MORE SOAP AND PRODUCT REVIEWS

The last batch of soaps I made were for Valentines Day.  I used grapefruit lily and baby rose fragrance oils from Brambleberry. Both smell amazing but the baby rose is to die for. Smells exactly like the rose bush I have in the garden. I also used the Brambleberry heart silicone mold for the first time. It is super easy to use and comes out perfect!

I am disappointed in the soap cutter I purchased. I bought my first wire cutter and I am not liking the result. It has nothing to do with the cutter itself, that was built perfectly and works very well, it is the little bumps it leaves on my soap which I've read is caused by air bubbles. If I cut the "old" way those bumps don't appear, it is only with the wire cutter which I've also read is very common. 

You can see the bumps in the soaps below.

I'll be making some changes with the next batch to see if it prevents this problem when cutting with the wire.

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HOLIDAY SOAPS WERE A HIT

Over the holidays I made a nice variety of soaps with fragrance oils from Brambleberry.  They were well received! Here they are:

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MORE HOLIDAY SOAPS!

Made another batch of soap for the holidays. This one is scented with sugar plum fairy fragrance from Brambleberry. Smells so good. I’ve used this FO many times in whipped bath butter and everyone likes it so I decided to use it this time around in soap.

My daughter picked out the colors for this batch, she also created the photo set up and the watermark.

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TIME FOR CHRISTMAS SOAPS

After a bit of a rough 2019 with health issues and then surgery, things are finally starting to look before. I guess my astrology chart was right! I had a reading back in late August and the astrologer said that things would start to improve in November. Thought I'd never get here but here I am 😊 Much better and finally able to make some soap again just in time for Christmas.

I originally thought I'd make this batch with a whipped white top but decided at the last minute to just add the gold eco glitter. I love the way it turned out. I finally found the perfect red mica for my soap. Yay!

I was thinking candy cane when I made this so I scened it with peppermint essential oil and then decided just red and white wasn't enough so I added a little green. It turned out better than I had imagined.

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ETSY... DANGEROUS PLACE TO VISIT

I need to stay away from Etsy.  Just a few seconds on there and the next thing I know I have a dozen new knitting patterns, a few sewing patterns, some incense, a new shirt... Oh my.  I am NEVER going on there again.

But, in the meantime I bought and made THIS cute little penguin rice heating pad pattern.  It is super easy and the instructions are very clear.  I'm just not great at sewing so I'll need to make a few more to perfect it.  I came close though, right? 

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COFFEE SOAP

I made a batch of coffee soap today scented with Bramble Berry espresso fragrance oil.  Smells just like a cup of fresh brewed coffee in the morning. Yum!!

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SUNSCREEN: I PREFER TO MAKE MY OWN

I've been making my own natural sunscreen for a few years now with various degrees of success. I originally started with just oils known to protect skin from the damage of uv rays but oils alone are not very effective.  I then formulated a product that I considered sending to an spf testing lab but I didn't like that what I had created required a preservative.  So now I am using a simple recipe I came up with based on the research I've read on using sencha green tea topically.  This sunscreen is very heavy, perfect for swimming and if sweating a lot.  I'm really happy with what I've created because it's as natural as it can be and it keeps my fair skin from burning.
For my sunscreen I use sencha green tea infused olive oil, coconut and almond oil, shea butter, beeswax and zinc oxide (uncoated, non-nano - mesh size 325 nm).

Sencha green tea has been well researched and found to be effective in sunscreen formulations.  READ HERE

Green tea has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in both human and animal skin.[78] Animal studies provide evidence that tea polyphenols, when applied orally or topically, ameliorate adverse skin reactions following UV exposure, including skin damage, erythema, and lipid peroxidation.[79] Since inflammation and oxidative stress appear to play a significant role in the aging process, green tea may also have antiaging effects by decreasing inflammation and scavenging free radicals. Researchers have found that the main active ingredient in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), works well as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and sunscreen.

Infusing sencha green tea in olive oil

Great consistency for bottling

Smooth cream

Goes on white but can be rubbed in, skin feels silky smooth

Perfect!

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