Introducing Super Simple Laundry Detergent!

I've been super busy this past couple weeks!  My mother-in-law stayed with us for 2 weeks for a visit, my girls turned 5 and I threw a fun Tangled party for them, and I've spent a lot of time working on SEO for my Etsy store.  With all of that, there was no time for soap making.

But today, I thought I'd ease back into it with some laundry detergent!  At one point, I thought I would only make this detergent for myself.  But it does such a GREAT job on my laundry!  How could I keep such a great "secret" to myself? 

It is super easy to make, there are lots of recipes out there, so I wondered if anyone would want to buy my soap.  But after talking to my mom she pointed out a valueable nugget of wisdom:  Not everyone WANTS to make their own laundry detergent.  ???  I was shocked!  They don't?  Well... why not?  Oh yeah, that's right, some people have jobs they have to go to every day!  Duh.

So here it is, my laundry detergent!  Only 4 simple ingredients.  Fels Naptha heavy duty laundry soap - it's been around for 100 years.  Never heard of it?  Ask your grandma!  Also included is washing soda, borax (also been around for over 100 years), and OxyClean.  This soap is TOUGH on your meanest baddest laundry, yet gentle enough for the most sensitive of skin including baby clothes and cloth diapers. 

If you've never used this kind of laundry soap, you really gotta try it!  It will even wash soap residue build up off your clothes and get spots out that you thought would be there forever.  It's THAT good!  It's also great in HE washers due to it's low-suds, so if you don't see bubbles in your wash, it's ok!  That's how it's supposed to be!  Suds are completely unnecessary when it comes to laundry.

I'm offering this soap in 1 and 2 Lbs. bags.  Simple packaging means less packaging waste.  The 1 lbs. bag will give you 30-40 standard washer loads or 60-80 HE washer loads.  The 2 lbs. bag will give you 60-70 standard washer loads or 120-140 loads in your HE washer.

Interested in giving it a try?  Visit my Etsy shop! 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103290767/1-lbs-laundry-detergent-simple-laundry
https://www.etsy.com/listing/103289787/2-lbs-powdered-laundry-detergent-simple

Special on Soap Crayons!

Sunbreak Soaps is offering a special on soap crayons this week!  Buy 3 packs of soap crayons and get the 4th free!

I made a bunch of crayons as party favors for my daughters' birthday party, and now I have a bunch!  The ones pictured above have more gender neutral colors, but the ones I made this weekend have a more girly color palate.  Both options are available!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101095020/on-sale-buy-3-get-the-4th-free-soap

Getting Tangled

I've taken a break from making soaps for the past couple weeks.  Why?  Because my twin girls are having their 5th Birthday!  Their birthday as easily become my most favorite holiday.  And I love to make a big fuss over it and enjoy their excitement!

So we've been busy getting the house ready and making decorations!

We've made lanterns.

And a banner.

 And we've disguised the trampoline (yes, I have a trampoline in my living room) as the tower.

And I've started making soap crayons as favors (1.5 batches to go!).

And we've made these more-labor-intensive-than-they-look favors.

And of course, Flynn's wanted poster.

Now I just need to clean my house, make 2 Rapunzel cakes, and tie up loose ends... WHEW!

SEO Marketing & Etsy

I am currently on a soap making hiatus.  My twin girls turned 5-years-old this week, and so I've thrown myself into party prep and web marketing.  So far I have learned a bunch of things but two things really stand out.

1. Piping "real" cake frosting is by far easier than piping "fake" bath bomb frosting.

2. SEO and relevancy marketing is tough!  There's a reason why business people pay techy people to do this stuff for them!

There are a few things that I have discovered with SEO marketing that has made it easier.

The first thing I did was read up on it.  There are lots of great articles and YouTube videos out there on the subject, most of them made my head hurt, but a few of them were helpful and at least gave me a path to follow. 

The second thing I did was join SEO & Relevancy Team on Etsy.  This group of savvy internet marketing gurus gave me people to turn to when I had questions.  They even have a group that will critique  your Etsy listing for FREE.  As part of this critique I was given a bunch of great keywords and reasons why they would be more helpful than the ones I was using, an awesome suggestion on a title change, and gave me a structure and a process to follow so that I could make changes to my other listings.  It was a great experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone else who is struggling with SEO marketing who has an Etsy shop!  You can find the group HERE.

The Power of Tea Tree Oil

For centuries aboriginal people of Australia have been using Tea Tree Oil for various ailments.  There have been many scientific studies that conclude that Tea Tree Oil has powerful antifungal, antiviral, and antibiotic properties.

I myself have used tea tree oil for years.  When I was in college I had a horrible throat infection that just would not go away - no matter how many prescriptions I was given.  A friend's mom, who was a naturapath, suggested I try making a rise with a few drops of tea tree oil in water and garggle with it.  I gave it a shot.  A week later, no more throat infection!

There are many other suggested uses for Tea Tree Oil.  According to the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James F Balch it can be used for:

• Disinfecting wounds
• Healing of any skin condition including acne, athlete's foot, and cuts & scrapes.
• Fungal infections
• Herpes outbreaks
• Insect and spider bites
• Scabies
• Vaginitis
• Warts
• Can be added to water and gargle for colds and sore throats
• Can be added to water and used as a douche for yeast infections.

Tea Tree Essential Oil and Lavender Essential Oil are known as the only essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin and have a nominal risk of skin irritation.  If however, skin irritation occurs, you should discontinue use.

 I've also used it in homemade household cleaner - a few drops of tea tree oil in a water/white vinegar solution leaves your house smelling fresh and clean while (hopefully!) killing germs.  A few drops of Tea Tree Oil in a load of laundry will provide the same effect for your clothes.

All this to say, it's pretty amazing stuff!  I have a feeling that it helps a lot of other medical issues that we don't even know about yet. 

Soap Crayons!

I've wanted to make soap crayons for quite a long time.  I knew my girls would love them, and I knew they'd be a big hit for a lot of other kiddos out there too!  I finally got around to making some during my last Soaping Day, so here they are!

They come in a 4-pack, although not every pack contains blue.  I didn't make enough of those this time around.  Oops!  Next time I make them there will be one of each color for sure!  :)

These crayons are now live on my Etsy store!