I wanted to make a Valentine soap this week (week 4 of my resolution), but didn’t want to follow a traditional valentine theme (pink, hearts, etc.). Luckily, I also had a new mold that I wanted to try, so I came up with the idea to do kissing fish!
This soap turned out so cute that I think I’ll make it (with more fish, and different colours) all year round.
It’s scented with a tropical fragrance that is phthalate and paraben free.
As always, it’s for sale on Facebook, and my local food co-op.
If you’ve read a few of my other posts (you’re in good company if you haven’t, lol – I’m still very new at blogging, so people haven’t really found me yet!), you’ll know that I have a standing new year’s resolution to make a new soap each week for an entire year.
This week, I’ve decided to make a tropical themed soap….because it’s -40 celsius here (funnily enough, that’s also -40 farenheit), and…well, I’m pulling a suck because I can’t go on vacation this year thinking of warmer climates. 😉
My inspiration for this soap comes from the first flowers my husband bought for me after we got home from our tropical honeymoon (just because!). They were a beautiful arrangement of birds of paradise with blue orchids and greenery, because he wanted that tropical feeling from our honeymoon to last just a little while longer. Actually, let me see if I can find a picture. I’m sure I have one.
Ah. Here we go:
Anyway, I decided to create a soap that pays homage to this romantic gesture – while also allowing me to dream of warmer days, hot white sand, turquoise waters, and sweet tropical blooms.
This is my “Bird of Paradise” soap. Not a clever name…but isn’t it pretty? It smells like plumeria (tropical flowers) because I don’t think birds of paradise actually smell….and is made with a lovely triple butter soap (cocoa, mango, and shea butters) that is SLS & SLES free! I’m selling them on my Facebook Group Page, and online with my local food co-op.
If you could see my “Soap Love” board over on Pinterest (you can – click here!), you would see that I’ve saved HUNDREDS of images of gorgeous soaps that I’ve pinned for future inspiration.
Anyway – this resolution of mine (to make a new soap each week for the entire year) sent me over to my soap love board in search of said inspiration…and quickly resulted in me having too many good ideas.
I hate that.
To help guide my decision, I asked members of my Facebook group to vote on what I should make next. There were two top options provided: sage & citrus, or a soap with a tropical theme.
Clearly, the title of this post gives away what I chose. Sorry about that. Tie goes to the dealer soapmaker. (tropical soap next week!)
This pretty little soap is a goats milk base with natural additives: dried ground sage, and a mix of granulated citrus (orange, lime, and lemon) peels. I also added some calendula petals, because, why not?
Using citrus peels in skin care products can provide exfoliating, as well as skin brightening and toning effects. Not to mention they smell divine. As great as they are, though – a word of caution. Citrus oils can cause photosensitivity in some people, so always make sure to wear sunscreen if you use products with citrus in them.
Calendula (Marigold) petals are wonderful for the skin – they are super soothing, and also help to brighten and tone.
Sage has LOTS of cool properties….but the one I’m most excited about is its reported anti-aging benefits. I think I’ll use this on my face, or maybe the back of my hands. 🙂
If you want to make this yourself, here’s the tutorial/recipe:
Materials
Put cut up soap into a glass measuring cup and melt it in the microwave, 30 seconds at time; stirring between each block of time. The time it will take to melt completely will vary depending on the appliance.
Once the soap is liquid, add your dried sage, peels, and petals. Stir well, but take care not to create too many bubbles. If there are bubbles on the top, spray once with rubbing alcohol.
Now, add your essential oils. Be careful! Citrus oils like to come out fast!
Stir again, and pour into molds. Spray each soap with rubbing alcohol to break up the bubbles again. Let sit for at least 2-4 hours, until set.
Your soap is ready to use when it’s fully hardened. If you’re impatient like me, you can put these in the fridge to set up quicker.
If you make these, let me know how you make out!
Until next week –
Rachel
As some of you know, in my spare time I run a small home-based business where I make and sell all kinds of soap, as well as other natural bath&body products. It’s called GLA:D. (I chose that name because it’s happy, and it has letters from both of my last names in it)
I started out making skin care items because my skin desperately needed alternatives to the harsh, chemical-filled products I was using. Shortly after, I began making soap because I felt I needed a creative outlet.
The hardest thing about having a little side-business for me (besides finding the spare time) is staying motivated and engaged.
I’m probably not supposed to admit this because it probably sounds really ungrateful, but I hate hate HATE!! making the same thing over and over again. It’s completely and totally surprising amazing that so many people love my products so much that they want a lot of them…but honestly, that sort of repetition can really sap the ol’ creative juices.
To remedy this, I’ve decided on a resolution of sorts. Each week, I will try to create a new soap! (soap is the most fun, and requires the most creativity to make) This will be a weekly post, which I’ll probably call “Soap Sunday”.
What that means, is each week I’ll gather inspiration and come up with a new design, maybe use a new fragrance, try a new technique, or even use a new mold (I have tons that I haven’t even used yet)! Introducing some challenge and novelty into my routine should help maintain my sanity for the next time I have to make 87 hockey soaps in a row. LOL
Introducing my first new soap of 2016: Healing Crystals Chakra Soaps!
GLA:D 