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1. Can I buy from Sweet June? Why don't you have a shopping cart?? Are you e-commercially challenged?
Because of my current work schedule, I can only produce and follow-up orders so many hours of the week, which means that Sweet June is still a hobby more than anything else. If I am ever able to give Sweet June more time and can keep a regular production/inventory, then I will most likely add a cart to the site. In the meantime, if something catches your eye, please feel free send an email with the word "order" in the subject line . If what interest you is in-stock, we can work out the details from there. |
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2. Do I have to buy online?
No-- You can sometimes catch Sweet June Handmade at craft fairs. If you know of any shops who might be interested in carrying my stuff, please, by all means, send them my name, my url, and my love! |
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3. Can I come visit? May I take a tour? Can I come over and sniff around and then buy stuff right off the shelves?
Nope! As much as I'd prefer that direct sort of interaction, my landlords don't want the extra foot traffic, and my insurance won't cover any slips or trips if you were to happen to come by while I'm working. Plus... I'm never really home except at very late hours. That's when the soap magic happens, but I don't really want to hang out with people while I soap at 3am, so yeah. No. Instead, if you prefer to sniff before you buy, come find me at a craft show. I can send samples, too, but I can't afford to make them free. |
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4. Do you take requests?
Sure. Email or write me with anything you want. If it's beyond my level of expertise, or I just can't fit it into my schedule, I'll tell you so. But I'm game to try anything, especially if I already have the ingredients/materials on hand. Vegetarian-only, of course. |
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5. Do you do wholesale?
I'm not currently set up for wholesale accounts, as Sweet June Handmade is still very much a hobby rather than a business. That said, feel free to email me your inquiry-- if it happens to come in at a point when I'm not swamped with my regular work or batching and I have everything you need, we might be able to work something out. |
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6. This handmade soap is really soft after I use it. How do I keep it from dissolving too quickly?
Handmade soaps retain all their natural glycerine (often, commercial soap companies remove it either for faster curing, or to use the glycerine in other applications), and this means they love attracting moisture-- from your shower, the air, whatever. It's part of what makes them so gentle on your skin, but it can cause them to disappear quickly if you're not careful. You can prolong the life (and protect the quality) of your handmade soaps by keeping them dry between uses. The simplest way to do this is to keep them in dishes that either have holes in the bottom for drainage or ridges in the bottom that allow the body of the soap to sit above any collected water. Ideally, you would also remove the soap and soap dish from the shower stall between showers, even I am not so vigilant, sometimes. |
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7. Why Handmade?
Because it's better! Or at least, it's really a matter of personal preference, and if you have delicate skin or a preference for careful and caring craft, it's definitely worth trying out. Your artisan soaper gives particular care to his or her ingredients-- not just how they are on their own, but how they behave in relation to other ingredients in a recipe. Additionally, some large-scale soap companies focus on a process that turns out more bars of soap, more quickly-- without really bothering to turn out *better* soap. Sometimes companies will add odd ingredients and lathering agents that are supposed to make you think, "Wow, this bar of soap is really sudsy!" or, "Wow! This bar of soap floats!" or "Wow! This soap smells so much like watermelon I just want to put it in my mouth!"-- but then leave you thinking a few hours later, "Wow! My skin feels awful!" Most handmade soap-- my handmade soap included-- is made with the whole experience in mind. You should enjoy it in the shower and bath, yes, but you should also enjoy how it makes your skin feel and look. |
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8. Who the heck are you, anyway?
I am Michele (little michele, to many), and I am just a regular person who has a regular job and a regular family and some sort of disorder that causes me to discover hobbies that will take over the part of my day that used to include sleep. Although I've always been interested in skincare, cooking and botany, I got into proper soapmaking on a dare, sort of: my roommate at the time, Fireman Keith, was spending a hefty bit of cash on natural soaps that didn't last very long in the shower. I said I could figure out how to make a natural soap and probably get it to last as long, if not longer. He said, "Shut up, no you can't." And then it was ON. Thanks, Fireman, for the challenge. I probably owe you a bar or two-- when I get around to soaping patchouli *without* skoal in it, you'll be the first to know. |
