The Truth About Vanilla Essential Oil

After all of these years of teaching and making bath and body products, I would say Lavender and Vanilla are the most popular scents.  You may have seen alot of vanilla fragrance oils out on the market, but you are wondering about an essential oil?  According to the Soap Queen, you will indeed find products labeled as Vanilla Essential Oil, but most commonly this product is simply vanilla extract that has been diluted with a carrier oil.  Do you want to learn more about The Truth of Vanilla Essential Oil?  Then please read the informative post of the same title by The Soap Queen.

Fizzy Toilet Fresheners

Cleaning the bathroom is not one of my favorite things to do but it is an important task to do.  The Soap Queen recently posted a recipe on how to make Fizzy Toilet Fresheners which are great to keep your bathroom fresh between cleanings. If you ever made a bath fizzy to use in the bath, making a toilet freshener is very similiar.

Secret Garden Bath Tea

Do you like to use bath teas in your bath? Wholesale Supplies Plus has a recipe on their website called Secret Garden Bath Tea.  This recipe is a wondrous mixture of salts and buttermilk combined with the delicacy of calendula petals and rose buds.  This is an easy project that take only a half hour to make and from this recipe you will get (10) 4 oz tubes.

Fragrance Oil Blending Tips

I must admit I have collected a lot of fragrance oils over the years with making my own bath and body products.  Have you?  Have you wondered about blending some of the fragrances and creating a new one?  The Soap Queen has a post called Fragrance Oil Blending Tips that gives you the low down on what you need to consider.  Anne Marie has also has some links on other topics you may want to read.

Lemon Goat Milk Melt & Pour Bars

Are you a melt and pour soap maker who would like to bring a bit more zig to your bars of soap?  Check out this melt and pour project from The Soap Queen called Lemon Goat Milk Melt & Pour.   Goat Milk is a popular soap making ingredient that creates a lush lather and leaves your skin feeling soft. It contains capric-caprylic triglyceride, which is a fatty acid that helps skin form a barrier to inhibit the loss of moisture.  To get the benefits of goats milk to your soap, you need to purchase a soap base that contains goat milk.
The fresh smell of lemon comes from the lemon essential oil and the texture comes from the lemon peel.

DIY AIR FRESHENER

This project is off the beaten trail of bath and body products, but I thought it was definately a cute and easy idea for an air freshener project.   This DIY project from Natural Foodie is titled DIY Air Freshener is great if you suffer from allergies or you are trying to avoid the chemicals and synthetics in commercial air freshners.

Mermaid Shell Melt & Pour

Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore.  But I better she never sold any sea shells that look like soap.  If the beach is your theme, then you may want to make these beautiful melt and pour soups.  This intermediate soap project from The Soap Queen called Mermaid Shell Melt and Pour Soaps.  It takes about 1-2 hours to complete this project resulting in (3) 5 ounce soaps.

Silky Coconut Milk Face Mask

Love to use a face mask in your beauty routine?  So why not make your own instead of paying loads of money for a name brand product? Here is a very simple recipe from The Soap Queen called Silky Coconut Milk Face Mask.  There are only a few ingredients to order and it does not take alot of time to make. Would definately make a great gift for friends.

Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioning Treatment

It has been awhile since I took a class at The Nova Studio on making your own shampoo.  Wholesale Supplies Plus recently posted a recipe for Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioning Treatment.  This is a very easy recipe for a beginner to try since it starts with a shampoo base with addition some great ingredients such as carrot powder and carrot seed extract.

Lime in the Coconut Milk Cold Process Tutorial

I saw this cold process soap recipe from The Soap Queen called Lime in the Coconut Milk Cold Process Tutorial that looks really fun.  It is based from the song Lime in the Coconut.  I think it is a cool recipe because it has melt and pour soap embeds and it has a fresh smell of lime that makes it looks like a cool freshing drink.  Coconut milk powder replaces water in this recipe to give additional moisture. This is an advanced project that takes 1-2 hours to make.

Spring Fling MP Soap Bar

Spring is finally here.  And for those melt and pour soap makers, I have not forgotten you.  Here is an adorable spring melt and pour project from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Spring Fling. The scent of this soap is a blend of Ruby Cassis, Pineapple, Sweet Rose Blossoms and Dewey Fresh Air.  The bright fun colors are sure to brighten any bath and will definately leave those winter blues behind.  This is a moderately difficult project to do. It takes about an hour to make (4) 5 ounce bars.

Springtime Fragrance Balm

Fragrance balms are the perfect size to carry in your purse, pocket, or wristlets. They give you the opportunity to carry a fragrance on the go.  This easy Springtime Fragrance Balm recipe  from Wholesale Supplies Plus is pleasing for all ages. Is a made from a pre-made base which takes no time to complete this recipe and you have enough to give out as gives.  But if you have a favorite balm recipe in your library then you can use that instead.

Unmolding Cold Process Soap from Plastic Molds

Since I started out making soap by the melt and pour method, I have collected a lot of molds over the years.  I have taken several courses on the cold process method at The Nova Studio but never had the guts to make a batch until this week.  But I was wondering if I could use some of my melt and pour soap mold for cold process soap?  Well, guess what?  Just in time, this posting from The Soap Queen called Unmolding Cold Process Soap from Plastic Molds magically appeared.  It gave me some good information on the subject so I will try and use the molds after I have practiced making several batches of CP soap.

How to Adjust Your Prices While Maintaining a Profit

Are you currently in business and are wondering if your prices are way too high for your market?  Well, The Soap Blog recently posted How to Adjust Your Prices While Maintaining a Profit. This posting discusses tips on checking your figures and cutting your costs.  The blog also recommends reading two other posts that lead up to this article.

Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bar on Soap Queen TV

Have you ever heard of the term bastille?  Well, according to The Soap Queen it is commonly refers to cold process soap make with at least 70% olive oil.  Olive oil is extremely gentle, making it the perfect oil for delicate or sensitive skin.  This Buttermilk Bastille Baby Bar is comprised of olive oil and a small amount of coconut oil for cleansing properties. Plus it has a lot of other great things going for it such as luxurious and moisturizing buttermilk; carrot puree for it's antioxidant property which makes it a great bar for soap for babies and young children.

Layered Lavender Milk Bath

When you have had a long hard day, nothing seems to beat a long soak in the bath.  What makes it even better this milk bath even better is the aroma of lavender.  This simple three layered recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop is called Layered Lavender Milk Bath.  If lavender is not your favorite scent, then try swapping the colorants or scents that is more to your liking.

How to Substitute Oil in Cold Process Recipes

I have been a melt and pour soap maker since 2003 but I have taken classes through The Nova Studio.  I have not ventured out on making cold process soap yet, but on Monday I went to Fremont to purchase some Soap Quick from Mission Peak Soap. Soap Quick is a blend of oils that I can combine with lye and create a bar of soap. I thought this might be a good idea to try the cold process method for the first time.  I know that if I try a recipe that I would have to stick to the recipe until I feel more comfortable with subing oils.  If you are comfortable with making cold process soap and are brave to subing oils in recipes and want to learn how to do this, The Soap Queen has a post called How to Substitute Oil in Cold Process Soap.

How to Add Lye to Milk for Cold Process Soap

Have you ever tried making cold process soap with milk instead of water?  I have never tried it myself but Ruth Esteves teaches a class at The Nova Studio and I did purchase her hand out on how to do this.  But if you are a seasoned cold process soap maker and would like to try this then check out the post from The Soap Queen called How to Add Lye to Milk for Cold Process Soap.  Milk soap involves replacing all or part of the water in a cold process soap recipe with milk.  Your options include cows milk, goat milk, almond milk, soy milk and milk powder,  Soap made with milk is known for its luxurious feel and creamy lather,

RECIPE: Pink Pucker Lip Gloss

Recently, I posted a pink grapefruit lip balm recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  But if you are more of a lip gloss person than you may want to check out this Pink Pucker Lip Gloss recipe.  This lip gloss contains carefully selected ingredients that moisturizes and conditions your lips while relieving dryness.

RECIPE: Red Heart Cupcake Bath Fizzy

Even though Valentine's Day was almost two months ago, I thought I would post this recipe from Red Hear Cupcake Bath Fizzy from Wholesale Supplies Plus because it would be great present any time of year but you can always save it for Valentine's Day next year.  Though the instructions say the level is difficult, I would say that the frosting would probably be the most difficult part of the whole section.  If you choose, you can leave off the frosting to try to attempt it....it is up to you.

RECIPE: Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm

Love to use a moisturizing lip balm?  Here is a recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Pink Grapefruit.  According to Wholesale Supplies Plus, this recipe uses Pink Grapefruit Essential Oil which is thought to help stop cravings for sweets and it is also thought to energize and uplift the spirit.   It is a very easy recipe to make and does not take long to make.  Once you make this recipe, you should get about 48 lip balm tubes which gives you enough to share.

Nourishing Nail Polish Formula

To be honest I do not wear nail polish, but I am fascinated with all the colors and options there are now on the market.  Nail is an easy way to add color and personality to your look.  It can be fun but it can take a toll on your nails.  If you wear nail polish and want an easy way to create your own, The Soap Queen has instructions on how to make a Nourishing Nail Polish Formula.

Morning Coffee Sugar Lip Scrub

You have most likely heard of body scrubs that you use in the shower.  But some of you may not know that you can exfoliate your lips with a scrub that will get the dead layers off and maintain young looking skin. If you love having your morning coffee, then you will love this lip scrub recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Morning Coffee Sugar.  This easy recipe takes no time to perk up your lips by removing the dead skin on your lips.  If you never heard of a lip scrub and want to learn more about the benefits of this product then I would suggest reading this article called The Benefits of Lip Scrub to get more facts.

DIY: Purely Spring Essential Oil Blend Recipe

Now that Spring is here and it is time to open the windows to let the fresh air in.  During the Winter months, the windows are closed and it and get a little stale. So to bring in a purely spring fresh aroma to the home you can create this Purely Spring Essential Oil Blend from The Mountain Rose Blog during those times you really would like to freshen up the air in your house.

RECIPE: Black Cherry Kiss Tinted Lip Gloss

Do you love cherries?  How would you like to wear a deep crimson tinted lip balm with a touch of cherry sweetness?  Here is a recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Black Cherry Kiss Tinted Lip Gloss.  This easy lip balm/gloss will leave her lips feeling soft and perfectly condition.  What is great about it is that it takes about a half hour to make enough for (12) 1/2 ounce tins.  Great for party favors.