My First Market Experience

Saturday, December 8, 2018 marked the date of my very first time participating in a pop-up market. Here is what I learned. Be prepared. I didn't have a lot of preparation time as I had only found out about it roughly four weeks before. I had to scramble to get ready everyday for four weeks leading up to the event. Lesson here is, if you don't have ample time to prepare, don' do it.

Second thing I learned is don't pay extra for things that you can do yourself. I paid the full price thinking that I would be getting things like videos and pictures for my products. In reality I had to create my own and they posted it. That is something I could have done myself.

Third thing I learned is that social media is everything so know how to use it. I needed to created a video introducing myself and my product to be posted on Instagram. Disaster! Again, there just wasn't enough time to come up with a proper concept and I knew very little then about "boomerang" and what ever else.

Fourth thing I learned is to prepare a script for your pitch to customers. Although I am confident in my product, I am on the shy side and have a hard time speaking with people without getting nervous. Having a script allows to you to prepare what you are going to say and to anticipate questions asked so that you are prepared with an answer.

The fifth thing I learned is not to be discouraged if you don't sell. This happens.

The sixth thing I learned is that networking is key. I met a lot of very kind and seasoned vendors who offered to keep me in the loop for future markets.

All in all it was a great experience. I will be thoroughly prepared the next time.

8 Beer, Beauty, Benefits: Benefits of Beer on Hair Skin and Nails

The fall season is here, and we having been LOVING beer, ever since Oktoberfest! I know, I know, what does beer have to do with soaping, skincare or beauty? The answer is, well: everything! When we said we were loving beer, we totally meant for our bodies (ahem, outside). It turns out that beer has many amazing benefits for our skin, hair, and nails (talk about multi purpose). We have put together a list of reasons you should be using beer, in your own beauty routine.

1. Beer grows hair: Beer contains biotin, selenium, and potassium - all good ingredients for hair growth, and also often found in hair growth supplements, shampoos and conditioners.

2. Beer gets rid of Dandruff: Beer rids dandruff by stimulating blood circulation to the scalp. It also balances the scalp’s PH, and dissolves dead skin.

3. Beer contains vitamins: Beer contains vitamins such as Niacin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, B12, and folate - most of which are B vitamins that nourish the hair follicles.

4. Beer has cleansing properties: Beer on the skin, just like on the scalp, dissolves dead skin, balances PH level, fades dark spots, cleanses the skin, and acts as an astringent, tightening the skin, and blurring out pores.

5. Beer can strengthen hair: Beer actually contains protein. Perhaps not enough to justify drinking it, but certainly enough to put on your hair, making it strong, and shiny. The sugars the beer contains also strengthens the hair cuticles, having the same effect.

6. Beer conditions hair: Beer contains silicon which seals moisture into the hair.

7. Beer gets rid of pimples: Beer contains a number of antioxidants that aid in the healing of the skin that rids the face and body of pimples, as well as antibacterial properties. Beer also contains yeast, which aids in balancing natural oil production.

8. Beer strengthens nails: The same ingredients that grow the beautiful long hair discussed in the first point, are the same ingredients that help grow, long, strong, beautiful nails!

See, we aren’t crazy! We’re not just looking for an excuse to have to have a lifestyle surrounded by beer. Now that you know some of the beer beauty benefits - will you incorporate it into your own routine? We have been working on some amazing ways to incorporate it into our soaps, so that we can help share the beauty benefits with all of you! Let us toast to that! But until then, if you choose to get started on your beer beauty journey, of course we recommend using organic, natural, beer for the most benefits. Thanks for reading. We hope we could help, and look out for our new beer soap - COMING SOON!

My “Soaponified” Love Story

Like many before me who have suffered with acne, I’ve tried nearly everything on the market to clear my skin (proactiv, neutrogena, clean and clear, juice beauty, vitamins & Supplements, birth control, to name a few). It was a grueling battle that left scars literally, and figuratively on my face and on my self esteem. For years struggling with acne, I was completely consumed, searching for hours a day on the internet, just looking for a miracle. I even tried just accepting it, to some point over the years I had, but it took a lot of mental effort. The less emphasis I put on my face, the less products I was buying, remedies I was trying and the miracles I looked for.

My mom had been soaping for months in reaction to her own personal experience with cosmetic products and for whatever reason, it never dawned on me to try them in a regimen myself. I had been spending hours in stores, looking at and researching products that claimed to do things that never came fruition - and giving money away that I didn’t have.

My skin at the beginning of 2017

After vowing to myself not to buy another commercial facial product for the next year unless I really knew it was something that worked for me, I turned to my mom’s products for refuge. She was not looking to profit from it at the time, and was merely just making them for personal household use. I had been using the soaps on my body and they were great, so it’s a wonder why it took me so long to try it out on my face (and more importantly, to stop using commercial products).

It was the best decision I have ever made for my skin. I believe that the combination of using simpler ingredients, absent of chemicals, and the nutrients the soaps provided, allowed for the beginning of my skin’s healing. During this time, my self esteem, my heart and my soul began healing too. My skin became something that consumed my life to something that only occupied a small part of it.

April 2nd, 2017 (Skin fairly clear with some dark marks)

I would regularly take pictures of my skin to document my progress, and while these photos were originally for my eyes only, I am sharing them with you so that you know that my story is true. These pictures are a testimony, not only for what these soaps have done for my skin, but for how truly loving the skin you’re in (regardless of what it looks like) can manifest itself physically in your life.

I didn’t start getting acne until puberty hit- and for me it was later than most girls, close to 16 years old (I am now 23, which means I have dealt with this for a majority of my adult life!) Before that, my skin was clear, and I never thought that this would be a problem for me considering I always took care of myself and ate healthy, but it was. Over the years there have been dips and valleys in the severity of my acne, but it wasn’t until this past year, using my mom’s soaps, that the consistent improvement was really visible for me.

July 3rd, 2017 (Face mostly clear and pigment from scarring dissipating significantly)

All I could say before is, WOW. I could not believe it. If you had asked me before making this post, and pulling these pictures from my camera roll if I thought my skin improved over the past year, I would say it’s gotten better, but it’s still really awful. HOWEVER, the pictures tell me that it’s not only gotten BETTER, but it is the best it has been for the past 8 years.

There were a lot of things in my life that changed, and all of it has contributed to the improved quality of my life, which can be reflected in my skin. However, I really believe that a part of that change was choosing the best things for myself and that includes for my body.

September 20th, 2018 (My skin now, raw, up close and personal, with flash so you can see it in all its glory)

The Love-soaponified brand was developed from two women’s experiences (my mother’s and myself) with something personal, and by grace, something beautiful came out of it. One of those things was (and still is) wanting to share that beauty with others - the beauty of something natural. My skin is far from perfect. I still get acne here and there, and there are still some areas in which I’d like to improve, but despite it all, I am proud of the progress I’ve made. I am also proud of my mom for being brave enough to go out there, and share her piece of love with the world, because in all honestly, that’s what these soaps are. They are Love-Soaponified.