How To Make Hot Process Soap in the Microwave

Sometime ago I learned how to make hot process soap at The Nova Studio.  The most common way is the crockpot method.  But it also can be done in the oven.  Now I find out that you can do it in the microwave. According to Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks that making small batches of hot processed soap in the microwave is probably not anymore dangerous than making hot process soap with any other method.  She does warn and caution her readers that this is an advanced soap making technique and should not be attempted by anyone who is not familiar with cold process soap making or not prepared to watch the microwave continuously while the soap is cooking.  If you do not mind making a one pound batch of soap and watching the microwave for about 10-15 minutes, the you should check her post on How to Make Hot Process Soap in the Microwave. Before you try this method of making soap, please read through the entire tutorial and familiarize yourself with the process and photos.  Have fun!

Sleepytime Balm Formula Recipe

Are you having a difficult time getting your over exciting kids on your hands to get to sleep? How about yourself?  This Sleepytime Balm Formula recipe was adapted from 50 Simple Ways to Pamper Yourself by Stephanie Tourles is easy to make. And the author swears by this sweet-smelling balm that one simply applies to the temples before bedtime.  She says it's amazingly effect, but gentle enough to pacify even the most irritable and restless little ones.  I will have to make this and try it because there are times when I have a difficult time sleeping especially when I do housesitting assignments.

Hand Milled Soap Recipes

There are several ways to make soap:  Cold Process, Hot Process, Melt and Pour, and Hand-milled.  Never heard of hand-milled?  According to e-how contributor, Christopher Hall, hand-milled soap is simple soap that has been grated, melted and formed into molds. You can either use soap you have made yourself, synthetic store-bought soaps, natural store-bought soaps or bulk soap for soap makers. To these basic soaps you can add any specialty ingredients you wish: essential oils, dried flowers, glycerin or milk are some of the possibilities. Are you interested in seeing the recipes Christopher has in his article?  Then check out his article on E-How tiled Hand-Milled Soap Recipes.

Personalized Mother’s Day Soap

No mom could resist receiving a personalized soap for mother's day.   To be honest this personalized soap can be created for Father's Day, Graduation Day, Grandparent's Day or even made for a wedding favor for your special day.  All you have to do is view the instructions for Personalized Mother’s Day Soap and change the pictures for the appropiate occasion.

Top Five Tips For Starting a Successful Bath & Beauty Business

So now you have learned all you can about making your own bath and body products, now you want to turn into a business.  Well, there is a lot information out there to help you get started.  Marla Bosworth from Back Porch Soap Company has given the top five tips in a posting on her blog entitled Top Five Tips For Starting a Successful Bath & Beauty Business.  I would say that these five tips are the best!

Bath Tea with Spa Salts

Here is a very basic and easy project that one could make for any special occasion - Bath Tea with Spa Salts.  This project from Wholesale Supplies Plus takes a half hour to make 16 large bath tea bags.  I think this would be perfect to give out as favors for a bridal or baby shower. What about giving these out to your kid's female teachers at the end of the school year?  The ideas are endless.

MP Soap: Photo Frame Soap

As I was cruising through Wholesale Supplies Plus recipe page to see if they had any new projects.  As I scrolled down, I found this melt and pour project for Photo Frame Soap. When I saw this projects, I thought this would make a great favor to give out at weddings, baby showers, bridal showers or any special occasion.  I am sure you probably can come up with many more ideas to place your favorite picture and give it out as a special gift.

Bath Fizzies: Flower with Rose Petals

Recently I took a bath fizzy class at The Nova Studio.  It had been awhile since I made them and I was happy with the way they came out.  I really think it was the addition of Kaolin Clay that made the difference. In the class we mostly used plastic molds that one could use for melt and pour soaps but it was mentioned in class we could use silicone molds.  And in this recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus they use a flower silicone mold that is very similiar to the one I purchased in the cake decorating aisle at Michaels. So check out this Flower with Rose Petals bath fizzy recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus.

Rosemary Juniper Salt Scrub Recipe

This recipe for Rosemary Juniper Salt Scrub from The East West School for Herbal and Aromatics  says that is good for the winter months.  Even though it is now spring you may just love it to use it for whenever you want or need to use it.

Intergalactic Planetary Melt and Pour Soap Tutorial

A couple of years back, Debbie Chialtas taught a class at The Nova Studio about creating "spooky" melt and pour soaps which included an alien space creature.  I was unable to take the class but I was able to purchase the e-handout called SoapyLove Spooky Melt and Pour Soap Projects. The Soap Queen recently posted a tutorial on how to make Intergalactic Planetary Melt and Pour Soaps which would be a perfect compliment to Debbie's handout.

How to Make a Solid Perfume in Unique Packaging

Many years ago I took a class from Lori Nova at DeAnza College on how to make three types of natural perfumes.  One of the projects was making a solid perfume.  As I read some of the postings from some of the blogs I follow, I found this postings from Totally Tutorials. In this posting on How to Make a Solid Perfume, which was originally posted on the Go Make Me, shows how to make a perfume in a solid form.  But what I thought was really cute was the packaging in a locket.  This would make a great gift because it has a dual purpose...jewelry and perfume.

Margarita Lime Soap Loaf (M&P)

Are Margaritas your favorite drink?  IF you would like to recreate a Margarita drink into a bar of soap, would you like to learn how to make it?  I have good news for you, Wholesale Supplies Plus has posted in their recipe box a tutorial on how to make Margarita Lime Soap Loaf (M&P). If you decide to make this bar of soap, it would be great favor to give out at your Cinco De Mayo party.

Facial scrubs: Emulsified scrubs - template recipe and tweak!

Never heard of a facial scrub?  The fact of the matter is that  this  Facial Scrubs: Emulsified Scrubs - Template Recipe exfoliates and moisturizes the skin with the added bonus of washing your skin more cleanly than an oil based scrub.  To make this recipe is not much harder to make than a regular oil based scrub, but there are a few more steps.  And one of the steps is that is definately needs to be heated during the process.  I have never made a facial scrub like this before so I will have to give it a try!

How is Essential Oil Made?

Are you new to essential oils and are wondering how they are made?  Today is your lucky day because I found a recent post on The Mountain Rose Blog on How is Essential Oil Made? Mountain Rose has kindly posted an easy to read infograph on the process.  They also provide a link on about hydrosols.  So if you like to learn more about these topics then I would suggest starting here.

How to Make Fizzy Milk Bath Bombs

Do you like the way bath bombs make the bath feel? How about milk baths? Then why not combine the two and make a fizzy milk bath bomb. How to Make Fizzy Milk Bath Bombs recipes appears on ehow. Bath bombs make great gifts.

How To Make Solid Bubble Bath

Love taking a relaxing bath?  Here is a recipe from the Soap Queen on How To Make Solid Bubble Bath.  It took Anne Marie over a year of testing and formulating to find the right recipe to come up with this solid bubble bath. Rolling up the bar is a little tricky to get the cute swirl in the center, but if you’ve ever made sushi or a jelly roll cake you will be a pro at this. To me it looks like a spiral cookie.  What is great about this posting is that Anne Marie has kindly given the recipe so that you can follow along with the video. Check it out!

Ginger/Lemon Salt Scrubs and Spicy Breathing Space Salve

Love Lemon and Ginger?  Here are two recipes by Jade Shutes from The East West School for Herbal and Aromatic Studies:  Ginger/Lemon Salt Scrub and Spicy Breathing Space Salve. These recipes are very easy to make and would be wonderful as gifts.  So it time to get started making gifts for Mother's Day or whatever you are celebrating.

Coco-Calm Lip Balm Recipe

In a recent post on The Mountain Rose Blog was a recipe for Coco-Calm Lip Balm.  In this recipe has an interesting combonation of essential oils of Clary Sage and Lavendar. This would be perfect to use at night before you go to bed because lavender is a classic sedative and clary sage is known as a dream enhancing herb. The scent helps calm any nervous energy lingering from the day as I drift off to sleep. Plus, it’s really nice to wake up with soft, conditioned lips thanks to the rich cocoa butter and coconut oil base.

Super Conditioning Herbal Shampoo Bar

Loving using shampoo bars? Here is a a recipe for a Super Conditioning Herbal Shampoo Bar from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  This cold process soap process recipe was a contribution from Marla Bosworth that does not contain palm oil. So if you are concerned about how palm oil is harvested and want to make and use products without palm oil this is the recipe for you.

Whipped Candle Frosting

A long time ago I remember seeing those candles that looked like banana splits and ice cream sundaes that looked good enough to eat.  If you would like to learn how to make a similiar type of candle, then check out this Whipped Candle Frosting Tutorial from The Soap Queen. This is an intermediate project that makes three candles. 

Ingredients: Natrasorb Bath

I do not use Natrasorb much in my bath and body products.  I use this ingredient only for when I am making a whipped body butter.  It is supposed to make it less greasy.  But low and behold I find out from following the blog Point of Interest that you can use it in your bath salts.  According to Point of Interest, Natrasob is not like your traditional tapioca starch that you can purchase at your local store.  It is modified so that it can hold alot of oil, fragrance or essential, in a powdered form.  I never thought of that before because when I have purchased Natrasorb in the past I have so much that I do not know what do with it.  If you would like to learn more about the ingredient Natrasorb than I would check out the post titled Ingredient:  Natrasorb Bath.  You may learn something new like I did.

4 Color In~The~Pot Swirl Soap Tutorial

Have you tried to make swirl cold process soap before?  About giving your soap that extra wow factor?  Did you know that by pouring three contrasting-colored batches of soap into one larger batch without overmixing them, an intricate-looking swirl emerges that has the feel of hours worth of painstaking work when really it’s super quick to get the hang of?  Anne Marie has provide this tutorial on how to make 4 Color In~The~Pot Swirl Soap Tutorial on her website The Soap Queen.

How To Make Whipped Soap

You are wondiering what whipped soap is? According to Emily at Soap Restless it is cold process soap but you are adding a twist similiar to whipping body butter. Normally when you make cold process soap the lye in some kind of liquid, melt the oil and buttes, mix them together at a certain temp which would be between 85 degree F to 110 degrees F.  Emily said that whipped soap is different in the sense that is make under a low temperature - below butter's melting point. 

Sounds interesting?  Would you like to learn how to make whipped soap?  I know I would like to learn more about it. Then I would suggest checking out Emily's turtorial on How to Make Whipped Soap on her site Soap Restless.

Creating a Body Oil

Are you new to making your own body products?  And you would like to learn more about creating a body oil?  Or you having problem creating your own body oil?  Here is post from Point of Interest titled Creating a Body Oil. In this article has some really good information on the percentages you should use to create your own body oil, coloring and more.  Reading this article really helped me out.

Rainy Day Melt and Pour Soap

In California we had a wet November and December.  But January, February and March were dry, Now that it is April we are having some light rain. So I will tell you that this Rainy Day Soap from Wholesale Supplies Plus would not rain on my parade.  This intermediate project should take a couple of hours to make eight bars of soap weighing about five ounces.

Sunset Ombre Soap Tutorial

Here is a beautiful technique in cold process soap making called ombre. Basically, ombre is a layering technique that results in a beautiful layered look. This Sunset Ombre Soap Tutorial  from the Soap Queen is an intermediate project that takes an hour (plus curing time) to make 12 bars of soap.

Aromatic and Herbal Sugar Scrub for the Body

Looking for an aromatic sugar scrub?  Check out this recipe for Aromatic and Herbal Sugar Scrub from  The East West School for Aromatic and Herbal Studies.  If you are wondering how long this scrub will last without an anti-oxident or preservative, they say that it should last for six months.  But if you want to add a tablespoon of vitamin E or Rosemary Extract.  In the comments, it was said that if the fragrance is no longer present then you know that the scrub is no longer good.  Of course if the oil used smells rancid then you know.

Creating foaming bath salts!

If you enjoyed yesterday's post on Natrasorb, then you may just like this one on Creating Foaming Bath Salts!  from Point of Interest. If you have made bath salts before you know how simple it is to make.  Now if you want to make bath salts (or another bath product) foam, you will need to add a surfactant to make it foam. If you use a liquiod it will cause the salts to dissolve so a powdered surfactant like SLSa (sodium lauryl sulfocectate) will be needed.

 

Essential Oil Storage Tips

I have probably posted similiar entries before but it this is a good reminder on how to store your essential oils.  As a friendly reminder on how to do this I am posting this article about Essential Oil Storage Tips from The Mountain Rose Blog.  There is information that you probably already know but it is a good reminder.  If you are new to essential oils then this information will be helpful.

Simply Soap on Photographing Products

It is really important to have nice photographs of your products when selling them online. If you are currently selling your body products or thinking about it and you are wondering about the best way to photograph your products so they look great then you should read this article, Simply Soap on Photographing Products.  This article which appears on the Soap Queen's site talks about arranging your products, backgrounds, location, and more.  Even though the focus is on soap, I believe alot of the information could be applied to most products that you maybe selling. 

Ombre Votive Candles: Ocean Water

These beachy votive candles will make you think you are sitting on the beach watching the tide roll in. 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. Learn how to make these Ocean Water Ombre Votive Candles from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  This is an advanced project when following the instructions you should get 16 votive candles.  If your decor is a beachy them, then these candles will be a perfect addition.

Chunky Bath Fizzies

If you love the chemical reactions, bath bombs, Alka-Seltzer or those tiny effervescent bubbles you will love adding these Chunky Bath Fizzies to your next bath.  This recipe from Majestic Mountain Sage
is very simple that will keep you making more chunky bath fizzies instead of the refined powdered type. Take this recipe and make whatever shapes that pleases you.  You can make them into a ball or use silicone muffin pans to make them into pretty shapes.  Let your creative go wild nad have a fun time in the bath tub.