Some of my product world heroes. In case they can inspire you, too.

These are people who have inspired me during my soaping and product journey and I cannot recommend their books/YouTube channels/shops/minds enough. I know they have also inspired many others and I just...

Product Development Process

I use a gradual progression, so at each stage both my client and I know what we have created so far, what needs to be done to improve or change it, and how much is being spent on the process.

Initial Meeting

Typically, anywhere from ½ hour to 2...

I do my same spiel at the first meeting with a client, so I decided to write it down. And, if I had to sum it all up in one article, this would be it.

1. Start out simple. While some of us think up a concept and are instantly flooded with combinations and colours and pr...

Today, I finished a year's study in a very specialised area. 

Almost a year ago, the Labour party was running for NZ's government. One of our new Prime Minister's discussion points was the legalisation of medical marijuana in New Zealand. As a herbalist and a membe...

I say cleansing. The pressure on me right now is immense. This blog is purely procrastination.

You see, I joined a New Zealand De-stash group on Facebook and posted that I had a lot of stuff to get rid of. That turned out to be an understatement and it turns out I have...

I will also predictably go into why you can’t make either ‘glycerin’ or ‘real soap’ without starting with lye. That may reach rant proportions, but I’ll try to keep it low level.

Glycerin Soap – Soap Crafting

I call it glycerin soap because it’s something people understa...

18 years ago, I registered my business. It was Herbal Creations Limited back then. And I considered that would be my future, with no idea of the two children who would change everything!
18 years later, I have a 13-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and now an 18-year-ol...

When you’re new to making products and everything is all sparkly (and expensive), you tend to make a few mistakes along the way, learning which suppliers you want to stick with, as you go.

This is a list of some of the suppliers I use, a few on a fairly regular basis:

Ne...

In the world of product development, the range of ingredients is just mind-boggling. And, every week, something new has been discovered. With magical powers (to match mystical price tag). Remember when Argan Oil became a thing? Or even further back, Rosehip? What did w...

You know those projects you have ticking along in the background. The ones which are ALWAYS on the white board, because we all know they're year plus things and even though we hope and wish for that moment when you can wipe it off the board, it's just always there. Tho...