Cypress Essential Oil

One of the reasons I got into soap making was because you can use essential oils. I have always been really interested in aromatherapy and natural ways to cure ailments.

When I was living in Chicago I didn't have any heath insurance and I had to find a natural way to cure everything. I could not afford to go to the ER so I spent a lot of my sick time at whole foods or zooming around the interweb seeking ways to cure myself or my boyfriend. 

I have found A World of Aromatherapy to be very informative and interesting. If you know any of these statements to be false please let me know and I will fix them accordingly.

Cypress essential oil is one essential oil I find quite interesting. It  has a very relaxing and refreshing effect. Because of its sweet scent and can be paired well with Lavender, Citrus Oils and Juniper.  It has antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic, and expectorant properties. It can be used to help ease the symptoms of menopause and menstruation. Please note Cypress has antispasmodic properties and should be avoided during pregnancy.

I Got The Itch!

I was not gonna let my last soap batch get me down. So this morning after my coffee, I got the itch again. I worked on making just a very basic batch with coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil. I decided to try and not gel it again. Hopefully this batch will turn out MUCH better then the last. 

I can't wait until I get home from work so I can peek in on it. I really think that this batch will come out better. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

The Pictures of a Horrible Soap Experiment

As I said earlier I don't think my lemon poppy seed soap is going to work out. The swirls didn't work, its got these icky, mushy, brown spots. I feel really upset. 

I will just have to try out a different recipe. But you soap and you learn right? I hope. 

 Any ideas on why its brown and mushy?

How sad

So I have let the lemon poppy seed soap sit for 3 days and now it has just turned UGLY. Its gotten dark and mushy in some spots I don't think there is anything I can do to save it.

I cut a small piece off of one my single bars and while it lathers great the inside is still soft. I will try and let that one cure a bit and see how it goes

The loaf its self seems to have only gone ugly where the yellow is. I think I will just let it sit as well. Pics to come when I get new batteries. 

Smells Lemony Fresh

Today, I spent most of the morning trying to decide how exactly I wanted to make this lemon poppy seed soap. I would I attempt the "Lyn" top, try swirling or just leave it alone? Should I gel or not gel? After a few hours of consideration I decided to try swirling some yellow into the soap.

It looks like it came out okay. There are some oil pockets. I hope they soak back in.  It's so hard not to be nosy and peak in on it!

My Package is Finally Here!

It's here! It's here! I have been waiting for a week for this! My package from WSP finally arrived.

I only need to go out and grab more coconut oil and the poppy seeds and I will be ready to make this lemon poppy seed soap!  Look forward to a ton of pictures. 

If there is anyone who would like the packing peanut to reuse I will gladly send them to you for the cost of the shipping.

Thoughts and Ideas

As some of you know, I do want to make my soaping into a career. While I am not really ready for it yet, I am very much a multi-tasker and am thinking not only about how to make the best quality soap but also what exactly I want to sell and how my product will look. I was thinking of maybe selling gift baskets. I have been making them myself for years with store bought bath and beauty supplies. I would love to include soap, bath teas, bath salts, bath bombs, bath goodies and candles. All homemade of course. What do you think? Do you make gift baskets?