#TBT Infused Bath & Body - Our Journey!

I decided to jump on the #TBT train and take ride down memory lane. Back in 2007, I was tinkering with Soy Wax, and candle making. When it turned out to be a lot of fun, I decided to sell my products. I quickly went from Container Candles, to tarts, votives, tealights and eventually room sprays. About six months later, I was diving head first into the world of Soap making.

After reflecting on my products, and comparing them to the quality of others making similar products in the industry, I was inspired to make some changes. My Logo and matching labels were some of my first changes. I found an awesome Graphics Designer who helped make me take my packaging to the next level. I also hired a professional photographer to help capture my products in their full potential.

Both of these improvements came at a cost. A cost that having such a small business is hard to take on. But because of the investment I made in improvements to the presentation of my products, sales started to grow.

After some time, I decided a few more changes were necessary. Wix & Whacks was an awesome start into the Bath & Body scene. I took it very seriously when others questioned why I kept going. I felt that the name I was using, did not represent the full potential of all I had learned, and was bringing out in my product line. So I changed my name. 

We are now Infused Bath & Body. I am currently working on Brand New Labels and a whole new look for the new change. I feel as the more I experience in my business adventures, the more I end up changing throughout the years. Our new logo & name represents my products much better.

In all of my Bath & Body products, there will be 1 ingredient (mainly Olive Oil) that has been infused with a blend of 4 herbs. These herbs are Plantain, Calendula, Chamomile, & Lavender. This is where Infused Bath & Body gets the name. Our candle line is infused with high quality fragrances.

I have also taken the time to learn much about Photography throughout the years. I have come so far from my blurry, uninteresting photos from my first attempts at representing my products. Now they are clear, modern, and interesting! 

I will continue to improve on every aspect I possibly can during my business adventures and seek the expertise of others if my efforts fall short of being awesome. 

We have many new improvements coming to our new line! So stay tuned for Forward Friday!!

I love hearing stories from others who have gone on such a journey. Please post a link, to your Journey so we can all see how far you have come!

*all Photos are property of Infused Bath & Body and fall under the Copyright act

Tutorial Tuesday

Tuesday's are such a great day to get new ideas and experiment. 

I have a great tutorial that shows how I make my own Coconut Milk & water for our awesome Coconut Soap, available HERE 

How to extract coconut water & coconut milk at home:

1. Go buy some coconuts. I bought 2 coconuts at a local grocery store.

2. Use a household drill to drill 2 holes into the ends of the coconut. This will allow for easy flow of the water inside. After drilling place on a container to let the water drain.

                                               

3. Once all of the water has been drained, set the water aside, and get a hammer. This is the fun part!

4. Carefully break the coconut open with the hammer. My first one cracked so nicely I was able to peel the shell right off. 

5. If your shell breaks with the flesh still attached, use a strong knife or other strong object to pry the fruit from the shell.

6. I used a potato peeler to clean up the edges of the coconut so no bits of the outer shell remained. I then put all the peices into my food processor. Next time, I will use a blender. 

7. I processed until all the pulp was evening chopped. I had to do this twice.

8. I then added the chopped pulp back to the processor and added  hot (not boiling) water and processed again for a few minutes.

9. After the mixture was very milky, I placed some Flour Sack cloth on a mason jar, and drained the milk out. 

10. I used a spoon to lightly press all the liquid from the pulp.

11. I repeated this until the jar was full and I ran out of coconut. I also used a clean piece of sack cloth to strain debris out of the coconut water. 

Two coconuts produced approx. 2 quarts of coconut milk, and 10 oz of coconut water with 3 cups of leftover pulp. All of these will be used in our coconut soap, Linked above. This is also a great & economically friendly way to make coconut milk for cooking.

#nowTHATmakesScents

From Disaster to Spectacular!

I have had it on my agenda for awhile now to make a soap with the wonderful fragrance of the Japanese Cherry Blossom. Here in Atlanta, I only have a small space in my kitchen for making soap at the moment, so a small batch of the ever so awaited fragrance was in order! I was very excited to get started! I got out my scales, and got to working on my recipe.

Shortly after coming up with what I thought would be the perfect recipe, I got to work; measuring out all of my ingredients. (And look, my pregnant belly made an appearance in the picture!)

By this point in the soap making process, I was so ecstatic to see what would come of this awesome soap I had planned. Days before I had even made these awesome Soap Curls to top off the stunning creation. 

So I got everything processed as planned, and then it came time to add the fragrance. I weighed it out carefully, and added it to my batch of freshly made soap...then it happened. All at one. Soap is NOT supposed to do this! One of my worst fears came true. A Seize! Yes, my soap batch seized so fast, that I couldn't even incorporate the color anymore. 

This left me with only 1 choice. Cook the soap to save it. My least favorite kind of soap processing. But thanks to many tips from some awesome soap makers who have done this many more times than I, and were braver than I, instead of avoiding the Hot Process like the plague, I was able to succeed! In the crock pot it went. Each in its own, so that I could keep the color separation. So I cooked and cooked....and tasted...yes tasted, the soap for doneness. Finally after a few hours, I figured it was enough cooking, and into the mold it went!

And it actually turned out pretty great! 

This awesome Japenese Cherry Blossom Handcrafted Soap will be available for purchase in a few weeks! Thanks for stopping by and joining me in my soaping madness!

Getting settled in Atlanta

Recently, our family made the move from Chicago, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia. It was a huge step for our family of 5. I was anticipating an easy move, especially for Infused Naturals, but we have run into a few minor set backs.

In Chicago I was able to conveniently work out of the basement, with a full workshop right in my home. In Atlanta, that will not be the case for the time being. So while I am on the search for a proper space to call my workshop, Soap making will be slow. But other exciting things are taking place during this time!

-Infused Naturals will be opening up shop in the late summer with my well beloved 100% All Natural Soaps, as well as a new 95% Natural Soap line, bringing back many of your favorite past time Fragrances!

-New packaging is under development. I am very excited about the new look!

-Until we find a proper workspace, inventory will be limited. If you need a large quantity, please send me a message through my etsy store at http://goo.gl/A5K1Lo

As we await for the arrival of our 4th child in just a few days, I am excited to continue to update you on the upcoming changes, and our new start here in Atlanta. I hope you are enjoying your Summer!

Perfect Impressions!

As a soapmaker of many years, I have constantly thought about the idea of branding my soap with my logo. I never really made the jump because of how costly I have found it to get a custom soap stamp. Alot of the ones I have researched cost anywhere from $80-$100 per stamp. So I just gave up on the idea.

Recently, as I was browsing through all of the awesome shops on Etsy, I finally found an affordable custom soap stamp. And the owner of the shop, HersMolds, helped me by making my logo perfect for the soap stamp. It needed to be retouched a bit just because of the sponginess of my Logo Font. It needed clear edges. Great customer service!

I was very excited once my soap stamps came, I could hardly wait to use them! Here are the results!

If you are a soapmaker, and would like to get a great custom soap stamp, for a great price just click   HERE

Infused Naturals is born!

A New Year has begun! As I have had plenty of time to think, reflect and decide where I want to go from where I have came from! Wix & Whacks has been an adventure of mine I have enjoyed from day 1, and I don't plan on going anywhere but forward anytime soon!

Everyone needs a plan. And with that plan comes a Mission. I have been able to map out my Mission based on my customers needs, my wants and abilities and where I would like to see my company headed. Here is what I have for you today!

Wix & Whacks is now Infused Naturals. My goal is to bring you 100% Naturally Handcrafted Items all of the time!

THE MISSION:

The Infused Naturals blog is for the artfully independent. The consumer who wants to take their skincare into their own hands. Creating knowledge of what is in your mass produced, chemically-laden products you find on the average shelf in any store. It features handmade techniques, artists, ingredients and products to help you gain insight to make the right decisions for you and those you care about. Looking beautiful can be healthy and fun!