Working in the healthcare industry, I always felt my work was impactful but sometimes I felt it wasn't tangible. I wasn't providing medical care to heal someone, prescribing a life saving medicine or performing a surgical operation that would increase mobility or blood flow. I ran the business operations to improve clinical efficiencies and improve revenue collections. I managed the submissions of hundreds of grants and contracts, read proposals, ensured the divisions were under budget, never over. When I moved to California, I chose to live in the 'burbs of Walnut Creek. Surrounded by beautiful flowers, trees, parks and lots of grass. Walnut Creek has got to be one of the most beautiful California cities that I've seen and I appreciate its beauty everyday.
With all of that said, after moving from Brooklyn to Walnut Creek. I wanted to create something that people could use and value. I've always had a creative side, which is why I'm obsessed with design thinking. So, I scoured the internet to find something that I could do where I could use my smarts and creativity to make something fabulous that I could gift to people. First, I thought about cooking. Then, I decided that cooking wouldn't really be something that I could be passionate about. Although, I did love taking a few classes at Sur la Table in Walnut Creek (did I mention how much I love WC?). At Sur la Table, I found that I loved baking more than cooking. There was something really fun about mixing ingredients, using a powerful Kitchen Aid blender and then , of course, frosting the top.
Somehow (don't ask) the baking led me to body products and I started to dabble in craft soaps. Craft soaps involve taking a pre-made block of soap, melting it down and adding custom ingredients like exfoliators, essential oils, clays or various colors. I loved it immediately! I made a few soaps and made sure to test ALL OF THEM! The soaps seemed perfect, but I couldn't take any chances and have them burn someone's skin or give them a rash! I'm laughing as I write this because I was just totally paranoid. But, as I got into it more and studied the science, I fell into the world of artisan soaps. Now, artisan soaps are my love. I can wake up in the morning and make loafs of soap one after another.
Artisan soaps, involve lye because I'm making them from scratch. I bought 20 different oils, botanicals, extracts. You name it. I had it. The economics graduate in me found her love of science again. Which was funny, because I really disliked chemistry. But, when I was in the kitchen measuring oils, crafting recipes, thinking about which oils would make a bar more conditioning, exfoliating or smell the nicest, I was just in love. I remember my first loaf of soap. They're called loaves of soap because of the mold, which is similar to a loaf of bread mold. The first loaf smelled like roses (of course) and it was a pink and white swirl with some rose petals sprinkled along one side. I loved it. I used it. Then, I made a green loaf that smelled like a crisp spring day with a hint of sweetness. I sprinkled small sunflowers on the top. I sliced that one with a knife - very uneven slices! Those were my babies. I loved them anyway.
So, to this day, I've experimented with so many recipes and I've moved into crafting my own recipes, calculating the levels of conditioning and free oils left in a bar. Naturally, I moved into making other bath and skin products for myself and friends. My second love has been making body butters and lotions. I bought my own pastel pink Kitchen Aid just for this purpose! I don't even use the Kitchen Aid to bake anything. In my kitchen I blend, shea, mango, cocoa, kokum, avocado, aloe and mango butters! I mean - what is that, mango butter? Yep, it's a thing. It feels great on the skin and adds hardness to a bar of soap. I've learned so much - so much so that 1/2 of my kitchen is filled with butters, clays, botanicals, soaps, fragrance oils - you name it, like I said, I got it.
After a year of making soaps and body products, I'm crafting my own line of products which will be full of natural goodness like turmeric, mango and shea butter, french green clay - everything that's great for your skin. Check out my IG @tsahia for more of my creations.
With all of that said, after moving from Brooklyn to Walnut Creek. I wanted to create something that people could use and value. I've always had a creative side, which is why I'm obsessed with design thinking. So, I scoured the internet to find something that I could do where I could use my smarts and creativity to make something fabulous that I could gift to people. First, I thought about cooking. Then, I decided that cooking wouldn't really be something that I could be passionate about. Although, I did love taking a few classes at Sur la Table in Walnut Creek (did I mention how much I love WC?). At Sur la Table, I found that I loved baking more than cooking. There was something really fun about mixing ingredients, using a powerful Kitchen Aid blender and then , of course, frosting the top.
Somehow (don't ask) the baking led me to body products and I started to dabble in craft soaps. Craft soaps involve taking a pre-made block of soap, melting it down and adding custom ingredients like exfoliators, essential oils, clays or various colors. I loved it immediately! I made a few soaps and made sure to test ALL OF THEM! The soaps seemed perfect, but I couldn't take any chances and have them burn someone's skin or give them a rash! I'm laughing as I write this because I was just totally paranoid. But, as I got into it more and studied the science, I fell into the world of artisan soaps. Now, artisan soaps are my love. I can wake up in the morning and make loafs of soap one after another.
Artisan soaps, involve lye because I'm making them from scratch. I bought 20 different oils, botanicals, extracts. You name it. I had it. The economics graduate in me found her love of science again. Which was funny, because I really disliked chemistry. But, when I was in the kitchen measuring oils, crafting recipes, thinking about which oils would make a bar more conditioning, exfoliating or smell the nicest, I was just in love. I remember my first loaf of soap. They're called loaves of soap because of the mold, which is similar to a loaf of bread mold. The first loaf smelled like roses (of course) and it was a pink and white swirl with some rose petals sprinkled along one side. I loved it. I used it. Then, I made a green loaf that smelled like a crisp spring day with a hint of sweetness. I sprinkled small sunflowers on the top. I sliced that one with a knife - very uneven slices! Those were my babies. I loved them anyway.
So, to this day, I've experimented with so many recipes and I've moved into crafting my own recipes, calculating the levels of conditioning and free oils left in a bar. Naturally, I moved into making other bath and skin products for myself and friends. My second love has been making body butters and lotions. I bought my own pastel pink Kitchen Aid just for this purpose! I don't even use the Kitchen Aid to bake anything. In my kitchen I blend, shea, mango, cocoa, kokum, avocado, aloe and mango butters! I mean - what is that, mango butter? Yep, it's a thing. It feels great on the skin and adds hardness to a bar of soap. I've learned so much - so much so that 1/2 of my kitchen is filled with butters, clays, botanicals, soaps, fragrance oils - you name it, like I said, I got it.
After a year of making soaps and body products, I'm crafting my own line of products which will be full of natural goodness like turmeric, mango and shea butter, french green clay - everything that's great for your skin. Check out my IG @tsahia for more of my creations.
