I learned how to make shampoo and conditioner bars at Satinka Naturals
#workshops
At this day and age, our society is starting to be more conscious about the environment and also our overall well-being. I have been wanting to learn how to do shampoo and conditioner bars for a while now thinking it would be a good hobby for me, and would be wonderful to give as gifts.
I am not a tree hugger or anything like that, but I do love to do my part in cleaning up our oceans by eliminating single-use plastics. When I first saw the Instagram ad for Satinka's shampoo and conditioner bars classes through their sponsored ad, I was immediately intrigued.
Shampoo bars we made in class |
They replied right away and learned that for a 5 hour class (9AM-2PM), it would cost PhP 5,500 (PhP 4,500 for early registration). Their selling point is: materials included, all the finished products that you make in the workshop, and a complete guide/manual on how to make your shampoo and conditioner bars.
It took me a while to decide, but with only a week left to register, they still charged me their early-bird rate. I was very excited to attend the class. I researched a lot online about DIY shampoo bars but I wanted to learn how to do it properly by someone who does it for a living.
Fast forward to the day of the workshop, I arrived 20 minutes early. Parking is easy specially on a weekend because you can make use of the parking lot of the building next to it.
Photo credit to alwayshungry.ph |
If you are a La Sallian or a Benildean, you should be familiar with Suzu Kin. This used to be where it was. It's a quaint little place, and apparently, they hold their soap making workshops on the ground floor, and the bigger classes are held on the second floor. By the time classes really started, it was almost 9:30AM.
Don't you just find it annoying when Pinoys can't seem to be on time?
By the time we finished going around the group for introductions, I was hella hungry. I didn't think I would last til lunch time. Good thing we were allowed to order from their kitchen and eat during the workshop. That's when I found out that Satinka Naturals was actually a restaurant. A cafe that offers healthy food.I wasn't really keen on ordering just a salad like the other girls did, so I ordered a burger. To be fair, their food was really good. I did not have any expectations because I thought they only served food for the workshop attendees, when in fact, Satinka Naturals was actually a fully operational restaurant by day, moonlighting in natural, hand-made products.
We did about an hour of lecture. Talking about the importance of saving the environment and about why it was important to start using all-natural products.
Our teacher, Schaller, is the owner of Satinka Naturals together with his wife Satinka (where the place was named after). We discussed each ingredient thoroughly; learned where everything that we would be using is derived from and the importance of each; and what role it plays in the finished product.
Our group of 12 attendees that day were divided into 2 groups, and each group just shared a batch.
To be quite honest? I was a little bit disappointed, but that was my problem though. I thought that with the fee we paid for at least we would be doing our own personal batch of soap making and would be very hands-on. Instead, we all had to take turns measuring and sharing everything. Some of the attendees were even too shy to take a turn afraid of screwing it up for everybody.
Back in the day when I would attend other DIY workshops, we each had our own personal ingredients to use, and we could take everything home. Times have changed, I guess.
Another reason why I wanted to attend the workshop, was to get my hands on the pressing apparatus thinking there would be one.
The fee of the workshop did not include a proper bar pressing aparatus. We had to use something that was makeshift from a PVC pipe that would compress the bars manually. We did not take home the pipe thing because they had to order it from the guy who made it and it would cost PhP 100 each.
The group I belonged to opted for a colorless shampoo bar. We chose rosemary, pink grapefruit, and eucalyptus for our essential oils so it was pretty straight up.
The other group opted for a more colorful shampoo bar and chose bright pink, and if I'm not mistaken, they chose pink grapefruit for their scent.They also have recipes online that are purely oil based and I think those would be good to try as well. It's very different when you see it actually being done right in front of you.
Schaller adding essential oils to the mixture |
I left even before the workshop was over. There was a bonus lesson on lip balms, but I did not stay for it anymore. I got bored to be truthful, and I just thought that I would be able to make the lip balm on my own by watching YouTube videos instead.
I guess what you were really paying for was the recipe that they give you, but I guess that was it. I attended a workshop before on soap making, and we each had to do our own batch for it to be more hands-on, and we went home with our own ingredients, soap molds and soap cutters that was included with the fee of just PhP 3,000. Each one is different I guess.
So, now that I know how to make my own shampoo and conditioner bars, I will be offering a class of my own for friends and family who would like to learn. When I do find the right pressing tool for the bars, I will start teaching this so that we can eliminate single-use plastics altogether!
If I were to give Satinka Naturals an honest rating, I would give a 3.5-star. To be quite honest, I enjoyed their food more than I did the workshop. I did learn a lot though, don't get me wrong. It was just not what I had expected, and that's my problem.
HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS:
PROS
- Thorough when it comes to explaining the materials and the ingredients.
- Good food. But food and drinks are NOT included in the fee.
- You get to take home a few pieces of the finished product to try.
- Easy to park if you will be bringing your car.
- The teacher provides lifetime online support. You just message him anytime and he will help you out if you have questions.
- You get to pay discounted rates if you will enroll in their other future workshops.
- Teachers are very nice and they answer all of the questions properly and patiently.
CONS
- Materials to take home not included. You are free to use the ingredients at the workshop but you won't bring any of it home.
- They did not have the proper pressing tool for the bars, which I think was the most important of all.
- Workshop venue was a little stuffy and was a little warm.
MY OVERALL RATING: ★★★☆☆.5
Workshop Fee: PhP 5,500
Purchased For: PhP 4,500 early bird promo
Will I attend other workshops? No. Maybe If I had extra money to spend.
Will I recommend it? Yes.
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1 comments
What a unique experience! I think this class sounds super interesting and it's clear that you learned a lot. It's too bad they didn't have the right pressing tool though.
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