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Kathy Tarbox; Publisher, Editor-In-Chief

Satisfying one’s curiosity begets opportunity; acting upon opportunity opens doors of enlightenment and motivation, which results in creating something truly novel and useful, ultimately uniting a community. This is what Kathy Tarbox has done. It all started with encountering “essential oils” in an article she was reading to pass the time. So intrigued was she, the soon-to-be entrepreneur took to the information superhighway, where, essentially, Tarbox read a bit about essential oils in soapmaking, and was inspired by the first internet soaplist created by Melody Upham. Tarbox created Petal Pusher Botanical Soap Company in 1996, starting with CP soap and also began selling soapmaking supplies.

Tarbox wanted more information and sought it, but there was nothing out there that guided independent soapmakers such as herself. Thus, The Saponifier was born in 1998 to fulfill a niche in the market. By July 2008 it had 28 issues packed with more than 275 articles from 55+ writers. The Saponifier is all about sharing the knowledge and experiences of soap makers, toiletry makers, candle makers, chemists and suppliers; topics range from marketing to formulating, organizing to designing, business sense to wholesaling and everything else in-between.

In 2001, Tarbox took advantage of the internet and created www.soap-wire.com, the online news-wire for the natural and organic personal care industry, and in 2008 launched the industry’s first all-inclusive guide, The LookBook (www.saponifier.com/lookbook). She remains an esteemed member of the Soap Guild (www.soapguild.org), IBN (indiebeautynetwork.com) and the International Guild of Candle Artisans (igca.net).

Tamara Dourney, Managing Editor

Tamara Dourney, owner of
Natural Magic Soaps,
lives in South Florida with her husband and three children. Her love of nature
began as a small child, when she helped her father tend their working garden.

Over the years, Tamara has continued to expand her herbal
knowledge through an extensive collection of reference books, online
research and through field exploration. She now enjoys passing that
knowledge- along with her knowledge of hot process soapmaking- on to others.

Tamara is also a founding editor and co-owner of the
popular website, Craft Revolution,
an online magazine dedicated to promoting handmade goods.

Erica Pence, ‘Herbal Wisdom’ & ‘Candles’ Editor

Erica Pence is the owner of The Bonnie Bath Co., a small bath and body and candle business with an emphasis on natural ingredients. Raised by an herbalist, she has a strong interest in becoming one herself as she continually researches herbs and aromatherapy and their place in bath and body products. Erica lives in Southeast Florida with her husband and daughter and is a former school teacher and librarian. Her career as a librarian has imparted a strong background in research as her background in teaching promoted the sharing of the information she finds with anyone who will listen. In her free time, she enjoys scrapbooking, photography, and reading. In addition to hosting a blog for her customers – www.BonnieBath.com/blog, she also has a blog for fellow soap makers (and chandlers) to share information she finds and to network with fellow professionals – www.BonnieBath.com/blogspot.

Beth Byrne, ‘Interviews & Reviews’ Editor

Beth has always liked reading, writing, the arts, and crafting,
and was a school teacher until she had her first child. She homeschooled her six
children for 17 years, and has kept busy with various volunteer activities in
writing, editing, and teaching, as well. However, now that some of her children
have graduated and left the nest, and others are attending elsewhere, she finds
that she can pursue her other interests even further. Although Beth figures
she’s dabbled in enough subjects to appear on Jeopardy, she has no plans to
actually do so.

Her hobbies of gardening and floral design led to an
interest in herbs and in making her own cosmetic preparations. Melt and pour
soap came soon after, which she enjoyed immensely, even winning a contest
for artistic ability. She said, however, that she would never make cold
process soap. Three years later, she saw a soap-making demonstration at the
New York State Fair, and life would never be the same. Now, with untold
batches of soap under her belt, and experiences with various processes and
methods, she is crazy about soapmaking and in sharing her skills with
others. She has begun a small business called,
Soap and Garden, and is
working on her website. Most of the credit for putting together this site is
due to her son, Ethan, and her husband, Ken.

An avid researcher and learner in soapmaking, Beth looks
forward to learning more, teaching more, and doing what she loves, imparting
information to others. She is eager to do it in written form here at The
Saponifier. It is an honor to be on staff, helping to make this magazine
again the best soaper’s magazine available.

Jenn Givler, ‘Working Smarter’ Editor

Jenn Givler opened her handmade toiletries business in 1999.
Willow Fairy Creations specialized in aromatherapy products. Jenn made soaps,
lotions, and balms, and successfully marketed her business through the internet
and home spa parties.

While growing Willow Fairy Creations, Jenn saw a need in
the handmade toiletries community for business resources. She started a
Yahoo Group and began informally coaching other business owners with
business strategy ideas and marketing tips.
In 2004, Jenn decided to turn in her lotion mixer and coach full time.

Jenn brings a background in Public Relations, Marketing,
and small business ownership to her
coaching practice. Her
specialty is helping businesses move from start-up phase to growth phase.

Robert McDaniel, ‘In The Lab’ Editor

Dr. Robert McDaniel (aka Dr. Bob) who previously wrote for Saponifier joins us once again!

Dr. McDaniel earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Missouri-Rolla. After a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Chicago he started his industrial career with Armak Co., a maker of various surfactants that was originally part of Armour-Dial. He later worked for Henkel Corporation, one of the largest producers of detergents in Europe. He has been awarded 14 U.S. Patents relating to the soap and detergent industry, and is listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in Science and Technology. His book on home soapmaking, ‘Essentially Soap‘ was published by Krause Publications in the year 2000 and is still in print and one of the major resources for “soapers.” ES introduced INS calculations to the general public and included in-depth discussions of how and why saponification occurs as well as many recipes for CP and M&P soap. The copious photo illustrations reflect how soap actually looks at different stages of preparation rather than a photo studio’s idealized illustrations.

A second book, ‘Essentially Candles,’ co-written with his wife Katie, was published by Krause in 2001. Essentially Candles aims to provide basic candle-making techniques to the beginner as well as providing a working knowledge of candle additives, their function, and alternate methods to produce special effects. The facts presented in EC reflect in-depth discussions with domestic wax manufacturers and representatives of German Chandler training schools. Dr. Bob hopes to update EC to include details on vegetable waxes and self standing gel candles—technology that was not perfected when EC was first published.

At present, Dr. McDaniel teaches diverse subjects at the high school and college level in Orange County, California where he and his wife Katie make their home. Over the past several years Dr. Bob has taught Biology, Honors Biology, Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, Advance Placement Chemistry, Conceptual Physics, Astronomy, World Religions, Music Appreciation as well as collegiate courses in Physical Science and General Chemistry. He has also served as Department Chair and Campus Minister. Dr. Bob and Katie recently participated in a documentary on long-time marriages, which film should go into release in 2007. Stay tuned for details.

Dr. Bob is extremely pleased to once again take an active
roll in The Saponifier. He is available on a limited bases as a consultant
to our readers

Tony Burfield, ‘Aromatic Materials’ Editor

Tony Burfield has
now spent 30 years in the aroma trade, mainly working hands-on with essential
oils (their production, analysis and applications). After initially qualifying
as a food scientist, he returned to academia mid-career to do a further degree
in biochemistry, eventually becoming a Chartered Biologist. This was followed by
a period of post-doctoral research in the microbiological biotransformation of
essential oil components at Cranfield University. Now deeply involved in
perfumery, natural perfumery, and with natural aromatic products generally, Tony
is an aroma industry consultant, looking after the interests of various
essential oil, cosmetic and fragrance clients, from the small to corporate
(especially those with “green portfolio” credentials).

Tony also writes, lectures and produces educational
materials on aromatic topics.
Tony is the author of Natural Aromatic Materials – Odours and Origins
(2000) the privately published second edition of which (updated and
completely revised) is to be released shortly. Tony is also a co-founder of
Cropwatch, the unfinanced
Independent Watchdog to the Aromatic Natural Materials trade.

Carol Barber, ‘Toiletries’ Editor

Carol Barber lives in Calera, Alabama. Her interest in herbs for cooking and remedies
naturally expanded into soap and toiletry making 15 years ago. Over the years,
Carol has expanded her knowledge through an extensive reference collection,
online research, and “mad scientist play”. A former high school teacher, Carol
enjoys sharing her knowledge with others. She has begun a small business,
Dragon’s Pearls Naturals, and is
currently working on her website.

Elizabeth Sockol, ‘Herb Monographs’ Editor

An avid herbalist, Elizabeth is a dedicated writer who is currently finishing her education with plans on becoming a journalist.

Christine Giaccone, ‘The Personal Touch’ Editor

Christine resides in South Florida with her husband and son.
Her high-stress work as a 911 dispatcher led her to develop a love for relaxing
crafts. A dedicated paper-crafter, she has tried her hand at everything from
pouring candles to making soap. She is pleased to bring this experience to her
column in Saponifier.