3 Palm Free Soap Recipes

If are concerned about the palm oil situation and you would like to not make your cold process soap without palm oil, The Nova Studio posted in a recent blog post three recipes that you can try.  In the article, 3 Palm Free Soap Recipes, these three palm oil free cold process soap recipes can be used in either by the cold process or hot process method.

Making Eye Cream Part Deux

If you liked Point of Interest's part one on Making Eye Cream and have been waiting for the follow-up, your wait is finally over.  In Making Eye Cream Part 2, Point of Interest goes more into depth on what water soliuable ingredients you can use and gives you another recipe you can try.  This was worth waiting for!

How to Make Body Butter (HerbMentor)

In a recent HerbMentor News blast I received contained a body butter recipe by Rosalee de la Forêt.  To be honest, I have always been told that a body butter recipe should not contain water and this one does, so it really would be more of a cream recipe.  Since she uses a hydrosol, she does not uses a preservative. She states that she leaves her recipe at room temperature nnd she has not had a problem.  She said that you if you plan to keep your body butter for more than 6 months, then you would want to store it in the fridge.  On the safe side, I would rather add a paraben free preservative rather than not having one.  What is your take on it?  If you want to know what the recipe is, here are the ingredients and let us know what you think.

Ingredients

( Note: Solid ingredients are measured by weight using a scale. Liquid ingredients are measured by volume using a measuring cup)

The butters, oil and wax

3 oz of shea butter, 2 ounces of mango butter , 1 ounce of coconut oil , 5 ounce beeswax , 3 ounces of infused oil

The water portion
2 ounces of hydrosol , 1 ounce of aloe vera , essential oils of your choice (optional) , 1/4 teaspoon borax

Directions

Begin by slowly melting the butters and wax in a double boiler or in a pan on very low heat.

Once it has all melted, turn off the heat and slowly add the oil. When you add the oil you might notice parts of the liquid become solid again. Sometimes you can just give it a little stir and everything will melt again. If not, it may need a tiny bit more heat to be sure that it all melts together.

Once the butters, wax and oil are combined you’ll need to pour it into the container you are going to mix it in. If you are using a blender pour the mixture in the blender and set it aside until it is at room temperature. If you are using a cake mixer or immersion blender place it in the bowl you will use to whip it up.

While waiting for the butter mixture to cool, mix together the hydrosol, aloe vera, essential oils and the borax.

Once the butter mixture has cooled use a blender or handheld mixer to begin to mix it. Slowly add the hydrosol, aloe vera, essential oils and borax mixture.

Bath Tea Recipe

Do you love to take a bath?  How would you like to make your bathing experience more enjoyable? Debbie Chialtas (aka SoapyLove) has created a recipe and video on Kin Community that shows you how easy to make her  wonderful bath tea recipe plus package it into a cute tea bag.  Since the holidays are coming up really soon, this would be an easy and inexpensive gift to make for friends and family.  It would also be great favor to make for guests at a baby or bridal shower.

Another Peppermint Bark Soap Recipe

Awhile back The Soap Queen had a posting on her site, Soap and the Finer Things in Life on making a melt and pour soap project on how to make your own Peppermint Bark Soap for the holidays. Now Debbie from Wholesale Supplies Plus has added her own verision of this holiday treat. This recipe for peppermint bark soap is a great last minute gift to make because it will only take you an hour to complete the project and you will wind up with 24 bars of soap. It that simple! Even better yet, Wholesale Supplies Plus conveniently has a print button in the recipe so you can add it to your files. Happy holidays~

Gift Series: Bath Fizzy Bombs

Cinnamon Sugar Bath Fizzies from The Soap Queen are fun, easy, and very affordable! They added up the cost of the ingredients, divided it out and found these little bath treats are just 60¢ each! Totally afforable to make plenty of gifts for the holiday season. This is the final project in Christmas Gift Idea series Day 1 and Day 2. Now know how to make these simple projects, you will have all of the knowledge you need to create delightful gift ensembles that are the perfect gift for holiday party gift exchanges, office co-workers, as well as family and friends. We think making holiday gifts with your children or friends is the perfect way to spend quality time with the ones you love.As an added treat we have created label designs for 4 of our favorite Holiday fragrances. You can put a professional packaging touch to your gifts with these labels. Click here to get the Cinnamon Sugar, Christmas Forest, Fresh Snow, and Cranberry Fig.

Ingredients: 1 pound Citric Acid, 2 pounds Baking Soda, ¼ ounce fragrance Cappucino Mica, Shredded Glitter, Witch Hazel (in a spray bottle), Mold.

This recipe makes about 18 bath fizzies in a 2.5 ounce size. If you want want to make more (or less) just remember that it is always 1 part Citric Acid to 2 parts Baking Soda. Add as much fragrance as you like (our recipe produces a highly fragrant fizzy) and use LESS color than you think you need. The color will always look faded until they are used in the bath when they bloom and sparkle!

Cranberry Lip Balm Recipe

Cranberries always makes me think of Thanksgiving. Here is a homemade spa recipe for a cranberry lip balm made with fresh cranberries that will leave your lips soft and gives them a hint of color.  But what is interesting that it does not contain any wax which makes me think that it is more of a lip gloss than a lip balm.  What is your input?

Winter Snow and Dippped Candles

Looking to make unique winter time candles? How about learning how to make Winter Snow and Dipped Candles (Making Whipped and Dipped Candles)? In this special winter tutorial on making whipped and dipped candles tutorial from Erica of The Bonnie Bath Company kindly posted a tutorial on how to make Pine Cone Fire Starters, Whipped Snow Candles, Snowballs, and Snow in Containers on her blog Bath Alchemy. These candles can be given as gifts for the holidays and can stay out all winter until it is time to change the candles for the spring season.

Apple Balsam Pine Tree Loaf Soaps

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is now time to get into gear about gifts for Christmas. Instead of getting crazy at the malls, why not create your own gifts instead of buying them? Handcrafted gifts are so much more personal since they come from the heart. So what your are probably thinking what should I make? How about these adorable Apple Balsam Pine Tree Loafsoaps from Wholesale Supplies Plus ? This advanced melt and pour project should take an hour to complete and give you (8) 1" slices. If you like to add this recipe to your files, Wholesale Supplies Plus has conveniently added a print button for easy printing.

Elbow and Knee Lotion

Here is an Elbow and Knee lotion recipe  from Teach Soap.com that is  a cross between a crème and a lotion. It can be placed in a jar or in a squeezable bottle. It will leave hands oily for ten or fifteen minutes so it’s not recommended for hands if you’re actively working, reading or playing sports as it will leave oil marks. It is designed to be super moisturizing for your elbows and knees.

Sugar Leaf Lotion Bars

Have you ever tried lotion bars before?  Maybe you should try this Sugar Leaf Lotion Bars recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  These lotions bars have an all natural base that includes shea butter, cocoa butter and grapeseed oil. Feels outsstanding on the skin!!  Plus it is easy to make. It will take you one  hour to make 30 lotion bars.  So this would be great to make to give out gifts for the winter.

Coffee Mocha Loaf Soap Recipe

Are you having a difficult time staying away from your local Starbucks?  Here is a melt and pour soap recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus call Coffee Mocha Loaf Soap that could help you get thru until your next visit.  This advanced project should take you two  hours to make (8) 1 inch slices,

Fun Food Inspired Candles - Banana Cream Pudding

Do you love Banana Cream Pudding? Erica of The Bonnie Bath Company has recreated your favorite dessert into a candle and shared her instructions for Banana Cream Pudding on her blog Bath Alchemy.  If you have any friends who love banana cream pudding but not the calories, you can make this as a gift for the upcoming holiday season.

Experiments in the workshop: Making an eye cream (part 1)

Are you unhappy with your eye cream recipe and would like to create your own?  You may want to try this eye cream recipe from Point of Interest.
The author of this recipe wanted something that would moisturize their under eye area without feeling too greasy or heavy. I would like something that will reduce inflammation and reduce dark circles. So if you are looking for the same, then you should try making this recipe.

Warming Massage Bar

Love to use massage bars?  Well here is a perfect recipe to celebrate the fall season.  This Warming Massage Bar Recipe from The Natural Beauty Workshop is a warm colored massage bar is made with Angelica Root Essential Oil, which has a subtle, spicy aroma and provides a warming sensation while helping to increase circulation and stimulate the senses. The Warming Massage Bar is colored with Paprika to give it a warm orange tint on the top of the bar.

Creamy Berry Lip Balm Recipe

This yummy lip balm will help protect your lips from the wintery weather. The oils and butters will moisturize while the beeswax creates a protective coating. Does this scream for you to make it?  Well, this Creamy Berry Lip Balm recipe from Wholesale Supplies Plus is very easy to make.  It only takes a half hour to make 11.  If you do not like the strawberry flavoring that WSP is suggesting, maybe you can find another flavoring that would suit your taste.

Cuticle Salve Recipe

Since the cold weather is just around the corner, the Soap Queen had the opportunity to create an all natural Cuticle Salve Recipe.  This is an intermediate level recipe which should take 10 - 12 minutes to make and giving you 12 pots of a fantastic salve to use on your cuticles.  This would make great gifts to give out during the winter months.

Plum Kernel Oil Profile

Recently, I taught a lotions and creams class at the Palo Alto Adult School and I mentioned some carrier oils that could be used in making facial creams and lotions.  As I browsed the internet, I found this one that could be added to the list - Plum Kernal Oil.  According to Mountain Rose Herb, Plum Kernal Oil is also referred to as Prune kernel oil as it comes from dried Plum pits. When Plums are dried they become Prunes. Plum Kernel oil is fluid at ambient temperature and is golden in color. Plum Kernel Oil is useful for both cosmetic and culinary applications including. Pressed from pits inside kernels of plums, Plum Kernel Oil has a pleasant scent and flavor that closely resembles almonds. Plum Kernel Oil is most often used in desserts, salad dressings, sauces, on fish, and is drizzled as a finishing accent. It is also naturally rich in Vitamin A, E, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and anti-oxidants. For this reason, it is beneficial for dry and mature skin types and is often used in lip balms, moisturizing creams, anti-wrinkle agents, cleansing lotions and massage creams. Its emollient properties bring nourishment and hydration to damaged skin and renew the complexion and maintain healthy cells. The feeling on the skin is very soft and plum oil penetrates the skin easily with no greasy residue.

So if you are interested in trying this type of carrier oil in your lotions, then try Mountain Rose Herb's Plum Kernal Oil. The Prune oil offered by Mountain Rose Herbs is manufactured for food and cosmetic use and it is a fairly stable oil with a nice, round, and sweet aroma.

Scented Nail Polish

To be honest with you I have not worn nail polish since I do not know when. If I remember right, the last time I had it is when I was a teenager and purchase a bottle that had gold glitter. I had not worn it since. And I especially do not wear it now because of the bad chemcials in it.  But The Soap Queen has recently posted instructions on how to make Scented Nail Polish.  I thought it was quite interesting and was wondering two things: (1) What are the ingredients in the polish base and (2) how long does the scent last.  The ingredients in the soap base did not include formalhyde, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), and Toluene.  You may be wondering what these ingredients are?  If you read 3 Scary Ingredients Hiding In Your Nail Polish, you will find out why they are so scary.  Anyway this looks like a fun project to make for a tween girls party or even a grown up girls party.  I just many want to try this recipe for the fun it it.

Cranberry Thumbprint Cookie Bath Tarts

Don't these thumbprint cookies look good enough to eat? Well, these particular cookies are meant to be used in the bath! You are probably wondering how to use them. After making these you will dissolve 1-2 bath cookies under running water and they will fill the water with skin softening and detoxigying properties. This recipe for Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies comes from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  This is an advanced recipe which should take you an hour to make 50 ccokies.  These would be a delightful gift make for multiple people.  Just make sure to label your creation with do not eat.  We would not want anyone to get sick!

 

Dipped Bath Bon Bons

If you love to take baths, I found this interesting recipe for Dipped Bath Bon Bons from The Country Bath. This recipe calls for scotish oats.  I have never heard of this type of oat before.  Does anyone know and can explain it?  Plus where would one get scothish oats?  If one cannot find this type of oats,  would regular oats work?

Bath Truffles

What’s a Bath Truffle? It’s like a Bath Fizzy with lots of moisturizing oils that you crumble into your bath for a home spa experience. In this Bath Truffle's episode, The Soap Queen uses Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter for that luxurious touch. Anne-Marie shares two recipes in this episode; an all natural mix using Kaolin Clay and Lavender Essential Oil and a Sweet Bubbly Bar using a blend of Chocolate and Vanilla fragrances.

Coffee Butter Foot Creme Recipe

After a long day after being on your feet, how would you like to treat your feet to a indulgent treat?  I would suggest making this Coffee Butter Foot Cream recipe from The Soap Queen. This cream is great for putting on your feet with socks before you go to bed and your feet will become soft and supple.  It is an intermediate recipe which takes 15-20 minutes to make ounces.

Question: How do I prevent my lotions from getting a bit of oil on the top?

Have you ever made a lotion and it seems to separate after you made it?  Well, it may be your emulision.  Point of Interest recently wrote a response to a similiar question about this problem in a blog post called Question: How do I prevent my lotions from getting a bit of oil on the top?   This post may answer your question help you resolve your problem and hopefully this problem will not happen again.

A Really Cool and Easy Techinque



Isn't this a cool looking design on top of this soap?  It reminds me of a henna tattoo.  Would you like to do the same to your cold process soaps to differentiate from all of the ordinary soaps out on the market?  To tell you the truth, it is easier than you may think.  Just read Ruth's post titled An easy technique for customizing your soap which appears on her blog Sirona Springs.

School Chalkboard Eraser

Here is another cute teacher's gift for anytime of the year.  This School Chalkboard Eraser from Wholesale Supplies Plus is really easy project that should take about a half hour to make 8 bars of soap that really look like the real thing.  Get your supplies ready and get your kids involved in make their teacher's gift.

Peppermint Funnel Swirl Soap

Does peppermint bring up memories of the Christmas holiday?  Want to learn how to make thie Peppermint Funnel Swirl Soap by Jenny I'd Lather be Soaping?  This blog post does not include the recipe but does include a video demostrating on how to make this different techinque for cold process soap.  

Rosemary Tree Beeswax Ornaments

Here is a really cute way to decorate a tabletop Christmas Tree that you purchase from your local store.  Make these Rosemary Tree Beeswax Ornaments from Candle Science to simple bring some festive decoration into your home. What is great about this project is that if your limited on space and what to decorate for the holidays, then this would be the best solution.

Rose Clay Sugar Scrub Recipe

Love using scrubs in the shower?  How would you like to try making this Rose Clay Sugar Scrub Recipe from the Soap Queen.  This particular recipe calls for purchasing a foaming bath whip from Brambleberry but if you have a favorite recipe of your own you may want to try and adapt it to this one.  Since gift giving season is just around the corner, this maybe the perfect gift to make.

Vanilla Latte Lip Balm Recipe

Here is an interesting recipe for a lip balm that has less ingredients:  one solid oil, one liquid oil and one butter.  I know where's the beeswax?  But this is called a luxe lip balm and it adds just the right amount of gloss while conditioning and soothing chapped lips.  Since this lip balm does not have beeswax, you can make it for your friends who are vegans. If you are interested in checking out to make this simple Vanilla Latte Lip Balm, then check out The Soap Queen's website.

Hoot Owl Soap

When I was younger there was a campaign slogan by Woodsy the Owl - Give a hoot, Do not Pollute! I know I am really dating myself but when I saw this melt and pour soap Hoot Owl project from Wholesale Supplies Plus I could not help remembering that campaign.   Did anyone collect owl items way back in the day?  Is this trend on the rebound? Anyway, these soaps are really adorable for anyone who likes owls.

Scents of Home - Winter Holidays

According to Wholesale Supplies Plus, this Winter Holiday/Scents of Home project has been a proven best seller at shows and home parties. These will also be perfect for holiday, hostess and caroling gifts. The little individual bottles are used to add scent to artificial 
Christmas trees, potpourri and holiday wreaths! It is not too early to start making these home fragrances because the holidays are just around the corner.  Make them now and have them ready to give out.