About a year and a half ago, I made my first melt and pour soap on my kitchen counter in New York, New York. Many people close to me that had tried soapmaking had said to me that they thought I would really like it. I wasn’t so sure. I mean, I’d literally tried every craft in the book. Felting? Done. Oil Painting? Heck, I even took college courses. Watercolors? Yep. Not for me. Drawing, sketching- I happily did that for most of my life. Poetry? Sure. Fail. Sewing? BIG expensive fail. Sculpture? YES! That was my favorite, but there’s no access to a studio or kiln here in NYC. I even tried jewelry making and CHAINSAW SCULPTURE. I kid you not.
So, when I bought that little one pound block of innocent looking goat milk melt and pour soap off amazon and a cheap mold, I had NO idea what was about to happen. No idea at all.
It was instant connection. The sculptural aspect reminded me of how much I loved forming items, clay, moldable work. Creating the ingredients, the colors, the scents and the dried flowers and additives was just like cooking, which was my career for almost a decade until I got too ill to work seven years ago. The scents reminded me of when I would cook for the private group of kids and professionals in Telluride House, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The whole thing was a magical epiphany that became an almost maniacal obsession. I HAD to try cold process, even though, as with most new soap makers- using lye was a terrifying mystery.
Using the soap I MADE (kinda) was also extremely gratifying. I knew what I put in it. My son and my favorites were the various chamomile floral shaped soaps and we loved the way they smelled. 
Within a week I had the ingredients to make that first batch of cold process soap in the dead of winter on my NYC patio, at night, in the dark. It was about 24 degrees outside. I didn’t care. I had a friend over and she helped. I watched some random YouTube video on beginners cold process soap and I made the most boring bars of soap you’ve ever seen, sprinkled with the worlds crappiest “micas” I found on Amazon as well. The Emerson blender whirred and created this creamy slurry of olive oil, coconut oil, lye and water and it smelled weird. I used essential oils, about a fraction of what it should have been, so my soap ended up with no scent at all. I was very surprised to learn that so MUCH fragrance goes into a loaf of soap.
Somehow, that first loaf came out PERFECT. Waking up the next day to pull the hardened soap loaf out of the molds was like Christmas morning and I was 10 and it hasn’t changed since. They were so smooth, perfect and functional. How did a bunch of oils and drain cleaner create this? I mean, no- they aren’t beautiful, in fact; looking back, they are a bit embarrassing looking but I still thought it was magic!
From then on, I was hooked. Completely, totally and obsessively consumed! If my bank account and husband had any idea of what was about to happen! It didn’t matter, though. Once I get on a kick, there’s absolutely no stopping me, ha ha! About a month later; I had put some of the soap up at my etsy shop; decided on the fly to rename my shop #3BirdsSoap on account of my 3 Parakeets. I drew a quick logo if my birds. I figured I could always change it later!
I had happily collected a box full of crappy molds from amazon, way larger quantities of oil and melt and pour soap too- and lots of new scents in slightly larger bottles. Mostly essential oils, still. It just grew from there. The bottles got bigger, the oil containers got bigger and the amounts when placing the orders higher. Before I knew it, I had over 250 fragrances and essential oils, 200 molds and my kitchen had custom shelves built up the walls. The third guest bedroom was completely taken over by soap as well, and my guests lamented their loss. But I was THRILLED.
To be continued;….
A Soap Company for Parrot People 