RECIPE: Snow Balls Soap

It is official - Winter is here.  If you are having a snow day and do not know what to do, why not make snow balls?  Your kids will be more than happy to wash up these look a likes after playing outside in the snow. Even if you have snow falling in your part of the country this project from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Snow Balls is an easy project that can be done in a hour. Once this project is complete you should have 8 to 12 Snowball soaps.

Birthday Cake Bath Fizzies

Its your birthday because each time you use these festive bath bombs it will seem like a party.  The birthday colors in this bath bombs are real cupcake sprinkles that will melt in the tub while the moisturizing ingredients of apricot kernel oil and shea butter will help smooth your skin.  So let's get the party started by making these Birthday Cake Bath Fizzies.  This recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus is easy and should take an hour to make.  Once the recipe is complete you should have 14 bath fizzies.

Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars DIY

Have you ever heard of a salt bar before?  I have not until now.  They are basically cold process soap that has salt added to it which you would think it would make it a super scratchy bar, but it doesn't.  Actually adding salt creates a creamy and mild lather with a very light exfoliation.  In this  Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars recipe from The Soap Queen uses Pink Himalayan Salt which is well known for its stimulating and soothing properties.  Sounds like I would like to try making this some day.

Lemongrass Swirl CP Soap

I have to say that I have that I have not used much lemongrass essential oil when I have made cold process soap.  I did use it once with lemon essential oil to create a lemon poppy seed batch. Everyone was raving that it smelled good enough to eat.  But if you are really into lemon grass then here is recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Lemongrass Swirl CP Soap.  Besides including coconut and olive oils this recipe includes hemp oil, cocoa butter and shea butter.  IF you have never tried the swirl in the pot technique then you should try this one.

How to Make Baby Soap: Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bar

Have you ever heard of Bastille soap?  I never have.  Bastille is a term coined by some soap makers long time ago.  See Castille soap is traditionally made by using 100% olive oil.  Bastille soap is all most 100% olive oil but it typically has 10 to 30% other oils and butters.  So the high amount of olive oil makes it a super nourishing and mild soap for baby.  If you would like to learn how to make this bar of soap check out the post titled How to Make Baby Soap: Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bar from Lovin Soap.

Homemade Strawberry Lip Balm Recipe

Love strawberries?  Here is a strawberry lip balm recipe from Rebecca at Soap Deli News that is quick and easy to make plus it smells delicious and it even had a hint of pink to your lips.  This recipe is made with natural ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil, strawberry oil and an optional pink colorant to give your lips a shear to bold color.  Now if you want a slight chocolate flavoring use unrefined cocoa butter for a hint of chocolate flavoring if not go with the refined.

Winter Solstice Essential Oil Blend

This Winter Solstice essential oil blend recipe from The Mountain Herb Company is an ode to those sweet and cozy moments, hanging freshly made decorations with the crackling of wood tickling your ears from the next room. If you like Douglas Fir essential oil in this recipe, but your favorite tree scent will work just fine too! A little sweetness from benzoin resin essential oil or vanilla absolute will help bring out the spicy notes of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. This is the perfect blend to make you feel like you're on vacation in a toasty lodge near a white powdered mountain!

Galaxy Clyde Slide Cold Process Tutorial

When I saw this cold process soap tutorial called Galaxy Clyde Slide it reminded me of the famous Van Gogh painting The Starry Night.  This tutorial from The Soap Queen is for the advanced cold process soap maker that takes about an hour to make and it is a small batch of about 3 pounds.

How to Achieve Accurate Bar Size in Soapmaking

In February I purchased an acrylic slab mold from The Nova Studio garage sale that has dividers that makes 18 bars of soap. Sometimes I do not pour the soap batch correctly and the soap bars in the corners do not always come out as level as the bars in the middle of the mold.  But I just need to practice pouring the soap batter so that it gets into the corners.  As of now I do not have a log mold that I need to slice bars of soap, but I do have a simple metal slicer that I do not have use yet. But if you do have to slice your soaps and having difficulties in achieving an accurate bar of soap, you may want to read and watch the video in the Back Porch Soap Company's recent posting called How to Achieve Accurate Bar Size in Soap Making.  If you have and trick and tips, you are asked to share.

Holiday Packaging Ideas & Inspiration

Can't believe that Christmas is almost here.  Have you been beating your head against the wall about packaging your soaps?  The Soap Queen recently posted Holiday Packaging Ideas and Inspiration on her site.  Look these over and it just may give you some ideas.

Natural Colorant Testing & Inspiration

Adding a scent and color to me is one my favorite parts of the soap making process.  The portion of adding scents can be very creative you can use fragrance or essential oil but complimenting it with a complimentary color can really set a bar of soap apart from another.  There are many types of colorants you can use in cold process soap making but if you prefer to keep your soap as natural as possible, you can use a variety of colorant options from various clays to herbs to botanicals to powders. To learn more about natural colors and testing, I would recommend reading The Soap Queen's post called Natural Colorant Testing & Inspiration.

How to Pick Containers for Soapmaking (What is Safe to Soap In?)

Are you new to making cold process soap making?  And are you wondering which containers you should use in making your soap?  I found a posting from Lovin' Soap Studio called How to Pick Containers for Soap Making (What is Safe to Soap In?). Amanda Gail discusses which type of containers you should use to mix your soap, lye solutions and fragrance/essential oils.  Each section provides pictures of what the containers look like for easy reference.  So it is extremely important to pick the right mixing containers and bowls for making soap.  Please check out what is the appropiate container that you need to use so you avoid any problems.

Candy Cane Taiwan Swirl

Have you ever heard of a Taiwan Swirl?  I really never heard of it until I saw this project from Lather Be Soaping called Candy Cane Taiwan Swirl. It looks really interesting and would be a technique for someone who has done alot of swirling in their cold process soap batches before. If you would like to see how it is done, then check it out.

Sugared Spruce MP Soap Loaf

When I saw the name of this melt and pour soap loaf, I started thinking of walking through a forest of pine trees.  And I wanted to go cut down a Christmas Tree.  Wholesale Supplies Plus' Sugared Spruce MP Soap Loaf is moderate project level that should take you an hour to make this.  The results will give you (8) 1"  Slices.  It is perfect to add to your product line or give out as gifts.

Natural Lemon Verbena Bath Melts Recipe & Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes

On Sunday I was at a share faire in Palo Al;to.  There was a wonderful plant that had a great aroma that I had to check out.  It was Lemon Verbena.  Then I remember I found a great recipe that I wanted to share and I had to immediately find it.  So I found it and  thought I would share this recipe for Natural Lemon Verbena Bath Melts and Solid Sugar Cube Recipes from Soap Deli News.

Cleansing Orange Spice Salt Scrub

One of my favorite scents this time is of the year is orange spice.  The combination of orange, cinnamon and clove just makes me happy.  If you love that aroma and you love to use salt scrubs then you may want to check out this recipe from The Soap Queen called Cleansing Orange Salt Scrub. This is a very simple recipe to make and it should take you only 20 minutes to make.  Once you are finished you should have 4-5 four ounce jars.  Great for giving out as gifts.

Color Block Usage Rates in Melt & Pour Soap

 

Melt and pour soapmakers, did you you know that there are plenty of options of coloring your soap?  Yes, you can use micas, liquid colorants, natural colorants and more.  But did you know there is something called Color Blocks?  Never heard of them?  Color blocks are small pieces of highly concentrated melt and pour soap.  Would you believe they are mixed with various oxides, pigments and micas. They are really easy to use,  All to you have to do is simply add a small amount of the color block of your choosing to melted soap and just stir.  The heat melts the color block shavings which in turns colors the soap.  What is really great about color blocks is that they help prevent clumps and speckles plus they incorporate easily into your melt and pour base.  Want to learn more?  Check out the recent posting from The Soap Queen called Color Block Usage Rates in Melt and Pour Soap.

How to Blend Essential Oils Safely

Are you new to essential oils?  Want to know more about how to blend them, especially safely?  Essential oils are a great option for scenting your products naturally and it there is a proper way to use them.  In a recent post from The Soap Queen called How to Blend Essential Oils Safely that tells you exactly how to do that.

Video Tutorial: How to Make Whipped Body Butter

Do you love to use a body butter?  How would you like to learn to make your own?  The Natural Beauty Workshop recently posted a video blog on How to Make Whipped Body Butter. Their resident blogger and author Mary Helen created this video tutorial showing the step by step process for creating a whipped butter.  This technique can be used to create a butter that is as simple or complex as you like.  There are four recipes available for you to make.....

DIY Lemon Lip Gloss Recipe

Do you love to use lip gloss and the taste of lemons?  Cannot seem to find anything like that?  Would you like a recipe to make your own? This recipe called DIY Lemon Lip Gloss appears on the Soap Deli News site with the courtesy of SpaIndex.com Guide to Spas. It is a really easy recipe to make and would be great for stocking stuffers or party favors.

DIY Nutrient Rich Clay Face Mask Recipes

Winter will be hear shortly and wouldn't be nice to put forward a fresh face and fight the harsh winter elements by giving your skin a healthy dose of nutrient rich, detoxifying face food!  You can if you the recipe from Soap Deli News in a posting called DIY Nutrient Rich Clay Face Mask. The recipes are very easy to make and are made with ingredients such as green tea powder, honey powder, and french green clay.  These handmade masks will not only minimizing pours (I really need help with that!) but it will also help your skin looking clear and healthy.

DIY Mango Shimmer Tinted Lip Balm Recipe

Love lip balm?  Looking for stocking stuffers, party favors or whatever?  Here is a recipe I found on Soap Deli News that which is extremely easy to make....it is called DIY Mango Shimmer Tinted Lip Balm Recipe. So let's get started to making great lip balmmmmmm.

Ash in Soapmaking – What is it and how do you prevent it?

Have you had ash appear on your cold process soap?  When I first started making soap process method I did.  What I would do is spray distilled water on the soap and rubbed it off with a paper towel.  That gets abit tiring.  My last batch what I did was place cellophane wrap over the mold after I poured the batch into the mold and let it saponify.  That seems to work well.  In a recent posting from Lovin' Soap Studio called Ash in Soapmaking - What it is and how do you prevent it?  gives a tip of spraying rubbing alcohol on your batch.   Now I tried this but either I was not doing it right or maybe I was using the incorrect type.  If you read the posting you may figure it out.  But for right now I like the cellophane wrap the best.

Winter Mint Homemade Moisturizing Hair Mask Recipe

Winter is nearly here.  It can really wreak havoc on your hair.  I found this recipe from Rebecca's Soap Deli called Winter Mint Homemade Moisturizing Hair Mask.  I have to be honest I never tried a hair mask before but I am tempted to try something different for my hair.  Rebecca created this moisturizing hair mask to help counteract the effects of winter.  It is made with natural ingredients which delivers intense moisture to hair ravaged by the elements of winter.

Winter Spice Wax Tarts

Did you know that you can fill your home with the warm and fragrant of the holiday season without having to saturating the air with chemical fresheners or mass-produced potpourri?  There are a lot of different ways you can add a touch of home naturally.  The Natural Beauty Workshop recently shared this recipe for Winter Spice Wax Tarts.  These wax tarts are easy to make and great idea for sharing.

Peppermint Candy Bath Bomb Tutorial

When I saw this bath bomb tutorial from The Soap Queen, I just could not get the starlite peppermint candy off of my mind. I thought these Peppermint Candy Bath Bombs were a great idea to make this time of year so I just had to share.  This is a perfect project for the beginner and it should take initially one to two hours (up to overnight for the bombs to cure).  You be able to get 6-7 bath bombs to give out as gifts.  Remember you could always make more.

Honey and Beeswax Cold Process Soap

Did you know that beeswax is a great additive for cold process soap?  According to Wholesale Supplies Plus, it can reduce ash, harden soap when using individual molds.  As for honey, it is another great additive for cold process soap.  Is is supposed to increase lather and has great label appeal.  If you have never used either ingredient in a cold process soap recipe, you should check out this recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Honey and Beeswax Cold Process Soap.  This is an advanced level project and should take an hour to make plus curing time.  You should be able to get (8) 1" slices from this batch.

Golden Honey MP Loaf Soap

If you love the taste of honey and melt and pour soap making is your thing, I found this project called Golden Honey MP Loaf Soap from Wholesale Supplies Plus that is perfect for you.  Honey is known as "liquid gold". These soaps are perfect to give as gifts for the holidays.  This is a moderate level project that takes about one hour to make. When done you should have (8) 1" slice bars of soap.

Pure Honey Beeswax Candles

Love the smell of beeswax?  Here is a candle project from The Soap Queen called Pure Honey Beeswax Candles that you may want to make. In addition to the beeswax aroma, the fragrance oil pure honey was added for an extra love aroma.  To get the rustic shape of these candles, The Soap Queen used milk cartons.  I have always used the small dixie cups for my candles but other recycle options are suggested.

Lori’s Simple Tile Floor Cleaner

It has been awhile since I took the Eco-Friendly Housecleaning Products at The Nova Studio.  But I did come across this recipe by Lori called Lori's Simple Title Floor Cleaner. It is very simple to make plus she use a combination of essential oils to create one of my favorite scents---Orange Spice. If you like to learn more about making your own housecleaning supplies, you may want to look into purchasing the handout from Lori's class.  I am sure it is still available for purchase.

Free Snowflake Melt & Pour Soap Bars Tutorial

As the weather is getting colder, I cannot help myself getting on the internet and finding projects I can do inside.  Here is a melt and pour soap project that appears on The Nova Studio website called Snowflake Melt & Pour Soap Bars.  This project has a really cool look to it by having layers of translucent pastel snowflakes that sparkle with shredded glitter, lying on a bed of shimmering snow white.  It is a really neat soap to make and give out during the holidays.