DIY: Massage Oils for Lovers

Would you believe that Valentine's Day is just around the corner?  Well, it is.  And here is something you can create for your significant other and you can use on that special day- Massage Oils for Lovers.  This simple recipe appears on The Mountain Rose Blog just in time for Valentine's Day.  So order your supplies now and start making these special oils.

Snow Day Soap

With the exception of those of the west coast, most of the country has been experiencing a lot of snow this winter.   If you are a cold process soap maker who is stuck inside I wanted to share this cold process soap project from Lather Be Soaping called Snow Day Soap.  Check it out and see if you would like to make it.

Honey Chamomile Sugar Scrub

Love using sugar scrubs while you are in the shower?  Well, I found this recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop that combines Honey Granules, Demerara Sugar, Camellia Seed Oil, Chamomile Essential Oil, Lemon Essential Oil and Grapeseed Oil that makes this wonderful Honey Chamomile Sugar Scrub.  It is very easy to make and would make a wonderful gift.

Natural Candles - Wicks

If you are new to making candles and are confusing about the different types of wicks that are out there, then I would suggest checking out a post called  Natural Candles - Wicks from Erica at The Bonnie Bath Company.I know that it has been awhile since I posted anything related to candle making but I thought this post  had some good information about wicks. I thought it was a good topic to share with some of you who might be new to candle making.

Gardener's Hand Scrub from The Joy of Soap

If you like spending a lot of time in the garden and you find that your hands are taking a beating, here is an moisturizing hand scrub for the gardener in your life. Gardener's Hand Scrub from The Joy of Soap. According to the author, Some people might like to add 1 tablespoon of an herbal or floral infusion. This ingredient provides an additional skin soothing benefit, and is not required if you do not have the ingredients or the time to make the infusion. For example: If I had the ingredients at home, and the time, I would make a small amount of marigold flower infusion to provide an added benefit for my dry hands."

Transfer Soap Tutorial

Have you ever seen those fancy chocolates that have the colorful designs on the top?  When I saw this Transfer Soap Tutorial from Riverlea Soap, it reminded me of that.  Just want to let you know that this is a melt and pour project and not cold process.

Striped Berry Champagne Cold Process

Are you looking for a really cool look in a cold process soap?  I found this one from The Soap Queen called Striped Berry Champagne that really liked the layers on.  This is an advanced project which should take one hour to make plus curing time to get 8-10 bars of soap.  Give this one a try and see what you think.

Infused Aloe and Rose Water Toner

Love to use a toner on your face?  Did you know that it was pretty easy to make?  Yes, it is.  Here is a recipe from The Soap Queen called Infused Aloe and Rose Water Toner that is made with a few ingredients. Give it a try and see what you think.

Blushing Body Butter

Love to use body butters?  Here is a recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Blushing Body Butter. It is an easy recipe to make and only takes 30 minutes to make.  This luxurious body butter has many skin-nourishing properties and the Pink Sparkle Mica Powder may give your skin a soft blush.

MP Soap: Glittery Party Cupcakes

Last year I took a class from Ruth Esteves at The Nova Studio on how to make cupcake soaps from a cold process recipe.  Even though I have not had a chance to make them, I found this project from Wholesale Supplies Plus call Glittery Party Cupcakes.  This is a melt and pour project that I may try to.  I know that Michaels sells a kit where you can make melt and pour cupcake soaps, but someone in Ruth's class said that they do not come out well.

Cherry Blossom Glitter Cold Process

January will soon becoming to a close and February will be here.  I know a lot of you are waiting for Spring to arrive.  But I found this cold process recipe called Cherry Blossom Glitter from the Soap Queen. When I saw the title of this cold process recipe it made me think of when the Cherry Blossom trees bloom in Washington, DC.  Thought it would be nice to share this recipe.  If you get started now, the soap will be cured by Spring.

Warming Choco Chai Body Scrub Recipe

I found this Warming Choco Chai Body Scrub recipe on CraftGossip.com,which happened to be orginally posted on Beauty Buffet , to be a combination of ingredients that could be found in a local grocery store.  Just to tell you the recipe called for one tablespoon of milk.  It does not specify if it is powdered milk or not but I am guessing that it maybe since you will be putting it into a tea bag.  So this would be a clever gift to make and give out as party favors at a shower.

Experiments in the workshop: Using black cocoa butter in a scrub bar.

Have you ever used cocoa butter and found it difficult to cut into pieces?  I Found this recipe from Point of Interest Experiment in the workshop series:  Using Black Cocoa Butter that is using black cocoa butter in a scrub bar.  I never heard of black cocoa butter before, have you?  If you have, I would like to hear from you on what you thought if it. 

Butterfly Swirl Soap Tutorial

There are a lot of swirling techniques online for cold process soap.  If you are an advanced cold process soap maker here is another one that you might want to try.  It is the Butterfly Swirl Soap.  This tutorial is from the Soap Queen who always has great tutorials on her site. So give it a try and I will keep on posting

Simplifying a recipe: The oil phase of a body butter

How many times have you encountered a recipe that sounds amazing, only to find out that you're missing a few of the ingredients? You aren't really sure why you need those ingredients, but you really want to make the awesome sounding lotion without having to wait the two to six weeks it'll take to get the supplies. What can you do? According to Susan of Point of Interest, you can simplify the recipe. This is where knowing your ingredients and what they do in a recipe comes in really really handy. Figuring out what is important and why it's there is the first step to being able to really tweak your own recipes.  So if you want to check out the recipe that she simplified, then check out her posting Simplifying a Recipe:  The Oil Phase of a Body Butter.

Easiest Mold in the history of Mold making Tutorial

Are you a soap maker that is handy with tools?  How would you like to learn to make your own soap mold?  If you are a soap maker that makes a lot of soap and cannot find or afford the molds on the market, then take a look at this tutorial from Riverlea Soap on the Easiest Mold Making Tutorial. If you find these easy to make then maybe you can turn this into a business and sell them instead.

Honey Kisses Sheer Lipstick Tutorial

Are you tired of your lipstick and want to try something new?  Here is a tutorial from the Soap Queen called Honey Kisses Sheer Lipstick that is easy enough for a beginner to make.  And would you believe that it only takes 30 minutes to make 30 tubes?  You can give these out to your friends, as party favors or sell.  Give it a try and see how you like it.

Inspired by the Sea: a Melt and Pour Project

It has been a weird winter season this year all over the county.  Most of the country was suffering from the Vortex and here in California, we have been having Spring weather.  I am not complaining but we are desperately seeking rain.  But if you are stuck inside wanting to do a craft project that is simple, check out this Inspired by the Sea:  Melt and Pour Project.  The colors may uplift your dreary winter.

Peacock Swirl CP Soap Tutorial

Most of the peacock soaps I have seen have had the swirl all the way through.  But this one has the swirl  only on the top.  I like the contrast of the colors of the peacock swirl on the top and the creamy white bar of soap below it.  If you would like to learn how to make this beautiful soap, then check out the Peacock Swirl Soap Tutorial that appears on the Soap Queen's site.  This is an advanced project that should take one hour to make (plus curing time0 and results in seven pounds of soap.

Busy Beeswax Soap Tutorial

Have you ever tried using beeswax in your cold process soap recipe?  If you would like to take the plunge and try here is a recipe from the Soap Queen called Busy Beeswax Soap Tutorial. If you are vegan, you will probably want to pass this one up for an alternative recipe.

Winter Hair Custard Recipe

Are you suffering from fly and static hair this winter season?  And you do not know what to do about it?  Would you believe that Susan from Point of Interest has a recipe for Winter Hair Custard that might just help you with that problem. I know that hair custard sounds strange for a hair conditioner  but why not give it a try.  Just thought I would let you know that Susan suggests if you decide to leave out any of the ingredients completely, you have to increase your distilled water by that amount.

Using Botanical Names in Ingredient Lists

If you have decided to start selling your bath and body products to the public or already have started selling your products and are wondering how to label your products that have botanicals in them.  Good News!  I found a posting by Marie Gale on the Soap Queen blog called Using Botanicals Names in Ingredient Lists.  There has been some discussion for quite sometime on how to listed botanicals to declare on your products.  In this posting goes into great detail on this should be done.

Winter Creatures Cold Process

Want to make your cold process more decorative?  In this tutorial from the Soap Queen called Winter Creatures Cold Process, water soluble paper was used to put these adorable creatures on the soap.  I have heard of using water soluble paper on melt and pour soap but I never heard of it being used on cold process before.  There is simple secret on how it can be done and I am not going to tell  what it is. You will have to read the instructions on how it is done. I will have to try this one myself one day.

Top 7 Marketing Trends in 2014

In a recent post on the blog Bath Alchemy -  A Soap Blog and More, Erica Pence wrote about the Top 7 Marketing Trends in 2014.  She says the list was complied by Jayson DeMers of Forbes magazine and the list is quite interesting.  So if you are in business or planning to go into business, then you should read this posting because marketing is really important to any business.   Read this informative posting and get started on your marketing plan.

MP Soap: Be My Valentine

Wouldn't it be romantic to  mail this soap to your sweetie on Valentine's day? This Be My Valentine Soap  from Wholesale Supplies Plus is an intermediate project that should take one hour to make (4) 5 oz bars of soap.

Berry Ice Balm Recipe

Here is a mixture of berry and ice in a lip balm recipe that is on the From Nature with Love.  This Berry Ice Balm recipe was created and submitted by Angela. This is a very simple recipe that has six ingredients.  You can choose any berry flavor you like and the ice portion of this recipe comes from menthol crystals.   My favorite berry flavors are cherry and raspberry so I would make a batch of each but you can choose your favorite flavor.

Apricot-Orange Lip Gloss Recipe

Even though this recipe has lip gloss in the title but I am not sure if it it a balm instead because of the beeswax.  But I like the sound of apricot and orange so I wanted to share this Apricot Orange Lip Gloss Recipe by Helle of Braband who kindly shared this wonderful recipe on From Nature with Love website.  If you like this recipe check out the website for more exciting recipes.

Heart Cupcake Bath Fizzies

When I took a bath fizzy class at The Nova Studio in April 2013, one of the project we made were cupcake fizzies with frosting.  During the class it was mentioned that we could add special ingredients to them and one of them was shea butter.  Melanie, the instructor, said we we would have to experiment with the ingredients to see who it would turn out.  Well, I found this recipe Heart Cupcake Bath Fizzies from Wholesale Supplies Plus which included shea butter.  In this particular recipe it calls for two tablespoons.  I do not know if that will be the appropriate amount for Melanie's recipe but in her recipe she had 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil so maybe that would be the same amount I could use of shea butter.

How to make a Lip Scrub

It is has been a long time since I learned how to make a lip scrub in a class offered thru The Nova Studio. And ever since then I have been looking for other lip scrub/exfoliator recipes. In the class I learned how to make lip scrubs with white granulated sugar. In my research I found this lip scrub recipe by Sarah Metzker Erdemir, eHow Contributing Writer A gentle exfoliating scrub can be the most effective treatment for dry, peeling lips. The exfoliant helps to remove layers of dead skin, and other moisturizing ingredients keep your lips supple and smooth. Lip scrubs can be quite expensive, but you don't have to spend a fortune to have kissable lips. A natural lip scrub is easy to make at home using natural, sweet ingredients, and each treatment will only cost a few cents.  Since winter is now upon us, this would be a great project to make and use throughout the season.