Jean Horn Archives - Soap Queen

Guest Post: Exfoliants in Soap

June 18, 2014 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

In addition to beautiful colors and fantastic fragrances, exfoliants can add a touch of interest to soap to make it extra special. Bramble Berry carries 19 exfoliants, from Bamboo Powder to Walnut Shells. Talk about choices! Our guest blogger Jean Horn did an excllent re-cap of a Soap & Cosmetic Guild Conference session about navigating the wide world of scrubby possibilities, as well as how to choose the best exfoliants for your bars. Scrub up! — A.M.

Here’s what I saw when I walked into this session:

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Guest Post: Testing Natural Colorants in Cold Process

June 5, 2014 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

We’re taking today off from our normally scheduled cold process tutorial to show you this fantastically thorough recap of a session at the 2014 Soap Guild. Our guest blogger Jean Horn attended Ruth Esteves’ session on natural colorant testing in cold process. Natural colorants are a beautiful option for cold process soaping, but it’s important to know how they behave and which ones will stand the test of time. Read Jean’s excellent recap of the session, and then give natural colorants a try. — A.M.

Ruth was fighting a cold the day she presented, but she was happy to let me snap a picture of her anyway. She did an excellent job on her presentation, and she is co-owner of The Nova Studio in California.

Have you ever thought about moving toward using mostly natural colorants? Is this something your customers are asking for? If so, the information presented in this session will be extremely helpful to you.

Which natural additives will withstand the rigors of cold process? What is a natural colorant? Ruth’s presentation on testing natural colorants contained some great information addressing both of these issues.

Some natural ingredients that can add color to CP soap include plants, spices, Herbs and Botanicals, Clays, vegetables, and fruits. This Brazilian Clay Sampler from Bramble Berry is an example of the beautiful colors that clays lend to Cold Process Soap. Wow. Aren’t those soaps gorgeous?

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HSCG Conference Guest Post: Kevin Dunn AKA Dr. McSoapy

May 28, 2013 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Who would have guessed how entertaining a chemistry lesson on molecular structure could be. We soap makers sometimes think of ourselves as mad scientists. We get a kick out of the chemical reactions that occur during the process of saponification.

Kevin Dunn, PhD is the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College. He has done and continues to do research projects on the chemistry of handcrafted soap. He is the author of Scientific Soapmaking about the chemistry of cold process soap.

Dunn received a nickname at the session. He became known as Dr. McSoapy.

Hello, Dr. McSoapy! [Read more…]

Meet our Soap Guild 2013 Guest Bloggers

April 24, 2013 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Excitement is building around our offices as the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Conference quickly approaches. The annual conference draws attendees from around the country, and it’s a great place to learn new techniques, make connections and befriend fellow soapmakers. I’m super disappointed that I can’t attend this year, but it’s for a very good reason: our Bramble Girl is due smack dab in the middle of the conference! To keep everyone in the loop on the fun, we are sending the famously wonderful Kat (see two of her blog posts here and here) to teach an advanced soapmaking class and two Soap Queen guest bloggers to keep us updated with blog posts and photos throughout the conference. Don’t be shy; say hello!

Michele Lang, Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps

“I’m a wife, mother, blogger, and self proclaimed soap nerd living in Lubbock, Texas—a place best known for our expansive horizons, cotton and Buddy Holly.

What began in 2008 as a mere curiosity about the soap making process quickly became an insatiable passion. I fell in love with the intriguing chemical process, the artistic expression, the earthy perfume of essential oils, and the overall connection to the beautiful ingredients. I’m really just a gal who sees handcrafted soap as a beautiful art form. I feel a connection to the ingredients and my goal is to feature them as “the star” of the show.

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