Featured Seller: Ceri Aitman, Oakwood Soaperie
I’ve always loved handmade soaps and bath bombs. Often I’ve found myself surrounded by the heady aromas of Lush while shopping on a Saturday – admiring their latest creations and convincing myself that I really must treat myself. I never leave empty handed. I’m rarely impressed by mass-produced lotions and potions, always favouring a handmade, natural, product wherever possible – it always feels luxurious, yet more often than not its cost is favourable to everyday branded items.
At craft fairs I’m always drawn to stalls selling handmade soaps and bath bombs – it’s the smell that gets me first, and I just have to investigate. Imagine then, how chuffed I was when Oakwood Soaperie joined WowThankYou! I often find myself admiring the product images – the soaps look edible, like a fancy dessert, and it’s like smellivision as you read the description and can actually sense the aroma of it!
According to her blog, “I’m a cat lovin’, photo takin’ hand craftin’ Natural Soaps and Cosmetics maker based in the North East of England.” So says Ceri Aitman of Oakwood Soaperie, and WowThankYou managed to catch up with her to find out more about how it all began.
What first drew you to making soap, bath bombs and beauty/pamper items? How did you get into the business?
My interest really began years ago, I loved receiving the latest copy of the “Cosmetics to Go” mail order catalogue and drooling over all the gorgeous products and exotic sounding names. “Cosmetics to Go” closed only to re-launch as “Lush” about 15 or so years ago and I became utterly addicted! I’d read their Lush Times in bed, pouring over the lists of natural ingredients and descriptions until it dawned on me, with a bit of studying and research I could make some things as well.
I started making the odd things for friends and family’s birthdays and Christmas presents about eight years ago. The more I was learning about ingredients and techniques, the more I wanted to learn so I decided to study for a Diploma in Essential Oils with Kevala – a distance learning College. I learnt all about the properties of essential oils and the base oils they are combined with, and how these combinations can be tailored to a specific requirement and to the individual’s taste. I also learnt the basics of making various natural beauty products, creams, lotions, and treatments like poultices, balms and massage oils.
From this base of information I then researched my socks off and learnt I could build my own business making and selling natural products and soaps. After making sure I had all the EU cosmetic regulations addressed, e.g., cosmetic safety assessment (by a qualified cosmetic chemist), public and product liability insurance and Trading Standards approval, I could then officially launch my business. This happened in October 2010.
Do you still love making your products and do you get a kick out of selling out at a weekend craft fair?
Of course
) If you don’t love it, it soon becomes a chore. I love making them and selling direct to my customers, it gives me the chance to talk to them about all the lovely goodies that go into my products as well as give them handy hints and tips on how to get the best from them. It also gives them a chance to ask me questions and get a personal recommendation or suggestion. It is utterly exhausting but very rewarding doing a craft stall but I see this as a golden opportunity to really interact with my customers. So often I see stall holders just sitting behind their stalls not welcoming customers or even acknowledging them, then complaining they have had no sales, what a wasted opportunity.
What do your family think about your business? Do they help out? Do they use your products?
I think they are secretly relieved I’ve found something that I love to do that is (mostly) relaxing and rewarding. They are very supportive of my venture and are always keen to know what’s going on. My mum helps me with some of the soap wrapping when things get overwhelming as well as at some craft stalls. She tends to check out my blog and my shops to see what’s going on as I know I don’t ring her enough. My dad provides all of the really lovely Northumbrian honey and beeswax that go into my products too, I’m regularly asking for more as it is gorgeous in coffee and on toast too. My hubby also helps at stalls as well as all the little things like making the tea when I’m up to my armpits in soaps and insisting that 8 o’clock is ‘puter down, wine up time’, this keeps me sane and stops me becoming obsessive.
I’m delighted that they all use my products now either as testers/human guinea pigs or as demonstrators at stalls; I’m sure my mum has sold most of my solid body bars single handedly from demonstrating alone (thank you mum x)
Do you ever get given soaps and pamper kits for Christmas?
I used to yes, mostly because I asked for Lush gift boxes. I still like it if I do, as long as they are natural products. It’s nice to use other things as well once in a while. One can never have too many pampery goodies I feel ;O)
Where do you get your ideas for new product lines?
Ohh, that’s a good one… best answer is from all over the place. I try to avoid looking at other people’s products when I’m looking for inspiration but it can strike anywhere. I keep a note book by the bed as I’ve been known to have an idea running around my head at ungodly o’clock that will not let me sleep. I jot it down and go back to it in daylight to see if it was worth staying awake for. Sometimes I’ll get an idea from a particular ingredient or a theme that appeals to me. Sometimes it can come from something I have seen or an experience I’ve had and I try to translate that into a product.
Would you like to be really successful and have your products on every supermarket shelf?
Erm, that is an interesting question. I would like to be successful and have my products out there, but I think the beauty of handmade natural products would become lost in the mass market. I love the community created by hand crafters who really appreciate what goes into the final product and who actively seek out individual hand made goods – it is this market I am hoping to grow in.
I am fascinated by soap making. Are there any perfume combinations that absolutely do not work and you avoid?
I am too – did you guess? ). The beauty of using mostly essential oils is generally there is no wrong combination, only the wrong proportion. When trying a new blend of oils, to get the best, long lasting fragrances, you need to blend top, middle and base notes. Top notes have the largest quantity as these evaporate the quickest – these are usually light florals and citrus oils. Middle or heart notes develop over a little time, giving their true fragrance after a couple of hours – these are usually slightly headier and round out the fragrance. The base notes are the fixatives of the blend and provide the staying power to a perfume. You may notice the smell of a perfume the day after you have applied it has changed; you will smell mostly the remaining middle and base notes then. Base notes are much stronger or resinous and smoky – it is for this reason only a very small proportion is used in a blend as they can smell quite acrid on their own.
From where do you obtain the majority of your sales? Is it online, fairs or from stocked shops?
The greatest quantity and value of my sales come from craft fairs. I also supply a friend’s handmade gift site. My shops do well and are a great way to reach a wider customer base. Some sales queries have also come via Facebook and Twitter as well as my blog which is fantastic. I use these forums to post all my updates and new products and interact with customers and other crafters out there.
What is your favourite soap, bath bomb etc?
They are all my favourites but at the moment my two fave soaps are Moroccan Hammam – packed with Rhassoul clay and a spicy, incense blend of fragrance; and Earl Grey Tea soap, full of real tea infusion, bergamot and neroli essential oils, topped off with a crown of tea leaves and calendula petals for prettiness.
My fave bath products are my Orange blossom bubble bars and my Floral heaven bath bomb – packed with jasmine flowers and essential oils.
I ‘m also really pleased with my Solid Cocoa Butter body bars made with cocoa and shea butters; they take a while to sink in but are really lovely and softening after a warm bath with the above.
Do you use your products yourself?
Ohh, yes… all the time. I get to use up all the off cuts and spares/misshapes. There is never a shortage in my house.
I love the sound of honey soap. Is this one of your best sellers?
Indeed it is, I need to make more later today actually. It sells especially well at my stalls being so locally produced. The honey is gathered and made by my dad’s bees only about 8 miles away, so extremely local providence. People love to hear that it comes from so close by, and that it goes into so many products.
What is the first business related thing you do every morning?
Well after a spot of yoga or belly dancing (not strictly a business activity), it’s just the usual switch on of computer, checking for orders and responding to e-mails etc.
How did you first arrive at the name of your business? Is it the name of your house or village or a nearby forest?
Oakwood Soaperie came about because when I first moved to the North East (from Edinburgh) with my family at the age of about 4, we lived in an area near Hexham, called Oakwood, a lovely little hamlet with only a few houses. A year or so later we moved nearer to Newcastle and coincidentally our house had ‘Oakwood’ in the name as is was situated in a woodland with lots of mature oak trees. A ‘Soaperie’ is a place where soap in manufactured so it seemed a natural choice for me.
Where do you make your items? Do you need special equipment and facilities?
I make them at home, I have some specialist wooden molds for my soap and some jazzy weighing scales (required by Trading Standards) but the rest of the equipment can be found in most cookery departments. Ideally I’d love a workshop next to the house but at the moment this is not a possibility. One day, when I’ve sold enough bars of soap to buy my house in the country with workshop and retail space, this will happen (*the power of positive thinking*).
Do you need to have your products tested prior to marketing them?
Yes, most certainly. To comply with EU cosmetics legislation, they must all be tested and verified by a qualified cosmetic chemist before anything can be sold. You’re not even supposed to give them away without this testing being completed.
Do you carry a range suitable for babies, young children or people with sensitive skin?
I do not have a range of product for babies or people with sensitive skin but some would be perfectly suitable. For example, my Extra Gentle Shea castile soap with Chamomile and goatsmilk. I have had reports from people with sensitivities who have tried my natural soaps (those made with pure essential oils) that they have had no reaction and the soaps have actually helped their skin because they do not dry or strip the skin, they actually help the skin retain much needed moisture because of the high oil and natural glycerine content as well as their mildness. I can always offer samples for people to try before they buy if they are unsure my soaps will be suitable for them.
Do you carry a range for men and how successful is it?
Again , not specifically, but I find they do like my creamy Wylam Beer soap (Beer kindly provided by Wylam Brewery – who are also now stocking it, YAY!!) as well as the refreshing Peppermint & Poppyseed and herbal Lavender & Clary Sage soaps.
From where do you source your ingredients? (lye, fat, oil, perfumes, natural flower buds, herbs etc.)?
I get most of my ingredients from online suppliers of natural cosmetic ingredients. Most of my base oils are from a local supplier as these work out much more cost effective and I do not need to pay delivery as they are HEAVY… I try to get things as locally as possible, but my Lye in particular is only available mail order as it is a regulated substance for safety reasons.
Hmm… well, I’m not sure if I should let it out of the bag. It’s still in the writing stage, I’ll be a damsel in distress, the lead male role is to be played by Johnny Depp, only just been confirmed… honest ;O)
You are planning a dinner party to impress – what would you serve as the main course and dessert?
I’d have to employ Heston Blumenthal to do the cooking, I’d ask him to do something along the lines of his Christmas meal set in the pine forest, when his guests were Stephen Fry, Dara O’Briain etc, or maybe his fairytale themed meal, stunning, has me in tears when I watch it.
Who would you invite to this meal (famous, non-famous, alive or dead)?
Well, hubby of course and all my family and friends. It would be just lovely to share that kind of experience with them all.
You’ve won the lottery (congratulations!) What would be your first purchase?
I can only hope… It would have to be a lovely big stone house in the Northumbrian hills with my beloved workshop.
What is your dream holiday/holiday destination?
I’m told by a friend who took a world tour in a year out, that Vietnam is stunning. I think it’d have to be a tour of the Far East, including Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. It’d have to be a mix of exploration and relaxation with a bit of pampering on the side.
Sum up your personality in five words…
30% Tigger, 30% Piglet, 20% Kanga, 10% Owl, 10% Eeyore… do numbers and % count?
Have you taken a look at the Oakwood Soaperie products here on WowThankYou? Many items are also featured in our Pamper theme: With the school holidays about to hit us, and the weather not looking too promising, why not treat yourself to a bit of pampering to help you through? I already have – placed my order this afternoon for some scrummy sounding Sweet Pea soap and Honey Buns handmade soap. Can’t wait for it to arrive! It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a staycation or flying somewhere exotic this summer, a little treat goes a long, long way to making you feel good about life. So what are you waiting for? Go and take a look at the fabulous products in the Oakwood Soaperie store! x
At craft fairs I’m always drawn to stalls selling handmade soaps and bath bombs – it’s the smell that gets me first, and I just have to investigate. Imagine then, how chuffed I was when Oakwood Soaperie joined WowThankYou! I often find myself admiring the product images – the soaps look edible, like a fancy dessert, and it’s like smellivision as you read the description and can actually sense the aroma of it!
According to her blog, “I’m a cat lovin’, photo takin’ hand craftin’ Natural Soaps and Cosmetics maker based in the North East of England.” So says Ceri Aitman of Oakwood Soaperie, and WowThankYou managed to catch up with her to find out more about how it all began.
My interest really began years ago, I loved receiving the latest copy of the “Cosmetics to Go” mail order catalogue and drooling over all the gorgeous products and exotic sounding names. “Cosmetics to Go” closed only to re-launch as “Lush” about 15 or so years ago and I became utterly addicted! I’d read their Lush Times in bed, pouring over the lists of natural ingredients and descriptions until it dawned on me, with a bit of studying and research I could make some things as well.
I started making the odd things for friends and family’s birthdays and Christmas presents about eight years ago. The more I was learning about ingredients and techniques, the more I wanted to learn so I decided to study for a Diploma in Essential Oils with Kevala – a distance learning College. I learnt all about the properties of essential oils and the base oils they are combined with, and how these combinations can be tailored to a specific requirement and to the individual’s taste. I also learnt the basics of making various natural beauty products, creams, lotions, and treatments like poultices, balms and massage oils.
From this base of information I then researched my socks off and learnt I could build my own business making and selling natural products and soaps. After making sure I had all the EU cosmetic regulations addressed, e.g., cosmetic safety assessment (by a qualified cosmetic chemist), public and product liability insurance and Trading Standards approval, I could then officially launch my business. This happened in October 2010.
Do you still love making your products and do you get a kick out of selling out at a weekend craft fair?
Of course
) If you don’t love it, it soon becomes a chore. I love making them and selling direct to my customers, it gives me the chance to talk to them about all the lovely goodies that go into my products as well as give them handy hints and tips on how to get the best from them. It also gives them a chance to ask me questions and get a personal recommendation or suggestion. It is utterly exhausting but very rewarding doing a craft stall but I see this as a golden opportunity to really interact with my customers. So often I see stall holders just sitting behind their stalls not welcoming customers or even acknowledging them, then complaining they have had no sales, what a wasted opportunity. “My hubby also helps at stalls as well as all the little things like making the tea when I’m up to my armpits in soaps and insisting that 8 o’clock is ‘puter down, wine up time’, this keeps me sane and stops me becoming obsessive.”
What do your family think about your business? Do they help out? Do they use your products?
I think they are secretly relieved I’ve found something that I love to do that is (mostly) relaxing and rewarding. They are very supportive of my venture and are always keen to know what’s going on. My mum helps me with some of the soap wrapping when things get overwhelming as well as at some craft stalls. She tends to check out my blog and my shops to see what’s going on as I know I don’t ring her enough. My dad provides all of the really lovely Northumbrian honey and beeswax that go into my products too, I’m regularly asking for more as it is gorgeous in coffee and on toast too. My hubby also helps at stalls as well as all the little things like making the tea when I’m up to my armpits in soaps and insisting that 8 o’clock is ‘puter down, wine up time’, this keeps me sane and stops me becoming obsessive.
I’m delighted that they all use my products now either as testers/human guinea pigs or as demonstrators at stalls; I’m sure my mum has sold most of my solid body bars single handedly from demonstrating alone (thank you mum x)
I used to yes, mostly because I asked for Lush gift boxes. I still like it if I do, as long as they are natural products. It’s nice to use other things as well once in a while. One can never have too many pampery goodies I feel ;O)
Where do you get your ideas for new product lines?
Ohh, that’s a good one… best answer is from all over the place. I try to avoid looking at other people’s products when I’m looking for inspiration but it can strike anywhere. I keep a note book by the bed as I’ve been known to have an idea running around my head at ungodly o’clock that will not let me sleep. I jot it down and go back to it in daylight to see if it was worth staying awake for. Sometimes I’ll get an idea from a particular ingredient or a theme that appeals to me. Sometimes it can come from something I have seen or an experience I’ve had and I try to translate that into a product.
Would you like to be really successful and have your products on every supermarket shelf?
Erm, that is an interesting question. I would like to be successful and have my products out there, but I think the beauty of handmade natural products would become lost in the mass market. I love the community created by hand crafters who really appreciate what goes into the final product and who actively seek out individual hand made goods – it is this market I am hoping to grow in.
I am fascinated by soap making. Are there any perfume combinations that absolutely do not work and you avoid?
I am too – did you guess?
). The beauty of using mostly essential oils is generally there is no wrong combination, only the wrong proportion. When trying a new blend of oils, to get the best, long lasting fragrances, you need to blend top, middle and base notes. Top notes have the largest quantity as these evaporate the quickest – these are usually light florals and citrus oils. Middle or heart notes develop over a little time, giving their true fragrance after a couple of hours – these are usually slightly headier and round out the fragrance. The base notes are the fixatives of the blend and provide the staying power to a perfume. You may notice the smell of a perfume the day after you have applied it has changed; you will smell mostly the remaining middle and base notes then. Base notes are much stronger or resinous and smoky – it is for this reason only a very small proportion is used in a blend as they can smell quite acrid on their own.The greatest quantity and value of my sales come from craft fairs. I also supply a friend’s handmade gift site. My shops do well and are a great way to reach a wider customer base. Some sales queries have also come via Facebook and Twitter as well as my blog which is fantastic. I use these forums to post all my updates and new products and interact with customers and other crafters out there.
What is your favourite soap, bath bomb etc?
They are all my favourites but at the moment my two fave soaps are Moroccan Hammam – packed with Rhassoul clay and a spicy, incense blend of fragrance; and Earl Grey Tea soap, full of real tea infusion, bergamot and neroli essential oils, topped off with a crown of tea leaves and calendula petals for prettiness.
My fave bath products are my Orange blossom bubble bars and my Floral heaven bath bomb – packed with jasmine flowers and essential oils.
I ‘m also really pleased with my Solid Cocoa Butter body bars made with cocoa and shea butters; they take a while to sink in but are really lovely and softening after a warm bath with the above.
Do you use your products yourself?
Ohh, yes… all the time. I get to use up all the off cuts and spares/misshapes. There is never a shortage in my house.
Indeed it is, I need to make more later today actually. It sells especially well at my stalls being so locally produced. The honey is gathered and made by my dad’s bees only about 8 miles away, so extremely local providence. People love to hear that it comes from so close by, and that it goes into so many products.
What is the first business related thing you do every morning?
Well after a spot of yoga or belly dancing (not strictly a business activity), it’s just the usual switch on of computer, checking for orders and responding to e-mails etc.
“One day, when I’ve sold enough bars of soap to buy my house in the country with workshop and retail space, this will happen (*the power of positive thinking*).”
How did you first arrive at the name of your business? Is it the name of your house or village or a nearby forest?
Oakwood Soaperie came about because when I first moved to the North East (from Edinburgh) with my family at the age of about 4, we lived in an area near Hexham, called Oakwood, a lovely little hamlet with only a few houses. A year or so later we moved nearer to Newcastle and coincidentally our house had ‘Oakwood’ in the name as is was situated in a woodland with lots of mature oak trees. A ‘Soaperie’ is a place where soap in manufactured so it seemed a natural choice for me.
Where do you make your items? Do you need special equipment and facilities?
I make them at home, I have some specialist wooden molds for my soap and some jazzy weighing scales (required by Trading Standards) but the rest of the equipment can be found in most cookery departments. Ideally I’d love a workshop next to the house but at the moment this is not a possibility. One day, when I’ve sold enough bars of soap to buy my house in the country with workshop and retail space, this will happen (*the power of positive thinking*).
Do you need to have your products tested prior to marketing them?
Yes, most certainly. To comply with EU cosmetics legislation, they must all be tested and verified by a qualified cosmetic chemist before anything can be sold. You’re not even supposed to give them away without this testing being completed.
I do not have a range of product for babies or people with sensitive skin but some would be perfectly suitable. For example, my Extra Gentle Shea castile soap with Chamomile and goatsmilk. I have had reports from people with sensitivities who have tried my natural soaps (those made with pure essential oils) that they have had no reaction and the soaps have actually helped their skin because they do not dry or strip the skin, they actually help the skin retain much needed moisture because of the high oil and natural glycerine content as well as their mildness. I can always offer samples for people to try before they buy if they are unsure my soaps will be suitable for them.
Do you carry a range for men and how successful is it?
Again , not specifically, but I find they do like my creamy Wylam Beer soap (Beer kindly provided by Wylam Brewery – who are also now stocking it, YAY!!) as well as the refreshing Peppermint & Poppyseed and herbal Lavender & Clary Sage soaps.
From where do you source your ingredients? (lye, fat, oil, perfumes, natural flower buds, herbs etc.)?
I get most of my ingredients from online suppliers of natural cosmetic ingredients. Most of my base oils are from a local supplier as these work out much more cost effective and I do not need to pay delivery as they are HEAVY… I try to get things as locally as possible, but my Lye in particular is only available mail order as it is a regulated substance for safety reasons.
Just for fun
If you had the leading role in a hit movie, what film would you be in, and why?Hmm… well, I’m not sure if I should let it out of the bag. It’s still in the writing stage, I’ll be a damsel in distress, the lead male role is to be played by Johnny Depp, only just been confirmed… honest ;O)
You are planning a dinner party to impress – what would you serve as the main course and dessert?
I’d have to employ Heston Blumenthal to do the cooking, I’d ask him to do something along the lines of his Christmas meal set in the pine forest, when his guests were Stephen Fry, Dara O’Briain etc, or maybe his fairytale themed meal, stunning, has me in tears when I watch it.
Who would you invite to this meal (famous, non-famous, alive or dead)?
Well, hubby of course and all my family and friends. It would be just lovely to share that kind of experience with them all.
You’ve won the lottery (congratulations!) What would be your first purchase?
I can only hope… It would have to be a lovely big stone house in the Northumbrian hills with my beloved workshop.
What is your dream holiday/holiday destination?
I’m told by a friend who took a world tour in a year out, that Vietnam is stunning. I think it’d have to be a tour of the Far East, including Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. It’d have to be a mix of exploration and relaxation with a bit of pampering on the side.
Sum up your personality in five words…
30% Tigger, 30% Piglet, 20% Kanga, 10% Owl, 10% Eeyore… do numbers and % count?
Have you taken a look at the Oakwood Soaperie products here on WowThankYou? Many items are also featured in our Pamper theme: With the school holidays about to hit us, and the weather not looking too promising, why not treat yourself to a bit of pampering to help you through? I already have – placed my order this afternoon for some scrummy sounding Sweet Pea soap and Honey Buns handmade soap. Can’t wait for it to arrive! It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a staycation or flying somewhere exotic this summer, a little treat goes a long, long way to making you feel good about life. So what are you waiting for? Go and take a look at the fabulous products in the Oakwood Soaperie store! x
