Green Beer & Clover Loaf M&P Soap

Now that Valentine's Day is now over, it is time to time to start getting ready for St. Patrick's Day.  No matter what nationality you are, everyone is Irish on March 17th.  Here is one way to celebrate is to make this Green Beer & Clover Loaf M&P Soap.  This recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus is an advanced project that should take you 2 hours to make this 44 oz loaf. This would be a great gift to make and give out to celebrate.

MP Soap: Pot o' Gold

Now that Valentine's Day is over, the next item on the calender to celebrate is St. Patrick's Day.  St. Patrick's Day has a special meaning but that particular day in March, everyone is Irish. If you rather celebrate by not drinking then why not make this adorable MP Soap: Pot o' Gold from Wholesale Supplies Plus? If I were to get this soap as a gift, I would think it would be great as actually find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. This advanced project should take two hours to make eight soaps.

Whipped Coffee Butter Tutorial

If you loved the original Whipped Shea Butter recipe from the Soap Queen, you will fall in love with her new Whipped Coffee Butter recipe. It is very easy to make plus it has the combination of coffee butter and tamanu oil mixed with Brambleberry's Vanilla Select Fragrance Oil and Almond Cybilla Fragrance oil which makes this recipe downright scrumptious. Since this recipe is so easy to make, it is just as easy to use.  All you have to do is put the whipped butter on any super dry patches of skin, like your elbows or knees, to make your skin extra happy.

Kissably Soft Lotion Recipe

According to Anne Marie her recipe for Kissably Soft Lotion  glides on smooth, and a little goes a long way. She adds two ingredients that I have never heard of BTMS-50 and DL-Panthenol.  She says that BTMS-50 conditioning emulsifier and DL-Panthenol (also known as Pro-Vitamin B5) work in tandem with skin-loving oils and extracts to create a super soft skin without it feeling too greasy or slippery. Just give this reipe a try - you might just fall in love with it. 

Cinnful-Cocoa Lip Scrub

Image credit: tasha1111 / 123RF Stock Photo

May I ask if you add cinnamon or cocoa to your favorite coffee drink at Starbucks (or any other coffee house)? If you love to use a scrub on your lips then this recipe is for you!  This Cinnful-Cocoa Lip Scrub recipe from Bath Body Supply is a simply delicious recipe for your lips. 

Maqui Berry Infusion Recipe

In a recent recipe on how to make Cocoa Berry Balm from Bath Body Supply it asks for an ingredient called maqui berry infusion.  If you would like to make your own Maqui Berry Infusion, Bath Body Supply has a simple recipe that you can make. This paricular recipe has only two ingredients which is really nice. Now in this recipe it is made in a double boiler and takes two hours to make.  If you do not not have the time to stay around while this is taking place you may want to do this in a slower cooker if you have one.  It would be safer.

Learn How to Make Your Own Body Balms and Butters

Are you interested in making your own body balms and butters for yourself or for gifts? In this demonstration class, students will learn how to make their own lip balm, body balm and body butters with all natural ingredients. At the end of the class, students will take home a lip balm, body balm, a jar of either traditional or whipped body butter. In addition students will receive an extensive handout with recipes, resources of suppliers, packaging and more. A materials fee of $20 (cash) is payable to the instructor at class.

Saturday, April 20,2013
10 am to 1 pm

Cost: $35 plus $20 materials fee.

Palo Alto Adult School
50 Embarcadero Road
Room 106 
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Phone: 650/329-3752
Website: http://www.paadultschool.org/

Registration begins February 22, 2013. Visit the school's website for registration detail. Class could be cancelled due to low enrollment so please spread the word!

Egg Oil & Amla Conditioning Hair Mask

I thought this recipe for Egg Oil & Amla Conditioning Hair Mask from The Natural Beauty Workshop is really interesting. What struck me as interesting was the Broccoli Seed Oil. 

According to The Natural Beauty Workshop is that this thick, creamy, emollient hair mask is packed with ingredients that can help nourish, repair, and moisturize tired, dry, and damaged hair. The recipe starts off with our gentle Shea Butter Shampoo Base, an SLS-free formula without any dyes or perfumes. We start off with shampoo so that the mask can rinse easily after being used. It's mixed with a blend of seven rich, moisturizing oils, each specifically chosen for their benefits in hair care.

Egg Oil contains cholesterol, a component that can help reinforce damaged or brittle hair. Amla is well known for its beneficial properties too. It helps to condition hair and encourage a healthy scalp. Jojoba mimic sebum, hair's natural conditioner and protectant. Manketti and Andiroba Oils are extremely moistuirizing, providing dry, damaged hair with intense emollient benefit. Argan and Broccoli Seed Oils help increase snoothness, shine, and luster. 

Hot Process Series: Crock Pot Camo

If you enjoyed the first part of The Soap Queen's series on hot process soapmaking, then you will enjoy this one on crock pot hot process - crock pot camo. This article explains making soap with a slower cooker and gives you a recipe on how to make the soap pictured.

Cocoa Berry Balm Recipe

Here is a different want to make a balm - in heart shaped.  This recipe for Cocoa Berry Balm is from Bath Body Supply has an unique green color.  The color must come from the Maqui Berry Infusion ingredient because there is no listing of coloring for this recipe.  And may I suggest that you can adapt the shape by using any silicone ice cube trays in different shapes.  This way you can create these adorable balms to fit your occasion or mood.

Superberry Bath Salt Recipe

Image credit: joannawnuk / 123RF Stock Photo

Berries of all kinds are my favorite fruits.  If you love berries, then this Superberry Bath Salt Recipe by Bath Body Supply is perfect.  This is a very simple recipe combining Atlantic Sea Salt with three different kinds of berry powders and Berry mojotio fragrance oil.

Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial

If you loved the Hidden Color Bath Bomb tutorial, where a secret stash of super concentrated color appears once the bath bomb is activated in water.that the Soap Queen recently posted on her site, you will love this Sparkle Powder Bath Bomb Tutorial.  This time around instead of color the secret stash is full of glitter! What a fun and unexpected treat for bath time adventures.  This bath bomb tutorial is an intermediate level which should take you 15 to 20 minutes to make five bath bombs.

Oatmeal Facial Scrub and Mask

This  Oatmeal Facial Scrub and Mask from the Soap Queen is a quick and adaptable recipe for a gentle facial scrub and mask. It works great as a simple exfoliater, but for an added boost leave it on your skin as a mask to absorb oil and clean pores. Skin-loving ingredients and gentle oils make this scrub and mask a soothing addition to any skin care routine. 

MP Soap: Leprechaun's Gold Loaf

Have you been looking a long time for that pot of gold?  Maybe today is your lucky day.  Create your own fortune without having to chase down a leprechaun! This beautiful soap is the perfect addition to your spring collection.  So check out this melt and pour recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Leprechaun's Gold Loaf.

Sensuous Rose Infused Massage Oil Recipe

Did you get roses for Valentine's Day? Well, here is an idea that you may like once the petals of your roses start to fall off the stem make your own Sensuous Rose Infused Massage Oil .  This tutorial from the Soap Queen is very easy and takes a short time to make two bottles. 

Create Your Own Essential Oils

Aromatherapist Tim Blakely from Aura Casica demonstrated how to create your own essential oils on BOrganic. BOrganic hosted Michelle Beschen is a show on PBS that shows different aspects of  living organically. In this episode, Tim shares how to create your own essential oils using fragrant plants from your garden through a simple at home distilation process.  The best plants to experiment with are lavender, mint leaves, geranium and rose.  The oil concentreation is much less, but the fragrant water can be enjoyed and use just the same

Making moulds for African Bee Trading. Tutorial Part 3

This time aroundRiverlea soap will continue to make the multi cavity mod out of silicone in part 3 of Making Molds for African Bee Trading. If you missed part one and two, Riverlea has links to both parts so you do not have to worry about missing a thing.  I think it is a really cool idea to learn how to create your own silicone molds for making soaps or other solid bath products like bath melts.

Generate Sales With Your Email Newsletter

If you are a small business owner trying to generate sales, Donna Marie of Indie Beauty says that it is your responsbility to generate sales.  And one of the best ways of doing that is creating your own online newsletters. She says they are an inexpensive way to stay in touch with customers and show them that you care, even when they are not buying something from you. They are a great cross-promotional tool, and if they contain quality content, they are also great at generating sales leads. If would you like to learn more about email newslettters, then I suggest you read Donna's article titled Generate Sales With Your Email Newsletter which is available to read on the Soap Queen's site. 

How to Color Hair with Chalk - Hair Chalking

Awhile back I posted a tutorial from The Soap Queen's site on how to make hair chalk.  If you liked that one you may want to check out Go Planet Earth's post on How to Color Hair with Chalk - Hair Chalking.  This post includes a recipe and how to apply the chalk to hair.  Has anyone applied hair chalk to their hair before? The colors in the picture look really great in blonde hair but it might not work with different color of hair.  I guess one would have to make chalk in colors that would compliment your hair color.

Why a Newsletter is a Must

Newsletters have been around since the postal service was created.  But since then technology has changed and there are many wants to deliver news like what you are reading now - a blog.  If you were considering writing a newsletter for your business, you have started on the right track of creating a marketing tool for your business that is really your own.  Are you having trouble getting started?  Here is an article on the Soap Queen's site called Why a Newsletter is a Must. This article is a must read for the information on writing a newsletter.  So if you want to get started on publishing your own newsletter, then this would be a good place to start. 

Making Natural Dog Shampoos & Pet Care Products

Did you know that natural ingredients, such as Carrier Oils, Essential Oils, or Vegetable Butters can be used to create Liquid Dog Shampoos, Dog Shampoo Bars, and Skin Care Serums, Salves, or Balms?  They surely can.  According to The Natural Beauty Workshop, when choosing natural ingredients for pet care products make sure that the ingredients are dog safe.  Just like food, certain ingredients that are safe for humans can be extremely harmful, or even deadly to dogs.  If you are uncertain about the safety of a particular ingredient, be sure to check with your dog's veterinarian before using it.  It is especially important to keep this in mind when using Essential Oils.  Dogs can be very sensitive to these ingredients, and since their bodies are smaller, and work differently from humans, their tolerance levels can be much lower than humans.  Be sure to dilute any Essential Oils very well when adding them to a dog care product.  In case you were wondering, recipes created for dogs should NEVER be used on cats.  Dogs and cats have very different systems.  An ingredient that is safe for a dog could be deadly if used on a cat. 

Would you like to learn more?  Then check out The Natural Beauty Workshop's article called Making Natural Dog Shampoos & Pet Care Products to get all the information you need to make natural pet care products for your dog.

Toy Cleaner Recipe

If you have kids and would like to keep their toys clean, here is a toy cleaner recipe from BOrganic that is healthy, inexpensive which is easy to make and free of unhealthy ingredients.

Cacao Creme Face Masque Recipe

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Since it is the time for Valentine's Day and chocolate is mostly likely on our minds.  Instead of eating it, how about creating a face mask instead?  This Cacao Creme Face Masque Recipe from Bath Body Supply is a great way to add anti-oxidents to your face. 

Raising Capital for Your Business

Thinking of starting a business?  Or are you already in one?  According to Geoffrey Michaels, the majority of small business failures are caused by insufficient capital.  In an article he wrote called Raising Capita, which appears on the Wholesale Supplies Plus blog, is based on two concepts.  One it is provides alternatives to raising capital.  And two it will highlight steps to reduce the need for outside help. So if you are need of money for your business, then I would recommend reading this article to help you look for ways to fund your business.

How to Make Cayenne Salve

I am signed up to receive a newsletter from Herb Mentor News.  In a recent issue there a great article about Cayenne.  Did you know that
Cayenne is famous for reducing many types of pain?  I did not know that.  It works by effecting your nervous system. Substance P is a neurotransmitter that relays information and results in what we call pain. Capsaicin, a major constituent of cayenne peppers, blocks substance P and therefore reduces pain. When cayenne is used topically it can relieve many different types of pain, from diabetic neuropathy, shingles, migraine headaches, back aches, arthritis, menstrual cramps and bruises.

The article included an interesting recipe by Rosalee de la Forêt on How to Make Cayenne Salve. It seems to be a very simple recipe and you will only need the following items which seems you can get at your local supermarket: 

1/2 cup olive oil
Two heaping teaspoons of cayenne powder (or 15 grams),
1/2 ounce of beeswax (Available at Mountain Rose Herbs, along with cayenne)

The equipment you will need: Double boiler and Cheesecloth

The directions are really simple. First you want to b

egin by infusing the cayenne into the olive oil in your double burner. Then heat the oil and cayenne until it is warm, turn off the heat and let it sit (warmly) for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat on again. Rosalee recommend doing this for at least one hour to a couple of hours, you could do it for 24 hours if desired. If you are afraid of infusing the oil for this long of period of time, you may want to consider doing this in a small crockpot.  Once the cayenne and olive oil have been infused, strain off the powder through a cheesecloth. Reserve the infused oil. Heat the beeswax until it is melted. Stir in the infused oil until the beeswax and oil have been thoroughly melted together and combined.Immediately pour this mixture into jars or tins. Let it cool and then label it.

Now that you have finished making this salve you are wondering how to use it? It can be used on aches and pains, from sore muscles and joints to bruises and even nerve pain. It is best for closed wounds and may sting a bit on open wounds. Even on closed skin you may feel a bit of burning or heat in the area where it is used. It should be applied externally only and used within 6 months for the best results.If using it for arthritic pain it may take up to a week or two to see results. In this case you want to use it daily to decrease chronic pain.

There is one word of caution. When cayenne comes in contact with your mucosal membranes or eyes it will burn! Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching cayenne or use gloves to apply the salve to the desired area. If you are using the cayenne salve on your hands, consider applying it at night and then sleeping with gloves on.

Tim's Love Bath

Love Bath Salts?  Aromatherapist Tim Blakey of Aura Cacia demonstrates on how to make Tim's Love Bath salts recipe on BOrganic. Tim is also going to demonstrate how to make your won essential oils in this episode. I have not seen this episode yet, but I saw that it scheduled for March 1st on KQED's Living Channel.  I am hoping to get a chance to see it.

3D Psychedelic Double Pour Swirl

Totally groovy man!  Take me back to the 70's with this 3D Psychedelic Double Pour Swirl melt and pour soap project from the Soap Queen.  This is an intermediate project that takes 30 mins to make (without curing time) and results in 4 beautiful soaps.  Get out your tye shirts to make this hip soap.

Fruit and Veggie Wash Soap

I remember seeing some kind of spray that you could use on  your fruits and vegetables.  Now that I saw on the Soap Queen site that you can make your own Fruit and Veggie Wash Soap. Now the oils that you purchase from Brambleberry are not meant to be used in  your food because their warehouse is not certified for food storage and handling.  So you could check out your local grocery store to see if they carry some of the oils that you can use for this project.

Hot Oil Treatment

I remember when my mother would used V05 Hot Oil Treatment on her hair  Ok, that must reallly date me.  But I am so glad that there are so many easy recipes to make your own.  This Hot Oil Treatment receipe  from Mountain Rose is simple to make and use.

Embedded Heart Melt and Pour Tutorial

Love is in the air! What a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day! Try not to fall in love with this Embedded Heart Melt and Pour Soap.  This tutorial from the Soap Queen is an adorable melt and pour project that is great for practicing layers and embedding. Anne Marie used a unique trick to get these heart cut-outs to sit up on their sides. This is an intermediate project that should take you a couple of hours to get six to seven bars of soap.

Melt & Pour Soap: Fortune Soap Roll Ups

Chinese New Year's is just around the corner. One way you can put an unique twist is making Rolled up Fortune Soap to give out to your party guests.  Learn how to create your own fortune soap by visiting Go Planet Earth's blog Denise's Yadda Yadda on Soap Making and Life. When I first saw these they first reminded me of crescent rolls.  As I looked at them further they looked like curled ribbon.  But I find them fun a idea to make and give.

Cocoa Rose Bath Melts

January is now over and New Year's seems like a blur. Now it is time to turn our sites on Valentine's Day.  Instead of the normal box of candy, why not create these wonderful Cocoa Rose Bath Melts for your sweetheart? This recipe from The Natural Beauty Worshop  are sprinkled with their gorgeous Himalayan Pink Salt, and stiffened with a pinch of hydrogenated Jojoba. They are firm at room temperature, but begin melting immediately on contact with hot water, filling the tub with rich, moisturizing bath oil.