Thinking Outside the Box... the Soap Box that is

I have made the decision, just today, to begin some experimenting in the cold process soap realm...

I've made soap for years, I have the process down pat, I can make the 10 or 12 varieties listed on my website for sale, with my eyes closed.

The creator in me wants to reach out, try unusual things in soap...

I think I will do a series of batches using different liquids to replace water... I've used carrot juice, ground up cucumbers, apple juice, red wine, beer, milk... and now I'm looking for something else...
Hmmm... tomato paste (I hear it's good for acne prone skin), grape juice (wonder what color it would make the finished soap?),  coconut milk (would it add a smell, doubtful), ground carrots, beets, lettuce (lettuce? why not?), cabbage, cola, root beer, lemon juice... the possibilities are endless!

And additives? I've added several ground herbs... use cinnamon quite often, have added, of course, oatmeal, coffee grounds, pumice, lavender flowers, honey, clay... what else could we add? Rosemary? Dill? Citrus peel? I've heard cornmeal is nice but have never done it... I think I will! Peanut butter? Dried fruit? The excitement is building!!!


Yes, I think a weekly "experiment" is in order... and I will impart my processes and findings here! An adventure in soapmaking is about to begin!

My newest thing... bath teas!

Bath tea! What an exotic concept... but really pretty simple. Sounds luxurious and it is. Here's what I did...

Mixed up the ingredients... Magnesium sulfate... a fancy name for good ol' Epsom Salts
Sodium Bicarbonate... ordinary baking soda
Powdered Milk
Dried Lavender Flowers
Oatmeal
And voila... Lavender Oatmeal Milk Bath Tea!!!

OK... but to package this delightful concoction, believe me the smell is heavenly!

Found a small tin at Michael's and some small organza bags...

I filled the tin almost to the top with the loose tea, scooped one lavender colored organza bag full of the mixture and placed it on top of the loose ingredients... closed up the lid, added a tag with ingredients and directions, tied with silver elastic string and tied a tiny wooden scoop to the side as well... super cute!

To use the tea, you hang the organza bag filled with the "tea" to the faucet while the water is running to fill the tub, making sure the water runs through the tea bag as the tub fills, then plop the bag into the tub as you soak.

Afterwards, empty the "tea bag" and let it dry, and, using the wooden scoop attached, refill for your next luxurious, aromatic soak...

Ahhhh... relaxation at its finest!

Thieves Oil

Came across this extremely interesting article about Thieves Oil from "No Ordinary Homestead" and will definitely give it a try... always on the lookout for herbal or natural remedies for things rather than depending on chemicals or modern medicines whenever possible...

When I started looking around for information about making your own hand sanitizer, I came across something called thieves oil. Legend has it, that thieves in the 15th century used this essential oil concoction to protect themselves against the plague. It was said to be so effective that they were able to rob the gravely ill and the deceased without becoming infected themselves.

Whether or not that’s true, the ingredients in this mixture are antibacterial, antiseptic and antiviral. That means it should keep just about any flu, cold or virus at bay. And at the moment, a lot of people who sell thieves’ oil are claiming it will even protect you from swine flu.

All you need to do is apply a drop of oil on your chest before going to bed and gently massage it in. Carry a small vial of it with you wherever you go and apply it the same way during the day. Because this recipe uses a jojoba oil base, it will not leave the skin feeling greasy. Jojoba oil also has an indefinite shelf life whereas most other carrier oils (like sweet almond or grapeseed) only last around 6-12 months.

To clear the air in your home, you only need to boil a pot of water on the stove and add two or three drops of thieves oil to the simmering water. The anti-microbial and anti-bacterial aromatherapy properties will sanitize the air.

The following recipe is from an article on ehow. There are many recipe variations out there, but all of them involve the same 5 essential oils and in theory they should all be effective.

There are also a lot of other websites with suggestions of ways to use thieves oil’, from using a few drops in your laundry to helping you to stop smoking. But be very cautious about anything that suggests putting thieves’ oil in your mouth or otherwise ingesting the ingredients. Cinnamon essential oil, for example, should never be ingested undiluted because it is quite toxic. This combination is also not recommended for small children or infants. Try this homemade natural spray disinfectant instead.

Thieves oil is also said to be very effective in combating black mold in the home...

Thieves Oil Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup jojoba oil (or other carrier oil if preferred)
• 1 tablespoon clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum a.k.a. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata)
• 1 tablespoon lemon oil (Citrus limon)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum verum a.k.a Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
• 2 teaspoons rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• 2 teaspoons eucalyptus oil (Eucalyptus radiata)

For a smaller amount of oil, try this scaled back version. It still makes about 60ml of thieves oil but you can scale it down further as needed. For reference, there are about 19 drops of oil per teaspoon.

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) jojoba or other carrier oil
• 3,75 ml (72 drops) clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum a.k.a. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata)
• 3,75 ml (72 drops) lemon oil (Citrus limon)
• 3 ml (58 drops) cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum verum a.k.a Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
• 2.5 ml (48 drops) rosemary oil (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• 2.5 ml (48 drops) eucalyptus oil (Eucalyptus radiata)

Directions

1. Measure out jojoba oil into a clean glass container. Add essential oils. Stir or shake the oil well to blend all the essential oils with the carrier oil.
2. Pour it into glass bottles for personal use. Store out of direct sunlight in dark glass bottles to retain oil strength.

... taken from www.noordinaryhomestead.com "Thanks for the information Tiffany!"

Boxes

We've been searching for just the right box to package our 3 inch round soaps in... we found a company that makes and sells boxes with fold down end flaps on either end and puffy in the middle that we love... can't seem to get them to respond to our correspondence about printing them with our logo and stuff so haven't ordered yet.

Started playing around and searching for box templates last night, hoping to find something usable for packaging that could possibly be printed on card stock and make 'em ourselves... maybe too much work, and too tedious to individually cut each box out, score, fold... could take way too much time, but it's a thought.
http://www.paperandmore.com/quick-tips/article/puffy-box-template.html

Still a work in progress...

Root Beer and Anise

If I can get over my deflation of whipped soap episode and regain my confidence I want to try something as an experiment (which may be my problem, can't leave well enough alone!)

I want to make cupcake soap using root beer and anise essential oil for the cake part (that part is not whipped so surely I can do it!) Then make vanilla whipped "soap frosting" for the top and call it Root Beer Float Cupcake Soaps! I'm loving the idea!

I'm out of lye, so gotta get to the lye store!