If you have never made cold process soap before, I strongly suggest getting a couple of basic recipes under your belt before diving in. Check out Soap Queen TV on Cold Process if you want to get started with cold process. It’s a 4 part series that will take you through the basics (and be sure to watch the episode on Lye Safety). If you’re a book worm, Bramble Berry also has some helpful reading on the cold process technique.
Archives for June 2011
Soap Favor Boxes by Erin
Anne-Marie Note: Like the way guest blogger Erin thinks? She’s teaching Scrubs 101 and 201 at the 2012 Soap Weekend Intensive. The link hasn’t been made public yet so shhhh, you’ve got a head start. Only 19 spots are available – don’t miss out and sign up for Soap Weekend Intensive in June 2012 HERE!
Part of my graphic design training was creating package design, and making custom box dies was always one of my favorite tasks! It requires you to see a three dimensional object deconstructed into two dimensions and I think it is a fun brain exercise. I bought an eyelet setter a while ago and one of my first thoughts was how to make a soap box that could be tied together without the use of glue. This is one of my simple designs for a 2 inch by 3 inch by 1 inch bar of soap. The eyelets make clean holes to lace ribbon, and add a nice finished design element to the box. You can download the template for this box here and follow the simple instructions to put it together! ~Erin Pikor
So, you want to sell your soap: Part 3
Selling Melt and Pour Soap
by Kim of Pepo Park
Congrats! The soaping bug has bitten and you want to spread your love for melt and pour soap. Be sure to check out part 1 and 2 of the series (here and here).
You shouldn’t rush to get your soap to market until you know all about your soap and fortunately, it’s easier to do with melt and pour than with cold process soap.
Scent and color: Melt and pour base with lower melting points hold low-flashpoint scents better than bases with high melting points. On the Bramble Berry site, all essential and fragrance oils have their flashpoints listed. Once you know the melting point of your base, you should be able to figure out if your scent will flash out or not. Color can be tricky. Any FD&C colors are dyes and dyes bleed. This is only an issue if you use more than one color in your soap (or if you care). Labcolors are dyes and they create bright colors. There are several articles on the Soap Queen site about their usage. Oxides, ultramarines and clays don’t bleed and natural micas are another non-bleeding colorant choice. However, some micas are tinted with FD&C colors and they will bleed. The color from any botanicals you add will also bleed out into the soap in the surrounding area.
The gorgeous colors in this photo were created using the Jewelry Box collection. They’re part of the Soapylove line at Bramble Berry and, because they bleed (they are dyes), can be used to create amazing effects.
Gorgeous colors created by Debbie Chialtas using the Jewelry Box colorant collection.
Freshness: Melt and pour soap should be wrapped in some kind of plastic. You can bag it or wrap it as long as you protect it from moisture. Any moisture in the air will cause glycerin in the soap to form small beads on the soap’s surface, also known as glycerin dew or sweat. Like cold process soap, it could also go moldy if you add too many botanicals or if they’re too fresh. For example, if you like to add fruit to your soap. Dried botanicals and fruit powders will work best.
Hardness: Bar hardness is generally not an issue with melt and pour soap unless you add extra oils. Doing so can make the bar softer and decrease lather.
Labeling: As mentioned in Part One, true soap doesn’t require an ingredient label. Your soap is true soap if it is made of fats and an alkali (lye). Check with your supplier to see if the soap base is made of fats and lye, synthetic detergents or a combination. If your soap base is made from synthetic detergents it is considered a cosmetic and must have all ingredients listed. If you buy your bases from Bramble Berry, every listing on the site includes the ingredients. Aside from ingredients, other information may be required by law (product weight and contact information) or desired by your customers (scent). It may be the only chance you have to communicate with your buyer. There is a great book called Soap and Cosmetic Labeling that will help you make sense of all of the rules. You can also read this page on the FDA site. If you decide that your soap is true soap, your customers will appreciate you listing the ingredients even if it’s not required.
Selling in the sun: If you’re selling melt and pour soap at an outdoor event, you soap can and will melt in the sun. In addition, the sun will fade out the colors. Keep your product cool and shaded.
In Part One, I talked about general issues like labels and packaging. Part Two discussed issues specific to selling cold process soap.
Written by: Kim Wilton of Pepo Park. Thanks to Erin Pikor of Naiad Soap Arts for contributing her knowledge of melt and pour soap making.
Sea Clay Avocado Facial Bar
Guest post by Amanda from LovinSoap.com
I was so excited to see sea clay being offered at Bramble Berry!
This dark gray-green clay is ideal for facial masks and body mud masks. It originated as mud laid down under the sea millions of years ago. This clay acts as a mild exfoliant and is thought to have many properties around detox and cellulite reduction. – Bramble Berry website
I immediately thought of making a facial bar. I had a new recipe that I wanted to try out. This recipe is great for those that want to go palm oil free but don’t want to sub lard or tallow. I’m really happy with how it came out and make it often.
Dad’s Baby CPR Class
I took two different baby birthing classes to prepare for Jaminse’s arrival. One of the classes, my ‘Hypnobirthing Natural Childbirth’ class just had a reunion! It was so much fun to see all the babies.
We also decided to make it educational and roped my Dad in to teaching a Baby CPR and Choking class. My Dad delivered babies for 30 years and has been a Family Practice Physician for over 35 years now. He definitely has a bit of experience with babies. =)
DIY Wedding Bouquet for under $30
Weddings are beautiful occasions. A day of love and togetherness and the celebration of a new beginning. Unfortunately the sticker price for these festive events can be a shock especially if the bride and groom are paying for it themselves! There are clever ways to save money and going the DIY route on a lot of tasks can really help save money. When researching wedding bouquets I found that the standard was about $175-$250 for a simple rose bouquet. When you start counting Bridesmaid Bouquets and Boutonnieres you are looking at spending $1000 plus dollars. No Thank You! I made this elegant handmade bouquet for less than $30 and there were plenty of flowers left over. I used them in vases but I could have easily gotten another bouquet and a few Boutonnieres out of the three bunches of Calla Lilies that I bought at Trader Joe’s for $7 per bundle. The ribbon was in the $1 bin at a craft store and the pins were about $4.00 for 100 pins. I had the floral wire but it can be purchased for a couple of dollars at a craft store. All you need is an eye for matching color, a few simple supplies and about 30 minutes of time. I embellished the bouquet with lavender and greens found around the yard!
So, you want to sell your soap: Part 2
Selling Cold Process Soap
by Kim of Pepo Park
Didn’t see Part 1 of this series? Click here to bone up before you read Part 2.
Congrats! The soaping bug has bitten and you want to spread your love for cold process soap.
Before you sell your soap, you should take some time to make sure you know as much as you can about what you’re selling. Cold process soap can suffer from some quality issues so you shouldn’t rush to get it to market until you know all about your soap.
Scent and color: Over time, the scent or color of your soap may change. Generally, this is not a big deal but you should know how your soap changes over time so that you can warn your customers. For example, citrus essential oils don’t “stick” very well and may fade out. When my customers buy a citrus-scented soap, I let them know that the scent may fade but the soap will still be fine to use. Colors may intensify, fade or morph. Botanicals tend to turn black either immediately or over time. The one exception I’ve found are calendula petals.
S.O.A.P.(Y) Round Up
Thank You Summer S.O.A.P. Testing Team! You all went above and beyond in your testing. There was lotion, liquid soap, cold process soap and sugar scrubs. There was even one lucky fragrance oil that got its picture taken with Mount Rushmore. And now an official shout out to the fabulous S.O.A.P. team. Thanks again!
Penny from Good Clean Fun Soaps
Jeanee from Dirty Laundry
Amy from Tenth Avenue Soapworks.
Amy’s Blog Posts: Bramble Berry S.O.A.P.ing (part 1), S.O.A.P. Lotion-Testing, S.O.A.P. bar soap testing (part 3)
3D Molds: A Bramble Berry Update
Bramble Berry is offering more 3D mold options! Now you can get your 3D molds with a white back and a clear front for $7.75 with an even cheaper option on the way. Soon you will be able to purchase a totally white 3D mold for just $6.50. Why the change you ask? Because of the rising costs of plastic (a petroleum product), we were forced to raise our pricing on 3D molds. We’ve been brainstorming for weeks and came up with the idea to offer more choices so YOU can be in control. If you don’t need clear, you won’t need to pay for that increased plastics cost.
Have you ever made a 3D soap? Learn from Anne-Marie on Soap Queen TV. OR learn how to make a beautifully brushed 3D soap (below) by clicking here. I think this Rosette Mold would look amazing with the dry brushing as well.
Projects we’ve done with the 3D molds in the past:
Heart Valentine 3-D Molds
Alien Head Soap
Loofah Soap on a Rope
Soap on a Rope – Basic Instructions
3-D Molds – Trimming
3-D Molds – Layering & Coloring Detail
3-D Molds – Pouring & Fill Line
3-D Molds Set Up
I love the 3D molds and the final bars – they’re so smooth and sophisticated. Enjoy the entire line here.
Going Nuts for Fathers Day
Happy Father’s Day everyone! I hope you’re treating the Fathers and Father figures in your lives very special today. In honor of my insanely amazing Dad (and one of Jamisen’s Grandpas), I wanted to share a recipe for one of his favorite snack foods – flavored nuts! These recipes are SO easy and your Dad will think you spent hours in the kitchen slaving over the stove on his behalf.
I made my Dad each of these recipes but his favorite, if you want to just make one, is the 5 Spice Pecans followed by the Coconut Curry Cashews.
All of these recipes are from Martha Stewart Magazine (Shocking, I know. I positively adore anything and everything Martha).
Soap Queen TV: Neon Edition
After a long weekend of soapmaking at Bramble Berry’s 4th annual Soap Weekend Intensive (see blog posts here and here), we’re back to work in the Bramble Berry Soap Studio filming a special episode of Soap Queen TV with Kristy from Kristy’s Lovely Lathers.
As usual, we had a blast on set. Kristy and her husband, Bruce, are true “salt of the earth” people and wonderful to be around. They fit right in with the fun-loving Bramble Berry production team. In fact, Bruce mentioned that he couldn’t believe how goofy we all were on set since our final product (the videos) are serious and to the point. Ha ha. Doesn’t he know soaping is always fun!?
This week we filmed two advanced cold process episodes with Kristy and one will be FREE! Yes. You read that right. What would normally be a premium guest-star episode will be all yours for free!
The Column Swirl Phenomenon
It’s really incredible how fast word spreads on the internet, and exciting to see how contagious inspiration can be! Last month my husband showed me a video posted on Facebook, originally uploaded by “Non ci posso credere.” (Click here to view the video. It’s SOOO cool!) It showed artists pouring paint down a column creating the most amazing swirled designs. Then on March 14 I shared it on the Soapylove fanpage, and the response was thrilling!
The very next day Amanda Griffin, author of the great CP eZine “Lovin’ Soap”, posted a FULL TUTORIAL showing how to do it with cold process soap (including her recipe), and coined the term “Column Swirl.” She will be posting it for The Soap Queen very soon, but here’s a sneak peek. I love all of her beautiful colors!
The next week, Erin Pikor of Naiad Soap Arts posted her soapy experiment using this method, using all natural colorants. More gorgeous results! (Click here for her post).
Then Holly Port of Lotion Bar Café (click here for her post), and finally David Fisher, writer for About.com wrote about this new technique here.
Not only is it super cool how exciting it is to get inspired, but also how great the soap community is! Everyone wanted to share their discoveries and projects with each other, and keep spreading the word about this new method. Now if someone can just figure out how to do a column swirl with MP! 😉
So You Want to Sell Your Soap? (Part One)
This is the first of a three part series on selling soap. Part One will discuss general topics like packaging and labeling, where to sell, licenses, taxes, etc. Part Two will discuss issues specific to cold process soap and Part Three will discuss issues specific to melt and pour soap.
You’re excited! You love soap and you want to sell yours. You love your product, you love making it, your friends love it! Now what?
There are several considerations:
- How will you package it?
- Where will you sell it?
- What does the government want from you or require of you?
- Where can you get insurance?
We’ll take one at a time.
Packaging: If you’re selling your soap, people will be picking it up, smelling it, passing it to friends and family, dropping it and so forth. If you’re doing markets and fairs, you’ll be packing and packing, transporting and displaying your product. In a nutshell: It’s going to get battered. When you package your soap, you should think about how you can best protect it and how you can best get information to the buyers on your package. One of the cheapest ways to wrap your soap is with what’s called a cigar band. It’s just a strip of paper that goes around the bar. You can use plain or fancy paper, you can print them yourself or have them printed. In the photo below, you can see my soap with cigar band wrapping. The logo and soap scent are listed on the front; ingredients, etc., are on the back.
Cigar band-style labels indicate brand and scent
You can wrap vertically or horizontally. The bands on my soap are quite narrow, but most people still place their fingers on the paper when they pick up the bar.
Obviously, you can go beyond the cigar band. You can use paper or fabric to wrap the whole bar, you can shrink wrap the bars, use boxes, fabric bags…. The list goes on. Bottom line: Protect the bars.
Soapylove Neon Bonanza
Recently I received a wonderful surprise in the mail – the new neon colorant sample pack from Bramble Berry! I guess Anne-Marie really knows me since neons are my favorite colors! So yesterday while my kids were happily at Grandma’s house, I hit the kitchen with my Soapylove molds to take the neons for a spin. Here are my projects and some tips to get super bright, clean details in your next project!
Supplies needed for all projects: