Kim Spruance cuts freshly made soap, above. Below, soap is stored in the soap room. Bottom, visitors Maryam and Tracy Webster compare soap fragrances.
knowledge of chemistry came in handy in the science of developing bath bombs, those spheres that fizz and dissolve when tossed into water. At the beginning, it took about 400 trials to find the right balance of ingredients. Flawed bath bombs can fail to stick together, land without fizzing in the water or melt prematurely before touching a drop. Then there are the bubbles and skin feel to consider. “It probably took me three weeks, a month, to get it tuned in how I wanted it,” Kim said. “I take a lot of baths.” Growing the business Every morning, the Basilwood crew prints customer orders, pulls products and then double-checks everything. Jill writes a personal note—something appropriate for the season—before each order is boxed for the post office. All the processes represent a serious investment in hard work and homework. Before launching the business, Jill researched and practiced soap-making for months while also building awareness on social media. “By the time we started selling product, people were interested in it,” she said. Jill also went on the road to various shows and
pop-up events. Anyonewhodidn’t knowmuch about goat’s milk soap usually left her table with an education and a bar of soap.
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