The Verbena of My Existence

The evolution of a soap...Lemon verbena is one of my most favorite scents. It's soft with a hint of lemon and flowery essence with a buttery-like finish. I never design this soap the same. Come to think of it, I almost never design any of my soap scents the same...This soap is part of a holiday gift set I'm planning. It will be a variety of lemon scents. Pics to come...

I decided to keep the design simple this time.

When I was young and fancy...

Midnight Rendezvous

Isn't this a pretty soap? I have been dying to make something purple and blue with sparkle, and here it is! I call it Midnight Rendezvous. This is a blended fragrance of nag champa, ginger, and lime, and the outcome was quite a pleasant surprise. It's a little spicy, a little fresh, and a whole lotta sexy! These bricks are pretty huge too. They weigh at least 6 oz each, and I've gone back to my rice bran and avocado blend. I really love the outcome of the soaps with these oils. Rice bran oil is so underrated....

ps...I miss you Michael Jackson

Verbena Bobbitt

Know why I named this soap Verbena Bobbitt? Because it's scented in verbena, and I'm mad as hell at it! It was cut in a fit of rage then strategically pieced back together. Sound familiar?

It didn't come out the way I wanted, and the scent smells kind of off. I envisioned this lovely yellow soap with a lavender swirl. It is a gorgeous shade of yellow, but the lavender took a nose dive, so it's now a dusty-looking pale gray. This soap set up so quickly that when I I un-molded it, that it was rock hard. As I cut it, little pieces chipped off. I did a tongue zap test, and it's not lye heavy. Other than the aesthetics, there's nothing wrong with this soap. Like many others, it'll just have to grow on me....

Oh yeah, there's still time to enter my giveaway..heehee

I Don't Wanna Wait In Vain....

Whenever I make a new batch of soap, the song Wait In Vain by Bob Marley always comes to mind. To me, that's the downside of making cold processed soap: THE WAIT. The wait can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks or more depending on the ingredients you use. I really have to try hot process soap making. I just don't like the way the soap looks though.

Anyway, I thought I'd make a collage of all the soaps I have curing. I've been pretty busy huh?

It's Been A While, But More Soap!

I don't think I've ever gone this long between posts! The past week has been a really long one. I went out of town for a few days, my sister came down from Harlem for the weekend, and I saw my cousin who just turned 18. I even got my hair done-sorta...

With all that fun, I did manage to squeeze in a few batches of soap. First up is a batch scented in blackberry and sage. I call it Bad-Ass Cousin. Why? Because this scent could be the cousin to Black Raspberry and Vanilla only it has a spicy kick (the sage) to it. We all have a cousin (or other relative) who is just a little to the left when everyone else is to the right. They're such bad-asses! I'm also really loving anything blackberry right now. I under-measured my oils (I don't know where my freaking mind was) so these bars look "squat" to me. I compensated for it by cutting them thicker than normal. I made these soaps with added shea butter, and I left them in the mold for a full 72 hours before un-molding and slicing. Usually I'm so gung-ho about revealing my newest creations, but lately I've been like "Ehh...whatever, It'll be there tomorrow...." I think the summer heat is getting to me...

Help Me Name This Soap and Win A Free Bar!

Believe it or not, I'm at a total loss for naming this soap. Yeah, yeah, it's green-again, but it does have some yellow, and if you pull out your magnifying glass, you'll definitely see the lavender-LOL. What's in it? Let's see...avocado oil, castor oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. The scent? It's a kitchen sink of leftover fragrances including yuzu, cranberry, and grapefruit. I'm really big on citrus scents-especially grapefruit, if you didn't already know!

Help me name it, and if I choose your scent, you get a bar-fo' free!!!

More "Green" Soap

For so long I've had it ingrained in my mind that if you want to make cold processed soap, then you've gotta use a wooden mold. BA-LO-NEY!!!! I've hid these plastic grid molds forever and thought they would not be able to withstand the rigors of lye and heat, but man was I wrong! Not only did they easily slide out, but they are also pre-scored, so all I have to do is cut and trim.

Here are a few pics of soap I made over the weekend. The pink one is Blackberry Apple and the greenish-looking one is Italian Granita Ice. I love the ashy look of this one for some reason. My tastes are becoming more and more rustic. I'm so over with trying to achieve the "perfect-looking" soap. These bars make so much lather, that I was in complete awe! Now I'm off to make some soap balls with my scraps. Talk to ya later!

ps-Don't forget to enter my I Love Cupcakes Giveaway (see sidebar on the left for details!)

This Soap Is The Devil!!!!

I’m officially out of soap making oils. I have about 4 oz of olive oil, 6oz of coconut oil, and 8 oz of palm kernel oil left. That aint enough to gag a maggot let alone make a batch of soap! I did make a batch last week that I just got around to cutting, and I am most disappointed-not in the soap, but myself for not reading the stupid ingredients! What I saw was orange and honey. I totally missed the blossom in the name Orange Blossom Honey. I thought this soap would be sweet and fruity and colorful, but what I got was floral, earthy, and brown! The description clearly said will discolor to a medium brown, but no, I didn’t read that with my one-track mind! I had big plans for this soap! I colored the bottom layer orange and let it set for about 10 minutes while I colored the top layer yellow. Once I spread that on top, I stuck orange, glycerin soap wedges all throughout to give it a little flavor. Now they look like shark fins or devils’ horns.

It doesn’t smell bad though. It’s just when you have your heart set on something, and it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to, you’re life is temporarily ruined. So let’s recount the number of brown soaps I have:

Chai Tea Soap
Black Currant & Nectarine Soap
Chocolate Fantasy Soap
Orange Blossom Honey Soap

Maybe I’ll do a basket and offer these as a package. You can never have enough brown soap, right?

Peanut Butter Soap Revisited

Okay, it's not really peanut butter soap. Remember the Black Currant & Nectarine soap a few posts back? Well here it is a few weeks later-almost cured! It browned up. I have enough brown soap already! It smell really nice, and I love the textured peaks at the top. I have yet to be able to duplicate that again. I'm going to have to let my trace thicken a little more before pouring it.

Come back tomorrow for a big announcement!!

I Made More Soap!

I am so ass-backwards sometimes. I'll either have lye and no oils or oils and no lye. I'm literally scraping the bottom of the barrel, and I was able to eek out enough just to make this batch I call Love Hangover because that song from Diana Ross just popped into my head when I was trying to think of a name for it. It's bursting with the arousing aromas of grapefruit, tangerines, and lime. This bar is the perfect pick-me-up. I can't wait til it's cured and ready to use. I also cut the bars a lot bigger this time. These weigh a hefty 5+ oz. and I added cocoa butter because I'm in love with it. I think I'll make cocoa butter a regular ingredient in my recipes. It helps make my bars nice and hard, and I love how it moisturizes dry, ashy skin-like mine.

Tomorrow is my first Art Fire Artisan Spotlight. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

The Jury Is Still Out

I forgot to mention that I finally got the lye! I was so excited that I could barely contain myself. So of course, I had to make soap, but I aint happy ya'll! This was supposed to be my comeback soap, LOL, but it tanked. It's scented in Black Currant & Nectarine. It smells heavenly, but it reminds me of a block of solid, creamy peanut butter. I'm really pissed because I used the crappy soap colorants that I bought from that supplier I swore I'd never use again. My intent was to swirl this soap orange and dark magenta, but this batch refused to accept the colors. I'm going to let it cure and see what happens. The one saving grace with this soap is the cool peaks on the top of it-pure luck-my soap had started to set as soon as I added the FO. I'm gonna stick with this one. Maybe I'll add a new category called Ucking Fugly. This would be Ucking Fugly II!





update: I haven't even posted this and the soap is growing on me!

One Step Ahead...

I always pride myself on being one step ahead of the game (or at least on pace). Case in point: I received my download of the Jan/Feb '09 issue of Saponifier Magazine the other day, and one of the articles was Product Reviews. I was surprised to see that one of the products being reviewed was Brambleberry's Holly Berry fragrance oil. I was so excited because I bought this FO back in November as my one true Christmas fragrance. It's a limited edition FO, so I'm not sure how long it'll be around. The reviewer used her Holly Berry in body cream and MP soap, but I used mine in CP soap. The scent itself is a combo of holly, pine, and red tart berries with supporting notes of cinnamon and cardamom. There was a disclaimer that the soap would discolor to a peach/gold after 8 hours. That would have been so cool, but it didn't happen for me. My soap stayed the red and green I colored it. I really smell the cinnamon and pine more than anything making it perfectly unisex. I sprinkled a little gold soap glitter on it for effect. Believe it or not, I haven't used this one yet. It's going in the shower tonight. Bottom line: It is a nice addition to your holiday/winter collection.

Lotsa New Stuff On The Horizon

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

Oh no, don't say it!!! Not....Christmas????? Yeah! Where did the year go? It seems like it was just the 4th of July, and Halloween is tomorrow! Okay, I'm jumping holidays now. The point is, it's almost Christmas, and I'm making soaps out the wazoo! I'm going to fill my Etsy shop and my website with all kinds of soap. Soap for men. Soap for women. Soap for kids. Soap for grandmas. Soap for teachers. Soap for EVERYBODY!!!!

First up is my holiday cold processed soap. I call it Merry Christmas, Baby! It smells of holly and red berries with a dash of cardamom and vanilla. I sprinkled a little gold glitter on it for a sparkly, festive touch. I wasn't crazy about it at first, but it's growing on me by the day. I'll be blogging much often about my latest creations. Stay tuned....

It's Official: I'm A Soap Addict

I've always said this lightheartedly in other posts and forums, but I really think I have a problem. I'm always thinking of the next batch before the current one is finished. I actually toss and turn sometimes because I'm thinking of a new color combo or name or something related to soap. What is it about soap that's so addictive? Everything! Selecting the oils I want to use. Choosing a scent. Picking a color combo. Lining my mold-yes, lining my mold. Pouring the lye solution into my oils. Whizzing the soap in my batter bowl. Mixing my colors. Okay, you get it!

With that being said, here's my latest batch. I call it Yum. It's citrus-y. I wanted it to be more orange than pink, but I can't complain. It smells the bomb! I used the basics-palm, coconut, and olive. This time I added a little jojoba oil for fun. I like jojoba oil. It's thick though, so I'm hoping this bar kicks some major ash. Well, I'm off making my next batch. I call that one Night, Night. More details when it's done and cut.....

Strawberry Don't Like Me!

But I love you, strawberry. You're my favorite fruit, okay, you come a close second to cherries, but why won't you behave in my soap???? This is my second attempt at making a strawberry-themed soap, and there's nothing wrong with it technically. It just reminds me of a loaf of bologna. It smells pretty good too. I should have used my trusty crinkle cutter!

What's in this bologna? Let's see: A little pig's ear, foot, and rump. Oops, that's real bologna. I made this batch with olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil-the three basic soap oils. I had every intention of using my beloved log mold, but I must not have screwed a peg in tightly enough, because no sooner than I poured it, the damn thing started leaking all my "batter" out. FORTUNATELY, I had this oval loaf mold lined for another job. I was able to save 95% of it. That should have been my clue, but I am an optimist. I have a feeling that I'm going to end up using my crinkler to slice the smooth edges off. I just don't like the way this soap looks. Stay tuned for my next masterpiece.....

Honey Baby....

Sweetie, Sugar, Darling! That's how I feel about my latest soap, Honey Baby. It's a dreamy blend of nectarine, peach, lemon, black currant, green apple, jasmine, lily, musk, and oh yeah, honey. It sounds like the kitchen sink, but it smells like...rhapsody in bloom! I got the scent from Sweet Cakes who sells a lot of designer dupes (this being one of them.) Her interpretations are right on the money! Getting back to Honey Baby. It's made very simplistically-olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, and a dash of sweet almond oil. I used three colors for this soap-yellow, magenta, and marigold. There was no technique. I just separated my mixture into three batter bowls (love those because it has a built-in spout) I wanted to try funneling, but duh, you kinda need a funnel for that. If you're scratching your head, check out this post on The Soap Bar.

I can't wait to personally use this soap. It smells so dang good. Do you have a favorite soap? If so, what is it, and what's it made of? Inquiring minds want to know.....

ps- I'll post cut pics later. I was just too excited to talk about my latest fave...

New Family Additions

As a soap maker, I've always been conflicted when it comes to choosing fragrances to use. Do I pick only things that I like, do I pick things that I think the buyer will like, or do I pick fragrances that are the latest trend? I kinda do all three, but mostly I pick fragrances that I like (and hope that everyone else will like.) With that being said, I made two new batches of soap a few days ago. I call the first one, An Afternoon in Paris. It smells of black currant and Bulgarian roses. It's ultra-feminine, but not sickeningly sweet. It's fresh, crisp, and uplifting. The second soap is called Winter Blues. It's a warm blend of cinnamon sticks, cloves, and French vanilla. I didn't realize I had a French theme going on until I started writing this post. What I love about Winter Blues is the blue stayed blue. Usually my blue goes pink or green when I add it to my lye mixture. So here they are, Paris and Winter. Can't wait to put them in my shop!!!!

How I Make Soap-Final Reveal

Evening, Friends!

I decided against showing my vlog because there's no editing feature, and I made lots of boo-boos making it. So, here it is! What do you think? I've decided to call the soap Chocolate Fantasy-kinda like me (wink!) This soap was made with Castor, olive, palm kernel, coconut, and canola oils. I love the way it turned out! It's curing beautifully, I think.

With the holidays coming up, I am soaping ferociously! I've got my lye bath cooling for a batch I"m preparing just for the fellas. I shall reveal that one in another blog post.

Say Hello To My Lil' Friends

I'm gearing up for the holiday season with a vengeance! I've made three batches of soap this weekend, and here is the latest addition to the fam. I haven't named this batch yet, but it's a delectable blend of sweet orange and clove. It's the perfect alternative to pumpkin (I'm not knocking pumpkin by any means!) This one reminds me of sweet potato pie filling. I've never wanted to bite into a soap as I do this one. So what's in it? It's got olive oil, palm kernel oil, Castor oil, and canola oil. I did not swirl this soap (I suck at swirling). This is just how it turned out. Can't wait til this one's ready!!!

How I Make Soap-Part I

I'm testing the video feature on my CoolPix, so I thought I'd shoot a little video on my latest soap making venture. I'll post part two later today, so stay tuned....

Here's the link to How To Line A Soap Mold.