People often ask me, of all the soaps that I make, which is my favorite? It truly is hard to pick a favorite, however, if I were banished to a desert island and could only bring one kind of soap, I would pick one with Dead Sea Mud. There is something beyond wonderful about this... Continue Reading →
I will never understand why my adorable dog LOVES to roll around in nasty, dirty, gross things. She manages to find a nice pile of yuck and roll around in it with glee and excitement. And after this joyful event comes the unpleasant part - the bath. My dog really dislikes getting a bath, so I... Continue Reading →
I get asked fairly often if I plan to add liquid soap to my product line. While I may dabble in liquid soap one day, I am in no hurry because I strongly believe that bar soap is much better. Why, you ask? Well, here are a few reasons. ... Continue Reading →
Georgia clay! One of the first things I learned about my adopted home state when I moved here 10 years ago is the soil. A brick red clay that is distinctive and unique to this part of the country. For farmers the clay is a blessing and a curse, depending on what you are trying... Continue Reading →
There are so many wonderful ingredients to include in handmade soap, from juices and milks to herbs and silk. I include several wonderful ingredients in my recipe, and this post is the first in a multi-part series about my favorites to use in soap. First up is goat milk! It sounds like a great thing to use... Continue Reading →
I have been on a bit of a castile soap bender the past few weeks. What is castile soap? It originated in Spain, and is a soap traditionally made from simply olive oil, water and lye. It is a very gentle and soothing soap, with a creamy lather (vs. big bubbles) and usually has to... Continue Reading →
Many soapers, including me, like to use oatmeal in their handmade soaps. This post highlights a few of the different options you have when using this wonderful ingredient. First, why use oatmeal? According to this blog post I found online (and this one), a few of the reasons to use oatmeal are: Oatmeal in soaps helps to... -... Continue Reading →
I like to make lots of swirly designs in my soaps, using an endless array of colors. I also like to use different fragrances in my soap, including quite a few that contain vanilla. The problem? Vanilla causes soaps to turn brown. If that fits into my design, great, but more often than not I... Continue Reading →
Many people think that hot process soaps have to be simple and rustic. I used to think that too, and the first few soaps I made using this technique were functional but pretty boring from a design perspective. After much practice and research, however, I have learned that it is very possible, and not very... Continue Reading →
For the past few months I have been focused on hot process soapmaking, and have learned a few lessons along the way. I am still learning, and the suggestions in this post are simply things that have worked for me in my quest to make better and better soaps! What do I mean by a "better" soap?... Continue Reading →
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