This dry facial formula gently exfoliates with natural strawberry beta-hydroxy acids, as it moisturizes and detoxified with coconut milk, clay, and honey. Custom tailor your facial by mixing with the activator of your choice.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine all ingredients above, blending until a uniform mixture is achieved. Package in jars or tins.
Mixing and Application Instructions for Dry Facial Masque: A ratio of 1 part dry masque to 1 part liquid activator is a good starting point. For thicker activators, you may wish to use 1 part dry masque to 1.5 part activator. About 1 teaspoon of powder and liquid is enough for one use. Feel free to experiment with the ratios to suit your individual needs. When using a new facial masque, perform a small patch test on the inside of your arm before using on your face. Apply a thin layer to cleansed face, leaving on skin for approximately 15 minutes, or until dry. Gently remove masque with a damp wash cloth. Rinse face, and pat dry with a clean towel.
Listed by skin type are some possible liquid activator options, suitable for dry masques of all types:
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Normal: Any of the listed activators. It may be wise to use cream and acidic juices sparingly.
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Dry: Cream, milk, aloe juice, pureed avocado or banana, honey, egg whites .
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Combination: Milk, yogurt, soy milk, honey, green tea, pureed cucumber.
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Oily: Sour cream, yogurt, green or black tea, pureed cucumber, mildly acidic fruit or vegetable (tomato) juices.
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Acne: Yogurt, honey, milk, green or black tea, pureed cucumber, pureed strawberries or apples.
Amazing! Love the smell of this one. Can be used as a body or foot scrub.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Combine the coconut milk powder and lecithin granules in a medium sized bowl. Add the apricot kernel oil and mix well, making sure to break up any clumps in the dry ingredients.
- Add the fragrance oil and white sugar.
- Stir the mixture well, dispersing the ingredients evenly throughout the mixture.
- Transfer to jars.
- Usage: Gently massage the scrub over wet skin in a circular motion, then rinse. Pat dry.
Packaging Ideas:
Here are the 2013 Spring Colors...
Here is Pantone's Color of the Year....EMERALD!
Also, here is an interesting look at the last 4 years in history of the different color trends.
This recipe is a great one designed for those winter months to give some comfort to dry, chapped skin. Can be used as a body or foot scrub.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Combine the coconut milk powder and lecithin granules in a medium sized bowl. Add the apricot kernel oil and mix well, making sure to break up any clumps in the dry ingredients.
- Add the fragrance oil combination, followed by the white sugar and cranberry seeds.
- Stir the mixture well, dispersing the ingredients evenly throughout the mixture.
- Transfer to jars.
- Usage: Gently massage the scrub over wet skin in a circular motion, then rinse. Pat dry.
Packaging Ideas:
Valentine’s Day is most commonly associated with roses and chocolate. However, there are a ton of fragrances out there that scream I LOVE YOU! Here are some wonderful Valentine’s Day fragrance oils that are favorites and some that you may not have thought about before but are completely worth a look.
Angel Wings Fragrance Oil - A light floral perfume scent. A powdery bouquet of rose, jasmine, and hawthorne enhanced by french vanilla and musk. Perfect for Valentine's Day.
Bamboo Blossom Fragrance Oil - A modern floral bouquet, with top notes of sparkling tangerine intertwined with beautiful floral ylang ylang. Middle note of jasmine sprinkled with delicate muguet. The magnificent bouquet is supported with the warmth of musk, amber, a touch of vanilla and leafy green notes.
Blackberry Vanilla Fragrance Oil - A soft background warmth of ylang ylang and vanilla provide a comfortable backdrop for soft top notes of dewy blackberry and smooth jasmine, wrapped in a delicate muguet. Very romantic!
Cherry Blast Fragrance Oil - A seductive, sweet type of cherry scent that makes your mouth water.
Cocoa Therapy Fragrance Oil - A rich indulgent chocolate that is anything but ordinary. Rich cocoa bean with white cognac and vanilla cream.
Flirt and Play Fragrance Oil - A fun scent with green leafy notes that create a base for rich floral mid notes of rose, peony, violet and jasmine. With light top notes of mandarin and bergamot that create a luscious, rich, floral blend.
Lavender Fragrance Oil - This romantic favorite and best seller even has theraputic abilities.
Love Spell Fragrance Oil - An absolutely tantalizing fragrance composed of sweet bouquet of mandarin orange, bergamot, and tangerine enhanced by hints of fresh peaches, strawberries, and raspberries on an undertone of white musk.
Orchid Fragrance Oil - Surround yourself with the traditional scent of love. The soft sultry scent smells so much like the real flower.
Sweet Pea Bouquet Fragrance Oil - A light musk base, with the fresh floral notes of freesia, cyclamen, sweet pea, and light fruit notes of pear and rhubarb.
Here are some fun and inexpensive projects that make great DIY Valentine' Day Gifts!
Chocolate Heart Soaps - These are so cute an look good enough to eat! Great to put together as a little box of "homemade chocolate...soaps" for friends and co-workers.
Valentine's Day Massage and Body Oil Gift - It leaves the skin so smooth, silky and refreshed. Also your skin will love it during the dry winter months.
Valentine's Day Bath Salt Gift - The sensual scent of Vanilla Black Currant in soothing bath salts is just what the love of your life needs for a relaxing night of pampering.
Kid’s Valentine Day Soaps - This is a great project for kids to make for their Valentines this year. The recipients are sure to enjoy a gift made with love!
Rose Bath Salt Gift - Rose Water aids in balancing emotions and assists in decision making. It is calming to the senses and is reminiscent of love.
Valentine's Day Reed Diffuser - Sweeten your Honey's Day with this Valentine' Day theme Reed Diffuser
These are so cute an look good enough to eat! Great to put together as a little box of "homemade chocolate...soaps" for friends and co-workers. They LOVE'EM!!
Ingredients & Materials:
Directions:
- Melt 12 oz of white soap in microwave. Add pink ultramarine (which has been mixed with a little bit of liquid vegetable glycerin) to the soap till the desired color is achieved. Add approximately 4 ml of Cherry Blast fragrance oil. Stir. Set aside.
- Melt 8 oz of clear soap plus 4 oz of white soap in microwave. Add light brown iron oxide (which has been mixed with a little bit of liquid vegetable glycerin) to the soap till the desired color is achieved. Add approximately 4 ml of Cocoa Therapy fragrance oil. Stir. Set aside.
- Now to make the the thin lines (which appear on top of the finished soaps). Take your desired colored soap; pink or brown and with a spoon drizzle lines across the entire mold in a diagonal motion. Yes, it's okay if the lines are on the outside of the actual soap shape. Let set for about 5 minutes.
- Ready to pour the base! Make sure the soap (opposite color of the soap lines) in the glass container is about 120 degrees. We do not want it too hot or it will melt our "lines". Spray the soap mold cavities with rubbing alcohol; so the soap adheres to the lines we already drizzled. Pour soap and when done spray with rubbing alcohol once again to remove any air bubbles.
- Let set till completely cooled.
- Pop out of the soap mold and you are done.
This recipe is loved around Valentine's Day. It leaves the skin so smooth, silky and refreshed. Also your skin will love it during the dry winter months.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Combine the shea butter and avocado oil in a heat safe container. Put it in the microwave for 60 seconds or until shea butter is fully melted; then take it out and stir with a spoon.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the fragrance oil and give it a good stir.
- Add desired amount of rose petals to bottles (remember less is more) and pour oil mixture into the bottles.
Delight your Valentine with a special treat this year! The sensual scent of Vanilla Black Currant in soothing bath salts is just what the love of your life needs for a relaxing night of pampering.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In a sterile container, thoroughly mix the Natrasorb with the Vanilla Black Currant Oil.
- In another sterile container, stir together the Epsom Salt and Sea Salt.
- Add the Natrasorb mixture to the Salt mixture and completely mix together.
- Carefully pour the bath salts into the Bottles. (We found that using a paper cone funnel worked great.)
- Seal the Bottles with the Glass Bottle Tops.
- Decorate as you wish. Our example, used a label that was found in the Natural Soapmaking Book (this book comes with a variety of labels you can use for your products). We photocopied the label out of the book, colored it, wrote the name of the product on the front and the usage instructions on the back, laminated it, punched a hole, and tied it to the bottle using raffia.
Usage Instructions:
Draw a warm bath and add 1/4 cup of bath salts to the running water. Get in the tub and enjoy the relaxing affects of aromatherapy.
“Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.” –Author Unknown
Give this Reed Diffuser to your honey this Valentine’s Day. It’s sure to sweeten their day!
Materials:
Directions:
- Mix 3 ounces Reed Diffuser Oil Base with 3 ounces of Amber Vanilla Fragrance Oil in a sterile container.
- Carefully pour the diffuser mixture into the Diffuser Bottle.
- Place 7 Natural Diffusers and 7 Red Diffusers into the Diffuser Bottle and arrange them in the desired fashion.
- Arrange 8 Ting Ting Sticks into the Bottle to add flair.
Creative Ideas:
This is a great project for kids to make for their Valentines this year. The recipients are sure to enjoy a gift made with love!
NOTE–Children should always be supervised by an adult when making soap. test
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
-
Prepare the Soap Mold by lightly coating the inside surfaces with Petroleum Jelly or Vegetable Oil, so that the soap will release easily when cooled.
- Melt 5 ounces of Soap Base using your preferred melting method.
- Once the Soap is completely melted, pour a thin layer of Soap into the Mold.
- Lightly spray the thin layer with Rubbing Alcohol to get rid of any unwanted bubbles.
- Allow the Soap to fully cool in the Mold.
- Once the thin layer is done, remelt the container of Clear Soap Base (it probably started to solidify).
- Spray the top of the Soap in the Mold with Rubbing Alcohol so that the Foam Shapes will adhere.
- Spray the Foam Shapes with Rubbing Alcohol on both sides and place them in the Mold on top of the Soap. NOTE–when working with words, the letters need to be backwards.
- Fill the rest of the Mold with the melted Soap.
- Lightly spray the top of the soap with Rubbing Alcohol to get rid of any unwanted bubbles.
- Allow the Soap to cool for a few hours and then take it out of the Mold. TIP–if the soap is not going to be used right away, wrap it in plastic wrap so that it does not lose any of its moisture.
“Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!” –Thomas Hood
This Rose Bath Salt is perfect for a relaxing Valentine’s Day treat or for any other time of the year! Rose Water aids in balancing emotions and assists in decision making. It is calming to the senses and is reminiscent of love.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Take 3 ounces of the Sea Salt and mix it with the 4 ounces of Baking Soda in a sterile container.
- Thoroughly mix 7 drops of Rose Fragrance Oil into the mixture.
- Take the remaining 1 ounce of Sea Salts and place it in another sterile container.
- Completely mix in 5 drops of Red Colorant with the 1 ounce Sea Salts.
- Add the colored Sea Salts to the Baking Soda mixture.
- Gently pour the mixture into the Round Jar.
- Place 1 ounce of Rose Petals over the top of the Salts and close the Jar.
Usage:
Fill the bathtub with warm water. Once the tub is full, mix in 2 ounces of bath salts. Sprinkle 1/4 ounce of rose petals over the water. Enjoy the relaxation!
Note–the rose petals will need to be cleaned out of the tub after the bath so that they don’t clog the drain.
“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” –Robert Frost
This recipe is designed to give some comfort to dry, chapped skin. 
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Combine the candellila wax, meadowfoam and olive oil in a heat safe container. Put it in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds then take it out and stir with a spoon. Repeat 2 more times until the wax is fully melted. (Note: You can also melt it in a double boiler).
- Stir in the mango butter until fully incorporated. If it starts to cool down too quickly, pop it back into the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Mix in the fragrance oil and preservative. Give it a good stir and it's ready to pour in the square blue plastic jars.
Here is a naturally beautiful DIY candle holder to decorate your Thanksgiving table with. Your dinner guests will be delighted at how creative you were!
Materials:
- Baby Pumpkin
- Taper Candle
- Sharp Knife
- Spoon
- Pen
Directions:
- Break off the stem of the Baby Pumpkin as best you can.
- Center the Taper Candle over the top of the Pumpkin.
- Use the Pen to trace the outline of the Taper Candle onto the Pumpkin.
- Take the Knife and very carefully cut along the circle you just drew.
- Once the the circumference has been cut, use the spoon to gently dig out the top of the Pumpkin. (For our example, it was actually easier to push the top of the pumpkin inside, instead of trying to dig it out.)
- Scoop out any unwanted seeds or pumpkin gook.
- Take the Taper Candle and push it into the hole in the Pumpkin until the base of the Taper is hidden inside the Pumpkin.
- Light the Candle and enjoy the festive glow!
The Pumpkin Taper Candle Holder pairs quite well with our Pumpkin Tealight Candle to make a wonderful centerpiece!
Thanksgiving is a time of year to give thanks for all of the blessings you have received. Friends and family gather to feast on wondrous food and enjoy good company. This year, why not thank your guests for spending the holiday with you by giving them these festive tealites.
Materials:
These instructions will make approximately 64 tealites (if you have 16 guests, that’s 4 tealites for each guest!)
Some great Fall Fragrance Oils are: Autumn Splendor, Maple Pecan, Merry Mocha Macchiata, Pumpkin Souffle, Pumpkin Spice Cake and Warm Embrace.
Project Instructions:
- Adhere a Candle Dot in the center of each Plastic Tealite Container.
- Take the 13-342T Wicks and strongly push the wicks onto the Candle Dots.
- If desired: gently place the wicks through a Wick Holder‘s hole. Center the wicks in the containers.
- Take the Harmony Wax and melt the wax using your preferred method.
- Completely melt the wax and get it to a temperature of 170-180 degrees F.
- Gently mix in the Fragrance Oil.
- Stir in some shavings of Spiced Pumpkin Candle Dye. NOTE–one dye block will color approximately 20 pounds of wax to a medium shade. Use little shavings to achieve the shade you desire…you can always add more, you can’t take away.
- Let the temperature of the wax lower to 160-180 degrees F.
- Pour the wax into the Tealite Containers.
- Allow the Tealites to completely cool overnight.
- Decorate the Tealites with the Foam Shapes.
- Arrange the Tealites next to each guest’s place setting on the Thanksgiving table.
Here is a beautiful Melt and Pour Soap that is ideal for the crisp Autumn weather.
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Prepare the Soap Mold by lightly coating the inside surfaces with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil, so that the soap will release easily when cooled.
- Melt 1 ounce of White Soap Base using your preferred method.
- Once the soap is completely melted, use the Eye Dropper and gently mix in 2-5 drops of Fall Foliage Fragrance Oil to the Soap.
- Completely stir in one mini measuring spoonful of Yellow Oxide.
- Slowly pour the soap into the Soap Mold. NOTE–the soap will not fill the mold completely.
- Lightly spray the top of the soap bar with Rubbing Alcohol to get rid of any unwanted bubbles.
- About 10-20 minutes after pouring the yellow soap (the soap should be solid, but still warm), gently pop the soap out of the mold.
- Take the Leaf Cookie Cutter and cut out two leaf shapes.
- Very carefully push the leaf shapes out of the oval soap piece.
- Set the leaf cutouts aside.
- Take the oval soap and place it back in the soap mold. Push down on the soap to form a seal with the mold.
- Melt 1/2 ounce of White Soap Base using your preferred method.
- Completely melt this white soap and allow it to cool to a lower temperature (without being chunky). If the soap is too hot, it might melt the yellow soap.
- Pour the white soap into the leaf holes until it is the same height as the yellow soap.
- Allow the soap to cool for a couple of hours and then take it out of the mold.
This soap idea is great because it is a 2 for 1 deal! There’s the two-toned soap bar for the master bath and two little guest leaf soaps that could go in the guest bathroom or powder room!
Here is an adorable way to bring the festive glow of the season into your home!
Materials:
Directions:
- Break off the stem of the Baby Pumpkin as best you can.
- Center the Tealight over the top of the Pumpkin.
-
Use the Pen to trace the outline of the Tealight onto the Pumpkin.
- Take the Knife and very carefully cut along the circle you just drew.
- Once the the circumference has been cut, use the spoon to gently dig out the top of the Pumpkin.
- Scoop out any unwanted seeds or pumpkin gook.
- Take the Tealight Candle and push it into the hole in the Pumpkin until the top of the Tealight Container is flush with the Pumpkin.
- Light the Candle and enjoy the orange glow!
Here is an adorable way to turn your everyday reed diffuser bottle into a festive holiday piece! The gorgeous glass Jack-O-Lantern will brighten up a room while filling the air with a wonderful aroma!
Materials:
Directions:
- Using the Permanent Marker, draw the face of the jack-o-lantern on the piece of Paper. Be creative as you can!
- Cut the eyes, nose, and/or mouth out of the Paper.
- Fold over small pieces of Tape and adhere to the back of the eyes, nose, and/or mouth. (This will ensure you can use the reed diffuser again even after the holiday!)
- Adhere the jack-o-lantern’s face to the Reed Diffuser Bottle.
- Fill the Reed Diffuser Bottle 3/4 of the way with a mixture of Fragrance Oil and Reed Diffuser Base. (Normal mix ratios are between 20% to 40% Fragrance Oil and 60% to 80% Reed Diffuser Base.)
- Place 10-12 Reed Diffusers into the Bottle.
- The Reeds will wick the Fragrance up and release the beautiful scent into the air!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Creative Tips:
- We simply used paper and marker for the face. Felt, Adhesive Velvet, Vinyl, Foam Pieces, etcetera are all wonderful alternatives for a professional looking Scented Jack-O-Lantern.
- If you want a permanent Scented Jack-O-Lantern that you can use every Halloween you can securely glue the pumpkin’s face onto the glass reed diffuser bottle.
- You don’t have to use a pumpkin scented fragrance just because it’s a Jack-O-Lantern. Try any of our Autumn fragrance oils! For example: Autumn Splendor, Brandied Pear, Fall Foliage, or Warm Apple Crisp.
- If you’re allergic to scents, skip the scented diffuser base and reeds, just decorate the reed diffuser bottle with a spooky Jack-O-Lantern face. After Halloween, take the face off and the colored bottle can then be used as household decor!
Halloween is right around the corner! Add this Pumpkin Candle Tin to your home’s decor to give it a festive feel. This candle is a great decoration for those who are not into the typical witches, ghosts, and goblins this time of year.
Materials:
Directions:
- Adhere a Candle Dot in the center of the Metal Tin.
- Take the HTP-105 Wick and strongly push the wick onto the Candle Dot.
- Gently place the wick through the Wick Holder’s hole. Center the wick in the tin.
- Take 1/4 cup of C-3 Wax and melt the wax using your preferred method.
- Completely melt the wax and get it to 160-180 degrees F.
- Gently mix in 2.25 teaspoons of Pumpkin Spice Cake Fragrance.
- Stir in 6 drops of Orange Dye.
- Let the temperature of the wax lower to 150-160 degrees F.
- Pour the wax into the Oval Soap Mold until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. NOTE–Thicker than 1/4 inch will be harder to cut.
- Allow this wax to cool.
- While the orange wax is cooling, take 1 cup of C-3 Wax and melt the wax using your preferred method.
- Completely melt the wax and get it to 160-180 degrees F.
- Gently mix in 1.5 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice Cake Fragrance. NOTE–The fragrance oil might add a yellowish tint to the wax, but don’t worry…this tint is perfect for the season!
- Let the temperature of this undyed wax lower to 150-160 degrees F.
- Pour the wax into the Metal Tin: filling the wax to approximately 1/2 inch from the top of the tin.
- Allow this wax to cool, and place the leftover undyed wax to the side (you will need it later).
- About 45 minutes after pouring the orange wax (the wax should be solid, but still a little warm), take the Pumpkin Cookie Cutter and cut out a pumpkin shape.
- Take the knitting needle and heat up the tip with the lighter. NOTE–The lighter might leave a black sooty residue on the needle. If this happens, carefully wipe off the black with the paper towels.
- Using the hot tip of the needle, very gently poke a hole through the center of the orange pumpkin shape.
- Once the wax in the tin has hardened, take off the Wick Holder and thread the pumpkin shape onto the wick. Be sure to keep the wick centered.
- Take the leftover undyed wax you placed to the side and let the temperature of the wax lower to 125-130 degrees F. NOTE–The lower the temperature (without being chunky) the better. If the wax is too hot, it might melt the pumpkin.
- Pour the leftover wax around the pumpkin until it is the same height as the pumpkin shape.
- Allow the candle to cool, and Voila!
What we sometimes consider mistakes often turn out to be blessings in disguise. When making this candle, our pumpkin shape was too thick. To make it smaller we used a hot plate and gently melted off the unneeded thickness. In doing so, we accidentally acheived the swirl effect you see in the picture. The marbled look really adds a couture feel to the candle!
Foaming Bath Butter is a wonderful new unique product. Don't miss the newest innovation in the personal care industry. It is a versatile new base that can be formulated into many different finished products. It has some unique properties:
- Luxuroius - Creamy cleansing product with the consistency of butter
- Versatile - Can be used as a moisturizing body cleanser or as a shave cream
Some of the suggested uses of foaming bath butter are:
- Sugar Scrubs
- Salt Scrubs
- Body Meringues
- Body Parfaits
- Exfoliating Scrubs
Foaming bath butter can be processed in different ways, but we prefer whipping it with an old-fashioned electric cake mixer (the kind with two beaters), not a stick blender.
Start with a minimum of 2 pounds of product in a bowl. Less than 2 pounds will not work, as there is not enough volume around the beaters. Add 2 ounces of sweet almond oil per pound of product. Begin whipping at a slow speed to break up the foaming bath butter. Once the product has smoothed out, turn your beater to high and watch for the product to double in volume. Add your color, fragrance or any other additives while your whipping.
DO NOT OVER WHIP! Over whipping to 3 to 4 times its volume will cause the Foaming Bath Butter to collapse.
- Sweet Almond Oil - We found that adding 2oz Sweet Almond Oil per pound of Foaming Bath Butter made the product more moisturizing for facial scrubs.
- Sugar or Salt - Add your sugar or salt to the point of saturation. Once saturation has been reached, the additional sugar or salt added will remain in crystal form and act as an exfoliant.
- Fragrance - Foaming Bath Butter will accept up to 5% fragrance oils or essential oils. We recommend usage levels of 2-3%.
- Colors - Use our cosmetic grade liquid colorant to achieve the colors you desire for parfaits.
- Jojoba Beads - We found that by adding jojoba beads to uncolored whipped Foaming Bath Butter, we were able to produce a visually pleasing product that had the consistency of icing with dots of color in it.
Disclaimer: Nu-Scents is not responsible for the products you create from our supplies. You alone are responsible for product and recipe testing to ensure compatibility and safety.
If you love to relax and read during the hot and lazy days why not cozy up with a new soap and candle making books. It’s also time to start going back through old favorite books or magazines for candle and soap making inspiration in preparation for the fall and holiday candle and soap making. (Yes, Christmas is just 5 months away.)
If you feel like finding a homemade gift to make for the holiday season, here are some books to go when looking for candle inspiration. They’re both “how-to” books, as well as “idea” books that show the amazing multitude of ways that candles can be used to decorate, enlighten and otherwise brighten our homes and our lives. Sometimes the inspiration and “idea” books are more enlightening than the others though. You can learn both new ways to make candles, as well as learn new ways to use candles and incorporate them into your home.
If you’re looking for a way to combine the cleansing, exfoliating and detoxifying qualities of a salt bath with your handmade natural soap, you can combine them in a “salt bar.”
Salt soap bars – or salt bars as they’re generally called combine the best of both natural soap and a sea salt bath. The final bar is super hard, and produces a “lotion-like” lather – creamy and low – and many people (including me) love the way they make your skin feel!
You basically make them like any other cold processed soap with three big exceptions:
- Adjust your recipe so that it contains at least 70-80% coconut oil. The salt counteracts the lather of the soap, so the high coconut amount is needed to make lather. (No, I hear you asking, the coconut oil isn’t drying in these bars. Most soap makers will up the superfat a little – I generally up it to about 8% – but these bars are not drying.)
- Add salt at trace – what will seem like a LOT of salt. There are three general traditions when it comes to the amount of salt used in salt bars:
- 100% of the soap amount – that is, if your recipe makes 2 lbs. of soap, you add in 2 lbs. of salt
- 100% of the oils in the recipe – that is, if your recipe has 24 ounces of oil in it, you add in 24 ounces of salt
- Some lesser amount of salt – I know soap makers who will do 50-70% of the total oils and are happy with their bars.
- Unmold and cut the soap as very soon as it sets up – often in as little as 2 hours after pouring.
So gather up your soap making gear, a big container of salt, and let’s make some salt soap bars.
The first thing to do is create the recipe you’re going to use for the soap. For your recipe, you’re going to use a lot of coconut oil.
For these bars to lather at all, you need to use a lot of coconut oil. So a basic recipe like this:
- 30% coconut
- 30% palm
- 35% olive
- 5% castor
Should be modified to:
- 75% coconut
- 10% palm
- 10% olive
- 5% castor
Some folks will keep it really simple and just do 80% coconut and 20% olive or some other single oil. I think more complex combinations of oils make better lather, so I’ll tend to use more oils in a recipe – even if they’re only in small amounts.
The recipe I used for this batch was:
- 19.5 oz coconut (75%)
- 2.6 oz. lard (10%)
- 2.6 oz. sunflower (10%)
- 1.3 oz. castor (5%)
- 4 oz. lye (approx 8% superfat)
- 8.5 oz. water
Feel free to use your own mix of oils. (I used lard instead of palm and sunflower instead of olive in my recipe – but palm and olive would have been wonderful as well.) But, as always, when you adjust or change an ingredient in your recipe, be sure to run the new recipe through a lye calculator. Mix your lye solution, measure and melt your oils, and blend the lye and the oils just like you would in any other cold process soap batch.
Once the soap has reached a really light trace, and you’ve added your fragrance or essential oil, it’s time to add the salt.
As I said earlier, there are a few schools of thought when it comes to how much salt to add:
- 100% of the entire soap batch amount
- 100% of the oils in the recipe
- Some lesser amount of salt – often 50-70% of the total oils in the recipe
Using the recipe on the previous page:
- 100% of the soap amount = 38.5 oz. of salt
- 100% of the oils in the recipe = 26 oz. of salt
- Some lesser amount of salt – often 50-70% of the total oils in the recipe = 13 to 18.2 oz. of salt
I have made batches with all three methods. Method #1 is the hardest and saltiest, but has the lowest lather. Method #3 has the least salt, but is the most like normal soap. I tend to prefer #2 – it’s a good balance of salt and lathering ability.There’s no special technique necessary to add the salt, just dump it into your soap pot and start stirring vigorously.
Pour or scoop the soap into your mold. It will be a lot thicker than your normal batches of soap. After you’ve poured the soap, it also helps to tap/thump/slam the mold onto the counter to help dislodge any air that may have gotten trapped under the soap.
Don’t go too far away!
The salt soap will start to harden almost immediately! If you’re using a log mold like I used in the previous picture, you’ll want to cut the soap as very soon as possible – as soon as it’s firm enough to cut. The soap will still be warm even as it’s going through the saponification process.
If you wait too long, the soap will be super hard, and really hard to cut. I waited just a bit too long on the bars pictured here. You can see the crumbly edges, and a couple of bars that fell apart. They’re perfectly useable bars…just crumbly.
Another really great option for salt soap bars is divided slab molds like this one – or even single cavity molds where each mold holds one bar of soap.
With the slab divider mold, be sure to line the bottom of the mold with freezer paper. The dividers will come out fairly easily, but if you don’t line the bottom of the mold with freezer paper, you’ll have a very hard time getting the bars separated from the bottom of the mold.
With single cavity molds, you don’t have to rush. Just let the bars set and cool over night. They should pop right out of the molds quite easily.
A few more tips…
- I generally just use regular, fine grain sea salt for my salt bars. You do not want to use epsom salts. The magnesium in the bars makes them gooey, sweaty messes.
- You can use pink, himalayan or other unique soaps as long as they don’t have high “other” mineral content – like dead sea salt, for example.
- You can add colorants and additives to salt bars just like other soap, just remember that you don’t have a lot of time to manipulate the soap. It’s going to thicken quickly.
- Some folks find that the salt seems to lessen the fragrance oil effectiveness – and hence will lean towards a more generous helping of fragrance oil in the batches. I find that .7 ounce per pound of oils (a pretty general usage rate) of fragrance is fine.
Enjoy this exotic and fun soap variety!
These are so much fun to make, so get creative. So simple and this gift can be enjoyed in the bath or shower!
Ingredients:
- 1 cupcake tin (or soap molds of your choice)
- Melt & Pour Soap Base (your choice)
- Fragrance Oil
- Liquid Colorant (if desired)
- Rubbing Alcohol in spray bottle
- Measuring Cup
Recipe Directions:
- Add 1-3% fragrance oil (For 1 pound soap, you could add up to 1/2 oz or 1 Tablespoon fragrance)
- Add a few drops of colorant (if desired)
- Fill cupcake cups 1/2 – 3/4 full
- Spray pouf with rubbing alcohol
- Place the bath pouf in the melted soap & gently “squish” down. (There’s no need to apply too much pressure as you will want the top of the pouf to stay expanded).
- Choose to pour a little or a lot of soap base onto pouf once it is in place in the mold or save unused soap base for future use.
- Allow to cool for 1-3 hours, then remove. Place mold in freezer for a few minutes or use a spatula to scrape edges if the pouf doesn’t easily remove.
- Package in cute cellophane bags & give to friends & family or add to your product line
So you’ve been making your own cold process soap and using it in your shower for a while and love it. But what about using your soap as a shampoo?
Many people use their cold process soap as a shampoo bar as well. But hair is different than skin, so you need to do a few things differently in order to have the best results. Most soap makers recommend:
- Formulating your recipe differently – both in terms of the oils chosen, but in the additives and superfat percentage
- Using a vinegar or citric acid rinse
- Knowing that some people’s hair just doesn’t work well with real soap – and being o.k. with going back to a standard surfactant-based shampoo. There are so many variants like the hardness of the water where you live and your particular hair type, that they just don’t work for everyone.
First, for the best results on your hair, there are a few changes you can make to your regular soap recipe that will help your soap work better on hair. Castor oil makes great shampoo, as do the softer oils like avocado, canola and almond.
Here are three recipes to get you started. Feel free to customize them or use similar oils that you may have on hand. (For example you can easily substitute palm kernel for the coconut, or rice bran for the olive, or lard for the palm.)
I list the percentages as well as the ingredients to make a 2 lb batch of soap. They can be scaled up or down according to your needs.
Note: I’ve calculated the superfat/lye discount percentage at 6% for these recipes. Some people prefer a low (3% or so) superfat in their shampoo bars, others prefer a high (10-15%) superfat in their recipes. Give 6% a try and then adjust up or down depending on your preference. Be sure to always run your recipe through a lye calculator! These recipes will still all probably take at least 48 hours to harden in your soap mold.
Mild Shampoo Bar Recipe
- 25% coconut oil
- 25% olive oil
- 20% castor oil
- 15% canola oil
- 15% palm oil
To make a 2-lb batch:
- 5.8 ounces coconut oil
- 5.8 ounces olive oil
- 4.6 ounces castor oil
- 3.5 ounces canola oil
- 3.5 ounces palm oil
- 3.2 ounces sodium hydroxide
- 6.4 ounces water
- 3/4 tsp of salt (to make the soap get harder quicker)
- 1 tsp of sugar (to boost the lather)
- 1 ounce of fragrance or essential oil blend
High Cleansing Shampoo Bar Recipe
- 30% coconut oil
- 25% olive oil
- 25% castor oil
- 10% palm oil
- 10% canola oil
To make a 2-lb batch:
- 6.9 ounces coconut oil
- 5.8 ounces olive oil
- 5.8 ounces castor oil
- 2.3 ounces palm oil
- 2.3 ounces canola coil
- 3.2 ounces sodium hydroxide
- 6.4 ounces water
- 3/4 tsp of salt (to make the soap get harder quicker)
- 1 tsp of sugar (to boost the lather)
- 1 ounce of fragrance or essential oil blend
Luxury Shampoo Bar Recipe
- 25% coconut oil
- 20% olive oil
- 20% castor oil
- 10% canola oil
- 10% avocado oil
- 10% palm oil
- 5% jojoba
To make a 2-lb batch:
- 5.8 ounces coconut oil
- 4.6 ounces olive oil
- 4.6 ounces castor oil
- 2.3 ounces canola oil
- 2.3 ounces avocado oil
- 2.3 ounces palm oil
- 1.2 ounces jojoba
- 3.1 ounces sodium hydroxide
- 6.2 ounces water
- 3/4 tsp of salt (to make the soap get harder quicker)
- 1 tsp of sugar (to boost the lather)
- 1 ounce of fragrance or essential oil blend
To make these soaps, follow basic soap making instructions. I’ve intentionally kept the amount of water in these recipes low, so that they will harden quicker in the molds. The high percentage of soft oils in the recipes can make them take a while to harden in the mold.
You’ll want to make sure to add the salt and the sugar to the lye water. The salt helps the soap to get harder quicker and the sugar helps boost the lathering ability of the soap.
Shampoo Rinse Recipe
Because of the high ph of cold process soap, most people use a slightly acidic rinse on their hair after using a shampoo bar. The high ph raises the cuticle of the hair follicle – making it more prone to damage. The rinse helps lay it back down.
You can make the rinse out of either:
- 1 cup vinegar (apple cider or white) to 2 cups water or
- 1 tbsp. citric acid powder to 3 cups water
So give shampoo bars a try. Some people rave about them. Some people like them, but prefer a traditional shampoo. Some just don’t like the way that they make their hair feel. Give it a try and you decide.
Smelly Jelly air fresheners are a great craft project for anyone who enjoys a little aromatherapy. They can be made in a variety of long-lasting scents and colors. The Smelly Jelly air freshener jars can be attractively customized for any occasion. Smelly Jellies don’t require burning so they are ideal for all spaces including homes, offices and cars.
Have fun experimenting with different fragrance oils when making your Smelly Jelly air fresheners.
Instructions:
- Wash and dry the glass jar. It does not need to be new, but it must be clean.
- Pour 6 oz. of water into the glass jar and add 1 tsp. of the gel crystals. Stir the crystals several times in the jar with the non-metal spoon.
- Add the food coloring. One to two drops may be used for a lighter color and subsequent drops can be added until the desired color is achieved. Stir the food coloring several times in the jar with the non-metal spoon. (Ref. 2)
- Add 1 tsp. of the fragrance oil and stir with the non-metal spoon until thoroughly mixed. If a heavier fragrance is desired, an extra teaspoon may be added.
- Allow the Smelly Jelly to sit, uncovered, for approximately one hour so the gel crystals can absorb the liquid. A lid may be placed on the jar after an hour if the Smelly Jelly is a gift or the jar may be used immediately by leaving it uncovered.
- One teaspoon of alcohol (rubbing, Everclear, gin or vodka) can be added to the Smelly Jelly once every three months to prevent molding.
- Gel crystals can be re-used approximately four times. Simply add 3/4 cup of water to the dry crystals and reapply the fragrance oil.
- Never empty gel crystals down a drain. The crystals absorb water and will cause damage to the drainage system.
Tips & Warnings:
- One teaspoon of alcohol (rubbing, Everclear, gin or vodka) can be added to the Smelly Jelly once every three months to prevent molding.
- Gel crystals can be re-used approximately four times. Simply add 3/4 cup of water to the dry crystals and reapply the fragrance oil.
- Never empty gel crystals down a drain. The crystals absorb water and will cause damage to the drainage system.
Like other health and herbal minded folk, chances are that you are tired of using chemicals and deet to repel insects during the summertime. Making your own insect repellant is easy, and much more natural than the insect repellants commercially available. We have compiled the following recipes for you, the ingredients and oils used in the following recipes have been used for years as natural methods of repelling insects. Try these time tested ingredients to naturally repel mosquitos and insects this summer.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon citronella essential oil
- 1/2 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil
- 1/2 teaspoon lavender essential oil
- 4 ounces distilled witch hazel
Directions:
- Fill spray bottle (I used 8 ounce) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
- Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top
- Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin if using
- Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be. My personal favorite mix is: Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput, Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus… it works great and smells good too!
How awesome is this? You can use your Aroma Beads to create a totally themed look for any occasion. With the use of any metal cookie cutter, the possibilities are endless. There is quite a market for this!
Ingredients & Equipment:
Nu-Scents Scent-a-Beads/ Aroma Beads
Fragrance Oil
Liquid Candle Dyes-if you are choosing to add color
Gallon Ziploc Bags
Metal Cookie Cutters
Non-Stick Metal Cookie Sheet
Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
Ribbon (if making hanging ornaments)
¼ inch diameter screws (if making hanging ornaments)
Recipe Directions:
Before we get started, it is very important to state that anything that fragrance will be in or touch can NEVER be used again for food cooking purposes.
1. The first step is to combine your liquids in a gallon Ziploc bag. The amount of fragrance and color is dependent upon how many aroma beads you would like to use. For this set of instructions, we are using 1 cup of Aroma beads. Pour your fragrance oil into a ¼ measuring cup. Pour the fragrance oil into the Ziploc bag. Color to your liking, usually this is 1-4 drops of liquid candle dye. Use more drops of liquid dye for darker, deeper colors, and less liquid dye for pastel colors. Never use food coloring or soap dyes to color aroma beads. Seal the bag. Carefully shake the liquids.
Please note: Extreme caution should be used anytime that you are working with fragrance oil and liquid candle dye. If the fragrance oil is spilled onto surfaces that have been stained, painted, or plastic the fragrance will eat the finish. As well, the liquid candle dye will permanently stain surfaces. As an extra precaution, you can always line your working area with newspaper to help prevent any damages.
2. The next step is to pour the Aroma Beads into the Ziploc bag. Carefully open the Ziploc bag and pour the Aroma Beads into it.
Please note: Be careful when handling the aroma beads. Because they are made from plastic, if they spill, they will bounce everywhere.
3. Seal the Ziploc bag again. Gently shake the combination of beads, fragrance oil, and coloring. You will want to shake the bag until all of the liquid is evenly dispersed among all of the beads.
4. Now starts the waiting game. Depending on which fragrance oils that you use, the absorption time varies. In some cases, it may even take 5 days. In any case, you will want to give the Ziploc bag a shake every few hours. The best suggestion we could give is to set the Ziploc bag in the bathroom to absorb. Then, every time you use the bathroom, give the sealed Ziploc bag a vigorous shake. This will help distribute an even absorption of all of the liquid among the Aroma Beads. This is the process of transforming the blah beads to the dazzling Wow beads, aka Aroma Beads! The aroma beads have fully absorbed when all of the liquid is gone from the bottom of the Ziploc bag, and the beads themselves are dry to the touch.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. While your oven is preheating, it is time to prepare your metal cookie sheet. Set your metal cookie sheet on a flat surface. Place the cookie cutters that you would like to use on the cookie sheet. Take the prepared aroma beads and carefully fill each cookie cutter approximately 1/4 inch. You will want to spread your prepared aroma beads evenly throughout the cookie cutter.
7. If you would like to have a hole in your ornaments (for hanging purposes) you will need to use screws. Place a ¼ inch diameter screw head-down in the spot where you want the hole to be located. Leave the screw in during the whole cooking process. Be sure not to make them too thick! A nice layer in the cutter works well.
8. Once the oven is heated to the correct temperature, carefully place the cookie sheet into the oven. The Aroma Bead should take anywhere between 4-5 minutes up to 45 minutes (or until the beads have melted together). You will want to keep a close eye on the ornaments in the oven. There will be some smoking. This is normal.
9. When the time is up and the beads are melted together, remove the cookie sheet from the oven. We know that you are excited, but Do Not forget to use oven mitts!
10. Allow the ornaments to cool.
11. Remove the cookie cutter and screw from the ornament.
12. Carefully peal the ornament off of the cookie sheet.
13. Place a ribbon through the hole and tie it. You are Done!!!
Please be advised: Use caution when hanging air fresheners for cars! Due to the extreme temperatures that cars can reach during the summer months. The beads may melt and fall apart at high temperatures. We personally have not had this happen to us, but use caution.
Note: The above picture is shown with scrap booking appliques attached.
If you love to relax and read during the hot and lazy days why not cozy up with a new soap making books. It’s also time to start going back through old favorite books or magazines for soap making inspiration in preparation for the fall and holiday soap making. (Yes, Christmas is just 6 months away.)
If you feel like finding a homemade gift to make for the holiday season, here are some books to go when looking for soap inspiration. They’re both “how-to” books, as well as “idea” books that show the amazing multitude of ways that soap can be made. Sometimes the inspiration and “idea” books are more enlightening than the others though. You can learn both new ways to make new/different types of soaps.
- Basic Soapmaking Book
- The Soapmaker’s Companion Book
- The Natural Soap Book
- Natural Soapmaking Book
- Milk Based Soap Book
- Melt & Mold Soap Crafting Book
- Making Transparent Soap Book
- Making Natural Liquid Soap Book
- Kids Crafts – Soapmaking Book
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces of clear or white melt and pour soap base
- 6 ounces of a light oil like sweet almond, sunflower or grapeseed
- 18 ounces of white or turbinado sugar (a nice natural brown sugar with larger crystals than white sugar)
- soap safe colorant (if desired)
- approx. 60 drops of fragrance oil or essential oil
- large measuring cups
- a mold of some sort to mold the cubes in – a small soap mold, break away clamshell, an ice cube tray, silicone muffin or candy molds.
- knife, spoons, measuring spoons, scale, cutting board, paper towels, etc.
Recipe Directions:
- The first thing to do is melt the melt and pour soap base.
- I like to divide this recipe in three parts. It makes the ingredients easier to mix together…and it lets you choose different colors and fragrances to use. But…if you have a big bowl…and want to use just one fragrance and color…just use the whole amounts in the recipe.
- For this first third of the recipe, melt 2 ounces of soap in a measuring cup. You can use either white or clear soap base. (Clear soap base is going to allow deeper colors – white is going to make more pastel colors).
- Melt the soap in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.
- To the melted soap, add 2 ounces of the light oil. (Remember, this is just 1/3 of the whole batch.) Stir well.
- These scrubs are just fine white…and you may prefer a more natural look to them.
- But if you want some color, add in a few drops of liquid colorant, or, as I’m doing here, about 1/4 tsp. of mica. Stir the mixture well.
- Now is the time to add in the sugar.
- Add 6 oz. (1/3 of the whole batch) sugar to your measuring cup and begin to stir.
- The soap is likely going to harden quickly, so you’re probably going to need to put it back into the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Just enough to get it smooth and stir able again…but not hot enough to start melting/dissolving the sugar.
- When the mixture is re-heated, stir well.
- Spoon the mixture into the mold of your choice. Here I’m using small mini muffin tins. Each of these scrubs ended up being about one ounce. You could use a larger soap mold…and just cut them into cubes…or for that matter, just use an ice cube tray.
- Set the scrubs aside to cool in a safe, clean place
- When the scrubs are completely cooled, they’ll feel like soft bars of soap. Easy enough to handle, but soft enough to mold/squish/dent.
- Put them into a jar or plastic container and when you want to exfoliate and moisturize, take one out. Get it wet with some warm water and rub it on your skin like you would a bar of soap. The soap, oil and sugar will start to dissolve and coat your skin. Rub the sugar into your skin to exfoliate gently…and rinse!
- The great thing about these scrubs is how portable and easy to use they are. The other great thing is that the soap ends up making the oil really easy to rinse off and clean up. No oily mess!
Note: Sugar scrubs in jars require a preservative to prevent bacteria and mold growth.
Soothe and moisturize your skin with cocoa butter lotion. Skin-care specialists prize oil of theobroma, the other name for cocoa butter, for its ability to restore your skin to supple, soft health. Great for those dry trouble areas; elbows and heels.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons White Beeswax
- 4 Tablespoons Cocoa Butter (grated or chopped)
- 4 Tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil
- Containers
Recipe Directions:
- Heat the beeswax and cocoa butter just enough to melt them on your stove in a double boiler. High heat is not necessary. The cocoa butter melts at body temperature while the beeswax requires a bit more heat; time wise.
- Add sweet almond oil as soon as your first two ingredients are liquefied and thoroughly mixed. Blend the mixture together until it is smooth.
- Pour your lotion into a jar with a top that you can secure. Allow mixture to cool and firm at room temperature before use.
What could be better than chocolate and coffee?? Using them in a cocoalicious coffee scrub to help decrease cellulite, reduce varicose veins, and invigorate your skin.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
Mix these items together in a bowl. If you wish to make more chocolate coffee scrub for later use or for sharing, you can easily double the recipe.
When the scrub is complete, be sure to apply it to wet or damp skin. The best time to do this is in the shower so that you can rinse it off after application. Apply the scrub directly to your skin and rub it in circular motions with your fingers, or use a washcloth or loofah. Remember circular motion helps to distribute the caffeine to eliminate cellulite and varicose veins.
Yields: 3.5 pound batch.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Feel free to adjust the recipe by adding some healing butters such as mango, cocoa, shea, or avocado. Just be sure to run your recipe through a lye calculator to get the correct amount of lye for the new oils. This very basic recipe of palm, coconut and olive oil is simple but makes a great bar of soap that lasts long and lathers big.
- Begin by making the chunks of melt and pour soap. Melt your clear melt and pour soap and color it with cappuccino mica. Pour into container to the desired thickness that you want your chunks to be. Once cooled, remove and cut into squares/chunks.
- Put colored chunks into soap mold. Don’t place them neatly, just randomly “dump” them in.
- Prepare your batch like normal cold process soap making and add your fragrance at a light trace.
- Pour the soap over the colored melt and pour chunks. Be sure not to completely cover the top ones. You want some of them to stick out on the top. You should be able to fill the entire mold (12 bars).
- Let it sit 24 hours, pop the soap out of the mold and set the finished bars on a drying rack to cure for 4 to six weeks. Enjoy!
Olive Oil can be used for many different beauty recipes and natural remedies. It goes on your skin easily and naturally without leaving a greasy feeling after it is applied. The skin absorbs it readily and has no allergic properties. Olive oil nourishes the skin leaving it soft and supple. It is rich in Vitamin E and has wonderful healing properties, perfect for dry, cracked or chapped skin.
Here are some ideas to use olive oil in your beauty care regimen.
Eye Makeup Remover
Olive oil is excellent for removing mascara, even better than petroleum jelly or baby oil and will be beneficial to the skin around your eyes. Just apply a few drops of oil onto a cotton wool and apply onto eye area. People with dry, dehydrated or mature skin will highly benefit from such a treatment.
Nourishing Clay Mask
Shelf life: Use immediately
This particular recipe uses Kaolin as it is a ‘gentle’ cleansing clay which ideal also for dry skin types. The olive oil gives it extra nourishing properties and elasticity to mature skin due to it’s high content of Vitamin E. (If you suffer from dehydrated skin, we recommend to add a couple of drops of glycerin to the following recipe as it acts as a humactant, thus attracting moisture to the skin)
Directions:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of Pink Kaolin Clay
- 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Add a few drops of Rose water to create a smooth consistency
- Apply to the face, being especially gentle around the eyes
- Leave on for 15-20 minutes
- Rinse off and apply your moisturizer.
Healing Lip Balm
Shelf life: Use within 3 weeks
Beeswax and olive oil melted and poured into a small tin makes wonderful lip balm that will keep your lips soft and smooth. Here’s one of my favorite recipes.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Melt the beeswax and add olive and calendula oils
- Stir the whole time so the mass is consistent
- Remove from heat, keep stirring and let it cool down a bit
- Add the oil of choice and stir a bit more
- Pour in a plastic container or jar and store properly
Softening Lip Scrub
Shelf life: Use within 1 week
For soft , flake free lips, mix 1/2 teaspoon of unrefined brown sugar to 1 small teaspoon to olive oil. Rub gently in circular motion onto lip and surrounding area. (We do NOT recommend salt as a substitute as it is too harsh for the lip and face area).
Anti-Cellulite Body Scrub
Shelf life: Use within 2 weeks
Scrubs are renowned to improve circulation and even the appearance of the ‘orange peel’ effect. We highly recommend using olive oil as the base oil as it penetrates deeply into the skin, thus the cellulite busting essential oils mentioned in this recipe, will ‘travel’ much faster into the problem area thus one can see faster results.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together. While taking a shower, scoop up some, not more than a teaspoon at a time, and gently, in circular motion distribute the scrub. Rinse well and pat dry.
Sore or Tired Legs and Feet Moisturizer
Shelf life: Use within 3 weeks
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine ingredients and apply as a moisturizer with upward strokes before going to bed. For best results we recommend to raise your feet with the help of a pillow when lying down in bed.
Antiseptic Foot Soak
Shelf life: Use immediately
The moisturizing properties of extra virgin olive oil make it a popular ingredient in natural foot soak recipes while the bicarbonate of soda and the following essential oils deodorize the feet while also being help treat conditions such as athletes foot.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a small bowl and add to one gallon of warm water and enjoy this wonderful olive oil beauty foot soak!
Soothe redness with chamomile! Chamomile has natural anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness, puffiness and irritation. The flower’s sweet scent also relaxes the mind and relieves anxiety.
Chamomile Toner Recipe
Brew 2 cups strong chamomile tea (use 3 bags and steep for 10 minutes). Pour the liquid into a reclosable bottle and refrigerate. After cleansing your face, pour the toner over a cotton pad and sweep over skin. Shelf Life: 2 weeks, if refrigerate.
Soften your skin with sunflowers! Sunflower oil is packed with antioxidants that keep your skin looking young. And it’s rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which are deeply hydrating.
Sunflower Body Massage Recipe
Pour sunflower oil into a small reclosable bottle and place into a basin of warm water for 10 minutes. Using long, smooth strokes, massage the warm oil all over your body. Shelf Life: Indefinitely
Boost hair growth with lavender! Studies show that regularly massaging your scalp with lavender oil encourages hair growth.
Lavender Scalp Massage Recipe
Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil until comfortably warm. Blend in 10 drops lavender essential oil. Pour the warm oil through your hair and scalp and massage in while making slow, circular motions with the pads of your fingertips. Wrap a warm towel around your hair and relax for 20 minutes to an hour. Shampoo and condition as normal.
Firm your skin with roses! Rose oil has a light astringent quality that strengthens and tones your skin. The scent also relaxes your mind and eases anxiety.
Rosewater Facial Mist Recipe
Place 1 cup witch hazel, 1/2 cup distilled water and the petals of 1 freshly washed rose in a reclosable container. Close the container and let it sit overnight, allowing the witch hazel to draw out the flower’s oil. Pour the fragrant liquid in a spray bottle and chill in the fridge. Mist over freshly washed skin. Shelf Life: 2 weeks in the fridge.
Hibiscus Hair Rinse Recipe
Brew 2 cups hibiscus tea. Pour into a spray bottle and mist through your hair. Relax for 5-10 minutes. Shampoo and condition as normal.
Healing aloe vera, a plant that thrives in the Aruban sunshine, gives this exfoliating scrub a soothing, rejuvenating boost.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Aloe Vera
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
Recipe Directions:
Combine ingredients and rub onto damp skin. Rinse with warm water.
Are you looking for some color ideas for this Spring’s projects, whether it be candle, soaps, lip glosses or just home decor? We’ll we have the answer. Here is Pantone’s spring color selections.
I love this recipe! It provides a gorgeous pink color and the end result is amazing. The soap is mild, silky soft and sudsy. A winner in my book!!
Yields 3.50 pounds
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Make your lye solution, weigh out your melted oils and combine both when temperatures are at around 100 degrees F. Add the Sweet Pea Bouquet fragrance oil to the entire batch at a light trace.
- Then separate half into a second dish and stir in the pink kaolin clay mixture, leaving the other half uncolored.
- Pour your pink colored soap into the white soap in a circular pattern. Try not to stir the two colors together too much or you will have a solid color. You want a two toned, swirled pattern.
- By pouring the soap, gravity and the actual pour creates the swirl patten for you. No stirring is necessary.
- Top off the bars by sprinkling the pink himalayan sea salt on the top while the soap is still wet. Gentle tap the salt so it sticks to the soap.
- Let the soap sit for 24 hours, pop it out of mold and slice into desired bars. Set the finished bars on a drying rack to cure for 4 to 6 weeks.
Yields 2.75 pounds
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Make your lye solution, weigh out your melted oils and combine both when temperatures are at around 100 degrees F. Add the Geranium Rose essential oil to the entire batch.
- Separate about half of the batch into a smaller container for the bottom layer. Add cranberry seeds at this point. Pour this layer at a very thick trace.
- In another small container, separate out 1/4 of the rest of the batch. Add burgundy pigment. Pour this layer at a medium to thick trace.
- Pour the rest of the uncolored soap on last. As the top layer sets up, use a whisk to sculpt peaks (if desired). The cut bars are beautiful, mild and luxurious as is or you can stamp the face of each bar for an added touch.
Ingredients:
Basic 1 pound batch. For an 8 ounce batch, divide all ingredient amounts in half
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In a pot, melt your shea butter and coconut oils very slowly on the stove.
- Once melted, add your fragrance oil and corn starch. Stir very well.
- Pour into a large mixing bowl and set over another bowl filled with ice to cool faster, or cover and set in refrigerator to cool.
- As it cools it will become thicker, every 20 minutes or so, use a hand mixer, and whip the butter for several minutes, then place back to cool more. It will begin to get thicker each time as you keep mixing, it will start to look like whipped cream.
- Once the butter has solidified all the way and is no longer runny, spoon it into your desired container and you are finished.
Suggested Container to use: Square Designer Blue Jars, Dome Cream Jars, or Tapered Designer Jar
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Stir all the ingredients together until mixture thickens.
- Gently massage the scrub onto your feet in the shower or bath.
- Use once-a-week for gorgeous feet.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In a small bowl, mix the sugar, sunflower oil, and any Essential oil you choose.
- Squeeze the lemon or lime juice into the mixture right before you’re ready to use. (Citrus if left to long, will melt the sugar crystals).
- Stir, and then rub the mixture onto hands and feet, paying close attention to dry spots.
- Rinse; follow with moisturizer.
Makes 24 bath cookies, enough for 12 baths.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix together all the ingredients. Take a teaspoon of the dough and roll it gently into a 1-inch diameter ball. Continue doing this with all the dough and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- You can decorate the cookie with clove buds, anise seeds or dried citrus peel if you wish.
- Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned (do not over bake).
- Allow the cookies to cool completely. Store in a decorative tin marked Bath Cookies.
Stimulating your scalp boosts hair growth and makes hair thicker, thanks to the increase in blood circulation, while also relaxing your whole body. While incorporating Rosemary Essential Oil—which is a follicle stimulant that opens up scalp pores, and boosts the treatments effectiveness. Bring on the bliss!
Recipe Directions:
- Heat up ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, until it’s warm but still comfortable to the touch.
- Blend in 12 drops of Rosemary Morroccan Essential Oil.
Dip your fingers into the oil and, starting at your hairline, make circles with your fingertips. Use medium pressure as you move down your scalp. Once you reach the nape of your neck, rake your fingers through your hair and give a gentle tug at the roots; repeat through your head. Finish by applying the oil through the shaft and ends of your hair. Relax for 10 minutes, then shampoo and condition as usual.
Want to give your winter-weary skin a treat? Try this simplified version of a signature exfoliating treatment. The salt sloughs off dead skin cells, the spices boost circulation, and the oils smooth and soften!
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In small bowl, mix all ingredients.
- In shower, apply to skin (avoiding face) with circular movements.
- Rinse off, then towel-dry and moisturize.
Exfoliate and moisturize dry, winter-weary skin with this simple-to-prepare brown sugar body polish.
Infused with clove essential oil and ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In a medium size bowl, combine all ingredients except the essential oil.
- Using a whisk, blend the ingredients thoroughly, making sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar.
- Add the essential oil drop by drop, blending after each addition. Spoon the mixture into a styrene container.
- No refrigeration is necessary.
- Shelf life, no more than 6 months.
Pumpkin Souffle fragrance oil and canned pumpkin make this soap a natural for fall. Yields 6.25 pounds
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Dissolve lye in water and set aside to cool (be sure to stir well- it’s a dense solution).
- Warm the coconut, olive and palm oils and shea butter until melted.
- When both liquids have cooled to about 100 degrees carefully combine together.
- Add T-50 and stir to light trace.
- Add the canned pumpkin and fragrance oil.
- Pour into a mold and allow to cure for 6 weeks.
Make a bath using these homemade lavender truffles to relax your nerves and help you go to sleep.
Ingredients:
Recipe Dirctions:
- In a spice grinder combine the sugar and the lavender buds and process until smooth.
- Transfer to a stainless steel or glass bowl and add remaining ingredients.
- Stir together well and refrigerate for about an hour.
- Spoon a generous tablespoon into your hands and mold into a ball; there should be enough to make about 12 bath truffles.
- Place the balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.
- Once they are firm, store in a tightly closed jar and keep refrigerated until use.
- To use, drop one or two truffles into a warm bath.
This relaxing spa treatment uses green tea, oatmeal and ginger to soften your skin and sooth your nerves.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of green tea leaves (or the contents of two tea bags)
- 3 tablespoons of organic oatmeal
- 1 tablespoon of fresh, grated ginger
Recipe Directions:
- Combine green tea and oatmeal with a mortar and pestle, in food processor, or by rubbing vigorously between hands. Mix in ginger and place the blend in a mesh or fabric bag.
- Fill bathtub 1/4 full with hot water, add the bag, steep 5 to 10 minutes, and then fill remainder of tub with cool water. .
- Allow the tea to gently infuse your bath and moisturize your skin while you relax.
This is a basic lotion bar recipe that many home-crafters have been using for years. Makes 10 ounces (283.5 grams). Use lotion bar tubes.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butters slowly. Just before the butters are completely molted, remove from heat and stir until they finish melting.
- Melt the beeswax in the microwave. When melted, add to the molted butters. Add the oil and scent.
- Stir well and pour into sterile lotion bar tubes. Let sit on the counter to cool for several hours. When cool, put the caps on, and they’re ready.
This DIY sinus relief is perfect for those who suffer from allergies and head colds. Just place a sinus relief tab in the bottom of your shower/tub were the water will hit it. While you take your shower, the vapors will help clear out your stuffed nose. You make them just like regular bath bombs, except you boil the water and use it to melt the menthol crystals. This recipe makes 24 (1-ounce; 28.4 gram) sinus tabs.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Measure the baking soda and cornstarch, and put in a large bowl. Mix together well.
- Measure the distilled water, and bring it to a boil. Add menthol crystals, and stir until dissolved. Add the sweet almond oil and eucalyptus essential oil, and stir well.
- Drizzle the liquids into the dry ingredients, and whisk together. Switch to an electric hand mixer and continue mixing until the liquids are well disbursed throughout the mixture.
- Add the citric acid, and mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. Using a small bath bomb soap mold, mold your shower tabs, pack them tight, and place them on a cookie sheet. Turn off the oven and put the shower tabs in the oven, and close the door for 1 hour.
- After the tabs have been in the oven for an hour, remove them and using a knife, remove the tabs from the cookie sheet. Let the tabs air-dry overnight. The next day, wrap the tabs in foil candy wrappers.
Note: Don’t overdo the menthol crystals. They may smell mild now, but when hot water or heat hits them, they put off lots of vapors.
This solid perfume is the hottest trend! You can toss one in your handbag and apply it whenever you need a little something extra. You may double this recipe as many times as you like. This recipe makes 1 ounce (28.4 grams).
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Put in a small microwavable container on your scale, and push the tare button to zero out the weight of the container. Weigh the oil and beeswax. Pour into a microwave-safe bowl, and set aside.
- Put another small container on your scale, and again push the tare button to zero out the weight of this new container. Weigh the scent.
- Repeat for the glitter.
- Melt the oil and beeswax in the microwave, on medium heat and in 1-minute spurts. Remove from the microwave, and stir in the scent and glitter.
- Pour mixture into small sterile lip balm pots.
The White Thyme Essential Oil is derived from a plant whose genus (Thymus) is more than 5 million years old! Some fossils have even shown impressions of thyme species that are still around today. This ancient plant type was discovered in the Middle East and dispersed around the Mediterranean Sea. Over the years, people have used this strong herb for a variety of purposes. It has been added to food for flavor, made into a liquor, planted to attract pollinating honeybees, burned in sacred temples, and used as a medicine for gout, epilepsy, and even nightmares. Thyme was used as a battlefield antiseptic in combat, including World War I. Thyme oil was actually in short supply at the beginning of the war because Germany (our foe a the time) was our main supplier.
There are more than 100 species of thyme. Some can reach heights of 15 inches, however, most people prefer the low lying herb. The spicy, warm, herbaceous scent makes it a popular ground cover, for example, between stepping stones on a walkway. Whatever the purpose, aromatherapists credit White Thyme Essential Oil with having stimulating, uplifting, and reviving properties. That’s probably why centuries ago a bath infused with the oil was thought to revitalize tired soldiers and restore their courage.
Little Known Fact: Nicholas Culpeper, a 17th century herbalist and apothecary, wrote books that combined herbal medicine with astrology. In one of his writings, it was found that the clean, bright, cephalic Thyme is the perfect essential oil for the Gemini (those born between May 22 and June 22).
For a Germ Killing Room Spray using White Thyme Essential Oil, please see our DIY Flu Remedy blog post.
Here are the top 14 fragrance oils that our customers love during the summer months!
If you want to sample some of the oils listed above before buying in large quantities, the Fragrance Oil Sample Pack is just for you. You pick 6 different fragrance oils and receive 2 oz of each. For $20.99, the Fragrance Oil Sample Pack is perfect for testing! It’s a great way to get the feel of each of the fragrance oil’s look, scent, and performance.
We have had numerous inquiries about the Soap Net and have decided to share the information with everyone.
The soap net is a wonderful handmade product that is fully Made in the USA! It is a spectacular “green” product that helps exfoliate the skin and improve circulation. The design of the soap net, when used with soap and a little water, immediately forms an abundance of suds for a good clean wash.
There are many products on the market that are similar to the soap net, but so far none can hold a candle to the soap net’s unique excellence. Here is a comparison of the Soap Net to most other imitation products:
Made in the USA
Soap Net – YES Other Nets – NO (they are usually made in China or other countries)
Made Out Of Recycled Material
Soap Net – YES Other Nets – NO (they typically use natural resources and other chemicals)
Handmade
Soap Net – YES Other Nets – NO (quality is often sacrificed for quantity on big machines that pollute the environment)
Keeps Money In USA Economy
Soap Net – YES Other Nets – NO (money is spent overseas when production is done out of country)
Rinses Clean, Dries Quickly, No Bacteria
Soap Net – YES Other Nets – NO (many have multiple layers or tight netting that never fully dry causing bacteria to grow)
Recyclable – Won’t Sit In Landfills
Soap Net – YES Other Nets – NO (they often cannot be recycled and must be thrown in the trash after use)
This soap is ideal for cleaning the filthiest of hands. It works wonders on grease, dirt, and grime. Perfect for Father’s Day, a mechanic, or any other tinkerer in your life!
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Follow the instructions in our Melt and Pour Soap Making Video to melt the Soap Base.
- Coat the inside of the mold with Petroleum Jelly or Vegetable Oil.
- Once the Soap Base has fully melted, stir in the Pumice.
- Completely stir in the Essential Oil.
- Add the Colorant and thoroughly mix in. (The amount of colorant is personal preference. Slowly add the colorant until you reach the desired shade.)
- Carefully pour the Soap Base into the Mold.
- Spray the top of the Soap with the Rubbing Alcohol.
- Allow the soap to harden for 4-6 hours.
- Once the soap has hardened, gently unmold the soap. It’s ready to use right away!
“Better keep yourself clean and bright. You are the window through which you must see the world.” –George Bernard Shaw
Here is an all natural way to clean your kitchen. The mixture is made with plant essential oils, which are known to disinfect, clean, and smell wonderful!
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- In a sterile dark glass container, mix the Lavender, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Rosewood, and Palmarosa Essential Oils together. Seal the container until ready to use.
- When ready to clean the kitchen: Combine 2 cups of Water with 8 drops of the Essential Oil Mixture in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle to mix the oils with the water and spray on the surfaces you want to clean. Remember to shake the bottle each time before spraying.
Every season has its fair share of sneezes, coughs, and sniffles. In such circumstances, we typically run straight to the bathroom to use the antibacterial hand soap. On the contrary, experts are now saying that this could actually help aid us in catching germs.
Antibacterial products help ward off bacteria we may have been in contact with, but it does not work against viruses, which are what cause the flu and colds. Experts are also seeing that, when used in abundance, antibacterial cleansers may make us more vulnerable to germs. “Soaps and hand cleaners that contain triclosan or other antibacterial agents should be avoided, ” claims Dr. Christopher A. Ohl (associate professor of infectious diseases at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC), “These agents have been shown to pressure bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics and really are unnecessary.”
It is always very important to thoroughly wash your hands throughout the day. However, you don’t have to break the bank by buying antibacterial soaps. In order to kill most germs, scrub your hands with plain soap and hot water for 30 seconds. “If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand hygiene products are an alternative for adults and older children,” mentions Ohl.
If you want a really inexpensive and creative way to keep yourself free from germs, try making your own glycerin soap with our Melt and Pour Soap Bases and Soap Molds. The Soap Making Video gives step by step instructions on how to make beautiful bars of soaps. Or follow our Hand Sanitizer Recipe in our bog to make your own hand hygiene product.
Recycle an old picture frame by turning it into a vanity tray!
Simply place patterned fabric or a colored piece of paper inside the frame, lay the vanity on your dresser, and top with your cosmetics and toiletries. It’s an affordable and green way to dress up your bedroom.
Picture above features the following Nu-Scents’ products: Blue Diffuser Bottle, Blue Glass Bottle Top, 2 oz Boston Round Bottle (clear bottle with black top only — brown bottle with white top currently not available), Tumbler Glass, Aluminum Tealight Holder.
It’s Spring Cleaning Time!
Time to dust off the cobwebs of winter and brighten the home anew for summer. A perfect tool for fixing up the house is soap. And it’s not just for normal cleaning purposes! Both liquid and bar soap can be used around the house for easy fixes. Here are some wonderful ways to use soap around your house that you might not have thought of before:
- Dab a zip tool with liquid soap to snap aluminum or vinyl siding into place easier.
- Use a bar of soap to lubricate the metal rails of sticking desk drawers.
- Run the wet edge of a bar of soap along dirty windowsills to clean them.
- Mix some liquid soap with water and spray the mixture on the underside of plant leaves to keep garden bugs off.
At Nu-Scents, we strive to keep you updated with the latest industry information and safety precautions. We have found some important information regarding a chemical you may be using when making candles, soaps, bath, or body products. Please use discretion and utmost care when making handmade items.
Dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly bloating, nausea, and vomiting. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.
Due to its widespread use in the candle, soap, bath & body supplies industry, DHMO is involved in many environmental incidents each year. While most are unavoidable given current technology, there can be little doubt that the presence of DHMO in each significantly increases the negative impact on the environment. Dihydrogen monoxide is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain. It is not believed to be a carcinogen, although it is known to be a component of a number of cancer-causing agents. Dihydrogen monoxide contributes to the greenhouse effect, may cause severe burns, accelerates corrosion of many metals, and has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today, but the pollution is global. The contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
- As an industrial solvent and coolant
- In nuclear power plants
- In the production of styrofoam
- As a fire retardant
- In many forms of animal research
- In the distribution of pesticides – even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical
- As an additive in certain junk foods and other food products
Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its “importance to the economic health of this nation.” In fact, the Navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations.
Despite the known dangers, DHMO continues to be used daily throughout the industry. Fortunately, there is much you can do to minimize the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide. Whenever dealing with any product you think may be contaminated with DHMO, evaluate the relative danger and act accordingly. Keep in mind that in many instances, low levels of DHMO contamination are not dangerous and, in fact, are unavoidable. We hope that you find this information helpful. Please be careful about which chemicals and ingredients you use in your candles, soap, bath, and body products. You alone are solely responsible for the research, testing, and quality control of your finished products.
The economy has gone down while the costs of candle making have gone up. However, you can still make a nice profit by being savvy. Below, we have drawn up a couple of examples to show you how your candle making business can still bring forth a nice profit and keep you in business.
For the first example, we used an average sized jar that is reasonably priced. In researching, we found that this type of candle typically sells for $9.00 each at area craft shows and fundraisers. The items you need to make 12 candles are as follows:
Total Cost: $30.07 per case of candles ($2.51 per candle)
Your Profit: $77.93 per case of candles ($6.49 per candle)
These numbers are based on buying glassware by the case, wax by one case, fragrance oil by a 16oz bottle, and wicks by qty 100. Your profits will increase if you purchase the items in larger quantities (for example, buying 160 ounces of fragrance oil). Also, if you sell your candles in boutique retail stores the selling price is typically around $10-$13 per candle, which increases your profit to $89.93-$125.93 per case ($7.49-$10.49 per candle).
For the second example, we used a chic metal tin. These candles are perfect for travel, home, office, as party favors, etcetera. In researching, we found that this type of candle typically sells for $5.00 each at area craft shows and fundraisers. The items you need to make 36 candles are as follows:
Total Cost: $70.32 per case of candles ($1.95 per candle)
Your Profit: $109.68 per case of candles ($3.05 per candle)
These numbers are based on buying tins by the case, wax by one case, fragrance oil by a 32oz bottle, and wicks by qty 100. Your profits will increase if you purchase the items in larger quantities (for example, buying 6 cases of tins). Also, if you sell your candles in boutique retail stores the selling price is typically around $7-$10 per candle, which increases your profit to $181.68-$289.68 per case ($5.05-$8.05 per candle).
These examples are to prove that you can still make money in the candle industry. Keep in mind when pricing your candles that the economy is still recovering and people may not be able to loosen the purse strings on an exotic $12.00 candle. If you buy affordable items like the ones listed above and keep your prices reasonable for all, sales may be better than you expected.
Sometimes it can be hard to find a personal gift to present to the bride-to-be. A gift from the heart that she will thoroughly enjoy is just what you need. This handmade gift package containing a bubble bath, massage oil, and after bath oil is a wonderful idea to give to the future Mrs. The scents are calming, romantic, and relaxing…and who couldn’t use a little pampering during those stressful wedding planning moments?
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Place enough Pearl Beads into the Bullet Bottles to cover the entire bottom of the bottles.
- Follow the instructions in our Bubble Bath Wedding Favor blog to create the bubble bath.
- Follow the instructions in our Romance Massage Oil blog to create the massage oil.
- Follow the instructions in our After Bath Oil blog to create the after bath oil.
- Once all of the product is made and poured into the bottles, take the Celebration Labels and trim the bottom flat 3/16 inch from the edge.
- Appropriately label all of the bottles.
- Create a card that lists the ingredients and usage instructions for each product.
- Open the Gusseted Bag and fill with a little Crinkle Fill.
- Place one Bubble Bath, one Massage Oil, one After Bath Oil, and one instruction card into the bag.
- Tie the bag shut with your choice of ribbon, string, bow, etcetera.
The perfect candle for the cold winter months! The Cafe Mocha Candle looks exactly like a cafe mocha and smells like one, too. The tantalizing scent and true to life look of this candle have fooled many. It looks so good, you’ll want to drink it!
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Adhere a Candle Dot in the center of the Glass Mug.
- Take a Candle Wick that is suited for your sized Mug and strongly push the Wick onto the Candle Dot. (To find a wick that is right for your mug: measure the diameter of the widest part of your container, look at our Wick Chart, and under the Natural Wax Suggested Applications column find the diameter of your container. This will give you some wick suggestions that will work well.)
- Place the Wick through the Wick Holder’s hole and center the Wick in the Mug.
- Take enough C-3 Wax to fill the mug and melt the wax using your preferred method. (One pound of soy wax by weight will equal approximately 18 ounces of liquid wax when melted. If you have a 15 ounce mug, one pound of wax by weight would suffice.)
- Completely melt the Soy Wax and get it to a temperature of 160-180 degrees F.
- Stir in some Brown Dye until the desired shade is reached. Remember you can always add more, you cannot take away. Our example only used a few shavings to achieve the color we wanted.
- Thoroughly mix in the Mocha Cream Fragrance Oil. We recommend using 1.5 ounces of fragrance oil per pound of wax.
- Allow the temperature of the Wax to lower to 150-160 degrees F.
- Slowly pour the Soy Wax into the Mug. Fill the Wax to within one inch of the top of the Mug.
- Gently tap the sides of the Mug to release any air pockets.
- Allow the candle to cool.
- After the candle has fully cooled, take the Wick Holder off of the Wick.
- Melt enough 2526 Wax to fill the top of the Mug. (One pound of paraffin wax by weight will equal approximately 20 ounces of liquid wax when melted. If you have a 15 ounce mug, 5 ounces of paraffin by weight would probably work.)
- Completely melt the Paraffin Wax and get it to a temperature of approximately 180-190 degrees F.
- Stir in a tad of Mocha Cream FO. (If you have a 15 ounces mug, 1/2 ounce would work well.)
- Allow the Paraffin Wax to cool down. Note–You have to work fast during this step. When the Wax starts thickening, take the Fork and begin whipping the Wax. Once the Wax is whipped up, take the Fork and plop the Paraffin Wax into the Mug. Being sure to push the Wax against the sides of the Mug and all around the Wick. How much “whipped topping” you add to the top is purely personal preference.
- Let the wax finish cooling completely and you have a scrumptious Cafe Mocha Candle!
We all have days where we just don’t want to work out. Especially when it’s gray and gloomy outside. Here’s an interesting theory to try the next time you feel a little sluggish and want to skip out on the gym.
Inhale peppermint essential oil!
Studies have shown that the fragrance of peppermint can improve your workout and reduce the tiredness that you feel. It also clears the head and freshens the spirit. It’s wonderful for mental fatigue and depression. So, get out there, waft some peppermint your way and see what a difference it can make on your outlook of going to the gym.
As delicious looking and smelling as the real thing! These small guest-sized soaps are great to have around the house during the holiday of love!
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Generously coat the inside of the Candy Mold with Petroleum Jelly. This will act as your mold release.
- Melt the desired amount of Soap Base in the Microwave using the method used in our Melt and Pour Soap Making Video.
- Add the Cocoa Therapy Fragrance Oil until it is thoroughly mixed in. We recommend using 1 ounce per pound of soap base.
- Completely stir in the Brown Oxide until the desired shade is reached. The less oxide you use, the more it will look like milk chocolate; the more oxide you use, the more is will look like dark chocolate. For our example, we thoroughly mixed in a little oxide, then we added some more oxide and accidentally didn’t stir it in all the way. However, it gave our soaps a marbled chocolate appearance that looks oh so yummy!
- Pour the soap into the Candy Mold.
- Allow the soaps to cool for several hours.
- When the soaps have fully hardened, gently remove them from the mold. If you have troubles doing this, place the mold in the freezer for about 10 minutes and try to unmold them again. They should pop right out then. If not, tap the mold gently on a table and they should release.
- Place the small guest soaps in a glass bowl, decorative soap dish, or another type of container and place them in your bathroom. You will love the rich aroma of the beautiful soaps!
“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.” –Anonymous
The majority of us use body scrubs while we are in the shower and our skin is wet. However, scrubbing it onto dry skin can be even more beneficial! If you have extra dry skin, try smoothing the body scrub over your dry body. The dead skin on the surface will be scrubbed away more effectively as the oils in the scrub make sure that the exfoliants are gentle and soothing. Then, hop in the shower to rinse off the scrub. Your body will feel soft, renewed, and refreshed!
The process of rebatching soap is a great way to use up cold process soap slivers, leftovers, or ugly bars. Often times, when creating the perfect bars, some soap may have to be trimmed off. Instead of throwing out this valuable material, use it to create rebatched soap. It’s a wonderful way to reuse and recycle leftover material, and it gives you unique looking handmade soaps.
Materials:
- excess soap, ugly bars, slivers, and other leftovers from cold process soap making
- scent (essential oil or fragrance oil)
- grater
- soap mold
- microwave bowl
- distilled water
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- knife
- spoon
- paper towels
- petroleum jelly
- vegetable peeler
Directions:
- Use a paper towel to coat the inside of the soap mold with petroleum jelly.
- Grate 3 bars of soap. If you only have slivers or leftover pieces, grate approximately 6 ounces of soap by weight. Grate the soap as you would cheese.
- When you are left with only a small piece of ungrated soap, use a knife to cut it into shaving-sized pieces.
- Put all of the shavings in a microwave safe bowl.
- Add 1/4 cup of distilled water to the soap shavings.
- Slightly stir to distribute the water evenly.
- Microwave the soap shavings for 1 minute at 70% power.
- Remove the bowl and stir gently. The shavings should be warm but not liquefied.
- Add your fragrance oil or essential oil. Our example used essential oil and we added 3/16 ounce to the mixture.
- Put the bowl in the microwave and heat for 10 seconds at 50% power. Don’t be alarmed if the soap rises and foams up as it’s heated.
- Remove the bowl. NOTE–Be careful! It could be hot!
- Stir the soap to thoroughly mix in the scent. The soap mixture will have an oatmeal-like texture.
- Use a spoon to fill the soap mold with the mixture. Pack the soap gently to get it into all crevices and to alleviate air pockets.
- Level the top of the mold.
- If the soap mixture becomes too thick to work with add 1 Tablespoon distilled water and microwave at 10 second intervals and stir.
- After filling all of the soap mold cavities, allow the soap to set for several hours.
- Occasionally check the soap to see if it is cool and hard. If yes, it is ready to be unmolded.
- Carefully unmold the soap. If the soap is stuck and will not come out, run hot water over the back side of the mold, then take a knife and gently break away the soap from the edges of the mold. Use the knife to pop out the soap. The knife may gouge the soap, if this occurs, use your fingers to easily reshape the soap. Allow the soap to air dry on wax paper for a few days.
- Use a vegetable peeler to trim rough edges.
- The soap is ready to use right away!
Note: Once any kitchen utensils (ie. grater, knife, vegetable peeler, etc.) have been used in soap making, they can never be used for food again.
These instructions have been taken from the Basic Soap Making book. For more great ideas, instructions, and recipes, you can buy the book on our website.
Winter is a great time of year to get things done around the house. Whether you’re remodeling or just reorganizing, here are some clever ways that every day soap (both liquid and bar) can help you achieve some tasks in your home.
- Remove wallpaper glue by mixing soap with warm water and sponging it on the walls.
- Drive nails easier with less risk of splitting the wood, by first rubbing soap on the nail shank.
- Turn screws more easily by dabbing soap onto the treads of the screws.
- Smooth caulk beads with a moistened soapy finger.
- Detect gas leaks by mixing soap with water and rubbing it on the suspected pipe joints; if bubbles form, you have a problem.
Bring the glorious look of wispy snow into your home this winter. The swirls of white give the impression that the snow is wafting down the candle. Each candle turns out differently and is as unique as a snowflake!
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Wick the Mold by following the instructions in our How To Wick a Metal Candle Mold blog.
- After the Mold is wicked, melt the PB140 Wax in a double boiler.
- Completely melt the Wax and get it to a temperature of about 145-155 degrees F.
- Pour the Wax into the Mold.
- Wait 3 minutes.
- If the Wax has hardened at the top, cut that wax off and dump it along with the rest of the liquid wax back into the double boiler.
- Reheat the Wax to a temperature of about 160-180 degrees F.
- Completely mix in the Candle Dye.
- Stir in the Fragrance Oil until it is thoroughly dispersed.
- Allow the temperature of the Wax to lower to approximately 145-155 degrees F.
- Carefully pour the Wax into the Mold.
- Gently tap the sides of the Mold to release any air pockets.
- Allow the candle to cool. NOTE–If a well is forming by the wick: poke holes near the wick and fill the holes with the leftover wax to form a flat bottom for the candle. (Remember that the top of the mold will be the bottom of the candle.) Be careful not to overfill the well.
- Once the candle has fully cooled, undo the Clamp and remove the Wick Rod.
- Flip the Mold over and remove the Small Stick and the Mold Sealer.
- Carefully pull the Wicking at the open end of the Mold and release the candle.
- At the bottom of the candle, use the Scissors to trim the Wicking flush with the Wax.
- At the top of the candle, use the Scissors to trim the Wicking to 1/4 inch.
- Allow the candle to sit for at least 24 hours before burning.
If you have candle stubs left over from votives, pillars, or tapers and aren’t sure what to do with them, try these nifty winter ideas to reuse the leftover wax.
- Coat the edge of a shovel or ice scraper with the wax. The snow and ice will slide right off and not build up.
- After sealing and addressing your holiday cards, add a vintage touch by dripping candle wax over the tip of the envelope flap. It adds some festive charm and helps keep the envelope sealed.
- Melt a candle stub and drizzle the wax liberally over a piece of kindling or a pine cone. Allow the wax to fully dry. When needed, place the wax covered wood into the fireplace and use as a fire starter.
- Create your own waterproof shipping label by lightly rubbing the end of a pale-colored candle nub over your package’s address label (dark colored waxes may dye the label). It will help prevent snow and moisture from making the ink on the label bleed.
Bring the fresh look of the winter into your home with this beautiful hurricane candle design. Echoing a wintry forest in the mountains, the glowing candle setup is sure to brighten up your day!
Materials:
- Double Glass Hurricane Bowl /OR/ 2 Glass Cylinder Containers (one smaller than the other)
- Fake Snow
- Sprigs of Cedar
- Votive or Pillar Candle
Recipe Directions:
- If using the Double Glass Hurricane Bowl skip to Step 2. If using the 2 Glass Cylinder Containers, place the smaller container inside of the larger one.
- Sprinkle the Fake Snow between the two glass walls.
- Add some Sprigs of Cedar. The amount you add is up to you: you can add as little or as many as you want…large sprigs…small sprigs…it’s all up to your decorating style.
- Place a Votive Candle or Pillar Candle into the inner cylinder.
- Light the Candle and admire the wintry glow!
Melt away the stress with this glistening DIY bath bombs recipe. Help yourself unwind and get ready for endless possibilities!
Ingredients:
Makes approximately 8 guest sized bath bombs.
Recipe Directions:
- Place the Sea Salt in a sterile container and stir in the Cosmetic Colorant until it is thoroughly dispersed.
- Sprinkle the colored Sea Salt into the bottom of each Soap Mold cavity.
- In another sterile container, blend the Peppermint Essential Oil into the Sunflower Oil.
- Combine the Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Cornstarch, and scented Sunflower Oil until it forms a crumbly dough.
- Pack the dough into the Soap Mold cavities.
- Let the dough sit in the Molds overnight.
- Carefully turn the Molds upside down and release the bath bombs.
- Allow the bath bombs to fully air-dry.
Usage:
Place 1-2 bath bombs into a tub full of warm water. Enjoy the skin-softening oils, soothing sea salt, and invigorating aroma as you relax your way into the New Year! NOTE–Be careful in the tub as the oils may make it slippery.
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” –Jimmy Dean
Neem oil is widely used in India and Africa as an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, antiseptic, and anti-parasitic agent in toiletries, soap, toothpaste and skin/hair care products. Why not use it in your own home to beautify your nails? The anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties of Neem Oil help to heal weakened nails and ward off infections that could cause breaking, cracking, or peeling. The oil is also full of fatty acids which are great for the skin and can heal dry, jagged cuticles.
Usage:
Massage 1-2 drops of Neem Oil into your cuticles and nail beds twice daily.
An elegant and natural way to decorate the table. This DIY Natural Candle Centerpiece is wonderful for lighting up the dinner table and is created out of natural materials!
Materials:
Directions:
- Arrange the Candles on the Plate.
- Scatter the Mixed Nuts all around the Candles.
- Place the decoration in the center of the dining table for an awe-inspiring natural site.
Brighten up the festivities with DIY Glittering Candles! The bold color, tantalizing scent, and shimmery glitter make this candle a must for ringing in the new year!
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Wick the Mold by following the instructions in our How to Wick a Metal Candle Mold blog.
- After the Mold is wicked, melt 1.5 pounds of PB140 Wax in a double boiler.
- Completely melt and Wax and get it to a temperature of approximately 160-180 degrees F.
- Thoroughly mix in the Candle Dye.
- Stir in 2.25 ounces of Fragrance Oil until it is thoroughly dispersed.
- Allow the temperature of the wax to lower to approximately 145-155 degrees F.
- Carefully pour the Wax into the Mold.
- Gently tap the sides of the mold to release any air pockets.
- Allow the candle to cool. NOTE–If a well is forming by the wick: poke holes near the wick and fill the holes with the leftover wax to form a flat bottom for the candle. (Remember that the top of the mold will be the bottom of the candle.) Be careful not to overfill the well.
- Once the candle has fully cooled, undo the Clamp and remove the Wick Rod.
- Flip the Mold over and remove the Small Stick and Mold Sealer.
- Carefully pull the Wicking at the open end of the Mold and release the candle.
- At the bottom of the candle, use the Scissors to trim the Wicking flush with the wax.
- At the top of the candle, use the Scissors to trim the Wicking to 1/4 inch.
- Use the Adhesive Spray and spray a small area of the outside of the candle (NOTE–do not get the adhesive spray on the top of the candle or on the wick.)
- Take a pinch of Shimmer Glitter and carefully sprinkle it over where the adhesive was sprayed.
- Repeat step 16 until the entire outside of the candle has been sprinkled with Shimmer Glitter.
- Allow the candle to sit for 24 hours.
- Light the wick and enjoy the sparkling brilliance of the Glittering Lights Candle!
Note: The sides of the candle may be sticky for a time, be careful not to touch the sides. This does not affect the burning of the candle.
Add some fragrance and color to your home this Christmas. This is a lovely festive reed diffuser decoration for the holiday season.
Materials:
Directions:
- In a sterile container, mix 2.4 ounces Diffuser Base with 1.6 ounces Fragrance Oil.
- Place the Tiny Light Bulbs in the Drop Diffuser Bottle.
- Slowly pour the Scented Diffuser Base into the Bottle.
- Organize the Diffuser Reeds in the Bottle.
- Enjoy the wonderful scent of the season!
Creative Ideas:
- Use as few or as many light bulbs as you would like.
- Create your own holiday fragrance by mixing different fragrance oils together, for example: Winter Wonderland = 1 part Peppermint to 1 part Pine Forest.
- The reed diffuser oil can sometimes eat the color off of items, be sure to use tiny light bulbs that are colorfast. If you already have tiny light bulbs and want to see if they will work, do a test by placing one bulb in a small amount of fragrance/diffuser base and let it sit for several days. If the color stays, those bulbs might work nicely.
- Tie some ribbon in a bow around the neck of the bottle for extra Christmas color.
This time of year, many people buy freshly cut Christmas trees, decorate with spruce leaves, or use pine branches as holiday decor. Dragging in a tree or decorating with leaves and branches can leave you with tree sap covered hands. It is often difficult to wash this stickiness off, leaving a person annoyed and frustrated. Until now… Low and behold, Olive Oil comes to the rescue!
- Pour one Tablespoon of Olive Oil onto a cloth.
- Rub the cloth on your hands until they are clean and the stickiness is gone.
Simple and efficient, you will be left with smooth hands. Olive oil is also a great moisturizer for winter’s dry skin.
The air has turned colder, there are whispers that snow may be coming, and flu season has arrived. Stop the spread of the terrible virus with this wonderful remedy. White Thyme Essential Oil has antibacterial properties that destroy airborne viruses on contact. It is a natural way to “boost your immune system.” This potent antiseptic has been used for centuries to protect against diseases and illnesses. White Thyme has been known to be used in hospitals throughout Africa to completely rid the air of germs. Use the recipe below to create a room spray that can help kill the germs in the air.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Combine the Witch Hazel and Water in the Spray Bottle.
- Add the White Thyme Essential Oil to the Spray Bottle.
- To use: Shake well. Spritz the air to help kill the germs.
“Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you.” –Langston Hughes
The great 17th-century herbalist and apothecary Nicholas Culpeper wrote several books that combined herbal medicine and astrology. Of particular interest is his method of ascribing a ruling planet to each plant. You can use this information to select essential oils according to their planetary influences.
Astrological aromatherapy is growing in popularity and utilizes a great deal of knowledge and ancient wisdom. Below is a simple guide to help you choose an emblematic essential oil according to your sun sign.
Aries
Aries, the ram, runs from March 21 to April 20. Aries is a fire sign, and its ruling planet is Mars. Basil and black pepper have Mars as their ruling planet, and their sharp cephalic qualities make either one a suitable emblematic essential oil for Aries.
Taurus
Taurus, the bull, runs from April 21 to May 21. Taurus is an earth sign, and its ruling planet is Venus. Palmarosa, ylang ylang and rose have Venus as their ruling planet. The sweet, grounded, balancing qualities of these florals make any one a suitable emblematic essential oil for Taurus.
Gemini
Gemini, the twins, runs from May 22 to June 22. Gemini is an air sign, and its ruling planet is Mercury. Mercury rules fennel, peppermint, and thyme. These clean, bright cephalic essential oils all reflect the Gemini character.
Cancer
Cancer, the crab, runs from June 23 to July 23. Cancer is a water sign, and its ruling planet is the Moon. Chamomile is ruled by the Moon, and the calm nurturing qualities of Roman chamomile and German chamomile make either one a good emblematic essential oil for Cancer.
Leo
Leo, the lion, runs from July 24 to August 23. Leo is a fire sign, and its ruling planet is the Sun. Benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, and helichrysum have the Sun as their ruling planet. Any one of these warm, sultry, resinous essential oils makes a good choice for Leo.
Virgo
Virgo, the young maiden, runs from August 24 to September 23. Virgo is an earth sign, and its ruling planet is Mercury. Lavender and myrtle have Mercury as their ruling planet, and the calm, gentle innocence of these two essential oils makes either one a good choice for Virgo.
Libra
Libra, the pair of scales, runs from September 24 to October 23. Libra is an air sign, and its ruling planet is Venus. Venus is the ruling planet of geranium, and the balanced poise of this sweet floral makes it the ideal emblematic essential oil for Libra.
Scorpio
Scorpio, the scorpion, runs from October 24 to November 22. Scorpio is a water sign, and its ruling planets are Mars and Pluto. Pluto is the ruling planet of patchouli, and this musty, smoky, aphrodisiac essential oil well reflects the Scorpio character. The fiery sweetness of ginger, ruled by Mars, makes a good alternative emblematic essential oil for Scorpio.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius, the centaur, runs from November 23 to December 21. Sagittarius is a fire sign, and its ruling planet is Jupiter. Jupiter is the ruling planet of hyssop, and this sweet, calming, spicy herbal essential oil is well suited for Sagittarius.
Capricorn
Capricorn, the goat, runs from December 22 to January 20. Capricorn is an earth sign, and its ruling planet is Saturn. Eucalyptus and vetiver are ruled by Saturn. Either clean, clear eucalyptus or earthy, woody vetiver makes a good emblematic essential oil for Capricorn.
Aquarius
Aquarius, the water bearer, runs from January 21 to February 19. Aquarius is an air sign, and its ruling planets are Uranus and, to a lesser extent, Saturn. Uranus is the ruling planet of both sandalwood and violet leaf. Either one of these sensuous, deep, mysterious essential oils is ideal for Aquarius.
Pisces
Pisces, the fish, runs from February 20 to March 20. Pisces is a water sign, and its ruling planet is Neptune. Neptune is also the ruling planet of cypress, and this sacred, purifying and drying essential oil suits the Piscean character.
*The above is an excerpt from the book “The Aromatherapy Bible” by Gill Farrer-Halls. For more information on this definitive guide to using essential oils or to purchase the book, please visit our website. The book is full of recipes, tips, essential oil details, massage techniques, and so much more!
Some people are prone to poor circulation, which causes cold hands and feet. A healthy diet and exercise are great for helping improve blood circulation throughout the body! During the cold weather, however, some people may need extra help to get the blood pumping better. This body wash pouch was created using essential oils believed to help improve circulation and stimulate the body. As a bonus, the nettle leaf also aids in circulation as well as helps soothe itchy, irritated skin.
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
- Place the Natrasorb in a sterile container.
- Add all of the Essential Oil to the Natrasorb.
- Using a sterilized stirring utensil, thoroughly mix the Essential Oils into the Natrasorb.
- Place the Nettle Leaf into a plastic zip lock bag.
- Pour the scented Natrasorb into the zip lock bag with the Nettle Leaf.
- Zip the bag shut and shake around until the Natrasorb and Nettle Leaf are completely mixed together.
- Carefully pour the Nettle Leaf mixture into the Muslin Bag.
- Tie the Muslin Bag tightly shut.
Usage:
In the shower, moisten the bag thoroughly with water and rub it over your skin. For added benefits, massage the bag into your arms, legs, and tops of your feet.
“The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.” –James Madison
This is a wonderful foot treatment. The lactic acid in the milk helps to exfoliate the skin and the honey leaves the feet feeling super soft. The peppermint scrub then assists in further exfoliating, allowing your feet to become fresh, new, and revitalized!
Ingredients:
Recipe Directions:
Note: It is best to pamper your feet near a shower or tub for easy rinsing.
- Mix 1/2 cup Olive Oil and 1/2 cup Sugar in the Bowl.
- Completely mix in 1.75 teaspoons of Peppermint Essential Oil.
- Set the Bowl of Peppermint Foot Scrub near the Basin for later use.
- Carefully, warm the milk in the microwave.
- Fill the Basin with the warm milk. Note: Remember to leave enough room for your feet. You don’t want to stick your feet in the basin and have the milk overflow onto the floor.
- Add 4-5 teaspoons of Honey to the Milk and thoroughly mix in.
- Place your feet in the Basin and allow them to soak for a few minutes.
- Take your feet out of the Honey Milk Bath and massage the Peppermint Foot Scrub onto your feet.
- Completely rinse the Foot Scrub off of your feet.
- Pat your feet dry with a towel.
- Moisturize your newly softened feet with the Lotion.
“Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul / None is more gladdening or fruitful than to know / You can regenerate and make yourself what you will.” -William James
When you’re making handmade products there can be times when things don’t go quite right. Here is one of our mistake examples we hope that you can learn from.
We made a large batch of our Parsley Salt Scrub Soap (which was featured earlier this year on our blog). We decided to cut it into small bars to use for samples. Well, when we did…the different layers of the soap split apart! Since these were just for samples it wasn’t such a big deal, but had we been wanting to sell this product, it would have been a disaster.
Upon doing research, we read that you should use rubbing alcohol in between each layer. For example, once the sea salt layer of the Parsley Salt Scrub Soap has fully hardened, spray rubbing alcohol over the top of the soap. This is supposed to act as a binding agent for the next layer. Then, pour the next layer of soap and add the parsley flakes. Repeat this step for any additional layers.
It’s a bummer we didn’t know this before, but at least now we know for the next time we make a layered bar of melt and pour soap!
Do you have candle stubs left over from the votives, pillars, and tapers you’ve burned? Instead of throwing them out, try these 2 ideas to reuse the leftover wax.
- If you have a nub of wax leftover from a scented candle, place the stub in your closet. The scented wax will act as a sachet to freshen up the closet with a wonderful aroma.
- If you have drawers and doors that stick, use a candle stub to solve the problem. Rub the wax along the moving parts of the drawer (be careful with getting dyed wax on wood, over time the dye could color the wood) and it will slickly slide back and forth. For a door, carefully take the hinge pins out one at a time. Rub the nub of the candle all over the pins and place them back in the door. No more sticky hinges.
The busy season is again upon us! Craft fairs, flea markets, holiday bazaars, and Christmas shopping are all right around the corner! Our warehouse is bustling, and we’ve heard our customers are beginning to see orders for their products come rolling in, as well. What a wonderful time of year!
Since this time of year does get busier for most and there’s more going on in our lives, we wanted to remind everyone when ordering to please plan accordingly. Here are some helpful tips to avoid the busy season “out of stocks” and “seasonal delays.”
- Plan ahead–order products as early as possible (for example, If you think that you’re going to sell out of an item at the weekend fair, order your replacement products before the weekend fair. That way, when you return from a productive weekend, your new product is already there waiting for you to make more for the next weekend fair.)
- In-house processing time is DIFFERENT from shipping time–the in-house processing time is the time it takes for us to get to your order, pick, pack, and invoice your order getting it ready to ship (if there are more orders ahead of your order, the in-house processing time may be longer); shipping time is the time it takes an order to ship from our facility to your location (our in-house processing time during the busy season can be anywhere from 3-5 business days that we’re open; the shipping time depends on the carrier and the seasonal delays they may be facing; it’s a good rule of thumb to allow for more time than you think is necessary, just to be on the safe side.)
- Review company policies–knowing the policies ahead of time makes sure there are no “surprises” later (crazy things can happen at this time of year and products may not be needed after they are ordered, be sure you know the cancellation, return, and other policies)
- Allow enough time for unforeseen mistakes, errors, and delays–some things (like weather, shipping errors, and manufacturers’ backordered items) may occur and they are beyond our control (be sure to leave enough extra time just in case…you never know if the Abominable Snowman will decide to visit this year to slow things down.)
- For those picking orders up at the warehouse, know the pick-up order schedule–during the busy season, we are sticking to the pick-up schedule, please plan accordingly
- If you’re in a bind–if the in-house processing time isn’t fast enough we offer an In-House Rush Service to aid you when the need arises (charges do apply, please contact our office for more information)
- If you’re in a bind 2–if regular ground shipping methods are not fast enough to get you the product in time, expedited shipping methods are available in most areas (higher costs do apply)
- Know the holiday closing schedules–check out Nu-Scents’ holiday closing schedule when it becomes available. Also, be sure to look at the holiday schedules of United States Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS.
We wish all of you a fun and profitable busy season! If chaos ensues, remember to breathe–nothing is worth the stress or anger. Everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to. May all your orders go smoothly and projects turn out wonderfully!!
No matter what season of the year it may be, dry lips can find us anywhere, anytime. It helps to have a Moisturizing Lip Balm around to help alleviate the dry, chapped feeling. The recipe below creates a wonderful product that almost instantly moisturizes lips. It leaves a smooth, non-greasy feeling and will not cake on the lips. The lip balm contains vitamins and ingredients that help protect against the damaging effects of the sun while softening and conditioning the lips.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Using the double boiler method, melt the Beeswax.
- Once completely melted, add the Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter.
- Allow the butters to melt and add the Sweet Almond Oil.
- Heat through and thoroughly mix together.
- Add the Vitamin E Oil and mix in.
- Remove from heat.
- Add the desired amount of Sweetener.
- Thoroughly mix in the Flavor Oil. Note–more flavor oil can be added, flavor oils are generally used at a rate of about 1% to 3% in lip balm formulations.
- Pour the mixture into the Lip Balm Slider Tins. Note–if the mixture starts to harden, re-heat it and then continue pouring.
- Allow the lip balm to completely cool in the tins.
- Cover the tins with the slider lid.
Packaging Ideas:
- Finish the lip balm product with our Rectangle Semi-Custom Labels. The labels fit perfectly on the slider tins, and they add a professional flare to the end result!
“Remember, no human condition is ever permanent. Then you will not be overjoyed in good fortune nor too scornful in misfortune.” –Socrates
In honor of today being the first day of Autumn, we wanted to share with you Pantone’s take on the top colors for this fall season!
Pantone LLC, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced the Pantone Fashion Color Report Fall 2010. The report, coinciding with New York Fashion Week, features the top 10 colors for women’s fashion for fall 2010, which are: Endive, Golden Glow, Living Coral, Lipstick Red, Purple Orchid, Chocolate Truffle, Lagoon, Woodbine, Oyster Gray and Rose Dust. The colors are culled from the Pantone Fashion + Home Color System.
Nu-Scents Dyes to Use For Fall
“Pantone’s Color Name”– Nu-Scents’ Candle Dye Name or Nu-Scents’ Soap, Bath, & Body Dye Name
“Endive”– Jade Block Dye /or/ French Green Clay
“Golden Glow”– Golden Honey Liquid Candle Dye /or/ Gold Sparkle Mica
“Living Coral”– Mauve Block Dye /or/ Fuchsia Cosmetic Grade Liquid Colorant
“Lipstick Red”– Red Liquid Candle Dye /or/ Merlot Pearl Mica
“Purple Orchid”– Purple Liquid Candle Dye /or/ Violet Mica
“Chocolate Truffle”– Brown Block Dye /or/ Vanilla Cosmetic Grade Liquid Colorant
“Lagoon”– Teal Block Dye /or/ Shamrock Green Mica
“Woodbine”– Kelly Green Block Dye /or/ Moss Green Oxide
“Oyster Grey”– Black Liquid Candle Dye /or/ Patina Sheen Mica
“Rose Dust”– Shrimp Block Dye /or/ Pink Ultramarine
We have created a new kit for pre-teens and teens! The Teen Lotion and Body Wash Kit. The kit comes with all you need to make your own homemade scented and colored lotions and body washes.
Each kit makes four 4 ounce lotions and four 4 ounce body washes. Perfect for a birthday party, sleepover, day off, or rainy day activity with friends!
The lotion base absorbs nicely into the skin without leaving you feeling greasy. It contains shea butter, aloe, and almond oil to leave your skin feeling moisturized. The body wash base is an excellent cleansing product with wonderful foaming capabilities. Create matching scented lotion and body wash combos for a product to use at home or a great gift! The two fragrances found in the kit are the hottest on the market: Twilight Woods and Cranberry Mango Smoothie. Sure to be the talk of the town!
Kit Includes:
Here is a do-it-yourself home recipe for a tub and shower scrub. The scrub is known to remove and prevent mold and mildew buildup, while having quite the beautiful aroma!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Baking Soda
- 10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 10 drops Geranium Rose Essential Oil
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
Recipe Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a sterile container being sure to thoroughly mix them together.
- Using a damp cloth or sponge, scrub the bathtub and/or shower with the powder.
Tip:
- For serious mildew buildup areas, combine 20 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil and water in a spray bottle. Spray the bathtub/shower every day for five days. Then, decrease to spraying the area two times a week.
As with all essential oils, always do a test to see if you react to certain oils. Some essential oils in the scrub may cause possible sensitization in some individuals or contact dermatitis in hypersensitive individuals. Avoid use of this scrub during pregnancy and do not use if epileptic. Always use caution when using a cleaning agent.
We’ve all had it happen. We follow the instructions, perform all of the steps to a ‘T,’ create the perfect cooling environment, and then we burn the finished candle only to find that it turns into an utter disaster that cannot be saved! Here is a wonderful way to give new life to a cracking pillar, an insufficient container, or a lousy votive.
Carefully cut or break the wax into small chunks until the entire candle has been demolished. Since the fragrance is still alive and well in the wax, use the chunks in a tart warmer! Your home, office, or work space will continue to be full of the lively scent the original candle had, but the danger of the candle’s disaster has been removed.
One of our associates was reading the June 2010 edition of Auto Restorer – The How-To Guide for Car & Truck Enthusiasts. There was an interesting letter to the editor inside the magazine. In the letter, the reader stated that the vinyl steering wheel on his 1975 Corvette was sticky. He tried every possible cleaner under the sun to clean the stickiness off of the wheel, but nothing seemed to work. Then, he discovered from the National Corvette Restorers Society a possible solution: lanolin!
The reader took a handful of his “…wife’s hand cream containing lanolin and slathered it on [the steering wheel&91;, waited about 30 minutes and wiped the wheel down with a dry cloth. Amazingly, it did the trick. That was over a year ago and the wheel is still supple and dry to the touch.”
That goes to show you that lanolin is a universal product. From lotions and bath products to sticky steering wheels, lanolin is a one of a kind item.
Print your water soluble paper inserts and spray them with an extra-fine mist hairspray to set the ink. You should let the inserts “cure” for several days before use.
When pouring the first layer, let the soap cool down some before pouring and then press the inserts in place when the soap begins to form a “skin”. Since the paper inserts are water-soluble, you should not spray rubbing alcohol between the two layers.
Instead, let the first layer sit and cool for almost an hour before pouring the second layer. When pouring the second layer remember to let the soap cool down some before pouring it.
We discovered that by waiting and letting the soap cool down before pouring, the ink did not run and the soap remained clear or white instead of showing evidence of yellowing. Higher temps always resulted in the ink smearing and discoloring the bars. The lower temperatures produced extremely clear soap plus the bars seem to hold together better (meaning not coming apart at the layers).
We are bringing in a wonderful new accessory! Glass Bottle Tops for the Glass Bottles (aka Reed Diffuser Bottles) that we carry.
The Bottle Tops fit all of our different Glass Bottles.
Buy the top that matches your bottle or buy a different colored top to mix and match colors!
Each Glass Bottle Top will come with a shrink band to seal the top to the bottle to prevent leakage during travel, shipping, etcetera. Note–liquids may still leak with the shrink band sealed. Be sure to always test a product to see if it will work for your purpose before buying large quantities.
The uses of the Glass Bottles with Glass Bottle Tops are endless!!! Whether they be for gifts, packaging for the products you sell, or for use at home, this new item is sure to be an eye catcher. Here are some examples of what you can store in the Glass Bottles with Glass Bottle Tops:
- Shower Gel / Body Wash
- Bath or Massage Oil
- Bath Salts
- Perfumes
- Bath Powders
- Bubble Bath
- Aftershave
- Milk Powders
- Homemade Vinegar Blends (with or without herbs)
- Parmesan Cheese
- Red Pepper Flakes (put this bottle together with the Parmesan Cheese bottle for a wonderful Pizza-Loving Gift!)
- Spices (ie. salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, etcetera Create a unique looking spice collection)
- Rice / Orzo / Small Pasta / Small Dried Beans
- Cooking Oil
- Dipping Oil
- Hot Cocoa Mix
- use as a Wine Bottle Stopper
- create a layered sand design in a bottle and seal with the glass top
Weather can do odd things to our moods, as well as the moisture in our skin. This herbal body wash pouch is ideal for moisturizing sun drenched skin. The citrusy aroma is also a wonderful pick me up. Use these cute, fragrant bags as beautiful gifts.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Lemon Verbena Leaf Herb
- 1/2 cup Uncooked Oatmeal
- 2 Small Muslin Bags
Recipe Directions:
- Put 1/4 cup Lemon Verbena and 1/4 cup Oatmeal into each Muslin Bag.
- Tie the Muslin Bags shut.
Usage:
Moisten the bag thoroughly with water and rub it over your skin.
“Cheerfulness and content are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks.” –Charles Dickens
We had some customers ask how one would sterilize containers for bath and body products. In many of our recipes we mention to use a sterile container. When you purchase a container from a store, they are not necessarily sterilized. They could have been sitting in dust and dirt on shelves for who knows how long.
A good way to sterilize the containers that you would like to use for your shampoos, lotions, lip balms, and other bath and body products is to use bleach and water. Wash the containers in a bleach and water combination and let them completely air dry (you don’t want to get any unwanted towel fuzzies in there).
Add some crystal and shine to the wedding reception! Here is a beautiful and unique favor for a wedding. The wax melt fits in most standard sized tart warmers. For those who don’t own a warmer, these make gorgeous, scentful decor pieces!
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Using the Paper Towel, lightly coat the Soap Mold with Petroleum Jelly.
- Take the desired amount of Starburst Palm Wax and place it in the Melting Pot.
- Using the double boiler method, melt the Wax until it is completely liquefied.
- Allow the Wax to reach approximately 180-200 degrees F.
- Add the Candle Dye and stir until it is completely mixed in. The amount of Dye is a personal preference; remember — you can always add more, you cannot take away.
- Thoroughly stir in the Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil. We recommend 1.5 ounces of FO per pound of wax. We recommend using EO by the drop, using no more than 0.5 ounce per pound of wax.
- Allow the temperature of the Wax to cool to 160-165 degrees F.
- Carefully pour the Wax into the Mold cavities, filling them half full.
- Cover the Mold with the Box. This will ensure proper crystallization of the Wax.
- Let the Wax cool overnight.
- Take the Wax out of the Mold. (When we tipped the mold over to unmold the wax, the melts fell out so fast that one bounced onto the floor!)
- Package the Melts in a cute way. For example, use Organza Bags, Muslin Bags, Glassine Bags, Soap Boxes, or other decorative bags or boxes (maybe use crinkle fill to add flair!).
Here is an inexpensive and elegant way to jazz up a reed diffuser bottle. Use Rub On Transfers to create a beautiful creation to match any room!
Our rub on transfer design came from a dollar store and worked wonderfully! The design we used adds a hint of sophistication, while the colors are neutral enough to blend in with even a country decor.
There are a wide variety of rub on transfer colors and designs out there. Visit a hobby store to see which selection will suite your decorating purpose. Use the decorated bottles in your home, give them as gifts, or sell them as one-of-a-kind designer pieces!
Materials used in our example:
Frosted Diffuser Bottle
10″ Natural Reed Diffusers
12″ Brown Reed Diffusers
Enhanced Reed Diffuser Oil Base
Fragrance Oil
This product is AMAZING! It is a water soluble natural starch which does it all! It was formulated to allow you to load your bath products with fragrance, essential oil, or nutritive oils! Natrasorb is a very fluffy powder that can be used in bath salts, bath fizzies, cocoa butter melts, and many other finished products!
We used Natrasorb while doing our Mother’s Day Bath Melts blog. It was added to the essential oil, which was then added to the sea salts to form the mixture for the top of the bath melt. Man! Did it enhance the Grapefruit Essential Oil! The scent became stronger and much more fragrant, as opposed to on its own. Even after we added the Cocoa Butter to the melt, the refreshing scent of grapefruit was still alive and kicking! We would definitely recommend this product for your bath needs, whether they be bath melts, fizzy bath powders, or any other bath time design.
Celebrate our Nation’s birthday with a 4th of July Fireworks Candle! The wax has a crystallized finish that echoes the sparks of an Independence Day Firework.
Materials:
Recipe Directions:
- Follow the instructions in our How to Wick a Mold blog and wick the mold.
- Preheat the Mold to 158-167 degrees F and keep it at that temperature until it is needed.
- Melt the Palm Wax in a double boiler.
- Completely melt the wax and get it to a temperature of approximately 180-200 degrees F.
- Completely stir in the Red Dye.
- Thoroughly mix in the Fizzy Pop Fragrance Oil.
- Carefully pour the wax into the pre-heated Mold.
- Tap the sides of the mold to release any air pockets.
- Immediately cover the Mold with the Box to ensure proper cooling and the crystallized effect.
- Allow the candle to fully cool.
- Once the candle has cooled, undo the Clamp and remove the Wick Rod.
- Flip the Mold over, take out the Small Stick, and remove the Mold Sealer.
- Carefully pull the Wicking at the open end of the Mold and release the candle.
- At the bottom of the candle trim the Wicking flush with the Wax.
- At the top of the candle trim the Wicking to 1/4 inch.
- Allow the candle to sit for 24 hours before burning.
- Enjoy the patriotic look of your fireworks candle!
Creative Ideas:
- Use the 703035, 703065, and 703095 Star Pillar Molds to make a star candle grouping of varied heights.
- For a festive look use one or all of the following colors: Red Dye, no dye, and/or Blue Dye.
Here is a wonderful and simple way to create a layered candle with equal layers!
- Measure how tall the part of the Container is that you want the layered sections to show through. For example, for the candle below we used the 9 oz Hexagon Jar and the height that the colors would show through was 3 inches.
- Take some Mold Sealer and tear off two pea-sized amounts. If you are making a 3 layer candle like we did, you need 2 pieces of mold sealer. It’s always one less than the number of layers you want. Another example: if you want to make an 8 layer candle, you need 7 pea-sized pieces of mold sealer.
- Roll each piece of mold sealer into a small log.
- Measure out the first layer from the bottom of the container and place a piece of mold sealer onto the container. For example, we wanted to make a 3 layer candle in a 3 inch height…divide the 3 inches by the 3 layers and you get 1 inch. Therefore, we measured 1 inch from the bottom.
- Now measure out the next layer from the piece of mold sealer you just placed on the container. For example, we measured 1 inch from the newly placed piece of mold sealer.
- Continue measuring until you have used all of your pieces of mold sealer.
- Use the mold sealer as your pouring points for each layer of the candle and you’ll have an equally layered candle!!!
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