And a photo near the end of the lotion-making process:

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

(This is not a paid advertisement for www.waringproducts.com)

White Tea and Ginger goat milk soap.

Pretty, don’t you think?

I like this one a lot.  It is tart, grassy, with an oriental tea type of aroma.

I have started the paring down of fragrance oils (the amount of bottles we counted when we moved was amazing).  I am enjoying the fun of working with pigments and new fragrances.  Who knows, these “limited time only” soaps may have to return to our store now and then.

Soon, the first round of new soaps will be ready for the soap store.  It should be enjoyable for our customers that come in and ask, “What’s new in the shop today?” I am excited!

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

Floating around the cosmetic world is a lot of talk surrounding the ingredient SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate).  SLS is a surfactant, a detergent, that can be found in shampoos, toothpastes, body washes, and other personal care products.  The waves of fear regarding SLS come roaring in, carrying the messages that SLS causes cancer, hair loss, and that SLS is the most dangerous ingredient in cosmetics.  None of these safety claims have been substantiated by a proven scientific study.

I personally do not feel SLS is dangerous to our health, however, I do know that some individuals are more sensitive to the ingredient than others.  I am one of them.  My own personal fact:  the use of shampoos and toothpastes containing SLS leave me with scalp and gum irritation.  I do feel (as in the case of any cosmetic ingredient), there are some people more sensitive to SLS than others.

So, at Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps, we continue to work on development of products that are SLS free.

Our current project (pictured above) are shampoo bars.  Shampoo bars are definitely not a new item on our store shelves, however, our current testing is focused on usage in hard water.

We plan to release our newest version of Annie’s Shampoo Bars within the next several weeks.

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

I read an article a few weeks ago regarding multi-tasking (here), This Year, Resolve To Do Less Multi-Tasking via CNNMoney (“Plenty of people believe that doing several things at once makes them more productive. In fact, the opposite is true”).  Granted, none of us are Boeing (at least not that I know of), but 64% is a huge number when it is statistical data that reflects increased productivity after a focus on less multi-tasking.

“Many people boast about their multitasking prowess on their resumes and in job interviews,” he adds. “But in reality, this is like saying, ‘I don’t get things done as quickly, or as well, as others do.’”

So, what really is multi-tasking? And why does it seem women are especially good at it?

Business Insider says (here): “Multi-tasking makes us dumber, less productive, and neither gender is better at it”

I agree more with comments in the article in TheWeek (here).  “While ancient men were responsible primarily for hunting and gathering, women had to tend to the children, the house and all the other activities of daily living,” he said. “Over the years, women may have retained this ability, translating into an improved ability to multitask.”

Ladies, don’t get excited, the article goes on to drop the bomb (quote):  So if I’m a woman, multitasking makes me more efficient? ”Actually, probably not. There is evidence that multitasking is a drag on productivity for pretty much everyone, regardless of gender. The reason for that relates to basic structure of brain: The right and left hemispheres cooperate when working on a single task, says multitasking researcher Dr. Etienne Koechlin of France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research. “But in two tasks, one hemisphere covers the reward of one task and the other hemisphere covers the reward of the other.” That, unfortunately, applies to both genders.

So, if we are stressed, trying to juggle several tasks at once, are we becoming less efficient even though we feel we are knocking out the list fast and furious? Probably less efficient.  What are we missing?

The ugly reality: Did I really miss paying that bill, and why? Oh, I was on Facebook, flipping back and forth between Pay The Bills on my bank account and Facebook.  Sound the alarm – late fees.  Did I really forget to turn the spigot off when refilling the smaller container of olive oil? Yes, I was checking on a recipe, and looking at packaging, and checking my phone, while the bottle was filling.  Sound the alarm – one hour of clean up in the studio.  Did I really miss that step when I fell to the ground? Sound the alarm – it hurt when I realized I was on the ground and was not thinking about safety first.

What do you think? Are we good at multi-tasking? Can we really multi-task and be efficient? Is there a sliding scale? “I can multi-task at this (fill in the blank), but not while doing that (fill in the blank).”

For now, for me, no resolutions, just mini virtual vacations to Tahiti (if only for a moment), rather than allowing the multi-task focused mind to jump by leaps and bounds.  Focusing on one task cannot be all that boring!

Results forthcoming.

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

Annie's Merlot Wine Soap

No, no whining here.  No cheese needed.  Just soapmaking.

I started 2012 with a bit of loss-of-words.  Did I really say that? Yes, you bet, I did! So, I am firing off the new year with pictures.

Enjoy!

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

Have you been to the social site Pinterest?

If you haven’t been there, it is a site where the members share photographs of the things that they love, or are involved with, in life.  The members open “pin-boards” (topics of interest) such as food, animals, places, gifts, etc…, with a lot of focus on fashion and arts.

I honestly have never seen a site before where you can learn so much about a person (or a business) through photographs.  A photograph really does speak 1,000 words!

My Pinterest account is located at:  http://pinterest.com/anniesgoathill/ It is a work in progress…not nearly complete.  It is addicting!

I nearly forgot to mention, members can also post comments on pinned photographs, making it the social site that it is.

I hope to see you there!

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

A thin white film on soap can occur for many different reasons.  Complete a Google search, you will a bucket-load of (legitimate) causes:  goat milk, ash (lye), air, fragrance PH not geared towards the soap type.

What you do not want to see in a bar of soap:  large white blotches, white crumbly patches, large seeping holes, or a dry and delicate soap that crumbles easily.  All of these things usually indicate a problem with sodium hydroxide (lye) either not mixed properly in a formula of soap, or included at too high of a percentage.  Throw the soap away! Do not use it!

A thin white film on the outer surface of soap is not harmful.   Covering a freshly poured batch of soap with plastic wrap for 24-48 hours normally prevents the white film.  There are fragrances, essential oils, and soap formulas that are more reactive to air, and despite the soap maker’s best handling procedures, a thin white film can develop on the hardened soap (even after it hits the consumer’s soap dish).

When working with natural base ingredients, soap can be tricky, especially when goat milk is a part of the formula.  Milk that is produced from a herd of goats fed on grass, hay, and grain differs in both fat and sugar content from season to season.  For this reason, many of us treasure the subtle differences in our soaps.  It simply reflects handmade-from-scratch!

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

It is seasonal…January clearance time!

For each 4-Bar Goat Milk Soap set, or every 3 regular-priced goat milk soaps purchased, we will include a full-sized bar of Pumpkin Caramel goat milk soap (available while supplies last in our online goat milk soap store).

Pumpkin Caramel  – not too spicy, not too pumpkin-like, fragranced just right.  And nothing at all beats goat milk soap made with a generous amount of raw shea butter!

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

Whoosh…and 2011 goes away!

I do not set resolutions when a new year arrives.  Life itself is a work in progress.  The world constantly changes.  I am a fan of setting personal goals, and even re-setting goals through the year (because nothing remains the same for long).

I have been reading many year-end reviews, and articles about new year’s resolutions, all of which made me think of a wish list rather than a resolution list.

Several articles I read discussed not growing old gracefully.  Dye your hair.  Wear more make-up.  Benefit from plastic surgery.  My opinion, all of those things really are a personal choice.  Allowing the beauty of gray does not make or break a person, nor the professional’s profile.  Using less make-up does not either.  Personally, I see beauty in the eyes.  I see beauty in the hair.  My opinion, love people for what they are, outside of the personna of “perfect.”  If you want to change or improve how you look, more power to you.  If you want to go natural, age gracefully, whatever it may be, more power to you too! My wish –  see beyond the physical exterior.

I hope (wish) for people to realize that they have potential.  I cannot think of a single person that cannot do what they put their mind to doing.   An individual may not have been born to be the next multi-millionaire, and success does not arrive without much digging in the trenches – low and behold (!), but everyone is born to be successful and happy at whatever they love and hold talent to.   My wish – seek out what you want to do in life, make it work for you!

In most recent years, fewer people survive without side-jobs (or the ownership of small businesses), trying to make ends meet (paying for gasoline and purchasing the ever-rising groceries).  I urge folks to continue to purchase local, not from the big guns, pay a few extra cents if you can.  Buy small, it does make a difference.  The bottom dollar pays for the needs of a family, instead of lining the already wealthy person’s pockets sitting in the big office suite.  My wish – support small businesses with every cent that you can!

So, there’s my wish list for everyone.

Was 2011 a good year? It was on my end of the world.  I feel like a much wiser person coming out.  Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps grew once again.  New relationships formed.  New opportunties opened.  Is it more tough on the home-front? You bet it is.  But the fight is on!

2012 is going to be a great year.  I welcome it.  New Year’s Day is another date, merely a number, but it is also a marker for hope – for everyone!

What are your plans for 2012? Do you set resolutions for new years?

By the way…Happy New Year!

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps - Smell and Feel the Goodness!

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

From our family at Annie’s Goat Hill, to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.  May it be filled with joyous peace, love, and warmth!

Mary