Melt & Pour Soap Making: Cookies Ala Mode Soap

Is Cookies and Cream your favorite ice cream?  What would you say that you could duplicate your favorite ice cream flavor into a bar of soap?  Well, believe it or not, you can!  Denise from Go Planet Earth shows you how in this melt and pour tutorial called Cookies Ala Mode Soap.

 

Face Painting Sticks

According to Alison Kontur of BathBodySupply.com each Halloween, we hear warnings to check face paint for ingredients that contain allergens, unapproved colorants and expiration dates. Since it may not always be possible to find the listing of ingredients or expiration (this info is often listed on a disposable outer wrapper), we like to make our own so we can not only control the ingredients, but we can verify the safety of the colorants used, especially around the eyes and lips. You can check the approved uses for each certified colorant at the FDA website.

If prefer to make your own then I would recommend trying Alison's recipe Face Painting Sticks which posted on her blog DIY Skincare.

INS Numbers for Soapmaking

I have been making soap since 2002 by the melt and pour and I have never heard of an INS Number.  Maybe many of the more experienced soap makers have. But if you are like me and have not, I recently found out more about this through an entry on The Soap Queen's site called INS Numbers for Soapmaker's.  According to Anne-Marie,  an INS number refers to a numerical value that explains or describes the properties an  oil will have when reacted with sodium hydroxide to make bar soap. It relates to the degree of unsaturation and the molecular weight of the oil. Full disclosure: I don’t use INS numbers. I don’t find that they relate well to a finished batch of soap and how it will be perceived by me (or anyone) in the shower.


In reading this article, I have learned that it more for the soap maker who makes their soap by the cold process method and that is maybe why I have never heard of it. But it is an interesting and informative article to learn about what INS Numbers are and what the benefits of using them. If you are primarily a melt and pour soap maker the information may be confusing to you, so you may want to pass on this information.  But for those who make their soap by the cold process method, I would recommend you read the article.

Funky Ginger and Lime (CP Soap Tutorial)

Normally you will see a cold process soap recipe that results in so many bars of soap.  In this Funky Ginger and Lime Soap Recipe from Riverlea Soap, the author made the ball of soap from a prior batch and then incorporated them into a multi-colored layered soap.  It comes out to be a really interesting bar of soap. If you would like a challenge, then give this recipe a try.

Iced Tea Melt & Pour Loaf Soap

In 2006, I entered a bath bomb display into the miscellaneous arts and crafts category at the San Mateo County Fair.  One of the other entries was a soap shaped like a tall glass of tea tea.  It looked great but it rather large for a bar of soap.  I thought it would look better as a candle.  As I was looking at Wholesale Supplies Plus's website to purchase some supplies for an upcoming class, I found this recipe/tutorial for MP Soap: Iced Tea Loaf. I really think this would fit the bill if you have someone who likes drinking tea during the summer or anytime of the year as a matter of fact.  If you make soap to sell this would be a bar of soap that would be unique to make and sell.  This is an advanced project that takes under six hours to complete and yields (8) 1" inch slices.