How Did You Get Started Making Soap and/or Candles?

One of the first questions anyone who finds out that I make soap and candles asks me is, "How did you get started?" Everyone has a story. Some needed a better skin care/skin healing solution, others were following in the footsteps of their pioneer grandmothers. I know a few who were just needing something to do with all of the fresh goat's milk they had on hand.

Whatever your story...tell it to us. The one thing that all candle and soap makers seem to have in common is an appreciation of scent, care about how things are made, and a true delight in creativity and crafting. What's your story? How did you get hooked?

My story??
Well...I've always been crafty...even as a kid. I loved making things - clay, paper, paint, wood, glass, weaving, cooking, crafts...you name it, I tried it. Back in the late 1990s, I got one of those book club advertisements that give you "5 books for the price of 1".

My five books were:

• candle making
• soap making
• wood working
• concrete sculpture
• and one, that to this day, I can't remember

Well the soap making book stuck, followed closely by the candle making. Soap making, to me, is this amazing combination of cooking, art, chemistry and sculpting...that gives tangible, sense-filled results. And it's amazingly practical too!

So that's how I got hooked. How about you?