Recently, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jade, the founder and creator of Made By Jade. A brand that sells homemade lotions and soaps that are completely free from preservatives but packed with ingredients that will nourish the skin. She takes some time off to answer some of our questions:
Tell us more about Made By Jade.
Made by Jade is as per the name suggests. Made by yours truly, a journey of sorts into making soaps, lotions, etc, anything that is DIY.
What inspired you to start this up?
As do most girls, I love anything to do with body pampering products. And soaps, were one of the easiest and “cheapest” ways to remember a place, a country whenever I travel.
I would often make it a point to visit markets, as these are the places where artisans plough their wares, and oftenwise, they are high quality, and homemade. There’s something almost magical about buying your soaps from someone who makes it themselves.
What has been the biggest challenge about starting your own line of soaps, lotions and etc.?
Space! And in my husband’s words, the room where I usually soap now looks like a meth lab! All else, its been a great journey, with many supportive friends, family and a growing customer base.
What do you love most about it?
The fact that I get paid to pursue a hobby. It’s a self sustaining hobby. I soap as much as I can but professionally, I work full time as a PR professional and I have my own consultancy business.
Tell us about the process you go through to make these soaps.
First of all, you need to get the orders from the customers, and as 90% of my clientele order by bulk (Eg: they order 1 whole loaf of soap, which can be cut into 8-10 pieces). Then, it’s down to making the soap, which is like a science experiment – combining both acid and alkaline to get glycerin, and voila – soap =)
I only use natural essential oils, and some of them include: lavender, rose geranium, eucapltus, lemongrass, peppermint amongst others. I do not use fragrance oil, as I think its still synthetic smells. Also, all produce is natural, SLS & paraben free and free of preservatives of any sort.
As for colouring the soap, I am trying my best to colour it using natural colours, such as red yeast, for a deep marron, ive also used neem leaf, for it’s healing benefits and for colour green as well as our local “bunga telang”, which I have specially grown in the garden, and I hope to be able to use it to colour the soaps purple!
Right now, I also have orders from nursing mothers who would like to convert their milk (some mothers overproduce milk or they have leftover batches in the freezer which the baby can no longer drink), and since it would be a waste for them to throw it away, they usually commission people like me “soapist” =) to convert it to breast milk soap.
Dealing with milk is another ballgame altogether, but yes, right now, there’s a growing demand on that as well.
Do you plan to have a store where customers can walk in and buy these Made By Jade goodies?
That would be awesome. I am currently selling it via Facebook, and an online store on my Facebook page. Otherwise, it can also be found at Rocky Restaurant, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar where I also display my wares.
From start to finish, how long does it take to make one bar of soap?
Handmade soaps are generally preservative free, which simply means, more often than not, it does not last as long as a commercial bar of soap, which has more preservatives to keep the shape of the soap, and to allow for more washes. That being said, handmade soaps are better for your skin, and overall health.
Which has been your favourite creation and why?
I’d say it would be the Guinness Soap, as the smell of Guinness and Malt is so strong, even after the curing process, which is a big thing for customers.
A lot of us use commercialized soap, so it’s natural to expect smell to be associated strongly with soap.
With many handmade soaps, during the curing process, a lot of the essential oils evaporate, and thus, it may smell fantastic during the beginning, but towards the end, only a hint of essential oil is there. But that doesn’t mean the soap isn’t any good, it’s actually of great quality!
Where do you see the brand Made By Jade in 5 years?
I’d like to see it flourish, and expand its repertoire of offerings. That being said, I am also keeping this as a hobby, so I’d like to make homemade, curated goods for individuals – made to order basis.
What has been the best feedback that you have received about your products?
There’s been several, I’m glad to say. One recent one was from a mummy who used the Bug Off! lotion bar on her 3 year old girl, and she dabbed it all on the little girls hands, feet, except her face.
For more information or to make a purchase you can visit Made By Jade’s Facebook page or here.
