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Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Dec. 19th ~ 25th)

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! At our home, we’re still celebrating the day and also, dealing with the aftermath. Somehow, Santa thought that Flarp Noise Putty was an age appropriate gift for a 2 year old and the fabrics in our house will never be the same. Bramble Berry celebrated Christmas with a shopping trip to Fred Meyer. This year we partnered with Lydia Place, a local nonprofit organization, to shop for families in need. Employees shopped for toys, clothing and other wishlist items. It is such a fun time, we look forward to it every year. See pictures from the event in the Bramble Berry Takes Over Fred Meyers for Charity post.

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Summer and Fall 2015 Fragrance Blends

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Every month, our team comes up with more than 15 scent blends for each fragrance of the month sample (did you know you get a free .5 oz. fragrance oil sample with each Bramble Berry order?) The team and I choose 4-5 of our favorite blends each month to spotlight. Below are our favorite scent blends for the last six months of 2015. You can always find these blends, along with a tutorial, on the “Sample of the Month” page, which is located on the right hand side of the Bramble Berry homepage. Click here to see the winter and spring 2015 fragrance blends.

If you created something with your past samples, I would love to see your projects. Use the hashtag #SoapShare on Instagram, or upload the photo to the Bramble Berry Facebook page. If you blended your sample, share your blend in the comments below!

VanillaRosewoodVanilla Rosewood Fragrance Blends (July 2015, click here to see the project)
2 parts Vanilla Rosewood Fragrance Oil
1 part Wildflower Honey Fragrance Oil

2 parts Vanilla Rosewood Fragrance Oil
2 parts Gardenia Fragrance Oil
1 part 10x Orange Essential Oil

2 parts Vanilla Rosewood Fragrance Oil
1 part Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil

1 part Vanilla Rosewood Fragrance Oil
1 part Sensuous Sandalwood Fragrance Oil

2 parts Vanilla Rosewood Fragrance Oil
1 part Spearmint Essential Oil
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Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars DIY

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars2016 will be here soon, can you believe it? To say this year has flown by would be an understatement! If you’re a soapmaker you’re already thinking about cold process soap projects 4-6 weeks ahead. That timeline puts us right around Valentine’s Day, making this the ideal time to start making things inspired by love. These Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars are filled with ingredients that scream love: rose clay, Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil, pink sea salt and of course, a cute heart shaped mold.

If you’ve never heard of salt bars before, they are a very unique project. Interestingly, adding salt to cold process soap does not create a super scratchy bar. Instead, the salt creates a creamy and mild lather with very light exfoliation. The pink Himalayan salt used this recipe is well known for its stimulating and soothing properties. Of course the fact that it’s pink is a bonus as well. =) These bars are scented with luxurious Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil and colored with rose clay. These bars are perfect if you prefer natural cold process soap. If you’re looking for more salt bar recipes, check out the Pretty in Pink: Salty Cold Process Tutorial.

These Lavender and Rose Pink Salt Bars are made with lavender essential oil and pink sea salt for a creamy lather.
Adding salt to cold process soap inhibits lather. To combat this, a higher amount of coconut oil is used in this recipe than normal. Usually, I recommend using around 25-33% coconut oil in a recipe. To help boost the lather, I used 50% coconut oil. Some soapers go all the way up to 100% coconut oil when using salt in their soap. Don’t worry, they still feel great on the skin. In addition, salt bars are usually cut as soon as the soap is hard enough which can be as little as a few hours. The salt makes the soap harden up super quick! If you wait too long, the salt bars can be very crumbly once you cut into them. Because this project uses individual cavity molds, you don’t need to worry about cutting the bars.

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Holiday Packaging Ideas & Inspiration

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

With Christmas just a few days away, it’s officially “go time.” In the next few days, I’ll be gathering last minute gifts, writing cards and wrapping everybody’s presents. I love wrapping and packaging homemade gifts just about as much as I love making them. Thoughtful and beautiful packaging elevates the entire gift experience. Luckily, wrapping and packaging presents doesn’t need to be difficult, expensive or complex to make an impact. Below are some of my favorite packaging ideas to inspire you while you wrap up your gifts!

Soap boxes are one of my favorite ways to package soap. They are easy, sturdy and professional looking. Dressing them up with a little glitter is an easy and inexpensive way to really make them shine. All you need is glitter, glue and painters tape. Learn how to make them in this tutorial! Bail jars are another great way to pack up your handmade beauty products. In particular, I love using bail jars for small bath bombs, scrubs and bath salts. See some ideas on how to dress up your bail jars here.

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Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Happy weekend! Between getting ready for Christmas and thinking ahead to 2016, this week flew by. On Wednesday night, the Bramble Berry team and I shopped for a local charity. It was a lot of fun to shop for the items on each person’s wishlist, and make sure they have a wonderful holiday. I’ll post more about our shopping extravaganza next week! Below, Lily and I were making our way through the aisles searching for the perfect gift. I love the cute little scowl on Lily’s face, haha! I promise it wasn’t there the entire time =)AM2
Next week I’ll also share images from the annual Bramble Berry “Cookiepalooza.” It was a great success; so many Bramble-Berrians brought cookies and swapped recipes. I’ll share my cookie recipe with you soon! If you follow me on snapchat (user name: Bramble-Berry) there are some awesome videos of the cookie extravaganza.  In the meantime, here are my favorite ‘pins, ‘grams and tweets from the week.

Pinterest:
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Instagram:
This week I experimented with Wax Dye Blocks to make the perfect rainbow colors for candles. I’ll share the tutorial with you soon. =)
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Has your skin been feeling dry and irritated from the winter cold? Checkout the easy tutorial for Creamy Cucumber Lotion! It feels fantastic on the skin.
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Twitter:

  • This list of 5 Things Millionaires Do That Most People Don’t is full of great advice.
  • Do you have an Elf on the Shelf in your household? We have one, and the kids love it. This story of How the Elf on the Shelf Ruined Our Christmas is a reminder that sometimes even a “white lie” to your children can backfire.
  • Have you ever wanted to start a blog? This post by Pinch of Yum can help get you started.
  • Success requires willpower. People are not born with willpower; it’s a muscle that requires training. Learn how here.
  • I’m putting together my list of favorite books from 2016. The Calorie Myth is a fantastic read and was one of my favorites from last year.

I hope you’re 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 and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. 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! =)

Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Dec. 12th ~ 18th)

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

During the winter, handmade beauty products are especially helpful. This week featured several recipes that moisturize dry skin. The Easy Creamy Cucumber Lotion is made with Basic Lotion Base, which has skin-loving avocado and coconut oil. Cucumber extract is added for its soothing properties, and the lotion is scented with Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil and colored with Emerald LabColor and Kermit Green Mica to complement the extract.

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Galaxy Clyde Slide Cold Process Tutorial

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Cold Process Soap

This Galaxy Clyde Slide Cold Process soap creates a unique swirl pattern inspired by space. Learn how to make it here!

This celestial inspired cold process project was created with a technique known as the “Clyde Slide.” This technique was created by Clyde Yoshida of Vibrant Soaps; be sure to check out his awesome YouTube channel here. This fun swirl involves layering multiple colors in one pot, then pouring the soap into the mold. As the soap “slides” into the mold it creates a unique pattern in each bar.

Once I cut into these bars, I was immediately reminded of space! The combination of swirling black, purple, blue and white hues bring to mind images of the Milky Way and far away galaxies. How fitting that the new Star Wars movie comes out tonight =).When making this recipe, be sure to use fragrance oils that give you lots of time to work. I combined Green Fig Fragrance Oil and Pomegranate and Black Currant Fragrance Oil to create a green and fruity scent that smells out of this world (hah, get it?).

This Galaxy Clyde Slide Cold Process soap creates a unique swirl pattern inspired by space. Learn how to make it here! [Read more…]

Natural Colorant Testing & Inspiration

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Natural Color Tetsing and Inspiration
Adding color is one of my favorite parts of the soapmaking process. Color in soap can convey different places, scents, themes or moods. If you prefer to keep your soap as natural as possible, there are a wide variety of colorant options. Various clays, herbs, botanicals and powders can give soap surprisingly vibrant hues. If you’d like to browse natural colorant options, click here for clays and here for herbs and botanicals.

To demonstrate various natural colorants in cold process soap, I uploaded this photo onto Instagram. I was so blown away by the response (!).  Because of that excitement level on Instagram, I decided to do a more in-depth post about the process and usage rates. Check out the natural colorant tests below. Aren’t they gorgeous? In particular I adore the way that rose clay, purple Brazilian clay and green zeolite clay look in cold process soap. I love working with natural colorants and ingredients in cold process soap so much, I wrote a whole book about it! My new book, Pure Soap Making, is available for pre-order now and only uses natural and nature-identical colorants (like pigments and oxides).

Natural Colorants2Top row, left to right: Olive Leaf Powder, Purple Brazilian Clay, Comfrey Leaf, Medium Red Brazilian Clay
Middle row, left to right: Rose Clay, Alkanet Root Powder, Orange Peel Powder, Sea Clay
Bottom row, left to right: Madder Root Powder, Yellow Brazilian Clay, Green Zeolite Clay, Indigo Powder

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Easy Creamy Cucumber Lotion DIY

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Lotion

This easy to make Cucumber Lotion contains cucumber extract to soothe and hydrate the skin.
Winter weather can take a toll on the skin. Cold temperatures often mean less humidity, which can leave skin feeling dry, itchy and irritated. This easy-to-make Cucumber Lotion contains cucumber extract for its soothing and skin loving properties. It’s made with the Basic Lotion Base, which is specially created to add up to 5% of additional additives (oils, extracts, etc). The base contains avocado oil, glycerin and coconut oil to create an effective, yet lightweight formula. If you prefer to make your own lotion from scratch, check out this blog post to learn how.

This easy to make Cucumber Lotion contains cucumber extract to soothe and hydrate the skin.
I scented this lotion with the refreshing Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil. It’s a great scent that’s suitable for both men and women. This lotion does have a soft green color, but don’t worry; none of that green actually shows up on your skin. =) The combination of Emerald LabColor and Kermit Green Mica leaves a very subtle shimmer that has no lasting green hue.

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Talking with Shana of Bathvs

Filed Under: Business Musings

A few weeks ago, we received a kind message on Facebook from Shana of Bathvs (pronounced Bath-us). Shana was the winner of our Facebook Photo of the Week in June of 2014, and explained to us how the win encouraged her to push forward with her business. Nearly a year and a half later, Shana has turned her business into a full-time job. It’s easy to see why Shana has had so much success; her products are stunning, her photography is gorgeous and her branding is instantly recognizable. Read this interview to learn more about Shana and her soaping journey below! -A.M. 

IMG_6990 (1)These gorgeous Obsidian bars are the soaps that led Shana to win Facebook Photo of the Week in 2014. 

How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
My first experiences with soap making were when I was around 11 or 12 years old. At that time I was limited to only doing melt and pour soaps, since other methods were not accessible to me. I was absolutely obsessed, and had even done a market or two with success. Since I was still just a kid, I moved away from it and had to focus on other aspects of growing up, like friends and school. Over the years I periodically would research cold process soap making and dream about all the cool soaps I could make. After I graduated from college in 2013, I had a 6-month grace period before loan repayment, so I decided to get back into touch with some of the things I had enjoyed years before. That was the summer I had placed my first Bramble Berry order and jumped into the world of cold process soap making, not quite knowing at the time where I would end up going with it.

collageOn the top, Shana is soaping up a storm! On the bottom are a variety of gorgeous cold process bars. I love the mica painting.

What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
Making goals is so important. I keep multiple notebooks just for my goals. They can be simple to-do lists, as well as lists of shops and companies to contact in the future about selling my products, etc. I also find it helpful to write down goals that seem far away; you’ll find that as you complete the easier goals, you will become that much closer to the more difficult ones.

Also, stay tough. Some people will try to take advantage of you along the way; just remember that you are calling the shots and get to dictate the direction of your business. Being a 25 year old woman that looks 16, I have come across people who have thought that they could take advantage of me. Don’t be afraid to say “NO.”

IMG_0785 (1)Shana’s Lychee Tea bars, made with a soft pink swirl and topped with poppy seeds. 

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Sunday Night Spotlight: Coconut Oil

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Coconut OilCoconut oil is one of the most popular oils in soapmaking. It offers a unique combination of cleansing, firming and skin-loving properties to recipes. In addition, coconut oil is wonderful in a variety of other bath and beauty projects such as scrubs, lip balm, hair care and more. It has become particularly popular in the past few years, as many use coconut oil as a skin and hair moisturizer.

Coconut oil is harvested from the seeds of the coconut tree (cocos nucifera) and is primarily cultivated from Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and melts to a clear liquid oil at  76 ° F. It’s made up of various fatty acids, including saturated and non-saturated. In particular, coconut oil contains a large amount of lauric and myristic saturated acids. The unique fatty acid composition of coconut oil gives it fantastic cleansing properties.

Coconut Oil2Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and liquid above 76 ° F. 

Coconut oil can be altered to create different “versions” of the oil. You may have also seen 92 ° F coconut oil on various lye calculators. The 92 ° F coconut oil has been hydrogenated to create a coconut oil with a higher melt point. This means that unsaturated fatty acids in the oil are converted to saturated acids, which increases the melting point. The oil sold at Bramble Berry is 76 ° F. If you’re unsure what kind of coconut oil you have, it’s usually safe to assume the oil is non-hyrogenated, 76 ° F coconut oil. This is the most common type of coconut oil found in stores and online.

Fractionated coconut oil is created by separating fatty acids from the whole oil. Specifically, the long chain triglycerides are removed, leaving behind the short and medium chain fatty acids. Fractionated coconut oil is a stable product with an an almost indefinite shelf life. It’s incredibly lightweight and does not leave a greasy feeling on the skin, making it a great option for massage oil and lotions. Fractionated coconut oil is clear and liquid at room temperature. It works great as a carrier oil for fragrances, or in products such as scrubs, bath bombs and lip products. Check out the Honey Kisses Lipstick Tutorial for a fantastic lip recipe using fractionated coconut oil.

Note: The Caprylic Capric Triglycerides-fractionated coconut oil found at Bramble Berry is specifically the short chain fatty acids, known as caprylic capric triglycerides. It’s slightly different from fractionated coconut oil, as it only contains the short chain fatty acids. It can, however, be used in place of fractionated coconut oil, with a slightly lighter, silkier feel.

In the Moisturizing Heel Butter, fractionated coconut oil is added to give the balm a smoother and softer texture. Because fractionated coconut oil absorbs so easily into the skin, it’s used with argan and sweet almond oil in the Baby Massage Oil tutorial. Fractionated coconut oil is also added to the Givember Massage Oil for a lightweight texture.

collageTop: Baby Massage Oil
Bottom: Givember Massage Oil

In cold process soap, coconut oil is generally used around 20-30% of the recipe. Coconut oil is a super cleansing addition that produces big, copious bubbles. It is so good at its job that it can strip skin of moisture. That leaves the skin dry and even irritated. A usage rate of 30% is ideal for the perfect balance of cleansing without drying. For more sensitive skin, keep the coconut oil at 15% or less in your bar. That being said, soaping rules are made to be broken! In this recipe from Modern Soapmaking, Kenna shows you how to create a bar with 100% coconut oil. To make sure the bar is not drying, Kenna uses a 20% superfat and aloe vera liquid.

coconut oil collageThis soap made by Kenna of Modern Soapmaking uses 100% coconut oil and aloe vera liquid to create a cleansing and moisturizing bar.

If you’re looking for more cold process soap recipes using coconut oil, good news! Just about all my cold process recipes use coconut oil. =) In my opinion, coconut oil is the trickiest to substitute because it gives the soap firming, lathering and cleansing properties. If you are looking to formulate a recipe without coconut oil, palm kernel flakes can help. I recommend using 15% or less of palm kernel flakes in your cold process recipe.

If you’d like to use coconut oil in more bath and beauty products, the Coconut Oil & Pink Salt Scrub uses both 76 ° F coconut oil and fractionated coconut oil. The combination of the oils creates a texture that is creamy and spreadable at room temperature. It’s scented with Lime Fragrance Oil and Island Coconut Fragrance Oil for a bright, citrus scent. Check out the Soap Queen TV video below to learn how to make it!

What is your favorite way to use coconut oil? It’s such a versatile product! I love it in scrubs, but of course I couldn’t do without it for cold process soaps. =)

Soapy Social Media Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Happy, happy weekend! I’m so glad to be back home after a short trip to Washington, D.C. earlier in the week. Traveling can be fun, but there is nothing like the comfort of your family. I’m trying to get caught up on Christmas stuff this weekend. I finally gave up on trying to find our well-hidden Elf on the Shelf from last year and bought a new one and the Christmas tree still isn’t up. Luckily there are still a few weeks until the holiday. =) Are you feeling a little late to the Christmas party as well? It really snuck up on us this year!

Christmas
Above, Chris, Lily, Jamisen and I visited City Hall last week to spend some quality time with each other and see the gorgeous trees. It really got me in the Christmas spirit! Check out my favorite links on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter below for more holiday inspiration.

Pinterest:
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Instagram:
With all the holiday sweets around, I was inspired by a Swedish ginger cookie to create this Orange Spice Salt Scrub. It smells amazing and leaves skin feeling soft and clean.

12317593_909635192465386_1493481632_nI know it’s hard to think about projects for next year when Christmas isn’t over yet, but now is the time to start planning for Valentine’s Day. Below is heart-shaped soap made with pink sea salt, rose clay and Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil. It will be on the blog soon. =)

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Twitter:

I hope you’re 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 and Snapchat. To watch my ‘stories’, which include sneak peeks into future projects, add me. 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! =)

Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week (Dec. 5th ~ 11th)

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

This week was all about seasonal scents that can carry into the new year. The Cleansing Orange Spice Salt Scrub is scented with 10X Orange Essential Oil and Cinnamon Sticks Fragrance Oil. The traditional holiday spice notes pair well with the fresh citrus notes. To match the orange scent, the scrub has orange peel and Racing Stripe Orange Mica. It will leave your skin feeling fresh and clean.

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Currant & Cranberry Cold Process Tutorial

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Cold Process Soap

Learn how to make this Currant and Cranberry Cold Process Soap which is made with poppy seeds for light exfoliation.

Color contrast can really make your soap stand out. It makes each color in the soap pop, and creates a dramatic effect. You can also add different exfoliants to your soap for interest and texture. This Currant and Cranberry Cold Process Soap is a perfect study in color contrast.

Merlot Sparkle Mica is used to create a lovely burgundy color, and poppy seeds add a pop of black to the white soap. The poppy seeds also help exfoliate dry winter skin. The soap is scented with a fruity blend of Pomegranate and Black Currant Fragrance Oil and Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil. The color and fragrance combinations are festive without being too Christmas-y, making these bars perfect for a New Year’s Eve gift or a last-minute Christmas gift. Just put a “use by” date if making this soap for Christmas, as it needs a 4 to 6 week cure time. =)

Learn how to make this Currant and Cranberry Cold Process Soap which is made with poppy seeds for light exfoliation.

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