Being that it is the month we celebrate Father's Day, I thought it appropriate that our first Tuesday Spotlight of June be The Woodsman. The Woodsman was a collaboration with myself and a dear friend who was helping me in the studio at the time. I wanted to add a more masculine scent to our soap line and create something unique and original. There are several essential oils that are deemed almost strictly masculine but I wanted a blend that would appeal to both genders.
I began with musk and amber, it was too common. I blended oakmoss, patchouli, and cedarwood, it was too dirty woodsy. I blended sandalwood, vanilla, and oakmoss, it was too feminine. I went back to the drawing board, pulled my research, looked at my blends thus far and determined what I felt was missing was a softness. I began from scratch...again. This time, I began with ylang ylang, added sandalwood, a touch of cedarwood, and a hint of patchouli. At the time, I found it to be intoxicating, soft, and earthy. It was masculine but didn't scream overpowering. It was how I would describe my husband, understated, pleasantly simplistic, outdoorsy, and interesting.
I was pleased, my friend, Beth, was pleased, Eric really liked it but the true test would be my then 8 -year-old, Jordan. Jordan has an innate perception of what will be popular, what will sell, and what will sit on the shelf forever. She has a process, she sniffs, she smells coffee grounds to clear her senses, she sniffs again, identifies the oils that are used, decides if it needs adjusted, and then makes her decision once the adjustments are made. She suggested I add more sandalwood and decrease the patchouli. I made her suggested adjustments and not surprisingly, found that I liked it even more. It has been a staple in our line up ever since.
I feel like my weakness in scent blending and in our soap line in general is a lack of purely masculine scents. I am working on my knowledge, taking a few more risks, and trying to expand my scent line to include scents that are man friendly. I am releasing a new soap today, The Bibbed Wonder has named The Manly Man. It is now how I wish my husband smelled all the time. Not only does it smell amazing, it is a handsome bar as well. You may check it out on our website. As always, the Tuesday Spotlight and moisturizer are 50% off on the website for the week. Soap makes a wonderful and useful gift for Father's Day. You can show the men in your life how much you love them and help them fight germs.
I hope you enjoy the snippets into our creative process, there is never a dull moment here and we love to laugh and share. As always, stay safe, stay smart and wash your hands.