Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
This week is the start of a series of tutorials inspired by the Alps and The Sound of Music. The series includes the Sparkling Snow Sugar Scrub, which is made with Foaming Bath Butter. It also has sugar to exfoliate, and Fresh Snow and Spring Meadow fragrance oil for a clean scent. Snowflake Sparkle Mica and Super Pearly White Mica are added to make the scrub look like sunshine on snow.
This Silky Berry Cold Process soap was inspired by sweet and juicy berries. It’s made with Tussah silk fibers, which give cold process soap a silky lather and shiny appearance. The silk is dissolved directly in the hot lye solution, which is then emulsified in skin-loving oils. When working with hot lye water, be sure to wear safety goggles, gloves and long sleeves and pants. To learn more about safely dissolving silk fibers in lye, check out this blog post.
This project uses the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold. This sturdy mold produces tall bars of soap which allows for a dramatic drop swirl effect. To create the swirl, soap is poured into the mold at varying heights which allows the soap to swirl within the mold. Before using this mold, don’t forget to line it! Lining a mold can be a little tricky at first, but is easy once you get the hang of it. This blog post shows you how to line any mold, step by step.
I’m so excited about this Soap Queen TV because it’s a little out of the normal soap project. Surprise! It’s an eye serum that also doubles as a great eye make-up remover. Argan & Ginseng Gel Eye Serum is gentle and skin-loving with ingredients like argan oil, jojoba oil and ginseng extract. Argan oil is known for its high content of antioxidants, and is popular for a wide variety of cosmetic applications. To learn more about argan oil, click here. Ginseng extract comes from the ginseng root, which is commonly used for homeopathic treatments. The addition of cera bellina wax gives this serum a soft and easily-spreadable gel texture. To apply, use your finger to gently pat the serum around the eye area…a little goes a long way! I recommend applying this serum at night before bed.
What You’ll Need:
1.2 oz. Argan Oil
.7 oz. Jojoba Oil
.2 oz (10 mL) Ginseng Extract
.2 oz. Cera Bellina Wax
.2 Vitamin E Oil
10 Slidey Lip Tins
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
Using milk in cold process soap gives it a luxurious and creamy feeling. For the next couple weeks, the blog will be full of projects made with milk. Adding milk to your cold process soap is different than using distilled water. If milk gets too hot, it can scorch. That creates an unpleasant smell and can discolor your soap. To prevent milk from scorching, it helps to freeze it beforehand. Then, add the lye slowly and stir well. Learn more in the How to Add Lye to Milk for Cold Process Soap Post.
In soap making, the term “bastille,” commonly refers to cold process soap made with at least 70% olive oil. Olive oil is extremely gentle, making it the perfect oil for delicate or sensitive skin. This Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bar is comprised of olive oil and a small amount of coconut oil for cleansing properties. This recipe also uses luxurious and moisturizing buttermilk. Carrot puree which is known for its antioxidant properties, is added at trace to give the soap a soft natural color. All these skin-loving and gentle ingredients make this bar great for babies and young children.
This skin-loving soap recipe was generously shared by Amanda from Lovin Soap (check out the original blog post here). Making soap with milk is an advanced soap technique. The key to milk soap is keeping the temperatures low by freezing the milk beforehand. Watch the video below to learn how, and check out the How to Add Lye to Milk for Cold Process Soap post. If you have never made cold process soap before, check out the Basics of Cold Process Soapmaking video series on Soap Queen TV; in particular, be sure to watch the video on lye safety.
What You’ll Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
27 oz. Olive Oil- Pomace
5 oz. Coconut Oil
8 oz. Buttermilk
2.5 oz. Carrot Puree
4.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
1.5 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! 
What are your favorite skin-loving additives for cold process soap?
The longer you soap, the more soapy supplies tend to build up. Before you know it, your house is overflowing with oils, fragrances and molds. This week had tips on how to use and care for your supplies. For instance, if your wood molds get messy, you can use a soap scraper/cutter to remove any hardened soap and polish them with Simple Citrus Furniture Polish. Silicone molds are easy to maintain, and can be cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol, dish soap and warm water. Read more tips in the How to Care for Silicone and Wood Molds post.
If you’ve ever wondered how to use 2-part silicone molds, this Soap Queen TV Short is here to help! Made of durable silicone, the 2-part silicone molds are great for creating soapy embeds. Simply secure the two ends pieces together , and place the molds into a container to position the molds upright. Then fill up the molds, and trim the soap as necessary. Looking for the next step? Check out the How to Make Rainbow Heart Soap video to watch these embeds in action!
Have you used a silicone column mold before? I would love to see photos of your projects on the Bramble Berry Facebook page!
The weather here in Bellingham, WA has been gorgeous. The sunny days and warm temperatures have us thinking of sandy beaches. If it’s still cold where you live, you can bring the beach to you with our Sweet Sea Dreams promotion. As part of the promotion, several colorants are 15% off with the code: SWEETSEA. To see all the sale items, click here.
A combination of Cellini Blue Mica and Gold Sparkle Mica create a sea-inspired blue that makes the Mermaid Shell Melt and Pour Soaps stand out. To get a realistic clam shell look, several thin layers of soap are poured into the mold and a fork is used to create texture. The soap is finished with a fresh smell from Crisp Cotton Fragrance Oil.
Bright and cheery, it’s no wonder the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process was the top tutorial from 2014! With so much great feedback, you can now watch this project from start to finish in the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process video on Soap Queen TV. This soap is an advanced project, with a super straight mica vein and textured top. The fragrance combination of Lemon Verbena Yankee Type and Champagne smells bubbly and slightly sweet.
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
Titanium Dioxide
Fizzy Lemonade Colorant
Luster Black Mica
1 tbs. Poppy Seeds
.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Optional: Sodium Lactate
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
This Rainbow Heart Melt and Pour soap will make you smile with plenty of sparkle, color and hearts. Inspired by a previous Soap Queen tutorial of the same name, the design has been updated to include more hearts and color in each bar. Pink Grapefruit Fragrance Oil gives the project a bright and happy scent.
This melt and pour soap includes six vibrantly colored heart embeds created with the Mini Heart Silicone Column Mold. Color blocks are used to give each heart a different rainbow hue. To help the layers and embeds adhere, having a bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol nearby is crucial. Spraying rubbing alcohol in between and after pouring layers helps the soap stick together, and disperses any bubbles on top.
One of my favorite things in life is to look at beautiful things; specifically, YOUR beautiful soap creations. My book hashtag, #soapcrafting, on Instagram has many stunning photos already. But because I just can’t get enough of your photos, I’d love to see even more! Each Friday, I will pick a photo on Instagram to win a copy of the Soap Crafting book, and share on Bramble Berry Instgram account. To enter, use the hashtag #soapshare on your Instagram photos. I can’t wait to see your soapy projects. =)
Easy to make and fun to use, clay masks are the perfect way to give facial skin extra TLC. In this Soap Queen TV short video, Anne-Marie shows you how to make a clay mask that moisturizes and exfoliates. Made with luxurious argan and meadowfoam oil, this mask gives the skin essential nutrients such as vitamin E. As you wash the mask off, the walnut shells and clays gently exfoliate away dry, flaky skin.
What You’ll Need:
2.4 oz. Rose Clay
.7 oz Kaolin Clay
.3 oz Walnut Shells
1.4 oz Argan Oil
1.2 oz. Meadowfoam Oil
.1 Evening Primrose Extract
1.8 mL Phenonip
4 oz. Jar with White Twist Cap
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
In this throwback Thursday episode of Soap Queen TV, I’m joined by Christy from KB Shimmer to create a brightly-colored in-the-pot swirl cold process project. This stunning technique produces beautiful results, and every bar looks unique. Made with vibrant LabColors and scented with Energy Fragrance Oil, this soap screams of a tropical vacation!
There are so many sources of inspiration when it comes to soaping. Whether it’s food, nature or a certain color palette, inspiration is everywhere! This week, the textures of the sea were the inspiration for the Shimmering Sea Glass Cold Process Soap. Clear melt and pour pieces look like the glass found on the shores. With teal and purple swirls, plenty of Iridescent Glitter and an earthy scent from Lavender Forest Fragrance Oil, this soap fun and unique.
An in-the-pot swirl is used to create the interesting pattern in the soap. A fun swirl can also be created using a chopstick or dowel, as seen in the Infinity Swirl Soap on Soap Queen TV. A figure eight pattern swirls together gorgeous blue, white, pink and black hues to create a stunning look. Scented with Lime Fragrance Oil and Crisp Anjou Pear Fragrance Oil, the soap smells fresh and fruity.
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