( I also have PUL and fleece covers, but they are are synthetic and they are good, but some people want natural fibers.) we are trying to keep everything as simple and natural as possible which people really appreciate. Carolyn


----------



## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

How on earth would you clean a cement mixer well enough to produce a B&B product? Sounds crazy to me. I had no idea about the latex thing. So someone allergic to latex might have a reaction to shea?


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You can't whip shea in a cement mixer, and how on earth would you get this stuff out of the cement mixer!

There is no copywrited anything with soap, it's all copied. It's how you start, you copy a recipe and then you tweak it as you gain confidence in new learned techniques or what someone else says.

I get my shea in 33 and 50 pound plastic drums for under $4 to my door, it's imported to the ship channel and this many who sells my soap that I make him with the african black soap, sell it to me. As much as I put in soap I also sell in 4 ounce jars for $5. I sell alot of shea like that and in my soap, some in lotion and other tolietries.

Your daughter is doing nothing wrong. My daughters when they see other soapers soap will buy a bar for nothing more than bringing it home for me to see (to awe over) or better is to laugh over  It is a nice income doing what we do, yes it is alot of work also.

I finally got of the stick and made my shampoo, it actually turned out better than my liquid soap did, I am selling it for $40 for the shampoo and creme rins bottled idential with a ribbon tieing th two together over a shrink wrap band and I have 2 sets left from 5 gallons of each. It becomes crazy just how much stuff you can sell if folks know you have it.

Go for it, stop listening to nay sayers who really don't have your best interests at heart. Vicki


----------



## Guest (Oct 20, 2008)

Yep, it is a big world out there and wide open for anyone that wants to create and make their own products wether just for personal use or to sell.. It is extremely hard work, and then you market your products... Most don't last long at all in the business.. Just do your own thing and don't ever copy someone unless they give you full permission.. there are so many recipes out there to get and like everyone said, tweak to suit your needs.. i have no problem sharing my receipes to anyone.. It has never hurt my business in any way... It is all how you sell yourself and your products.
Barbara


----------



## homeacremom (Nov 6, 2007)

And I've found there is NOTHING new under the sun! Its just now in our information age we get our egos shattered more frequently. I do not know how many times I've come up with a new and improved (food) recipe and then find it later EXACTLY the same as my "original".


----------



## Guest (Oct 21, 2008)

This lady was trying to psych you out pure and simple. Some people are just way to competitive!!

Christy


----------



## Carolyn (Oct 27, 2007)

Yeah---lol I told Marisha that I didn't think there was any way shea could be whipped in a cement mixer--but stranger things can happen. It would only "plop" around, a cement mixer mixes ingredients, but to whip something like shea butter, you have to have air incorporated into the shea and just a cement mixer wouldn't do that(well I didn't think so, but thought I would ask)--the lady was sooo encouraging until she saw our booth---she must feel threatened. We are pushing ahead--Marisha quit her full time job to do goats and soap products, she will take over daycare of DGS #3. There are soo many possiblities out there. She loves to soap and I think she will do well. Carolyn


----------

