DIY Liquid Roll-On Deodorant

For many years, I have used stick deodorant. But recently I found this recipe from The Mountain Rose Blog on how to make Liquid Roll-on Deodorant.
According to The Mountain Rose Blog, with consumer awareness growing to avoid nasty chemicals on your sensitive underarms, natural deodorants have become on of the most desired personal care products.  Even though "natural" options have come on the market in recent years, many popular brands are manufactured by larger umbrella companies that might not have your ethics at heart.  So if you want to start making your own, then try making this recipe.

Thyme & Witch Hazel Facial Bar DIY

Photo by Jan Berry

Here is a really intriguing facial bar recipe that appears on The Soap Queen's website.  It is called Thyme & Witch Hazel Facial Bar and it is written by Jan Berry.  What is interesting about this recipe is that the distilled water is infused with thyme and that witch hazel and honey are combined and added at the time of trace.  According to The Soap Queen she was told to avoid adding witch hazel to cold process soap.  Her thought was that the alcohol content in the witch hazel would react poorly.  So it may work after all.

Chamomile Oat Melt & Pour Bars DIY

Do you love Chamomile? It smells wonderful and it looks great plus it is known for its soothing properties.  If you love Chamomile, you should check out this Chamomile Cat Melt and Pour Soap Bars recipe from The Soap Queen.

Homemade Dishwasher Tablets

Do you wash your dishes in the dishwasher and you want to use something more natural?  Here is a recipe for Homemade Dishwasher Tablets from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  These tablets will leave your dishes "Squeaky" clean.  But you may want to use a rinse aide to help prevent water spots on your glasses.

Ginger Carrot Body Scrub

Do you love to you a scrub in the shower?  Here is a really nice one from The Natural Beauty Workshop called Ginger Carrot .  It is really easy to make and it has a warm, spicy aroma and it is very stimilating to the senses.

Troubleshooting Lye Heavy Soap

Preparing your work space when you are making soap is very important.  It definitely helps the process run more smoothly.  One thing I always try to do is have all of my supplies and ingredients in place before I get started making soap.  According to the Soap Queen, while forgetting a color can change the design slightly, forgetting an oil can result in lye heavy soap that may burn your skin. The soap can also end up lye heavy if the recipe amounts are off, if the ingredients are mis-measured, if the scale isn’t functioning properly, etc. This creates a hard or brittle soap. It may also be irritating or drying to the touch, or have little white pockets that look like air bubbles. Testing the soap is the best way to know for sure.  The Soap Queen recently did a post called Troubleshooting Lye Heavy Soap.  It goes into detail on what needs to be done.

Macaron Inspired Bath BombTreats

If you love cupcake bath bombs, you will love these macarons. In this recipe you will learn how to make macaron bath bombs that will make people do a double take.  You can use different fragrances to match the colors that you use so if you want to use something completely different that what is used in this Macaron Inspired Bath Bomb Bath Treats from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
  

Watermelon Cold Process Soap Tutorial

I always loved watermelon but sometime ago I feel in love with watermelon juice that I purchased at an Arts and Wine Festival.  Then when I was at Mission Peak Soap where someone made some watermelon soap and I wanted to learn how to make it.  So luckily I found a tutorial from The Soap Queen called Watermelon Cold Process Soap that I am going to  have to try.  This makes a 5 pound batch of soap.  I have a 3 pound loaf mold, so it looks like I have invest in a larger one.

Apple & Sage Salt Scrub DIY

Yesterday I posted a sugar scrub recipe. If that did not tempt you or you prefer a salt scrub, here is a recipe from The Soap Queen called Apple and Sage Salt Scrub. If you choose a salt or sugar scrub, either of them help exfoliate the skin.  They help your favorite moisturizer absorb into your skin, leaving it soft and smooth.  Handmade scrubs are even better because you can customize the ingredients and create a fun design like in today's recipe.

Grapefruit Lily Sugar Cubes

Over the years, I took a lot of classes  through The Nova Studio.  I have to say that there were many products I learned how to make. One of my favorites was a single use sugar cube scrub that Erin Pikor showed us how to make.  Recently, I found this one from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Grapefruit Lily Sugar Cubes/ This is very simple item to make and it a tales about an hour to get 32 cubes.

Mechanic Cold Process Soap Tutorial

Have you ever heard of "Mechanic Soap?  I never heard of the term before until I saw this recipe from The Soap Queen called Mechanic Cold Process Soap.  Basically, "Mechanic Soap" refers to extra scrub bars.  The exfoliants help remove grease and oil from working hands. The Soap Queen kept these bars of soap simple with no colorants or fancy designs. This is an intermediate level project that takes one to two hours and results in about three pounds of soap.

Pumice & Poppy Seed Melt and Pour Tutorial

Do you like to exfoliate your skin while in the shower?  Exfoliation removes dead skin,brightens up the skin and helps moisuurizer absorb better. Here is a melt and pour project from The Soap Queen called Pumice & Poppy Seed Melt and Pour Tutorial.  This project is suitable for the beginning soap maker, but it takes a little knowledge of the layering technique.  The important thing about doing the layering technique is temperature and patience. But once you get the hang of it, it is easy.

Pre-Sun Solid Lotion Bars

Love being out in the sun?  It is important to put on sunscreen but it is a good idea t\to out on some kind of lotion to keep your skin moisturized.  Lotions can get a bit messy but I found this recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus called Pre-Sun Solid Lotion Bars that you can apply all over your skin before heading out to the beach or pool. These lotions bars contain ingredients that help protect and condition your skin from outside elements.  This is an easy recipe to make.  It only takes an hour and you should get 14 bars.

Tangerine and Lavender Lip Balm

I never though of tangerine and lavender as a flavor combination before but Wholesale Supplies Plus created this recipe called Tangerine and Lavender Lip Balm.  This balm recipe has four butters (cocoa, shea, mango and aloe) which makes a fantastic lip balm for your lips.  It has the right amount of butters so it is not to greasy and it glides nicely over your lips to leave them soft and moisturized.

The Truth About False Trace

Have you ever had a cold process thicken too quickly? What I mean it looks like instant pudding as soon as you add the lye?  Do not toss out your stick blender, you may be dealing with 'false trace".  You do not know what false trace is?  Well, in a posting from The Soap Queen called The Truth About False Trace goes into detail what trace is and why false trace happens.  And one thing I did not know that their is two types of false trace.  I am not going to spoil it for you.  You are going to have to read the posting yourself to find out.

Lemonade Lip Balm Recipe

To me lemonade speaks summer time. And summer begins in less than six weeks.  So if you love the taste of lemonade and summertime year round, I found this recipe for Lemonade Lip Balm from Bulk Apothecary.  This recipe is very simple and it combines rich, nourishing ingredients that will hydrate your lips, leaving them soft and supple plus the the sweet flavor will leave you craving for a tall glass of lemonade.  I am getting thirsty already.

5 Tips for Layering Melt and Pour Soap

Do you love making your soap by the melt and pour method?  Have you tried to do the layer effect and you are having no luck?  In a recent post, The Soap Queen wrote a post on the subject of layering called 5 Tips for Layering Melt and Pour Soap. This post may help you if you are having problems with this technique.

How to Make Shaving Soap on Soap Queen TV

I bet a lot of your men in your life use a commercial shaving cream? Or do you shave your legs in the shower?  Would you believe that you can make your own shaving soap by the cold process method?  The Soap Queen recently posted how to do this in a post called How to Make Shaving Soap on Soap Queen TV.  This cold process shaving soap recipe creates thick and luxurious bubbles.  The key is a combination of castor oil, and skin loving butters like cocoa and avocado.  Bentonite clay is added to give the soap "slip" which helps prevent razor burns.  This would be a great gift for yourself or the man in your life for Father's Day.

Saponification Versus Cure Time in Soap Making

Would you believe that many new cold process soap makers seem to get confused when it come to defining saponifaction time and cure time when making handmade soap?  The two terms are not interchangeable and it is important to know the difference.  If you are confused between the difference of the two, Lovin' Soap Studio explains it very well in a post called Saponification Versus Care Time in Soap Making.

Lavender & Peach Tri-Color Bath Fizzies

I have made bath fizzies before but they have only been a single color.  Here is a project from Wholesale Supplies Plus that incorporates three colors....Lavender & Peach Tri-Color Bath Fizzies.  Each one will be unique and different, so not one will be alike.  The Lathonal Powder adds colorful bubbles as the fizzy spins around in the warm water.  This is an easy project that takes a half hour and results in 7 bath bombs.

Natural Lemon Verbena Bath Melts Recipe & Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes

Since I took a class on how to make solid sugar cube scrubs I have always made them with a melt and pour soap base.  Rebecca Dillion from Soap Deli News created a recipe that does not include a melt and pour soap base since she found that alot of her readers were fond of bath and beauty products that were completely natural and organic. In this post called Natural Lemon Verbena Bath Melts and Solid Sugar Scrubs, Rebecca shares two fantastic recipes.

Shea Butter Coconut Milk

If you have sensitive skin, I have found a great cold process bar of soap.  This homemade soap recipe from Soap Making Essentials called Shea Butter Coconut Milk produces a luxuriously rich, creamy and conditioning bar.

Healing Herb Balm

Would you believe that making your own balms are easy?  Well, it is.  This recipe for Healing Herb Balm from Soap Deli News takes advantage of the natural botanicals to crated this homemade topical to treat minor, cuts, bruises and stings.  If you do not have the plants available to you or if its the wrong time of the year, they can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Coconut Lemon Lip Balm Project

Love the taste of the tropics?  Why not have that flavor in a lip balm?  Here is a lip balm project from Stampington called Coconut Lemon that should take you to that tropic island. Making your own lip balm easy, it is also fun and addictive.  This project is perfect to make in bulk so that you can have a favor made for your next get together or a gift for a friend at a moment's notice.

Pink Salt and Sal Butter Soap Recipe

I recently saw a Peppermint Salt Soap recipe in a recent issue of Willow and Sage.  That recipe was made by the hot process method in a crock pot.  Here is a recipe from Soap Deli News on making a version of that called Pink Salt and Sal Butter Soap that is done in the traditional cold process soap method.

Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes Recipe

Way back in the day, I took a class from Erin Pikor at The Nova Studio which she taught how to make a solid sugar scrub.  Ever since then I feel in love with the concept.  So whenever I find a recipe, I have to shared it so others will fall in love with the concept.  This Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes recipe from Soap Deli News Blog is another great bath and body product recipe that you should try.  Make sure to check out their other recipes, you may just find another recipe that you may want to try.

Natural Sal Butter Sugar Scrub Recipe

Do you have an allergy to shea butter in your sugar scrub?  Here is a recipe from Soap Deli News Blog called Sal Butter Sugar Scrub.  Never heard of Sal butter?  Neither did I until I saw this recipe.  Sal Butter is the perfect alternative to shea butter.  According to Soap Deli New, sal butter is a superb moisturizer and is believe to help with various skin disorders such as ance, eczema and psoriasis.  It can also help to reduce skin inflammation and unlike shea, it stays smooth and creamy and it is never grainy.

5 Tips for Swirling Cold Process Soap

Tried the swirl technique in your cold process soap  but you have not had much success?  The Soap Queen recently posted an article on 5 Tips for Swirling Cold Process Soap which provides really great information to make you a success on making beautiful swirl in you next batch of soap.