Soap for the Soul

Soap for the Season: Whether you embrace it or resist it, it's drawing near. I'm embracing it, at least for now, and maybe the next little while.

I've got a couple of orders pending and a couple of events coming up (details about that to come later), so I'm making soap in between my other retirement gig.

I'm not sure if I'm done with these yet, so I'd like some help from you. Which of these do you prefer:

* The darker colored snowflake.
* The lighter, more subtle colored snowflake.
* The snowflake with no added color (there's 2 of those).

Drop your answers in the comments.

Soap for the Home: I'm all out of soap and shampoo bars, so I'm making soap for me today. That usually means "nothing fancy".

I have been testing some soap bars, to which I added Neem Oil, and I'm loving it. I'm using it in the shower and at the sink. It makes your skin so soft and produces a creamy lather, as opposed a 🫧 bubbly one.

In fact, early this week, I sat in the sun a little too long and I got a sun rash... itchy, itchy hives. It's happened before and I know better, but there was very little shade, and not much I could do about it. Anyway, after my shower the itching calmed right down and the hives have almost completely disappeared. 🙂

The Shampoo bars are made with a white Cosmetic base, scented with Dewberry FO. I added Violet liquid coloring.

I added Neem Oil with Activated Charcoal to the soap bars to see how I like that combo. I used a Syndapour Face and Body base, scented with Spicy Cranberry.

First time using this base. I'll let you know how I like it in a later post. I do like the black and white contrast, so I didn't add any additional color.

The base is a bit tricky to work with as it's softer than most and takes quite a while to set. Also, the humidity isn't helping. BUT, it does seem to have a nice creamy texture, which I like.

About Syndopour Face & Body Base:
* Provides a rich, creamy lather that is mild enough for sensitive skin and suitable for the face and body. This formula is safe for use on delicate skin types, including children’s skin.
* Contains high levels of glycerin, known for its skin-conditioning properties, leaving skin feeling soft and hydrated after use.
* Vegan-Friendly - formulated with no animal-derived ingredients and without animal testing.

I made a few extra soap bars if you'd like to try them. Both the Shampoo and soap bars are $8.50/each.

You can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for Gifting: For another friend -- I'm making some similar soap, using the same mold as the last ones, but with a few changes.

These are made with Shea Butter and Crystal Clear bases. She likes fresh, beachy scents, so I added Sun and Sand FO. I also added Calendula petals to the bottom layer.These are hand-painted using the dry brush technique.

I used 10 different colors (which I won't list here), because I know she loves color and I wanted to reflect that preference in her soap. Hope she likes them.

You can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for Gifting: I am making soap for gift-giving today. I have to say "thank you" to a couple of friends who have randomly "done me a solid" in the last couple of weeks.

It feels good when people surprise you by doing something nice for you... it makes you feel pretty special.

I plan on giving these to one of my neighbors, but I thought it would be fun to do a quick poll.

Which soap design do you prefer in the first picture? I'm testing two hand-painting techniques on these soap tops:

🟣 Dry-brush technique (left)
🟣 Wet-brush technique (right)

Drop a "left" or "right" in the comments.

These are made with Shea Butter and Crystal Clear soap bases, and scented with Lilac. She loves Lavender too, so I added some buds to the base. The mica color is also called Lilac. They smell amazing!

We have wrapped up our month long fundraiser for the Clark family. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who supported us.

You can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for the Fundraiser: OK, back at it after a few days off. I got distracted for a bit by a few family matters. All good, though.

Also, a friend of mine was dumping a bunch of her soapmaking gear and I was the lucky recipient, so I'm trying out new (to me) colors, molds, and scents.

These bars are made with Goat's Milk (bottom layer) and Crystal Clear (top layer) bases, and stamped with cookie cutters, then hand painted w/mica powder.

They are scented with a Sage & Vetiver EO (an invigorating scent), and colored w/Magic Yellow, Golden Green, and Violet Blue.

These bars are $8.50/each. You can find all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for Father's Day: Have you figured out what to get Dad for his big day yet? I've got some great suggestions for you, all to make him squeaky clean and smelling good. 😀 See pics below.

I'm also posting to aknowledge my co-conspirator in this fundraiser in memory of Vivian Clark - Sheila Hachey Doucette Clark.

She doesn't get much recognition, but she has been such a leading force for this project. She's sold more than 2/3 of all the soap I've sold, so far. She's relentless when it comes to hunting down potential customers.

Most of all I want to say what a joy it is to collaborate with my sister on this project. Together, we are like a well-oiled machine - getting 'er done! I just want her to know how much I appreciate her. Doing it without her wouldn't be half as gratifying, or successful. Thank you, Sheila.

Most of these bars are in the $8.00 - $9.00 price-range. Let me know if you'd like something. You can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for the Fundraiser: A request for some citrusy soap had me wanting to resist what I typically default to when I think "citrus". That is, to use citrus colors in the soap, such as green, orange, and yellow. I'm a Scorpio and so, I get bored with tasks that are repetitive or always the same.

With these bars I wanted the yellow, but a slightly different tone (a mix of Red Gold & Tennis BallBreaker yellow), and I wanted to use this interesting new color I bought called Cool Beans. I like it because it's not a typical color. Some would say it's Brown, some Purple. There's a shimmer to it that looks kind of like Grey in certain light (see photo). I only wanted to see a hint of this color in the soap.

I think I achieved it for the most part, although I think I could have used just a bit more. Anyway, I like the effect. Not sure how much you'll see it in the pics.

These are made with an Aloe Vera base, and scented with Ruby Grapefruit FO & Bergamot EO.

If you'd like to order something like this to support the fundraiser (50% of all sales goes to the Clark family), please reach out. I'd love to make some luxurious soap for you.

You can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for the Fundraiser: Yep! The fundraiser is still going. We are committed for the entire month of June. I haven't posted lately, simply because the orders petered out.

And then suddenly, everyone wanted Shampoo bars! Whoo-hoo! So, that's what I'm making today. Please reach out if you'd like to order something.

These bars are made with a white Cosmetic base with added Neem oil. The Orange ones are scented w/Mango Madness & Hawaiian Plumeria FOs. The Violet ones are scented w/Love Spell FO (one of my favorites - love this bright classic scent).

Neem Oil is a naturally occurring, organic vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the Neem tree. Used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine and agriculture, it is most often used in organic gardening and skin care.

It has anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties, which makes it ideal for treating dry skin, dandruff, and acne. It is used in many skin care products, such as soap, lotions, and shampoo. (Also, you can mix it with a little water and dish soap and spray your plants to keep them healthy.)

Shampoo bars are $8.50/each. If you'd like to try one, give me a nudge. You can see all of my soap, shampoo, or shaving bars on this page.

Soap for the Fundraiser: OK, well... I'm not sure how to begin to describe these bars, but let me just start by thanking you all for indulging in my "exploration" into the art of soapmaking. 😆 It truly is an indulgent endeavor for me. Most of the time, I'm just trying things and holding my breathe when unmolding. 🫤

So, I purchased a mold that is intended to be used for Resin, but I had an idea about how to use it in a certain soap design. When it arrived, it was much bigger than I anticipated ...and that's when the plan changed and the exploration began. 😅😅😅

These are supposed to look like flowers. What do you think? Do you get the "idea" of a flower? An abstraction of a flower, maybe? 🤔 To be honest, I'm not sure what to think. The design didn't quite look like this in my head. Oh well, they can't all be perfect.

Regardless of how they look, it's still just soap. These are made with Goat's Milk and Crystal Clear bases, scented with Lemongrass EO and pink Grapefruit FO, so they do smell good. The mica colours are Pink, Apricot Pink, and Ruby Red..

If you like these and want some, they are $8.50/each, 50% of which will go to the fundraiser.

You can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.

Soap for the Fundraiser: I'm not making soap for anyone specific today. I'm making soap for anyone who wants to buy some. Up to now, I've been busy with custom orders. But, since I don't have any right now, I thought I'd make a common favourite. I'd love to make something for you while supporting a great cause.

These always get sold so fast and typically, I have to make more upon request. These are made with Goats Milk (just the leaves) and Crystal Clear bases, scented with Ginger and Juniper Berry EOs. I added turmeric and raw honey to the Clear base, which gives it this lovely ochre color. I just love the way they look.

I used a different pouring technique with these, and while they may look simple in design, they took a long time to make. Although, some are not perfect, I do love the outcome. I might try a simpler one next time. 🥴🥴

I love using this soap, as turmeric literally makes my skin glow -- and it looks completely natural. It's pretty neat. If you have acne-prone skin, turmeric has great anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.

The raw honey is from my nieces Honey bee 🐝 farm (shout out to Cliff and Kim Donally) and also has antibacterial properties. Honey also locks in moisture to keep your skin hydrated.

These are available if you'd like some. The oval bars are $8.00 and the square bars are $8.50, 50th % of which will go to the fundraiser. If you like to purchase something else and need some ideas, you can see all of my soap, shampoo, and shaving bars on this page.