Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
This week is the start of a series of tutorials inspired by the Alps and The Sound of Music. The series includes the Sparkling Snow Sugar Scrub, which is made with Foaming Bath Butter. It also has sugar to exfoliate, and Fresh Snow and Spring Meadow fragrance oil for a clean scent. Snowflake Sparkle Mica and Super Pearly White Mica are added to make the scrub look like sunshine on snow.
The Swiss countryside is famous for its sweeping mountain landscapes. The rolling green hills and snowy peaks of the Alps were the inspiration for this Alpine Adventures Cold Process Soap. When I look at these bars, I can’t help but sing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music!” in my head. Scented with a combination of Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil and Heavenly Honeysuckle Fragrance Oil, this soap smells floral and clean. It’s the next best thing to actually being in the beautiful Swiss Alps.
Landscape soaps have become one of my favorite cold process soap projects. I love scouring Pinterest for inspiration landscape photos, and the challenge of recreating them with soap. Recently, on the Bramble Berry Facebook page, I asked soapers to share their landscape soaps and was blown away! It was so fun to see all the soaps there and this one really grabbed my eye: Morning Glory Cold Process Soap created by Soco Soaps. Great soapers obviously think alike! 😉 Click here to see more of Karey’s creations on Instagram. If you’re looking for more landscape soap inspiration, check out the Sahara Sunset Cold Process Soap tutorial.
This project includes several steps, layers and colors all done with a thick thick trace. It is an advanced technique, or rather, series of them. It requires a good understanding of trace, particularly working with a thick trace. If you’ve never made soap using a thick trace, I would recommend getting a few simple recipes under your belt first, such as the Layered Lilac Loofah Cold Process Soap. I also highly recommend having your workstation thoroughly prepped with plenty of spare spoons, containers and whisks just in case! For more tips on setting up your soaping area, check out this blog post.
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Marcela of Majestic Bliss Soaps creates gorgeous cold process soap with lots of color and intense swirls. Marcela’s soaps are not only beautiful, they also make a difference around the world. Every month a portion of the proceeds from Majestic Bliss Soaps are donated to world-recognized charity organizations. In addition to beautiful soap for people, Majestic Bliss Soaps also creates FUR PAWS, a line of soap created for canines. Read on to learn more about Majestic Bliss Soaps, including Marcela’s tips for selling wholesale and giving back to charity. -A.M.
How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
I’ve been happily soaping since April of 2014. Majestic Bliss Soaps was created to help my clients extend their bliss beyond a therapeutic session. As a bonus, we saw the opportunity to extend assistance to organizations that help humans and animals thrive.
What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
Research all legal requirements in your area for establishing a business—whether it’s home-based or brick and mortar. Also, research and invest in good accounting software. These two steps will save you a lot of time, money and headaches down the line. And above all, don’t be afraid to experiment with ingredients. As is often said, “The greatest invention started out as the biggest mistakes.” Also, inform yourself on FDA labeling. Personally, we used and resort to Marie Gale’s book titled “Soap and Cosmetics Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English.”
From top to bottom: Guru Rinpoche, Soul Centered, Buddha’s Nature, Arhat Soap
It doesn’t snow a lot here in Bellingham, WA. I always get a little excited when does, even with the dicey driving conditions that follow. The snow falling is peaceful and beautiful. And when the sun comes out and shines on the fresh snow, it looks like it’s sparkling. That was the inspiration for this Sparkling Snow Sugar Scrub.
The scrub is perfect for those who prefer a lightweight product. The Foaming Bath Butter is light and fluffy. The sugar exfoliates while shea butter and shea oil moisturize the skin. As you scrub, a fresh and outdoorsy combination of Fresh Snow and Spring Meadow fragrance oils hit your nose. The Snowflake Sparkle Mica and Super Pearly White Mica leave a bit of shimmer on your skin. It’s like a mini Swiss Alps vacation each time you exfoliate!
Because the sugar is a gentle exfoliant, the scrub can be used on both the face and body. Keep in mind the micas do leave a shimmer on the skin, so you may want to leave them out if you’re using the product on your face.
This Silky Berry Cold Process soap was inspired by sweet and juicy berries. It’s made with Tussah silk fibers, which give cold process soap a silky lather and shiny appearance. The silk is dissolved directly in the hot lye solution, which is then emulsified in skin-loving oils. When working with hot lye water, be sure to wear safety goggles, gloves and long sleeves and pants. To learn more about safely dissolving silk fibers in lye, check out this blog post.
This project uses the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold. This sturdy mold produces tall bars of soap which allows for a dramatic drop swirl effect. To create the swirl, soap is poured into the mold at varying heights which allows the soap to swirl within the mold. Before using this mold, don’t forget to line it! Lining a mold can be a little tricky at first, but is easy once you get the hang of it. This blog post shows you how to line any mold, step by step.
It’s hard to believe that the first week of August is already gone. This summer has flown by. The family and I have been taking advantage of the sunshine with plenty of boat rides, day trips to the beach and outdoor activities. Below, you can see that Lily has become a big fan of control! She loves to help her dad “drive” the boat around the lake, and, sit in the driver’s seat of my car. Her fierce drive to lead is apparent already.
Next week on the blog, get ready for a collection of tutorials inspired by the classic film, The Sound of Music. These projects will include lots of florals, Snowflake Sparkle Mica and fresh scents. I can’t wait to share them with you! The film is meaningful to me because it’s one of the only films my folks would let me watch as a kid so I have almost all the songs memorized. I love social media and connecting with you all on there; if you missed anything, check out my favorite pins, ‘grams and tweets from the past two weeks.
Left to right, clockwise:
I have been experimenting with the “Circling Taiwan Swirl,” and absolutely love the results! The soap below was made with Energy Fragrance Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Black Oxide, Fizzy Lemonade Colorant, Electric Bubble Gum Colorant and Super Pearly White Mica. I almost don’t want to cut it! =)
We have been busy planning new projects for several episodes of Soap Queen TV. On the left are shimmery champagne cold process cupcakes, made with Champagne Fragrance Oil. On the right are melt and pour gemstones inspired by rose quartz. Some comments on Instagram said these melt and pour gems reminded them of meat, so I may need to tweak the colors slightly, haha =)
Snapchat:
Find me on Snaphat via “bramble-berry” for behind the scenes peeks into soaping sessions, upcoming tutorials and random insights into my schedule. The video below is my Snapchat story from Wednesday, which includes a live demo of the beautiful 12 Color Linear Swirl Cold Process Soap. Be on the lookout next week for a full length episode of Soap Queen TV!
Twitter:
I hope you all have an fantastic 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.
Experimenting with new techniques and products is fun. This week featured a tutorial using a new Bramble Berry product, Stephenson Jelly Melt and Pour Base. The base has a jiggly texture and washes like normal soap. The Shimmery Summer Soap Jellies are colored with LabColors and scented with sweet Summer Fling Fragrance Oil. It also has Fine Iridescent Glitter for a touch of sparkle. The jelly is a crowd pleaser, and not just for kids. It caused quite a stir in the break room with the team.
Solid perfume is convenient for traveling, or for touch ups throughout the day. This sophisticated Honeysuckle Solid Perfume has notes of tuberose, nectarine, jasmine and of course, honeysuckle. The Solid Perfume Base makes this project easy to make: melt down the base and add the Heavenly Honeysuckle Fragrance Oil. Made with coconut oil, sweet almond oil and avocado oils, the base also nurtures the skin. A small amount of Rose Gold Mica adds a hint of color to the perfume. If you’re looking for sparkle on the skin, feel free to add more mica.
Each order from Bramble Berry during August includes a .5 oz. sample of fragrance oil. Heavenly Honeysuckle Fragrance Oil is the featured fragrance for August. If you are looking for blend ideas for this floral and feminine fragrance, check out the Sample Idea Sheet for August. If you prefer to create your own blend, check out these fragrance blending tips.
Melt and pour soap and cold process soap are both made by emulsifying sodium hydroxide lye and a variety of oils. Both are skin loving and far more gentle than store bought, detergent based soap. Despite these similarities, melt and pour soap have very different textures. These textures lend themselves better to different soaping techniques. For example, it’s easier to achieve straight layers with melt and pour soap, while the fluid texture of cold process soap allows for easy swirling.
Melt and pour soapers often ask if swirled cold process soap recipes can be recreated with melt and pour soap. Unfortunately, the answer is usually no. Cold process soap batter has the ability to stay fluid for a long time. This fluid texture is crucial for dragging the soap with a chopstick, dowel, hanger swirl tool or comb swirl tools. Melt and pour on the other hand, begins to harden once it cools to about 125 ° F, which only takes a few minutes. For example, as shown in the how to do the Peacock Swirl in Cold Process Soap video on Soap Queen Tv, the soap must be fluid and workable during the mixing, pouring the swirling process which can take 10-20 minutes!
While it’s not possible to recreate complex cold process swirls with melt and pour, swirls are still achievable…they will just look a little different =). Check out the Soap Queen TV Episode 3: Swirling M&P above to see an example of the beautiful swirls you can create in melt and pour. The key to creating swirls with melt and pour soap is temperature. When liquid, melt and pour soap is much thinner than cold process soap. The causes the colors of melt and pour soap to easily blend together. When attempting to swirl melt and pour soap, this can cause a muddled look rather than defined swirls. As melt and pour soap cools, it also becomes thicker. The cooled, slightly thicker texture helps avoid the colors from swirling together too much.
Have you used jelly soap before? It cleanses just like regular soap, except it’s wiggly, jiggly and guaranteed to entertain. The fun texture is perfect for kids. They’ll love the way it bounces all over the table. Although I have to admit, all the adults in our office had a lot of fun with it too. =)
These Shimmery Summer Soap Jellies use water soluble LabColors to create warm yellow, orange and red colors. They have a bit of sparkle from Fine Iridescent Glitter, and Summer Fling Fragrance Oil is added to complete the summery theme.
Once melted, the texture of the Stephenson Jelly Melt and Pour Base is much thicker than regular melt and pour soap. The texture is rather gloppy, and bubbles do not rise to the surface. To help avoid excess bubbles, stir the base as little as possible. The base also requires a little bit more time to melt. To use the soap, break off a small piece and lather it on a washcloth or loofah. We have heard of some soapers freezing the soap to make it harder and easier to handle. In our tests, the soap stayed soft and jiggly even after being frozen.
See the jellies in action in the video below!
Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells. It’s key to healthy, soft and glowing skin. Exfoliation can be done physically by using an abrasive material on the skin, or chemically with substances such as glycolic acid. There are lots of scrubby exfoliation options for bath and beauty products, click here to learn more. One of the most popular type of exfoliants are jojoba beads, which are produced from jojoba oil. Jojoba beads are commonly mistaken for plastic microbeads. The two products look and feel very much alike, but are vastly different.
Jojoba oil is a liquid wax derived from the jojoba shrub. The wax is processed to a solid wax, which is referred to as a jojoba ester. These jojoba esters are jojoba beads! Spherical in shape, jojoba beads/esters are biodegradable and come in a wide variety of colors and shapes. Jojoba beads make a great choice for a wide variety of bath and beauty products because the edges of the bead are smooth. This smooth shape avoids microscopic tears on the skins surface. The combination of gentle exfoliation and fun colors make them a great choice for scrubs, soaps and other products. Read more about jojoba beads and how to use them in this Sunday Night Spotlight: Jojoba Beads post.
Jojoba beads come in a wide variety of sizes and colors.
Microbeads are also used in a wide variety of bath and beauty products. Micorbeads can commonly be found in soap, toothpaste and scrubs. They come in different shapes and colors, and also offer exfoliation. The difference is that microbeads are not made from jojoba oil like jojoba beads. Instead, microbeads are plastic (commonly made of polyethylene).
I have been making soap for more than 20 years. New techniques are constantly being created, and I’m always learning something from others in the soapmaking community. While progressive techniques are fun, I like to revisit the basics of soapmaking with simple recipes and techniques. Practicing the basics is key to mastering the advanced! For the past few weeks, I have been focusing on basic tutorials and techniques for both beginner soap makers and advanced soapers who want to hone their craft. This series features four tutorials, along with the Back to Basics Soapmaking Kit, which includes all the ingredients necessary to make the four projects.
In addition, I’ve created a fun quiz to test your soaping knowledge. The quiz does require an email, but don’t worry! We will not give your email to anyone; pinky promise. The quiz will be available for one month, and you’ll receive a Soap Queen Soap Master Certificate once you pass. Then, you can share your certificate on Facebook or other social media outlets. I love to see your success so post your accomplishments proudly! I’ll send out a free copy of the Making Milk Soap E-Book to each person who participates in the quiz (and presto, that’s why I need your email address).
The Back to Basics series ended this week. It was nice to revisit important soapy concepts, like how to choose a mold. There are several different types of molds, including silicone and wood molds. Each type of mold has pros and cons. For instance, recyclable molds are cost effective, but you may only be able to use them once. Learn more in the How to Choose a Soap Mold post.
Today the Back to Basics series wraps up with the final tutorial, this Crisp Cotton Swirl Cold Process Soap. Swirls in cold process soap require a thin trace, so it’s important to not over stick blend the batter. It helps to have a recipe with a large percentage of slow moving oils, like olive or canola. If you missed the previous three Back to Basic tutorials, be sure to check them out! The tutorials are accompanied by the Back to Basic Soapmaking Kit, which includes all the ingredients (except lye) you need to make the four projects. Now, let’s get swirling!
Creating swirls in cold process soap takes a little bit of practice. Swirls require a good understanding of trace; it’s crucial that the soap does not become too thick or the soap will not swirl together. On the flip side, the soap cannot be too thin or the colors may muddle together. Learn more about trace here. The key is a recipe that contains plenty of slow moving oils, like canola or olive oil. It’s also important to choose a fragrance oil that behaves well in cold process soap, and does not cause the soap to accelerate. This recipe contains 30% olive oil and 25% canola oil to make sure you have plenty of time to work. It also uses Crisp Cotton Fragrance Oil, which does not accelerate trace.
The type of swirl used in this bar is referred to as a “drop swirl.” This means the colors are poured, or “dropped,” into the mold from varying heights. As the soap is poured, it will begin to swirl inside the mold. For this project, we also used the Hanger Swirl Tool to give the soap extra movement. This project is colored with Titanium Dioxide and Ultramarine Blue pigments. These colorants do not bleed into each other, which is the key to crisp and clean swirls. If you have never prepped colorants for cold process soap before, check out this Soap Queen TV video to learn how.
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