This weekend....

I am making two requested scents (both FO) Pink Sugar (type) and Pomegranate. After that I am out of raw materials.

Tangerine, Vanilla and Gingergrass

All essential oils .... lots of fresh smelling Tangerine with a spicy beat of Gingergrass and a homey Vanilla to mellow it out. Lots of Cocoa Butter and Lanolin in this soap. It smells fresh and warm and is orange.

Litsea Cubeba

itsea cubeba Pers. a/k/a May Chang, Litsea citrata and tropical verbena, steam distilled fruit, China. Despite these names, it is not related to lemon verbena but belongs to the same family as the rosewood or cinnamon tree. Sweet, spicy and citrus fragrance with vegetative notes. It is antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, insecticide, calming and sedative. Very uplifting and stimulating. It is a known tonic to the heart and respiratory system. May be helpful in cases of bronchitis and asthma.


I usually make this with ground pumice but this time I used Powdered Bamboo.

Basil Lime

All Essential Oils....some Sweet Basil, crisp Lime and a tiny hint of Peppermint. Basil Leaves throughout. I had Father's Day in mind as I made this one. No flowery molds, a nice gender neutral soap.

Lavender Tea Tree

An old favorite that I always run out of so I should make it every couple batches. It came out nicely. I made lots of colorful soaps over the weekend and today, this one is lilacish.

Cranberry Fig

This is the reddist soap...EVER! Probably too red. We'll have to see how it lathers and the color it ends up at. It is colored with red clay and a lot of it.

I love the scent, mellow Fig and crisp Cranberry with a smattering of Blood Orange and Grapefruit too. And very very red.

Moroccan Mint

A blend of Spearmint, Peppermint and Corn Mint, with just a touch of black tea sprinkled in to provide a stable, full bottom note. It's cool, crisp, refreshing and ....disappointing this time around.

The plan was to swirl French Green Clay thoughout but i just kinda clumped in there and I didn't use enough clay. So it'll not be as pretty as hoped.

Apricot Freesia

Many people's favorite scent. I made it this time with Apricot Seeds throughout for exfoliation purposes. It look very pretty.

This weekend....

First up will be:

Cranberry Fig
Litsea Cubeba with Pumice
Lavender Tea Tree


After that I might make:

Morroccan Mint with French Green Clay
Basil Lime


I try to make 2 EO soaps for every FO soap at minimum....hopefullu this will even it out some because my mix has been off as of late.

Rosewood

A favorite of many including myself which is why there are always very few of these available, because I taken them. Also Rosewood is a very expensive essential oil or I hestiate to risk it with large batches. Sweet, woody, floral and slightly spicy aroma. It is antidepressant, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, deodorant, and insecticide. It is said to stabilize the central nervous system and could therefore have an overall balancing effect. Helpful when feeling low, overwhelmed with problems. May relieve headaches when accompanied by nausea and may also relieve jet lag. Its deodorizing action helps the body cope with excess heat and moisture.

If you like rose but its too Florally for you, rose wood has a woodsy backround that cuts through the floral and is truly wonderful.

Made with Rose Kaolin Clay and Evening Primrose Oil at trace.

Lettuce and Spirulina

I made this with so much of the antioxidant-rich Spirulina powder it deserves its own billing. Also, there is so much in it the scent is now a combination of the fresh smells of a newly washed salad made of iceburg and romaine lettuces and then a oceany backbone of Spirulina. It smells fresh, clean and crisp. People think Lettuce is a strange scent and I used to agree with them but then I made a batch a couple years ago and looooved it. This has Aloe Vera Extract added at trace.

Turkish Mocha

A fragarance oil described as having a creamy top notes of milk, cardamom, cocoa and a touch of nutmeg. The alluring, complex blend winds down to heady scents of vanilla and honey run, and of course, Turkish Coffee.

It smelled really nice, an exotic yet comforting blend. It was cozy smelling if that makes sense. I decided to add some Wheat Germ Oil at trace so this will be great for your skin too.

This is a very small batch.

Wow! So nice!

The new molds lived up to the hype. They came out really nice.

I'm still gonna make:

Turkish Mocha
Lettuce
Rosewood

and after that is....

Lavender Tea Tree
Cranberry Fig
Litsea Cubeba

Ginger Lime

This is one of my favorites, made with essential oils. Zesty lime blends well with Ginger making an exotic scent that is asian and sophisticated. I colored this lightly with all-natural spirulina. This soap also uses some of the new molds.

Ginger Lime and Pineapple Cilantro will both be ready at the very end of April.

Pineapple Cilantro

This scent was chosen upon request for a tropical fragrance. The soap is naturally yellow from Cumin and sprinkled with cilantro. A unusual scent that is a wonderful combination of sweet and fruity and a back note of spice. It's described as ripe pineapple juices are complemented with coconut shavings, bursting orange notes and sparkling cilantro. Warm vanilla and mists of musk complete this zesty aroma! It is strong on the pineapple end.

This is the first soap to use the new molds...yeah!!

The Next Batches

I have not had the chance to make soap but the soaps up next are:


Ginger Lime
Pineapple Cilantro
Lettuce with Spirulina
Turkish Mocha
Rosewood

Discount!! DONE

EXPIRED!


Thanks to everyone who reads the blog, votes in the polls and are generally awesome. Use the code "thanks" for 15% off on Friday, March 16th for our Hyena Cart stocking that includes: Nighttime Blend, Bitter Orange & Patchouli, Yeast Defense and Petitgrain.

The code ends on Sunday.

Mold Excitement!

I'm demented with happiness because I just got a whole set of molds in that are GORGEOUS!! One of them I originally saw in the soap book I bought 7 or 8 years ago that started this whole thing. I've loved it and looked for it. I am getting my main site redone and I was looking at other soap stores that use the same cart and there it was! This sent me on a hunt that finally ended several days later at 2am. They arrived today and they are awesome! Really elegant and pretty but not too girly.

I am freakin' to make soap so I can use them!!

Oops!!!!! Vanilla Dark Chocolate

Wel,, this was supposed to be Ginger Lime but I reached and poured from the wrong bottle. Once I had some chocolate in their I decided to add so vanilla too. Two chocolate soaps this week and Ginger Lime is still unmade *sigh* This has ground vanilla beans in it as well.

Amber Romance

This scent is described as a "Blend of Sandalwood, Amber, Musk and Vanilla" similar to the Victoria Secret scent. I tried to make this an amber color with a blend of oxides, we'll see how it ends up because on the 3% vanilla. The Vanilla discolors CP soap. Evening Primrose Oil was added at trace.

Valencia

This did not come out as orange as usual, I guess I didn't use enough yellow oxide with the kaolin pink clay. Its a little pinkish but that's okay. Safflower oil was added at trace so this soap will be full of vitamin E. Lime, Sweet Orange, Tangerine and Thyme is the blend.

Unscented Calendula

I made this with very simple ingredients, nothing too complicated. Eight ingredients in all, rich in lanolin. The oils are infused with Calendula which entails a process of heating and cooling the oil with calendula petals several times over a few days. This soap also has a ton of Calendula Extract in it. The calendula petals are chopped up more than usual because of my hand blender I like the look.

Double Chocolate Madness

I made this differently this time. The chocolate is melted with the oils rather than swirled through since that didn't work so well the last time. A rich, dark chocolate scent and a deep shade of brown too.

What's up for this weekend

My new fragrance oils have not arrived so I'm making whats on hand.

I'm definately getting the Double Chocolate Madness in this weekend, then I'm trying for Ginger Lime, Amber Romance and then a new batch of Valencia.

If I have time I'm going to do a new batch of Unscented Calendula, no one voted for it but people ask for it.

Another new soap poll....

Another what should we make next poll
	Rosewood
	Moroccan Mint
	Amber Romance
	Aloe Cucumber
	Rosemary Tea Tree
	Sweetgrass
	Ginger Lime
	Double Chocolate Madness
	Pineapple Cilantro
	Cranberry Fig
	Lettuce
	Lime Mint
	Lavender Mint
	Turkish Mocha
	Rosemary Lime
	Basil Lime
	Unscented Calendula
	Seaweed
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Soap due dates!

The master list of when soap are *supposed* to be ready. It depends on their pH level, hardness, etc. Most are ready at their stocking date which is the Friday following their due date. But some go 2-4 more weeks. For example the Peppermint Tea Tree in stock cured for over 10 weeks! It's pH was fine but it was soft...so it waited. The Orange Cucumber might not make it at all...its a strange texture but the curing may help that...or it might not. The Suka Cita is usuable but not ready, it might be stocked on the 16th or maybe the stocking after that so that the Lemon Rosemary is not lonely.


Nighttime Blend 03/11/07
Yeast Defense 03/11/07
Bitter Orange & Patchouli 03/11/07
Petitgrain 03/11/07
Lemon Rosemary 03/18/07
Orange Cucumber 03/31/07
Lavanchouli 03/31/07
Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar 03/31/07
Coffee Scrub 03/31/07
Peony 04/01/07
Creamcicle 04/05/07
Grapefruit Peppermint 04/05/07
Rose Petals 04/05/07
Apple Mint 04/05/07
Lemon Sage Ginger 04/05/07
Orange Ginger 04/05/07
Peppermint Chocolate Chip 04/05/07
Vanilla Mint 04/14/07
Chamomile Neroli 04/14/07
Honey Almond 04/14/07
Mint Thyme 04/15/07
Maryfruitmint 04/15/07
Sensual Blend 04/15/07

Mint Thyme

I made 3 different Mint soaps this weekend. I hope people are feeling minty in mid-April! This turned out nice....I was out of Thyme leaves so this is speckled with peppermint leaves. Literally speckled because the hand blender did a number on the peppermint.

Marymintfruit? Rosepeppergrape? Pepperosefruit?

Mintmaryfruit? Rosemintfruit? Graperosemint?


Dunno.

But its Grapefruit, Rosemary and Mint with Cranberry and Kiwi Seeds throughout, mostly to differentiate it from the 5 other beigey-white soaps I made this weekend.

Sensual Blend

I've made this one other time. It was not very popular but then people asked for it after it was gone. Its Ylang Ylang and Myrhh. Made with goat's milk, this came out creamy and nice with no discoloration from the milk.

Chamomile Neroli

An old favorite. Crisp and sharp with a warm undertone. Made with Chamomile Tea, Chamomile Extract and Chamomile blooms throughout. This one cam out a little different than usual, two changes, the tea it was made with was stronger than normal and I used my handy dandy hand blender. I think its an improvement.

Vanilla Mint

This has been requested for a while, I decided to finally make it. Lots of vanilla with some peppermint and colloidal oatmeal. This came out nice. Since its made with really vanilla oil we'll have to see how brown it turns.

Honey Almond

This came out nicely, made with goat's milk and a nice shade of yellow. I'm not sure that I scented it enough, I think it may be lighter than previous HA soaps.

The next soaps in line....

We are snowed in today so I was able to unmold most of the soaps. The Grapefruit Peppermint, Orange Ginger and Lemon Sage Ginger came out incredible well. Some of the prettiest soaps I've made. The Peppermint Chocolate Chip turned out exactly as planned too.

So over the weekend I'm making soap....what am I making? If you like Minty soaps you are in luck:

-Goat's Milk Honey Almond
-Rosemary, Grapefruit & Peppermint
-Mint Thyme
-Vanilla Mint
-Sensual Blend with Goats Milk (Ylang Ylang, Myrrh)
-Chamomile Neroli


This is a tad ambitious, but assuming I get through those I'm thinking Double Chocolate Madness might get made too

"And the reason you want hand milled soap is..."

In this case because it saves the batch. But generally, why would someone go to all the trouble of making cold process soap just to melt it down? Wel,l in theory... handmilled soap is hard and shiny, because the soap flakes have been compressed into each other. And sometimes you want hard and shiny. For one thing, soaps last longer when they are harder. Also, delicate scents and additives may be degraded by the cold process method, but with retain their value if added during handmilling.

So the Suka Cita is double-scented. First when I made it, then when I added more in the rebatching process. Then its rebatched with Safflower oil and Wheat Germ oil and those oils will retain their healing properties because they are still in the original form because the saponification process is already complete.

In theory because they are double made, they are more luxurious. And certainly, they take much, much more effort.

I unmolded the Handmilled Suka Cita, they came out nice, maybe a little oily but pretty and nice. I'm going to let them harden for a while and see how greasy they are at the end.