One of the questions I am frequently asked is, “How can I make soap without lye?” I completely understand it can be scary to work with sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide as they are caustic chemicals that need to be handled carefully. This keeps many people away from experiencing the wonderful craft that is soapmaking. […]Continue Reading
Here's a few more lovely lard soaps for those of you soap makers who like to keep is traditional
These frugal beauty hacks are the perfect DIY-solution to saving money while still being able to pamper yourself! Check out these handmade soaps and more...
List of natural soap colourants. Learn what to use to colour your soap naturally with herbs, clays, oil infusions and more.
Here’s the results of some more testing that I’ve been doing of natural colorants in cold process soap. This week it was paprika, orange peel powder and rose clay: three very different …
Tired of shaving with the same foamy stuff? Try this homemade shaving soap recipe and revolutionize your daily (or semi-daily) routine!
Acne can seem like a curse...
Here are some common soapmaking additives that you can use when soapmaking. The usage rates are provided as a suggested starting point. You can use more or less depending on your desired result.
This is one of my favorite handmade soaps. It works great for onion and garlic smells on your hands. You can buy most of the ingredients at your local grocery store. This process takes a while, but it is worth the end result. I got 16 slices of soap and 4 decent size (but not pretty) soap balls. Ingredients: Cold coffee Olive Oil Palm Oil Coconut Oil Ground coffee (not instant) Almond or Castor oil Lye* (see notes) Equipment: Crockpot (I use a crockpot from a garage sale that is just for soap making) Stainless steel spoon (not aluminum!) -you can use a wooden spoon, just don't use it for food when you are done Glass jar for mixing lye Wooden skewer for mixing lye Postal or kitchen scale that weighs in 1/10th of ounce increments Phenoolphthalein or litmus strips (in the pool supply aisle) Soap Mold (I use a pringles can!) Stick blender (helpful but not necessary) ALL INGREDIENTS ARE DONE BY WEIGHT! Weigh 12 oz. of cold coffee into a glass jar. Weigh 4.8 oz. of lye into a small jar or bowl. Slowly add lye into coffee (DO NOT add the coffee to the lye, it will erupt and can cause burns!), stirring with a wooden skewer. DO NOT breathe the fumes. This is going to get HOT! Stir until all of the lye is dissolved. Set aside. Weigh 18 oz. of olive oil, 8 oz. of coconut oil and 6 ounces of palm oil into your crockpot. I add each oil seperately and then reset the scale. Turn the crockpot on high to melt the oils. When the oils are melted, pour in the lye mixture and stir to incorporate. Stir with the spoon constantly without splashing until mixture resembles thick set pudding. This will take approx. 15-30 min. depending on the temperature of your oils. If you have a stick blender, pulse in short bursts, alternating with stirring, you should reach the proper consistency in about 5-8 min. with a stick blender. Once you have reached this stage (called trace), you put the lid on the crockpot and let it cook. Check back in about 10 minutes. The outsides should be boiling and it should start to look like a gel. Stir and put the lid back on for another 5-10 minutes. I like to check and stir every 5-10 minutes. After about 15 minutes your soap should resemble applesauce, it will be gelled and chunky looking. applesauce stage close-up of applesauce stage, with a drop of phenolphthalein (the red means it is not neutral) Keep stirring and checking your soap, it will start to get smoother and will eventually resemble mashed potatoes. Once it has reached this stage, take a small amount and cool it on a plate. Rub it between your fingers, it should feel waxy. Check the ph to see if it is neutral. Continue cooking until the soap tests neutral on the plate. Usually it takes about 30 minutes of total cooking time (after you reach trace), I will usually finish my soap after 30 min. even if I am not quite sure it is neutral. You can check the finished soap to be sure it is neutral, and if it is not, all you have to do is let it cure for a week or two. mashed potato stage Once your soap is ready, add 2 tbsp. almond or castor oil and 2 tbsp. ground coffee and mix well. I like to leave it a little swirled. Place the finished soap into the mold of your choice. I find it is best to put some soap in then tap the mold a few times to pack it in and repeat until full. I had some soap leftover so I scooped it onto a plate and formed it into balls as it cooled (these are not pretty, but they still function). Let soap cool completely and remove from mold. In this case, I just tear the container off from the soap. Slice soap into approx. 1/2" slices. Enjoy clean and fresh smelling hands! NOTES: -This is NOT a child friendly project, lye is dangerous stuff. Use caution and common sense. I always made soap when my kids were younger, they knew they were not allowed in the kitchen when mom was making yucky stuff! -Lye is a form of drain cleaner and can be found at many hardware stores and home improvement centers. Read the labels to make sure you have 100% lye. -Wear gloves when handling the lye. -You can check your soap with phenolphthalein or litmus strips when it is done, it should be neutral. -Leave your bars out to air dry, flipping them over every day, for a week and they will be harder and store longer. -If you want a plain soap, use water instead of the coffee and leave out the ground coffee. You could add essential oil with the almond oil right before you mold your soap, just use about 1 tsp. of your favorite scent. -You could also make this other scents like lavender or peppermint and add 2 Tbsp. lavender or peppermint leaves. -This is one of my favorite hostess gifts with a handmade dishcloth.
Here's a roundup of Castile soap warnings you should take note of to get the most of your soap! While Castile soap is a cleaning powerhouse, it's not perfect.
I seem to have a thing for turning my favourite beverages into soaps. Café Latté, Gin and Tonic, and now a Chai Latté. This wonderful, rich soap is scented with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and vanilla. I blended with milk … Continue reading →
Make Natural Soap at Home! Master the skills you need to make natural soap. Learn soap making basics to more advanced soap swirls and designs, goat milk soap, translucent soap, shave soap, emulsified scrubs, bath bombs, bubble bars, lotions and more!
Both Restless Leg Syndrome and Leg/foot cramps are symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia. Â I know that after walking in heels, my muscles spasm and cramp for hours afterwards, when I’m at r…
If you’ve made a few batches of soap, you’ve likely encountered discoloration. This post talks about what causes the color change and how to work with it in soap.
This post contains editorial samples and/or affiliate links to products I recommend. While this adds no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission o…
Do you have writer's block? Don't worry, because there's a soap for that. Are you a morning person? Then there's a soap for you too. There's even a soap for internet trolls that smells like living in your mom's basement.
Rose is more than just a beauty, she’s a skincare powerhouse with a gentle touch. This rose soap recipe will treat your skin just right.
It will probably take you these homemade soap recipes to know that you can make your own soap. Check them all out here to get started!
Bumps on soap are not cute. If you aim for your soaps to impress, bumps have no place in your world. They’re unlikely to affect the actual quality of soap and are more of a cosmetics issue than anything else, so if looks don’t matter to you, don’t even worry about them. If you want...
What are the logistics needed based on the route you take in your soap and skin care business? The following is an excerpt from Module 05, Lesson 03 of Soap. Brand. Launch. - the leading business eCourse for the Soap and Skin Care Crafter. The course
Ich habe ganz viele neue Rezepte ausprobiert, wir wir bereits alle getestet haben. Mein Lieblings-Shampoo-Bar auf dem Bild ist jener mit Urucum-Pulver. In der Zwischenzeit habe ich wieder neuen Lieblingsbar in dem der Conditioner bereits inkludiert ist. Wenn du den Bar mit dem Conditioner selber herstellen und alles über Shampoo-Bars wissen möchtest, dann besuche meinen On-Demand-Video-Kurs auf: https://volvenda.com/shampoobars/ Viel Spaß damit & alles Liebe, Diane Der Blog ist übersiedelt / this blog moved to: www.seifenimglueck.com! Ich freue mich auf deinen Besuch! Alles Liebe, Diane
There are many different oil options for bath and beauty products. Each oil has unique properties including texture, smell, color and skin-benefits. Choosing which oil to use in various products is pa
And they're crazy easy to make.
The jojoba oil tree is native to Northern Mexico and Southern US, and according to some theories, the oil is very similar to our skin. Even though this is not yet proven, jojoba oil has so many benefits, and because of this, we need to make it part of our…
Making your own soap isn't difficult and it's a frugal, nourishing way to care for your family. It's fun and satisfying too!
No matter what size lawn you have, using these 10-Ways to Creating a Pretty Lawn will help you be on your way to receiving the "Yard of the Month."
Melting a bar of soap allows you to add essential oils to create new scents, add decorative mix-ins such as herbs or flowers, create scrub bars with oats and pour the soap into molds to make different shapes. A bar of soap can be melted over a double boiler or in the microwave.
This DIY hand soap is made with just a few all-natural ingredients and leaves hands moisturized and silky smooth. Perfect for dry hands in need of TLC!
In January, a little paper was added to dress up a medicine cabinet: In February, the 10 habits of Highly Organized People were discussed {I should re-read this!} and a spring makeover in the bedroom: In March, I finally tried the mercury glass! and there was a series on getting organized, including organizing your health In April, we had a beautiful Spring her in Boston and I made a skirted table In May, we got engaged! In June, fresh strawberry butta and organic body scrubs were made In July, the bench got a makeover makeup brushes got organized... and lastly, a trip back to California... In August, we finally made it to Martha's Vineyard and made a very easy go-to meal In September, I met some wonderful bloggers & made a trip to Montreal In October, I tried making apple crisp and apple pie In November, the bedroom got a little fall makeover and in December, I thoroughly enjoyed making these ornaments! thank you so much for reading in 2010! it would not be the same without you all! can't wait to see what 2011 brings~ happy new year!!!! anyone doing anything fun tonight?!!! *Striped Storage Boxes were originally purchased white from IKEA and then gray paint was added to create stripes
Are you looking for an easy laundry detergent that is chemical free? Look no further than this easy homemade laundry detergent.
This has become our favorite shampoo since we stopped using store shampoos and body washes several months ago! This shampoo/body wa...
How to totally transform your skin in just one month.
Here are 3 DIY melt and pour soap recipes with shea butter! Learn how to make your own soap for dry skin, sensitive skin and more!
The sense of smell is an intricate and powerful tool that can evoke memories, influence emotions, and impact our overall well-being. Aromas from candles and soaps, created through the use of essent…
Learn how to create your own natural shave soap recipe, plus the best way to change a shave soap recipe to include your favorite ingredients, while avoiding others that you don't want to use for personal or health reasons.
These easy to make, 3 ingredient, hard lotion bars are a great alternative to a liquid water-based body lotion & leave your skin feeling so soft & lovely.
This cold process bar combines goats milk with shea butter, olive oil, and more. A gentle, cleansing, beautiful soap recipe.
Using glycerites in skincare is more than about adding jewel-like colours. Our guide explains how to unlock glycerites' phytoactive benefits.
Back in the day, when I had a little more time on my hands, I was fanatical about making my own cold-process soap, hand cream and toothpaste. Then I became a
