What's your best seller?

This question is almost always asked in relation to the soap scents. (But I'll touch on the other stuff too!)

Ok, if I'm being totally honest? This is not what people ask me first. What they DO ask is "what's YOUR favorite?" and sheesh, I can't answer THAT!  Like your kids, these babies are all my own creations and I can't pick one over the other. I should say I love them all, but there are a few that I go back to more often than the others.  However this varies by month or by year or by what's new this season. And I won't trash talk any of them.

So I steer people in different directions, like what scents they like best, or more often, what are the most popular soaps. So here we are. What's my best seller? You'll be shocked to know the real answer, but as with all things, there's a story to it.

The number one best seller of soaps last year was . . . drumroll .  . . PATCHOULI!  Oh my GOD you're thinking.  That stuff stinks!! Well, yes. Sorta. But Patchouli fans are very loyal and when they find a good thing they buy it by the dozen.  Or maybe 8 at a time. And they just restock regularly by mail order, and don't even run around to shows to find me any more. They found it. They love it. They can't live without it. And I made more of that than any other soap scent last year.

But the very close runner up, and the one that sells by far the most at any festival, show or craft sale  - day in and day out, year round -  and has been the best seller since Day One in my business is LAVENDER LEMONGRASS.

So the Top 5 are probably the ones in my Helping Hands set - which is why they are there:  Lavender Lemongrass, French Lavender, Vanilla Bean & Honey, Clove Mint and Moroccan Fig. Well the fig one might be not be top 5, but it's definitely top 10 - it just looks so pretty in there.

Others that make the cut:  Lavender Pear, Breakfast, and Tea Tree & Blue Clay. And the seasonal scents are often more popular than anything else at any given moment, because they are new and fresh and only available for a limited time. So the whole question can get a bit complicated. Really, scent favorites are such an individual thing, and what one person loves, the other one doesn't.  Or vice versa.

Top spray - tie between the Lavender Lemongrass and the French Lavender. But the Coconut Lemon gets a lot of raves during the summer months. And the Holiday Spice is unbeatable during the holiday season.

Top bath salt - Vanilla Bean & Honey. Usually. Sometimes there's a run on the French Lavender, or the Almond Ginger.

Top lip balm - Vanilla Tangerine, followed closely by the Coconut Lemon. And maybe the Herbal Mint. But lately the Blackberry Pomegranate too. See? It's hard to choose!

When you see me the next time - you can still ask me "what's your best seller?" and maybe the line-up will be a little different by then. In our current ADD/Twitter culture, what's "trending" moves more quickly than ever. But the stuff that really smells good never goes out of style.

P.S. If you want to answers to other very often asked questions, click on the tag "Q&A" to see what other burning hot Q's I've A'd in the blog.  I'm doing these at least once a month so you'll all be experts too.