STANDARDISE SOAP SIZES

 At work there is always great emphasis on continuous improvement and 5S, so this week i decided it was about time that i standardised all my soap sizes for selling.
I have what seems like a never ending collection of moulds which i was happy to use for my own soaping fetish, however since i started selling i find it difficult trying to price up all the different sizes of soaps i make!!

A few weeks back i acquired two 10" long moulds.  I made two batches of soap in them with each slice measuring 2.5"x3.25"x1".  I was still unsure on the size so i decided to make a few more batches with the soap slice height of 2.25" instead of 2.5".  I preferred this shorter height as the soap bar looked less chunky and square, and so this is my new bar size 2.25"x3.25"x1....STANDARDISED!!

I  made the following soaps in my standard mould

Country Chamomile Soap
I love the colour of this soap and also the chamomile and heather flowers sprinkled on top.  I added chamomile powder at trace, which i regret since the soap smells really earthy and it basically kills off any of the vanilla and lemon essential oils i added!!!!

 

Rustic Rose Soap

Pink clay is added and rose petals scattered on top to give a floral feminine appearance.  I added my usual palmarosa and geranium and bergamont essential oils, however i also decided to add vetiver which i added at 20% and the outcome was a really woody floral scent.

'Moorish' Soap

To this soap I added carrot powder and orange peel at trace.  I also decided to add vetiver to this soap, along with the usual orange and Mandarin.  The vetiver really overtakes any citrus smell but i love the orange specks of the peel and carrot powder coming through.

'Ambrosia Soap' ....made with foods of the greek gods..!!

Over the weekend I decided to make a batch of soap specifically for friends and family with skin conditions such as 'psorosis' and 'eczema'.  I thought it would be a nice idea to give them these soaps as gifts instead of soaps which they are not comfortable using, and they will definitely know that i made them specially for them ;P

After doing research on ingredients such as oils and essential oils beneficial for these conditions i decided to make a batch with fresh goats milk. Goats milk is really high in vitamins and proteins, highly moisturising for skin and reduces dryness and itching. 

I had never used fresh milk in any of my soaps before only powdered milks, this is because powdered milk is easier to use and there would be no problems with the milk curdling. Recently I was tempted to use the real thing and there are probably more advantages for your skin than using powdered milk...i could be wrong!! but anyway this was my first batch with REAL FRESH goats milk. 

For this batch i used 50% water and 50% goats milk as my liquids, the water i added to the lye and the goats milk i added at trace. I was really worried that my soap would curdle....but hey presto it was perfect, no curdling only a lovely tan coloured mixture.

At trace i added honey, which deepened the tan  colour of my soap mixture and i also added oats as an exfoliant.  Both honey and oats are recommended for these skin conditions and are known for their benefits to skin.

I added vanilla essential oil with a tiny bit of benzoin essential oil to give a really sweet homely scent.

Overall i was really pleased with this soap, i had no problems with curdling, i love the sweet warm scent resembling cake and cookies and the deep tan colour.

I have named it 'Ambrosia Soap' since ambrosia which is milk and honey are the foods of the Greek gods, and these ingredients truly are nourishing, moisturising and sheer heaven for skin!!

Ambrosia soap in the process of curing

closer view of Ambrosia soap

i like to cut sideways when i have decorations on top in order to get  cleaner and smoother  sides

The Ideal Home Show 2011

Yesterday i went to 'The Ideal Home Show' at Earls Court with a few work friends and had a fantastic day. The best part was looking at and trying all the food..... lots of lovely italian ice cream, cheeses with ginger and crushed black pepper and my favourite was a caramalised balsamic vinegar. 

I didnt enjoy the womens section with beauty products and various items of clothing, it reminded me a little of a run down market with lot of bright lighting......but thats just my opinion. 

I managed to pick up a few items on the day, i tried not to get too  carried away and i think i did a really good job.....i only wonder how i would have taken it all home on the underground anyway......

When i saw this GIGANTIC bag i fell in love with it, it's handmade in madagascar.  It is sooo versitile.....laundry bag, storage in the corner of the room, carrying bits to craft fairs, overnight bag....endless usages.

This crystal bowl i picked up from a furntiure stall 'Aflair', i thought it may be handy as a picture prop and storage for maybe jewellery or soap slices or something....not 100% sure what yet

I thought this night light holder was really cute, i have a habbit of collecting them and have far too many.....but they always come in handy and the lady in the shop was really sweet.

Also from this really sweet women i picked up a roll of 6m lace....collecting,  collecting,  collecting..... i honestly dont know what i will do with it, its not enough for a quilt so i will probably use it when packaging my soaps.

Soap Packaging

Just a few pictures to show you the packaging for my soaps, all hand wrapped by myself using traditional packaging styles. Hope you all like them.

'Lime Loofah Soap' & 'Pink Clay and Geranium Soap'

Just a quick blog to show you a few pictures of my new 'Lime Loofah' & 'Pink Clay & Geranium' soaps.

Both still have a few days left of curing, and i cant wait to try them out.

I'm loving how the loofah makes it almost look 'biological' like one of those pictures taken of the nervous system...or something!!!!

Nice and rustic!!! i know some don't like adding rose petals to soap mixtures because they turn dark...BUT....I LOVE IT!!! i love the brown against the pale pink, i love the earthiness, i like the textures...and i love these soaps being round....they'll make great mothers day gifts.

Body Scrub & Foot Scrub

Its been a while since my last blog. Having a full time job which takes almost 2.5 hours of travelling each day, 7am starts and a busy family life, seem to take up allot of my day.  The spare time i do have i spend doing research on the net, publicising my products, and other soap activities like packaging and trying new recipes.

Today i want to share with you some homemade body scrubs i have made for various members of the family and close friends.  

The first is for my older sister who lives in Birmingham.  This body scrub contains both fine and coarse sea salt, i have added poppy seeds which look absolutely amazing nestled into the white salt.  This scrub has been scented with ylang ylang & grapefruit essential oils which is a lovely feminine scent yet not too floral like rose or lavender (she hates both rose and lavender...)

Sea Salt & Poppy Body Scrub

For my youngest sister who's 17 i have made a wonderfully yummy Mocha Body Scrub, it is also a firm favourite of my sister in law who cant get enough of the mocha scent.  This is a brown sugar scrub with ground coffee added to give a rich dark brown colour and it's scented with vanilla essential oil.  Both sister and sister in law are coffee MAD!!!

Mocha Sugar Scrub

Lastly i have made a foot scrub for a friend who Really Really Really needs help with dry chapped feet.  This scrub is made from fine and ground sea salt, and has dried rosemary added.  Peppermint and rosemary essential oils have been added since they are both known for their healing properties and peppermint gives a cooling effect to tired feet.

Peppermint & Rosemary Foot Scrub

Soap Crazy

Making cold process soap is an addiction, i am making approximately 4 batches of soap each week.  

My kitchen has been taken over by soap making equipment and my rooms are smelling of LUSH.

All the scents which i was never a fan of like lavender, i seem to have fallen in love with.  Here are some soaps i made a few weeks ago and are in the process of curing

left to right: vanilla & peppermint soap, green tea & lemongrass soap, french clay & tea tree soap, lavender soap, gardeners soap

these are my new wooden moulds that i am using, they were made by my friend jose.