Community Participation Update

-

For those who have been following TKB's steps towards community participation, we are happy to announce our first community-based class coming this Thursday.

I was approached by teacher Kate Sugarman of Arise High School to do some kind of presentation for her class "Money Really Does Grow on Trees". Here is a description of the class:

Since the beginning of time, people have been making household products from things found in nature. In this class, you will learn how you too can develop a business based on natural, organic products. We will forage for fruit and flowers, make essential oils, paper, soap, candles and edible treats. We will also be building the ARISE greenhouse to propagate and grow our own seedlings. Along the way, we will visit various Bay Area merchants to interview people about running a successful, natural business. At Exhibition Night, our products will go on sale. Interested students can keep their businesses going throughout the year. Keep a little extra cash in your pocket!

We will be looking at two different products here at TKB. The first will be lip products (lipsticks, chapsticks, balms, etc.) and I will explain the different types of plant based oils, waxes and color additives one can use. Of course, each student will also get the thrill of unmolding a lipstick into a casing, as well as to make their own product.

The second project will be melt and pour soapmaking. We will again look at the plant based ingredients but we will also focus on how to design a soap which will "sell". We will be doing fortune soaps. This is a project where you design a fortune, laminate it with packing tape, and then put it in a small zip lock bag which you fill with soap. This way you have a small prepacked travel soap the student can take home with them, and a unique fortune inside.

I am pleased to support ARISE which is a school specifically tasked to prepare students from low income families to be the first in their families to attend college.

Comments

Donna Maria @ Indie Business said…
This is great, Kayla! I love the idea of fortune soap! What a neat way to make a gift for someone! I'll remember this for my next rainy day project with the kiddos. Thanks for sharing!
1:41 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Increase Lip Gloss wear-resistance with new Citrine Clear Wax

-
Image
We are often asked how to make the Tkb Gloss Base (formerly known as Versagel) more resistant to being wiped off the lips.  The best ingredient to accoplish this is a wax and we are happy to recommend our new:  Citrine Clear Wax! Here is how we found that works best:  To 1 gram of TKB Gloss Base, you will want to add from 10%-20% (by weight) of the wax. The more you add, the stronger the fix on the lips. Add too much, and it may have somewhat of a heavy feel, so please experiment.  Instructions: To fill one Silver Rectangular Gloss Container:  Take 20 grams of TKB Gloss Base and add 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax Heat in the microwave for approximately 2 minute. Stir and allow to cool. Test to see if you like the results.  If you feel that it needs more "staying power", add an additional 4 grams of Citrine Clear Wax.  Once you have decided what you like, we suggest you remelt it, and add your colors before dispensing into the contai
Read more

About Sunflower wax and Rice Bran wax

-
Image
How often do you stumble on a cosmetic formulation which calls for waxes, and specifically calls for "beeswax"? Pretty often would be my guess as beeswax has been used for 1000's of years in all kinds of cosmetics and skin care products. Take a little break and... Close your eyes and imagine an ancient Egyptian sold perfume unguent of sweet smelling beeswax infused with cinnamon, rose and iris. Nice, right? But when do our poor little worker-bee-buddies get a break? The answer is when you switch to a vegan substitute for beeswax: In this blog post we are showcasing our Sunflower Wax and Rice Bran Wax! About Waxes in Cosmetics:  If you are a cosmetic formulator, you are going to eventually use waxes in your formulation. Waxes generally have these qualities (though there are some exceptions): Hydrophobic (they resist water) Solid at room temperature; liquid at their melt point They don't dissolve in water They can dissolve in other liquids
Read more

Hey Dr. Oz, how about Fruit and Flower Pigments in Cosmetics?

-
This past week, Oprah's Dr. Oz tried to increase his ratings by bashing Mineral Makeup as one of the most dangerous forms of color cosmetics. His basic concern was the inhalation hazard. Umm. OK. I'm going to set that one to the side for now and ask, "Hey, Dr. Oz, how about taking a look at the newest trend on QVC, which is color cosmetics made with fruit and vegetable pigments?" Can we say "not-FDA approved and at risk for bacterial growth"? Loose powder mineral makeup is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but the use of fruits and vegetables to pigment cosmetics sure ain't. The FDA strictly regulates color additives and their approved uses in cosmetics. Per the FDA, the definition of a color additive is a follows (source: Sec 201 ) (t)(1) The term "color additive" means a material which— (A) is a dye, pigment, or other substance made by a process of synthesis or similar artifice, or extracted, isolated, or otherwise
Read more