Orange Clove

It is what it says. Orange and Clove Essential oils. This is tinted slightly orange with clay. This was also made with Horsetail Butter which contains Horsetail Extract, believed to contain the building blocks needed for collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin. Also thought to help rebuild and regenerate damaged skin cells.

Approximate due date: 10/07/2010
Soundtrack: Paul Banks, Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper

Lavanchouli

This soap is made with essential oils in a recipe that is essentially, 1 part Lavender, 1 part Patchouli and 2 parts Vanilla Oil. Its is a tangy vanilla with a hint of earthiness.

I made it with some Benonite Clay: Bentonite clay (a combination of montmorillonite and volcanic ash) is a highly absorbent clay best suited for oily skin. It is a fine powder, odorless and tasteless, insoluble in water, swelling to about eight times its weight when water is added. Uses: Suspending and colloidal agent in the manufacture of soap, also used in cosmetics and directly on the body as a mask. Bentonite powder is added to soap at trace to help oily skin or as an additive in shaving soap.


Approximate due date: 10/07/2010
Soundtrack: Rogue Wave, Permalight

Basil, Sage and Mint etc....

I've never made this soap before, its a blend of Basil, Bergamot, Lemon, Sage, Peppermint, Patchouli and Cedarwood that I am still trying to name....Herbal Blend? Aromatic Blend? I dunno, maybe one of those words in a foreign language? Or some phrase that speaks to it? Looking for suggestions...

Approximate due date: 10/07/2010
Soundtrack: Tokyo Police Club, Champs

Oatmeal Milk & Honey

A lot of orders for this lately so I'm making a fresh batch:

Made with both Colloidal Oatmeal and Rolled Oats. The oatmeal that you eat has no actual healing properties but Colloidal Oatmeal has a very long history of use in helping alleviate skin irritation, discomfort, and inflammation. Oatmeal is very soothing to the skin and has strong anti-inflammatory effects, and colloidal oatmeal is classified by the FDA as a "skin protectant." Oatmeal not only can help with sensitivity but may also have a preventive effect on irritation and may too help buffer and repair damage from other skin stressors.

The rolled oats are just fun. It identifies the soap and is a great texture.

Approximate due date: 10/07/2010

Soundtrack: Sleigh Bells, Treats

Soaps I forgot to blog...

The following soaps are ready now but I forgot to blog them when I made them:

Lavender Mint
Honey Almond

Whoops! Suka Cita

Again, I made this weeks ago, but omitted to update the blog:

Suka Cita is translated to mean a feeling of ultimate happiness and is an essential oil blend of Jasmine, Rose and Sandalwood. Much like Aveda's Euphoria.

Made with Pink Kaolin clay too.

Approximate due date: 05/22/10

Soundtrack: Vampire Weekend, Contra

Whoops! Yeast Defense

So I made this soap weeks ago but never blogged it!

This soap was created with a large percentage of Grapefruit Seed Extract, which has properties that combats yeast on and in your body.

In addition, it contains an essential oil blend with oils that also have yeast-fighting assets. Use to defend against reoccurring infections, Candida, Thrush and any other yeast related maladies. The soap contains ingredients indicated for use against yeast, this is not a medicine or a statement of fact but just a statement about what the ingredients are believed to do.

Approximate due date: 05/29/10

Soundtrack: Ke$ha, Animal

Peppermint Tea Tree

As I have mentioned before, this is the very first soap I ever made and I still love it today. Now I make it with a ton of Kaolin Clay. Kaolin is the primary ingredient in porcelain which makes the soap lusciously white. Traditionally, clays are used to reduce swelling and inflammation, and to draw impurities from the skin. The high mineral content of White Kaolin Clay rejuvenates the skin while the clay exfoliates and stimulates blood circulation to the skin. It also makes a bar of soap lather up beautifully.


Approximate due date: 05/02/10

Soundtrack: Broken Bells, Broken Bells

Lemon Rosemary

Oh boy its been a long time, huh? Well I'm making soap again and the first one is Lemon Rosemary. I call this a kitchen soap because that is why I originally created it. It has poppy seeds throughout and looks like this:




Approximate due date: 05/02/10
Soundtrack: Vampire Weekend Contra

Sensual Blend

This is Ylang Ylang and Myrhh. Made with goat's milk, this came out creamy and nice with no discoloration from the goat's milk. Also made with a lot of Safflower Oil at trace so it'll be high in Vitamin E.

Approximate due date: 02/14/10
Soundtrack: Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs

Lush Blend

This is a blend of Vanilla, Wintergreen, Tea Tree, Orange and Lavender. The Soap has crushed Vanilla throughout and the scent is both unique but familiar. I've made this in the past as a slightly different version with Peppermint instead of the Wintergreen and no tea tree but I decided to mix it up a bit.

Approximate due date: 02/14/10
Soundtrack: The Lemonheads, It's A Shame About Ray

Peppermint Coriander

Coriander Peppermint, similar to Rainforest blend by Aveda. Made with a ton of sea clay so this soap will lather and take impurities out of your skin. Coriander is the plant which cilantro comes from so this is a minty and spicy scent.

Approximate due date: 02/14/10
Soundtrack: Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

Vanilla and Ylang Ylang

I like this soap based up the Aveda Madagascar scent BUT it really discolors in cold process soap. So I tried to add a bit of natural colorant to counter-act the issue. We'll see how it turns out. Its a blend of Vanilla and Ylang Ylang essential oilS, and while vanilla normally discolors soap to a brown color, the Ylang Ylang makes it brownish yellow, but not in a good way. Lots of Jojoba Oil was added at trace too.

Approximate due date: 02/01/10

Soundtrack: Lady Gaga, The Fame

Grapefruit Peppermint

I tried to make this the lovely oxidized copper tone it was before:

But I fear I added too much French Green Clay so it'll be more green than planned. This is an essential oil blend and 100% vegan.

Approximate due date: 02/01/2010

Soundtrack: Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs

Calendula Oatmeal

This soap takes a while because I need to infuse the Calendula in the oils. First I blend all of the oils together and then melt them with the Calendula buds and petals. You have to use fresh Calendula that is thoroughly dried or risk getting mold issues, but not so dry that there is nothing left to infuse. Then I let it cool, reheat (slowly) and then filter out the petals. Then I add NEW petals and repeat. I do this cycle slowly over several days to really let it infuse into the oils.

I added Colloidal oatmeal, for the ultimate in gentle healing soap. This soap starts off surprisingly yellow but then cures to a white soap with yellow calendula petals throughout.

Approximate due date: 01/24/10

Soundtrack: Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster

Straciatella

This is a new soap! Ever have wonderful Italian chocolate chip gelato? It's kinda like that. Its chips of our Double Chocolate Madness Soap in a rich all-natural vanilla base. It didn't come out quite looking like the gelato, but its a fun mix with a bit of texture from the soap with the soap concept.

Approximate due date: 01/17/2010
Soundtrack: Joy Division, Closer

Brisk Blend

Again its been a long time for this one. This time I made it with Rosemary, White Grapefruit and Wintergreen (as opposed to Peppermint). All essential oils, with two types of seeds: Blueberry and Kiwi. I made it this time with Horsetail butter which is good for the hair, so this could be good for a shampoo bar. It is an extract of Equisetum arvense (Horsetail) using a oil mix, which produces a smooth, velvety "butter" at room temperature. Horsetail also contains flavonoids and saponins which help rebuild and regenerate skin cells. So good for soap too!

Approximate due date: 01/17/2010
Soundtrack: Bauhaus, The Sky's Gone Out

Unscented Seaweed

I have not made this in a very long time, I can't even find how long its been this is made with powdered kelp and seaweed extract: A combination of Eisenia bicyclis (Arame), Undaria Pinnatifida (Wakame), Laminaria longicruris (Kelp), Palmaria Palmata (Dulse), Porphyra yezoensis (Nori)

I have a dream of in a few months being able to offer and all unscented pound with the Salt Scrub soap, Oatmeal Castile, Coffee Scrub, and Calendula Oatmeal.

Approximate due date: 01/17/2010
Soundtrack: Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, Knives Don't Have Your Back

Bitter Orange Patchouli

Also called the Bitter Hippy. Made with Bitter Orange Oil and Patchouli with Goat's Milk and Ginseng Extract. The scientific name for ginseng is Panax which derives from the Latin word "panacea" meaning "cure all." There are many folk-tales of all that Ginseng cures but actual studies show that ginseng is anti-stressing and anti-fatiguing.


Approximate due date: 01/17/2010
Soundtrack: Alison Krauss and Union Station, New Favorite

Ocean Rain

Not made since May 2008!!! What I said then:

This was originally created for my mother. It has a ton of Ground Pumice in it, Jojoba Beads and Evening Primorose Oil added at trace.

Trace is the moment in which the soap is thick enough that it is not going to separate but is still loose enough that it can be poured. Ingredients added at trace keep more of their healing properties. Oils added at trace make the soap "superfatted" and luxurious.


My mother swears that Ocean Rain has removed small scars from her body that have been there for years. While I am not going to claim that the soap does this, it does make some sense. The pumice removes dead layers of skin and then the fresh, new skin is treated to both Jojoba which in a dermatological test done, using jojoba oil, by Christensen and Packman, it was shown that jojoba oil increases the skin's suppleness by 45% and after 8 hours the effect was still present. It was also found that jojoba oil softens and smoothes the skin with fine line reduction. In one test 20 women's skin "compliance" increased with 37% after 30 minutes and remained for an hour.

Even more amazing is the Evening Primrose Oil thats healing action results from its high content of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid that is vital to cell and body functions and not produced by the body itself.

Approximate Due Date: January 10th 2010
Soundtrack: Paul Banks, Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper