Natural Eco Chic Soap

In this episode The Soap Queen will show how to make all natural, earth-friendly, eco-chic soap. Using an Organic Melt & Pour base, natural colors and essential oils, this soap project is made even more natural by using recycled containers as soap molds.

The ingredients you will need for the green bar are Organic Melt & Pour Soap Base, Spirulina Powder, Lavender Essential Oil, Various cleaned and recycled plastic containers. If you would like to make the Layered Loaf Soap you will need the following: Organic Melt & Pour Base, Kaolin Claym Calming Synergy Essential Oil blend, Activated Charcoal, Coffee Grounds, Cleaned Box Milk or Soup container All of these ingredients can be purchased (except for the plastic containers, coffee grounds) can be purchased through Brambleberry. You can even purchase a Eco Chic Kit from them.


Make Natural, Earth Friendly, Eco-Chic Soap from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

Learn to Make Twisted Candles

When I was looking for some interesting candlemaking projects I came across this link on how to learn how to make twisted candles.  When I saw the title, I was thinking of the rolled beeswax candles I learned how to make in a beeswax candlemaking class I took at the Palo Alto Adult School in May 2002, but isn't.  You first have to make your own hand dipped candles.  If you do not know know how to do it then there is a link to show you how. Now I have not tried this project but it does look very interesting and easy to do.  It seems hard to believe that this type of candle was made by machine but you can makes these in your very own home.  The only thing that I am wondering is the type of wax is supposed to be used since in the instructions it just says candle wax.  I am thinking it maybe paraffin.  What do you think?

Cupcake Soap Tutorial from Duffin's Soap Bakery

Back in 2006, I submitted to the San Mateo County a batch of muffin bath fizzies.  I was not expecting too much out of the whole thing. But too my amazement I won 3rd place.  Ever since I have been looking for bath an body products that look like food.  I found cupcake tutorial from Duffin's Soap Bakery that look good enough to eat!  What a great product to make for a baby or bridal shower to give out as a favor.  You could package them in cellophane bags which are easy to find at craft or cooking establishment.  But make sure to adhere a tag that says "Do not Eat".  It would definately be a great calorie saver for those who are watching their calorie intake. 

Pre-Shampoo Conditioner Recipe

Do you have dry hair and the only thing that you have found on the market was using messy hot oil treatments?  IF you are looking for something to take your tresses and prefer something with a little more body that won't drip all over the place, but still gets the job done. This 
Pre-Shampoo Conditioner Recipe   ,which appears on the DIY Skincare blog, is thick enough to stay put without making your hair greasy.

What is Mineral Oil?

Since I have been taking classes on how to make my own handcrafted body products, I am learning more and more about ingredients in products.  One of them has to be mineral oil. You may have heard of mineral oil, but you do know what it is? The best way I can explain it is from an article titled What is Mineral Oil?  I found on Wisegeek.com:

"Mineral oil is one of a number of inexpensive byproducts that are made from petroleum. Sometimes referred to as paraffin oil or Nujol, white mineral oil is composed of a blend of hydrocarbons that is not unlike that of petroleum jelly. The difference is that mineral oil is a liquid petrolatum, making it an ideal choice for a number of applications. Here are some of the more common uses for mineral oil around the home.

Perhaps the single most common use for white mineral oil is to remove makeup at the end of the day. Mineral oil has the ability to cut through the minute amounts of grease and dirt that tend to cling to makeup over the course of the day, making it possible to strip off the layer of makeup easy and prepare the face for cleansing. Along with removing makeup from the face, mineral oil is often used as a beauty treatment, as it is an excellent amplifier that helps the body to absorb ultraviolet rays without drying out the skin. While not everyone is aware, baby oil is simply mineral oil that has been enhanced with a small amount of fragrance.

Mineral oil is also good for use in the kitchen as well. Butcher-block surfaces can be conditioned with the substance from time to time. Treatments of mineral oil help the wood to stay supple, and also help to soften the appearance of nicks and cuts that are made during regular use of the block. Soapstone countertops can also benefit from an application of mineral oil from time to time. The properties of the oil help to keep the surface looking new, even if the countertop has been in place for ten years or more.

Clay is another medium that can benefit from the application of mineral oil from time to time. For example, treating new clay pots with mineral oil will help to age the look of the pot. This is often desirable with decorating schemes that tend toward old country or shabby chic motifs. Clay poker chips can also be aged with the application of a little mineral oil, helping them to look well loved and used.

Mineral oil is a very inexpensive item to keep around the house. With so many different types of uses, having a bottle of mineral oil in the cupboard is an excellent idea. Whether for personal hygiene or maintaining the look and condition of selected items around the home, mineral oil is a great option."

So there are many options of using mineral oil besides in body products, but since it is petroleum byproduct, one will choose to stay away from it.  It is up to you whether or not you want to use it. Nowadays people are becoming more aware of these ingredients and trying to go more natural and eliminate these types of ingredients in their lives.

Foaming Bath Rocks Recipe

For many years I have been making bath bombs and I have been looking for unique recipes to take the basic recipe to the next leval.  I found this recipe Foaming Bath Rocks Recipe
Tima of Richmond, VA on the website From Nature With Love.  You are probably wanting to know what ingredient that makes this bath fizzy foam?  Well, it is sodium lauryl sulfoacetate.  Most who make their own soaps know what this ingredient is, but if you do not know there are many explainations on the web. But according to DIY Skincare, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate is derived from coconut and palm oils. It is a safe, skin-friendly surfactant (foaming agent) for both skin and hair. This mild plant derived surfactant creates a rich, luxurious lather that effectively removes surface oil, dirt and bacteria, without stripping or drying sensitive skin. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is also attracted to water (hydrophilic), which enables it to dissolve more readily in water, thus providing superior rinseablility. It is a functional and versatile foaming additive used in a multitude of commercial and handcrafted products such as bath bombs or fizzies, bubble bars, bath salts and more!

Handmade Lavender Soap with Shea Butter Tutorial

Love lavender? How would you like to create your own? I happened to find this tutorial on a blog titled Arctida's Creations. Handmade Lavender Soap with Shea Butter Tutorial.  I am not an experienced cold process soapmaker by any means, I have only taken a class, but I would like to actually want to attempt to make a batch. 

MP Soap: Candy Shop Soap Pops

I have seen many recipes/instructions for soap pops, but I have never seen anything like this melt and pour striped Candy Shop Soap Pops on Wholesale Supplies Plus website.  This project is definately for the intermediate level soapmaker. It should take approcimately 30 mins plus curing time to make 20 soap pops. Make sure to take advantage of the print button and print this recipe to put in you files.

How to Cut Honeycomb Beeswax Sheets for Candlemaking

Have you been making the same size of rolled beeswax candles over and over again?  How would you learn how to cut your beeswax sheets to different size to come up with a different candle?  In this article on Ehow titled, How to Cut Honeycomb Beeswax Sheets for Candlemaking by Samantha Hanly, tells you how to do so.   Samantha gives you  ideas and tools you need to make a variety of shapes and sizes of hand-rolled beeswax candles.  Just one tip: print out the yellow and blue template at the top of the article. This template gives you the opportunity to make rolling two 12-inch tapers and one small candle.  I am going to start looking online to see if there anymore templates that I can share. 

Modern Cherry Blossom Cold Process Soap Recipe

In honor of Spring, The Soap Queen has created this Modern Cherry Blossom cold process soap recipe.  This soap is scented with Brambleberry's popular Cherry Blossom fragrance oil (on sale this month!)and it is  made using the faux funnel technique, but with a twist: a vertical mold!  Just a warning :  This project is for the intermediate cold process soapmaker.  It should take 45-60 minutes plus curing time to make.  And you should get 12 bars of soap once you are done!

Buttercream Bath Bombs Recipe

Love taking baths?  Have you ever tried a bath bomb before?  It really makes your bath extra special with effervescence and aroma to your bathing experience.  You are wondering what effervescence is?  Well, the best way to explain it is bubbles!  Yes, bubbles. It is the reaction of the sodium bicarbonate and citric acid when gets wet by the bath water. This recipe for Buttercream Bath Bombs from DIY Skincare has an extra special ingredient of Cocoa Butter.  Now you can use the ultra refined version which the nice chocolate aroma is taken out, but in this recipe you might want to choose the natural version so it will nicely complement the buttercream fragrance that the recipe calls for.  If you decide to use an alternative fragrance that does not go with the chocolate aroma then I would suggest going with the ultra refined.

Chamomile Bath Powder

Love taking a bath?  How about adding a Chamomile Bath Powder to your next bath? This lovely floral aroma Chamomile Bath Powder recipe can be found on The Natural Beauty Workshop website. The author Emmy Gabriel says that this recipe will enrich your tub with a soothing floral aroma, and the soft texture of buttermilk.  This delightfully simple bath powder recipe combines the sweet, apple-like scent of Chamomile Essential Oil with cleansing Kaolin Clay and Dendritic Salt, natural Buttermilk Powder, and water softening Baking Soda.  The result is a rich, floral milk tea that your skin will love you for.  Just drop a few tablespoons into warm bath water, lay back, and let the calming scents and smooth water envelop your senses. So why not try making it today!  These would make great gifts/favors for your guests at your next bridal or baby shower or whatever gather you may have. All of the ingredients you need to make this recipe can be purchased through From Nature With Love.  

Pillow Box Tutorial

Are you looking for a cute way to package your handmade soaps?  Then check out this Pillow Box tutorial found on Magdoline. What is so greate about this simple packaging idea is that the craft stores have a ton of decorative papers that you can choose from.  I have purchased so many pretty scrapbooking papers that I purchased over the years and did not know what to do with them.  Yes, I will admit I am not a scrapbooker and yes it is silly to purchase items that I do not need. But, I am a crafter and I would find a use for it eventually.  And now I have! 

Debbie's "Best You've Ever Used" Sugar Scrub

Do you love the feel of a whipped sugar scrub while showering? Well, here is a recipe for Debbie's "Best You've Ever Used" Sugar Scrub from Wholesale Supplies Plus. This recipe starts with a foaming bath which includes such ingredients such as Glycerin, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sorbitol, Propylene glycol, Disodium Lauryl sulfosuccinate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, and Tetrasodium EDTA. So if you really want to go the natural route this recipe is not for you. But if you are just starting out making a whipped sugar scrub you might want to try this recipe that has a premade base.

How to Make Beeswax Castile Soap

Castile soap is a mild soap made with olive oil and named for a region in Spain. It is a low-lathering soap chosen by many mothers as the first soap for babies. If you'd like to try your hand at soap-making, castile soap is a good place to start. The author of this recipe says that making this recipe can be challenging, so if you are a beginner at cold process soap I would recommend starting out with an easier recipe before trying this one.  For those would would like to try this recipe out, then check out the article on How to Make Beeswax Castile Soap on Ehow.

Can anyone tell me why they would add beeswax to a cold process soap recipe?  Is it to make the bar harder?  If someone is a vegan, can you leave the beeswax out?  Would it harm the consitency of the recipe if you did? And one last burning question, if you do not use olive oil from Spain does this mean you cannot call it Castile Soap?  Just wondering.

Margarita Lime Bath Salts

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner. Instead of overdoing it and possibly having a handover, why not celebrating with a bath that includes Margarita Lime Bath Salts? This simple recipe from DIY Skincare would be a great gift to make and give out on May 5th.

Soap Queen's Favorite Cold Process Recipes

According to Anne-Marie (aka The Soap Queen) cold process soap is amazing and produces a better bar of soap than most store-bought soaps. In her June 2009 posting she shares her three favorite CP soap recipes: 

Lots of Lather which is her favorite recipe which she teaches in every class.  This recipe makes a really, really, really hard bar of soap according to her; Moisturizing, and Nourshing.


If you would like to learn the recipes to The Soap Queen's Favorite Cold Process Soap Recipes, I would encourage reading her article.

Free Ebook Offer from The Mountain Rose Blog

Calling all crafters!  Have you ever thought of selling your handcrafted times online, but you did not know where to start?  Well, I may have something to help you get started. The Mountain Rose Blog recently posted this offering of a free ebook from Poppy Swap entitled For the Herbalist in Business: How to Successfully Sell Online. This free ebook covers business savvy from online marketing, to product pricing, GMP compliance, business licensing, photography, and beyond. Yep, this e-book of wisdom is their gift to you and it’s totally free!. 

This free e-book was created by Kiki, the founder of Poppy Swap, and Kristie Nackord of Spirit Horse Herbals. It’s the first edition of something that will become an ever-evolving guide to getting your business up and running on the internet. The goal is to provide the know-how AND the technology to make creative herbal dreams come true but if you are not a herbalist then there is still some good information that would apply to your handcrafted speciality.  Even though I am not currently selling online, I maybe in the future.  So I went ahead and downloaded my copy already.  And I recommend you should too!

How to Make Soy Chunk Candles

Love soy candles?  Soy candles offer an environmentally friendly alternative to paraffin candles. Since they are made from all natural materials, soy candle stubs are biodegradable and offer none of the chemical problems of their paraffin cousins. These candles also have a smoother texture than other kinds of candles.

Have you ever thought of creating soy chunk candles?  According to Megan Shoop, ehow contributor says they are particularly popular. She says that these candles consist of many colors of soy wax embedded in one background color. She adds these candles are very easy to make and make great gifts.  If you want to read Megan's article to learn How to Make Soy Chunk Candles, it appears on Ehow. 

Cooling Cucumber & Mint Body Oil

Are you looking for a body oil that was designed with shaving in mind? This recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop is great for use after shaving your legs when your skin can feel quite dry, and can even become irritated. This body oil recipe  is not only a great aftershave, it will feel great on skin that has been mildly irritated by sun, allergens, or chronic dryness. So why not give it a try?

The ingredients you will need are 2 ounces Aloe Vera Oil, 1 ounce Cucumber Seed Oil, 1 ounce Camellia Seed Oil, 1/4 teaspoon Chamomile Essential Oil, 1/4 teaspoon Organic Spearmint Essential Oil and 1 Drop Vitamin E T50

The directions are very simple:
In a small bowl, combine the three Carrier Oils and mix well. Next, add the carefully measured Essential Oils and mix again. Using a funnel or a very steady hand, transfer the mixture to bottle.

The Natural Beauty Workshop suggests the following for packaging and using this product: Try packaging this Body Oil in a 4 Ounce PET Bottle with a Disc, Turret, or Snap Cap for easy dispensing. You can dress up the bottle with our printable labels, which you can download here: Download Cucumber Mint Body Oil Labels

The Oil can be applied directly to bare legs, and massaged into the skin, as you would a lotion or cream.The Oil will take longer to penetrate the skin than a lotion, but it should absorb fairly easily.

Black Cocoa Butter Homemade Soap Recipe

Here is a really interesting hot process soap recipe from Skin Naturals. Black Cocoa Butter Homemade Soap Recipe was made in a slow cooker and then plopped into a bag when it was cooled for future batches and adding color. I have heard of making a soap recipe in a slower cooker before but I have to admit that I have never heard of a soap recipe kept into a plastic bag and store for future batches.  Has anyone tried this before?  I would like to try some day but as of now I do not have a place to store it?  My main question is where to store it - in a cool place or what?  Any advice on this?

Simple Sugar Scrub Recipe

Do you have a favorite shower gel that you like to use? Why not add sugar to it and make it into a sugar scrub? That is what Greenbeen did with her banana nut bread gel (look like it might be from the Philosophy Brand). Seems like a great idea to add your favorite shower gel soap which contains your favorite fragrance and it already provides the bubbles. If you would like to see how it was done, check out the SCRUB A DUB DUB recipe on Greenbeen's Crafterole blog.

How to Make an Ice Candle

Isn't this an interesting looking candle? Well, it is an ice candle. Never heard of an ice candle? Basically, it is putting ice cubes into a mold most commonly used a milk carton and hot melted wax was pour over the ice. The ice would melt and leave interesting craters in the wax. What is so neat about making these kind of candles is that not one candle would be identical. Want to learn how to make these candles? Then check out these instructions on How to Make an Ice Candle by David Fischer on About.com.

How to Make Fizzy Bath Kisses

Want to take your bath fizzies to the next level? Then you should try making these Fizzy Bath Kisses from an Ehow Contributor. What makes this recipe different from the usual bath fizzy bomb is the addition of cocoa butter and oatmeal. If you use the recommended essential oils in this recipe then you may want to purchase refined cocoa butter which means that the chocolate scent is taken out. If you like the natural smell of cocoa butter, then go ahead and get it but you may want to change the essential oils that would compliment the chocolate smell. I would recommend selecting vanilla, peppermint or orange.

Cherry Blossom Cold Process Soap

I love seeing pictures of the Cherry Blossoms bloom in Washington DC. I have never been to see this exordinary event and I would say this is on my bucket list. But until I get a chance to do, I can make these Cherry Blossom Cold Process Soaps from The Soap Queen. This is an advanced recipe which should take one hour to complete (allow time for curing) and you should get 12 soaps. What is really great is that is a great opportunity to make these soaps in the newest silicone molds.

Coffee Bean and Vanilla M&P Soap Tutorial

Odie from Riverlea Soap had purchased Soapylove: Squeaky-Clean Projects Using Melt-and-Pour Soap awhile back and made one of the projects for Valentine's Day and posted on her blog. She loved the project so much that she wanted to do another one. So is sharing her Coffee Bean and Vanilla M&P Soap Tutorial with all of her readers. So if you love coffee and vanilla, this melt and pour soap project is just up your ally.

How to Make Your Own Bodywash

One of the blogs I follow called Totally Tutorials had an entry from Life Blossoms on How to Make Your Own Natural Body Wash. It is very simple because it is made with only 2 ingredients: Castille Soap and Water. But to be honest I am wondering how "Natural" the Kirks castile soap is and if you can really claim that it is natural. If you made your own than that would be a different story. Also the recipe calls for water. It does not distinquish if you should use distilled or regular water from the tap. But my instincts say to use distilled. Since I use distilled water for my lotions recipes I have it on hand plus it is really inexpensive to purchase from the local grocery store.

Bunny & Basket Melt and Pour Soap

Easter is upon us. I cannot believe it is here! I saw this melt and pour project called Bunny & Basket Melt and Pour Soap in the recipe section of the Wholesale Supplies Plus website. Somehow the bunny soap reminds me of a marshmallow peep! Anyway, this is an intermediate project which should take about an hour to complete. You might have to wait a little longer to allow for drying time. But once you are finished this project, you should have (12) 5.3 oz bars. This would be a great project to do with the kids!

Debbie's "Perfect Everytime" Bath Fizzies

Love taking a relaxing bath with bath fizzies? Instead of buying bath fizzies every time that you want to take a break, why not make your own? Here is a recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Debbie's "Perfect Everytime" Bath Fizzies that you may want to try.Even though tax season is rapidly approaching, these can work anytime of the year.

Coconut & Plum Whipped Body Butter

Love body butters? You have got to try this Coconut & Plum Whipped Body Butter recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop. This recipe makes about 6 ounces by volume, and about 5 1/2 ounces by weight. And all supplies can be purchased through From Nature with Love.