Decorate Your Lip Balm Tubes

Are your lip balm tubes boring?  Want to cover up the unsightly commercial look of your lip balm tools?  Here is an idea to cover them up...Washi Tape! You can find Washi tape at most craft stores such as Michaels.  Here is how it way it was done....read the following blog post Decorate Your Lip Balm from Washi Tape Crafts!  Go ahead and get creative.....

Five Sweetly Scented Lip Balm Recipes You Can Make at Home

Love to make lip balms?  Well here are five recipes from The Natural Beauty Workshop:  Sweet Carrot, Jelly Bean, Coconut Plum, Lavender Macaron, and Vegan Vanilla Pear.  All of these recipes can be found in a posting called Five Sweetly Scented Lip Balm Recipes You Can Make at Home.  Just to let you know that Vegan Vanilla Pear and Jelly Bean are sold as kits. But whatever one you chose, any of them would be great as party favors, stocking stuffers etc. anytime of the year.

Misty Maritime Moon Cold Process

I am always fascinated when I hear about super moons, eclipses, etc.  That when I saw these instructions from The Soap Queen on how to make Misty Maritime Moon Cold Process Soap that I wanted to take a closer look.  Now this is an intermediate level cold soap recipe/technique and it is not for the faint of heart since it may take several days to complete the technique.

Tutorial - How to Make Rainbow Soap

When I saw this tutorial on How to Make Rainbow Soap, I thought of the song from the Wizard of Oz....Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  I found this melt and pour tutorial on a blog called Totally Tutorials but it is written by Mazzi and appears on the Latika Soap Blog.

Lavender Rose Sugar Scrub Recipe

Many years ago, I learned how to make my first scrub with salt in a class that I took from Lori Nova. I never had made a scrub with sugar and oil before and I do not know if sugar will dissolve since it so fine. But I found this recipe on the From Nature with Love website called Lavender Rose Sugar Scrub.  I was drawn to this recipe because of its simplicity but also because of the combination of the fragrance of lavender and rose.

Cayenne and St.John's Wort Salve Recipe

Suffer from the occasional aches and pains associated with activities like biking and hiking?  What about stiff joints faced with the chill cold weather?  Here is a classic topical formula from The Mountain Rose blog that can help ease these occasional aches and pains.  The recipe is called Cayenne and St. John's Wort Salve and it is great to keep this healing ointment handy during the active summer months and throughout the wintertime for these very reasons.

Sleepytime Bath Oil

For those who love to take a bath before bedtime, there is no better way to wind down.   This simple bath oil recipe called Sleepytime Bath Oil from The Natural Beauty Workshop is made with moisturizing Macadamia Nut Oil and a special blend of essential oils is just the thing to help bath send you off to dreamland.  Since I have some Macadamia Nut Oil leftover from a class,  I will have to make some and send it off to friends who love to take baths.

Lavender Lotion Bars for Dry Winter Skin

Winter will so be here...sooner than you think!  And for those whose skin suffers during this time of year, you may want to start now making this recipe for Lavender Lotion Bars before winter arrives.  This lotion bar recipe from Learn how to make soap! is perfect for dry skin.  It is easy to use.  All you have to do is simply rub a bit on your dry skin.  The temperature of your body will melt the bar and you can just rub it in.

Soothing Lavender Breast Balm

As you all know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  In honor of this, The Soap Queen has posted a recipe for a Soothing Lavender Breast Balm. This soothing balm was created to raise awareness and help women going through breast cancer treatment. According to The Soap Queen, the recipe was inspired by Sharon's Boob Balm for Radiation Burns.  Using similar soothing ingredients such as olive oil, vitamin E, calendula extract and lavender essential oil. this balm is moisturizing and calming for any ouch or rough patch on the skin. All you need to do is apply this balm directly to the affected area multiple times a day.

Vanilla Salt Scrub Cubes

Over the weekend I taught a class through the Redwood City Parks and Recreation.  One of the recipes was a sugar cube scrub and here  is a recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus that uses salt instead that you may want to try...it is called Vanilla Salt Scrub Cubes.  For those who have not taken a class, these are really easy to make.

Coconut Oil

On Saturday I was teaching a scrubs class through Redwood City Parks and Rec and I used up most of my grapeseed oil for one project.  I happened to go to Lucky's on Woodside Road and found that they sell the same brand (Pompeian) that I happened to use in the class.  It was great it was on sale so I purchased a bottle for my lotions class for next month.  But I was really surprised to find that they sold coconut oil in a bottle.  I am so use to seeing it in a jar so I was happy to see it in the form.  Since it was on sale I decided to buy it and try it in my lotions class next month.  For any of those who have taken a class and wanted to try coconut oil, try your local Lucky store and see if they have it.

Color Me Pretty Part 2 - Cosmetics Recipes

It has been awhile (like six years ago) since I took Lori Nova's Mineral Make-up Class at DeAnza College.  I really liked the foundation and ran out of it that I have to make more.  But I did find this posting from Soap Blog called Color Me Pretty Part 2 - Cosmetic Recipes that includes some mineral make up recipes such as a blush powder, eye shadow powder and a colored lip gloss.  There are also links for labeling and GMP.  Check it out.

Free Soap Cigar Band Wrappers - Fall Designs

Do you need a decorative cigar band for your soaps?  Here is a colorful Fall design from Bath Alchemy Lab.  These free cigar band wrappers are available from the Soap Blog.  So check them out and use them to make your packaging more colorful.

Emulsified Scrub (from Scratch) on Soap Queen TV

In a recent Throw back Thrusday posting, the Soap Queen posted this video on her site called Emulsified Scrub (from Scratch) on Soap Queen TV.. This video came from the unpublished archives of Soap Queen and was filmed in 2010.  In this video, you will learn how to make an unique emulsified scrub that is both cleansing and moisturizing.  Making this type of scrub is a little more complicated than the traditional oil and salt (or sugar) scrub.  To tell you the truth it is worth it!

Shower & Tub Tabs - Sleep Time

If you enjoyed the last Shower and Tub Tabs recipe that I found from Wholesale Supplies Plus, then you will like the next one in their series called Sleep Time.  It does not matter if you take a shower or a bath tub, this tablet will work with either.  Just remember to simply allow the tablet to have contact with water so that will start to fizz and release the wonderful aromatic aroma.

5 Tips to Take Soaping from Hobby to Business

So, you have been making soap and bath products as a hobby and you want to turn it into a business.  It can be intimidating turning a hobby into a business.  The Soap Queen has compiled five tips to help you take your hobby into a business and has shared them in a recent post called 5 Tips to Take Soap from Hobby to Business. Instead of a video presentation or a long posting. she has presented it into a slide presentation via Slideshare. Slideshare enables users to share information in the forms of slides, making the content easy to read and interact with.

Whipped Acai Butter

Do you like using butters?  I found this recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Whipped Acai Butter  that is a moderate level project that takes one hour to make and results in five (4) oz jars. According to Wholesale Supplies Plus this luxurious butter will leave your skin feeling moisturized but not greasy.  And Acai fruit has 20 times the amount of anti-oxidants found in red wine which will add anti-oxidant rich attributes to this butter.

Vanilla Moisturizing Lotion Bars

Do you have dry skin that is begging for some moisture?  Here is a recipe for lotion bars from Wholesale Supplies Plus that will have your dry skin begging for more.  The name of this lotion recipe is called Vanilla Moisturizing Lotion Bars is a very easy recipe that takes an hour to make and gives you five bars.

Shower & Tub Tabs - Muscle Rescue

You all probably heard of fizzy bath bombs that are used in the tub. But what about the majority of us who take showers?   There is good news!  What you can make shower tablets. Usually the difference between bath fizzies and shower tablets is that bath fizzies may have a carrier oil in and the shower tablet does not.  But in this recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus looks like you can use it either way. Wholesale Supplies Plus has a few recipes but I am going to start with this one called Shower & Tub Tabs- Muscle Rescue.  Just to let you know I will share the other shower and tub tabs recipes available on Wholesale Supplies Plus so stay tuned!

Salt Scrub - Perfect Pumpkin

Calling all pumpkin lovers!  If you love to use salt scrubs in the shower, here is a salt scrub recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Perfect Pumpkin. This is a moderate level project that takes an hour to make and results in 64 ounces of scrub.  The ingredients include pumpkin seed oil which contains high levels of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids that will leave your skin silky smooth.

Pumpkin Butter Bath Melts

Pumpkin season  is definately here.  And what a way to celebrate pumpkins and the harvest season.  This recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Pumpkin Butter Bath Melts is a moderate level project that takes one hour to make and results in 80 melts. Which means you have enough for yourself and to give out as gifts.  When you run these under running water, they will release the pumpkin and tucuma butters which will moisturize and soften your skin.

Karanja Peppermint Foot Lotion

If your feet are feeling alittle icky and on the aromatic side, The Natural Beauty Workshop recently posted a lotion recipe called Karanja Peppermint Foot Lotion which your feet may benefit from the anti-funk. According to The Natural Beauty Workshop, Karanja Oil and Murumuru Butter contain natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that can help your toes smelling sweeter.  Plus the touch of peppermint finishes off the recipe by giving it a refreshing tingle.

Pumpkin Soap on a Rope Tutorial

Here is a really cute Halloween soap project that would be perfect.  This tutorial  from The Soap Queen is called Pumpkin Soap on a Rope.  It is an intermediate melt and pour project that takes one hour to get two 4.5 ounce soaps.  What is great about this project is that the soap is on a rope which means the rope allows the melt and pour soap to hand and avoid contact with excess water which helps the soap last longer.

Beginner Soapmaking Series - Fats and Oils

Are you new to making your soap by the cold process method? There is alot to learn.....especially about working with fats and oils and how each adds an unique properties to your soap.  In this posting from the Soap Blog called Beginner Soapmaking Series - Fats and Oils  discusses about the most common fatty acids most common and important to soap makers.

How to Make Glycerin Extracts

Are you someone who likes to make their own tinctures?  And are you looking for alternative to alcohol tinctures?  Would you believe you can make a vegetable glycerin tinctures?  It is true.  In a recent post from The Mountain Rose Blog called How to Make Glycerin Extracts tells you all about it.

Shimmer Fall Layers Melt and Pour

Now that Fall is here, the leaves will be turning their beautiful color of green to oranges and yellow (except maybe here in California where we are suffering from a severe drought). If you love the changing colors of the leaves, here is a melt and pour project from The Soap Queen called Shimmer Fall Layers.  It is an intermediate level project that takes two hours to complete and results in four 3.3 ounce bars.

Essential Nutrition for Healthy Hair

According to The Natural Beauty Workshop, "The old adage, "you are what you eat" is hardly more true than when it comes to natural beauty. There's almost nothing better to support a great head of hair than a healthy body fueled by excellent nutrition. Eating a varied diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables usually does the trick, but you can take your commitment to healthy hair one step further by making sure to include some hair super-foods in your regular menu."  To find out more about healthy hair, read their blog posting Essential Nutrition For Healthy Hair.

Coconut Sugar Body Polish Recipe

Love coconuts?  Here is a really nice recipe that is found on the From Nature With Love website called Coconut Sugar Body Polish Recipe.  The recipe was submitted by Angelica of Inglewood, CA for all of us to try and fall in love with.  It contains very few ingredients including sugar, graded coconut, sweet almond oil and coconut powdered milk.  I have only seen non fat powdered milk at my local grocery store.  So I am not sure if you can substitute it for coconut powdered milk since I have not seen it at my local grocery store.  It probably be found somewhere. Does anyone know?