Essential Oil Archives - Page 5 of 7

From Philly, with Love

December 8, 2010 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

While she didn’t come bearing a Philly Cheesesteak, Maureen did come to us all the way from Philadelphia and we were thrilled to have her join us. She came to Otion wanting to expand her melt and pour soapmaking skills. Though she has watched all of the SoapQueen.TV projects (I love a student who has done their homework!), her projects weren’t turning out quite the way she wanted. (She doesn’t know it, but she was my last full-day private class until the baby is born. My back isn’t loving the full standing days anymore.) And bonus, in addition to being insanely off the charts sweet, she is a dog lover! So, her and Toby (our resident mascot dog) got a long really well and Toby helped us make soap for part of the day.

We had an extremely full day (in a good way!). We worked on the SoapyLove Signature Project, Plaid Soaps. And then we moved onto detail work to showcase the Melt and Pour Tool Kit. Maureen really got to learn how to use all of the tools. We made a LOT of soaps with those tools.

Pictured above are the yummy Gift Box molds and the Heart on Grid Mold; below are the Holly Leaf Molds. They all look so sweet with their perfect detailing. Maureen was a really quick study so it made it easy to get perfect soaps every time with her.

Then we moved onto Jelly Roll Soaps, Embeddable Paper (the onesies in the photo below), Peppermint Bark, Orange Slices, Candy Canes and a custom project just for Maureen (that will be just our secret).

Like many of our students, Maureen was shocked at how much soap the day produced so we ended up shipping her soaps to her since there was no room in her suitcase. It was so much fun to spend the day with Maureen. She had a great attitude, a sincere desire to learn and was a hard worker. I know however she chooses to use her newly acquired soap techniques that she will be successful. Check out her Etsy shop here.

Thanks Maureen!

Catching Up on the News

December 4, 2010 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

New items at Bramble Berry!

Baby Onesie Mold

Fish Mold

Cedarwood Essential Oil

Mangosteen Fragrance Oil

Sweet Meyer Lemon Fragrance Oil

Emulsifying Wax (generic – lower price point than name brand)

I’ve had a super fun weekend so far (holiday parties, college football games and soapmaking!) and hope you are as well.

Whipped Belly Butter Tutorial

November 24, 2010 Filed Under: Lotion

6 oz. Cocoa Butter

3 oz. Calendula-Infused Jojoba Oil

1.5 oz. Unrefined Hemp

14 oz. Shea Butter

.3 oz. total, equal parts: German Chamomile, Carrot Seed, Frankincense (optional), Helischryum (optional),

Get all of the ingredients you need in the click of a button!

Wondering why I chose all the ingredients I did? I wrote an explanation here. Curious about how to infuse oils? Tutorial here.

Directions

Weigh out all of your ingredients (volume doesn’t provide the same. This is a photo of the German Chamomile. It is a dark beautiful blue.

Warm your liquid oils in the microwave and put the cocoa butter in with them. Melt until the cocoa butter is melted in. You might need to stir it a bit to get the last of the cocoa butter melted in. Do not melt the shea butter. Add your warmed oils onto the shea butter. Using a stick blender, ‘trap’ the shea butter chunks under your stick blender and blend them up until they incorporate into the mixture.

Turn on your stand mixer on low (it can splatter oils otherwise). Slowly start to increase the speed to medium and whip until all the butters are fully mixed in. The mixture looks lighter and fluffy, sort of like a warm frosting. Pour into containers.

Allow to harden before use. Balm melts almost instantly on contact with skin and is incredibly skin loving and nourishing. Amber in the office swears that is has cured her dry and cracking fingers (darn that cold spell we’re having) and my belly looks moisturized (albeit a bit larger than normal). No more itchy, peeling skin for me! Note: This is designed to be a more therapeutic recipe. It won’t smell delicious and fruity. If you’re going for sweet and fruity smells, stick with fragrance oils.

Exotic Belly Balm – Oil Choices & Why

November 24, 2010 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Even though I’m only 18 weeks along, my belly is stretched tight and it’s itchy and peeling. It’s really not all that attractive. Given that I make yummy products for a living, I took this on as a personal challenge! Stay tuned for the recipe later today. The oils I used:

Cocoa Butter – Long used for centuries for stretch marks, cocoa butter has proven to be no better than a placebo for actually preventing stretch marks (NYTimes article). So, why did I put it into my formula? Cocoa Butter has a compound called CMP (cocoa mass polyphenol), a substance that helps with dermatitis.

Vitamin E – Vitamin E beat out Cocoa Butter for stretch mark relief (citation here). Vitamin E is a an anxi-oxidant that helps to defend skin from free-radicals. Free-radicals attack the skin structure leading to aging, wrinkles and generally unhealthy skin.

Jojoba Oil infused with Calendula Petals – Jojoba oil is a liquid wax. Out of all the oils (or in this case, liquid waxes!), it is closest to the human skin in its make up. Calendula is incredibly nourishing to skin, especially irritated skin. For infusion directions, click here.

Hemp Seed Oil, Unrefined: Hemp Seed Oil is fantastic to use in skin care products because of its lipid profile; it has over 80% Essential Fatty Acids. Additionally, Hemp Seed Oil has been found to help with eczema.

Shea Butter: If there was only one butter I could be stranded on a desert island with, this would be it. High in unsaponifiables, this butter is extremely emollient, making it a key ingredient in many body butters and lotions.

Essential Oils:

Carrot Seed: Carrot Seed Essential Oil is well known for its help with aging skin and to protect skin against wrinkles. Carrot Seed has a very earthy smell.

Frankincense: Used by some of the large cosmetic companies in their anti-aging skincare, Frankincense is known to be soothing and skin-loving.

Helicrhrysum: This essential oil has almost a magical lore about it for healing bruises and soothing dry skin.

German Chamomile: One of my favorite essential oils for skin care, German Chamomile helps calm itchy, irritated skin because of its high azulene content. German Chamomile smells herbal-y and not sweet at all.

What is a Fragrance Oil Made Of?

November 23, 2010 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Q: What exactly is a fragrance oil made out of? I went to buy some today and noticed there was no ingredients listed.

A: Fragrance Oils do not have full ingredient disclosure; they fall under ‘Trade Secret’ status with the FDA and so simply putting “Fragrance” on an ingredient list will suffice.

There are over 3500 materials (aroma chemicals, essential oils and essential oil components) that are approved for use in fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are not policed by the FDA; rather, they are a self-regulated body. Each individual ingredient is tested for things such as irritation, solvency, absorption, to physical characteristics like flash point, specific gravity, and flammability as well as more serious things, such as carcinogenic indicators etc… Once an ingredient is fully tested, the results are published in a peer-reviewed journal. A group called ‘RIFM’ performs all the tests (RIFM stands for Research Institute for Fragrance Materials).

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is an international organization that represents fragrance manufacturers. IFRA takes the data and reports from RIFM, evaluates it and publishes guidelines for usage. IFRA will make recommendations for which raw materials are safe to use in fragrance oils; often, what is safe for potpourri will not be safe for the skin. Your supplier should follow IFRA’s guidelines and use only RIFM approved materials in their fragrance oils. Of course, Bramble Berry follows IFRA’s guidelines and uses only RIFM approved materials in our fragrance oils. =)

Curious to learn more about safety, sustainability and the technical details behind fragrance oils? Chemist Stephen Herman has a great article that he wrote for Perfumer & Flavorist that you can read here.

Keeping the Bramble Bump Safe

November 21, 2010 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Aromatherapy & Pregnancy : The History of Warnings

Since I’m 4 1/2 months pregnant, of course I’m more careful than ever with soapmaking, fragrance oils and essential oils. Given some of the scary warnings about essential oils (and my proximity to them daily), I went to my friend and aromatherapist Kayla Fioravanti to get some advice. She kindly wrote the guest blog below about aromatherapy and pregnancy. In aromatherapy the use of essential oils during pregnancy remains a contentious subject debated by many in the industry. We get asked about aromatherapy in pregnancy most commonly by those who become pregnant while running their own soap, aromatherapy, spa or personal care product line.

From Aromatherapist to Aromatherapist you may get varying answers when it comes to prenatal aromatherapy. Some believe that essential oils should be completely avoided during the first trimester and others believe they should be avoided all together and then there are others that don’t avoid them at all. I, personally, worked as an Aromatherapist through two of my three pregnancies. I handled, blended and manufactured using essential oils on a daily basis with no ill-effects on my pregnancy or babies. I also used aromatherapy for massage, and baths to treat my stress, body aches, fatigue, morning sickness and labor successfully. To confidently use aromatherapy in pregnancy it is vital to understand the root of aromatherapy warnings and contraindications.

The fears surrounding aromatherapy in pregnancy are found in historical cases in which essential oils were misused purposefully or accidently. All of the cases of adverse reactions in pregnancy are related to women drinking large doses of essential oils. Any responsible Aromatherapist would never suggest that essential oils should be consumed. In reality essential oils no matter what the circumstances are should never be taken orally.

Aromatherapists all warn their clients away from pennyroyal essential oil due to a case in the USA in which a woman drank a large dose of pennyroyal in order to induce an abortion that proved fatal to her (Gold and Cates, 1980). One out of four cases in which pregnant women accidently drank Camphor oil instead of Castor oil resulted in the death of the baby (Weiss and Catalano, 1976).

There has never been a reported case of a woman or baby being harmed by topical or inhalation therapy used during pregnancy or labor. Another reported cases in which pennyroyal and parsley seed were taken in large doses caused hepatotoxicty which resulted in the death of the baby. There are two other case in which women consumed the same large doses of pennyroyal (100 to 200 times the recommended topical application) in which both the mothers and the babies survived unharmed.

It is cases like this that give essential oils warning and contraindications.

Worldwide a large number of midwives and nurses have become Certified and/or Registered Aromatherapist over the past ten years. Aromatherapy in the labor and delivery room has been a common practice in England since 1987. After 22 years of regular use of aromatherapy by midwives and nurses in England one would think that by now if topical and inhalation usage of essential oils was dangerous during pregnancy there would be a case reported by now, but there have been none.

The most recent case of a pregnant woman consuming essential oils resulted in a midwife losing her job and license, but no harm to the mother or baby. In North Wales, midwife Sandra Hughes who was trained in aromatherapy mixed some sweet almond oil with two drops of lavender and one drop of lime in a plastic cup and left it by her patient’s bedside. Her intention for it to be massage onto the patient but after a mix up while she was out of the room the patient drank the blend. The mother and baby were monitored but suffered no ill effects. Communication and proper application of essential oils is vital.

In reality essential oils have been used by pregnant women for thousands of years safely. Most perfumes on the market use essentials oils or components of essential oils combined with synthetic fragrance chemicals. Yet you never see a warning on perfume bottles to avoid during pregnancy. Chemical components of essential oils have historically been used in the production of fragrance oils as well and have caused no ill effects during pregnancy. For instance, nutmeg essential oil is one of the ingredients used to make Green Tea fragrance oil. Below you will find nutmeg on the “essential oils to avoid during the first trimester” list, however, it is a component of a common fragrance oil that pregnant women use every day all over the world with no ill effects.

You will find that the aromatherapy field, in general, has chosen to err on the side of caution.

Be aware that during pregnancy a woman has a heightened sense of smell. Always use half dose of essential oils for pregnant women. The highest percentage of essential oil in aromatherapy products for pregnant women is 2%. Be completely in-tune with what essential oils she finds repulsive or dislikes during pregnancy. I have found that most pregnant women find essential oils that are highly hormonal distasteful during the first trimester of pregnancy. My theory is that her body warning her away from essential oils with properties that it does not need at a given time. I have also found that women crave and adore highly hormonal essential oils when they have PMS or are going through menopause. It is as if the nose if leading her to oils that it needs at a given time in her life.

There is no documentation on whether or not essential oils pass through the placenta but because they have low molecular weights and are negatively charged molecules it is feasible to assume that they do. The placenta acts a barrier to positively charge molecules but negatively charged molecules do cross the placenta (Maickel & Snodgrass 1973) which makes choosing the right essential oils used during pregnancy vital.

For instance, savin and Spanish sage could be extremely detrimental during pregnancy. They are not common essential oils used aromatherapy; however, they are a good example of why precaution is used by Aromatherapists. Savin (Juniperus savina) and Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulifolia) essential oils contain the compound sabinyl acetate which has been proven to have a teratogenic effect (ability to interfere with normal embryonic development) in laboratory animals (Guba 2002).

Many essential oils are believed to have emmenagogic actions (cause uterine contractions believed to induce menstrual cycle) and are believed to be dangerous to use during pregnancy. However, many Aromatherapists believe that emmenagogic actions are not enough to affect a stable pregnancy. The controversy lies in the history of a pregnant woman. If a woman has had miscarriages in the past it is always best to err on the side of caution and avoid emmenagogic essential oils.

When buying essential oils always cross check them by using their Latin nomenclature in combination with the common name. This will ensure consistency and above all safety. It is critically important to know the difference between various essential oils, for instance, clary sage is very helpful in labor yet sage is contraindicated for pregnancy. Aromatherapists use Latin nomenclature to identify essential oils for that very reason. For instance, clary sage is Salvia sclarea and Salvia officinalis is sage. Using both names to identify and crosscheck your essential oil choices is the best practice to protect your business.

The safest essential oils to use in pregnancy are the citrus essential oils including; bergamot, lemon, lime, sweet orange, mandarin, grapefruit and tangerine. They all such low molecular weights that they disperse into the air shortly after application. There are no contraindications, no safety data and no warnings that are related in any way to pregnancy.

Occasionally you might find them on a list of essential oils to avoid during pregnancy but that is only when the Aromatherapist has taken every essential oil with a warning and lumped them into the avoid during pregnancy list. The only warning for all citrus essential oils is that they may be phototoxic which means that they may increase the risk of sunburn when used undiluted. But since you won’t be using any essential oil over 2% on a pregnant woman you are well within safety limits.

I highly recommend the use of grapefruit essential oil for massage throughout pregnancy. It is the only citrus essential oil that is not phototoxic so you even avoid that warning. It uplifts the spirit, eases the mind, has an astringent property that leaves the skin feeling great, helps with water retention and is generally known as safe in all cases. If you were to add one essential oil from pregnancy massage grapefruit is the safest, most universally liked essential oil on the market.

Common Essential Oil Warning for Pregnancy
Emmenagogic essential oils: basil, carrot see, German and Roman chamomile, sweet fennel, clary sage, juniper berry, lavender, sweet marjoram, myrrh, rose, rosemary, peppermint.

Safe throughout pregnancy: bergamot, lemon, lime, sweet orange, mandarin, grapefruit and tangerine.

Avoid in first trimester: palmarosa, sweet fennel, peppermint, carrot seed, nutmeg, bay, anise, cinnamon, sage, myrrh, juniper, lovage, Roman and German chamomile, cajuput, peppermint, melissa, marjoram, rose otto, rosemary, clary sage, vetiver, basil, oregano, black pepper, sandalwood.

Essential Oils to Avoid Completely During Pregnancy:savin, Spanish sage, angelica, calamus, buchu, wormwood, davana, mugwort, mustard, wild basil, calamint, wormseed, brown & blue & white camphor, horseradish, blue cypress, turmeric, bitter fennel, Bulgarian geranium, wintermint, star anise, cade oil, latana, Spanish lavender, bog myrtle, dog basil, Brazilian sassafras, parsley seed, lavender cotton, sassafras, tansy, thuja, dill, yarrow, tarragon, caraway, camphor, broad-leaved peppermint, hyssop, pennyroyal, spearmint, rosemary, tagette.

photo credit: Miche Photography

This guest blog was written by author Kayla Fioravanti. She is a Cosmetic Formulator and Registered Aromatherapist. She writes for Demascope Magazine, Les NouvellesEsthetiques & Spa’s and NAHA. In addition to that, she is passionate about small business; she went to Washington DC with a committed group of small business advocates to talk about the small micro beauty businesses.

Tangle Free Soap Queen TV!

October 14, 2010 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Learn to make Shampoo and Conditioner in this episode of Soap Queen TV.

I love making my own hair care products so I can scent them with my favorite fragrances and layer my signature scents with matching bar soaps and lotions (for a subtle scent that lasts all day)! Making hair conditioner is just as easy as making lotion. You won’t believe how fast and economical this project is.

As a special bonus, I made the label template used in the video available as a free download on the Bramble Berry web site- Check it out here!

How to Make Shampoo and Conditioner from Soap Queen on YouTube.

Fragrance Blend:
1 part Rosemary Essential oil
1 part Peppermint 1st dist. Essential oil
1 part Tahitian Vanilla Fragrance

For the Shampoo:
1/4 oz Fragrance Oil Blend
10 oz. Shampoo Base

For the Conditioner:
2 grams Liquid Silk
22 grams Liquid Glycerin
35 grams BTMS-50
13 grams Jojoba Oil
6 grams Sweet Almond Oil
12 grams DL-Panthenol
374 grams Distilled Water
4 grams Fragrance Oil Blend
4 grams Optiphen

Get everything you need to make this project added to your Bramble Berry shopping cart by clicking here.

Mojito Melt and Pour Soap Tutorial

August 4, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

I love reading each and every blog comment posted by Soap Queen Readers. Thank you for all of your input and inspiration- It really makes it fun for me! Mid July, I posted a tutorial on Watermelon Soaps and received a comment from SweetMadeSoap that she had made a delicious Mojito Soap with shades of green and white scented with Lime and Peppermint Essential oils. I just had to give the Mojito soap a try (as my mouth started watering just reading the comment). And the results are in…

Ingredients

Clear Melt and Pour

White Melt and Pour (optional)

Liquid Green Colorant

Yellow Mica

Brilliant Blue LabColor

Aqua Pearl Mica

Peppermint Essential Oil (2nd distillation)

Lime Essential Oil

Scalloped Round Mold (discontinued)
NOTE: The Scalloped Round Mold shown in this tutorial has been discontinued. This kit now contains the Round Mold.
Glossy Silicone Tray Mold

Get everything you need for this project by clicking the ‘Buy It Now’ icon below.

You’ll also need cookie cutters and a sharp knife to cut out ice cubes and mint leaves.

Mint Leaves: For my dark colored mint leaves, I used clear melt and pour mixed with Liquid Green Colorant and a sprinkle of Yellow Mica. Then I poured a thin layer into a brownie pan tray mold. Once it cooled, I used my mini leaf cookie cutter to cut out the leaves. Try adding a little bit of white soap base to the mix if you want a lighter mint color. As you can see, I did both!

Ice Cubes: For my ice cube color, I used clear melt and pour soap base with 1/2 drop of Brilliant Blue Labcolor, and a sprinkle of Aqua Pearl Mica. You can either pour a layer (1/2 inch thick) into a tray mold and cut your cubes by hand our use a flexible ice cube mold. Either way will work.

Essential Oils: Since Peppermint Essential Oil is pretty strong, I used 1 part Peppermint Essential Oil to 3 parts Lime Essential Oil. It really does smell delicious and refreshing. Trust me, you’re going to love this blend!

Assembly: Pour a thin layer of clear melt and pour (that has cooled to 130 degrees) into your scalloped round soap mold. Spritz four mint leaves and add them to the soap base. Then add another thin layer of clear melt and pour. Spritz three or four ice cubes with rubbing alcohol and add them to the soap, on top of the mint leaves. Then start the random assembly. Add more mint leaves and ice cubes until the mold is full and you have mint and ice sticking out everywhere. Repeat with the other cavities and remember that they’re not all going to be the same. There are no two Mojito Soaps alike (in my experience).

Has anyone else made Mojito Soap? I would love to hear about them!

Soap Queen TV: Bath Fizzy Fun!

June 17, 2010 Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

Learn how easy it is to make Bath Fizzies and Bath Bombs with me this week on Soap Queen TV!

How to Make Bath Fizzies from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

Bath Bombs are so easy and economical to make but they have a reputation for being tricky to create.
Let me show you how simple and fun making bath fizzies can be. First, I create a multi-colored star with a Soapylove stacked star soap mold and then I show how to use our stainless steel sphere mold to make the ever popular round bath bombs. To find the recipe for the bath fizzy frosting I mention in the video go here.

To make the star fizzies you will need:

1 cup Citric Acid
2 cups Baking Soda
18 ml Coconut Citrus Sorbet
Gurlie Pink LaBomb Color
Adobe Brick LaBomb Color
Cornflower Blue LaBomb Color
Witch Hazel
SoapyLove Stacked Star Mold
Note: The mold shown in this video has been discontinued. This kit now contains the 6 Cavity Heart Silicone Mold.
Or click here to add everything you need to make these to your Bramble Berry shopping cart.

To make the mondo lavender bombs:

1 cup Citric Acid
2 cups Baking Soda
3 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay
18 ml Lavender Essential oil
Lilac LaBomb Color
Stainless Steel 2 piece Sphere mold

Or click here to add everything you need to make these to your Bramble Berry shopping cart.

Eco Chic Candles

May 17, 2010 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Get back to the basics by using natural products like Bramble Berry’s new Naturewax. It is skin safe, 100% vegetable based and made from soy which is an environmentally friendly renewable resource. Reuse your old canning jars, mason jars or baby food containers for a variety of eco-friendly container candles.

Eco-Friendly Candle Ingredients:

16 oz Naturewax

Glass Baby Food Containers

1 oz Orange Essential Oil

1 oz Grapefruit Essential Oil

1 oz Lime Essential Oil

5 RRD29 Wicks

Droppers

Spoons

10 pencils (optional)

ONE: Melt the Naturewax wax in the microwave in a heat safe container. Make sure to melt it in 1 minute bursts, stirring in between with a spoon. Normally we recommend a double boiler for wax melting but his particular wax has a melt point of 125°F so it melts nicely in the microwave. Also, for paraffin based waxes, I always recommend specialty candle containers. Again, because of the super low melt point, they are not needed for this Naturewax based project. For more tips on candle making, check out the Soap Queen TV Episode on Travel Candles.

TWO: Fill one jar with melted wax, leaving at least 1/2″ from the top of the jar. Mix in your essential oil blend (we used 5 ml Orange EO, 4 ml Grapefruit EO, 3 ml Lime EO). Blend well. Note: we used a 4 oz. baby food jar and found it held 3.2 oz. (by weight) of Soy Wax.

THREE: Dip the base of the wick into the melted wax and center on the bottom of the container.

TIP: If you’re having problems with leaning wicks, make sure that your wick can stand on “dry land” before putting it in your wax, bending the wick if necessary. Once the wick is centered in the candle, place 2 pencils horizontally on the jar on each side of the wick. This will give the wick a little support as you pour the wax and the candle cools.

FOUR: Repeat steps two and three and let cool for 4 to 6 hours. Trim the wicks to 1/4″, light the candle, and enjoy.

Customize this project with the resources that you have available. Let us know how your eco candles turned out!

18 Bars of Pure Cuteness!

May 6, 2010 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

Have you seen Bramble Berry’s new Baltic Birch Molds? If not, check them out HERE. I love them SO much. They are stunningly gorgeous, so versatile and selling fast (we’re seriously having trouble keeping them on the shelves). And you can use them for more than just cold process. Here’s a colorful and fun melt and pour project!

Here’s What I used

18 Bar Balic Birch Mold

Freezer Paper (and tape)

90-100 ounces of Clear Soap

(100 ounces of soap is about 6.25 pounds)

Energy Fragrance Oil

Yuzu Fragrance Oil

Grapefruit Essential Oil

Embedding Toys (optional)

Soap Scraps (optional)
Colorants

Before you start: Line your mold with freezer paper making sure that you have a flat bottom with the shiny side up. Remember that the bottom will eventually become the top of your soap. Once your mold is lined, add the side and end border pieces and put your inserts together so they’re ready to go to.

ONE: In a large microwave safe container, melt about 32 ounces of clear soap base. Once the soap is completely melted, add 1 drop of liquid blue colorant to give the soap a “clear” effect (just one drop will do the trick). Do not add any fragrance at this point.

Note: You will only need a couple of ounces for the initial pour so if you don’t have a microwave safe container that big, it’s a-okay. Just melt 1-2 ounces. To save time, I like to melt my soap in larger quantities.

TWO: Pour a thin thin layer into the mold (about 1/8″ thick) and spritz the soap with alcohol while your pouring. This will help the soap spread out into the mold.

THREE: Before the soap cools, quickly place the inserts into the mold, squeezing the ends with your fingers to hold them together. Press the inserts firmly into the soap and let cool for 15-20 minutes, until the clear layer is totally hardened and the dividers are ‘sealed’ in the soap.

FOUR: It’s time to embed your soap scraps and/or toys! This is the fun part. Just treat each section an individual soap mold. Take the time to make each one different or quickly bust out 18 of the same soap! This is the creative part and it’s totally up to you!

Embedding Tips: Spritz the first layer of clear soap with rubbing alcohol and pour another thin layer of clear soap (you might have to remelt your original clear soap). Liberally spritz the embedding object (whether it be soap scraps or toys) with rubbing alcohol and place it into the freshly poured clear soap.

FIVE: Once the embedded layer has cooled, add the final layer of soap with color* and fragrance. I used a combination of Energy Fragrance Oil, Grapefruit Essential Oil and Yuzu Fragrance Oil. I always recommend .25 -.5 ounces of fragrance per 16 ounces of soap base. When pouring your layers, remember to spritz the embedded layer before pouring your colored layer. Also make sure your colored soap is no hotter than 120 degrees; we don’t want to melt any of your other soap layers.

*My Fun Color Combinations: Bright Orange- Red Mica and Non-bleeding Red, Light Turquoise-

Opalescent Turquoise and Iridescent Glitter, Pearly Blue – Liquid Blue and Super Pearly White Mica, Lemon Lime Green- Liquid Green and Yellow Mica.

All of my soaps turned out different ranging from 3.2-5.6 ounces (using 89 ounces total) so have fun and make any size that you want!

Unmolding: Place a large cutting board over the top of your mold and gently flip the soap mold over onto a hard surface. Lift the mold off of the soap and slowly remove the freezer paper from the soap. I used the scraper tool from the Tool Kit (a non serrated knife or small spatula would work) to scrape the soap off the edges of the border pieces. Then slowly pull the sides of the mold away from the soap (Note: If you ever use this mold to make Cold Process soap, you cannot pull the sides from the soap as CP soap is softer and tends to tear). Pop out your soaps and marvel at your creativity.

If you have never made melt and pour soap before, check out some Soap Queen TV videos to get you started. I recommend the episodes on Fragrances, Colorants and Embedding. There are also some helpful blog posts on embedding here, here and here.

Wild West, Mary Kay & Business Lessons

May 2, 2010 Filed Under: Business Musings

Day Two of the Handcrafted Soapmaker’s Guild Annual Conference was packed, packed, packed with an incredible line up of speakers.

Robert Tisserand entertained and educated at the same time with a great talk about essential oils. He had us in stitches with his sense of humor. My big take away for me from his talk was that ALL essential oils should be refrigerated (so quick, go make room in your fridge!).

Kayla Fioravanti talked about Essential Wholesale’s growth from inception to where they are today. She told hilarious (honest) stories of the early years, making everyone in the group feel better about how their businesses have grown (haphazardly!). My big takeaway from her talk was that small businesses are at an ADVANTAGE compared to big businesses because we can tell stories that connect with the customer; we can share our passion; we have a face. The ‘big guys’ can’t connect with customers in the same way that we can as nimble small businesses.

Debbie May shared her journey in starting WholesaleSuppliesPlus. She focused on the things that can kill your business – lack of passion, lack of data mining, lack of profits and lack of systems. Debbie has an MBA and she wowed us all by sketching out a basic profit and loss on the fly to illustrate the difference between net profit and gross profit. My big takeaway from her talk was that ‘growth sucks cash.’ In order to fund your growth in the early years, you may have to do without a paycheck as you plow all of your earnings back into your company to fund your growth. Debbie’s business hero is Mary Kay and she highly recommends the book “Mary Kay: Timeless Principles from America’s Greatest Women Entrepreneur.”

Then it was off to the Essential Wholesale Wild West Party. For the second year in a row, they sponsored the evening’s activities – from a Wild West Improv party to a comedian to a great dessert table, open bar and full wild west buffet. The evening was full of laughter, camaraderie and yes, even a conga line.

I’ve uploaded even more photos (and even a few videos from the Wild West party) to my Flick account here or the Soap Guild Conference page is here with full photos. Tonight is the big awards night where they announce the the location of the next Conference and give us all an excuse to dress up a little.

Happy Earth Day – One Planet, Many Soaps

April 22, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Celebrate this Earth Day with Eco-Chic Soap (with one easy kit)! This kit is designed to be as eco friendly as possible. Reuse your own yogurt, tofu or cleaned out food containers to make an earth friendly soap that is made with 100% organic vegetable oils and essential oils. In keeping with the eco friendliness, no paper instructions will be included with this kit so grab your step by step paper-free instructions HERE.

Each Eco-Chic Kit Contains:

2 lbs Organic Melt and Pour Base

1 oz. Spirulina

1 oz. Cranberry Seeds

0.5 oz Orange Essential Oil

0.5 oz Lavender Essential Oil

You can provide additives like coffee grounds, oatmeal, clays or food-grade charcoal (just make sure that it’s skin safe). You’ll also provide a recycled “soap mold” like a yogurt container, tofu container, soy milk container, coffee cup, etc. You’re not limited to anything here (well, except glass containers which don’t release soap very easily) so feel free to get creative!

Bramble Berry also offers a variety of natural and organic products like natural soap bases, organic essential oils and so much more. Click HERE for more information. If you’re a Cold Process soapmaker, not to fear, you are not left out – try clays, herbs, other exfolliants and essential oils to stay naturally clean and planet-friendly. Remember, natural homemade soap is biodegradable.We’re just one Planet with many, many soaps to make.

Mother’s Day Bath Tea

April 15, 2010 Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

Mother’s Day is coming up (and coming up quick!). This is an easy project for you to make with kids too (eh hem, Dads…). Let mom relax this mother’s day with herbal infused bath time. I have two fabulous recipes to pick from that are both relaxing and moisturizing. Your mom deserves it (I know my mom does)!

RECIPE ONE: Healing Orange Bath Tea

1/4 cup Chamomile Herb

1/4 cup Calendula Herb

8 mini scoops of Orange Peel Powder

3 ml Vitamin E Oil

6 ml Orange ValenciaEssential Oil

1 Large Sealable Tea Bag

Small mixing bowl

Droppers

Mini Scoops

Iron

ONE: In your small mixing bowl, combine the Chamomile, Calendula, Orange Peel Powder, Vitamin E Oil and Orange Valencia Essential Oil.

TWO: Mix ingredients together so the oil is evenly distributed. Use your fingers to fill the tea bag with the herbs.

THREE: Seal the open ends of the tea bag with a hot iron.

RECIPE TWO: Relaxing Rose and Lavender Bath Tea

1/4 cup Lavender Grade One

1/4 cup Pink Moroccan Rosebuds

4 ml Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil

2 ml Vitamin E Oil

Large Sealable Tea Bag

Small mixing bowl

Droppers

Mini Scoop

Iron

ONE: In your small mixing bowl, combine the Lavender, Rose Petals, Vitamin E Oil and Hungarian Lavender Essential oil.

TWO: Mix ingredients together and fill the tea bag with the herbs.

THREE: Seal the open ends of the tea bag with a hot iron.

*Note: It’s normal for the oil to soak through the tea bag just a little. It’s the price we must pay for a fabulously scented and moisturizing bath. Leave the oil out of the recipe if you do not want the oil marks on the tea bag.