Meet The Maker and The Workspace

Wow! It's taken me 11 years to write this post. Actually, to WRITE it only took a few hours, to get the courage to START writing it took 11 years! The main reason for that is I work in technology (when I'm not making soap) and I know full well that every time I click 'Publish', 'Post', or 'Submit' it's permanent. Every fleeting opinion, feeling, or comment will be forever part of my permanent record when that button is clicked. Therefore, I've tried to keep what I post here a little less personal, plus I'm probably not that interesting, truth be told.

It wasn't until I started reading other people's meet the maker posts, mainly on Instagram, that I changed my mind. I found those posts to be refreshing, genuine, fun, and they gave me the courage to attempt one myself.

So meet the maker of Lora's Beauty! Hi, I'm Lora. Lora is my first name but I go by my middle name of Deann. I've been making soap since 2009 out of my home in Portland, Oregon. I've moved my workshop a couple times since I started and finally invested a little money to upgrade my basement laundry room to my laundry room/soap workshop.

My remodel included installing a good fan to vent fumes, added counter space, a sink, and lots of shelving. It's not beautiful, I could still paint and will when I have more time, but it's clean, safe, and functional and I really enjoy working in it. You can view more of the studio, including before and after photos, here.

As I mentioned earlier, by day I'm a software engineer. Although I've never said this before, one of the main reasons I started making soap was because I was playing around with creating a website years ago. Once I got it working I felt compelled to sell something on it and Lora's Beauty was born! I didn't know at the time that I'd prefer the soap making process to the website (and software) making process but that's where I am now!

I sold my soap for many years on just my website before I finally opened my Etsy shop in 2019. Since opening on Etsy, my sales have really grown. I've always felt my products were great and I use them myself, but it was hard to drive traffic to a small website. My business regret is that I didn't open sooner on Etsy.

I live with my longtime boyfriend, Audrey the cat, Ed (pictured right) and Olive the Cockatiels, and Harlan the Grey Parrot. 

I talk on the phone to my mom several times a day (yes, I typed day.) I have a wonderful son who lives in Alaska right now. He is in the Coast Guard. Because of the global pandemic, I haven't seen him for over a year. I miss him but am immensely proud of him. He's a good, kind, smart, and happy person and that makes me happy and satisfied.

In my spare time, I enjoy yoga, which I haven't done in several months due to the pandemic, bike riding, cooking, and reading. I also rediscovered how much I love swimming and will be taking that back up when the pools open again, and sewing. Yes, I was one of the many people who bought a sewing machine this year and have already made several Christmas gifts. 

I have many pet peeves but I won't list them here because I've discovered over the years what bugged me once no longer does and vise versa. I love my sleep and often get 10 hours of sleep a night. Mornings are my most productive time of the day so I guess I'm a morning-person. My favorite season was unabashedly summer, but lately because of wild fires and climate change, it's autumn.

The thing I like most about running Lora's Beauty is sharing what I made with my customers. I feel strongly about making an eco-friendly, useful product and take pride in it's quality. Therefore, it's always a joy to share it with like-minded people.

Thank you for reading and I hope this post was a useful introduction to me, the maker at Lora's Beauty!

PS. The cyber sale on my Etsy site is still active until December 2! Shop now for 10% everything in my store!

Etsy Cyber Week Sale

 

Looking for a beautiful, useful gift? I've got my online store and Etsy site all stocked for the holidays! 

Handcrafted skin soothing body soaps, shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, and even dog shampoo for all your loved ones are available. 

In addition, starting this Sunday, Nov 22 thru Dec 2 I'm offering 10% off in my Etsy shop!

Gift wrapping always available in a reusable washcloth.

Shop small and socially distanced! 

 

Welcome Autumn & New Products!

I've never been so happy to see a summer end as I am this year. In fact, I've NEVER been happy to see summer end but this year it couldn't happen quick enough and now I'm looking forward to fall and even, hesitantly, to winter and to the prospect of dealing ONLY with a global pandemic. 

Here in the Pacific Northwest we ended the summer-that-wasn't with forest fire smoke and not being able to leave our house for 6 days because the air was too hazardous to breathe. However, right now as I type this, the rain is coming down and it feels more like the end of October rather than the end of September and we can once again breathe the air.

So to celebrate the turn of the season I'm debuting a couple new items and a variation of a popular product.

First up, let's rejoice because now your dog can bathe in all the glorious ingredients that you've enjoyed from Lora's Beauty. My new dog shampoo is just the boutique dog product that every pampered pup should have without the boutique price.

These bars are made with neem oil to help control fleas and colloidal oatmeal to relieve dry itchy skin. The essential oils of lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint are also added and a reusable, recyclable tin with a screw on lid is included.

For the humans out there, new to the line up is the Eucalyptus Peppermint Goats' Milk Bar. I've been wanting to try my hand at a naturally colored blue bar of soap for sometime and ordered blue mica a few months ago. I'm pleased with the color and the essential oils of eucalyptus and peppermint make for a refreshing combination.

Speaking of refreshing, there's a new scent available for the very popular Solid Dish Soap! The essential oils of lavender and basil combine for a sweet and slightly spicy scent. With this addition, I'm now offering four scent combinations of the Solid Dish Soap; rosemary mint, cinnamon orange, lemongrass, and now lavender basil. For those people who have a hard time deciding, my etsy shop has a listing for 3 bars of any combination for a special price of $20. 

I should also mention new color combinations of my exclusive Dunner Ceramic soap dishes are available on the etsy shop as well. Choose between blue turtles, purple dragonflies, green leaves, terracotta flowers, or black flowers.

These dishes pair nicely with the Solid Dish Soap and would make a beautiful, practical gift!

Website Updates and New Products!

 I finally got around to updating my Lora's Beauty website last week! I've been so busy with the Etsy site that I've been neglecting my real website, well no more. 

I've rearranged the Home page by organizing the products in groups; Body & Face Bars, Shampoo & Conditioner, Foot Bars, Shave Bars, and Dish Bars. 

I've added a table of contents to the top for quick navigation and to limit the endless scrolling.

I'm also working on new products for your furry four legged friends that bark! Soon there will be a Dog Shampoo AND Conditioner Bar available on both websites! I've been deciding on the best formulation for these products and have settled on the shampoo containing neem oil, olive oil, coconut oil, colloidal oatmeal, honey, goats' milk, and essential oils of lavender, peppermint, citronella, and eucalyptus! I'm excited to debut these products in time for the holiday season because your pooch deserves the best!

New products for humans include the already popular Rosemary Mint Menthol Goats' Milk Soap! French green clay and purple mica are used to color this beautiful bar.

I love the scent of Rosemary Mint so much I'm now offering it in a Conditioner Bar on my Etsy site as well.

Another new bar currently on the curing rack is the Peppermint Eucalyptus Goats' Milk Soap. This bar uses blue mica and yellow clay to create a delightful color combination scented with the essential oils of peppermint and eucalyptus. Look for this addition in another few weeks on both websites!

Enjoy the rest of summer and stay healthy!

Let's Talk Dish Washing

One of my best selling products lately is my dish washing bar and it was a review I received on this item that got me to thinking.

The review wasn't exactly glowing, which is fine, I learn a lot from all my reviews and really do try to make changes when I see suggestions. Anyway, here's the review:

"Smells great but doesn't go terribly far and had a tendency to make the fat sit on the surface of the water instead of emulsifying. Everything will need rinsing."

There were a couple things I pondered about this review but the last sentence stopped me in my tracks, "Everything will need rinsing."  Doesn't everyone rinse their dishes after washing them? To answer that question, I did the next logical thing and googled it and I learned something!

Come to find out, no, not everyone rinses their dishes after washing them and it appears to be a cultural difference as pointed out in this article:

Home debate: Do you rinse the soap off your dishes after they've been washed?

I always knew people had their preference when it came to washing dishes. Some like to fill a tub of water with soap and wash all the dishes in that water while some (myself included) wash dishes under running water. A person could argue the environmental benefit to washing dishes in a tub of water, but I'm not going to judge, I just never knew there was ever a debate as whether to rinse the soap off or not so I thought I'd share and ask, have you heard of this before? Are you in the rinse or no rinse camp?

I have got many great reviews on my solid dish bar even though I decided not to share those,  all the same I've included a video of how I use the bar to wash dishes, I think it works best this way.

I've now added a new listing to my etsy store for 3 bars of Solid Dish Soap (one of each scent) for $20!

Soap Dishes Stocked!

I'm happy to report that the handmade soap dishes designed for the solid dish washing bar are now in stock and available in my Etsy shop!

There are a few varieties to choose from:


Black turtles

Terracotta turtles

Terracotta leaves

Terracotta dragonflies

Black flowers

Black dragonflies

Blue turtles

Blue leaves

Black leaves

Terracotta flowers

Each dish sits on silicone pads to prevent slipping.

These dishes are so beautiful and functional and went fast last time they were in stock!

More Soap Dishes On The Way and the World Today

Hello and welcome, I want to start this post by saying that yes, there will be more of the handmade pottery soap dishes on my etsy site soon! I've been told they'll be ready 'the middle of June' and I will be sure to update this space once they're available.

I'm not surprised they were popular as they're very well made and beautiful but don't take my word for it, read the reviews!

Finally, I want to end this short post with a comment on the protests going on across the US as I think it's important for people and businesses (even very small ones) to speak out and let the world know where they stand.

As the daughter of a retired and recently deceased police officer, I feel and I know my Dad would feel, that police brutality is real and is NEVER ok! For far too long African American men have been targeted and it is my hope that these protests will finally move us to a more equitable, hospitable country for ALL.

Although I don't feel comfortable right now joining thousands of people in the streets (#Covid19), I will instead be donating to the NAACP and as always, to the ACLU. If possible, I encourage you to do the same!

New Ceramic Soap Dishes!

Hello world. It's been two months now in quarantine and aside from the people I live with, everyone else I've talked to have either been on a phone, computer screen, or 6 feet away. Life goes on though even if it feels like I'm watching it from the outside.

Some people, like my friend Bob, have been busy creating beautiful things like the new soap dishes I've added to my etsy shop!

These soap dishes are one of a kind and specially designed for use with my solid dish washing soap. Each one has a pattern on them to hold the block of soap securely to the dish.

Choose between sweet turtles,

beautiful dragonflies,

psychedelic flowers,

or delicate leaves.

Each dish sits on silicone feet that limit slipping as you work up a lather and a small lip keeps soap contained.

I've been using one of these myself for several weeks now and love how the soap and the dish stay put as I apply soap to my brush.

These dishes  will look so much prettier sitting next to your sink than a plastic bottle and will be eco-friendly as well!

Supplies are limited and each dish is different. Check out the selection available now here.

New Shampoo Bar and Dish Soap!

Great news! There are now new varieties of my most popular items; the shampoo bar and dish soap!

Let's start with the shampoo bar because hair > dishes!

A lifetime ago (really it was only three weeks but it seems like a lifetime) we were in Hawaii on the Big Island. Our first morning there we had breakfast at the hotel restaurant and I ordered a papaya. I promise this is about a shampoo bar, I'm just setting the scene.

Oh. My. Gawd. That papaya was the best thing ever! I felt like James Cook must have felt after landing in Hawaii and tasting the fruit. Needless to say I had papayas every morning I was there. One morning, as I was removing the seeds, I had an epiphany. Why do we throw papaya seeds away? Are they good tasting? Yes, I ate one. Are they good for you? Hells yes! I googled it. Then I wondered, are they good for your skin and hair!? A double hells yes to that! I decided right then and there that when I returned home I was making a shampoo bar with papaya seeds.

I was hoping to make one with the seeds whole but buying whole seeds was not going to happen. The best I could do was get ground seeds.

With out further ado, let me introduce you to the new Orange and Papaya Shampoo Bar. Like all my products, this bar is scented with pure essential oils, in this case, orange. This bar also has all the hair loving ingredients of my other shampoo bars, like avocado butter, coconut oil, and aloe vera water, however, this bar also has a few tablespoons of ground papaya seeds which color the bar a beautiful chocolate brown.

Papaya seeds contain a protein called papain which is great for strengthening hair and promoting healthy growth. Some say papaya seeds help hair grow faster as well.

The new Orange Papaya Shampoo Bar is available now in my etsy store or on my website!

Now, on to the new dish bar...

I was pleasantly surprised how well my Lemon Dish Bar cleaned and sold. Apparently there are many people out there looking for an alternative to plastic oil-laced dish detergent. Because of that I decided to offer a new scent! It's the same bar, just a new scent; rosemary mint to be exact. Again, this bar is scented only with pure essential oils and the rosemary mint scent is so fresh and divine!

The Rosemary Mint Solid Dish Bar is also now available in my etsy store or my website!

Soap and the Coronavirus

Ok things are crazy right now and it's hard to know just what to do. I'm not going to pretend to have the answers but I'm going to try and do something to help.

Since just about all the experts agree that washing your hands with soap and water is one of the best defenses against coronavirus and since I make soap, I'm knocking the price down on the bar I have the most inventory of; Round Cinnamon Goats' Milk Soap,

This listing is for five bars of soap for $10! This is 50% off and provides no profit for me, therefore this pack of soap will come with only one bar labelled. If you want all bars labelled, I have a listing of the same bars for $15 here.

Please limit your order to 15 bars (3 orders of 5.)

I've linked below a few articles I found regarding the use of soap and water to prevent coronavirus. Thank you and stay safe and healthy!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/12/science-soap-kills-coronavirus-alcohol-based-disinfectants

https://www.today.com/health/how-wash-your-hands-prevent-flu-coronavirus-more-t172753

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200306/power-of-hand-washing-to-prevent-coronavirus

Vacation Discount Code!

Last day in Hawaii (as in the Big Island) today 😑. We had a wonderful time! I got to swim with turtles, sharks, and eels! We did some hiking, drank lots of beer, and tried to immerse ourselves in as much Hawaiian culture as we could.

I'm also coming back with a new shampoo bar idea; papaya seed, honey, and coconut!

I'm ready to jump back into it so to celebrate the end of a wonderful vacation I'm offering a discount of 10% off all Lora's Beauty listings! Just use the discount code 'HAWAII' at checkout. Discount is good now through the end of March.

Unfortunately, the new shampoo bar won't be ready for another month but there are plenty of other great products to choose from. Aloha!

Hello, just a quick notice to say Lora's Beauty is taking a vacation.

The Etsy store and the website will both be open and available to order from however any orders placed after Feb 26 will be mailed on March 10.

I appreciate your business and continued support and am looking forward to a rejuvenating and relaxing vacation as well as a return to many orders to fill.

Hopefully I'll find new inspiration for a tropical/promise of spring inspired soap!

Custom Orders!

Did you know Lora's Beauty does custom orders?

Got a wedding coming up and need bridesmaid gifts? A new baby on the horizon and want shower favors? If you have a need and a design, Lora's Beauty will try to make it happen!

Custom orders can be made for as few as 14 bars or as many as several hundred! Custom soap stamping will also be accommodated with supplied stamp.

Prices start at $4 a bar (cost depends on order number, scent selection, soap size, and stamping.)

Because Lora's Beauty uses all natural colorants and scents, custom orders are limited in that regard. That's not much of a limitation as colors can include white, black, yellow, green, pink, blue, purple, or any combination.

Essential oils are used for scents and some of the best ones I've found for soaps are anise, lemongrass, lavender, basil, spearmint, peppermint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, patchouli, and orange.

Shape selection can be either square, cube, round, heart, or rectangle depending on the number of bars.

Due to the nature of soap making, custom orders will take at least a month to fulfill as soap needs time to cure.

If a custom order is something you may be interested in, simply drop me an email and we can discuss it!