Creamy Walnut Lip Butter

I found this recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop Blog for this recipe for Creamy Walnut Lip Butter.  This lip butter is made with intensely moisturizing Pistachio and Macadamia Nut Butters which brings together a bevy of nutty goodness. Walnut Oil gives this recipe extra conditioning and shine, which your lips will surely adore. Lecithin adds a creamy texture to the mix, increasing the balms adherence, and feel.

How to Make Cold Process Soap

There are many tutorials out there on how to make cold process soap. But here is one where the author is using a PVC ipe as a mold. If you have never used a pvc pipe as a mold and would like to learn how, then check out this cold process soap tutorial from Lovin' Soap.

If anyone out there have used pvc pipe as a mold and would like to share any tips with the newbies, please place your tips in the comment section.

Grapefruit Seed Extract in Soap Making

Soap makers have you ever used grapefruit seed extract on your soappmaking?  In this article, Grapefruit Seed Extract in Soap Making written by dy2011520 and submitted to ArticleTrader.com talks about what it can do for your cold process soap recipe.  Did you know that grapefruit seed extract is a natural cleaning formula used to protect against Staph, Strep, Aspergillus, Salmonella, and many other common bacteria viruses and parasites found in the household? Due to its disinfectant properties, it has become increasingly popular in manufacturing circles as a natural preservative. And this product acts as a natural antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal and antiviral inhibitor in soaps, lotions and other beauty care products. Plus the article discusses the benefits of grapefruit seed extract and more.  So read the article to find out more.

Body On Body Cream Recipe

This Body On Body Cream Recipe from Fresholi makes a lovely, rich and dense hand/body cream, with lots of body. It is ideal for dry skins, although most skins will benefit from the rich texture. It is easily absorbed and easy to make. This formula a couple of ingredients that I am finding quite interesting at the moment. Honey powder (being antiseptic and soothing but also a natural humectant), which I have been using as 50% of the total humectant content with some great results. The other is stearic acid. Not only does it increase the firmness of a cream, giving it body and stability, I think it adds something to the skin-feel. In addition, it appears to reduce the oiliness of a cream and it seems to absorb much more quickly and effectively.

How To Make Organic Soap - Are Your Soap Products Natural Or Really Organic?

There always to seems to be some confusion when I talk to people who are new to making their own bath products whether they are natural or organic.  They seem to get the two confused.  A bath/body product can be natural but it does not make it organic.  In this article on Article Trader by Annie, Are Your Soap Products Natural Or Really Organic?, she talks about the difference in making soap. But some of this information can also be applied to other bath and body products.  Would anyone like to chime in on this subject?  Any additional information to clarify would classify what an actual bath and body product is would be most helpful to those newbies.

Red Palm Oil - Soap Making Oil and More!

Have you ever heard of Red Palm Oil?  I have heard of Palm Oil before being using in cold process soap making, but I never heard of Red Palm Oil.  According to the article, Red Palm Oil - Soap Making Oil and More! by Skat on Article Trader it is somewhat different from regular Palm Oil because it is refined and bleached.  It also contains more carotenoids, tocophenols and tocotrienols, with non-hydrogenated natural saturated fats, (50%), and unsaturated fats, (50%). The main type of unsaturated fat in this oil is oleic acid, which is predominant in Olive Oil, as well. 

I learned alot more about this ingredient by reading Skat's article and I recommend you should read it too if you make cold process soap.  As a soapmaking oil, it makes a great nice hard bar of soap with a stable lather. It blends well with other soap making oils, such as: coconut and olive oil. In your homemade soap recipes you may want to naturally color your soap a warm yellow-orange tint.

How to Make Your Own Soap Favors for Weddings and Baby Showers

Want to make soap as a gift for your party guests? Here are some simple tips for making soap gifts and favors:

1. There are literally hundreds of different ingredients that can be used for soap making. Basically, you will need the following - soap chips or soap base, essential or fragrance oil for scent, and colorants. You will also need a soap mold and a pot to melt the soap in.

2. The easiest way to make soap is to take an already made bar of soap and melt it down. The bar will already have all the ingredients you need in it. You can then pour the soap into a mold of your choice or shape it as desired. Or you can use a cookie cutter or knife to shape it while it is still warm.

3. If you are using raw ingredients, simply pour and mix them in the mold of your choice.

4. Heating - Make sure to heat the soap slowly to prevent combustion or degradation of smell. 130°F - 155°F is a good general range, although there are slight variations depending on what ingredients you use. Try not to leave the soap unattended for long periods of time while heating.

5. Scent - You won't need too much fragrance oil to scent your soap because scented oil is generally highly concentrated and strong. 0.5-1oz of oil is sufficient to scent a whole pound of soap. The amount you use will depend on the strength of the oil, which varies based on the
scent. Mix the oil in with the soap while heating.

6. Coloring - Once again, you will probably not need to much coloring agent. Add a few drops at a time and watch the color change.

7. Mold selection - You can select molds that are themed to your occasion or just use a standard bar mold. For weddings, angels, hearts, and wedding cakes are popular shapes. For baby showers, baby carriages, bottles, and Disney characters are some common themes. The soap can also be carved. If you use a standard bar mold, you can still add personalized themed tags.

8. Finishing touches - After your soap is made, seal it inside a cellophane bag, organza bag, or gift box. Add a favor charms, personalized tag, and message and you have a nice favor for your guest.

Generally, you will want soaps that are 1oz - 3oz in size. These gifts will be used by your guests and are a simple, but effective way to say thank you.

About the Author

Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. See Baby Shower Soap Favors(www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/bb.htm) for more soap favor ideas and Make Your Own Baby Shower Favors (www.mybabyshowerfavors.com/make-your-own.htm) for other related baby shower supplies.

Source: ArticleTrader.com

For the Love of Coffee (Butter)

I have had heard of shea, cocoa and mango butter but I have never heard of coffee butter until I saw this Recipe for Coffee Butter Cold Process Soap on the Soap Queen website. According to The Soap Queen, Coffee Butter is just one of those fun and unique ingredients that we’re intrigued with. It’s luxurious, rich and it feels like it can wake you up on one whiff! Just the smell alone makes me smile. It’s perfect for a mocha lip balm, lotion, body butter or cold process soap recipe. So if you have friends or family who loves coffee, then any body products with coffee butter would be a perfect jolt to their routine.

Homemade Mosquito Repellent

I follow a blog titled, Totally Tutorials which is a directory of free craft tutorials, How-Tos, patterns, recipes, and more. In a recent post, Totally Tutorials posted a tutorial from Joann's Craft Nook on How to Make a Homemade Natural Mosquito Repellent. 

This is the perfect time to start making your own mosquito repellent with the Memorial Day weekend rapidly approaching.  If you camping or to the beach where you are fighting off mosquitos and you do not like the idea of using the products that contain DEET, then you may want to try this recipe. Let us know how it works, if you decide to make this product.

Making Beeswax Lip Balm Recipe

There are many recipes out there and you really need to experiment with the wax to oil ratios and the different types of oils in order to find the one that works best for you. Sometimes simple recipes such as one has the simple ingredients of beeswax and a liquid carrier oil.
In this Beeswax Lip Balm Recipe from All Things Hold Together shows you how to do that.  This recipe can go into any container but the twist up tubes are recommended by the author and they are the ones I use.  One tip that the author recommends for first time lip balm makers is that you might want to start with the least amount of oil and test the consistency.  And she gives a great suggestion on how to do so.

DIY Herbal Salves from Mountain Rose

What is a salve?  According to Moutain Rose, salves are such a simple, effective, and useful medicine! They can easily be slipped into a purse, pocket, or first aid kit.  Although semi-solid at room temperature, salves soften once applied to the skin, making them less messy to apply than oils.  They also make great gifts and are an easy and approachable way to introduce newbies to the medicinal properties of herbs.  Plus, salves can be crafted for a wide variety of topical uses including: arthritis, bruises, cuts, rashes, inflammation, insect bites and stings, sores, sprains, strains, wounds, and other skin irritations and conditions.  The addition of beeswax offers additional benefits including protective, soothing, emollient, nourishing, and healing properties. 

In an article titled DIY Herbal Salves which appears on the Mountain Rose Blog says the first thing you need to make is an infused herbal oil.  Making an infused herbal oil can take awhile but once the oil is infused then making the salve only takes minutes.  You have the choice infusing your oil by the solar or stove top method.  The artice gives you instructions on how to do both, plus there is information on what herbs to select for the salve recipe.  It seems to be very easy to make, so I encourage you to try making your own. If you have made your own salve in the past, do you have a favorite recipe to share?

How to Make Fizzy Bath Powder

You have heard of bath fizzy bombs? I just came across a similiar product called a Fizzy Bath Powder. What is a fizzy bath powder? Well, I could not find a complete description of it, it is similiar to a bath bomb but not in a compact form. It has alot of the ingredients you would find in a bath bomb but some slight differences.  So have anyone out there made a fizzy bath powder before?  If you have not then try to make them by following this How to Make Fizzy Bath Powder  recipe by Ehow member kaseysviewblog and let us know how it comes out.

Soap Pops Tutorial

Ever since I heard of Debbie Chialtas and her famous soap pop soaps, I have been seeing a variety of tutorial on how to make them and alot of variations of being sold on Etsy.  If you would like to learn how to make your own, I found this Soap Pops Tutorial on the Greenbean's Crafterole website.  This is a very basic tutorial but once you mastered this technique, you can jazz up these adorable soaps with other ideas.

Apricot and Cocoa Butter Soap Log

I love the look of this Apricot and Cocoa Butter Soap Log (tutorial) from Aussie Soap Supplies. I do not know if it is the swirling of the colors that attracted me to this recipe or the combination of apricot and cocoa butter.  To be honest,  I have never heard of combining apricot and cocoa butter butter.  So this will be an interesting recipe to try.

A Natural Preservative...The $64,000 Question

Ever since I took a lotion class way back in 2008, I have been hearing alot about preservatives and arguments for and against using them in the products I make.  There are concerns that some preservatives that contain parabens causing cancer, yada, yada, yada and if there is a natural subsitute.  Then there is a debate whether or not there is a "natural" subsitute.  I found this article titled, The Greate Debate: Is There a Natural Prservative?  by Erica of The Bonnie Bath Company.  In her informative article, Erica goes into depth about the great debate, business trends, complications, and more about this subject.  It is highly recommended reading on this subject that you will want to read. 

Good Manufacturing Practices

If you are someone who has taken a lot of courses on how to make your bath and body products and now you want to start a business selling your products.  One thing you need to consider is your manufacturing practices. You may not have thought about good manfacturing practices but it is very important.  Marie Gale, past President of the Soap Maker's Guild recently wrote a book about the subject and will be released at the 2012 conference in Portland, OR.  She will be speaking at this year's conference on this very subject.  If you cannot make it to the conference, she will be teaching a class at The Nova Studio on Sunday, October 14, 2012 from 2 pm to 6 pm.  You will have the opportunity to purchase the book at that time.  If you would like to see a sample of what Marie has written about the subject, just check out the links below to get started learning about this interesting subject:

Good Manufacturing Practices – Part 1 which covers Building and Facilities, Equipment and Personnel.
Good Manufacturing Practices – Part 2 which covers Raw Materials, Production and Laboratory Controls.

Good Manufacturing Practices – Part 3 which covers records required to meet the required standards.

Even though I am not currently making my products to sell, I am looking into purchasing this book for my reference library.  I will let you know when I find out where you can purchase this book.

Resources for Candlemakers

It has been over year since I reaquainted myself with candlemaking when I took a class at The Nova Studio in January 2011.  I do not have many candle making books, but Erica of The Bonnie Bath Company recently posted an article entitled Resources for Chandlers on her blog Bath Alchemy. The article lists a various of candle making books including a book on creating your own candle making business. So if you are interested in candle making as a craft or have already started, check this article out.

Spoon Swirl Homemade Soap Recipe

Most of the cold process soapmakers have done or at least heard of  the swirl technique.  But here is an interesting recipe from Soap Making Essentials called Spoon Swirl Homemade Soap.  This fun and easy spoon swirl homemade soap recipe is made using the room temperature method and coloured with oxides, cocoa powder and mica. The spoon swirl design is achieved by dividing the soap up and coloring each in contrasting colours. Then, using a spoon, you literally spoon each color into the soap mold alternating colors until the soap mold is filled. The author of this batch decided to forgo using essential or fragrance oils. If you decide to use them be sure to use ones that are slow movers since you will need lots of time to get the soap into the soap mold. There is no water discount taken in this recipe.

Pomegranate Lip Scrub

Here is a fantastic Pomegrante Lip Scrub recipe from Allison B. Kontur from BathBodySupply.com which appears on her blog Design It Yourself. I found this to be an interesting recipe because some of ingredients include Organic Evaporated Cane Juice and Organic Pomegranate Juice Powder.  If you love pomengrantes then this is the perfect recipe for you.

Hand and Body Lotion Recipe

Do you frequently use a lotion that you completely run out?  Here is a great Hand and Body Lotion Recipe by Lori Alexander on her blog Always Learning. This recipe is unique because it is make is made on the stove top.  In addition the recipe makes a total of 16 ounces. All of the ingredients Lori uses for her recipe have been purchased from Brambleberry.

Handmade Petal Paper Tutorial

I am always looking for creative ways to package my bath and body products.  I always giving students creative ideas for labels. How about creating these adorable Handmade Petal Paper Tags?  I found this Handmade Petal Paper Tag Tutorial  by Twinkles, Tutorial and Twirls on Tutorial Tutorials blog. Even though this may scream Valentine's Day, I think it could be used anytime of the year.

How to calculate soy wax burn time for candles

Are you new to making soy candles and you are wondering how to calculate the burn time for your creations?  May I suggest you read the article, How to calculate soy wax burn time for candles which appear on the site Addicted to Soap.  The articles gives you instructions on how to do it.  If you have trouble with the instructions, the site directs you to a site that has a burn time calculator.  Give this a try and see how it works.  It maybe easier than you think!

Scent Blends

If you like making your own perfumes or would like to get started, The Majestic Mountain Sage website has a section devoted to Scent Blend Recipes.  Some of the names sound really enticing:  Hot Spiced Wassil, Flower Power, Winter Sunshine, Fru-Fru Berries, Christmas Memories, Creamsicle, Victorian Gardens, Sweet Scentsations, Tropical Citris and a hole lot more.  It has been awhile since I took a perfume (aka essential oil blending) class but after seeing these combonations, I may have to take it up again. 

New Melt & Pour Soap Making Supplies Available at Michaels

To those who have taken my melt and pour soapmaking class in the past, I am happy to report that Michaels Arts and Craft Stores have exciting new melt and pour soap making supplies on the shelf.  After sometime they have been eliminating the Life of the Party brand, they now have ArtMind which is a brand distributed for Michaels.  Now, I must warn you that availability may vary from store to store.  The items above were found at the Redwood City, CA store.

What I can tell you that is now available is the following:

* .5 oz fragrance oils for $3.99.  The available choices in fragrances are orange, mint, almond, tropical, rose, and melon.

* Silicone log shapes in hearts and stars are available for $17.99.

* Loaf Mold for $29.99.  This is not a silicone mold.  It is a plexiglass type of material held together with screws. Once the soap has harden, then you unassemble the mold to remove the soap.  It holds 3 pounds of soap.  But I am sure it will be less if you added soap embedded shapes to it. This mold could also be used for cold process soap if you decide to pursue that avenue.  I am planning to get one once Michael's has a 50% coupon.

* Wavy loaf soap cutter for $8.99.  Mountain View also sold a straight sided cutter for the same price.

* Individual shaped molds and rubber stamps to make embossed soaps.  Prices range from $1.99 to $4.99.

* Droppers (pipettes) for $1.99.

* Spray bottles for rubbing alcohol for $1.00.

* As for colorants, Michaels will still be carrying the trio of dye colorants.  But what is new is individual colorants in .5 oz.  Even though there are only a few such as white and silver, at least they are expanding.  These colorants are very watery like a dye, but they have mica powder for the gold and silver and probably titanium dioxide for the white.  The gold and silver would be great colorants for the clear glcyerin soap if making soap embedded shapes. Now to be honest I am not sure if they are non bleeding or not. But they maybe. I will have to try them out and let you know.
* Michaels is still carrying Life of the Party glycerin soap.  But they have added the following to their shelves.  First of all, they have added a 2 lb clear glycerin high temp soap base for $11.99.  I have never heard of or tried this base before but I guess you can make soap embed shapes with this soap and it may take the heat of the other soap base.  What is really nice is now, Michaels is carrying a 5 lb soap base for you to purchase for $24.99.  It comes in two versions.  The first one is an Opaque Double Butter and the other is a Clear Honey Glycerin.

I am excited about some of these products especially the loaf/silicone molds, new colorants and soap bases. So I will be looking forward to trying these new products and I hope you will too.

Sparkling Body Butter Recipe

Even though the title of this recipe is Sparking Body Butter recipe on The Majestic Mountain Sage website, I am wondering why it is a body butter recipe and not classified as a cream since one of the ingredients is distilled water and the other is stearic acid.  Normally a body butter does not have water as one of its ingredients.  If I were making this product and selling it I would not label it as a body butter but as a cream. For those who are experts in this area could elaborate and clear this issue up.  I like the recipe and have to try it someday.  How about you?

Easy Cold Process Soap Rocks – Palm Free!

The magic of this realistic soap rock tutorial is all in the layering and the mica/oxide lines.  You can play around with different shades for the rock using gray, brown or even black and different shades of mica/oxides for the lines.  For the mica/oxides lines you can use bright colors such as pink, blue and green to get amazing looks. If you would like to learn how to make these special soap rocks , I would highly recommend reading the Easy Cold Process Soap Rocks (Palm Free) Tutorial by Amanda of Lovin' Soaps fame.  If you like this tutorial, Amanda has also contributed other artricles to the Soap Queen's website.

Invigorating Foot Bath Recipe

Have you ever tried a foot bath before?  I have not, but I saw this Invigorating Foot Bath by Alison Kontur of Bath Body Supply and it inspired me to try this recipe.  I guess the best way to describe a foot bath is like bath salts for the feet.  I have to say what really drew me to this recipe was the citrus.  Citrus is one of my favorite scents to use on my feet only second to mint. Alison graciously posted this on her blog DIY Skincare, which has alot of great recipes. If you are looking for some great recipes and information on creating your own bath and body products, I would highly recommend following her.

Understanding Lye/Water Calculation in Soap Recipes

In a recent blog post Ruth Esteves, teacher at The Nova Studio, wrote about a very important subject - Understanding Lye/Water Calculation in Soap Recipes says when it comes to cold process soapmaking, some things are absolutely necessary and rigid, like how much sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is needed for a given amount of oils. It's a property of the oils and can't be changed without affecting the outcome of the soap, sometimes in really bad ways.  In this article, Ruth explains in very simple terms how any why it is important to figure out the lye/water calucations for your cold process soap recipes.

Peacock Swirl in Cold Process Soap Recipe and Video

There are many swirl technique instructions out there on the internet.  Then I came across this Peacock Swirl in Cold Process Soap from the Soap Queen.  I have never heard of this type of swirl before. But according to The Soap Queen, the Peacock Swirl is a marbling style that has been around for centuries and the technique has become very popular in the soapmaking community. This is an advanced technique so be sure to brush up on the basics before you try this one. 

Properly Storing Your Essential Oils

Are you new to using essential oils for your bath and body products and you do not know how to properly store them?  Erica, Owner of The Bonnie Bath Company has kindly written a blog post on the subject titled Properly Storing Your Essential Oils. For you newbies, storing your EO's (Essential Oils) is not really that complicated.  It is just the matter of finding the appropiate containers and spot to do so.  So you do not have to stress all over it.  Take a deep breath and read the article.  You will see this article will make it very simple for you to do it correctly!

Diploma Soaps

Do you have someone in your family graduating from middle school, high school or college and you are having a party to celebrate? Well, here is a really cute party favor you can make from Soap Place and they would be something totally different what any of your guests will have seen before. These diploma soaps can be created to the colors of the graduate's school and the scent you choose could be to their choice.

Vegan Botanical Bath "Milk" Recipe

Are you someone who is a vegan and is disappointed that you cannot use a milk bath recipe?  Well, I have some good news for your.  DIY Skincare has posted a lovely lavender recipe called Vegan Botanical Bath "Milk".  This simply recipe has only three ingredients Vegan Bath Milk (which is soy based), Organic Lavender Powder and Lavender Essential Oil.  If you cannot find any of these ingredients then you can purchase them directly through Bath Body Supply.