Resources For Information on Cosmetics and Regulations

If you are looking for resources for information regarding cosmetics and regulations, Bath Body Supply Company has an article posted on their blog Design It Yourself on that very subject.  For a list of resourceful list of sites without the hype, take a look at the article
Resources For Info on Cosemetics and Regulations.  Hopefully, this article will point you in the right direction.  If anyone has an article they would like to recommend, please let me know what it is and I will share it with everyone.

Secret Message Soap

Want to give send a secret message to someone you love and want to do it in an unique way? Well, here is a great idea from The Soap Queen - Secret Message Soap. Why not hide a surprise in your soap like money or something. This is an easy project that should take only 30 minutes to make plus curing time which results about 8 bars of soap. I am not going to reveal the secret on what the prize is stored in. You will have to check out the instructions and find out how!

Bath Fizzy Bomb Recipe From DeShawn Marie

Learn how to make your own bath fizzy bombs from DeShawn Marie. This recipe on how to make your own bath fizzy bombs appears on DeShawn Marie's blog Handcrafted Soap.  These make great gifts for any occassion.

Bamboo & Green Tea Hemp Lotion Recipe

According to Allison Kontur of  DIY Skincare, lightweight lotions are a must when the weather turns hot and sticky. Hemp oil closely matches our own skins lipids and contains the highest amount of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (EFA's), making it a key ingredient in anti-inflammatory skincare products. EFA's have been proven to play a preventative role in skin aging and a healthy moisture balance without feeling overly heavy or greasy. Allison has a recipe for Bamboo & Green Tea Hemp Lotion that you may want to try to make. This recipe contains only three ingredients which includes a pre-made lotion base.  

How to Make Solid Shampoo Bars

Solid shampoo bars are becoming very popular in upscale soap boutiques. They are great to use when traveling, easy to store and are a natural alternative to liquid shampoos. The best part of making your own is you can scent them with any of your favorite fragrances or use essential oils to make your own hair and scalp treatment shampoo.

How would you like to learn more about making a shampoo bar?  Well, if you have made a cold process soap before you are practically there.  In this article by ehow contributor, Cindy M titled, How to Make Solid Shampoo Bars you will learn step by step on how to make your very own solid shampoo bar and choosing the right essential oils for this easy recipe.

All About Shampoo Bars

Shampoo bars made of “all natural” ingredients are all the rage in the hair- and skin-care markets. These handmade soaps and shampoo bars are especially gaining popularity in the curly-hair community because they tend to be free of sulfates and silicones and are made from moisturizing oils and gentle cleansers.

Many people report that they are extremely pleased with the results they are getting, citing benefits such as increased softness, better curl formation and, in some cases, elimination of the need to use conditioner.

However, not all users have had such pleasant experiences, and there is some confusion over what the advantage is of shampoo bars over traditional shampoos or low-sulfate or sulfate-free cleansers. There is also some debate about whether the shampoo bars should be followed up with a vinegar rinse, a conditioner, or both.
All About Shampoo Bars by Tanya Mckay goes into the basic chemistry of shampoo bars to discover what answers lie beneath the surface.  After reading this article, you just may throughout all of your shampoos and conditioners and only use shampoo bars.  You can learn how to make your own or find someone who makes and sells them.

Soap Queen's Talk It Out Tuesday: Preservatives

In a recent post,  Anne-Marie wrote about preservatives in her Talk It Out Tuesday segment on her site.   Preservatives can be a tricky if you haven’t used them before, but fear not, this post will explain the differences so that you can become the expert on preservatives.  She goes through explaining what preservatives are and what are not preservatives; what kind of preservatives are out there; when do you need to use preservatives; and some recipes that uses Brambleberry preservatives.

Hope you find the information helpful. If you missed previous Soap Queen Talk It Out Segments, check out segments on colorants, bath bombs colorants, and  melt and pour soap.  Sounds like this series is a hit and Anne-Marie may post other topics in the future. So tune.  Same soap time, Same soap channel.

Preserve the Freedom to Produce and Sell Handmade Soap & Cosmetics in the USA

I recently was reminded by a post by Erica on her blog, Bath Alchemy - A Soap Blog and More about the current legislation that congress is currently debating. You should get familiar and educate yourself by reading all the material you can that could potentially effect your business.  You can start out with  Handmade Cosmetic Alliance website and  Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild (HSMG)'s blog about this very subject.

The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild (HSMG), who have already been involved in the process of getting Congress to acknowledge and protect the small business owner by adding exemptions to one of the new bills, has partnered with the Handmade Cosmetic Alliance to gain further recognition and get exemptions added to the other 2 bills than can affect your business.

IF you are currently in the soap, bath, body, and/or cosmetic making line of business or thinking about getting started then you must get educated about what is going on and  help out.  Like Erica says in post that the HSMG cannot do it alone and they need your help.  She says it takes only 1 minute of your time.  All you have to do is write to your representatives in Congress using a super simple form letter. All you have to do is fill out your name and address, it locates your reps and sends them the email.  So take action now, by clicking on this link - Write Your Congressman Tool.

Invigorating Shampoo Bars

Have you heard of a shampoo bar?  Well according to Best Soap Ever, "A Shampoo Bar resembles a bar of vegetable based soap, but it is formulated especially for hair. One of the many advantages of using Shampoo Bars is that they can be formulated using all natural ingredients including vegetable oils, vegetable butters, essential oils and other nutritives."

Would you like to know why you should become a fan shampoo bars? There are many reasons. According to Anne-Marie (aka The Soap Queen) the lather is incredible, the bar is long lasting, you have shinier hair with zero buildup, and it’s all natural!

Anne-Marie recently posted a recipe for her Invigorating Shampoo Bars on her site. Her recipe contains a lot of castor oil, which creates a rich and foamy lather. Coconut oil and palm oil also provide a fluffy lather and add to the hardness of the bar. Tea tree essential oil is an antiseptic and is known to help treat scalp conditions such as dandruff and head lice. Plus, it stimulates new hair growth by removing dead skin cells from hair follicles. It also smells minty, earthy and fresh, leaving you energized and revitalized for the day.

I never have used a shampoo bar before but what you need to do is rub the bar in a couple small circles right on your head and work the lather up with your fingers. After seeing this recipe, I am interested in trying to back a batch since it is making by the cold process method.

Hydrosols for Hair Care

What are Hydrosols?  According to The Natural Beauty Workshop, Hydrosols are the steam distilled essences of plants and botanicals. Far gentler than the essential oils they are made in conjunction with, Hydrosols can be used in their pure form, directly on the skin and hair. They can sometimes have unexpected aromas, but they are usually have mild, herbal scents that dissappear quickly after drying.

There are many Hydrosols made from plants that can be benficial in natural hair care. These gentle botanical waters can be used in cleansing rinses, scalp toners, or as an ingredient in creams, soaps, or conditioners. Though almost any of our wide range of Hydrosols can be used to complement hair care recipes, the most popular choices are Lavendula, Rosemary, and Neroli. These three Hydrosols are particularly sought after for their hair care benefits

If you would like to learn more about using hydrosols in your hair care regiment, then I would recommend reading the article on The Natural Beauty Workshop's blog titled Hydrosols for Haircare.

Handmade Paper Embedded with Flowers

For this post, I am taking a slight detour from bath and products and sharing this project to make your own Handmade Paper Embedded with Flowers.  I am interesting in learning how to make my own handmade paper and a couple of years ago I purchased a Arthur Grummer paper making kit when Michael's Arts and Craft Stores had the paper making supplies on clearance.  To tell you I have not tried this craft yet but I am still interested and plan on using the kit in their near future.

Anyway, I wanted to share this tutorial which appears on the blog CathieFilian.com.  I always enjoyed watching Cathie on HGTV's Creative Juice and now I understand she and her co-host Steve are producing a new craft show on TLC called Craft Wars which will be premiering on June 26, 2012.

Selling Crafts Online – Marketing to Family and Friends

Is there a craft that you have been making for sometime and would like to make some money on your creations?  It may seem difficult at first, new handmade sellers should consider looking to family and friends for feedback and those initial much-needed sales. In an article on Handmade Marketing.org titled Selling Crafts Online – Marketing to Family and Friends suggests that you should sell on and off line.  Plus the article, gives you some other references to read. 

How To Start Your Own Soap Business

After taking a soap class you been dreaming about starting your own soap making business, but not sure where to start? While launching your own company is not entirely difficult, it does take time and thoughtful preparation in order to create a successful business. In this white paper, How To Start Your Own Soap Business by Marla Bosworth of Back Porch Soap Company is intended to provide you with a general overview of important steps required to get started on your dream.

Pot O Gold Lip Gloss Recipe

Here is an easy lip gloss recipe called Pot O Gold Lip Gloss from Allison B. Kontur of Bath Body Supply which appears on her blog Design It Yourself: Recipe asks for lip balm base, if you have your own favorite then you can probably can use that instead.

How to Make Bath Fizzies from Martha Stewart

The instruction on How to Make Bath Fizzies appeared in the Holiday 2006 issue of Martha Stewart Living, but now is available on her website. All it takes to make delicately scented tablets is a little mixing, some gradual spritzing, and a few minutes of molding. When you're finished you'll have dozens of effervescent treats in a variety of shapes and colors that will scent and soften bath water as they bubble. They make great stocking stuffers or party favors to give out at bridal or baby showers. They make great gifts for all the ladies on your list, including mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and grown-up nieces. Experiment with colors and scents; mix yellow and red to make orange, for example, and try blending lemon with lavender.

Making Ombre Layered Cold Process Soap

As a blogger, I follow many blogs on soap making and crafting. Recently, one particular blog I follow titled I Rather Be Soaping documented  her experience on a recent post on making ombre layered cold process soap. What is ombre? Well, another name for this technique is gradient layering. The idea is to have a color gradually change from dark to light with each progressive layer as you can see from Jenny's picture.

Jenny first saw a gradient layering tutorial on Anne-Marie's Soap Queen blog. Then later she saw a  video created Emily from Shieh Design Studio called Making Ombre Layer Soap.  Jenny was very pleased how her soap came out but  she was hoping that my layers would be more distinct and the lines a little straighter. She thinks her early layers should have been at a thicker trace, and maybe I should have poured with a bit more care.  I would suggest you watch her video on how she created her own soap.  I love the look of this technique and Jenny did a wonderful job on her soap!

How to Spot Beauty Products Trends: Part Two

This is Part Two of a two-part blogpost on how to spot beauty trends from Back Porch Soap to help grow your beauty business. If you missed Part One you can read it here. In this post, Marla is going to continue the discussion and also provide tips that you can apply to your own bath and body business to update your beauty products.

MP Soap: May Flowers

April showers brings May Flowers. But since April and May have now pasted here is an adorable May Flowers Melt and Pour soap project from Wholesale Supplies Plus that can create bring spring around all year round.  This tutoiral that will show your creativity in designing your flowers/color combinations.  It is an intermediate project that should take about 2 hours to make and result in 8 bars of soap.

Sweet Orange Lip Balm

Even though summer is quickly approaching this Sweet Orange Lip Balm Recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus is great for anytime of the year. The illipe butter and sweet almond oil will moisturize and leave your lips soft and smooth. Never heard of illipe butter?  Well according to Mountain Rose Herbs, Illipe Butter comes from a truly magnificent tree that is native to Southeast Asia and Borneo. It flowers in October through January, when the nuts are collected after they fall to the ground, but not before. The seeds are collected from the ground and dried in the sun until they are brittle enough to be separated from the shells. The indigenous peoples of Borneo have been making a “butter” from the Illipe nuts for many centuries for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. It is quite similar to cocoa butter in its triglyceride composition. Because it has a higher melting point than cocoa butter it makes it ideal for soaps, and it is an excellent base for a great many body care products, including those used for the skin, sun protection, creams, soaps, lip sticks, balms, make-up foundations, and hair conditioners.  And it is known for its moisturizing properties and its ability to restore elasticity to the skin.

Melt & Pour Soap: How to Use Leftover Soap Base

Calling all melt and pour soap makers!  Have you finished a project and you have leftover soap you do not know what to do with it? Denise from Go Plant Earth wrote an entry on her blog Denise's Yadda Yadda on How to Use Leftover Soap Base. Her idea is to make a layered soap loaf.  And her article tells you how and help tips to get it done. So your problem is solved.

Cocoa Dream Cream

Do you dream of being on vacation on a tropical island?  Try this recipe Cocoa Dream Cream from Fresholi.

Bite Me Not Lotion Bar

Summer is just around the corner and most of us will be spending a lot of time outdoors.  This means that we will be sharing the lovely outdoors with some insect pests such as mosquitoes.  To help keep the bugs away without synthetic chemicals this summer by making your own all natural “bug off” lotion bar which appears on The Soap Queen's site. Anne Marie has customize a blend of some essential oils to keep bugs away and keep you smelling great all summer long. Even though this recipe is named a lotion bar I would characterize as a lotion stick since it is in a convenient tube.  I like that it is packaged in a tube because it makes it super easy to pack in your carry all with less mess.

Recipe: Pre/Post Epilation Scrub

Many women get their legs waxed.  Waxing removes the entire hair, including the root, from the follicle.According to Alison of DIY Skincare recommends using a gentle scrub on the surface to be waxed can help reduce the incidence of painful, ingrown hairs. Exfoliate 48 hours prior to waxing and then wait 48-72 hours after waxing to exfoliate again. You can continue to exfoliate 1 to 2 times per week thereafter. Avoid tight-fitting clothes for a few days after a waxing service to give the skin a chance to breathe. The additives selected were chosen for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.If you wax and want to exfoliate after your treatment then I would recommend Alison's Pre/Post Epilation Scrub recipe.

Natural Colorants for Melt and Pour Soap

For those melt and pour soapmakers who would like to go a more "natural" route with coloring your soaps, but you do not know what you can use?  Here is an article on The Soap Queen site by Kat from Otion titled, Natural Colorants for Melt and Pour Soap which can direct you in the right direction on naturally coloring your melt and pour soap base.

"Mommy's Time-Out" Bath Tea Recipe

Stress can get the best of us, and what better way to relax than to soak in the tub. This simple recipe will have you restored in no time! Your own personal "chill pill" that's not only legal, but safe to get addicted to! After all, everyone needs a time-out, even mommies...So try this "Mommy's Time-Out" Bath Tea Recipe  from DIY Skincare.

Taratahi Lilac Fizzing Bath Salts Recipe

Love the smell of Lilacs?  Well, how about Taratahi Liliac?  Here is a recipe from DIY Skincare that you may enjoy adding to your bath to make it more relaxing.  This Taratahi Lilac Fizzing Bath Salts Recipe has the normal citric acid and baking soda with the addition of  medium Atlantic Sea Salt, loose bath tea and Natrasorb.  Alison makes a makes an important announcement at the end of the recipe: Do not package in glass, as moisture can set off a chemical reaction (fizzing) between the baking soda and citric acid and could cause a glass container to explode. Do not use metal caps as the salt and citric acid could cause corrosion.

Candle Making Trends

There are trends in fashion and home decor, but did you know that there are trends in candlemaking?  Surprise, surprise there is!  In the article, Candle Making Trends by Erica, owner of The Bonnie Bath Company says that trends are not always easy to predict but  you can often see the direction of the candle industry.  It tends to follow the same path as the other industries.  In her article, she covers the eco movement, looking to decorating trends, scents, conveince and safety, and clean and simple.  So if you are a candlemaker and want to learn about how to determine trends, then check this informative article out.

Silky Souffle Lotion

I have heard of a body souffle before but I have never made one before.  But I found this Silky Souffle Lotion Recipe  from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  This particular recipe whips up light and fluffy and is packed full of moisturizing butters and oils to soak into your skin.  This is an intermediate recipe that should take you a half hour to make 48 ounces.

Lavender Lotion Bar

This year's The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Conference in Portand, OR was attended by over 310 people. Debbie May of Wholesales Supplies Plus gave a demo on "Lavender Lotion Bar" which received accolades from those trying the formulas and for the simplicity of the recipes. This is an easy project which should take a 1/2 hour to make and resulting in (7) 1.15 oz. lotion rounds.
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Ombre Votive Candles: Margarita Lime

I recently purchased a votive candle from East West Books in Mountain View that has the look of Ombre.  I was wondering how it was done. In my search I found this Margarita Lime Ombre Votive Candle recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  It is an advanced projet that should take an hour to make and yields 16 votives (8 clamshells).  According to Wholesale Supplies Plus, Ombre is a huge trend for Spring '12. The term Ombre refers to a graduation of color (fading from dark to light). These candles show off a new technique to mimic this current trend, and they smell as pretty as they look!

MP Soap: Celebration Loaf Soap

Attention Soapmakers here is an advanced melt and pour soap project you may want to try from Wholesale Supplies Plus that screams summer! This MP Soap: Celebration Loaf Soap recipe should take 30 minutes (not including curing time) to make 44 ounces loaf. This cute layered soap is great for any special occasion you want to celebrate. This reminds of me of a creamsicle that I enjoyed as a child.  You can change the colors and fragrance to fit the occasion. 

MP Soap: Flag Loaf Soap

Here is an advanced melt and pour soap project that one can make up to celebrate Independence Day but also could be made for Memorial Day or even Veteren's Day. This Flag Loaf Soap project from Wholesale Supplies Plus takes 1/2 hour to make plus curing time. If you slice this soap in one inch slices, you should get 8 bars of soap. There is an easy print button on this site so you can conveinently print it out and save it in your files.