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EDITORIAL OFFICE 344 Mizzen Ave NW Ocean Shores, WA 98569 Phone. 425.760.1004 • hello@makingsoapmag.com Making Soap, Cosmetics & Candles Magazine (ISSN 1099-6672) is published bimonthly (6x year) by Petal Pusher Press www.makingsoapmag.com
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE EDITOR LETTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Keep Pet Odors under Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Essential Oils and Pets . . . . 11 Take Care of YOU . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Benchmarking: Getting Out of the Shop to Improve it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Cats and Dogs and Rabbits, Oh My! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 When it is Time to Leave Clients Behind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Abundance and Generosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Ten Tips for Choosing a Website Provider . . . . . . . . 29 Canine Skin Disorders . . . . . 32 Perfect Pooch: Soap for Dogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
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EDITOR LETTER If you own a pet, you are part of a growing trend in many parts of the world. Pets are increasingly considered part of the family, and the money we spend on them a higher portion of the family budget than ever before. This trend is not relegated to baby boomers, but is equally true of millennials. If dog products are part of your business, you have a wide market range from which to choose a niche, and this pet-themed issue is filled with product ideas and formulas to help you. If you are a pet owner, you too, will enjoy the formulas and tips. Settle in with your furry family member and be inspired!. Beth Byrne Managing Editor
CORRECTION: NOV/DEC 2018 Corrections to Diana Gale’s CPLS Troubleshooting guide PAGE 10: We goofed! The number on each footnote was missing within Diana Gale’s CPLS Troubleshooting guide from the November 2018 issue. The numbers are intact within the text: 1. Soapee.com or Soapcalc.com are easy to use 2. i.e., KD8000 3. www.facebook.com groups/113249609118853 4. Make a brine solution by saturating hot distilled water. Add salt a Tb at a time, stirring to dissolve before adding another Tb. When the salt will no longer dissolve, the water is saturated. 5. PPO: per pound of oils. MAKING SOAP COSMETICS & CANDLES
january/february 2019 ISSUE #92 Published by Petal Pusher Press 344 Mizzen Ave NW Ocean Shores, WA 98569 (c) 2018 Petal Pusher Press. All Rights Reserved. Making Soap, Cosmetics & Candles Magazine is the educational and encouraging voice for the makers of handcrafted soap, cosmetics and candles, focusing on materials, design, techniques and solutions. Sold online and through our stockists. If you would like to stock the magazine, contact us. Your questions and comments are welcome. Please send them to hello@makingsoapmag.com
Authors’ Guidelines Our website includes a page for potential writers; this includes information on what we are looking for. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. Advertising For rates or to place your ad in the next issue visit our advertising page located at www.makingsoapmag.com Disclaimer Making Soap, Cosmetics & Candles Magazine exists solely to give information to its readers, and strives for accuracy in its articles and honesty in its advertisements, but the publisher and editors assume no responsibility for injuries or loss incurred by anyone utilizing the information in the articles or responding to the ads. Copyright© 2018 by Making Soap, Cosmetics & Candles Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Material may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. For reprints, contact the publisher at: hello@makingsoapmag.com or visit www.makingsoapmag.com PRINTED IN THE USA
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F E AT U R E
Keep Pet Odors under Control by CINDY NOVACK We love our furry friends, but we do not always love how they smell. [1] The companionship pets provide is incredible, but walking into a house that smells like animals is unpleasant. Household pets such as cats, dogs, ferrets, birds, reptiles, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, fish, and more, possess unique odor issues to address. The obvious first step is to keep up with litter boxes, cage cleaning and pet bathing, but the purpose of this article is to address how to control odors that go beyond basic cleaning and upkeep. Animals, like humans, secrete skin oils that result in unique scents. Dogs and cats do not sweat, but their glands perspire from their paws and lightly from their hair follicles. Ferrets carry a musky scent and even reptiles have small scent glands. Animals also produce scent when they are stressed, nervous or scared. As they age, their scent changes and breath scent is more distinct. Many other animal scents and glands also smell unpleasant, but we need not go into graphic detail. The point is that even when your house, pets and animal areas are perfectly clean, pet odors happen, and controlling those odors is the focus of this article. Airborne odors caused by dog breath, nervous energy, running and movement are first on our list to combat. These are protein odors. Physically, the only thing to clean is the air itself. It is comparable to cooking meat, such as fish, beef, bacon, and so on. The protein in the air lingers long after the dishes are done. Candles and wax melts are always my go-to for spaces that need freshening up. Strong scents such as cherry, black cherry, cinnamon, cloves, peppermint, pine, cedar and other earthy fragrances mask air odors well. Some people claim additionally, that pure beeswax candles actually purify and improve air quality. [2] While that has not been proven, I know from personal experience that the warm honey aroma is subtle, yet strong and seems to attach itself to neutralize protein malodors. MAKING SOAP COSMETICS & CANDLES
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Keep Pet Odors under Control by CINDY NOVACK
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Additionally, air freshener sprays can eliminate odor immediately, and are a fast and easy solution. [3] Try the fragrance and essential oils for candles, cosmetics and soaps in a spray bottle as an air freshener mist. Make sure to check the IFRA statements for each oil for acceptable air freshener concentration levels. Spraying the oils at 100% concentration will provide the greatest effect, but do so with caution and only in special situations with intense odors. Keep in mind also, that pets are sensitive to fragrance; we do not want to make them sick or give them a reaction. Do not spray essential oils in a household with cats as it can be deadly to them. Another consideration is that while using oils at 100% concentration may be effective, you are also spraying oil around the house, which come into contact with furniture, floors and walls. It does not evaporate and may discolor fabrics or leave a greasy residue. Hydrosols or floral waters may be sprayed at 100% concentration around the house however, and are very effective and safe for pets. My favorite air freshener spray presented
below is extremely effective. Spray it around the house, on curtains, linens and fabric couches without leaving residue. Always test sprays on fabric though, to make sure they cause no negative effects.
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Air Freshener/Linen Spray Recipe (makes 1 gallon) [4] • 100 ounces of distilled water • 20 ounces of ethanol, vodka or witch hazel (to help evaporation) • Mix 1.2 oz. fragrance oil with 2.8 oz. polysorbate 20 (30/70% ratio) Blend the fragrance oil and polysorbate 20 together and then mix all ingredients in a gallon jug. Recycle and reuse empty plastic spray bottles for air freshener sprays. Diffusing hydrosols or essential oils is another great way to control air odors. [5] Again, do not use essential oils if they are harmful to pets in the house. www.makingsoapmag.com • 7
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Keep Pet Odors under Control by CINDY NOVACK
[5]
Try baking soda to keep odors under control that attach themselves to carpet. Baking soda has natural odor-absorbing qualities, which is why so many of us keep an open box in the fridge. It is great for other household uses, as well. Add a few drops of a fresh scented oil like lavender, lemon or orange to baking soda to make carpet deodorizer. Store it in a recycled glass or plastic jar with holes in the lid. Sprinkle it on the carpet and then vacuum. [6] It will not only make the carpet smell great, but the vacuum air will freshen the space, as well. Castile soap is an effective cleaner for counters, tile surfaces, hardwood floors, furniture and leather. Laundry detergent is also an effective deodorizer. Add a few drops of tea tree essential oil and any other essential oil that tones down its medicinal aroma for an amazing multi-use, natural cleaning product. I prefer tea tree and lemon for leather and hardwood floors. For stinky laundry like pet beds and blankets, I use a tea tree and lavender combination in castile soap. The last to combat are the most extreme odors - the nastiest, most grotesque, ugliest odors that your pet could possibly produce. Many examples MAKING SOAP COSMETICS & CANDLES
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exist, but let us choose skunk spray for our example. If your pet was ever sprayed, you know the odor is so intense that it makes eyes water and sets off the gag reflex. These situations must be dealt with quickly and effectively. Thankfully, this tried-and-true formula effectively removes the skunk odor. Do not spend time or money at the store for special skunk removing pet shampoos; simply use the tried and true recipe below. I www.makingsoapmag.com • 8
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Keep Pet Odors under Control by CINDY NOVACK learned this after my two hound dogs went on adventure late at night, then came running home after getting sprayed by a skunk. They were rolling on the carpet, trying to rub the smell off on the couch, bed linens and anywhere they could. I cannot accurately explain just how bad the odor was. I think I even cried a little. We used every dog shampoo available, multiple times, and every odor combatting recipe we had, yet still smelled skunk for two days. No candle scent is stronger than skunk - that is a fact! Thank you Google for this magic “old school” formula that not only works immediately on pets, but works for clothes and other washable fabrics, also. Soak anything that can be soaked in this recipe and intense odors disappear. Extreme Odor Remover (De-skunk) [7] • 1 quart hydrogen peroxide
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• ¼ cup baking soda • 1 teaspoon castile soap or Dawn™ dish detergent Blend everything together and use immediately. It is magic! I have been an animal lover all of my life and cannot imagine my world without furry companions. Still, life happens and they do not always smell wonderful, so employ the ideas and recipes in this article help keep odors under control. Enjoy your furry friends every day they are with you! Cindy Rumpf Novack is the owner of Candles and Supplies.com and found her passion making candles in third grade. She teaches classes and takes great pride in helping others learn, create and be successful at candle and soap making.
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Essential Oils and Pets by BILL McCONNELL
The natural products industry contains untapped potential for small businesses. One niche leaping to the forefront is essential oil products for pets. Customers consistently ask me for essential oil items that are healthy for their dogs and cats. In case you are unaware, not every essential oil that creates harmony for humans is pleasurable or safe for our pet friends; additionally, proper application methods matter for animal safety. If you are serious about making essential oil-based products for animals, consider purchasing a copy of the Animal Desk Reference II: Essential Oils for Animals by Melissa Shelton, DVM. In it, she describes benefits and side effects of specific essential oils on a variety of household pets, ranging from birds and reptiles to dogs and cats. Additionally, she goes over safe methods of application including caging, tenting, and petting styles of application. All of these methods use a highly diluted amount of essential oil because application of essential oils directly to pet skin can be hazardous. Several oils commonly used for humans cause severe reactions in both dogs and cats. Tea tree oil is one of the more toxic essential oils for dogs. In undiluted form, it can cause severe physical problems in as few as three
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