I'm still here!

Sorry I haven't done much blogging recently, I feel like I've been so busy lately!

The chocolate mint soaps are curing quite nicely. The green has really darkened up and the two greens have blended into the same color. As soon as we get some decent enough light around here I'll get some more pictures of them, it's been dismal & raining.

I made some Christmas Tree scented soaps the other day. They smell so great! I did a red & green swirl but I think I did it backwards. Red is the prominent color instead of green. The red I have is brick red so unfortunately it almost has a brown hue to it.. I think they'll be ok though. I'm certainly going to put them out in the kids/guest bathroom for the month of  December :)

I also made my first batch of 100% Castile soap the other day! I didn't add any color or fragrance to it so it's 100% natural and the bars turned out a beautiful white. I'd been wanting to make a soap that sensitive skin users as well as children could use and Castile kept coming up as the recommendation. According to an article I found at Livestrong.com-  Castile Soap is often recommended for people with sensitive skin and those suffering from eczema, or other skin disorders.

That's all for tonight, I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween tomorrow!

More Salt Bars

I loved the way the first batch of Salt Bars came out so much that I had to make another batch!

For these, I used Orange, Lemon and Clove Bud Essential Oils and they smell heavenly. I've read that citrus doesn't hold up well long term in cold process soap so it'll be interesting to see (smell?) what happens. Hopefully the clove but will anchor the other two smells.

As you can see with this batch and the first batch, I'm trying to get a little more creative in the look of the bars. My SO says it kinda looks like whip cream. I'd love to hear what anyone else thinks!

Soap, Soap & More Soap...

The salt bars kept their color! I love the way they look and judging just by the way my hands feel when I rinse them after handling the bars, I'm going to love them! Too bad I have to wait 4 weeks to really try them out! Knowing me I'll probably just cut off a piece in a week and a half or so, lol

If you've ever been to the ocean and got wet, you probably noticed that afterwards your skin felt soft and smooth and your most basic skin problems disappeared within a few days of being in the salt water. Salt Bars do the same thing just on a smaller scale. Using this soap will actually exfoliate your skin very gently, resulting in wonderful clean, smooth skin!

I also realized I had two other bars that I never posted for all of you.

I'm calling the first bars Summer Spice because they smell like, well, summer and spice, lol, the second bars I've named Tranquil Outdoors. I'm fortunate to live in beautiful Sonoma County, Ca and we happen to have a lot of Eucalyptus trees around in our state parks and such. The smell of these reminds me of hiking around in those parks when I was a kid. Very calming... tranquil even ;)

Here are the bars and their ETSY decriptions:


Summer Spice

These bars smell amazing!

They're a blend of Peppermint, Lemongrass and Clove Bud Essential Oils for a nice light summery smell with a hint of alluring spice at the end. Truly an adventure for the senses. 

These bars have wonderful ingredients such as shea butter, cocoa butter and sweet almond oil.

Put one of these out for your guests or keep them all to yourself, either way I know you'll love them!

Tranquil Outdoors


These earthy bars were made with a blend of eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary and orange essential oils. Similar to the Wake Up Bars they also contain aloe vera gel which is soothing and moisturizing, and also stimulates the growth of new cells and tissue.

The combination of the essential oils in these bars is a wonderful, calming earthy smell. Close your eyes and smell these bars, they'll transport you to the tranquil outdoors!

I'm so excited!

I had my first attempt at making salt bars today and they look promising!

I was able to take them out of the mold & cut them with only some minor crumbling at the end corners. Because they are made with mostly Coconut Oil, they get so hard that if you don't cut them soon enough you run into the possibility of the bars crumbling when you try to cut them or them being to hard to cut at all. I only waited an hour from the time I poured them until I unmolded them. I probably could've waited another hour or so and maybe saved the corners, I'll have to see if I can be that patient next time :)

The bars are a beautiful purple color right now but they're still hot so I'll have to wait & see what color they end up as when they cool down. Hopefully they won't change!

I'll take pics of them tomorrow!

Updated Website!

I wasn't really happy with the design of my website so on the advice of someone who posts on a forum I read, I set one up with Weebly and I like it much better!

I'd love any feedback anyone has :)

I'm feeling a lot better about the new batch of Oatmeal & Honey bars. They're a lot lighter in color but now that they've had a few days, they smell just like the other batch. I'm going to let them cure a week or so before I test them out.

tick tock and more Wake Up Bars!

The countdown is on for my product debut! I'm going to have people over one month from tomorrow to check out all of my products and hopefully pick out some of their favorites to buy and take home with them :)

So, I've been busy trying to get my stock up. I have candles in various sizes, bath salts, lotions and of course soap!

I made these the other day, they're the Wake Up Soap but with some added color and no poppy seeds... I have one of the white bars in my shower right now and I love it!! I have a feeling these are going to be a favorite, they smell so amazing!

Plus, you have the added benefit of the essential oils I added:

Tea Tree Oil has wonderful properties that makes it a popular natural agent for curing all three types of infectious organisms: fungus, bacteria, and virus. More importantly, it is known to effectively fight a number of infections that are resistant to some antibiotics. Therefore, Tea Tree Oil is an excellent natural remedy for hundreds of bacterial and fungal skin ailments such as acne, abscess, oily skin, blisters, sun burns, athlete's foot, warts, herpes, insect bites, rashes, dandruff and other minor wounds and irritations.

Eucalyptus Oil  is considered anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, decongestant, deodorant, antiseptic, antibacterial, stimulating, among other medicinal properties. It helps to relieve muscle pain and is great for those suffering from sprained ligaments and tendons, as well as stiff muscles and aches. Eucalyptus oil, which is stimulating, removes exhaustion and mental sluggishness and rejuvenates the spirits of the sick. It is also effective in treating stress.

Peppermint Oil  also helps to provide relief from stress, depression and mental exhaustion due to its refreshing nature. It is also effective against anxiety and restlessness.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

Add these to my list of favorites

I can't wait to try these out!

I stepped outside the box just a toe to try out a couple things I'd been wondering about. I substituted a bit of the water for this recipe with some Aloe Vera Gel added it at trace,  I also added beeswax to the recipe cause rumor is it helps to make a harder bar.

Then, I added this refreshing, invigorating, stimulating blend of tea tree, eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils. Not to mention, I added a bit of poppy seeds for some exfoliation. I almost want to call these Wake Up Soap. I can't wait to see what these are like in the shower.

These have no added color to them and in my opinion look just beautiful white with the poppy seeds sprinkled in.

I'll give them a week to cure a bit before I take them for a test run and let you know how it went!

Lemongrass & Lavender

These bars smell so fresh!

This was my first use of Essential Oils and it turned out great! The combination of the Lemongrass EO and Lavender EO was a great choice I think. The Lemongrass is the stronger scent but the Lavender creeps in there at the end for a calming effect. I will definitely be using the combination again in the future.

The colors didn't do exactly what I wanted them to (yes, I know they're probably not the most perfect match for the fragrance, lol) I was originally going to try and do some swirls but I let the batch get too far into trace and wasn't able to. I still think they turned out pretty :)

I've already tried using a piece I sliced off and so far they have great lather and don't dry my skin out. They were made with olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado oil, castor oil & jojoba oil.

I used the Oatmeal & Honey Bars for the first time this morning to wash my face in the shower and so far so good. No irritation or break outs, I'm going to continue to use it every morning to see if my skin dries out at all. Granted, I do use a moisturizer on my face after I get out of the shower but who doesn't?

I'll keep you updated!

Essential Oils

I'm taking the plunge into using Essential Oils tonight.

I ordered a handful from a couple different websites the other day and one of the shipments arrived today so I'm anxious to try them out! I've been reading up on them quite a bit and some of these oils have amazing properties.

I thought this was a great definition:

Essential oils, known as nature’s living energy, are the natural, aromatic volatile liquids found in shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds. The distinctive components in essential oils defend plants against insects, environmental conditions, and disease. They are also vital for a plant to grow, live, evolve, and adapt to its surroundings. Essential oils are extracted from aromatic plant sources via steam distillation, and are highly concentrated and far more potent than dry herbs.

While essential oils often have a pleasant aroma, their chemical makeup is complex and their benefits vast—which makes them much more than something that simply smells good.
Historically, essential oils have played a prominent role in everyday life. With more than 200 references to aromatics, incense, and ointments throughout the Bible, essential oils are said to be used for anointing and healing the sick. Today, essential oils are used for aromatherapy, massage therapy, emotional health, personal care, nutritional supplements, household solutions, and much more.

So I'm trying to come up with the perfect blend of scents that will please and intrigue customers. Wish me luck!

Last night I also tried a new shave bar recipe and I'll post the results of that in about a week, after the bars have had some time to cure.

 Last but not least!

Tomorrow my new lip balm tubes and the rest of the new flavors should be here so I'll be hard at working making up some new balms to sell!

So keep an eye on my Etsy Shop for those, or if you live near me, contact me directly so I can wave the shipping costs and we can arrange for a pick up.

Oatmeal & Honey Bars

I'm in love with the way these smell!!

I didn't add fragrance to them and I'm glad I didn't. The smell of both the oatmeal and honey really comes through and they smell wonderful. Same thing with color, I didn't add anything to them. I'm thinking possibly the honey helped add to the color of the bars, maybe the oatmeal also.

I'm going to be anxious to test these since I'm hoping they'll be a nice facial bar. I'm sensitive to a lot of cleaners and such on my face so I'll be a good test subject. It would be great to not have to spend a ton of money on facial cleansers anymore and to have that product be all natural is just icing on the cake!

Now, my question to whoever is even reading this, lol... would you consider purchasing and using a bar that looks like this? Is it aesthetically pleasing? What could I do to make it better if you don't find it so? Any input is welcome, both positive and negative. I want to come up with products that people "want" to buy and use... otherwise "Huston, we have a problem" ;)

oh, one thing I did notice... I didn't make them with oatmeal on the top but I put a bit on there for the picture, I think next time I may put oatmeal on the top, I like the look of it.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

A better picture

Here's a better picture of the Yuzu bars, you can see the green a lot better.. I think if I'm going to take pictures outside I need to do it when the sun is out so the colors show up more :)

Flowers in/on soap and CPOP

I think this is such a cute idea and I've seen so many creative bars with flowers, oatmeal, coffee, etc... that I had to try it!

The yellow flowers on top are Calendula which is apparently a fancy name for a type of Marigold, lol.. who knew?

I used yellow and green as my color scheme, I think I'll have to do more pictures tomorrow because most of the bars have more green in them so this really isn't the best representation. (or maybe I need to take a photography class and learn how to take a good picture, lol)

These were made with Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil and the scent is Yuzu which is an East Asian citrus fruit that just smells fabulous. Very clean and refreshing.

I made a new soap batch tonight, I'm trying to come up with a nice facial bar. I put honey and oatmeal in it and I'm anxious to see if they came out. I think they may have started to go through gel phase while I was still stirring so I stuck them in the oven to see if I could help it out a bit. This apparently has it's own fancy name.. CPOP, Cold Process Oven Process.. apparently the heat helps the bars go through gel phase. I had originally heard this cuts down on the curing time but I've been researching forums & websites and I'm not seeing anything that can confirm this so I'm not going to count on it.

New Mold!

I got this today :)

It's the 18-bar mold from Brambleberry.com and I can't wait to use it!

I think I'm going to test it with another batch of the Lavender Bars... I'm a little nervous cause it'll be the largest batch I've done yet, I think I'll be able to have more versatility with designs like swirls though... how exciting!

Test Success!

We've tested the Shaving Soap, Ocean Bars and Lavender Bars and they are all fabulous!

The shaving bars produce a great lather and leave the skin feeling smooth and moisturized, The Ocean & Lavender bars also have great lather and leave your skin feeling moisturized and smelling great!

I'm going to put the shave bars up for sale soon but I'm going to wait a bit on the Ocean & Lavender bars since they're still a bit soft.

Oh! I also created new labels for the Lip Balms, I like them more than the original packaging... they're a lot less "girly" as my boyfriend puts it, lol.

I'd love to know what you all think of them!

Lavender Bars

These turned out better than I thought they would! Completely not what I was expecting them to look like. I thought the colors were going to mix together and they'd be mostly lavender but as you can see I was wrong by a long shot. I really like how it's simple and subtle.

The buds don't look like mouse droppings! I mean, they do if you really examine them but just by looking at the bar of soap they give it a nice textured look to it... I'll have to see how they feel when I'm able to test them.

Last but not least, the smell is so soothing... it's lavender with just a hint of vanilla to it.. very calming and relaxing...

If these pass the use test I'd definitely recommend buying them when they go up for sale!

Lavender Buds

My mom grows lavender in her yard and I absolutely love the scent so I figured I'd try to make some bars with lavender buds even though everything I've read says they don't keep their color, they actually turn brown and sometimes look like mouse droppings, lol

I made them night before last so i'll probably take them out of the mold later tonight & take pics tomorrow... I tried to do them with a lavender swirl but I added color at a really light trace so I'm afraid the color may have blended together and they'll just be a solid lavender.. either way they'll probably still be pretty as far as color goes... we'll see about those buds :)

Made these the other night

I think they turned out really pretty. They smell fabulous... it's kind of hard to describe, a combination of Ocean & fresh laundry I suppose, lol... I'll have to come up with my own custom name for the fragrance

I have one of the bars sitting on my desk & I keep smelling it :)

Shaving Soap

I decided to try my hand at shave soap... wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about your can running out right in the middle of shaving?? Plus you'd lessen you're environmental impact!

I made these guys with Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Bentonite Clay, Sweet Almond Oil and Vitamin E. I didn't add any color or fragrance to them.. I believe the greenish hue is from the bentonite clay.

I think the hardest part about the whole soapmaking business is the initial waiting period. It takes about 4-6 weeks before a bar is cured enough to be tested. I still need to test my recipes to see if they need changing or if they're good as they are before I go crazy and make a ton of product.

tick tock

The first bars!!

I got impatient & wanted to see how they turned out so I popped them out of the mold!

They turned out kinda pretty :) They're still super soft and now have to dry out for 4-6 weeks before they can be tested but the smell heavenly... just like a tangerine :)

These were made from Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter and Castor Oil

The whole process was so much fun, I'm ready to do more!