Soap Queen

Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more

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Make Lotion from Scratch on Soap Queen TV

Filed Under: Lotion

Learn how to make handmade lotion in this throwback episode of Soap Queen TV filmed in 2010. After watching this video, you will have all the tools you need to make luxurious, moisturizing, and perfect lotion every time! Interested in creating your own lotion recipe from scratch? Check out this blog post to learn more about emulsifiers, lotion oils, preservatives, and how to use them.

First, lotion ingredient uses and benefits are reviewed. Then, learn to make lotion from start to finish. Labeling requirements are also covered if you plan on selling your product. A note on semantics: Anne-Marie uses the term sterilize which is technically incorrect. The term disinfect should be used when talking about cleaning tools for lotion making.

Want to make your very own lotion from scratch? Our Lotion Kit includes everything you need to handmade lotion.

Kit Includes:
Twelve 8 oz. Bottles
4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
4 oz. Avocado Oil
4 oz. Shea Butter
4 oz. Stearic Acid
4 oz. Polawax Emulsifying Wax
0.5 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
0.5 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
Printed Instructions
Printed Labels

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Shine Bright: Bronze Series + Bronzing Lotion Recipe

Filed Under: Lotion

Whether you’re taking an exotic trip this summer or tanning in your backyard, you’re covered with this series of Bronze tutorials. First up, give your lips some moisturizing shine with the Beautiful Bronze Lip Tint tutorial. Featuring a special blend of Merlot Mica, Copper Mica and Gold Sparkle Mica (which is 20% off this month!), it’s perfect for subtle color. Then, visit Soap Queen on Tumblr for the complimenting Bronze Goddess Nail Polish. This recipe makes 3 bottles of polish, so keep one for yourself and give the rest to friends!

From top left clockwise: Shimmer Stick, Bronze Lip Tint, Bronze Goddess Nail Polish, Coconut Cream Cold Process

For bronze-y skin care, take a look at the Shimmer Stick that came out in this week’s newsletter (didn’t get it? sign-up here!) It’s a super-pigmented solid bar that also imparts plenty of skin-loving moisture. It’s fragranced with Burnt Sugar Fragrance Oil, which features delicious notes of amber and vanilla. For more skin-loving goodness, take a look at the Coconut Cream Pie Cold Process tutorial. Made with 100% coconut water instead of distilled water, it’s a tropical soapy treat!

Sometimes all that glitters really is gold!

The final tutorial in our Bronze Series is the Beautiful Bronzing Lotion. Made with the Aloe Lotion Base, this is a beginner recipe that can be made in a matter of minutes.

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Guest Post: Formulating Scrubs and Body Butters

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Who doesn’t love a luxurious, skin-loving body butter? Butters and lotions are great because there a whole range of skin-loving ingredients to use. Want a whipped shea body butter, avocado salve or rose water lotion? You got it! This post is a wrap up from a HSCG 2014 session by Marla Bosworth, of Back Porch Soap Co. and Bath & Body University. It’s all about formulating your own luxurious butters and lotions. Happy lotion making! — A.M.

Have you ever wanted to make a luxurious body butter or sugar scrub, but weren’t sure where to begin?  Marla Bosworth, of Back Porch Soap Co. and Bath & Body University, presented us with some stellar advice for making scrumptious scrubs & butters.  She had her lovely daughter demonstrate the process while she explained the recipes, too!

We learned some great tips for formulating salt and sugar scrubs.  For example, Marla reminded us to consider the rinse-off factor of the oils we choose to include in our recipes.  Light oils rinse off much easier than a heavy oil or solid butter, and leave skin feeling soft and hydrated, whereas heavier oils will probably leave a greasy layer behind.  If you do use a heavier oil (such as coconut or olive oil), blending with some lighter oils is probably a good idea.

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Argan & Shea Lotion

Filed Under: Lotion

Little extras often make a good lotion a fantastic lotion, and this Argan & Shea Lotion has no shortage of extras. The recipe is highly customizable, and you can choose between three different scent, color and extract options. All three options contain powerful and unique skin-loving antioxidants and vitamins. Bonus, this tutorial comes with free PDF labels to give this lotion a professional touch.

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White Thyme Essential Oil + Massage Cream Tutorial

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

You may already be familiar with thyme for its culinary uses — this slow baked salmon with lemon & thyme recipe, for example? Yeah, it’s to die for! Beyond the kitchen though, thyme also has a long history as a purifying plant and medicinal herb.  Believe it or not, thyme was used by the Egyptians for embalming, by the Greeks as incense and in Europe in the Middle Ages to ward off nightmares. You can read more about thyme on its Wikipedia page here.

In soapmaking, White Thyme Essential Oil is a soothing scent that works in soaps, lotions and creams.

Our White Thyme Essential Oil is first steam distilled from the flowers of the plant which creates a red thyme oil. The re-distillation produces the more gentle white thyme.

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Talk It Out Tuesday: All Things Lotion

Filed Under: Lotion

Woohoo! Here we are again with another installment of Talk It Out Tuesday (check out our previous TIOT’s on bath bombs, colorants, melt and pour and our latest on preservatives).  I am delighted about the topic this week because I know many of you have questions about  water-based lotions. I can’t wait to help you answer them. So read on and find out everything you wanted to know about lotions! And, if I didn’t answer it, feel free to ask me in the Comments section.

What is lotion?

Lotion is a basic skin-care product that is used to soothe dry skin and often has ingredients that are intended to give extra added benefits to your skin. Body butters, balms, salves, lotion bars, creams, and massage candles can all be considered a lotion. Generally, a traditional lotion will have water + oils + emulsifiers + preservative.

How do I make lotion?

While there are hundreds of recipes for lotions, body butters and salves out there, a basic lotion recipe would consist of your oils/butters, preservative, fragrance, an emulsifier and distilled water. To create your own lotion from scratch, you can go by the following guidelines: [Read more…]