Bath & Body Tutorials Archives - Soap Queen

Essential Oils Enhance Your Life

Anne-Marie Faiola — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 20:01:00 +0000

I pored over our sales reports for the last few months today. I realized that our essential oil line has been sadly underutilized in sales lately. I’m unsure if it’s because we started out as a fragrance oil company ten years ago and are mostly thought of as primarily a fragrance oil company. Or if it’s because our pricing/quality is judged as sub par. If it’s the latter, someone please put me out of my misery and tell me.

I’m half way through my certification for Medical Aromatherapy and loving the course! These are some things I’ve learned lately:

* Removing parts of the essential oil (for example, removing terpenes from essential oils to make them more friendly to perfuming) hurts the overall effect of the essential oil. The whole sum of the parts for essential oil is important to keeping their full therapeutic value.

* Famous researcher Paolo Rovestsi showed that inhaling essential oils of rose and lavender reduced feelings of depression and anxiety. Imagine combining that research with a brisk 30 minute run or walk outside to try and combat depression without prescription drugs!

* Only 1% of flowering plants produce an essential oil in any significant amount.

If you’d like to be introduced to Essential oils, Bramble Berry carries the neatest little starter essential oil starter kit. It has everything you need to start exploring the world of aromatherapy.

We also carry a huge line of essential oils, organic essential oils and synergy blends. I am currently burning the Calming Synergy Blend in my bedroom in the evenings and am loving the scent and effect.

Some ideas for improving your life through essential oils:

* put a 5 drops of Lavender Essential Oil on freshly laundered socks before tossing into the drier. Your entire load will come out smelling of calming lavender.

* fill a bowl with water. Put 15 drops of an uplifting essential oil like Peppermint, Bergamot, or Lemongrass into the water. Inhale deeply to wake yourself up and then soak a washcloth in the aromatic water. Wring the wash cloth out, toss it on the floor of your car and enjoy the fragrance all day as the washcloth dries out.

* Make a nighty-night linen spray by mixing 2 oz distilled water with 20 drops of Calming or Sleepy Time Synergy Blends. Shake well before use each and every time and of course, test on an inconspicuous place on your linens before dousing your entire bed. It’s impossible to predict which fabrics will bleed and fade.

There are many more uses for essential oils in soaps, lotions, face and body preparations and massage (to name a few!). Watch for more posts about using essential oils in your daily life. I am very inspired by my Aromatherapy Certification Course and look forward to sharing more essential oil tidbits over the next few months.

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Palm Oil – A mixed bag

Anne-Marie Faiola — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 04:07:00 +0000

Palm Oil is one of my favorite oils in soapmaking. It contributes to a harder bar and also helps Coconut Oil do its job and lather up big bubbles. Unfortunately, there are some negative repercussions from using Palm Oil to the environment.

How can something natural be harmful to the environment? Demand for palm oil is the leading cause for rainforest deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia, according to Friends of the Earth. The land occupied by palm oil plantations has doubled in the last ten years in Indonesia, endangering the habitat of the orangutan, Asian elephant and the Sumatran tiger.These planations pollute the soil and water with use of pesticides.

Things that you can do if you’re a soapmaker using Palm Oil: try to use Olive, Sunflower and Canola in larger porportions in your recipe. Buy sustainably grown Palm Oil that is grown in rehabilitated agricultural areas or from smaller farms that don’t harm animal habitat and migration patterns. You can support companies that are part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Production, cofounded by the World Wildlife Fund.

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Essential Oil Safety Guidelines

Anne-Marie Faiola — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:29:00 +0000

General Guidelines for working with essential oils

– keep away from fire or naked flame
– store in a cool place
– keep out of sunlight
– plastic bottles are a no as they allow the essential oil to evaporate and take on the plastic smell; additionally, plastic bottles generally collapse as they start to absorbe the essential oil
– expensive essential oils should be kept in the fridge
– wash your hands after using essential oils
– if you mix your essential oil with a fixed oil to make it skin safe, keep in mind that your fixed oil has a shorter shelf life than your essential oil and may go rancid. Always mix in small batches.
– essential oils can stain and also remove nail polish and furniture finish
– have an eye rinse station nearby. If you get essential oils in your eyes, use milk or a carrier oil first to help neutralize the oil and then move on to water
– essential oils are generally not soluble in water
– essential oils do not mix well with computers, pets, children, furniture, carpet and even indoor plants
– make sure your bottles are labeled correctly
– use caution when working around essential oils if you have any open cuts or wounds
– essential oils can negate the effect of sensitive homeopathy remedies
– some essential oils are photo sensitizers, like bergamot, orange eo and most citrus essential oils
– only buy your essential oils from a reputable place. If you can find rose essential oil for $5, it’s not real.
– if you are pregnant, be extra careful with essential oils during your first trimester
– when working with undiluted essential oils, keep a good air flow in the room
– always have a fire extinguisher near by. Essential oils are volatile, flammable liquids.

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How to Felt Soap

Anne-Marie Faiola — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:23:00 +0000

Thank you to Two Tadpoles, Teresa, One Bubble, Amber’s Ambry, and Soapaholics Anonymous for the blog shout outs this week.

Heidi, your heat transfer method soap pictured above looks amazing. The texture really adds interest to the bar.

Teresa, the soap (pictured on right) that your boys made is adorable! I love that you are creating positive memories with your boys, utilizing this fun art form.

Thank you to the Soap Queen reader that alerted me to this YouTube video on how to felt soap.

Feedblitz subscribers, you have to go to the blog to see the video. If you make CP soap and every have ugly CP soap that you want to salvage, the video is worth watching.

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Weight Versus Volume

Anne-Marie Faiola — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 19:43:00 +0000

This is a candle I made with 100% Stearic Acid. Why Stearic Acid? Because I saw some candles at a high end gift shop that were made with “Palm Wax.” They were very expensive candles and I thought, “Gosh, Stearic Acid is derived from Palm Oil. I wonder if I could just use Stearic Acid for my candle?” The natural Palm Wax candle at the store had a cool, crystallized look. The candle in the photo, though difficult to see, does have a crystalline, unique look that is high end and sophisticated. Success!

I measured out 16 ounces volume of Stearic Acid for my candle. For this project, I used Stearic Acid, Carrot Cake (discontinued – see all our candle fragrances here), the cotton core WU-250 wick and a Bramble Berry’s Candle Container.

Check out what 16 ounces volume looks like melted down! This illustrates why it’s important to always use weight when making any recipes. It’s a more precise crafting method. Precision and predictability is important for crafters. You can cost better and ensure less batch variation when you weigh out products rather than using volume.

I fragranced the candle with a full .5 ounces of fragrance. I like my candles strong and use a full 1 ounce of fragrance per pound (weight) of wax. Then, I carefully poured the wax, taking care not to spill all over the table. Finally, I positioned the wick in the center, propped up the wick on either side to ensure that the wick would remain straight and waited.

The candle burns well but next time, I’ll either use the WU-150 wick or experiment with a little Soy Wax addition to soften up the wax for an easier burn. The 100% Palm Stearic Acid candle is harder than I expected so the candle isn’t burning fully out to the edges. But, overall, the experiment is a success. The candle looks unique and interesting, burns well and has excellent scent throw.

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Hot Oil Hair Treatment – Recipe & Technique

Anne-Marie Faiola — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 18:19:00 +0000

I have been addicted to hot oil hair treatments since I was about 12 years old. I used to warm the oil up, put it on my hair, and then rinse it out with apple cider vinegar/baking soda. I’m not sure that the last part of my hair treatment was all that healthy but I swore by it.

Well, I’m a bit older now but still addicted to hair oil for a deep conditioning treatment. I normally toss together whatever the new oil de jour is with some jojoba and essential oils (Geranium and Lavender are my standbys).

Last night, I got inspired and made a more serious attempt at a conditioning hair oil.

First, I infused some sesame seed oil/unrefined hemp seed oil with herbs of calendula, and Fenugreek. Fenugreek is traditionally used in India by infusing the seeds into yogurt and using the mixture as a hair conditioner. I did a luke warm infusion and simmered the oil on low for an hour with the herbs. I strained the oil with a makeshift strainer – a coffee filter lining my pasta drainer.
You can see by the oil that it is very dark after the infusion. The unrefined hemp seed oil is a natural dark green brown color to start and the infusion darkened it.

The infusion was the time intensive part. The rest is easy. My recipe looks like this:

2 oz. Hemp and Seseme Infused oil

2 oz. Castor Oil

2 oz. Fractionated Coconut Oil

1 oz. Evening Primrose Oil

1 oz. Avocado Oil

1 oz. Soybean Oil

Essential Oil Blend: .25 oz. Carrot Seed Oil, .10 oz. Frankincense CO2 Extracted, .25 oz. Basil Essential Oil, .15 oz. Cedarwood EO, .15 oz. Rosemary EO

After I had all the oils assembled, it was a quick pour into the bottle and voila! A lovely, stimulating scalp and hair oil.

Directions for use: Massage into scalp and hair. Leave on for a minimum of 20 minutes. Wash and condition your hair like normal to rinse the hair oil out.

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Tips on Soap Photography

Debbie — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 18:16:00 +0000

Since I started making soaps, I always wanted to take pictures of my projects. Even before I sold them online I wanted to keep an album of what I made. When I started to sell them on Etsy I realized that good photography was essential to being successful. Unfortunately I had no experience with product photography, but over the last few years I’ve learned a few things (check out my flickr account to see my online portfolio). Here are some tips for those of you who don’t feel all that comfortable with a digital camera or aren’t totally satisfied with your pictures:

Lighting
Do you marvel at those pictures that have a completely white background with no shadows at all? Me, too. I still don’t know how to do that perfectly, but I find that natural light gives me the most realistic colors possible. I NEVER use my flash!

When I set up to take a picture, I use a little mini-studio that I made. With one 12″ square piece of white foam core (found at art supply stores) as my floor, and one 12″x24″ piece (scored so it folds) as my background, I create a little area that reflects light from my window to minimize shadows. I can use it as is or put sheets of colored paper inside. To take away any distracting corners in the background, I let the paper bend up onto the back wall (as shown). See how pretty the light is?

Color and composition

One concept I learned in elementary school art class that I still use today is “complimentary colors”. Here’s how I remember mine: there are 3 primary colors (blue, yellow, red). Take one (blue for example), then mix the other 2 colors (yellow + red = orange) and you have your complimentary colors. In the picture above I had an orange soap, so I used blue as the background. For whatever reason, our eye loves seeing complimentary colors together. Red and green for example! This always helps me set up my color scheme when color is important. I did that for the Energy Bar, too. The primary color was orange so I chose a blue plate. Have a stack of colored and patterned papers around and play with combinations until you find one you like.

Composition is important to make your photos interesting. Try stacking them, putting one on an angle, or using props. You’re basically making a little “still life” so be creative!

Cropping and touching up
When you’re done, use your photo software (I use a cheesy one from Office Max that was $9), and crop the photo tightly. You want your soap to be the focus, so don’t waste any of your viewer’s energy on empty space. If you’re selling on Etsy, crop it square. Then, if you have shadows or smudges, learn how to touch them up. To get a very bright, crisp picture, use your “brightness” and “contrast” settings to fine tune your lighting. But be careful! You don’t want it to look unrealistic.

As you keep taking pictures, you’ll find your own style. I focus on color and humor, but you may want something earthy and natural. Outdoors on a branch may be your favorite setting when you get comfortable. So have fun and your work will shine!

-Debbie, Soapylove

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Woodgrain Soap Tutorial

Anne-Marie — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 22:45:57 +0000

Bramble Berry is lucky to be situated in the Pacific Northwest. The “PNW,” as we affectionately call it, is home to gorgeous forests, thrilling hikes, and, yes, many damp fern-covered fern-covered rocks. (And by “damp,” we mean, “Yes, it always rains. I’m so sorry.”) This soap is an ode to my place and the trails I hike.

Wood Grain Soap Technique Final Bars

This project is an Advanced DIY, so if you’ve never made soap before, get a solid ten (or twenty) batches under your soapmaking belt before attempting this one. It requires a solid understanding of trace and the ability to work quickly – but if you’re looking for your next soapmaking challenge, this is it.

Let’s get started!

First, suit up for safety (and if you don’t know what this means, this video is for you … enjoy the OG Soap Queen, including the haircut).

I used the Bramble Berry Swirl Quick Mix (Not sure what the Quick Mix is? Explainer post + video here but in a nutshell, Quick Mixes are a product I developed to help short-cut the soapmaking process for soapers – they’re designed so you don’t need to measure anything but one Mix that we’ve carefully measured and calculated in our Bellingham, WA production warehouse.) If you want to go rogue and use your favorite xix of oils, know that you need a solid 10 minutes for this technique (it’s a lot of tiny little pours).

Recipe:

54 ounces Bramble Berry Swirl Quick Mix

7.61 ounces Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)

17 ounces Distilled Water

Optional but recommended: 3 teaspoons Sodium Lactate

Colorants; Pick 4-6 colorants that say “wood grain” to you; mix and match it up. I used oranges, yellows, and browns and mixed and matched them. Make sure to have titanium dioxide also mixed up for a contrast color.

Fragrance: I used Sensuous Sandalwood because it doesn’t affect trace or color, and, smells woody.

Pre:

Pre Mix your colorants – 1 teaspoon of colorant into 1 Tablespoon of lightweight oil like Avocado or Sweet Almond Oil.

Pre-mix colorants to help prevent clumping

Lay out your containers for the individually-colored soaps that make up the wood grain. In this case, I used six different Bramble Berry Easy Pour containers to ensure I had enough.

Prop the soap mold on its side at roughly a 45-60-degree angle. I used the Bramble Berry Sliding Bottom Mold with the silicone liner. I used two hand towels to prop up so I could take one away at a time during the pouring process.

Instructions:

1) Measure your water (17 oz) and lye (7.61 oz) in two separate, chemical-resistant containers.

2) Carefully and slowly add the lye to the water (never the other way around). Ensure you are in a well-ventilated area with no kids or pets. Stir with your non-aluminum stirring utensil until the lye is dissolved. Set aside.

3) Heat your oils (or, in this case, your Quick Mix) to approximately 120 to 130 degrees.

4) Check your lye water for temperatures; if it’s around 120-130, it’s ready to add to your oils. Add the lye water slowly to your warm oils, slowly mixing in with a stick blender until you reach the very lightest trace (Not sure what ‘trace’ is or what the ‘very lightest’ of trace is? Some tips here or a full video of it here).

Stick blend to light trace

5) Separate the batter into 5 or 6 containers (or 7 or 8—however many colors you decided for your design) at the thinnest trace. Reserve the largest for your titanium dioxide-colored soap. It will provide the perfect contrast color for the wood grain colors.

6) Hand whisk in the colorants and fragrances until you reach the desired tone and hue. If any colors are not fully mixed in, stick blend in a short burst to incorporate the full color smoothly. Add the fragrances to the individual containers.

Add color before fragrance

7) Arrange each layer, color by color, in the order you plan to create your woodgrain design. Carefully pour the first layer down the side of the mold, followed by each successive color in the design. Alternate each color with a thin layer of white to ensure that the woodgrain design shows up. Keep pouring down the side of the mold; it’s awkward but that’s how the ‘wood grain’ design forms.

Soap is colored, fragrance and ready to pour

8) Keep alternating colors until the mold needs to be rotated down to 30 or 15 degrees. Continue pouring alternating colors until the mold is filled to the side again, and then put the mold on a flat surface. Pour the rest of the colors until the remaining soap is gone.

Multiple soap pours down the side of the mold

9) Spray the top of the mold with 99% rubbing alcohol to help prevent soda ash.

Spraying with 99% rubbing alcohol

10) Insulate your soap or put on a heat blanket to ensure the soap goes through the full gel phase (not sure what gel phase is? Full explanation here)

11) Let soap harden and dry until it is ready to cut. Cut into bars. Once cut, put in a fully ventilated area for 4-6 weeks until soap is fully cured, dried, and ready to use.

Wood Grain Soap

If you make this soap, I’d love to see it. Post your version of this and hashtag it #brambleon. I can’t wait to see what you create!

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Make Perfect Lines + Learn to Embed: Love Letter Soap

Anne-Marie — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:55:45 +0000

Yay! We’ve got a new video on how to make perfect charcoal lines, embed soap and, make a scraper tool.

Craft a Heartfelt Gesture with Our DIY Love Letter Soap

In the spirit of creativity and heartfelt gestures, embark on a DIY journey that combines the art of soap making with the timeless appeal of love letters. Our Love Letter Soap project is more than just a crafting endeavor; it’s an opportunity to pour your affection into a tangible form. This detailed guide will walk you through creating your batch of love-infused soap, featuring a captivating heart embed and layers of meaning in every bar.

Materials You’ll Need:
Heart Embed
Mini Heart Column Mold
4 oz. LCP Clear Soap Base
Magenta Color Block
1/4 tsp. Fine Red EcoGlitter
Lots of Lather Quick Mix
5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
10 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
1.75 oz. Love Letter Fragrance Oil
1 Tbsp. Titanium Dioxide
Activated Charcoal
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold

Creating Your Heart Embeds:
Start by cutting the LCP Clear Soap Base into small pieces and placing them in a heat-safe container alongside a chunk of Magenta Color Block. Melt in the microwave in 15-second bursts until smooth.
Stir in the Fine Red EcoGlitter, allowing the soap to cool to 125-130° F before pouring into your Mini Heart Silicone Column Mold. After about 2 hours of cooling, your embed is ready to be unmolded and set aside.

Preparing the Soap Base:
Gear up for safety with goggles, gloves, and long sleeves, ensuring a distraction-free environment.
Dissolve 5 oz. of lye into 10 oz. of distilled Water, cooling to about 110° F before combining with 35 oz. of melted Lots of Lather Quick Mix and Titanium Dioxide.
Blend to a light-medium trace, then whisk in the Love Letter Fragrance Oil, pouring into your loaf mold until it’s just full enough to fit your heart embed later on.

Sculpting Your Love Letter:
Use a custom-cut piece of cardboard to sculpt a triangular space within your soap mold, simulating the envelope flap of a love letter.
Strategically dust activated charcoal in the negative space before carefully refilling with soap, inserting the heart embed halfway through.

Finishing Touches:
After allowing your soap to set for 2-3 days, release it from the mold, cut into bars, and cure for 4-6 weeks. Whether it’s a gift for someone special or a treat for yourself, this Love Letter Soap is a testament to the beauty of handmade, heartfelt expressions.
Dive into this project enthusiastically, knowing that each bar you create is a message of love, care, and creativity.

Happy soap making!

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Mastering Lye Safety: Overcoming Apprehensions and Embracing the Art of Soapmaking

Anne-Marie — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 00:23:58 +0000

When diving into the world of soapmaking at 16, I began with the messiness of cold process soap, rendering fat, and navigating the challenges of a craft with scarce resources and zero instructions. The initial five batches were failures, leading me to explore the world of melt and pour soap, which, at the time, wasn’t as popular as it is today. Despite the hurdles, my passion for soapmaking grew, eventually leading me back to cold process soap. However, the introduction of lye, or sodium hydroxide, made the transition intimidating for many, including myself.

Understanding Lye:

Lye, a caustic chemical, indeed demands utmost respect and careful handling. Its reputation for causing bodily harm is honest, but working with lye becomes safe and manageable with proper precautions, like driving a car or operating a gas stove. For a detailed guide on lye safety, refer to the [Lye Safety Guide](insert link).

You’ve encountered lye before in products like Drano or other drain cleaners. While these products contain sodium hydroxide, they are unsuitable for soapmaking due to additional chemicals. This underscores the importance of sourcing lye from reputable suppliers, such as Bramble Berry, which is 98% pure sodium hydroxide.

Dispelling Myths:

Contrary to dramatic portrayals, lye is not the corrosive substance depicted in movies like Fight Club. The discomfort from lye exposure typically starts with an itch and mild sting, progressing to a more intense sensation with prolonged contact. However, the immediate and severe damage portrayed in movies is not the reality.

Safety First:

When working with lye, safety precautions are non-negotiable:

Wear long sleeves, long pants, closed-toed shoes, protective gloves, and eye goggles.
Cover your entire body to minimize skin exposure.
Consider wearing a mask to avoid inhaling lye fumes, especially when mixing water and lye.

Addressing Lye Fumes:

The exothermic reaction between water and lye generates fumes, and while some soapmakers opt for masks, a well-ventilated room can often suffice. Mixing lye water outside or near open windows is a wise precaution, especially if you live in a small space.

Experienced Perspective:

After two decades of crafting cold-process soap, I can attest to never experiencing a severe lye burn. My worst encounter involved soap batter on a fresh cut, resulting in a stinging sensation that quickly subsided with proper care.

Parting Advice:

Embracing a healthy fear of lye is essential, but it shouldn’t hinder your exploration of cold process soap. Respect the seriousness of working with lye, follow safety guidelines diligently, and don’t let fear be a roadblock to your soapmaking journey.

For further insights and a visual guide to lye safety, refer to the OG Soap Queen TV video (different than the one embedded in this blog), where timeless information on lye safety is shared. Or head to the Bramble Berry Blog to learn more about Lye Safety here.

Remember, while lye demands caution, it’s a fundamental element in the alchemical artistry of soapmaking. With respect and knowledge, you can navigate this aspect of the craft safely and confidently.

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