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.
This Lemongrass Calendula Soap Recipe was originally published on May 8th, 2018 and updated on January 23rd, 2019. I’ve added an update an how the colors and scent have fared over time. So, scroll down to the bottom to see what this soap looks like after 9 months.
I love to add fresh ingredients to my soaps. It’s a fun way to try something new on a whim since most fruits and veggies are easy enough to come by. I also find that they can bring interest and label appeal to your soaps. In this recipe I’m trying something a little more exotic: papaya paired with turmeric. The result is a wonderfully creamy and nourishing turmeric papaya soap.
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I had this little bottle of precious Vetiver essential oil sitting on my desk for a very long time. My plan was to use it in a cold process soap recipe. Every now and then I would open it and take a sniff. I was intrigued by the thick, viscous amber colored fluid. The smell was like no essential oil I had tried up to that point: woody, earthy with a hint of smokiness.
But I didn’t know what to do with it. I had read up on different ways to blend it with other essential oils, and everyone seemed to say that it was good for anchoring scents, but too much would overpower the blend. What I wanted was to figure out a way to have the Vetiver front and center with supporting notes that would enhance it’s deep masculine earthiness.
…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 🙂
my entry for the rimmed soap challenge in May 2016
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This summer it seems like everyone and their neighbor’s uncle is making some sort of watermelon themed soap (you know, soap that looks like the real thing). But instead of making a soap that only looked or smelled like a watermelon. I wondered if it would work to put actual watermelon juice in there.
It did, and combined with a juicy blend of lime essential oil it makes for the perfect summer soap.
Now, why does it not always work out to put fruit juice in your cold process soap?…
If someone gives you a bundle of locally grown, organic lavender and you’re a soap nut like myself, what do you do?
Well, duh, turn it into soap, of course.
In order to get the most skin loving properties out of said bundle I infused the lavender buds in olive oil and used a lavender tea for my lye solution….
Most of my soapy inspiration comes from things that aren’t soap related at all: nature, vacations aaaand, of course, deserts. Seriously, if I wasn’t piping soap I would pipe and eat buttercream all day – not good.
I first saw these adorable blossom macarons (edible ones) made by an incredible baker by the name of Ayse Yaman Butik Pasta on Instagram. She has created a real craze among bakers and I knew when I saw her creations that I needed to give these a try using cold process soap. Easier said than done as it turned out….
Don’t you sometimes wish you could just putter around all day and when inspiration strikes leisurely weigh out your oils and whip up a batch of soap? I do. But that’s not my reality right now and won’t be for quite some time. If I don’t carefully plan and prep my projects nothing would ever get crafted and that would be sad.
When I’m planning to do a bunch of batches in the near future, I like to weigh out my oils all at once and prep my lye solutions ahead of time. That way on soaping day I can just grab the two and let the fun begin….
This soap was inspired by a beautiful spring-like day we had back in February before we got buried in masses and masses of snow. It was 75º outside and we were wearing t-shirts and flip flops. The kids and I spend the whole day outside, it was just gorgeous. I want that again!!! Come on spring you can do it.
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I’ve had quite a few requests for a shampoo bar, so I’ve been going through my notes to find an easy recipe for you guys.
Isn’t a shampoo bar the same as a body bar, you ask?
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