hi guys!
just got home from work .... today i shared a photo with you of a bulgarian lavender scrub i made on the fly as i was waiting for my soaping oils to cool down. since maddi has given me permission to post things to facebook now, im really having fun sharing things behind the scenes with you all!
anyhow, after i posted the photo -- i realized man heid, you do this all the time -- you make these little rando batches of stuff and you have a good time. lol BUT is it a good time for everyone? no. a lot of times people fall in love with certain things and i may never make it again. yes, i am sorry about that. but there are reasons for all of this which im going to explain... now..
so, there are actually quite a few things that contribute to these random things that i may or may not ever make again... ill try to be brief.
1. i have to test things: sometimes i need to test new ingredients or new formulas to see how it goes -- in that process, i often use extras or leftovers of things i have that im probably not ever going to need again, or not need again any time soon and want to use them up so they arent sitting around. and sometimes when i test things i simply dont get the result i was looking for. even if you may have liked what came out .. i might not have been happy with the end result and go back to the drawing board with it for another go, another time, but in the meantime ill sell the first " test".
2. i get bored: i have always suffered from an overactive brain and get bored doing the same things over and over. my head is constantly yelling at me with ideas and howbout this or that? so.. i just do things to keep that hunger satisfied.
3. things go wrong: sometimes, ill be making something and for whatever reason i grabbed the wrong thing or put too much of this or that in by accident -- so i have to adjust recipes and add new things to it -- often forcing me to think outside the box and MAKE something work out of what would have been an accident. this is often done in a haste and i dont have time to write things down... and the end result might be out . of. this. world. incredible ---- but i have no idea how to make it happen again. lol this is sadly, very, very true.
4. leftovers: often --- unfortunately, i need an ounce of something, but its not available to purchase in an ounce size for me ... so i buy more than i need knowing full well ill find " something" to make with the rest of it. and sometimes, custom batch orders will cause the same problem, i may bring in an ingredient i dont normally need in order to do something custom for someone else... and then ive got something left that i need to find something to do with. this is also often the case with holiday production. i bring in all sorts of strange ingredients i dont normally need all year round and although i might only need a few lbs or a few ounces of it... im certainly not going to throw the rest in the trash so i just whip something up and slap a label on it :D
5. i might want to adjust an old recipe: but in order to know if i actually like the new one, i have to make a test batch to see if i like it. sometimes i dont... which means it only came out once and i go back to the old recipe, in those events -- i also tend to use up essential oils that i have a little extra of sitting around so that im not taking stock from my necessary oils ill need for my production line up thats on my whiteboard to make.
6. "whats new": probably the most heard question in the shop. everyone wants to know " whats new" when they come in. so, i try to keep thing fresh and have something available for the person asking that question .... sometimes the new stuff is a hit... sometimes its not... and if its not.... i wont be making it again.
7. ingredient shortage: as you know, i work with all natural ingredients. and unfortunately that means there are all sorts of reasons things can ghost on me -- sometimes theres a bad crop, sometimes the distillery has to close down for maintenance, sometimes a giant company gets word of a possible shortage and buys up every last drop of something i need.... even if the shortage didnt actually end up happening. things just go wrong sometimes, and in that event, i have to " adjust" things temporarily... or make a product to fill something elses shoes for a bit... knowing i will be going back to how things were once i can.
8. frankly, im sick of it: sometimes, guys, i hate to admit this but sometimes i literally just get so sick of making something for whatever reason and i just have to take a break from it. sometimes the break is a year or so, sometimes its forever. sometimes a batch of something will give me so much hell that i am frustrated beyond what im comfortable with and i have to step away from making it for a while as the mere thought of doing it again gives me anxiety. lol this is the honest truth, and also why you havent seen monster chunk mint in a while. *facepalm*
these are the most common reasons for the random batches of products you see come out.
anyhow, lol the bulgarian lavender scrub may or may not be back -- if it does come back, its probably going to be slightly different, as, this batch has a tiny bit of mint, a tiny bit of rosemary, and a tiny bit of cajeput --- as the whole reason this batch was made, is because i had leftovers of the rosemary mint soap base i had made for the foaming hand soaps -- but not enough left to fill enough bottles for it to be worth the effort of pulling the bottles out to fill ;) so.. i used it up in scrubs instead of throwing it away. heh. thank you in advance for understanding ha!!
and there you have it. :D oh man guys, theres going to be all sorts coming too .. today, i have officially made the first batch of 4th quarter release/holiday soap!! i cant even believe its already started!! whaaaaaat!!
until next,
-heidi