Sweet Almond Oil is an incredibly versatile bath and beauty product. Excellent for use in scrubs, massage oils, cold process soap and lip balms, sweet almond oil is nearly odorless and light in color. It is great for a variety of skin types due to its lightweight texture and moisturizing ability.
Sweet almond oil is produced by pressing the kernels of almond trees, and is known for its rich concentration of essential fatty acids. Sweet almond oil is produced from the same type of almonds you consume, and is full of vitamin A, E and B2. It has a shelf life of six to twelve months, and can be used in cold process soap up to 20%.
Red Dogs, Pink Poodles and Witches
It’s been a busy week – between a business trip (more on that later) and Halloween, life has been full. The most important thing for the kids was HHalloween Jamisen asked, “Why do people just give us candy on Halloween?” He was confused, but delighted. Miss Lily went as a pink poodle and I went as a Elphaba-inspired witch. I’m glad I didn’t go for the full green face paint because the little bit I did indulge in took quite some time to wash off. I still have glitters in all the crevices of my wrinkles today!
Facebook Photo of the Week (Oct. 25th ~ Oct. 31st)
Happy Halloween everyone! It’s hard to believe it’s almost November already. We celebrated the last week of October with this beautiful and chilly Misty Maritime Moon Cold Process Tutorial. It uses the new negative space embed technique, which creates a totally unique look.
Classic CP Swirl Soap on Soap Queen TV
It’s another Throw-Back Thursday #tbt on Soap Queen TV. This time Christy from KB Shimmer is joining me to demonstrate a classic swirl. This video is from 2010, so please forgive the retro set design.
Please note that before making the soap in this video you should be comfortable making basic batches of cold process soap. This is definitely an advanced technique, so if you haven’t made CP soap before you must watch and practice the recipes in my basic Cold Process soapmaking video series (it’s free!).
In this video we talk about using room temperature lye water. What this means is that we mixed up the lye solution 3 or 4 hours before we made our soap so that it wouldn’t be hot when we used it. You could even mix up your lye solution the day before – just be really sure it is well labeled and not left in a place where someone might think it was just water. Using room temperature lye helps to slow down the saponification process so that you have plenty of time to work with your soap and make those beautiful swirls!
Buy all the ingredients and the mold to make this soap here.
Ingredients:
29.4 oz Olive Oil
16 oz Palm Oil
12.8 oz Coconut Oil
3.8 oz Cocoa Butter
1.9 oz Castor Oil
20.7 oz Distilled Water
8.9 oz Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
2.5 oz. Lemon Essential Oil
1.5 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
1/2 tsp Ultramarine Blue Pigment
1/2 tsp Ultramarine Violet Pigment
1/2 tsp Yellow Oxide
Tools:
2 Heat safe non-reactive containers
3 small non-reactive containers for colors
Stick Blender
Small Spatulas
Wooden Skewers
Safety Gear:
Gloves
Goggles
Apron
Long sleeve shirt and pants
How to Boil Heat Resistant Plastic Pouches
Soap that is cleansing, hard and moisturizing usually consists of both hard and soft oils. Soft oils are liquid at room temperature, while hard oils are solid. In order to use hard oils for soap and other recipes, they need to be melted to a liquid state. Heat resistant plastic pouches (in both large and small sizes) make this process easy.
Handmade Beauty Box on Kickstarter
The moment is finally here. Be the first to sign up for Handmade Beauty Box!
Sign up on our Kickstarter page and see our first video, project photos, and the website homepage. So many sneak peeks to be seen!
The Handmade Beauty Box website is scheduled to launch in the beginning of November 2014. We know it’s hard to wait, so we’re offering an early opportunity to sign up on Kickstarter before the website launches. But it’s far more than just signing up for the box, we’re reaching out to Kickstarter fans hoping you’ll join our journey as we dive into the DIY subscription world.
We’re looking for YOU to be a part of our product development team. We want to hear your ideas and follow up with you after your first shipment. What did you like and dislike about your first box? What would you like to see in future boxes? You’ll have exclusive access to the director of the company (AKA Courtney whom you may remember from here and here) to talk all things DIY beauty and spa. 
The first round of boxes will ship in December and here’s a clue for Kickstarter supporters only – you’ll be able to make eight products that may or may not (wink wink) fit into stockings (if you catch our drift – hint hint). We are so passionate about this new business venture and we aim to make crafting as fun and simple as possible.
Wouldn’t it be great to replace some of your day to day beauty products with your handmade recipes where YOU control the ingredients? You’ll know exactly what’s in your soaps, eye shadows, lotions, and lipsticks and our recipes typically make more than one so you can share with friends and family. Or better yet, craft with your friends and family! Don’t forget to share this blog post with your crafting buddies. They wouldn’t want to be left out.
Want to know more about DIY beauty? Follow the Handmade Beauty Box social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Misty Maritime Moon Cold Process
Trying new soap techniques keeps the craft interesting, fresh and fun! This Misty Maritime Moon soap was created for the Negative Space Embed Challenge via Great Cakes Soapworks in August. The negative space embed technique involves cutting holes into the base of soap and later filling the holes with fresh soap.
Created with a fresh combination of Pineapple Cilantro, Orange Peel Cybilla and Ocean Rain Fragrance Oils, this soap smells crisp and bright. Orange Peel is used to give both color and texture to the embeds, while titanium dioxide provides contrast. The dual blue tones are made using the Multi-Pour Sectioning Tool, but cardboard can also be used as shown in the Mantra Swirl tutorial. Thanks for all the great name suggestions for this soap via Facebook, they were so much fun to read!
This technique is so exciting because of all the possibilities of shapes you can create. You aren’t limited by the embedding molds you own. Taking a walk through the hardware store opens up all kinds of new possibilities. Having more control over the design is another benefit. Six color rainbow faux-funnel pour coming up next!
Color, Spice & Everything Nice Project Roundup
If color has the power to lift ones mood, it has been an incredibly happy week on the blog! Including a variety of tutorials, the Color, Spice and Everything Nice promotion had two things in common: lots of color and warm, spicy scents. Using ingredients such as mango butter, Patchouli and Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oils, these projects are full of exotic inspiration.
Soapy Social Media Roundup
With Halloween quickly approaching, I have been busy gathering costumes, pumpkins and decor. Jamisen has decided to dress up as Clifford the Big Red Dog, and has been perfecting his dog noises. The weather has been incredibly unpredictable lately with pouring rain one day, and warm sunshine the next. During a trip to the pumpkin patch, it was hot enough that the kiddos decided to cool down by removing their shirts! Definitely not our average October, but we will take it.
Here on the blog, the week was all about vibrant color and spicy scents with the Color, Spice and Everything Nice promotion. The brightly-hued inspiration clearly spilled over into other social media outlets. Check out my favorite vibrant pins below, along with my top tweets and instagrams from the week.
Pins:
Left to right, clockwise:
- This felt coaster tutorial by Inspired by Charm is a great way to add a splash of color to the kitchen or living room. They look super easy to make too!
- Created with plenty of food coloring and topped with cotton candy, these Cotton Candy Cupcakes would be a huge hit at a kids party.
- These hot pink, white and gold pumpkins by Lauren Conrad are both chic and adorable. I especially love the gold stems.
- I love the creativity and unique texture in these melt and pour soaps created by Limbic Sensations. The layers of color looks fantastic!
Instagram:
Last week we filmed the last Soap Crafting Live session for the year, wow time flies! If you missed out on the past classes don’t fret, Soap Crafting Club will be back in 2015. Click here to get the details.
Last weekend was a blast, I had a few friends over to make nail polish and a luxurious scrub. Blog post coming soon with tips on how to throw a DIY party!
Twitter:
- According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, brains can be “trained” to love healthy foods. Totally makes sense…the more junk food you eat, the more you want it!
- Fostering the skills to become an entrepreneur gives children valuable tools in life, no matter what they decide to become. This article gives fantastic tips on how to do this, including taking your children to work with you, recognizing your children’s strengths and teaching financial literacy.
- Do you check your email constantly? Here are some tips to cut back.
- When writing social media updates, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. This list of 71 Ways to Write a Social Media Update has some great ideas!
- If you need your daily dose of adorable, this video of bears playing golf in Canada will fit the bill.
I hope you’re all having a great weekend! To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube.
Facebook Photo of the Week (Oct. 18th ~ Oct. 24th)
The skies were cloudy and gray most of the week here in Bellingham, WA. Good thing there was plenty of vibrant colors and smells in the office! India was the inspiration for the Color, Spice and Everything Nice promotion, which has a variety of fun projects like this Vibrant Mendhi Cold Process Tutorial. A soapy pattern, colored with the new Radiant Plum Colorant, tops off layers of bright green and hot pink for a totally unique and cheerful soap.
Vibrant Mehndi Cold Process
Henna body art is a very popular tradition in India. Henna, or mendhi, is a paste of crushed leaves and twigs from the henna plant. When this paste is applied to skin, it leaves a beautiful stain behind. The tradition is often used to celebrate a happy occasion or special day. What better inspiration for a cold process soap?
The intricate detail and gorgeous designs are breathtaking to look at. To recreate the mehndi appearance, cold process soap colored with Radiant Plum Colorant is used to trace a mehndi inspired design. Brightly colored lime green and pink soap top the henna pattern. Scented with a fresh and slightly smoky mixture of Lime Fragrance Oil, Mango Mango Fragrance Oil and Patchouli Fragrance Oil, this is the perfect soap to celebrate a happy occasion.
Creating the mehndi pattern using squeeze bottles can be a little tricky, and may require some practice. The key is achieving the right trace consistency; the soap should be thin enough to flow out of the bottle, while thick enough to hold its shape. To simplify the technique, a pattern was placed under the liner to use as a guide. This mehndi template is available for download if you’d like to recreate the same pattern.
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From Online to In-Store: Josie’s Beauty Boutique
I have enjoyed seeing Josie’s beautiful soap on the Bramble Berry Facebook page for some time. Right away, Josie showed immense talent and an eye for design. Josie began selling her soap on Ebay, and several weeks ago opened a brick and mortar store, Josie’s Beauty Boutique, in Grants Pass, Oregon. Josie creates both melt and pour and cold process soap, as well as body butters and lotions. Josie specializes in colorful, feminine designs including her gorgeous soap cupcakes. Read more about Josie’s soapy journey, including her tips for opening a store in the interview below! -A.M.
Josie in her store, Josie’s Beauty Boutique, located in Grants Pass, Oregon.
Argan & Sandalwood Vanilla Lotion Bar
The cold months take a toll on the skin, making moisturizing products a crucial step in winter skincare routines. When skin becomes dry and needs extra TLC, lotion bars made from luxurious oils are a fantastic option. Created with argan oil, mango butter and cocoa butter, these Argan and Sandalwood Vanilla Lotion Bars defend skin from the elements.
Argan oil, mango butter and cocoa butter are all amazing ingredients for the skin. Argan oil absorbs quickly and is full of vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Mango and cocoa butters are both rich, solid butters, and help to create a barrier to protect skin.
Scented with Sandalwood Vanilla Fragrance Oil, these lotion bars leave a warm, creamy and slightly spicy scent on the skin (don’t use too much, or it can smell a littler perfume-y). The Batik Dome Flexible Mold results in an intricate design, and releases the bars easily. Simply apply the bar directly to the skin, and massage in to help absorb.
Mad about Madder Root Powder
Experimenting with various soap ingredients is part of what makes soap making so much fun. In addition to scent and shape, adding color to soapy creations gives your product personality and flair. Luckily there are plenty of colorants to choose from, including LabColors, pigments, micas and natural colorants such as clays. If you prefer to use natural colorants, madder root powder is a great orange-red colorant option for both cold process and melt and pour soap.
A plant species in the genus Rubia, madder (INCI: Rubia tinctorum) is a climbing plant with small flowers and long roots. Madder root has been used for centuries as a dye for textiles and cosmetic products. Traces of madder have even been discovered in the tomb of the Pharoah Tutankhamun and in the ruins of Pompeii. The FDA requires approved cosmetic colorants to be used when specifically coloring cosmetics. Because madder root has not been approved as a cosmetic colorant, it should be used in soap for its herbal properties and not its inherent coloring ability. Madder root is considered not safe for infant products so do not use madder root with baby products.
Rubia tinctorum contains the organic compound alizarin, which give the roots their deep red color. Alizarin is also used to create madder lake pigments, which are sometimes referred to as rose madder and alizarin crimson. Madder lake has been used for centuries by painters to give their pieces rich red tones. In 1869, alizarin became the first natural pigment to be duplicated synthetically.
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