Creating lip products is a great project for beginners and more experienced crafters alike. The best thing about making your own lip products is the ability to customize everything from the texture, color and moisture. With a wide range of ingredient options, creating the perfect lip balm, lip stick or lip scrub is easy and fun!
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Moisturizing Mahogany Beard Oil
For women, keeping hair soft and healthy is often part of our everyday routine. From leave-in conditioners to hot oil treatments and masks, lady tresses get plenty of TLC. But why should girls have all the fun? Keeping facial hair well-groomed and fresh is equally important!
With Jojoba Oil and Buckthorn Extract, this Moisturizing Mahogany Beard Oil will keep facial hair feeling soft and shiny. Lightly scented with Mahogany Fragrance Oil, beard oil keeps skin beneath hydrated and flake-free. To use, apply a few drops of beard oil onto the hands and gently work into facial hair.
Interview with Katie of Royalty Soaps
Amazed by the saponification process during a soap making class, Katie White of Royalty Soaps started her business at only 17 years old. Her gorgeous soapy creations are full of color, texture and personality. Active on YouTube with over 50 videos of cold process tutorials and product reviews, Katie’s soaps and fun personality are truly inspiring. Read on to learn more about what motivates Katie, and how she got started soaping.
Sunday Night Spotlight: Foaming Bath Whip + Green Tea Shaving Cream Tutorial
Light and creamy, Foaming Bath Whip is a product that can be used in many different projects. From scrubs, bath bombs and soapy frosting, this versatile whip adds a fluffy texture and moisture. The main ingredient is glycerin, which attracts moisture from the air and leaves your skin feeling hydrated.
Easy to customize, Foaming Bath Whip will accept up to 5% fragrance or essential oils. Simply pour the fragrance in, and use a hand mixer or stick blender to beat the Foaming Bath Whip to achieve a soufflé-like consistency. Very mild with a pH level of 5.5, this product is ideal for dry or sensitive skin. Looking for even more moisture and skin loving properties? Extracts and fixed oils can also be added to Foaming Bath Whip.
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Summer Life is Good
Ah, summer life is good – and full! Right now, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of our new niece, Alise, so I’ve been holding up this blog post all day, hoping for a new baby photo for you. Alas, Alise is in no hurry to get here but we’re hoping (for Mama Cheriss’s sake) she arrives soon. (Update: Alise arrived today at 2:37 p.m. I’ll post a photo when I get one. My iPhone ones aren’t doing her justice in the slightest!). We’ve been spending a lot of time with the kiddos, at parks, at play dates and generally trying to balance and juggle work and family like all parents do. On the work front, I always think it’s going to slow down and it never seems to. We just shot a live Soap Crafting Club video that is up on Spreecast if you want to peek at what our Soap Crafting Club members get every month. And of course, the Handmade Beauty Box is fully underway with plans to ship the first box in January.
Jamisen has been enjoying a mixture of camps and meeting new people and learning new things this summer. He was asked at summer camp who were the oldest people he knew. He said his Mommy and Daddy. He then was asked how old we are. We are apparently seven years old. I had forgotten how ‘old’ people our age look to little kids!
Lily remains the most charming child of all time. She, among the ENTIRE family (well, fine Grandpa Faiola escaped it too) did not come down with strep throat this week. And this strep throat is so powerful that it got one of my employees sick that only sat across a table from me! Clearly, she is not only blessed with a charming disposition but an immune system that doesn’t stop. Must be all the kale juice! Jamisen loves the bribe frozen yogurt I give him in the morning and the evening to get him to take his antibiotics. He thinks he’s winning for sure.
Lily is fully walking now and into **everything**. She can open sliding glass doors which makes turning your back on her just a wee bit unsafe because she loves to sneak outdoors. She is skipping sign language and just moving right to talking. Every so often, she’ll just bust out with a garbled but identifiable phrase when I’m trying to sign it to her and I’ll be like, “Okay, so that’s why you’re not signing. You’re just going to talk.”
Our garden is producing bounty of epic proportions. The kale is over Jamisen’s head. It’s such a blessing – and an insane amount of produce to eat. We’ve been enjoying sharing it and are working on winning popularity contests with our neighbors. I’m pretty sure we’re not winning any with their kids (“Ugh. More kale from the neighbors?!”) . Jamisen helps me harvest the kale daily and is thrilled to do it since that means he gets to use scissors, typically an off-limits tool.
We don’t just have kale; we’re an equal opportunity greens family. We have spinach, bok choy and chard too. That’s what Jamisen is cutting in the above photo, chard. The broccoli sadly, was attacked by rabbits and never recovered but the rest of the garden (blueberries, corn, beets, potatoes, carrots, parsley, basil, strawberries, tomatoes, squash, green beans, blackberries, raspberries) is doing swimmingly. It’s a lot of work (in fact, I totally threw out my back pruning tomatoes last week) but completely worth it. I love being able to walk outside and get all the fixings for a hearty tomato, beet and kale salad.
The kids really are a delight. Every day they make me laugh in some new way and I am so thankful to have two healthy children. Despite the idyllic photo above however, Jamisen continues to challenge our boundaries in new and exciting ways daily. He usually spends some of his evenings in a time out with good behavior breaks in between. To his credit, he is loving and kind much of the time but for some reason, his little sister is bringing out his devil horns. We have started changing our messaging; talking about him as a protector for his sister and our family as a tribe/pack/unit. On the plus side, Jamisen loves to hug his sister (and really, hug, not just strangle-hug), is fiercely protective of her from his friends and asks where she is when she’s gone to sleep. There is hope yet!
Overall, life is extremely blessed, extremely full and feels like it’s moving faster every day. I am so thankful for excuses to slow down – like reading books, playing blocks and putting together puzzles – and never take those moments for granted. Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll post a baby picture as soon as there is one. =)
Facebook Photo of the Week (Aug. 2nd ~ Aug. 8th)
While soap is our first love (and soul mate!) we’re not solely about the soap here at Bramble Berry. This week there were several non-soapy tutorials and recipes, including a Blackberry, Lemon and Basil Sorbet. Full of sweet blackberries, tart lemon and a hint of earthy basil, this sorbet is an excellent way to stay cool during the hot summer months.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process
There is something about the color yellow that just screams, “happy!” If you are looking for a project full of cheer, this Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Tutorial is the soap for you. Scented with the bright Lemon Verbena Yankee Type and the bubbly Champagne Fragrance Oil, it smells as sunny as it looks.
Poppy seeds give this bar of soap gentle exfoliation, and the contrasting mica vein really makes the layers pop. Tip: when cutting into cold process soap that features a mica vein, don’t cut the soap from the top down. Lay the soap on its side and cut in the direction of the line. This will prevent the mica from dragging through the layers.
What You’ll Need:
9.9 oz. Coconut Oil
9.9 oz. Olive Oil
9.9 oz. Palm Oil
3.3 oz. Rice Bran Oil
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
10.8 oz. distilled water
1 tbs. Poppy Seeds
.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
Optional: Sodium Lactate
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
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Aromatherapy Shower Fizzies
At the end of a long stressful day, nothing beats a steaming shower. The hot running water and soothing vapors create a great way to relax and unwind. If you’d like to improve your next shower, these Aromatherapy Shower Fizzies harness the power of aromatherapy to create a calming experience. Use the ‘Soothing Blend’ to unwind in the evenings and, the ‘Awakening Blend’ to perk up your mornings.
Simply toss the fizzy on the floor of the shower and let the aromatherapeutic vapors envelope you. The “Awakening Blend” below is the perfect way to get moving in the morning. The citrus essential oils are uplifting to the spirit and smell amazing too. Easy to make, these shower fizzies will make showering your favorite part of the day!
Orange Blossom Candle Tutorial + Candle Tips
While candles are prominent in the fall and winter, when the correct fragrance is used candles are equally as enjoyable during summer. Using Orange Blossom Fragrance Oil, this candle project is perfect for adding fragrance and color to your home.
Need some tips for candle making? Below, I answer many common candle making questions. Covering everything from wick selection to frosting, your next candle project will be a breeze.
Sunnyland Elementary Garden Field Trip
I have long enjoyed gardening. Not only is it a great excuse to spend time outside, it’s therapeutic to nurture the land and watch it grow. In the past year Jamisen has begun helping me in the garden, which makes the process even better. I feel extremely lucky to have the space to teach Jamisen and Lily about the gardening process and healthy eating. Gardening is a fun family activity that we all can share.
Because not every child (or even adult!) has the opportunity to learn about the land and food we eat, I jumped at the opportunity to support Common Threads Farms. A local organization focusing on food literacy, youth empowerment and environmental stewardship, Common Threads brings gardens to schools and community spaces.
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Soap Queen Cuisine: Blackberry, Basil and Lemon Sorbet
With temperatures in the 80’s this week, I have been on the lookout for ways to stay cool while enjoying the sun (Lily has too!). When a dip in the lake is not possible, a cold treat is a great way to stay cool. While ice cream is a delicious way to indulge, sorbet is a lighter, more refreshing option. This week I took advantage of the fresh berries abundant in Whatcom County and made a batch of blackberry sorbet. I have a huge amount of basil in my garden so was delighted to use some of that for this recipe as well.
With a rich red color, tart flavor and just a hint of earthiness from the basil, this recipe was a hit. I used an ice cream maker to create this sorbet. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the mixture, then place it into a blender to create a smoother icy texture. You could also pop the blackberry mixture into popsicle molds!
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Soapy Social Media Roundup
Welcome to August! I can’t believe how quickly summer is flying by. This past week has been full of fun in the sun, including playing at the lake (or child-size lake), and celebrating birthdays. Today I’m whipping up a yummy sorbet recipe, so keep your eyes on the blog for that recipe this weekend! It’s the perfect sweet treat on a hot summer day.
In the Soap Queen lab, I have been soaping up a storm with plenty of new melt and pour projects, and a few cold process soaps. What crafty projects do you have planned? If you’re looking for an easy weekend project, the new Soap Queen TV episode covers the basics of melt and pour soap. If you missed any of my social media posts this week, here are my favorite pins, tweet and instagrams to review:
Pins:
Top right, clockwise:
- It’s been a while since I sat down at the sewing machine. This simple Tres Step Pillow Tutorial looks like the perfect project to start sewing again.
- I’m always on the lookout for healthy breakfast options that get me out the door quickly. A Peanut Butter Banana Oat Smoothie sounds like a great way to start a busy day.
- The column pour is one of my favorite soap techniques, and this post is full of column pour inspiration! I love that one technique allows you to create so many drastically different designs.
- With seasonal allergies in full swing, these strongly brewed Green Tea Ice Cubes look great for calming puffy, tired eyes.
Instagrams:
This week contained plenty of soapy sessions! Curious how to set up your work space efficiently? The Soapy Session and Preparation Guide has a bunch of tips to help your soaping time run smoother.
As demonstrated by the video below, plastic containers do not mix well with undiluted essential and fragrance oils! Luckily, plastic mishaps are easy to avoid. The Undiluted Aroma Oils + Plastic Don’t Mix blog post dives into this topic.
Tweets:
- During summer, it can be difficult to find the time or desire to keep up with social media. These 10 Time-Saving Social Media Tools make it easy to stay productive and still have time to enjoy the sun.
- If I ever get a chance to visit Japan, the beautiful Hitachi Seaside Park will be on my list of things to see! Covered in millions of small blue flowers, the park looks otherworldly.
- In order to come up with a brilliant idea, you first need to get rid of some bad ones. This is especially true when attempting to create new ideas for a startup. Bottom line? Don’t give up!
- With so many fad diets with random sources, it’s important to get advice from nutritionists. The 16 foods that nutritionists reach for when slimming down aren’t surprising…lots of veggies!
Have 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 (July 26th ~ August 1st)
This week was chock full of information, from oils and fragrances to organization tips. The Sunday Night Spotlight: Jojoba Oil explains how this versatile product is somewhere between an oil and a liquid wax, and how it can be used in scrubs, lotions, lip balms and cold process soap. Have you used Jojoba Oil in your products?
How to Make Soap on Soap Queen TV
In this episode of Soap Queen TV, I get back to the basics of soap making. Melt & pour soap is the perfect place to start if you are just learning to make your own bath and beauty products. It’s safe, easy and very forgiving; if you make a mistake, just melt the soap and try again. Using the Three Gems Mold to create three different soap, this episode covers embedding, layers and swirling in melt and pour. Want to dive even further into melt and pour techniques? The Basics of Melt and Pour Series has you covered!