Pretty much!! :lol: And, my work surface is still under about two tons of stuff from where Mr. Bensmom is cleaning out the pantry (one of the downsides to a small cottage industry!) so I don’t have a tester ready yet. But, I will soon!! 
Aaargh! :lol:
Reporting from frozen Zone 2…I set my jar of balm in some hot water for about 5-10 mins before I want to use it and it softens up just enough to make it nicely workable. I have also been cleaning and conditioning my tack in my house vs the barn. I think cold leather is tough to clean and condition even if your soap and balm are warm. Nuking it would scare me as I can never find the magic number to nuke butter without it either still being rock hard or a puddle.
In frozen Area I, I clean and condition all of my tack in my cozy, warm house!
The conditioner has the consistency of a paste which I apply with my fingers. If I want it any softer I leave the container in front of the fireplace, or near another heat source.
No problem applying it with my hands. It leaves them nice and pliable too, with a very nice, light scent.
I have found a new use: getting dried cat pee off of a leather couch. It had dripped down between pieces of the sectional. We’d dealt with the stuff on the top at the time, totally forget it might have dripped between. Months later the rag I used smelled like cat pee afterwards, but the couch sure as heck doesn’t.
Oooh you guys are such enablers! :lol: I am going to wait and see what January’s scent is… and try and figure out who to donate my old cleaning stuff to!
[QUOTE=Tuesday’s Child;7369685]
Oooh you guys are such enablers! :lol: I am going to wait and see what January’s scent is… and try and figure out who to donate my old cleaning stuff to![/QUOTE]
Bensmom must still be working on it because I haven’t gotten my sampler, but I am 100% positive it will be fantastic!!
One of these days I’m going to round up all my Lexol, Leather Wash, Passier Lederbalsam, and whatever other miscellaneous leather products I have laying around and donate them to the barn–boarders, lesson students, day camp, whoever wants them. I wouldn’t even feel right trying to sell the stuff… I couldn’t take money in exchange for getting rid of such inferior products!
Bensmom IS still working on it! Will you please tell Mr. Bensmom that I have to have my workspace back?!! I love him. I really, really do. He is totally re-doing my pantry, which has needed doing for THREE + years.
It is going to be lovely. I just know it. But, in the meantime, everything that is in the pantry normally is spread all over my kitchen. Tonight, when I was mixing known formulas so he can make product tomorrow, I couldn’t even find anywhere to put anything down. sob I don’t want to do anything to make him regret starting this project but after a week I want it DONE already!!!
<vent over> I know what I’m going to try, but I need to mix it up and let it sit, and then mix it into soap and let that sit, so I can be sure.
It’s been a long time since I’ve returned to this thread. I’ve been busy using and loving my HSLC products, but haven’t had much to report! They keep my much used and abused schooling bridle looking fabulous. Every time I clean it up, it looks brand spanking new!
But speaking of brand spanking new, I must say that the saddle soap and conditioner did a fabulous job helping me break in my new show bridle. Being a sucker for nice and soft leather, I was prepared to be disappointed by how the black leather broke in. However, with the help of daily riding and a nightly treatment with first my rosemary mint and then my conditioner, it has broken in beautifully, even to the satisfaction of this former hunter-bridle-snob! I give a lot of credit for how fast and well it broke in the the wonderful products I’ve used on it!
And it’s worth noting that I’ve had both my soap and conditioner for close to six months, and am not even close to needing more. I don’t always clean my bridle after every ride, but it gets done at least every other ride, and the conditioner comes out about once every two weeks.
Bensmom- Have you thought of having some sample sized containers of the balm available?
We had the sample sized containers of the balm available over Christmas with the sampler pack! It costs more to ship than anyone would pay for a sample size, so there will be samples available at times like Christmas, as part of a gift pack, and at places like shows – I will have samples available for purchase at Red Hills, for example. I am also sponsoring Red Hills and each entrant will get a sample size soap and balm in their packet.
But, at this point, as a small company, I was able to send the limited number of samples out at the beginning, but sending out a single balm sample could run me about $10 in costs, and I am just not big enough to afford to do it. 
But, if someone wants a large number of samples (20+) we’ve been willing to do that, and then a retail place can either sell the small ones, or some associations have used them for prizes and one fantastic client ordered a bunch for Christmas gifts.
Also, if someone places an order for something, and sends a note with a request, if I have a sample size made up and I can, I’m glad to drop it in with their order.
But the numbers don’t even work to sell individual sample sizes online – it might, someday, when I’m a HUGE MAJOR company ( :lol: ) and I can produce the samples for pennies, but at this point, even convincing the production department that they made sense at all was an uphill battle. Finance and Accounting ran the numbers and said no to shipping just one. 
Does that help at all? I can say if you buy it and don’t like it, let me know and we’ll work something out!
I’ve tried it and do like it I was just thinking it would be cool to have as an add on, you know if you buy a soap you could get a mini balm for a extra couple dollars
Mauhhahaha! I have a very large supply of your sample sized products! Of course, I am gifting out many of them… I love your products and really enjoy cleaning with them. Thank you thank you thank you!
The samples that I purchased for my fellow boarders were a HUGE hit as Xmas presents. I think I’ve converted them all. One lady even ordered herself and her mom a few as Xmas gifts.
I am still warming up to the conditioner but the soap has won me over. I won’t be buying anything else anytime soon! Can’t wait to see what the January scent is! 
I LOVE the balm! I actually really like how “hard” it is to get out of the jar. Because it is more firm I feel like I won’t use too much too quickly. I can get enough on the sponge to work over the leather easily, and if I want more I use my fingers and dig in a little with my nail to get a small chunk out.
Anyone ready to perk up the mid-January doldrums with a spiffy new scent?!!
Woohoo! Striker’s Vanilla Citrus, named after our own amastrike’s sweet boy, is available now on the Etsy shop!
I am pretty happy with the scent blend – I hope you guys like it!!
Says only is available and it doesn’t ship to the US!
off to fix it!
And so everyone can appreciate how wonderful and amazing and perfect Striker is and why they should buy his soap…
Safe horsemanship!
Jumping 3’6" at 22
TWINKIE!
Still going strong at 25!
He’s 27 this year and still thinks he’s 3 years old and on the track!
Wohoo! More soap! And I’ll have a saddle to clean & condition now…
Striker is super cute! Love the Twinkie face.
