Have you ever wanted it to just be easier? For someone to pick out all the stuff you needed and point you to the correct resources so all you needed to do was create safe products and sell? That’s what we’ve done with our Business in a Box kit. It is literally everything you need to get started making 100 pounds (roughly 375/545 bars) of soap, learn the basics of safe soapmaking, get an overview on starting a craft business and even includes label templates that are designed with correct INCI labeling. These kits are unique in that they include our most popular Quick Mix oils. You don’t need to worry about designing a recipe that works. We’ve done the work for you (though, full disclosure, soapmaking is addicting and we’re betting that you’ll want to do more research in the future and create your personal idea of a ‘perfect’ recipe). All you need to do to start is read up on business and soapmaking to get the basics under your belt, get your state and city business license, explore insurance, make the soap using our easy and safe recipes, add your address to the labels, cure your soap and get out there and sell! When you buy this kit, even with all the start up costs of the molds, equipment etc… included, the soap comes out to just under $1.39 per bar (without your overhead costs like rent, energy and labor worked in).
Search Results for: colorants
New for February!
This month we’re excited to introduce our latest in-house production: Quick Mix Oils! Quick Mix Oils are pre-measured, pre-mixed base oils meant for cold process soap making. It saves quite a few steps and a substantial amount of time, plus these recipes are Soap Queen tested to eliminate any guessing. Check out the debut mix, Lots of Lather, and all of the other latest products we’ve added below. Are there any items that you would like to see Bramble Berry carry? Let us know in the comments.
Starting off with Quick Mix Oils! We’re launching the Lots of Lather mix first, but keep an eye out for more recipes in the near future.
Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial
Here’s a kid-friendly bath bomb tutorial guaranteed to make bath time tons of fun. It’s a spin off of the recent Hidden Color Bath Bomb tutorial, where a secret stash of super concentrated color appears once the bath bomb is activated in water. This time around, instead of color the secret stash is full of glitter! What a fun and unexpected treat for bath time adventures.
Recipe:
1 Cup Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
1/2 Cup Citric Acid
1/2 Cup Corn Starch
1/2 Cup Epsom Salt
1.5 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]
For the Love of Waterlily: a Bath Fizzy Tutorial
Love is in the air and we couldn’t be happier. February is one of my favorite times of the year because Valentine’s Day lands in the middle of it and there are always so many fun projects that you can do for it. Still on the lookout for more Valentine’s projects? Check out this V-Day mashup for more inspiration.
This project came to me back when we announced the S.O.A.P. 2012 fragrances, I knew that I just had to use the Waterlily Orange in a Valentine’s Project because it just smells amazing! And, we all know how much I love bath fizzies, so read on and learn how to make a great and fizzy Valentine’s gift.
Recipe:
1 cup Citric Acid
2 cups Baking Soda
4 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay
1/4 cup Epsom Salt
2 Tablespoons Deodorized Cocoa Butter, melted
9 mL Waterlily Orange Fragrance Oil
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]
How to Make Nail Polish Video
Our Nail Polish base has been such a popular item at Bramble Berry but it can be a little tricky to use. So I made this Soap Queen Short video to show how easy it is to make your own custom nail polish. I’m excited to point out that we now have mini nail polish bottles at Bramble Berry so you can create a full spectrum of color options from one little 4 oz can of base!
To make the nail polish in this video you will need:
- Nail Polish Base
- Heavy Metal Gold Mica
- Super Pearly White Mica
- Nail Polish Bottle
- Nail Polish Mixing Balls
- Tiny Funnels
- Mini Scoops
Click Here to add everything you need to make this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart.
Embedded Heart Melt and Pour Tutorial
As we head full swing into February, love is in the air. Here’s an adorable melt and pour project that is great for practicing layers and embedding. I used a unique trick to get these heart cut-outs to sit up on their sides. Read on and try not to fall in love with this soap.
Recipe:
55 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
Super Pearly White Color Block
Mango Peach Salsa Fragrance Oil
Glossy Silicone Square Tray Mold
Silicone Loaf Mold
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! [Read more…]
A(nother) Big Announcement!
We’ve been full of big news lately, from finding out that we’re having a baby girl (eek!) to launching this year’s Bramble Berry Athletic Club, there’s been a lot of happy hustle and bustle and I couldn’t be more excited. But before you go thinking that’s all I’ve been busy with, there’s another big announcement…a secret I’ve been keeping for almost a year now:
I’m writing a book!!(!!!!!!!!!)
I’ve been working with the fabulous team at Storey Publishing on my new print book, Soap Crafting. It has been an amazing, mind-blowing, grueling, exciting experience so far (really, a little bit of everything). The book contains 31 Soap Queen designed and tested Cold Process soap recipes that I hope will knock your socks off. The book shows how to infuse natural colorants, how to dilute and work with LabColors, incorporate fun additives and even includes a glossary of soapmaking terms. Plus, for beginners, there is a ton of introductory information about making Cold Process soap, a basic beginner recipe AND a breakdown of common soap making oils. Whew!
The book is due to come out in August (three months after Bramble Girl is due to arrive if you’re keeping track!), which feels like such. a. long. time. But as the book comes together, I’ll be giving regular updates on its progress. [Read more…]
Facebook Photo of the Week 1/7 – 1/11
It’s Friday and you know what that means! It’s time to announce the winner of our weekly Facebook Photo of the Week. This week was a particularly creative week on our Facebook page. Keep those soapy pictures coming! They make us all drool (for soap).
This week’s photo comes to us from Becky Sheffler. This is her Faux Funnel Soap using Bramble Berry’s Neon Colorants. She said she was super pleased with the outcome and noticed that the soap even looks like it is smiling at you. I love the bright colors that she used in her soap! Thank you so much, Becky, for sharing your photo with us and we can’t wait to see more from you. A little fun and soapy package is being sent your way.
Missed previous Facebook Photo of the Week posts? Check out our winners here:
1/4: Jasmine Hales
12/28: Crystal from She Dragon Body Products
12/21: Linda from the Enchanted Bath
12/15: Kira and Cody from Oak Street Soaps and Candles
12/7: Lisa Bilik
11/30: Marcy from Kiku’s Creations
11/23: Juli from Inspiri Body
11/16: Mike from Soap Passion
11/9: Brooke from Her Best Apple
Would you like your photo or project to be featured in a blog post? Come join us for soap talk, contests and lots of crafting inspiration at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. Share a photo with us of your latest project and your handmade soap might be next weeks feature!
Tutorial for Everything Balm
On its own, this everything balm is excellent for many applications. Because the oils used in this recipe are all lip-safe, it makes a great lip balm as well (though, you’ll want to ensure any essential oils you use are lip safe as well if you go that route). Try it on your cuticles, or on stubborn winter dry patches (like elbows and knees) for intensive moisture. Check out the end of the tutorial for some of my favorite additives to kick the benefits up a notch!
Note: The 8 oz. Glass Bail Jars have been discontinued. The kit now comes with Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jars.
Recipe:
1.5 oz Beeswax
2 oz Cocoa Butter
5 oz Avocado Butter
8 oz Sunflower Oil
1 oz Tamanu Oil
6 mL Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil
2 mL Egyptian Geranium Essential Oil
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
Hair Chalk Recipe and Application Tutorial
I’ve been loving (obsessing over?) the hair chalking trend going around. If you follow me on Pinterest you may have seen a few hair chalking pins lately, so of course I had to give it a try. After a few test runs with the help of some gracious Bramble Berry team members’ luscious locks, I’ve come up with what I think is a great hair chalk recipe that works on both light and dark colored hair. Plus, a how-to about applying the chalk to hair once it’s made. It washes out in 1-2 shampoos (depending on the color of your hair before chalking; lighter hair may take a second shampoo) and really pops – the perfect low-commitment pizzazz to kick off the new year right.
Tiger Stripe “Hanger” Swirl Tutorial
Have you checked out Bramble Berry’s brand new Brazilian clays yet? These natural colorants work excellently in cold process soap and are available in an amazing range of colors. They’re even available in a sample pack so you can test them out before purchasing a larger size! To keep with the natural elements of the clays, I used a delightfully herbal essential oil blend for fragrance.
To create a two-color tiger stripe effect, I modified Bramble Berry’s 2 pound Wood Loaf mold. If you have some cardboard lying around from holiday packaging, here’s your chance to reuse it for some soapy goodness. We’re keeping it green on Soap Queen!
#Christmas Schwag Winners
Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! I can hardly believe that this year has gone by so fast. It seems like yesterday that we were started our very first Make it Monday challenge but it was actually this summer. It’s been so much fun seeing you all participate in these challenges and coming up with such clever and fun products all year, and we can’t wait for our next series (starting next year!) to see what you have up your sleeves. Are you ready for the winners of Make it Monday #Christmas Schwag? Drum roll please…
Top Row:
Jill Lemaster-Moore – ‘Yultide Soap Balls’
Yurie from Kumamama Soap
Krista Scott – Adaptation of Cool Yule Peppermint Loaf from Soap Queen
Middle Row:
Katie from Royalty Soaps – ‘Holiday Cheer Cold Process Hanger Swirl Soap’
Patty from Lather Rinse Clean – ‘Snowman Cupcakes’ with Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil
Heather from Blackbird Soap Company – ‘Enchanted’
Bottom:
Amanda from Bubblina’s Soap Boutique – ‘Christmas Tree Soap’ with Santa’s Spruce Fragrance Oil
Ludmila and Pablo from Epuyen Jabones Artesanales – ‘Christmas Magic Wands’
Jenny Rose from I‘d Lather Be Soaping – ‘Christmas Cheer Soap’ [Read more…]
Hot Process Series: Crock Pot Camo
Ever wondered what the difference is between CPOP, HPOP, and CPHP? I’m hoping to set the record straight when it comes to various methods of using heat to aid in the soapmaking process. Or, at the very least, I’ve set out to tell my own accounts of what happens when I attempt these different methods. We’ve already visited CPOP, so next up let’s take a look at CPHP.
CPHP: Crock Pot Hot Process. This method of using hot process calls for heat being applied through the use of a crock pot (or a double boiler or jacketed soup tureen). Like the oven’s purpose in CPOP, the crock pot in CPHP facilitates holding the temperature of the soap at or above 160 degrees, speeding up the saponification process. Remember from the CPOP post that according to Professor Kevin M. Dunn, author of Caveman Chemistry and Scientific Soapmaking, heat speeds along the saponification process. The major difference is that CPHP cooks the soap before it goes into the mold instead of after, which gives the finished soap a more rustic look. Scroll to the end of the tutorial for some FAQs!
Click here to tweet this tutorial!
Hot Process Series: CPOP Swirls
Ever wondered what the difference is between CPOP, HPOP, and CPHP? I’m hoping to set the record straight when it comes to various methods of using heat to aid in the soapmaking process. Or, at the very least, I’ve set out to tell my own accounts of what happens when I attempt these different methods. First, let’s take a look at CPOP.
CPOP: Cold Process Oven Process. Basically, CPOP is forcing a hot, extended gel phase with the help of an oven. Gel phase is temperature phase. After soap is in the mold, the process of saponification can cause the soap to heat up. Gel phase is beneficial to soap because it can intensify colors in the soap. Professor Kevin M. Dunn, author of Caveman Chemistry and Scientific Soapmaking, mentions that heat and gel phases also speeds along the saponification process. However, not going through gel phase doesn’t detract from soap in any way. In fact, some soapers prefer the matte look of soap that has NOT gelled, or gone through gel phase, and take special steps to prevent gel phase. The warmest part is in the center of the soap (the most insulated section), which is where gel phase starts. Insulating soap after molding will also promote gel phase, although CPOP will pretty much guarantee a full gel (as opposed to a partial gel, which can appear as a dark ring in the center of your soap). Cooling the soap as quickly as possible will deter gel phase from happening, which is why some soapers put their soap into the fridge or freezer directly after molding. To gel or not to gel is a matter of personal preference, but CPOP is all about the gel phase, baby! There’s a Q & A at the end of the tutorial for commonly asked questions.
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