rose petals Archives

DIY Floral Wax Bark Melts

January 23, 2018 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Home Crafts

Wax melts are a great alternative to candles. They fill the room with scent and provide a cozy atmosphere. This “wax bark” style is extremely easy to make. No mold is necessary – all you need is a lined sheet pan.

First, Blushing Orchid Fragrance Oil and Baby’s Breath Fragrance Oil are mixed into melted wax and pink rose petals and jasmine flowers are sprinkled on top. Once the wax is completely cool, it’s broken into shards. The wax pieces look a lot like chocolate bark, so make sure everybody knows they are for burning and not eating.

Blushing Orchid Fragrance Oil and Baby’s Breath Fragrance Oil are part of our Modern Floral Collection, which includes four new scents, extracts, dried botanicals, and more. Click here to see all the new products.

In our tests, we found the combination of Blushing Orchid Fragrance Oil and Baby’s Breath Fragrance Oil had a subtle but noticeable scent throw that worked well for a small room. Because Bramble Berry’s fragrance oils are not tested in candles and wax melts, we recommend making a small test batch with any scent you use to make sure you like the scent when burned. For example, we tried this recipe with Wild Rose Fragrance Oil, but found the smell wasn’t very strong when warmed.

In our tests, the rose petals and jasmine flowers did not cause any problems in our wax warmer. They don’t come in direct contact with a flame, and the wax doesn’t get hot enough for them to burn. They petals will eventually turn brown.

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How to Make Rosehip Seed Bath Salts

February 17, 2017 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Soaks & Scrubs

A hot bath is the perfect way to relax and unwind – especially during the winter months. There are a variety of “bath additives,” like bath bombs, bath oils, bubble bars and bath salts. In terms of DIY, bath salts are one of the easiest to make. Simply adding plain salt (such as Epsom salt or Dead Sea salt) straight to the tub is great for the skin. But, taking the time to add a few simple ingredients to the salts creates an extra luxurious experience.

This Rosehip Seed Bath Salt recipe is made with fine grained Dead Sea salt. Bramble Berry’s Dead Sea salt comes from Israel via the Dead Sea, where many people travel to soak in its water. Dead Sea salt contains a large amount of magnesium, potassium, bromides and chloride which feel great on the skin. If you prefer a difference type of salt, feel free to swap it. Learn more about various salt options here.

Rosehip seed oil adds vitamins A and C, and gives your bath water moisturizing properties. Rosehip seed oil is considered a “dry oil,” which means it soaks easily into the skin. A touch of evening primrose extract is also added, which is wonderful for dry and mature skin. Polysorbate 80 disperses the oil throughout the bath water and prevents it from pooling on top. Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil adds a light rosy scent. Rose petals and a touch of Rose Gold Mica dress up the salts, but can be omitted if you prefer.

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Rose Clay & Charcoal Soap Tutorial

January 6, 2017 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Cold Process Soap

After the holidays, I always feel the need for a bit of detoxing and rejuvenation. That desire to hit the reset button inspired this soap recipe, which contains rose clay and charcoal. Both are known for their oil-absorbing properties. Charcoal in particular binds to dirt and oil in the skin, bringing them to the surface. In these bars, charcoal is sprinkled in between layers to create rustic-looking stripes.

The rose clay in this recipe is dispersed in distilled water rather than oil to help compensate for the absorption properties. Learn more about working with clays in your products. The clay, along with Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil, will cause the trace to become thick rather quickly. For this design that’s totally okay. These bars are meant to have a natural and rustic look to them, so you don’t need to worry about the layers being straight or the top being smooth. These bars really play up the thick texture!

After a few washes, the rose petals will fall off. But, I think they are totally worth it – they really are the cherry on top! Of course if you want to skip them, feel free. When it’s time to cut the bars, the rose petals can get caught under the knife and create drag marks. I threw caution to the wind and used the Multi-Bar Cutter. That created drag marks on about half the bars. But, I think they actually contribute to the “natural” look and feel. Depending on your preference, cut the bars on the side to avoid the drag marks, or embrace them by cutting straight down.

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Heavenly Lilac Bath Truffle Tutorial + Free Printable

April 26, 2016 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Bath Fizzies

Bath truffles are essentially bath bombs with extra skin-loving oils and butters. They add more hydrating properties to the tub than typical bath bombs while still producing fizz. These Heavenly Lilac Bath Truffles are made with cocoa butter and shea butter to moisturize skin. Lilacs are currently in bloom here in the Pacific Northwest, and the Lilac Fragrance Oil captures their romantic scent perfectly.

These bath truffles make a great Mother’s Day gift. Just make sure to handle them with care, as they are rather delicate. To give these truffles a finishing touch, download the free Heavenly Lilac Bath Truffle labels here. Then print them on Waterproof Label Paper to attach to jars, or on card stock to attach as a tag. I found I was able to fit three truffles in the Tall 8 oz. Bail Jar.

I used a combination of Party Pink Mica and Lavender Mica to give these truffles a light pinkish-purple color. In my tests, these bath bombs did not leave color on my tub. I have found that wiping down my tub prior to taking a bath reduces color from transferring. (AKA: keeping a clean tub) The trick to bath truffles or bath bombs that contain a large amount of solid butters is making sure the bath water is hot when placing the product in the tub. If the water is not hot enough to melt the butters, it will inhibit the fizz of the truffle. Do be careful when getting out of the tub, as the butters in this recipe can leave the bottom of the tub rather slippery.

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Kombucha SCOBY Cold Process Soap DIY

April 21, 2016 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Cold Process Soap

I’m fascinated by how diet and exercise affects our lives, sleep patterns, energy levels and basically, everything. Because of this, I’m always game to try the newest health food craze. Choffy? Sign me up. Bulletproof coffee? Yep. Probiotics? On it. Recently, I have been on a fermented food kick. This includes eating lots of sauerkraut, kimchi and making my own kombucha. If you’re unfamiliar with kombucha, it is fermented and sweetened tea (usually black tea or green tea). It’s a bit of a polarizing beverage as it has a strong vinegar taste. Personally, I love it as do the kiddos. =)

To create kombucha, a “Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast,” also known as a SCOBY, is placed in the tea to ferment the beverage. As the tea ferments, the SCOBY separates and duplicates. The science is pretty amazing! If you’ve ever made kombucha before, you know how quickly your SCOBY duplicates. Soon, you’ll have more kombucha and SCOBY than you know what to do with. After giving away as much SCOBY to friends and family as I could, I thought (as any soapmaker does), “I need to make soap with this!”

Using kombucha and SCOBY in cold process soap is the same as using other alternative liquids and additives such as purees (click here to learn more about purees in soap). Essentially, the kombucha and SCOBY add sugar to the soap batter, which increases the temperature. I was concerned that replacing 100% of the distilled water in this recipe with kombucha and adding SCOBY would be too much extra sugar. Instead, I chose to puree the SCOBY with a few ounces of kombucha and add the puree at trace.

If you’re curious about how I calculated the water amounts in this recipe with the SCOBY and kombucha, here is how I broke it down:

The full amount of water in this recipe is 18.15 ounces.
First, I calculated a 10% water discount to help it unmold faster. This gave me 16.3 ounces of water (18.15 x 0.9= 16.3).
I’m adding 5 ounces of SCOBY and 3.3 ounces of kombucha at trace. I estimated the SCOBY is about 50% water, which means I’m adding 2.5 ounces of water via the SCOBY.
The total amount of liquid added at trace is 5.8 ounces; 2.5 ounces of liquid in the SCOBY and 3.3 ounces of kombucha. (3.3 + 2.5 = 5.8).
To compensate for the added liquid, I subtracted 5.8 ounces from 16.3 ounces to get 10.5 ounces.

To go from 18.15 ounces of water to 10.5 ounces of water looks like a huge water discount. But, keep in mind you are adding 3.3 ounces of kombucha at trace and 5 ounces of SCOBY at trace, which has a large amount of water (approx. 2.5 ounces). Technically, you can safely mix lye and water at a 1:2 ratio. To read more about water discounting your soap, click here.

I did experience some heat-related issues in this batch. You can read about them at the bottom of this post. Keep in mind the sugar and water content in my kombucha might be a little bit different than yours because each brew will be unique. Because kombucha naturally contains vinegar, I was curious how this would affect the pH of my bars. I tested the pH of these bars and it was 8, which is on the lower side of normal for CP soap. This may vary depending on how “strong” your kombucha is. Click here to read more about the pH of cold process soap.

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Juicy Orange & Sweet Rose Cold Process

May 29, 2014 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

I’m a huge fan of fancy swirled tops, but for this recipe I decided to switch things up. This orange-scented soap is piled high with orange peels and rose petals, and the rich orange color comes from paprika — yes, the same paprika that’s probably in your kitchen!

Herbs, botanicals and spices as colorants are some of the best kept secrets in soapmaking, and you can learn more about using them in cold process soaping here. Finally, be aware that although the orange and rose topping is beautiful, they are natural items that will wilt or even mold if left in the shower and in wet conditions long enough.

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Facebook Photo of the Week (May 3rd ~ May 9th)

May 9, 2014 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

This week we kicked off a series of sales and promotions that will continue into next week. Be sure to keep your eyes on the blog and the Bramble Berry Facebook page for the coupon codes. If you’d like to be the first to know about sales and specials in advance, sign up for the Newsletter. Newsletter subscribers were given advance notice of coupons and the schedule for coupon release.

Paired perfectly with the promotions is a collection of soothing, floral-themed projects. The Rose Water Lotion tutorial uses rose water to give the lotion a light, rosey scent. If you have never made lotion before, it’s a great recipe to get started. The recipe also includes Chamomile Extract, which helps to calm the skin and reduce redness. If you are curious about extracts, the Sunday Night Spotlight: Extracts explains what they are, their special properties and how to use them.

The Lavender and Chamomile Goat Milk Bath Tea is another great project for the beginning crafter, and it’s the perfect way to unwind after a long day. If you are looking for more bath time additives, the Soothing Bath Soak with Oat and Lavender is made with Aloe Extract and Colloidal Oatmeal, making it great for dry skin. If you are scrambling for a last minute gift for mom, our Mother’s Day Bath Tea can be made in no time!

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