Soap Queen

Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more

Tutorials by difficulty level:

How to Make Refreshing Lemongrass Soap

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Cold Process Soap

RefreshingLemongrassSoap_edited-1
This Refreshing Lemongrass Soap was created from the Natural Soap Kit for Beginners. It’s a project that’s specifically designed for beginners, but is perfect for the advanced soaper as well. It’s made with natural lemongrass essential oil, and gets its vibrant color from Green Chrome Oxide Pigment. Poppy seeds are added on top for texture and interest. If you’d like to create a scrubby bar, you could add the poppy seeds at trace!

The Natural Soap Kit for Beginners includes everything you need to create this soap. All you need to provide is distilled water, a mixing bowl, stick blender and thermometer. In addition to the ingredients, the kit  includes cute labels and a printed booklet with instructions and cold process soap information. Another bonus? The kit ships free to the lower 48 United States!

In the video above, you can see just how easy it is to make this project. If working with lye makes you a little nervous, knowledge is power! This Lye Safety Guide will teach you everything you need to know about handling lye safely. If you’re a visual learner, watch this video to learn how to handle it safely.

[Read more…]

#SoaptheRainbow Green Week Inspiration

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Today is the first day of green week for the #SoaptheRainbow series! I’m excited to start the “cool” colors, and I can’t wait to see all your beautiful projects. Share photos of projects featuring green on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #SoaptheRainbow. I’m choosing favorites all week and posting them on the Bramble Berry Instagram page. The featured photos will win a $10 Bramble Berry gift certificate. In addition, a variety of colorants and fragrance oils are 25% off with the code: RAINSOAP. See the sale items here.

#SoaptheRainbow Green Week Inspiration

If you need inspiration for green projects, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite green tutorials. Green is such a wonderful color to craft with – there are so many options! If you like to craft with natural products, the Avocado + Spearmint Cold Process Soap Tutorial uses spirulina powder and French green clay for a soft green color. The natural colors do fade over time; scroll to the bottom of the post to see what the soap looks like after 5 months.

Avocado + Spearmint Cold Process Soap TutorialThe Avocado + Spearmint Cold Process Soap Tutorial contain natural ingredients for a soft green color. 

In the Lavender & Lemongrass Hot Process Soap on Soap Queen TV, spirulina powder and green zeolite clay are added. Green zeolite clay gives cold process soap a light green color and is known for its absorption properties. The true star of the show is the spirulina powder. It gives cold process and hot process soap a more vibrant color. The extra heat in hot process soap also makes the natural colorants more vibrant.

Spirulina powder is also effective in melt and pour soap. In the Minty Clay Melt and Pour Bars, it adds a contrasting stripe in between two white layers. In the Star Anise Melt & Pour Bars, green zeolite clay and spirulina powder create the base of the soap. Anise stars and cinnamon sticks are placed on top and embedded with a clear layer of melt and pour. If you prefer sparkle and shine, the Celtic Melt and Pour Tutorial features Celtic detailing colored with Evergreen Mica.

#SoaptheRainbow Green Week InspirationTop left, clockwise: Minty Clay Melt and Pour Bars, Celtic Melt and Pour Tutorial, Star Anise Melt & Pour Bars

Oxide and pigment colorants are considered nature identical, as they are found in nature but created in a lab to eliminate impurities. They create vibrant colors in cold process soap that won’t fade like spirulina powder. Two of my favorites are Green Chrome Oxide Pigment and Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment. Both colorants are used in the Emerald Swirl Cold Process Tutorial. Green Chrome Oxide Pigment creates gorgeous swirls in the Bamboo Mint Impression Mat Cold Process Tutorial, as well as the Clover & Aloe Spin Swirl Soap on Soap Queen TV.

#SoaptheRainbow Green Week InspirationLeft to right, clockwise: Bamboo Mint Impression Mat Cold Process Tutorial, Clover & Aloe Spin Swirl Soap, Emerald Swirl Cold Process Tutorial

While you probably don’t want to wear green on the skin, a little bit of green colorant gives bath and body products a fresh hue. Kermit Green Mica and Emerald LabColor add a little bit of color to the Easy Creamy Cucumber Lotion DIY. LabColors are specially formulated to not transfer color to the skin when used in the correct amount. The Kermit Green Mica gives the skin the smallest amount of shimmer.

Easy Creamy Cucumber Lotion DIYA light green color is perfect for a cucumber themed projects, like the Easy Creamy Cucumber Lotion DIY.

LabColors also work great in salts and scrubs. In the Margarita Epsom Salt Scrub, a combination of Lime LabColor and Emerald LabColor create a perfect margarita color. If you don’t have any LabColors on hand, micas also work well in scrubs. Apple Moss Green Mica and Evergreen Mica are layered in the Apple & Sage Salt Scrub. Don’t forget about La Bomb colorants! They are great for use in bath fizzies because they don’t set off the fizzing reaction. Irish Green La Bomb Colorant creates a calming hue in the Aloe Bubble Bath Bomb Tutorial. 

#SoaptheRainbow Green Week InspirationTop, clockwise: Apple & Sage Salt Scrub, Margarita Epsom Salt Scrub, Aloe Bubble Bath Bombs

Be on the lookout for new green inspired tutorials this week. I can’t wait to see all your green projects! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #SoaptheRainbow so I don’t miss them. 

St. Patrick’s Day Project Inspiration

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

With St. Patrick’s Day less than a month away, it’s time to break out the green colorants and get crafting. It’s also a great time to get inspired by shades of gold and rainbow color schemes. If you’re looking for a little St. Patrick’s Day inspiration, look no further. We’ve got tons of fun green tutorials and projects for all levels of crafters.

Luck-of-the-Irish-Hot-Process-Soap2The Luck of the Irish Hot Process Soap features a beautiful ombré effect.

One of my favorite green inspired projects is the Luck of the Irish Hot Process Soap. This tutorial uses the hot process method of soaping to create four layers of green soap. Each layer gets a little lighter to create an ombré effect. A thin layer of Gold Sparkle Mica is applied between each layer of green, and is also sprinkled on top. It’s scented with Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil for a fresh and clean smell. It’s a great option if you’d like to use your soap by St. Patrick’s Day, because the hot process method speeds up cure time. Looking for more green hot process projects? You can see the process in action in the Lemongrass and Lavender Hot Process video on Soap Queen TV below.

If you don’t mind your soap not being fully cured by St. Patrick’s Day, check out the Shamrock Cold Process project. It uses the Four Leaf Clover Stamp to accent the gold and green color scheme. It’s scented with Raspberry Porter Fragrance Oil, which is a crisp and fruity take on a traditional beer scent. To cut down on cure time, you could do a water discount. Learn more about water discounting cold process soap here.

collageThe Shamrock Cold Process Soap uses a green and gold color combo and features a clover stamp. 

If you love green but don’t want your soap to scream St. Patrick’s Day, the Exfoliating Green Tea Bars are super sophisticated. They are made with green tea instead of water, and also contain green tea extract. They are scented with Green Tea Fragrance Oil. If you want to give milk soap a try, the Lime in the Coconut Milk Cold Process Soaps uses coconut milk powder for extra moisture. Can’t get enough sparkle? The Emerald Swirl Cold Process Soap features a King’s Gold Mica painting and shimmery green embeds.

collageTop, clockwise: Exfoliating Green Tea Bars, Emerald Swirl Cold Process Soap, Lime in the Coconut Milk Cold Process Soaps

If you’d like your project to be ready to use and give to friends and family on St. Patrick’s Day, melt and pour is the way to go. In the Green Meadow Melt and Pour, shavings of green melt and pour soap are embedded to give the bars a confetti look. If you prefer something more natural, the Star Anise Melt and Pour Bars use spirulina powder and green zeolite clay for a soft mint tint. The same combination of natural colorants is also used in the Minty Clay Melt and Pour Bars to create contrasting layers. In the Reimagining Honey Ale Soap, honey melt and pour base is fragranced with Honey Ale Fragrance Oil to make a beer inspired soap that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

collageTop left, clockwise: Green Meadow Melt and Pour, Star Anise Melt and Pour Bars, Reimagining Honey Ale Soap, Minty Clay Melt and Pour Bars

If you’re looking for an easier green project, the Anti-Pinch Nail Polish is a great way to avoid any pinchy fingers. Nail polish is super fun and easy to make; learn how in this Soap Queen TV video. The Basic Lotion Base makes it easy to create and customize your own unique lotion. In the Creamy Cucumber Lotion DIY, a small amount of Emerald LabColor and Kermit Green Mica is added to the base to give a soft green hue.

collageLeft to right: Anti-Pinch Nail Polish, Easy Creamy Cucumber Lotion DIY

What are you making for St. Patrick’s Day? If you’ve made a green inspired project, I would love to see it. You can upload a photo on the Bramble Berry Facebook Page, tweet the image @brambleberry or post a photo on Instagram with the tag #SoapShare! Can’t wait to see them. =)

Sunday Night Spotlight: Green Colorants

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

As spring rolls around, you may be looking for some sprightly colorants to liven up your bath & body products. To mimic the color of fresh green grass or newly sprouted flowers, Green Chrome Oxide and Hydrated Chrome Green may be just what you’re looking for. As an added bonus, Green Chrome Oxide is 20% off this month as part of Bramble Berry’s web specials.


Chrome Green (top) and Hydrated Chrome Green (bottom) colorants

[Read more…]