CREAMSICLE SOAP (Melt and Pour) Recipe

I remember as a kid eating creamsicle pops my mom use to buy at the grocery store.  To my great excitment I found instructions on how to make a bar of soap which looks like one of my favorite summer treats.  This melt and pour Creamscicle Soap Recipe was submitted by Ela Heyn appears to the website Soap Wizards.  May I suggest that if you would like to make this soap look like someone took a bite out of it, then I would suggest getting a scalloped cookie cutter.  A scalloped cookie cutter makes a great looking set of teeth marks in your soap creation.  If you do not have one or cannot find one in your local cooking store, then using a rounded edge one would look just fine.  The wrap your creamsicle soap in a cellophane bag with a cute ribbon then you will be all set for gift giving!

Soap Making Instructional: How to Use Swirlz Soap Base

Cold Process Soapmakers have the luxury of making swirled soap. Denise from Go Planet Earth has been getting alot of requests for a tutorial on how to do this swirl technique in a melt and pour soap version. In the instructions provided, the color used is a blue, but. you can choose any color to your liking. The color combinations are endless. This instructional shows the basics of how to work with the base and get the feel for the right pouring temperature to master the swirling technique. In a future tutorial, Go Planet Earth will show how to use this base to make a swirled loaf soap. So once that is available, I will share that with you.

Now I am not so sure what make this soap base so special to do this technique and not sure why you cannot use any particular melt and pour base. But you can purchase a 2-lb. Swirlz (clear) for $7.80 directly from Go Planet Earth. The ingredinets for the clear soap base are Water, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Glycerin, Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Cocoate, Triethanolamine.

Rock Candy Soap

I remember as a kid making rock candy in summer school. When I saw this Rock Candy Soap Tutorial from Go Planet Earth it brought back memories of my youth. So I am so looking forward to making this melt and pour soap project in the future. Look at the really cute packaging that Denise did for these soaps. Denise was nice enough to share a template for the labels she used on the packaging.

Vertical Sandalwood Vanilla Soap

Here is a cold process soap recipe with a twist. As you may or may not know vanilla content in some fragrance oils can really cause discoloration. This recipe for a Vertical Sandlwood Vanilla CP Soap
from the Soap Queen demonstrates how to incorporate the discoloration and wind up with a really neat bar of soap. This is an intermediate project which takes 50 minutes to make without curing time. Once completed you should get 73 ounces.

How to make your own bath beads

I saw this recipe on how to make your own bath beads hobbies page of essortment website and I was intriqued what it was all all about. When I saw the title, the first think that came into my mind are those oils that are encased in a flexible material. After looking at the recipe, these bath beads are closer to a bath fizzy. This is a cost-effective and easy solution is to make your own bath beads. recipe.

To make scented bath beads you will first need to gather a few ingredients: 1/2 cup powdered milk, 2 tablespoon, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon borax powder, 1/4 cup rose water or orange water, Essential oil (or if you prefer, a fragrance oil), and Food coloring (optional). I would probably choose to use cosmetically safe soap dye instead of food coloring. In the article, the author gives some good tips about essential oils.

All you have to do to make your own bath beads is to follow these simple directions:

1. Gather a large bowl and wooden spoon.
2. Combine the powdered milk, powdered sugar and borax powder. Stir until the mixture is evenly blended.
3. Add in most of the rose or orange water (about ¾) and your selected essential oil (approx. 10 drops depending on the oil and your preference) or fragrance oil.
4. Optional: Add your desired amount of food coloring. Remember that this color will tint your bath water.
5. Continue stirring the mixture and add the rest of the water as needed until you have a thick mixture that resembles clay or play dough.
6. By hand roll the finished dough into small balls approx. a teaspoon in size. Place these balls on a sheet of wax paper or tin foil on a flat surface. Allow the beads to dry for 24 hours.
7. Wash your hands thoroughly.
8. Author suggests placing them in a decorative bowl to brighten up your bathroom or package them in a decorative container and wrapping to use for gifts.

The author makes the recommendation of trying an alternative recipe if you want to make bath beads with your kids. Instead of using essential oils, trying using a fragrance oil.

What is the difference between a *pigment* and a *dye* when coloring soap?

According to Denise of Go Planet Earth, a dye is soluble (dissolves) in water, oils, alcohol, or glycerin. The color of dyes can change when put in a high pH environment such as cold process soaps. For example, many blues will turn pink in cold process soap. Our dyes are all "coal tar" dyes, which means that they are chemically manufactured. They are also all approved for use in cosmetics. In general, dyes are brighter in color, and color "bleeding" can be a problem. Dyes work exceptionally well in single color pours. Single color pours means you are only using one color when pouring soap base into a mold. Color bleeding is only an issue with dual color soap pours in the same mold OR when embedding soap shapes."

"A pigment does not dissolve in water or oil. This means that your transparent applications (melt and pour soap, bubble bath, shower gel) are a less transparent (less see-through). Sometimes a color can be a "dye" when it is in water (it dissolves in water) but a "pigment" when it is in oil (it does not dissolve in oil). The positive side to pigments are that they are "non-bleeding". In other words, they won't stain or bleed into surrounding areas of your soap project. Since pigments are heavy and don't dissolve, they will fall to the bottom of the bottle if you mix them with liquid applications such as liquid soap. Liquid products that are heavy or thick enough (a heavy lotion or cream) will stay suspended with no problem. Many pigments are approved for use in cosmetics and a good number are made from earth minerals and termed as "inorganic" colors. There are a number of inorganic color additives used in soap and cosmetics: iron oxides (browns, blacks, reds, etc.), ultramarines, chromium oxide green, and a variety of whites such as titanium dioxide."

If you are interested in purchasing pigments or dyes, you can visit Go Planet Earth's website to purchase colorants for your melt and pour soaps.

Shea Butter Soap Recipe (Cold Process)

When I saw this cold process soap bar, I thought the design was very interesting. I never saw this technique in a cold process bar before and I thought it was unqiue enough to share. Want to learn how to make your next bar of soap look like this? Then check out Soap Making Essentials' recipe on how to make this Shea Butter bar of soap.

Herbal Hand Santizer Recipe

In January 2011, I took an Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products class at The Nova Studio. And I have been looking for more easy eco-friendly products to make. While checking the blogs I follow I came across the blog Trista's Creations which had an entry on how to make your own Herbal Hand Santizer recipe. This is a simple recipe requiring only 4 ingredients! And if you have difficulties making this recipe, Trista has provided a video for you to watch. Even though the flu and cold season has past, this product can be used all year round!

Recipe: Floral Cuticle Oil

Have you ever heard of cuticle oil? Never heard of cuticle oil? According to Alison Kontur of Bath Body Supply, cuticle oil is a moisturizing product for the nails and cuticles. Cuticle oil is designed to keep the cuticles soft and healthy, preventing ripping or tearing that can cause pain, damage to the nail, or even infection. If you do use a cuticle oil or would like to start using one, Alison has posted her blog, DIY Skincare a recipe for a Floral Cuticle Oil that you can make on your own and start using it right away. This recipe only requires four ingredients which makes it extra simple.

Lip Balm Recipes (Lemon, Root Beer)

Love lemon or root beer? I found these two Free Lip Balm Recipes ~ Make your own homemade lip balm on Lyciall.com. There are a couple of comments I would like to make. First of all, the lemon lip balm recipe asks for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Since I know that lemon essential oil is photosensitive, I would be hestinate to put lemon juice in my recipe. I would would rather find a lemon flavor oil that would be more suitable. The last recipe called Cleopatra Milk Haven Lip Balm Blast has a teaspoon of cream in it. I have never heard of adding any dairy project to a lip balm before. I am wondering if anyone has adding cream to their lip balm recipe before? I would be afraid it would spoil and make the balm go bad. Does anyone have any feedback on this issue?

Lemon Lip Balm Bliss
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
3 oz beeswax
½ vitamin E capsule
1 tablespoon lemon juice

This lip balm recipe makes a wonderful summer time refresher for your lips!

Root Beer Lip Balm
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
3 oz beeswax
½ vitamin E capsule
½ teaspoon rootbeer flavoring

Cleopatra Milk Haven Lip Balm Blast
8 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 oz beeswax
4 oz cocoa butter
½ vitamin E capsule
½ teaspoon cream
½ teaspoon honey

To make the following homemade lip balm recipes, melt beeswax and oil in microwave or double boiler, add other ingredients and pour into attractive containers. Let sit for 48 hours allowing time to set before use. CAUTION: Your oil and beeswax will get extremely hot. DO NOT BOIL!! If it starts boiling, then cut heat source off and allow it to cool before handling it.

Raspberry Body Butter Candle

Love candles? Want to learn how to make this wonderful Raspberry Body Butter Candle from The Soap Barn? Well, this delicious smelling candle is easy to make. So why not make a bunch of them and give them out as gifts!

Lip Balm, Body Balm & Anti-Wrinkle Eye Balm E-Book Just Released

Publication 25-Pages Instant Download or Printed Version

Learn how to make the best ever Lip Balm, Body Balm and Anti-Wrinkle Eye Balm!

Shea Butter Lip Balm moisturizes and helps to protect lips from sun, wind and dry conditions. Once you make your own lip balms, you won't want to buy them anymore. They are so easy to make. I discovered a way to flavor them with pure and organic botanicals; flavors like pear, raspberry and pineapple. Made with shea butter and cocoa butter that help to protect, moisturize and mend cracked lips. Lip balms are great for kids and adults.

Find out how to make alkanet herbal oil to color the lip balm with a natural red color. See an easy way to to fill lots of lip balm tubes without a huge mess, label and seal them with shrink wrap.

Botanical Body Balm is excellent for babies, children and adults. They can be customized with herbs and oils containing healing properties. Body balms can be applied almost anywhere on the body to speed healing of cuts, scrapes, bruises, sores and chapped skin. They also soften the skin. Learn how to make herbal oils like calendula oil to include in your balms.

Anti-Wrinkle Eye Balm protects the delicate tissue around the eyes. Anti-wrinkle eye balm is made with gentle ingredients, anti-aging oils and extracts that help to firm and smooth wrinkles.

You will learn
~ How to make lip balms that nourishes and protects lips
~ How to make softening and soothing botanical body balms
~ How to make anti-wrinkle eye balms
~ How to infuse herbs into oils and make herbal oils.
~ All about the best ingredients and what their purpose is in balms:
carrier oils, rich butters, beeswax, herbs and essential oils
~ A great way to fill lip balms
~ How to package products
~ Resources for supplies

Now available for $14.99! If you are interested in purchasing this E-book, go to http://joanmorais.com/joansbooks/lipbalmbodybalmeyebalm.html.

New CP Soap Design

Want to learn to create a new design in your cold process soap making? Here is a new tutorial from Amanda at Lovin' Soap. This New Soap Design Soap Tutorial shows you how to make this beautiful soap which has a bottom swirled layer and then the top layer has an unique funnel design which almost looks like a flower.

Easter Ducky Soap

How adorable is this? I have made ducky soaps in a single mold but I have never seen it down this way in a loaf soap. This project would be just ducky to make for the upcoming Easter holiday or even for an upcoming baby shower. Check out the instructions for this Easter Ducky Soap project from The Soap Queen website.This is an intermediate melt and pour soap project which should take one hour to make (plus curing time) and yields 6 soaps. All supplies can be purchased through Brambleberry.

Soapylove Tutorial: Sweet and Pretty Parfait Soaps

These soaps look good enough to eat. Wouldn't these soaps look good out on a dessert plate to be given out as party favors at a bridal or baby shower? Or any garden party you may be hosting. Would you like to learn how to make them? The instructions for these Soapylove Tutorial: Sweet and Pretty Parfait Soaps appears on the site Soap and the Finer Things in Life. What is great about making these soaps from these instructions that they are really easy to make. Just a thought it would be really cute packaging in a pink pastry box. Just remember to label box that these are not meant for eating.

Tutorial: How to Make QR Codes for Your Craft Business

Have you ever seen this before? This is a QR or Quick Response Code and they are popping up everywhere. They can be pretty useful for someone who has a craft business. You are wondering how useful? Well, according to Totally Tutorials used in the right way, QR codes are very useful. They help promote whatever it is that's dear to you by distributing it efficiently without pen or paper and immediately engaging your target audience. Take business cards for example. Craft show visitors often pick up one but would they actually keep it or transfer your site details? Most won't. So make it convenient for them to email you or email themselves your shop URL using just a few clicks on their smartphones."

If you would like to learn more on how to use QR in your craft business, Totally Tutorials has posted an article on How to Make QR Codes for Your Craft Business which originally appears on the site The Beading Gems Journal. Now I do not have a smartphone so I do have the opportunity to use this function but it seems like it would be a great idea to set up QR for your craft business. If I had a craft business I would definately set one of these gizmos up because it sounds like a great marketing tool.

How to Make Funnel Pour Soap

Learn the magical funnel pour process in this episode of Soap Queen TV. You will be amazed at how easy it is and the results you will get. Anne Maries tries to break down the steps and show some of the tricks she has figured out that make this process really easy. I really like the funky neon colors that are used. It reminds me of the set of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In set (for those who are old enough to know what I am talking about). You can purchase all of the supplies except for the mold through Brambleberry.

Faux Swirl Melt and Pour Cubes

I have made single use sugar scrubs that were in a cube shape, but I have never thought of make this Faux Swirl Melt and Pour Cubes from Anne Marie (aka The Soap Queen). This easy project takes 40 minutes to make and gives you 6 cube soaps. I was thinking this would be the perfect project to make and leave these out as guest soaps. It would also be a great favor gift to make and give at a party. Get some cute packaging and you will be all set.

Soothing Rose & Oat Soak

Need to take a break from your chaotic life? Then may I suggest taking a long soak in the bath tub. Adding this recipe from DIY Skincare called Soothing Rose & Oak Soak would really help you relax. I love the idea of the tea ball to put your recipe in. It seems like it would be easier to clean than a muslin bag. If get one of these and use it, just make sure just to use it for the bath only.

Debbie's 3-D Easter Egg Recipe

Here is another great Melt and Pour Soap Easter Egg Soap project from Debbie May, of Wholesale Supplies Plus.

The supplies you for this project you will need are 2 lb. Crafters Choice White MP Soap. Crafter's Choice Liquid Dyes (your choice), 1 oz Crafter's Choice Fragrance Oil (your choice), Flexible Silicone Egg Mold. I have one of the egg molds which I purchased from Michaels awhile back and this is exactly what I wanted to use it for.

Once the eggs are done, they would look adorable in Wholesale Supplies Plus's cupcake box molds accented with crinkle paper. What a great gift to make for the kids for their Easter basket.

MP Soap: Hearts & Clovers

Valentine's day has past, but you can always make this heart soap for your sweetie anytime. But the luck of the Irish is only celebrated once a year in March. So would you like to spread alittle luck to someone all year round? Why, not create these Hearts and Clovers Melt and Pour Soap which appears on the Wholesale Supplies Plus website? From this recipe, you should gets 24 slices of soap so you can spread alot of luck this St. Patrick's Day and beyond!

Mango Lassi Skin Smoothing Scrub

Do you use a scrub in the shower? Would you like to make your own? Well, it is very easy and surprisingly it does not take that many ingredients to make a simple scrub. But if you want to go way out, try this Mango Lassi Skin Smoothing Scrub recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop. To color scrub, the author used Tumeric.

Swirling–A Cold Process Soap Tutorial

Love the look of the swirled soap? This is a vary popular technique in the cold process soapmaking world and there are alot of tutorials out there showing you how to do it. If you cannot find a class on how to do this techinque check out this swirling cold process soap tutorial from Riverlea Soap.

All Natural Tub Tabs Recipe Series

Love to take baths and use bath fizzies? But you hate paying the prices of your bath fizzies at your favorite shop? Well did you know that bath fizzies are really easy to make? They are! Would I like to you? No! Here are some beginner recipes from Wholesale Supplies Plus that you make want to start out with: Muscle Rescue, Quiet Time, Sleep Time, Sinus Blend and Stress Less. These recipes take an hour to complete (without drying time) and you should make 12 sets of 3 fizzies per bag. Once you get the hang of making these, you can make them and give them out as gifts.

I have always wondered what makes Pillar Blend Soy Wax hard

Ever since I took the Eco-Friendly Candlemaking class at The Nova Studio, I was wondering what was in a pillar blend soy wax hard so it makes it stand on its own since pure soy wax cannot hold its shape in a pillar form. So I started to look for information

According to the website Know Heathcare, "With current technology, it is simply not possible to make a soy pillar candle completely from pure soy wax. There are some candle companies that make this claim, and it is likely that they themselves have been misinformed about the contents of the soy pillar wax they are using.

All things considered, the vast majority of soy pillar blends these days are made from pure vegetable based products. One soy wax producer, EcoSoya, says that their soy pillar blend is made from a majority of soy wax as the remaining percentage is made from botanical oils that help the soy wax hold its shape. Just because these candles are not made from pure wax is not completely negative.

To clarify, botanical oils are natural oils that are made from plants. In fact, the word botanical is a form of the word botany which is the study of plant life. Probably the most commonly used and produced botanical oil in the United States is soy bean oil. But when it comes to free standing candles, soy bean oil is too soft. Because of this, harder botanical oils such as palm oil need to be added to help the pillar candle hold its form.

EcoSoya will not disclose the other botanical oils that they use in their soy pillar blend because it is a trade secret, but it’s likely that one of the main botanical oils used to harden the soy wax is palm oil. Unlike pure soy wax, pure palm wax is capable of holding its shape when in the form of a pillar candle.

The days the majority of soy pillar blends do not contain paraffin. But if you at all concerned about the natural quality of your soy candles, it’s best to make sure you soy pillar candles contain nothing but soy wax and botanical oils. Some companies are still known to use paraffin in their soy pillar blends."

But according to David Fisher of About.com: Candle and SoapMaking says that pillar blends are blended with other vegetable oils (like coconut) and waxes (like palm and beeswax.) There are also a number of paraffin/soy blends out there that capitalize on the benefits of both waxes. However, note, that generally as long as the blend is at least 51% soy, it is called a soy wax blend.

So if you want to make sure what is in your pillar blend soy wax is to ask the place you are purchasing your wax from because it may vary from manufacturer to manfacturer.

3D Easter Egg Soaps

Easter will soon be here. Instead of the making the traditional Easter Eggs for the annual hunt, how about making the eggs out of soap? Learn how to make these 3D Easter Egg Soaps from Soap Place which use Life of the Party Soap supplies. These supplies can be purchase at your local Michaels Arts and Craft Stores.

Vintage Inspired Soap

This melt and pour Vintage Inspired Soap project appears on the website The Soap Queen. These soaps remind me of some of the scrapbooking embellishments I have seen at my local Michaels Arts and Craft Store. This intermediate project should take you 20 minutes to make 4-6 soaps. All supplies for this project can be purchased through Brambleberry. If you have problems with this project, The Soap Queen has conveniently posted an instructional video to accompany the instructions.

Erotic Vanilla Dusting Powder Recipe

Have you ever heard or used dusting powder? This is the first time I have heard of it. According to Alison Kontur of BathBodySupply , Dusting powder is a cosmetic product that can be used to add subtle fragrance to the body while helping to keep you dry. She says that the addition of vanilla powder, lip safe mica and flavor fragrance creates a product that is also edible and adds subtle "shimmer" to the skin. Sweet, not sticky, absorbs quickly into the skin, but doesn't leave you feeling dried out. Also referred to as "edible body powder". Seems like a fun and easy product to make. So if you are like me and would like to try the
Erotic Vanilla Dusting Powder Recipe that appears on Alison's blog DIY Skincare today!

Saint Patrick's Day Mint Lip Balm

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Instead of celebrating with green beer how about making this Saint Patrick's Day Mint Lip Balm from Majestic Mountain Sage? This lip balm recipe makes approximately 60 tubes which will make great presents for your friends and definately make your lips luscious after kissing the blarney stone multiple times.

Scenting Naturally Part 3 - Making Perfumes - Essential Oil Blends

If you have been following this series of making perfumes from Bath Alchemy, this is the third part of the series which covers Essential Oil Blends. If you have missed Part 1 Family and Notes and Part 2 Scenting Naturally: Making Natural Perfumes - Bases, Proportions and Blends, do not worry, I have provided them for you to read so you can easly get caught up.In this post, Erica provides a variety of recipes for you to create your own perfumes.

Easter Basket Worthy Soap

Looking for something different to put in someone's Easter Basket? Easter is early this year. As a matter of fact, it is March 31st this year. These cute decorated egg soaps are really cute and very easy to make. This Easter Egg Soap project appears on the blog Soap and the Finer Things in Life courtesy of The Soap Queen. All supplies can be purchased through Brambleberry. I purchased a Wilton silicone mold a couple of years back that would be perfect for this project.