Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
I love to bake during the holidays, and one of my staple ingredients is cinnamon. Whether it’s cinnamon sugar cookies, cinnamon pinwheel rolls, or cinnamon bread pudding, there is nothing that says ‘holidays!’ to me like the warm, rich scent of this versatile spice (well, that and eggnog…).
It’s a very special Facebook Photo of the Week because today we’re celebrating one year of featuring your Facebook photos on the Soap Queen Blog. We’re delighted each week by the dozens of photos we see, and I’m so happy to be surrounded by such creative soapers and crafters. We wanted to take a chance to look back at some of our favorite Photos of the Week and share them with you.
Do you have any favorites from this past year? Be sure to leave a comment below with one that has inspired your soapmaking! If you have missed some of the past photos, you can see them all in the archives here. Scroll on to see 12 months of incredible photos!
Winter seems to have hit us early on this very chilly and blustery Friday. We had an awesome office-wide pumpkin carving contest last week (scroll down to see our “scary” winner), and took Jamisen out for a Halloween party as well (with a bucket full of goodies by the end of the evening, Jamisen was much happier than he was in this photo!).
In other news, we’re smackdab in the middle of Givember 2013! If you’re not familiar, head over to this post to read all about how you can access 25 unique tutorials as well as get in on some super special deals and coupons. These are my favorite soapy social media things from the past couple of weeks:
Pins:
Clockwise:
Perfect for holiday dinner party or sophisticated evening out to see The Nut Cracker, this Holiday Crimson Lip Stain is as pretty as it is lip loving. It’s made with our Nourish Lip Balm Base, which contains a luscious blend of coconut, sweet almond and avocado oils. Make it to enjoy yourself or give away as a fun stocking stuffer! This lip stain is part of our Givember 2013 ensemble of gifts.
Heading to a holiday party and need a quick gift? This adorable holiday potpourri jar can be assembled in 10 minutes or less! This project incorporates plenty of holiday hallmarks, including cinnamon sticks, cloves and of course, the sweet and spicy fragrance of freshly baked pumpkin pie. Downloadable (free)! labels make this a complete gift giving tour de force.
We’re continuing our Make It Month Feature using the Sample of the Month, Cranberry Chutney Fragrance Oil. With every order you place at Bramble Berry throughout November, you’ll receive a complimentary .5 oz. sample of this wonderful holiday fragrance.
Cranberry Chutney Fragrance Oil is one of our go-to fragrances oils because of its diverse fruity notes grounded by subtle spice. There are hint of apple, raisin and concord grape, and of course the robust scent of tart cranberries. It performs well in cold process soap, but note that it does discolor to a warm tan. In terms of other bath and body products, we like this scent so much that we use it (along with Santa’s Spruce!) in our Givember 2013 projects.
The guidelines for this Make It Month are the same as our Make It Month: Chai Tea Cybilla, but here is a quick refresher on how it all works:
Ready, set, create! We can’t wait to see what kinds of projects you’ll create this month =)
Add a touch of sophistication to your Christmas reds by using Merlot Sparkle Mica. Not only does this mica show up brilliantly in melt & pour soap, it holds color exceptionally well in cold process soap.
This past week has gone by in a flash, and I can’t believe it is Friday again! This week we’ve had a quick-and-fun tutorial for Mint Candy Lip Balm (a great stocking stuffer) as well as another cold process soap using our fabulous new swirl tools. We brought our LabColors back with a blog post explaining the change (new sizes and a new preservative) and shared a #BrambleChai Mashup post for some of the entries into our Make It Month contest –for a chance to see all the participants, check out our Facebook album here. Last but not least, check out our Givember blog post for news on our 2nd annual month-long soapy celebration of giving. Are you ready to check out our favorite Facebook photo of the week?? Take a look below!
Happy Halloween! What is everyone dressed up like today? I’m dressed up as a soapmaker and have been testing recipes like a mad scientist all morning long. Jamisen’s is going to be a dinosaur again this year and Lily is going to be a baby pumpkin, which is the cutest darn thing you’ve ever seen. Onto the main event for today! Our customer experience manager Kevin, took a quick trip to one of our favorite fruit and vegetable stands here in Bellingham with his boys to get the pumpkins for Team Bramble Berry (office and warehouse included!)
We are so excited about our new swirl tools that we went on a bit of a soaping spree with them (and by ‘spree‘, I mean I made well over 90 pounds of soap in three weeks with them just to try out new techniques). We started with the Frog Foot, continued with the Butterfly Swirl and now we’re bringing you this fabulous French Curl. Inspired by a paper marbling technique, this pattern translates beautifully in soap. This soap also has scent blend reminiscent of a gourmet meal: a savory blend of Litsea, Black Pepper and Basil essential oil is a sprightly, uplifting somewhat masculine scent.
The season of gift-giving, present wrapping and stocking stuffing has arrived. This season, we’re taking the frantic trips to the mall, weaving through department store crowds and standing in never ending lines out of the holiday gift-giving equation. Instead why not give gifts that are not only fun to give, but fun to make too?
This is just a taste of the kinds of projects we’ll show you how to create for Givember 2013. From left to right: Surprise Embed Melt and Pour, Sugar Plum Nail Polish, Jelly Roll Melt and Pour, Copper Sparkle Eye Shadow, Loofah Massage Melt and Pour, Candied Gingerbread Man Melt and Pour, Santa’s Sugar Cubes and Sweet Winter Clementine Lip Balm
From November 4 through 15, we’ll show you 25 fantastically festive projects that make great gifts and stocking stuffers as part of Givember 2013. We’ll show you several tutorials per day through our various social media outlets, so check in often for the latest tutorial.
We’ve included a wide range of goodies, from how to make mineral make-up to lip balms and of course, lots of fun soaps! Along with the tutorials, look out for special Mid-Week Mayhem coupons with exclusive offers and deals. These coupons are good for just 24 hours, so keep a close eye on our Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Tumblr, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts, the Bramble Berry homepage, and of course, the Soap Queen Blog.
Our newsletter subscribers will receive bonus tutorials and be the first to know about all the deals and coupons, so if you aren’t signed up already, head over to Bramble Berry and enter your email address on the right hand side. Don’t forget to click through the confirmation email to activate your subscription, and be sure to check your spam filter for emails from info(at)brambleberry(dot)com.
We’ve also chosen two very special fragrances that will be used throughout all 25 projects. The first is Santa’s Spruce Fragrance Oil, which is an intriguing twist on the traditional pine tree scent. It has complex sweet notes which softens this otherwise earthy scent, and it performs wonderfully in cold process soap and other bath & body products. The second fragrance, Cranberry Chutney Fragrance Oil, is sweet and fruity with base notes of warm vanilla spice. It performs well in bath and body products, and discolors to a light golden yellow in cold process.
All this fun starts on November 4. Are you ready to give the gift of Givember?
You can never have too many stocking stuffers, and these minty little lip balms are perfect if you need a last minute gift. Our Bramble Berry Lip Balm Base come premixed and ready to go — all you need to do is melt it down and pour into a container! For this design, we got creative and used a kebab skewer to mimic the famous Starlight Mint candies, and then flavored them with Mint Julep Flavor Oil. They’re a quick and easy minty treat!
What You’ll Need:
3.5 oz. Bramble Berry Lip Balm Base
Apple Moss Green Mica
Super Pearly White Mica
Mint Julep Flavor Oil
10 Clear Lip Butter Pots
.15 CC mini scoops
Droppers
Mint Candy PDF Labels
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
NOTE: This recipe used to contain Shamrock Green Mica, which was reformulated in November 2017 and is no longer lip safe. It now uses Apple Moss Green Mica, so the color will look different than pictured.
ONE: In a heat-safe container, melt 2.5 oz. of lip balm base on 30 second bursts in the microwave. If you attempt to just heat the base without stopping and stirring in between 30 second bursts, it’s possible to shatter glass so take a little longer and make your microwave happy. Add 1 scoop of Super Pearly White Mica to the melted base and stir.
TWO: After the colorant has been fully incorporated into the base, use a dropper to add 5 drops of the Mint Julep Flavor Oil and stir.
THREE: Set out the lip butter pots and slowly pour the mixture into each. Each pot will hold about 1/2 inch of melted base or .25 oz.
FOUR: Melt 1 oz. of lip balm base and add 2 scoops of Apple Moss Green Mica. Give the mixture a good stir, and then add 2 – 3 drops of Mint Julep Flavor Oil.
FIVE: Give the base 10 – 15 minutes to harden before carving out space for the green base. Using a chopstick (or in our case, a kebab skewer) make a dot in the center of the lip balm. From the center, draw a curved line to the edge of the pot. In the center again, make another curved line following the first. You should end up with something that looks like a bent over triangle. Repeat this 4 more times to create two more triangle shapes.
SIX: Using a dropper again, fill the cavities with the melted green base. It’s okay if a little spills over because you can clean it up after it hardens.
SEVEN: Some of the green base may have spilled over, but that’s okay. Using a paper towel, gently wipe the green base away. Finish the lip balms by gently going over the tops with a heat gun on low until the balm is a little bit shiny. This will fill in any gaps or bunches in the surface. Allow to harden.
Clean-up can be challenging without the right way to do it. I throw away the droppers (sad, but true) and clean up my melting and mixing containers by melting down melt and pour scraps (any soap that didn’t work out, or if you only soap to perfection each time, brand new melt and pour). Then, stir really well, coat the entire cup and try to get all the wax and oil incorporated in. Pour this bar of soap and use it yourself for an ultra-luxe bar of melt and pour soap or just pour directly into garbage can (do not pour down your drain). Viola!
Your minty holiday lip balm is ready to use (or give away!) immediately.
So many fabulous photos have been entered into our Make it Month Contest and if you haven’t had a chance to submit your photos yet, remember that today is the last day! Just share your sample of the month (Chai Tea Cybilla Fragrance Oil) inspired bath and body product by posting a photo on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page with the hashtag #BrambleChai. Be sure to check back next week when we announce the featured photos from the Make it Month. Enjoy the ones already submitted!
After a brief hiatus, Bramble Berry LabColors are back and better than ever!
LabColors will be easier to use (see the first picture in this post for an example of spots from clumpy color), and you’ll have vibrant colorants that will show up beautifully in your products. We’re also changing the preservative to Optiphen ND, so don’t forget to update your product ingredient lists!
To keep things simple, the sizes of our LabColors will also change. Our new recommended dilution rates for LabColor use in both cold process and melt and pour soap are below:
Small dilutes into 4 to 8 ounces of water
Large dilutes into 8 to 16 ounces of water
Jumbo dilutes into 50 to 100 ounces of water
Despite the changes, the way you dilute LabColors is still the same. For a complete guide to diluting LabColor, refer to this blog post.
You may notice a large variation in how much water we recommend adding for each size. This is because if you plan on using the LabColors in cold process soaps, you’ll want to dilute the color on the lower end of the recommended spectrum to produce a more concentrated color. In our experience, we’ve found that diluting the small sized bottle in 4 oz. of water produces the best result. It produces a strong, vibrant color without affecting the texture of the soap. That being said, you can experiment with the dilution rates we’ve listed above to achieve a specific shade of color.
Note: Remember to pour your LabColor into a heat-safe container or glass bowl to warm it up, as the plastic bottle can melt in the microwave. If you’re using a plastic bottle, you can warm your color up in a hot water bath.
Now that we’ve filled you in on the LabColor news, read on for a quick primer on everything LabColor related!
What are LabColors?
LabColors are super concentrated liquid dyes. Keep in mind that because LabColors are FD&C dyes, they will bleed in soap. However, LabColors can give you such bright, intense hues that you will want to use them in every batch! Click here to learn more about LabColors and for a quick start guide.
First Row: Azure Blue, Canary, Cimmeron
Middle Row: Grape, Flamingo, Citrus Green
Bottom Row: Gulf Stream, Hyacinth, Java Beans
What is the best usage rate for LabColors?
We have conducted extensive testing to give you precise usage rates for using LabColors in your projects. These usage rates give your soap a vibrant color without producing a colored lather, which can stain.
For 10 of the 12 basic high pH LabColors, we recommend diluting the small size of LabColor in 4 oz. of water, and then following a usage rate of 8 mL of diluted color per pound of soap (this is the total amount of soap you are making, not just the amount of oil in the recipe). These 10 colors are:
For the remaining two colors, Lime and Royal Purple, the usage rate is 4 mL per pound of soap. These colors are more likely to produce a colored lather in finished soaps, and so it’s particularly important to not over-color your products with these two colors.
In melt & pour, LabColors are a what-you-see-is-what-you-get colorant, and we typically recommend using 1/2 teaspoon (about 2.5 mL) of diluted LabColor (the small-sized bottle in 8 oz. of water) per pound of melt and pour soap. To achieve specific colors in melt and pour through blending LabColors, see our Color Mixing Guide, which are available as a hard copy or in digital format.
As an added bonus, we’re providing a helpful chart so you’ll know exactly which LabColor size to purchase based on how much soap you plan to make:
| LabColor Size | Amount of Diluted LabColor (for CP) | Amount of Soap – Light Tint | Amount of Soap – Deep Tint |
| small | 4 ounces | 59 pounds | 15 pounds |
| large | 8 ounces | 118 pounds | 30 pounds |
| jumbo | 50 ounces | 737 pounds | 184 pounds |
Blending Colors
The high pH colors are specially formulated for cold process soap, but they can also be used in melt and pour projects. Keep in mind, the same LabColor may look completely different when used in cold process soap and melt and pour, which is why it is particularly important to only use high pH colors — that won’t morph or discolor — in cold process recipes. We’re giving you the usage rate for the basic 12 colors because you can blend them into hundreds — if not thousands — of other colors by following the ratios listed on our Color Mixing Guide Sheets (you can also buy a digital version of this guide here).
Top Row: Green Wreath, Purple Mist, Berry Red
Middle Row: Vibrant Orange, Lime, Seafoam
Bottom Row: Ivy Mist, Watermelon, Sage
When can I use LabColors?
If you are making cold process soap, take a look at our high pH LabColors that are specifically formulated for all those fun from scratch soapy products. If you aren’t into making cold process soap quite yet, we also have a set of low pH LabColors that can be used in your M&P soaps and pre-made liquid soaps.
First Row: Lemon, Mauve, Green Apple
Middle Row: Eucalyptus, Soft Orange, Impatien Pink
Bottom Row: Tulip, Royal Blue, Periwinkle
For some fun projects using LabColors (including bath salts, soaps and more), check out the mosaic below. You can use the LabColors in so many different ways and we can’t wait to see what you come with. If you have used our LabColors, be sure to share photos of your creations with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page.
Top Row: Holiday Soap Cubes, All’s Wool That Ends Wool & Green Machine Melt and Pour Tutorial
Bottom Row: How To Make Solid Bubble Bath, Ombre Rebatch Layers & Peace, Love and Soap
We’d love to know what your favorite LabColors are! If you have a tint or shade of color you’d like to see, let us know in the comments below. For a complete list of Bramble Berry LabColors by hue, check out this comprehensive list:
Reds & Pinks: Berry Red, Black Cherry, Brick, Bright Cherry, Countryside Pink, Flamingo Pink, Fuchsia, Magenta, Melon Red, Impatien Pink, Pinkberry Sherbert, Razzberry, Red, Red Velvet, Rio Rose, Santa Red, Tropical Hot Pink, Tropical Red, Tulip, Watermelon, Wineberry Mist, Pinked Mauve, Countryside Amethyst, Pinked Grape, Countryside Mauve
Oranges: Apricot, Countryside Orange, Peach, Orange Sherbert, Orange, Soft Orange, Tangerine, Tropical Orange, Vibrant Orange, Winter Orange,, Mango Sherbert, Cimmeron,
Yellows: Canary, Countryside Sunny Yellow, Countryside Wheat, Lemon, Lemon Sherbert, Sunflower, Tropical Yellow, Marigold
Greens: Citrus Green, Countryside Mint Leaf, Emerald, Eucalyptus Mist, Forest Mist, Green Apple, Lime Sherbert, Ivy Mist, Gulf Stream, Green Wreath, Sage Mist, Seafoam, Soft Jade, Tropical Green, Lime, Java Beans
Blues: Azure Blue, Aqua, Blue Green, Blue Mix, Brilliant Blue, , Countryside Blue Dust, Countryside Blue, Countryside Peacock, Countryside Slate Blue, Countryside Oceana, Pool Blue, Navy, Royal Blue, Sapphire, Sky At Dusk, Sky Blue, Countryside Teal, Teal
Purples: Countryside Plum, Countryside Purple, Easter Purple, Dark Purple, Grape, Lavender High, Lilac, Hyacinth Low, Hyacinth High, Periwinkle, Purple Mist, Purple Passion, Royal Purple, Tropical Purple, Mauve Mist
Browns & Blacks: Vanilla, True Black, Oyster Mist
