In case you were wondering how the other names fared, here are the totals:

2nd place: Queen Anne’s Revenge / Blackbeard’s Gold – 37 votes
3rd place: Pink Passion / Shiver Me Timbers – 23 votes
4th place tie: For Me Mermaid / For Me Matey and Anne Bonny / Calico Jack – 10 votes each

The Girls & Guys Valentines Soaps with their new names!!

There will be just 11 of each of these soaps available for sale starting January 31st! You will be able to find them at Greatcakessoapworks.com. I hope you all enjoyed the contest!

I know you are all dying to see the choices, but first I want to remind you of what the soaps look like and smell like before you vote:

Girls Valentines Soap - floral blend of plumeria and Michael Kors type perfume

Guys Valentines Soap - woodsy blend of bamboo, teak, rainforest, sandalwood, & cedarwood

This survey is now closed.

Each month in 2011, all reviews that are approved will be entered in a drawing for a $20 coupon code to be used at Greatcakessoapworks.com! (They don’t have to be 5-star reviews to be approved – just honest reviews.) If you have written a review in the past, you are welcome to repeat your sentiments on the new site. All reviews that have already been received are automatically entered in the drawing for April, which will be held on the 30th. Here’s one that came in over the weekend about the Skin Glow Facial Moisturizer:

Skin Glow Facial Moisturizer Testimonial

I just made a fresh batch of Skin Glow this afternoon, so this is a great time to get some!

Sunset Swirls Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks

Second place goes to Michele of Tierre Verde Soaps for “Citrus Splendor”
Third place goes to Kathleen of Katydid & Kid for “Night in Tangier”
Fourth place goes to Jackie for “Sweet Citrus and Ginger Root”, and
Fifth place goes to Maggie of Between Friends Handmade Soap for “Tangerine Tango”
It was a pretty tight race overall!

I have to make mention of a few others who got creativity points for their name suggestions:
“Kung Fu Clean” and “Groovy Grapefruit and Friends” were suggested by my friend April on the Great Cakes Soapworks facebook fan page. I also loved “orange-ya-glad-its-goatsmilk” by Cathy Ann, and “The Australian Goat” (a tongue-in-cheek suggestion) by Aimee. Huge thanks to EVERYONE who participated in this fun contest. I’m sure it won’t be the last!

In case you were wondering, Sunset Swirls will be available on Tuesday, February 22 at Greatcakessoapworks.com.

The soap to be named

I received 145 name suggestions!!! I’ve gone through and selected some of my favorites, but I’m having a hard time choosing. I figured the easiest way to solve this problem is to put it to a vote. It’s going to be a quick vote – in fact, the survey will close at 10pm CST tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb 2) and the winner announced Thursday. I appreciate your input!

VOTE HERE

By the way, here’s the view out my window today:

Blizzard of Oz!!

The first question was how the scrub made their skin feel. Without a doubt, the top 3 answers were clean, soft, and smooth. Here’s the next question:

Question #2

The way the scrub works from my own experience, is that you have a layer of soap that feels soft and creamy, then it seems to wash away to reveal some of the sugar which is scrubby. Then the sugar washes away, and you’re back to soap again, then sugar, etc. It’s not a continuously scrubby feeling as you rub it on your skin – which is why there were several who thought it was too soft. Next I asked about the size of the cube:

Question #3

It would seem that in most cases, the size was probably too large for a single use. I found that to be true for me as well. Several said they were able to use it themselves and then share with their daughters as well.

The next question was then whether they had trouble hanging onto the cube. Most said no. However, if it was any smaller, I wonder if it might give more trouble.

Next, we moved on to the scent strength:

Question #5

Not bad!

Also, which scent they preferred and why:

Question #5 and #6

It was interesting to hear that most preferred the Stress Relief because it was natural. I’ve been starting to think about moving more of my soap scent offerings to natural essential oils, and while this was a pretty small test group, I think it fairly represents most of my customers.

I also asked some questions about packaging and pricing. Those responses varied pretty widely, so I decided not to include the results here. The final, and to me, the most telling question was whether or not the testers would be willing to buy the sugar scrub cubes:

Final Question

The majority here is yes, but there were quite a few “no’s” as well. This makes me believe that these are not quite ready for production. Reasons included:

The scrubs were too hard.
Fragrance in both cubes was very light.
Formula too drying for my skin.
The cube did not feel like it exfoliated. At times it was too scratchy, but then it quickly turned slippery.
I’d rather use something that lathers.
I normally do not use scrubs.

There was a lot of positive feedback as well, but I could see how one of the Great Cakes Soapworks exfoliating soaps could serve the same purpose without having to create a new product line.

There are several available:
Cinnamon Bun Coffee Soap
Moroccan Spice Coffee Soap
Lavender Meadows Soap (with pulverized oats)
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Soap (also with pulverized oats)
and Lavender Lemon Soap will be back in stock soon (made with pulverized corn cob and pumice)

I’ll have one more new scrubby soap available soon that I just made today – I’ll show it to you tomorrow after I cut it.

Whatchamacallit Soap - until you help me give it a name!

Every once in awhile I come up with a great scent blend for a soap, but then I don’t know what to call it. As you can see, the soap turned out beautifully – all natural soap made with fresh goat’s milk, Australian red reef clay, rosehip powder, and cocoa powder. It is scented with orange, tangerine, grapefruit, bergamot and ginger essential oils. The soap smells very citrus-y, with just a hint of ginger in the background.

Here’s where you come to the rescue! Offer up your best suggestions, and if I choose yours, I’ll send you a bar for free (as soon as it has finished curing in a few weeks). You can have more than one suggestion, and they can all be in one comment. I’ll be taking suggestions until Friday night (that’s January 28) at 10pm. COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Thank you in advance – I know there are plenty of people out there who have a creative way with words!

As you can see, more than half the respondents use some sort of scrub on a regular basis:

Survey Question #1

They describe their favorite scrub as scented, handmade, and moderately abrasive. Fortunately, the solid sugar scrub cubes are all of the above!

Survey Question #2

For those who don’t use scrubs on a regular basis, most said it was because they hadn’t found one they liked. And “I forget to use it” was the top answer for “Other”.

Survey Question #3

When asked to choose between all natural and mostly natural skin care products, most of the respondents chose all natural, but quite a few also responded that either one was fine.

Survey Question #4

Finally, the most important question: whether they would like to test the solid sugar scrub cubes, and the resounding answer was – YES.

Survey Question #5

So who gets to try? Respondents #18, 24, 76, 2, 47, 10, 52, 36, 7, 56, 27, and 48 were randomly chosen by random.org. They have been contacted for their mailing addresses. In the unlikely event that I don’t hear from someone by the end of the day Monday, I will choose someone to take their place.

Thank you so much to everyone who responded! As you can see, there is pretty clear data about people’s experiences with scrubs, what they are looking for, and why they aren’t using them.

Update: Testers’ feedback can be found here.

But hurry! The survey will close Sunday, January 16 Thursday, January 13 at 10pm CST, and those who volunteer (or are chosen from the pool of volunteers) will be contacted on Monday, January 17 Friday, January 14.

The Survey is Now Closed.

Lip Butters

It seems that every time the climate changes even a little, I have to deal with chapped lips. I’ve tried many different brands, and most don’t work. Those that do, only seem to work to prevent chapped lips but not heal them. Great Cakes Soapworks’ Lip Butter is the only lip balm I’ve ever used that has no additives that irritate my lips further, always smells great, and actually helps my lips to heal in a day or two, instead of a week. I can’t use anything else anymore.

Yesterday, I received another testimonial via email that just made my day. This time from a customer who was visiting her son and came to our local farmer’s market two weeks ago.

I have so loved using your lip butter. My lips have stopped peeling…they have been peeling daily for years!!! So, you’ll be hearing more from me! God bless you!
-Joyce Ayers, Kokomo, IN

Ironically, I have been thinking about the lip butter a lot lately – trying to decide which new flavor to add for fall. If you sell lip balms, and don’t mind disclosing which fall flavors sell well for you, I’d greatly appreciate it! If you just like lip butter and have an idea of what you would like to see me carry, let me know that too!

And, if you need to purchase some Lip Butter, I have five flavors available, and one unflavored version.

P.S. I’ve done some looking online at what some others are charging for the same size tube, and I’m really on the low end at just $3.00 each!