Making cold process soap for the first time can be intimidating. With so many recipes and options it can be difficult to find a good place to start. The Beginner’s Cold Process Soap Kit was created especially for the first-time soaper. With a simple combinations of oils, a tried and true fragrance and no colorants, making your first batch of cold process soap becomes straight forward.
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Archives for August 2014
Soap Queen Cuisine: Quinoa Crackers
When eating healthy, it’s easy to let snacking ruin good habits. “Just one potato chip!” Then before you know it, the entire bag is gone. Because of this, I try to keep healthy snacking options on hand to stay on track. Having prepared fruits and veggies in the fridge are great snacks to have available, as well as these easy quinoa crackers.
Soapy Social Media Roundup
It’s been a wonderful week, full of excitement! My new niece Alise arrived on Sunday, and she is absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait for Alise to grow up alongside Lily and Jamisen (cousins are like built in best friends!). This weekend the family is going to be spending lots of time with the new addition =)
It’s hard to believe that summer is already wrapping up. I’ve started thinking about fall soapy projects and fall gardening, do you have fall on the brain? I’m loving all the fall inspired soap popping up on the Facebook page! Speaking of social media, here are some of my favorite tweets, pins and instagrams from the week. Pins: Left, clockwise:
- This Caramelized Corn and Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Herbed Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese (phew!) is stunning. My garden is bursting with tomatoes right now, and this recipe looks like a great way to use them.
- Katie from Royalty Soaps is such a talented young lady, just take a look at her gorgeous Apple Cinnamon Twist Soap! If you want to learn more about Katie and her soapy business, read our interview with her here.
- This DIY Apple Jar Tutorial is ridiculously cute. I’m always amazed at all the creative tutorials involving mason jars!
- These 7 Tips for Fun Family Biking Adventures with Kids are great for summer bike riding trips. I can’t wait until the entire family can ride bikes together.
Instagram: It’s always fun to experiment with new design ideas, and attempting to use tools in new ways. For this soap, I used the Vertical Wood Mold to create a double in the pot swirl! This month I’m taking part in Great Cakes Soapworks Soap Challenge Club. It’s a fun way to push yourself to try new soaping techniques. This month is “Negative Embedding,” I’m excited to see all the creative designs! Tweets:
- One of YouTube’s most popular channels is run by an anonymous user by the name of “DisneyCollectorBR,” and could be pulling in as much as $13 million! Totally fascinating.
- Earlier in the week, Bellingham was enjoyed weather in the mid-eighties, but unfortunately the rain has returned. Can’t complain though, New York experienced a whole summers worth of rain in just hours.
- Should you be working from home today? Maybe! Working remotely can increase productivity and happiness.
- Writing and producing quality content everyday can be tough. These tips can help you prevent the dreaded writer’s block.
- Have you seen Twitter’s new analytics? They are totally addicting, but it’s important to aim for real, quality interaction.
Have a great weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube.
Facebook Photo of the Week (Aug. 9th ~ Aug. 15th)
With the end of summer in sight (why yes, it has been raining here all week; thanks for asking), we are making the most out of the sun with recipes to keep skin hydrated. Summer means clothing like tank tops and shorts, which means more shaving. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered with the Sunday Night Spotlight: Foaming Bath Whip + Green Tea Shaving Cream Tutorial.
With moisturizing ingredients like Vitamin E Oil, Green Tea Seed Oil and Green Tea Extract, it leaves your skin feeling soothed and fresh. Foaming Bath Whip can also be used for other recipes, as seen in this Rose Clay Sugar Scrub.
Make Lotion from Scratch on Soap Queen TV
Learn how to make handmade lotion in this throwback episode of Soap Queen TV filmed in 2010. After watching this video, you will have all the tools you need to make luxurious, moisturizing, and perfect lotion every time! Interested in creating your own lotion recipe from scratch? Check out this blog post to learn more about emulsifiers, lotion oils, preservatives, and how to use them.
First, lotion ingredient uses and benefits are reviewed. Then, learn to make lotion from start to finish. Labeling requirements are also covered if you plan on selling your product. A note on semantics: Anne-Marie uses the term sterilize which is technically incorrect. The term disinfect should be used when talking about cleaning tools for lotion making.
Want to make your very own lotion from scratch? Our Lotion Kit includes everything you need to handmade lotion.
Kit Includes:
Twelve 8 oz. Bottles
4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
4 oz. Avocado Oil
4 oz. Shea Butter
4 oz. Stearic Acid
4 oz. Polawax Emulsifying Wax
0.5 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
0.5 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
Printed Instructions
Printed Labels
Lip Balm Recipe Roundup + Tips
Creating lip products is a great project for beginners and more experienced crafters alike. The best thing about making your own lip products is the ability to customize everything from the texture, color and moisture. With a wide range of ingredient options, creating the perfect lip balm, lip stick or lip scrub is easy and fun!
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Moisturizing Mahogany Beard Oil
For women, keeping hair soft and healthy is often part of our everyday routine. From leave-in conditioners to hot oil treatments and masks, lady tresses get plenty of TLC. But why should girls have all the fun? Keeping facial hair well-groomed and fresh is equally important!
With Jojoba Oil and Buckthorn Extract, this Moisturizing Mahogany Beard Oil will keep facial hair feeling soft and shiny. Lightly scented with Mahogany Fragrance Oil, beard oil keeps skin beneath hydrated and flake-free. To use, apply a few drops of beard oil onto the hands and gently work into facial hair.
Interview with Katie of Royalty Soaps
Amazed by the saponification process during a soap making class, Katie White of Royalty Soaps started her business at only 17 years old. Her gorgeous soapy creations are full of color, texture and personality. Active on YouTube with over 50 videos of cold process tutorials and product reviews, Katie’s soaps and fun personality are truly inspiring. Read on to learn more about what motivates Katie, and how she got started soaping.
Sunday Night Spotlight: Foaming Bath Whip + Green Tea Shaving Cream Tutorial
Light and creamy, Foaming Bath Whip is a product that can be used in many different projects. From scrubs, bath bombs and soapy frosting, this versatile whip adds a fluffy texture and moisture. The main ingredient is glycerin, which attracts moisture from the air and leaves your skin feeling hydrated.
Easy to customize, Foaming Bath Whip will accept up to 5% fragrance or essential oils. Simply pour the fragrance in, and use a hand mixer or stick blender to beat the Foaming Bath Whip to achieve a soufflé-like consistency. Very mild with a pH level of 5.5, this product is ideal for dry or sensitive skin. Looking for even more moisture and skin loving properties? Extracts and fixed oils can also be added to Foaming Bath Whip.
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Summer Life is Good
Facebook Photo of the Week (Aug. 2nd ~ Aug. 8th)
While soap is our first love (and soul mate!) we’re not solely about the soap here at Bramble Berry. This week there were several non-soapy tutorials and recipes, including a Blackberry, Lemon and Basil Sorbet. Full of sweet blackberries, tart lemon and a hint of earthy basil, this sorbet is an excellent way to stay cool during the hot summer months.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process
There is something about the color yellow that just screams, “happy!” If you are looking for a project full of cheer, this Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Tutorial is the soap for you. Scented with the bright Lemon Verbena Yankee Type and the bubbly Champagne Fragrance Oil, it smells as sunny as it looks.
Poppy seeds give this bar of soap gentle exfoliation, and the contrasting mica vein really makes the layers pop. Tip: when cutting into cold process soap that features a mica vein, don’t cut the soap from the top down. Lay the soap on its side and cut in the direction of the line. This will prevent the mica from dragging through the layers.
What You’ll Need:
9.9 oz. Coconut Oil
9.9 oz. Olive Oil
9.9 oz. Palm Oil
3.3 oz. Rice Bran Oil
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
10.8 oz. distilled water
1 tbs. Poppy Seeds
.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
Optional: Sodium Lactate
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Aromatherapy Shower Fizzies
At the end of a long stressful day, nothing beats a steaming shower. The hot running water and soothing vapors create a great way to relax and unwind. If you’d like to improve your next shower, these Aromatherapy Shower Fizzies harness the power of aromatherapy to create a calming experience. Use the ‘Soothing Blend’ to unwind in the evenings and, the ‘Awakening Blend’ to perk up your mornings.
Simply toss the fizzy on the floor of the shower and let the aromatherapeutic vapors envelope you. The “Awakening Blend” below is the perfect way to get moving in the morning. The citrus essential oils are uplifting to the spirit and smell amazing too. Easy to make, these shower fizzies will make showering your favorite part of the day!
Orange Blossom Candle Tutorial + Candle Tips
While candles are prominent in the fall and winter, when the correct fragrance is used candles are equally as enjoyable during summer. Using Orange Blossom Fragrance Oil, this candle project is perfect for adding fragrance and color to your home.
Need some tips for candle making? Below, I answer many common candle making questions. Covering everything from wick selection to frosting, your next candle project will be a breeze.