Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
This week we introduced the new Autumn Frost Fragrance Collection. It includes four non-traditional fragrances: Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, Vermont Maple Fragrance Oil, Sparkling Snowdrop Fragrance Oil and Cedar and Amber Fragrance Oil. We tested hundreds of fragrances and found the best for your fall and winter projects. Learn more about the collection in this post. Until September 30th, try the collection and save $10.
Washington state is known as “The Evergreen State” for the abundance of trees in the area. They have a fresh scent and vivid green color throughout the year. These Cedar & Amber Cold Process Soaps were inspired by the evergreen scenery of the Pacific Northwest. Classic fall colors are layered upon each other using the “spoon-plop” technique. The spoon plop technique is perfect for beginners. All you have to do is spoon in random colors of soap. It creates a unique look in every bar.
The new Cedar and Amber Fragrance Oil gives these bars an earthy, rustic scent. It’s a great unisex fragrance oil with notes of pine, cedar, clove and amber. It’s the perfect complement to the earthy colors in this bar. The soap feels great as well, thanks to moisturizing oils like meadowfoam, olive and sweet almond.
Cocoa butter is a vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It naturally has a warm, chocolatey aroma and a firm, brittle texture. Learn more about cocoa butter here. I was inspired by the decadent properties of cocoa butter to create this body mousse. Melted cocoa butter chunks and jojoba oil are whipped together with avocado butter to create a smooth and fluffy consistency. The mousse melts on contact with the skin, making it easy to spread over dry areas like elbows or hands. It’s an extremely unique and decadent texture!
The new Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil gives the body mousse a sophisticated and cozy scent. I specifically chose the cocoa butter chunks because they have a rich chocolate aroma. They smell amazing with the Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil. If you don’t have this particular type of cocoa butter on hand, any kind will work. If it’s deodorized cocoa butter, the final product will not smell quite as strong.
Traditional scents like Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil are always a favorite when fall rolls around. However, sometimes it’s nice to switch it up and try something different. That’s where the new Autumn Frost Fragrance Collection comes in! It includes four unique fragrances that are perfect for fall and winter. They are Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, Vermont Maple Fragrance Oil, Sparkling Snowdrop Fragrance Oil and Cedar and Amber Fragrance Oil.
For a limited time, try all four fragrance oils in a 2 oz. size and save $10! All of these fragrances are permanent additions to the Bramble Berry line, but this specially discounted kit is only available until September 30th. Try the collection today for just $13.98.
Staying a season ahead is important when crafting. This is especially true if you have a small business. If you haven’t created your fall projects, now is the time! It’s also the ideal time to start making holiday projects. The holidays may seem far away, but nobody wants added stress in November.
Looking for new fragrances for your fall projects? Tomorrow, Bramble Berry’s new Autumn Frost Fragrance Collection is launching! We tested hundreds of fragrance oils this year and found four of the very best smelling and performing fragrances for fall and winter. Want to learn more about the new scents? I’m introducing them live on the Bramble Berry Facebook page at 2 p.m. PST tomorrow! Click here to “attend” the event on Facebook, and be reminded to tune in.
Cold process soap created now will cure by the middle of October. That’s the perfect time for pumpkins, warm colors and spooky projects. Pumpkin spice products are always a hit, and we have plenty of inspiration. The Pumpkin Spice Swirl Cold Process embraces the trend of tall bars and the drop swirl technique. The Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Process Soap features soap frosting for a foam-like appearance. If soap frosting is intimidating, dollops of frosting are created by allowing the soap to thicken in the Pumpkin Pie Cold Process Soap Tutorial.
Far left, clockwise: Pumpkin Spice Swirl Cold Process, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Process Soap, Pumpkin Pie Cold Process Soap Tutorial
Melt and pour soap does not require cure time and is ready to use when fully cooled. It’s a great soapmaking method for last-minute projects. The Pumpkin Soap on a Rope Tutorial uses two 3D molds (the Spooky Pumpkin Mold and Spooked Pumpkin 3D Mold) that are great for rope soap. The Pumpkin Pie Melt & Pour Soap contains ground pumpkin seeds for a bit of exfoliation.
Left: Pumpkin Soap on a Rope Tutorial, Pumpkin Pie Melt and Pour Soap
Walnut shells are combined with sugar for a gentle feel in the Pumpkin Spice Latte Sugar Scrub Tutorial on Soap Queen TV. Foaming Bath Whip and coffee butter feel light and fluffy when whipped together. The coffee butter also adds a light scent, which smells amazing with the Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil and Turkish Mocha Fragrance Oil. Learn how to make it in the video below.
Fall projects aren’t just about pumpkin spice. Fall can be expressed in a number of ways, from a comforting scent to deep, rich colors. The Neptune Column Pour Soap is a great example. It’s made with Tobacco and Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil, which features notes of fir needle, cedarwood and bergamot. The slightly smoky scent is complemented by deep burgundy, yellow and blue. It’s a great “fall-ish” project!
The Neptune Column Pour Soap is a non-traditional fall tutorial.
For many, fall means the return of the NFL. If you’re ready to cheer on your team, the Mini Melt & Pour Football Soaps are a great way to do so. They are scented with Leather Fragrance Oil and Grass Stain Fragrance Oil for a combination that’s fresh yet earthy. I plan on bringing them to a football party as a host/hostess gift.
Fall means the return of football! How cute are these Mini Melt & Pour Football Soaps?
Autumn and winter also bring darker, moodier cosmetic products. In particular, it’s time to bust out bold lipstick colors! Red is a classic choice and is great for holiday parties. In the Radiant Red Lipstick Tutorial on Soap Queen TV, there are three color combinations to choose from. The formula is creamy, shiny and leaves lips feeling moisturized. Check out the video below. If you prefer something a little less dramatic, the Creamy Marsala Lip Tints give lips a sheer color. It’s inspired by the Pantone color of the year for 2015, “Marsala.” It’s also easy to make with only one colorant: Merlot Sparkle Mica.
When the weather gets colder, I tend to take more baths. If you need a hot bath to fight the cold, the Pumpkin Spice Bath Bombs fill your tub with bubbles, moisturizing coffee butter and a milky quality thanks to powdered goat milk. They also smell amazing with a combination of Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil and Espresso Fragrance Oil. If you prefer hot showers, the Aromatherapy Shower Fizzies fill the shower with scent. Depending on what fragrance or essential oil you use, they are the perfect way to relax before bed or to start the day.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte Bubble Bath Bombs are inspired by the popular fall beverage.
How do you celebrate fall with handmade projects? If you get photos, I would love to see them! Tag #Soapshare on Instagram. =)
This week was all about fall. When the temperatures start dropping, a cup of hot coffee or tea is a perfect start to the day. Coffee and tea are also great in soap. They give bars a warm color and subtle scent. You can also use coffee grounds to exfoliate the skin and coffee butter to moisturize it. Learn more in the How to Use Coffee and Tea in Soap post.
Are you in the “yea” pumpkin spice camp, or the “nay” pumpkin spice camp? While I understand the desire to hang onto summer, I’m in the “YAY!” pumpkin spice category. I just love the change of seasons and crafting with fall-inspired scents. If you’re ready to celebrate fall, these Pumpkin Spice Latte Bubble Bath Bombs are the perfect way to do so. Why just drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte when you can bathe in one? Or better yet, maybe drink one while taking a bath! 😉
These bath bombs have a lot of amazing things going on. They contain a small amount of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate – SLSA in addition to the typical baking soda and citric acid mixture. The SLSA creates some bubbles in the bath in addition to fizz. If you prefer just fizz, leave out the SLSA and replace with more baking soda. Coffee butter adds a hint of coffee scent and skin-nurturing properties to the water. But wait, there’s more! Powdered Goat Milk is also in the recipe to give bath water milky properties. To help the coffee butter and the powdered colorants incorporate better in the water, I added Polysorbate 80 which can be omitted if you prefer.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s starting to feel like fall. The leaves are changing, the temperatures are dropping and it’s getting dark earlier. If that wasn’t enough, Starbucks has started serving the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. There’s something so comforting about hot coffee and a warm blanket this time of year. If you’d like to translate that feeling to soap, check out the tips and tricks for incorporating coffee and tea in different ways into your recipes.
Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds add exfoliation and an interesting look in soap. They are considered a large exfoliant, meaning they will be more scrubby than something fine grained like sugar. Read more about exfoliants here. Coffee grounds are perfect for exfoliating the body, especially dry areas like feet and elbows. Used coffee grounds are best for both melt and pour and cold process soap. Dry grounds can bleed in the soap, creating a halo of color. After making a pot of coffee, place the grounds on a towel and pat dry. A general usage rate is about 1 teaspoon per pound of soap. If you want your soap scrubbier, you can add more from there.
For melt and pour soap, add the used coffee grounds to melted soap and stir well. Keep stirring until the soap is around 125-130 °F. It needs to be thick enough to suspend the coffee grounds evenly. Then, pour into your mold. The Espresso Melt and Pour Soap Bars are made with rich Espresso Fragrance Oil. In cold process soap, add the grounds at trace and whisk gently to combine. It will give your soap a lovely rustic look, as seen in the Espresso Shot Cold Process Tutorial.
Coffee grounds add exfoliation and interest to the Espresso Shot Cold Process Soap.
You can also add tea leaves or ground tea to your melt and pour and cold process soap. They can be added the same way as coffee grounds. That includes incorporating used tea leaves in your batch instead of dry, unused leaves. Make sure to pat them dry before use. Then, add the leaves and stir well. In our tests, we found the tea leaves go brown and tend to bleed in the final bars. Used tea leaves will bleed a bit less. That’s something to keep in mind when designing your soap.
It’s crazy how many different types of swirls you can create with cold process soap. Crazy awesome that is! It’s impossible for me to choose a favorite, but if I had to choose my top five, the Circling Taiwan Swirl would probably be included. It’s a variation on the classic Taiwan Swirl that was named after the first YouTube video that showcased it. The main difference between the Taiwan Swirl and the Circling Taiwan Swirl is the Circling Taiwan features the extra step of swirling around the edge of the mold. This motion “pulls” the swirls, and gives them a curved appearance. It was created by Elaine Wright of Misty Springs Bath & Body, you can see her gorgeous soap here.
This technique requires first making long sections of color. To do so, I used the Multi-Pour Tool for 10″ Silicone Loaf. If you don’t have this tool on hand, you can construct dividers using cardboard (as shown in this tutorial) or other soap-safe material. But, this tool sure makes it easy. 😉 This technique requires a thin trace and a fragrance oil that gives you plenty of time to work. To make sure I had time to swirl, I used the Swirl Recipe Quick Mix that contains plenty of slow-moving oils, and the Electric Lemonade Cocktail Fragrance Oil which behaves well in cold process soap. To see this swirl in action, check out the video below!
Happy Labor Day! I hope you’re able to take a few hours to relax and recharge. Today I’m planning a healthy mix of work, family and downtime. The weather has cooled down from the past few weeks, which has actually been wonderful. We can’t take too much sun up here in the Pacific Northwest! =) Today the Bramble Berry offices are closed, but we will return to the office tomorrow bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The Bramble Berry website is open for orders 24/7. Be on the lookout this week for a new Soap Queen TV video, and pumpkin spice recipe!
Happy Labor Day weekend! Yesterday, I hiked Oyster Dome with friends. It’s an amazing 5-mile hike that overlooks Samish Bay, the Olympic Mountains and several islands. It’s a rather steep trek, but so worth it once you get to the top. If you’d like to be inspired to eat healthier and move more, I’m running a new nutritional and movement challenge. It starts September 28. You can find more details about it here. Today is a family day. Depending on what the kiddos want to do, we are either going to a corn maze (yay, fall!) or visiting a bluegrass festival. I love that Bellingham and the surrounding areas have so many fun family activities. How are you spending your weekend? If you’re soaping, tag #SoapShare on Instagram so I can see! =)
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Fall is basically here. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, leaves are falling and the air is getting crisp. If you’re feeling inspired by the change of seasons, this Pumpkin Pie Soap Tutorial is the perfect project. Prefer melt and pour? Check out this tutorial.
Next Friday, we are shooting three full-length Soap Queen TV videos. One goes over how to use the silicone impression mats. If you have any tips for using the mats, I’d love to hear them. Shown here is soap made with the Cupcake Impression Mat and the Butterflies and Feathers Impression Mat.
To keep up with soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine, YouTube and Snapchat. I’m Bramble-Berry on Snapchat. Don’t forget to tag your soapy projects on Instagram with the hashtag #SoapShare so I can see what you’re making!
Olive oil was the main focus on the blog this week. It’s a classic soapmaking oil that can be used up to 100% in your cold process recipes. This is referred to as Castile soap. The Simple Castile Cold Process Soap Tutorial is gentle and moisturizing on the skin. For a fresh and herby scent, Tomato Leaf Fragrance Oil is added.
Labor Day weekend is right around the corner, and once it’s over…fall is here! Okay, the official first day of fall is actually September 22nd, but Labor Day weekend feels like the last “hurrah” of summer, don’t you think? While summer still has a few weeks left, now is the time to create cold process soap for fall. Soap will be fully cured in 4-6 weeks, which puts us right around the beginning of October. That’s the perfect time for some pumpkin spice soap! If you’re feeling extra festive, you could actually make this soap while sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte, which hit Starbucks today.
This Pumpkin Pie Cold Process Soap was inspired by the classic fall dessert. The Cake Pan Silicone Mold creates a realistic pie shape once cut into slices. Walnut shells are added to the soap for the bottom crust layer, and is also piped on top for a crimped crust appearance. The majority of the soap is colored with Sunset Orange Mica and Yellow Oxide Pigment for an orange hue. I made the orange brighter to account for fragrance discoloration from the Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil. The photos shown here are after several weeks of discoloration and the soap will not become darker. If you want a lighter color, you can add some dispersed titanium dioxide to help counter the discoloration. You can also use less fragrance oil, or a fragrance oil that does not discolor.
The “whipped cream” is piped on very last. By this time, the white soap will be quite firm and pipeable. Just be sure to not put the Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil into the white soap! You will most likely have some white soap leftover. I recommend piping extra roses or “dollops” onto parchment or freezer paper to use on top of other projects.
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Olive oil is one of the most popular soaping ingredients. It gives cold process soap a gentle, mild lather and can be used up to 100% of your recipe! Soap made with only olive oil is known as Castile soap. The term “Castile” comes from the Castile region of Spain, where the soap is thought to have originated. Mentions of Castile soap have appeared in books as early as 1567. It’s one of the oldest soaps known to mankind. Pretty crazy that it’s still being made and used today…must be good stuff! 😉
Olive oil can also be used in a variety of products, including soaps, scrubs, lotion and more. Keep in mind it does have a natural yellowish green hue, which can affect the color of your final product. It’s also important to purchase your olive oil from a quality source. In the All Olive Oils Are Not Created Equal post, we tested ten brands of olive oil in cold process soap from a variety of grocery stores. The results will surprise you! Some of the oils produced DOS (oil rancidity) quickly, while other bars had a strange texture. The bottom line? Purchase your soaping olive oil from a reliable vendor who turns around their olive oil supply quickly.
You can soap with olive oil purchased from grocery stores, but it can be risky! We tested ten brands of grocery-store-purchased olive oil, see our results here.
