A View from My Etsy

I just love learning new things.  This fun collage is something I just learned to do in Etsy, so I just had to share.

Don't forget, during the month of April, I will be donating 10% of my Etsy sales to the Lake Stevens Relay for Life event.

Happy Easter!

Just a Soap Pic

I love this picture! This is as the soap is currently displayed in the store window. I am very pleased with how they turned out and they smell just as good as they look.

All of these soaps, and more are available online and in the store. 

See links to the right ---->>>

Results of Essential Oil Testing

In my last post, I was testing new essential oil blends and I ended up testing my six blends in small batches of soap. I liked all the blends in the bottle, but was less than thrilled with the results once they were in soap.  

Back to the drawing board.

From the initial experiment, I went on to create four new blends that I ended up making into full batches of soap.  These blends are olfactory heaven!

The first one is a blend of Grapefruit and Ylang Ylang.  The light floral of the Ylang Ylang compliments the tart of the Grapefruit very nicely.

Next, is a Lavender and Basil blend with notes of Rosemary, Peppermint and Eucalyptus.  Such a great blend!

Then there is the blend I like to call, "Make Lemonade".  There is a story behind this blend and it starts with the main essential oil...Lemongrass.  You see, I don't like the scent of Lemongrass, but somehow I ended up with a large bottle of the essential oil.  Needing to use it so it would not go to waste, I decided to try to create a blend that even I would like and this is the result.  I had stinky Lemongrass, so I made lemonade!  Besides Lemongrass, this blend also has Spearmint and Litsea Cubeba.  The Litsea is another essential oil that has a lemony fragrance and I used it to sweeten up the Lemongrass.  I also added some dried calendula petals.  This blend is yum and is sure to brighten up your mood every time you use it.

Finally, is a nice floral that has Ylang Ylang, Egyptian Geranium and just a touch of Lavender.  This blend and the Lemongrass and Spearmint blend are my two favorites.

All four are now available for purchase on the website and in the store.  I have some cut into cubes, so feel free to sample (you can also request a sample with your online order).

It's Not Just Scent, it's Essential

I love trying out new fragrances for my soaps. There is an oil for just about every scent you can imagine.  Some of the fragrances are essential oils, which are all natural and extracted from the seeds, roots, bark or berries of a plant. While others are synthetic fragrances oils. Sometimes fragrances are a combination of both essential oils and fragrance oils.

In my soap making thus far, I have relied mostly on fragrance oils, as they are generally less expensive and some fragrances just cannot be created using essential oils. For example, if I wanted to make a banana scented soap, I would have to use a synthetic oil as there is no banana essential oil.  I love using fragrance oils in my soap.  Not only is there a wide range of fragrance blends to choose from, they ones I buy have already been tested to stay true in the soap making process.  In all, the fragrance oil makes up less than 1% of the total recipe and all the aroma chemicals are approved for use in skin care products.

Occasionally, I do get requests for soap scented with only essential oils. Some want a more natural product, while others are looking for the aromatherapy benefits (I will be discussing the actual benefits of using essential oils in upcoming posts).  Because there seems to be enough demand for products using essential oils, I decided to try creating my own blends.

The essential oils ready for blending.

Not knowing where to begin, I started with a few suggestions from others.  I noted each drop that was added to the blend.  I kept going until I either thought it was perfect or a no-go.  It was really an unscientific process and quite subjective as to what smells good and what does not. I did, however, try to have lots of variety:  a floral blend, a citrus blend, a mint blend, etc.

A few of the blends, and my notes for each one.

In the end, I created about 20 different blends. Of those 20, six made it on to the next round of testing.  For each of those six, I made about 1/2 to 1 ounce of the blend.  Over the next several days, the individual essential oils will continue to  meld.  This blending over time could ultimately change the fragrance from what it initially was (for better or worse).

If the blends make it past the aging round, I will begin testing them in products - especially soap.  Fragrances must be able to withstand the high heat and chemical process of soap making.

Six blends made it on to the next round!

Blending essential oils to make pleasing (and functional) fragrances is obviously a time consuming process with a lot of trial and error, but ultimately rewarding when I can sell a scented product that I designed myself.

I will keep you posted on the results of my scenting experiment and the six fragrances from round one will be in the shop if you would like to stop in and give them a sniff.  I would also love to know what your favorite scent blends are, as they could end up being used in a future batch of soap!

Dear Blog: I have not forgotten you!

Yikes! Six months...is that how long it has been since I have blogged? What?  Really? There has been so much I have not shared with you, dear blog.  But that is going to change, starting now.  And until I can leave you with a proper post, I will share with you some of the things I have been working on lately.

Valentine Hearts in English Rose

Pink soap in citrusy Energy and green in spicy Wasabi

More Valentine's hearts

Even MORE Valentine goodness!

Who doesn't love cupcakes?

Crazy skulls made at the Soap Bar!

Two new super cute molds for the Soap Bar.

I sent 12 soaps into the world and got these 12 lovelies in return!

Don't forget, the Soap Bar is open from 11-4 Saturdays and by appointment. I hope to see you soon!