Friday, November 9, 2012

Crafts: homemade bar Soaps



Lavender Beeswax soap

here's a recipe for lavender beeswax soap

4 oz unscented clear glycerin soap
10 drops lavender essential oil
1 drop violet food coloring
1 tsp grated beeswax

Melt the soap over low heat until liquified. Add the grated beeswax and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the essential oil and coloring. Stir until well blended. Pour mixture into the mold and let set for 3 hours or until hardened.


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Coffee and Cream soap

1 4oz. Bar glycerin soap
1 teaspoon ground espresso
1 teaspoon powdered milk
10 drops coffee fragrance oil

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the bar of glycerin soap until liquefied. Remove from heat and stir in ground espresso, powdered milk, and coffee fragrance oil. Pour soap into a mold and let set for three hours or until hardened.

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Easy Lavender Olive soap

1 bar unscented glycerin soap -- (4 oz.)
Metal cheese grater with large holes
1 Medium microwave safe glass bowl
9 drops Lavender essential oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bottle with pump dispenser -- (5 oz.)
tap water -- measuring cup,
large metal mixing spoon, microwave

Grate the glycerin soap into the glass bowl. Add 1 cup tap water and stir.

Microwave the soap and water for 1 minute on high heat. Remove and stir. Heat for another 30 seconds, then remove and stir again. If the soap is not completely liquefied, continue to heat at 10 second intervals until it is.

Stir in the olive and essential oil. All the mixture to cool slightly, then pour into the bottle. Variation: Instead of using olive oil, you can use lighter oils, such as coconut, vitamin E, apricot or jojoba

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Herb soap balls

1/4 c Boiling water
1 tb Pulverized herbs (chamomile, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme, or a combination)
5 Drops related essential oil
2 c Shredded Ivory or Castille Soap
Plastic wrap

Directions:
Pour boiling water over herbs. Add 5 to 6 drops oil. Steep 15 minutes.
Reheat til bubbly and pour over soap. Mix well with hands and let stand 15 minutes. Mix again and divide into 3 or 6 parts, rolling each into a ball. Place on plastic wrap and dry for 3 days.
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Moon soap

This bar will also releive a stuffy nose. Use before rituals on the Full Moon to attune with it's energies.

12 drops sandalwood
9 drops camphor
6 drops lemon
6 drops eucalyptus

Chop a 4 oz. bar of Castile soap and melt with 1/4 cup boiling water
in a saucepan. Let cool slightly and add the above essential oils, and roll into balls or pour into molds.

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Easy Crisco soap

3 lbs. Crisco (1 can)
6 oz. lye
12 oz. water
Any essential oils, herbs or coloring you wish

Melt/heat the Crisco in a enamel pan and place on stove to melt and heat.

Place cold water in a glass bowl and slowly add lye while stirring with a wooden. Stir until water is clear if you can.

When the Crisco and lye are warm to the touch, pour lye into Crisco while stirring. Keep stirring until you get trace.

Trace is when it thickens to the point where you can drop some of the mix back in to itself and it leaves a trail. At this point use any herbs, scent, or coloring and stir and pour mold(s). This recipe fits nicely in an 8x8 inch container, but other containers, such as pringles cans or specialty soap molds work just fine, too.

Put molds in a warm, insulated place, let set 24 hours and then cut. Place on to rack and let cure for 2-3 weeks.

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Tea tree Antibacterial soap

Tea tree oil is an essential oil extracted from the leaves of the Australian tea. The oil works against bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses that attack the skin.

2 cup glycerin soap base
2 Tbsp. Tea tree oil

To Make This Antibacterial Natural Soap: Melt glycerin base in double boiler. Blend in tea tree oil and pour into mold.

Tea tree oil also makes a nice deodorant soap which is effective in cleaning out minor cuts and treating athlete's foot. Glycerin is a gentle skin moisturizer soap that is available in clear and opaque. This soap base can be found at health food stores, some drug stores, craft stores or major department stores. Glycerin makes soap making less intimidating because glycerin soap recipes don't require lye and fats. The trick to making this antibacterial natural soap is to keep the heat as low as possible. High heating temperatures heat will produce a mushy or beaded appearance. To keep the glycerin from attracting moisture from the air, tightly wrap the glycerin soaps in plastic after making.

Sticky labels, round labels and heavyweight card stock can be used for labeling your antibacterial natural soap. Boxes and baskets are nice containers for soap, especially when you fill the boxes with other materials. You can fill the box or basket halfway with herbs, dried flowers or potpourri that matches the scent of your soap. Gift basket fillings, other toiletries, washcloths or sponges also make great fillers in the basket with your soap. Once you have added the filler and soap, wrap the box or basket in cellophane. Coffee mugs also great "baskets." Add a filler to the cup and place a bar of soap in the center and wrap with cellophane or tulle. Small brown paper bags, cello type bags, wood crates and soap dishes are other containers you can use to package your soaps and salts.

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Honeysuckle Rose soap

11 1/2 fluid ounces mineral water or bottled water
4 1/2 ounces lye (sodium hydroxide)
19 ounces olive oil
10 1/2 ounces coconut oil
3 1/2 ounces sweet almond oil
1 tablespoon rose essential oil
1/2 tablespoon honeysuckle essential oil
2-3 teaspoons finely ground paprika (optional)

Wear rubber gloves and goggles for protection, Weigh all your base oils and
place in good size stainless steel pan.
Weigh the water and pour into a large heatproof jug.
Whilst gently stirring add the lye slowly to the water until fully dissolved
try not to splash the lye and to inhale the fumes, the first burst of fumes
wont last long.
Slowly heat the oil, remove from the heat.
Using one or two cook's thermometer' s you want to get the lye and the oils
both to about the same temperature of 115/120F, carefully pour the cooled
lye into the pan with the oils whilst stirring.
Go on stirring until the soap will trace, it should leave a visible trail
and have the thickness of a pourable custard, this can be 30 minutes up to
hours, you can take breaks and go back to it for another stirring session.
When you are at the trace fase, add the essential oils and paprika powder if
using, mix well.
Close or cover the mold and wrap in towels or a small blanket to insulate.
Leave for 48 hours, wearing gloves, turn out of the mold, cut in bars and
leave to cure for three weeks somewhere cool and dark.

*****

Aloe soap balls

4 oz. grated Castile soap
2 T. aloe vera gel
1 1/2 T. rosewater
3 drops evening primrose e.o.
6 drops tangerine e.o.
4 drops juniper e.o.


Mix the grated soap with the evening primrose oil, aloe vera gel, and rosewater. Cover and let stand overnight. Put this mixture into a food processor and mix well while adding the remaining essential oils. Wet your hands and form the mixture into balls. Place on waxed paper to dry. You can now use the soap balls for decoration in your bathroom or give as gifts.

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Easy Herbal soap

Replenish your skin with natures best. This handcrafted natural soap leaves your skin feeling and looking radiant.

Glycerin (available at any drug store or health store)
Fresh herbs (optional)
Dried herbs (optional)
Natural essential oil
butter or cupcake molds (or any homemade molds-tuna cans, milk cartons, etc.)

To Make This Handcrafted Natural Soap: Melt the glycerin soap by grating it into a double boiler. Heat, letting it melt slowly for about 1 minute. Don't stir the soap or you'll have air bubbles in it. While the glycerin is melting, rub 3-5 drops of your choice of essential oil onto a cookie sheet. This will add aroma to the soap. Pour melted glycerin onto the sheet, making sure it is 1 in. thick. Let cool slightly, then add herbs to soap. Once the glycerin has cooled push cookie cutter into the cooled glycerin to make bars of soap. Any left over pieces can be melted down to make more handcrafted natural soap.

Using Molds to Make Soap: Spray the inside of mold with cooking oil. Place some of the herbs into the molds, making sure it is lying flat. Slowly fill with the melted glycerin.

Glycerin is a gentle skin moisturizer soap that is available in clear and opaque. Glycerin can be found at health food stores, some drug stores, craft stores or major department stores. Glycerin makes soap making less intimidating because glycerin soap recipes don't require lye and fats. The key to great handcrafted natural soaps is to keep the heat as low as possible. High heating temperatures heat will produce a mushy or beaded appearance. To keep the glycerin from attracting moisture from the air, tightly wrap the glycerin soaps in plastic after making.

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Balsam fir and Basil Soap

This recipe is a wonderful herbal soap recipe that is easy to make. It has a great woodsy aroma, if you're looking for an herbal soap recipe that's all natural.

3 1/2 lbs. opaque melt & pour soap base
2 tsp. beeswax (melt wax alone and add to melted soap base)
2 tsp. cocoa butter
4 vitamin E capsules (pierce and squeeze contents into melted soap base)
1 1/2 droppers of Canadian Balsam Fir essential oil or fragrance oil
A good sprinkling of dried ground basil leaves
Coloring of choice (woodsy greens or light browns)

To Make This Herbal Soap Recipe: Melt soap base and cocoa butter in double boiler. Do not let the base get any hotter than 160 degrees. When the base is completely melted, add melted beeswax, vitamin capsules and coloring. Remove from heat and set to cool for a bit. When the first small trace of skin starts forming, add essential oil or fragrance oil. Gently stir to cool bar some more, then gently stir in basil. Pour base into desired mold. The cooler the base, the more suspended your basil will be.

This herbal soap recipe makes a perfect gift. Your friends and family will appreciate the gift of a relaxing and unique bath and body product. That these gifts came from the heart and your hands makes them even more special.



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Oatmeal soap on a rope for him

this is an easy way to use leftover bits of soap.

 1/2 c. uncooked oats
1/2 c. soap bits
1 - 2 T. vegetable oil
1 -2 T. water
20 drops pine essential oil
10 drops sandleewood essential oil
Rope - 6 inch piece of rope or cording with a knot tied at the end

Take the soap and oatmeal and place in a blender. Blend and then pulse till the mixture becomes a fine powder like consistency. Put this mixture in a large deep bowl. Add the oil, essential oils and water. Using your hands, form a ball out of this mixture. Using your index finger, make a 1/8-inch depression. Place the cord with the knot in the depression. Bring the 2 sides of the depression together and "bury" the cord into the ball. Let the soap dry for at least  48 hours.

For her - replace the essential oils with  Lavender and Jasmine essential oils
For a girl - replace the essential oils with Strawberry  or lemon pie fragrance oil
For a boy - replace the essential oils with Monkey farts fragrance oil

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Basic Glycerin Soap

This handmade glycerin soap is simple to make with only a few ingredients. You can also decorate this handmade glycerin soap for an interesting look using just about anything. Try adding a slice of loofah, ground herbs, etc. for an interesting look and texture. Play around with this basic handmade glycerin soap recipe and have fun.

4 oz. bar of unscented, clear glycerin soap
20 drops fragrance oil
1-3 drops food color

To Make This Handmade Glycerin Soap: Melt glycerin soap in a double boiler. Make sure you don't let the glycerin become too hot. Add fragrance oil and color of your choice and pour into molds. If adding other ingredients to this handmade glycerin soap recipe, allow the glycerin to cool slightly to achieve a better suspension.
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Easy homemade soap

This is something that not only will the kids like to help make, but they will love to use them.

Homemade soaps make a great gifts. You can decorate them however you like. They can be different colors, shapes, and this recipe is for the easiest homemade soap that your kids will love to play with

3 cups soap flakes (this is found in the laundry aisle. Do NOT use laundry detergent)
1/2 to 1 cup water (start with 1/2 and add more, if needed)
1 teaspoon food coloring
Vegetable oil

Step 1This is a hands on type of craft. Put the soap, water and food coloring in a large bowl. Lightly grease your hands with some vegetable oil and start mixing the ingredients with your hands. Mix until you have "soap dough"

Step 2You can lightly grease ice cube trays, candy or soap molds and press soap dough into molds. Let dry overnight before taking out of molds

Step 3Grease your hands and roll soap dough with your hands to make large crayons for bath time fun. Let dry overnight before using.

Step 4Grease a sheet of wax paper and roll out mixture. Use greased cookie cutters to make fun shapes. Let dry overnight.
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Easy soap crayons for kids

1 c. soap flakes
1/4 c. boiling water
Food coloring
Ice cube tray

To make this easy recipe: drop the water into the flakes, one teaspoon at a time, stirring constantly. I will be thick and hard to stir, but keep at it. Once it is all incorporated, spoon the mixture into different bowls and then add your choice of color to each bowl, stirring until it forms a thick paste. Press spoonfuls of each mixture into ice cube trays and microwave on low setting for 15 minutes to dry them out. Let them dry at room temp for several days. After you unmold the crayons, let them air-dry for at least one more day.
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Added notes

These handcrafted natural soap recipe's also makes a perfect gift. Your friends and family will appreciate the gift of a relaxing and unique bath and body products. That this gift comes from the heart and your hands makes this handcrafted natural soap recipe even more special. Packaging and presentation play a predominant role in the gift-giving of your handmade soaps, salts and lotions. Below are several packaging ideas, but don't let this brief list limit your creativity!

Paper is a popular packaging medium because of the variety of papers available. You can use brown Kraft paper, marbled paper, gift wrap, wallpaper, any kind of paper you want. Your creativity is the limit! You can use your computer to add designs and logos to plain paper or you can paint or draw on the paper for an added personal touch. You can wrap individual bars like a gift and either leave plain or add extra embellishment by tie with ribbons, cording, raffia or lace.

Cellophane and polypropylene are clear plastics that can be used as packaging for odd-shaped soaps and scented soaps. Jute weave washcloths or tulle also make wonderful soap wraps. Fabric can be wrapped around soap like a gift and tied with a ribbon. Different fabrics will provide different effects. Corduroy and velour provide a rich, plush look while silk gives an elegant look. Calico and burlap throw a truly "rustic" look. The fabric you use depends largely on the soap you made.
This handcrafted natural soap recipe also makes a perfect gift. Your friends and family will appreciate the gift of a relaxing and unique bath and body products. That this gift comes from the heart and your hands makes this handcrafted natural soap recipe even more special. Packaging and presentation play a predominant role in the gift-giving of your handmade soaps, salts and lotions. Below are several packaging ideas, but don't let this brief list limit your creativity!

Paper is a popular packaging medium because of the variety of papers available. You can use brown Kraft paper, marbled paper, gift wrap, wallpaper, any kind of paper you want. Your creativity is the limit! You can use your computer to add designs and logos to plain paper or you can paint or draw on the paper for an added personal touch. You can wrap individual bars like a gift and either leave plain or add extra embellishment by tie with ribbons, cording, raffia or lace.

Cellophane and polypropylene are clear plastics that can be used as packaging for odd-shaped soaps and scented soaps. Jute weave washcloths or tulle also make wonderful soap wraps. Fabric can be wrapped around soap like a gift and tied with a ribbon. Different fabrics will provide different effects. Corduroy and velour provide a rich, plush look while silk gives an elegant look. Calico and burlap throw a truly "rustic" look. The fabric you use depends largely on the soap you made.

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