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Tweak and Tinker

Learn to make beautiful bath and body products from scratch. Here you find free tutorials for making cold process soaps, bath bombs, body butters, face masks, serums and a lot more.

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Soap equipment I wish I hadn’t bought (right away)

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When I first started soap making I fell into this craft head over heels. I was so ecstatic to have found a hobby that was so fulfilling. I had always been somewhat crafty, but now unlike before I was brimming with new ideas. The possibilities were endless and so were the soap making supplies I could purchase if I wanted to. Look around the internet, there are hundreds if not thousands of different soap molds, fragrance oils, essential oils, base oils, colorants etc. to choose from.

Being a newbie and wanting to get started right away I really didn’t think through what I really needed now and what I could add little by little in the future. So, on a whim one afternoon I placed a massive order and amongst basic things I bought stuff I really wish I hadn’t. Curious of what they were? Here we go:

Soap cutter…

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Sitting Down with Belinda of Love Your Suds

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I’m so excited to share today’s interview with you: I had the pleasure to chat with Belinda from Love Your Suds. Belinda is a talented soap maker and a small business owner. She’s also a very active member in the soap making community, always generous with encouragement and advice.

If you’re a soap maker that likes to hang out on Instagram (like I do) you’ve likely seen her soaps before, they’re kinda hard to miss 😉
Her landscape soaps especially are very unique: carefully designed with great attention to detail and perfectly executed. I can’t wait to find out more about Belinda and her creative approach to soap making.

So, without further ado: let’s dive right in, shall we?

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Using Bananas in Soap (Cold Process)

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Ripe banana with two round soaps

I’ve had this idea for a banana soap in my head for quite some time. Something like a banana cream pie soap maybe. But what would the end result look like and would I be happy with it? I started to do some research and saw a variety of banana soaps that ranged from very brown to very speckled to creamy yellow with few specks. Some soap makers reported the specks would disappear after a while. Well, I decided it was time to do my own little research project on using bananas in soap.

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Tweak & Tinker is 1 year old! (+ 5 Top Posts)

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Learn to make your first cold process soap using an empty pringles can

It’s been a year since Tweak & Tinker first got launched into the wide spheres of the internet. This little soap making and skincare DIY blog has slowly gained readers from around the globe. I’m grateful for YOU, my reader, for stopping by, for taking the time to read a post (or two), for leaving a comment, for giving a thumbs up on social, simply for giving this new kid on the block a chance.

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Pros & Cons of Working with Thick Trace in Cold Process Soap

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One of the most challenging things when you’re first figuring out how to make soap is – hands down – how to control trace. There’s quite a learning curve in seeing the different stages of trace in cold process soap. Your batter will normally go from emulsification to light trace (thin pancake batter) to medium trace (light pudding batter) to thick trace (pudding batter) the more you stickblend or the longer you let your batter sit….

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Sitting Down With Diane from Seifen im Glueck

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One of the coolest things that I get to do through this little blog is to meet and get to know fellow soapmakers and bath/body crafters from around the globe.  This is how I happened to meet Diane from Seifen im Glück a very talented soapmaker from Austria (yes, a fellow native German speaker just like myself).

I first saw Diane’s soaps on Instagram and was so amazed that I just had to find out more about her. Diane has a blog where she shares beautiful photos of her soaps, her recipes, and always a little story behind the soap. Best of all, she translates all her posts into English – yay! – it’s such a delight to read and look at! Now, what does “Seifen im Glück” mean? Hmm, the best translation would probably be: Soaps in Bliss. When you see the photos of these beauties, you will understand where the name came from.

Diane brings so much creativity and curiosity to her soapmaking. I simply couldn’t wait to bring her on the blog so that we could geek out about soapmaking together. A number of times, while I was reading through her answers, I nodded my head and thought: “Yes, that’s me :)”.

If you’re passionate about soapmaking, you’ll love this interview.

So, let’s dive in, shall we?

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September 2018 Soap Challenge: Mini Drop Swirls (Advanced Version)

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This was only the second time I had the chance to participate in the Soap Challenge Club. The first time was when we did the rimmed round soaps and, boy, that was some challenge. I can still vividly remember me and Mr. Tinker trying to cut thin layers out of a thick block of semi-hardened soap . Me holding the block, him pulling the wire through – ahhh, fun times 🙂

rimmed round soap by Tweak & Tinker

my entry for the rimmed soap challenge in May 2016

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Sitting Down with Tara from Tara’s Naturals

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Tinkerers, you are in for a treat today: my friend Tara from Tara’s Naturals is here to chat about all things soapy, biz and work-life-balance. Tara is a vegan soap maker and skincare formulator who loves to let nature’s beauty shine in her products. She also has a knack for composing her own essential oil blends that she uses to scent a big array of all natural body care products and candles.

I’m so excited to be able to interview her today. She’s simply wonderful and one of the most positive and generous people I know. As a matter of fact, Tara is the reason I started soap making in the first place.  I’m forever grateful. If you’ve ever stumbled upon my About Page, you know what I’m talkin’ about 😉

But enough of my praise, read for yourself:

In this interview Tara shares 5 essential oils that are easy to work with in cold process soap making. They can be added to any recipe to create simple blends for your natural, artisan, homemade soap. #coldprocess #handmadesoap #lavender #DIY #essentialoil…

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4 Things that Can “Ruin” Your Soap Design

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Let’s face it: Soap making is a finicky craft. It takes time to find a recipe and method that gives consistently good results. Even then, you just have to add one new ingredient (e.g. honey) and – boom – soap volcano.  If you manage to dodge all major soap catastrophes and get to the point where you want to try your hand at an intricate design, it’s the small details that can really make a difference….

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