Bain Amour Bath & Body Co

  • Shop Now!
  • Come Party With Us!
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About us
  • Subscribe to our email list
  • Shop Now!
  • Come Party With Us!
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About us
  • Subscribe to our email list
Picture

It's nice having help

8/2/2016

2 Comments

 
Today was a great day in the soap shop. I had extra help and we got a lot accomplished. We were able to restock some sugar scrubs, poured candles, made bath salts, and made room/linen spray. It doesn't sound like much, but I never would have gotten it done without the help of Aunt Mindy and Mrs. Janet. They are amazing helpers. They roll with whatever I ask them to do. They help make products and pour candles. We have the best time singing along with the music and chatting. We are very productive when we are together in the shop. It makes me more productive when I have help.
Tonight, my boys have some friends over for a sleepover so I have 6 boys, 10 & under, in the house! Say a prayer for me. Lol! My husband is away working, so I'm flying solo. The boys are a little rambunctious, but we are about to settle everyone down and enjoy a movie before bedtime. Once they go to bed, I will try to take a little time to go back in the shop and get things rearranged.
This week I am putting my products in a new shop in Breaux Bridge. They will be opening in a few weeks and we have a beautiful shelving unit to display our products. Tomorrow, I will be back at it, getting things together for the new shop. I'm excited about the location on Main Street next to the church. Look for Belaire's Floral Design to open up by he end of the month.
Time to spend time with these crazy boys and enjoy the movie Zootopia. They are already asking for popcorn and they just ate supper. Like I said before, say a little prayer for my sanity, I may very well need it!
Picture
Lots of little boys watching the movie
Picture
The display at the new shop in Breaux Bridge
2 Comments

Find the beauty in the world

8/1/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
There is so much negativity floating around right now that sometimes it is hard to find the good and beauty around you. Every day we all make choices- what to wear, eat, drink. We also choose what our attitude is going to be. We all have those days when we wake up and we just feel aggravated or worried. It can feel like a dark cloud just hanging over your head. It's at that point that you have a big choice to make. Do you let that cloud follow you or do you bring your own sunshine?
There is so much beauty around us. From a gorgeous sunset to a simple leaf on a tree, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are people all around us who choose to be a light in the midst of a lot of darkness. A simple smile and hello as you walk past someone may be just enough to show there are still good people. It can be something small that can help turn around a person's day.
I have a shirt I wear a lot that has the phrase "choose joy". I get lots of compliments and comments about that shirt when I wear it. It is a great reminder that we do have the choice to be happy. We control our happiness. We dictate our own moods by how we act and react to negative people and situations. Yes, there are times when the choice will be hard or even feel impossible, but it is still a choice. When I'm feeling aggravated or overwhelmed, I try to take a 5 minute (or sometimes more) break from things. Put away the phone. Turn off the tv. Disconnect from social media. Meditate. Pray. Walk outside and take a look around. Find the beauty in your surroundings. Breathe in deeply and exhale out the negative thoughts. Be happy. Be joyous.
I know that it's easier said than done. Believe me. Taking care of a home, 4 kids, and a farm with a husband who works away from home 3 out of every 4 weeks of the month is very taxing. It's easy to feel like life is not fair. I get overwhelmed. I have the choice to be angry and aggravated or to let it go and be happy. Some days, I am aggravated, and that's ok too. The key is to not get stuck there. Don't play the part of a victim in the story of your life. Be the hero, the superstar! We only get one chance to live this life. There is no dress rehearsal and we can't go back in time. Make each moment count. Go seek beauty in the world. Make the world a better place with your beauty.
2 Comments

We got a new goat today. Yesterday was a great collaboration- meet one of our clients!

7/31/2016

2 Comments

 
We added a sweet new girl to the farm today! Meet Caramel! She came to us from our friends Mr. Andre and Mrs. Louise. She has the sweetest temperament but they had a little problem with her. You see, they've had problems with predators getting into their pasture and killing some of their livestock, so they added livestock protection dogs in with their herd. All of the dogs and goats get along fine, but Caramel had decided that she really liked to eat the dog food. They were having trouble with her gobbling up the dog food before the dogs were able to eat, so they offered her to us. Since we don't have to worry about dog food in the areas where the goats are, we were more than happy to add her to our herd.
We are always looking to add more great milkers, and we know she will be. Her mother is a big strong goat who is a great milker, so she should be a good milker too. She gave a good amount of milk as a first freshener this year, so next season should be even better.
So far, she is getting along well with everyone and no one is being overly pushy towards her. The introduction to the herd went very smoothly. The boys are excited to have a new goat also.
Yesterday, one of my wholesale clients came out to the farm. We have been collaborating on some products and yesterday we worked on a custom blend for some solid cologne for their line of products. It was fun going through the process of him narrowing down fragrances of essential oils then making blends until we came up with the perfect one. It's great to work with other creative people. If you would like to see some of the most beautiful handcrafted safety razors and shave brushes, check out my buddies over at Folklore Goods and Supply. They make amazing products and have some really cool t-shirts available too.
www.facebook.com/folkloregoodsandsupply
Picture
Picture
2 Comments

Facing fears and overcoming them

7/30/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
.
Fears...we all have them. Whether they are rational or slightly irrational, there are things we all fear. Being a business owner and maker of products, I have lots of fears. I worry that my products won't be liked by my customers. I fear failing at my business. I have doubts and worries about taking the plunge and establishing a storefront. I am so afraid that if I open a store and it doesn't succeed, my business will suffer. All of these fears are unfounded. I have wonderful, supportive customers who love my products and are some of my biggest cheerleaders. On one hand, I know in my heart that having a storefront would only help extend my products to people who may not know about my company. On the other hand, what happens if the customers don't come?
So, what do you do to help face and overcome fears? Personally, I like to make a list of pros and cons. Writing out your fears and worries helps to externalize them so they are not stuck in your mind. It also helps you to look at the positives and weigh out your options. Let's break down one of my fears.

Opening a storefront

Pros
*broadening customer base
*becoming more involved with the community
*more potential sales
*brand recognition
*forming relationships with more customers
*possibility of more wholesale clients as brand builds
*ability to increase our charitable donations
*being able to employ people in our community

Cons
*higher overhead costs
*potential of lower sales than projected
*potentially less time with my family due to obligations at the store front
*higher risk of theft and product damage
*keeping up with higher product production demands

As you can see, the pros outweigh the cons. As I continue to think of other pros and cons (aka worries), I can add them to my list. At the end of the day, I can go back and look at these lists and help myself overcome the fears. If we don't try, we will never know the answer. Is there a chance we could fail? Most certainly! But what if we succeed? What if we go beyond our wildest dreams? What if it is so successful that we decide to open a second store in another area? What if it fails after a few months? What if...

"Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will."-Suzy Kassem
It's time to let go of our doubts and go for our dreams! Don't be afraid. There is another quote that I love and it's "if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life". I am doing what I love. You should too!

​I encourage you to write down your dreams. After you write each one, write down the things that are holding you back from attempting them. After you have that list, write a list of all of the wonderful things that can happen if you succeed at your dream. Do the great things outweigh the things that are holding you back? What can you do to start implementing your dream? Write down steps you can take to start making your dream your reality. We can do anything we set our minds to. Failure is a stepping stone. From failures come self discovery. Every successful person has had many failures. The reason they are successful is because they learn from these failures and persevere. Surround yourself with people who can see your potential, who can help you facilitate your dream. Step away from the doubters and naysayers. Block out the negativity and go for it! Make short term and long term goals. Where do you want to be in a year? 5 years? 10 years? Plan it out. If you fail at something, at least you tried! Move on to another plan. Time will pass whether you are thinking about your dream or actually working on accomplishing it.

What are your dreams? Let's start a discussion and give each other advice on how to achieve them! If you would like to comment below, I'd love to help you brainstorm on how to make your dream a reality.
0 Comments

About our sugar scrub-plus a coupon!

7/29/2016

1 Comment

 
Have you ever tried a sugar scrub? Most traditional sugar scrubs are made up of oils mixed with sugar. They tend to feel kind of greasy when you rub them on your skin and may leave that greasy feel when you rinse it off. We've all tried one like that and sometimes that will leave an imprint in your mind that you may not really like a sugar scrub. I have to tell you, our sugar scrub is nothing like that.
Our recipe has some special ingredients. We add the same emulsifying wax that is added to lotion to help the water and oil bind. So what does this mean to you? When you take our scrub and add a little water to your skin, the scrub turns into a lotion. It does not feel oily or greasy. It exfoliates while simultaneously moisturizing the skin. It leaves the skin feeling smooth and smelling amazing.
One of the main ingredients, the raw sugar, comes from M.A. Patout sugar mill in Jeanerette, Louisiana. Keeping in our tradition of using local products, we swapped over to raw sugar last year and we love the way the coarser granule of the raw sugar feels while exfoliating. We love being able to support our local economy and Louisiana businesses.
The scrub is also packed with sunflower oil, coconut oil, Shea butter, and jojoba oil to help moisturize the skin. The addition of local beeswax helps form a protective barrier on the skin to allow the oils to penetrate deeply. We use a paraben-free preservative to ensure that no mold or bacteria grows in the scrub should water get into the container.
We'd love for you to give our scrub a try! We think you will love it as much as we do. From now through August 5th, use the coupon code SUGAR to get $1.00 off each jar of scrub.
Picture
1 Comment

A day of friends and relaxation

7/28/2016

1 Comment

 
Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised with some props that a wonderful friend made for my new booth set up. We've been working hard to get things ready for the new booth set ups in the fall and part of it will be new hand washing stations. My husband has been fabricating a foot pedal operated sink system. We needed a couple of table tops built, which my husband didn't have the woodworking tools needed to make them. We enlisted the help of our friend, Mr. Larry, who also makes our beautiful soap dishes, to make the tabletop to hold the sink basin. The results are so far beyond my expectations, as always. He has a way of knowing just what to make and the results are always stunning. I can't wait for all of you to see these sink tops in person!

This evening I will be back in the soap shop, working on more soaps. Earlier today, we had a wonderful friend, who I met in December through the Louisiana Crafts Guild, come over with her little boy for a visit. We enjoyed talking and watching the kids play and swim. It was nice to take a break and visit. Not long after they left, some family stopped by for a little while to get help from my husband with a vehicle that needed to be looked at.

While I haven't gotten much accomplished business-wise so far today, it has been a great day because of the friendship and fellowship. Not everyday needs to be filled with non-stop work. I don't have to feel bad for taking time out of my schedule to have some downtime with friends and family, even in the middle of the week. I also managed to get a nap in this afternoon with my youngest after waking up at 1 am this morning and not being able to get back to sleep. It was nice to get some rest.

I've been researching some more products to add to our men's line to expand it and have more options for the fellas. I will be working on the men's products over the next few weeks and possibly asking for a few product testers (read Guinea pigs) to give us feedback. If you would like to be a product tester for our men's products and provide feedback please send us a message. I will be contacting the possible testers in the next few weeks.
Picture
1 Comment

Summertime Product Development

7/27/2016

0 Comments

 
​We are deep in the midst of product development here. Summer is the best time for me to work on formulations for new products because I don’t schedule shows during the summer months. I use this time to not only work on new products, but to stock up for upcoming fall shows and the holiday season which are some of my busiest times. Today, I started working on a cream soap to use as a women’s shave soap. I currently use the men’s shave soap with the shave brush when I shave, but I know some women may not want to have to go through the trouble of using a shave brush to lather up, so I saw the need for a women’s version. I am in the initial stages of production, formulating a conditioning cream soap that is stable enough to provide protection to the skin from nicks and razor burn, without clogging up the razor as you shave. It’s not an easy task, but one I’m tackling!
I’m simultaneously working on a conditioning liquid soap that is currently cooking in my soap pot as I type this. Branching out into other soaps broadens our product line and brings different options to you as customers. I know a lot of people rather liquid soap or body wash over bars, so I will be working on getting the perfect recipe that will be conditioning and not drying to the skin.
I’m also kicking around the idea of a few other products to add to the line as time permits. Soap production is still in full swing, and I am working not only on our regular bar soaps, but preparing some of our small soaps to include in this year’s teacher/friend gift bags we put out during the holidays. I want to have some of these gift bags ready for sale when we start up our holiday shows in October.
All of this production and product development is going on while I’m still homeschooling through the summer because I know that October I will be tied up with shows and the boys will be doing school just a couple of days a week in October. We have to get ahead so we don’t get behind during show season. I’m also working on potty training my youngest. He has the tendency to be a little stubborn, so this is proving to be a little more work than I was hoping. We will make it through it!
Are there any products you would like to see us make? I’ve had requests for items such as natural deodorant, which I have been working on to make it strong enough to fight off odors, but gentle enough that it doesn’t irritate the skin. Personally, I have sensitive underarms and using a deodorant with too much baking soda sets my armpits on fire! Creating a recipe has been a lot of trial and error, but I think I just about have it down.  If you have any product requests or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you! Let us know what you would like to see!
Picture
0 Comments

A sincere thank you!

7/26/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture

​​If you would have told me 4 years ago that I would have a growing bath and body business, I probably would’ve laughed in your face. When I started this business, I was a stay-at-home mom with 4 little boys under the age of 7. We had the farm and the boys, but I decided to start up in early December 2013. I knew I wanted to do something to help supplement my husband’s income that allowed me to be home with the boys and still have time to homeschool and take care of all of the household and farm tasks. I knew that massage therapy would take me away from home so that was marked off the list.  I started with what I knew best, making bath salts and lotion bars. The lotion bars became the hot ticket item for that Christmas season since they were nice looking, inexpensive gifts people could give to friends and coworkers without breaking the bank. I was still perfecting my soap recipe, so I didn’t even start selling cold process goat milk soap until the middle of 2014.

It’s amazing how much we’ve grown in such a short time. From starting off in my kitchen, to having not just 1, but 2 buildings at the house dedicated to the business, it has been a whirlwind adventure. It has truly become a family affair with my husband helping in the soap shop and building displays, while the boys help make bath bombs, package and label. We even recruited my husband’s aunt and her daughter who are helping with wrapping soaps so I can concentrate on creating more products.  
It has been quite the adventure for us. We are chasing our dream of opening our own store, hopefully before the holiday season, and trying to spread our products far and wide. I went into this with a hope to make a few extra dollars and it has turned into a goal to be able to support our family with this business. We want to be able to expand our farm and for my husband to be here to take care of things instead of being offshore and in a constant state of worry if he will be laid off. It is such a huge jump we are hoping to make with a storefront, but we both believe it will be a wonderful success.

​My goal is, and always has been, to provide quality handcrafted bath and body products at a price everyone could afford. We have built our business around having great customer service and treating every customer the same, whether you spend $1 or $1000. We appreciate every single one of our customers. We are humbled daily by all of you. We are blessed beyond measure. I am always so surprised when a new customer comes to us because of suggestion from one of you. Our business is strongly based on word of mouth for advertisement and y’all are doing a fabulous job of spreading the word! We can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us. We are honored that you have come along for the ride! Thanks for being a part of our business and for the love and support you show us every day! Without you, we wouldn’t be Bain Amour!

Our original lotion bars-where it all started
Our original packaging for bath salts
When I first started making bath fizzies!
We've come a long way since then!
4 Comments

What is a lotion bar?

7/25/2016

0 Comments

 
A lotion bar is a solid lotion made up of oils, wax, and sometimes butters to make a solid, moisturizing bar that forms a protective barrier on the skin. We carry two types of lotion bars. Our basic lotion bar has 4 ingredients- olive oil, rice bran oil, coconut oil, and local beeswax. I am very big on using as many local products as possible, and beeswax is no exception. We buy our beeswax from Bernard's Apiaries just down the road in Henderson, LA.
I have formulated the bar with deeply moisturizing oils that are known to penetrate into the skin because of their rich vitamins and fatty acids. The beeswax helps lock in the moisture by providing a natural water resistant barrier on the skin.

Our luxury lotion bar has the added benefits of cocoa butter, Shea butter, and kokum butter along with the basic recipe. If you've never heard of kokum butter, it comes from the kokum ( Garcinia indica) tree found primarily in India. It is considered to be one of the most balanced botanicals available. It has emollient properties, drawing moisture into the skin. Kokum is also said to help nurture damaged skin, make the skin feel more supple, and provide a barrier to help hold moisture in the skin. It is considered non-comodegenic, so it does not clog pores like some butters do.

Our lotion bars are loved by our customers, especially those that have to wash their hands numerous times per day such as nurses, food prep/servers, day care workers, and retail workers. The moisturizing feel stays on the skin without leaving the skin feeling oily or greasy. It lasts through multiple hand washings before needing to be reapplied. If you have never experienced using a lotion bar before, I encourage you to try one out. You may just be surprised how great these little bars make your skin feel!
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Sunday Funday! We are halfway through the challenge

7/24/2016

0 Comments

 
It's Sunday funday! We've somehow made it to the halfway point in this blogging challenge and I've managed to post everyday! This morning, I got some work done in the soap shop this morning, cranking out a few orders to ship out tomorrow. I brought in my younger goats administered their dewormer and gave them some feed. I had moved our other goats into a different pasture to keep them separated. I didn't know it at the time, but a big storm was brewing. Before I had a chance to move everyone back to their respective pastures, the bottom fell out of the sky. Lightning was striking all over, and a very unhappy herd of goats were stuck in a pasture that doesn't have a shelter. Dairy goats are pretty finicky when it comes to rain. They do not like for their heads to get wet. There is a herd of goats in the pasture who are probably pretty mad with me right now.

We are all being a bit more lazy than normal this afternoon. We are all hanging out while the rain continues to fall watching a movie. In just a little while, my husband will be packing up to go offshore for a couple of days. We will be holding down the fort while he's gone, just like we always do.

It's hard to believe that in another week, we will be in a new month. This year seems to be passing so quickly. Before I know it, my youngest will be turning 3 and my oldest will be 10. I know the month of October will fly by in an instant. With shows every weekend, most of them being multi-day shows, I will only be home a couple of days each week in October. Mostly to restock what we will need for the next show and do some laundry. It will be tough being away from home so much, but it's a sacrifice I will be making to help grow our business. I would love nothing more than my husband to be able to get out of the oil field and be able to sustain our family with our bath & body business. We'd love to grow the farm and get more animals, and opening a storefront is one of our ultimate goals.

I will be working on perfecting some new recipes before our shows start in October, and we hope that those of you who have been to our booth in the past will enjoy our new set up with our double booth spaces for all of our upcoming shows! Is there a product you would like to see us make? Comment below and tell us what you would like to see and we will do our best to make it happen!
Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Categories

    All

Copyright Bain Amour Bath & Body Company 2022
Bain Amour Bath & Body Co
1032 Alex Richard Rd
Arnaudville, LA 70512
Photos used under Creative Commons from symphony of love, Veganbaking.net