SUNSET OWLS

My last attempt failed. For some reason I didn't measure the lye amount correctly so it crumbled when I cut it. It was lye heavy. So I grated it up, added more oil and cooked it in the crock pot.

Today my husband took kids to visit great grandma, that gave me few hours to create my new soap.

I used organic carrot juice instead of water. So the base is orange. Use a bit of organic paprika and titanium dioxide for darker and light orange. Swirl technique to create the sunset look. Use black walnut powder to color the tree bark, and Spirulina for the green leaves.

Here's the cut of my sunset owl soaps.
Ingredients:
Olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, rice bran oil, avocado oil, sesame oil. Organic carrot juice, and lye.
Scented with peppermint, cardamon,and wild orange essential oils.

JEWEL WEED SOAP

A few weeks ago I learned that Jewel weed ( as known as touch me not) is a very good herb to release itchiness caused by poison ivy. You can actually find jewel weed near the place that poison ivy grows. So you if accidently touch it and don't know what to do, go search for jewel weed. Here is the link for you to learn more about JEWEL WEED.

In order to make this batch of soap. I went to the woods to get some jewel weed plants. Rushed home to get them cleaned. Chopped them into smaller pieces and cook half of them  on low heat for 3-4 to hours to make tea.
                             

And distilled the other half to make hydrosol.  Here is the way I make hydrosol. I placed the chopped jewel weed in the pot, added equal weight of distilled water to it,  put a clean bowl on the top and then turned the lid upside down to cover to pot. (See picture below)

Turned the heat on and let simmer till the water dried up.  

The steam that rises to the top of pot and meets the icy-cold lid contains the essential oils of the plant. It condenses and drips down into the bowl and that's your hydrosol/flower water! This is my hydrosol. 

The following is just some pictures for my soaping. Jewel weed ice cube to lye solution. And then I added hydrosol at trace.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that I went back to the woods again to pick up some jewel weed flowers and dehydrated them. Used them to decorate my plain jewel weed soap.

I used 100% of coconut oil and 30% of super fat. So it will clean your body very clean but still live your skin moisture. 

Lots of energy I put into this batch of soap but I did have great time making it. I even saved some of jewel weed hydrosol  to make lotion or slave with it. 

This batch is not cured yet, I will post purchase link once its ready.

BLUE RIDGE GRADIANT SOAP

It is a blessing to live to close to Blue Ridge Parkway.  Each season has its own beauty I love spring and fall. stole this picture from American Traver Center cos its kind of the look I created for my soap.

Here is my soap that I used indigo powder  for blue color.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Hemp Seed Oil, Castor Oil, Distilled water, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Aloe Vera Juice, Yogurt.

Scented with Essential Oils of: Wild Orange, lavender.

Natural Colorants: Indigo powder, Kaolin White clay.

For oily skin to normal skin type.

If you like this soap and would like to purchase, here is the link to get my BLUE RIDGE GRADIANT SOAP.

Dragon's Blood Soap

This is my first and the only soap I made with dragon's blood resin.  (For those of you who don't know what dragon's blood is, click HERE for the details.) It is kind of pricey as well as my vetiver essential oil. They both added a lot more to make this very earthy soap.

Here are the ingredients I used in this soap. Jasmine infused in extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, organic neem oil, cocoa butter , organic beeswax and  ground drangon's blood in sweet almond oil.
I used a little bit of maddar root powder to color my soap, use vetiver and lavender essential oil to scent. Lye and water are added of course. There is no way to make soap without lye and water or other type of liquid. :)

If you like this soap and would like to give it a try, here is the link for you to purchase.

Vitality Soapery WEB STORE.

SEASONAL SUMMER-FALL BLEND

It is the time we tend to get sick when the weather goes from summer to fall. Yes, due to extreme temperature range that lower our immune level.

Here is the blend I use to help boost up my immune system.

3 drops clove
2 drops white fir
4 drops lemon
Rub on the bottoms of for five consecutive nights to help protect against seasonal and environment elements.

You can pre-mix the oils in a roller ball bottle for your convenience.  Put the roller bottle by your bed and apply on the feet before bed. Easy enough?

SOAPING 101- TYPES OF HANDCRAFTED SOAP

1. Get confused with the whole soap process? I hear you.  
2. Let's talk about CP, HP, MP and rebatching soap. You will like CP and HP if you like make soap from scratch or want to know what goes into your soap.
3. CP soap is the short abbreviation for COLD PROCESS soap. This is soap that is handmade and produced, through the saponification process. “Saponification” is the name given to the chemical reaction by which an alkali (usually sodium hydroxide - also called caustic soda or lye) reacts with fats and oils to make soap. CP soap usually takes at least 4 weeks to cure, depending on the type of soap.  
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   CPOP soap (COLD PROCESS OVEN PROCESS):  This process follows the same process as CP. The only difference is that after the soap batter is poured into the mold, it is placed in an oven for one hour at 170F. Afterwards,  the oven is turned off but soap is left for an additional 4-6 hours. It helps to force the gel phase which takes the batch less time to saponify.
6. HP soap (HOT PROCESS): Soap created through this process is similar to cold process soap. This process is call HP because the saponfication process is accelerated by cooking the soap, usually in crockpot. HP changes he appearance of finished soap, when compared with CP soap, but the soap is fully cured and ready for immediate use within a few days.
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8. REBATCHING You will start out with pre-made soap (a bar of soap you've made or bought. (I only rebatch my not so perfect soap or collected soap ends.)Grate the soap, add some water to cook it, you can add in whatever colors, scents, or other additives you choose to your cooked soap, then let it harden.
   
   

   
9. MP soap is MELT and PURE soap. It is pre- made soap base, you can choose clear or white base depend on what you want to create. You melt the soap base down and add colors, scents or other additives. 
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New Start

     

    

Once upon a time I lived a carefree life, thinking of little beyond my own personal needs and having fun with my friends. Then I became a mother. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my three little kids, and I love being a mom. But being a mom, I'm often concerned about the wellbeing of my kids. A few years ago I started to really take a close look at everything that my kids were putting into and onto their bodies. The research that I did revolutionized the way I looked at nutrition and hygiene. I've always had an eye for arts and crafts, so I decided to combine two of my passions by making uniquely beautiful, completely natural soaps. I make all of my soaps by hand at home in very small batches, using only the highest quality SAFE ingredients that are great for your skin and deliver nutrients to your whole body. And I'm always trying something new, which means that nearly every batch of soap is a "collector's item." So from my home to yours, I know you'll enjoy the intricate design, invigorating fragrance, and gentle touch of all the soaps I made at Vitality Soapery!