How to Choose the Best Oils for Cold Process, Handcrafted Soap: Teach Me Thursday

A batch of soap, not quite ready to pour

First of all, I hope you are buying cold process soaps for your skin rather than the melt 'n pour or typical store bought soap. That could be a whole different blog post! Then, once you are completely hooked on the superior goodness of cold process soap, what ingredients should you look for? And yes, all soap should be labeled with ingredients, beginning with the oil name that has the highest percentage in the recipe.

I prefer to use the common names for all of my oils on the ingredient labels, which makes the label reading much easier for the soap customer. For example, I will use "olive oil" rather than the Latin, species name Olea europaea. I'm guessing that not that many people will recognize Olea europaea as plain old olive oil. It gets even more complicated with the other oil names.

A good place to start for the first two ingredients in any handcrafted soap are olive oil and/or palm oil. Olive oil, especially, is very high in oleic fatty acids which produces a soap that has excellent conditioning properties for the skin. Palm oil is also high in palmitic fatty acids which helps produce a hard bar with lather that is stable.

Then, you might look for some ingredients that add a little "bubbliness" to the lather. Castor, coconut, and palm kernel oils do this job very well.


Keeping warm in the oven to start the curing process

While soap can be made with only olive oil (known as castile soap), you will probably want to find a soap that has at least 3-4 ingredients to give the bar some interesting and dimensional properties. But, be mindful of any skin sensitivities that you may have.

To take the soap "over the top," look for these additional oils toward the end of the ingredient list: sweet almond, avocado, cocoa, jojoba, sesame, shea, and evening primrose. These oils add additional conditioning properties to the soap - the "oh, so good for you skin" component! I often superfat my soaps with these oils so some of the oil molecules are left behind after the soap cures - going straight to your skin when the soap is used!

So there you have it - soap oils 101. If you have any questions, please ask!

~Dana @ SoapSense
www.soapsense.etsy.com

And the Winner is..............

The winner of my latest Soap Butt Giveaway is Katy!  Congratulations, Katy!  I'll be emailing her shortly so she can claim her 1 pound of soap butts.  Thanks for everyone's participation!  Stay tuned for the next giveaway.

One More Time . . . Soap Butt Giveaway!

My last soap butt giveaway was SO popular, I'd thought I'd do it one more time!  Yes, soap butts...the last slice leftover from each log of soap that isn't pretty or big enough to be a bar on its own. But it is still great soap!

I'll choose 5 to 6 soap butts for you weighing at least one (1) pound when combined. They will be a mixture of essential oil and fragranced soaps as seen in my Etsy shop, SoapSense.

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and ends on Saturday, August 25th.

Be sure to check back daily for the most chances to win!  Just enter through Rafflecopter below. 

TIP:  Try refreshing your screen if the Rafflecopter box does not show.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the Winner is.............

Thanks for all of the great participation in my soap giveaway!  I gained a lot of information about soap "favorites" too.  Vanilla and lavender were definitely at the top of the list.

Drumroll......and the winner is:  Hannah W.

I will be emailing Hannah shortly so she can choose and claim her soap.

Thanks again!  Watch for another giveaway, coming soon.

Dana @ Soap Sense
www.dlpom.com

Soap...GIVEAWAY!

It's as simple as pie - or, soap!  Just use Rafflecopter below to enter to win.  Winner receives their choice of either one (1) bar of Antique Rose -OR- Bluebonnet soap from my Etsy shop, Soap Sense.

TIP:  Refresh your screen if giveaway box does not show.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Soap Dishes 101

For anyone out there who is a handcrafted soap junkie, this soap dish might be just for you!  Handcrafted from upcycled mesquite wood, it has generously spaced slats for the ultimate care of your handcrafted soap bar.

Handcrafted, cold-processed soap needs just a little bit of extra care to get the most mileage out of a bar.  It needs to air dry between showers or baths to avoid the "sticky goo" syndrome that just wastes soap down the drain.  A washcloth, loofah, or scrubbie will also allow your soap to generate the most lather and bubbles without being wasteful.

Give your handmade soaps some TLC, and each bar will be around a long time!  This soap dish will be listed on Etsy shortly...just follow the shop link below to get the details.

-Dana @ Soap Sense
DLPom LLC

Soap is on My Mind...

Soap must be on the minds of Etsy treasury creators today.  Two of my Texas Blooms Series soaps, Bluebonnet and Gardenia Goat's Milk, made it into two different treasuries:





Enjoy!

~Dana

Soap, Soap, Soap SALE!

Time to do a little soap rack clearing.  New bars are moving in, and it is time to clear out inventory to make room.  Also, I'm reworking my soap labeling...so the old labeled soap has to go!

In order to expedite this effort, I'm having a 15% Off Soap Sale while supplies last.  Just use coupon code "FIFTEENOFF" at checkout.

Happy soap shopping on Etsy!  Just click the banner to go!

Dana @ SoapSense on Etsy

Christmas in July Sales on Etsy

It's that time of year again! Etsy sellers are gearing up for all kinds of spectacular deals for the annual Christmas in July promotional sales. Each seller's shop deal is different, but all you need to do is search Etsy for the tag "christmasinjuly" (no spaces) to see all that is being offered. How easy is that? And it isn't too early to get a head start on Christmas shopping and save some money at the same time. Over 200 Etsy shops will be participating!

My two Etsy shops will also be participating! My DLPom artisan jewelry shop will be offering FREE SHIPPING on all items. The shipping charges will be refunded to your PayPal account after purchase. My Soap Sense bath shop will be offering 15% off all items. Again, the discount will be refunded to your PayPal account after purchase. For my shops, Christmas in July begins July 15th through July 25th.

So, come shop with us soon!

And the "Name It To Win" Winner Is...

Drumroll...

Elaine R is the "Name It To Win" soap winner from the blog giveaway contest that ended Saturday, June 10th, 2010. Her name contribution for my necklace design was "Desert Sky." Elaine has 3 days to respond to my email to claim her soap!

Everyone had very creative name contributions. Thank you all for participating! I chose Elaine's name because I also get a "desert" feeling from this piece, and the blue/orange combination is reminiscent of a sunrise or sunset desert sky just about anywhere across the southwest region of the U.S.

There will be a matching pair of earrings also listed with this name in my Etsy shop. Watch for both pieces to be listed on Monday...and stay tuned for my next blog giveaway. Can everyone say "earrings?" Let me know if there is a particular style or stone you would like to see for the earring giveaway.

Dana @ DLPom and Soap Sense

Name It to Win!

Typically, as I am creating a jewelry design, a name just comes to me somewhere along the way. I can't explain this phenomenon...a fitting name just pops into my head and the jewelry piece is named!

But every once in awhile, nothing pops. No name ideas...nothing. And the harder and longer I think about it, the worse it gets. Writer's block sets in and sometimes I don't list it on Etsy for weeks because it is an orphan until I have the time to revisit it.

So, throughout the summer I would like readers to help with this dilemma. The carnelian and turquoise necklace at right has no name. This contest is about creatively naming the necklace for my shop, DLPom, to win a bar of soap from my other Etsy shop, SoapSense. Good for me, and good for you if you win! I'm hoping you will love both of my shops and visit me again in the future.

So, enter your best, creative name for the necklace by 7/10/10 in the comments below. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you via blog, shop, or email if you win. I'll choose my favorite of the names suggested, and you'll receive a bar of my wonderful "Relaxation" soap as listed on Etsy. If you are an Etsy shop owner, I'll reference your shop in the necklace listing as winner of this naming contest as an extra perk.

Other contest details:

- 1 winner, must be 18 years or older
- 1 entry per person
- Winner must reside in U.S. or Canada
- Prize Value: $5.00 and shipping to you is FREE
- Winner must respond within 3 days. If not, another winner will be chosen.

Good luck! I can't wait to see your name submissions

~Dana @ DLPom and SoapSense on Etsy

Beware of the Ultra-Sensitive

Seems that my last blog post titled, "Beware of Pseudo-Soap" touched a raw nerve with some fellow Etsians... Apparently, some are sensitive about implying that imported goods are somehow inferior.

At the risk of even more criticism, I want to defend my previous post.

First of all, I simply reported what I saw. I was telling it like I saw it. Simply the facts.

Nowhere did I say "all" imported goods were inferior. Goodness knows that I use many imported gemstones and sterling silver findings in my jewelry designs!

And once people veered off the path and into the ditch, the point of my post was lost. I was simply trying to say that folks should be careful what they purchase and put on their skin, regardless of where it is made...and in this case, mass produced.

I find it unsettling that people try to spin a message to fit their agenda or highlight some point with which they are "sore."

Hope this isn't too controversial for you! :)

Until next time, happy blogging!

Beware of Pseudo-Soap!

A few days ago I was browsing my local "all things imported" store, (which shall remain nameless) and since I had a little time to kill, I worked my way through the imported furniture, imported pillows, imported baskets, imported foods (do you get the picture?), and stumbled into the bath and body section...imported of course!

I thought I'd check out the competition in bar soaps. And first impressions were fantastic: Lovely packaging with colorful labels. Nice, chunky bars with exotic names and intoxicating scents. The price was right...only $6.00 for a 4-5 oz. bar.

But then, I looked more closely. "Made in China" and "Made in India" was the name of the game on these soap bars. And upon even closer inspection, the ingredients contained many chemical names I could not even pronounce. No mention of olive oil, jojoba, or shea -- the ingredients I have come to know that make great, handcrafted soap!

Then, it got even more interesting...

In even smaller print, the label said:

- avoid contact with eyes (O.K., all soap can burn if it gets in your eyes)
- avoid contact with lips (Huh? How am I supposed to wash my face with this?)

AND...

- avoid contact with sensitive areas

So, exactly how am I supposed to use this soap? Isn't all skin "sensitive" since it is porous, with a direct path to the bloodstream?

Back to my title. One meaning of "pseudo" is "fake," or "not genuine." And I would go so far as to say that the imported soaps I was investigating the other day were just that. They were compressed, processed chemicals in disguise to look like soap. Real soap I WOULD put on my skin. I'll pass, thank you very much, on the fake soaps -- regardless of where they are mass produced.

Bottom line: Read the labels on the soap you purchase. Where is it made? Can you pronounce or recognize the ingredients? Are there warnings in fine print?

My shop, SoapSense, and many other reputable handcrafted soap sellers on Etsy take great pride in their soap ingredients. We are very conscious about taking care of your skin, and not introducing any harmful elements.


Do a little research, and happy soap shopping!

Soap, Soap, & More Soap

I've found it difficult lately to get any new soap on Etsy. Seems my regular customers want to buy the stuff by the whole soap loaf...and it is all I can do to keep up with their requests. Maybe someday life will afford more time for more soap making in a 24 hour period!

In the meantime, I wanted to give a little tip on Lavender soap. Lavender seems to be a "love it" or "hate it" type of scent. And, lavender soap (the kind that is scented with lavender essential oil), is a bit temperamental to make because it has a tendency to develop a white ash coating on the exterior as it cures. It is just a cosmetic thing, but many soapers, including me, don't want to sell soap with white ash.

However, if you are going for a straight lavender scented soap, just add a little ylang-ylang essential oil to the batch to keep white ash from developing! Yes, it works! A teaspoon or so of ylang-ylang will not alter the lavender scent, and it will prevent the white ash from ever developing.

Some other good mixes with lavender, either essential oils or fragrances, that prevent the white ash include: orange, rose, and mint.

Enjoy your own soapmaking...or just purchase from those of us who do.

Soap Sense on Etsy

The Best of All Compliments

...when someone else features your shop on their blog, of course! Lisa, of yourgreenshopper, recently did this for my Etsy shop, Soap Sense. I really love her ambition to become as sustainable and self-sufficient as possible! Please check out her blog and Etsy shop, WinterDreams, for ecofriendly art, clothing, and accessories.

More blog posts coming soon, I hope.

The Handcrafted Soap Addict's Soap Dish

Can't have only one bar of handcrafted soap at a time? Bits of different soaps globbed together in one dish? Can't wait to finish one bar before trying another?

Yeah, that's me! And I may be worse than the average person because I'm always testing my own bars of soap, and of course that requires using many different bars at a time!

So why fight it? Here's my solution...an attractive, earth-friendly, and organized way to handle your soap addiction. Each bar can have it's own slot to drain and air dry! Perfect!

See this soap dish and many others in the Linen Closet section of my Etsy Shop, Soap Sense.

Win This Gardener's Vetiver Soap Gift Set!

Win one of my fabulous, Gardener's Vetiver soap gift sets! Just visit Lynde's Bath, Body, Candle blog for official contest rules and how to enter. Good luck!

Lavender Soap, Straight-up...or Not!

Lavender is a love me or hate me scent. Nothing is better than straight-up, lavender soap if you love the scent. If you don't, lavender is a great mixer for other essential oils, and gets tamed down just a bit when blended. I have both in my soap shop, Soap Sense on Etsy. A straight-up lavender soap bar, and another blended scent that is an orange-lavender soap. Neither of these are what grandma used to use!


Aromatherapists recommend lavender essential oil to calm anxiety, minimize depression, relieve headaches, ease the itch of insect bites, soothe muscle pain, and more! Orange essential oil has many of the same aromatherapy qualities. And while I don't tout any of these remedies, I do know that these scents calm my mind and soul at the end of a long day.

Try one...you'll never go back to store bought soap!

The Paper is Handcrafted Too?!

Many people are often surprised to find out that the paper band around my soap is also handmade. When I started selling my soap (rather than just giving it away to family and friends), I wanted to find a way to package it that was unique and professional, and a bit kinder to the environment as well. I had made paper pulp before and had used a mold, deckle, and paper press to shape and dry it. So it was a natural extension to use these handmade sheets of paper as soap bands.


These photos are from the backend of the process. The sheets have been drying in the press for about a week, layered in between sheets of absorbant (and reusable) paper towels and dish cloths. After the finished sheets are released from the paper press, they are torn into narrow strips to wrap around the soap bars as bands.

All of the paper used to make the pulp comes from clean, ink-free scraps that I save from around the house. It might be scraps of computer paper, colored paper, or tissue paper. This paper gets a second life rather than just immediately being thrown away. Collecting different papers really doesn't take up that much space, and what a great way to recycle!


I try to make colorful papers that match the scent and/or color of the soap. The first photo is my Orange Lavender essential oil soap with matching, Orange Lavender paper. Once the soap is cured, you'll find it nicely wrapped on my handcrafted soap Etsy shop, Soap Sense.

What do you do to make your craft even more handcrafted?

Jasmine Soap - A Hit!

My Jasmine Tea Soap has been one of my bestsellers lately. I had been wanting to make a tea soap for quite awhile and a few months back created this soap recipe trying to also capture the scent of the spring-blooming jasmine vine in my own yard. In my mind, this soap needed to be an uplifting but not over-powering floral, with a soothing texture...just like a warm cup of sugared, jasmine tea!

I was extremely pleased with how the very first batch turned out! And it seems others are more and more pleased with the soap as well. Karen, one of my treasured soap buyers from Etsy, featured it on her handmade inspired website, Straight Talk on Natural Living.


She has written numerous reviews on various handmade soaps, focusing on their characteristics as shampoo bars. And even though my Jasmine Tea Soap was not originally intended for the scalp and hair, it has found a niche for those needing a soap with hair conditioning qualities, "especially in the dry winter months, it is perfect!"

Happy bubbles and conditioning for all those handmade soap addicts out there!