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You'll go coco-nuts for coconut oil 76 in CP soap. What does the '76' mean? It simply denotes that this type of coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Coconut oil has many beneficial properties for use in all sorts of products--it's even edible!!--but for our purposes, we're going to discuss coconut oil 76 in CP soap. (Please do NOT attempt to eat the soap.)Coco CleanOur cold process soap testing recipe features coconut oil as the second most abundant ingredient (by weight) after water. Rightfully so, for you see, coconut oil is comprised primarily of lauric and myristic fatty acids which are characterized in soap-making by providing cleansing properties, a bubbly lather, and hardness. Coco-o is a surfactant, meaning it reduces the surface tension of a liquid when it is dissolved, allowing the dirt and impurities to be rinsed off of the skin.Coco CreamIn addition, the high content of saturated fat serves to give coconut oil a higher SAP value (the number of milligrams of lye that is needed to completely saponify, or turn into soap, one gram of a specific oil, butter, or fat. -- Lye, while generally thought of as a bad guy, is a necessary evil for the saponification process. Always remember to follow safety procedures when handling lye. [Add lye to water, the mixture will get hotter; add water to lye, you'll probably die]). Remember that rhyme to ensure safety. While you will likely NOT actually DIE, you can certainly get hurt from the lye volcano you will create if you add water to lye. SO... Don't ever do that! Always add your lye to your water. The high SAP value of coco-o helps to superfat the soap (the amount of lye used is less than the given SAP value), giving it a nice, creamy texture and more lather ability. You can thank coconut oil for making your homemade CP soap clean and bubbly.Coco - What the heck does that mean?Furthermore, coconut oil serves as an emulsion stabilizer. What the heck does that mean? You may already know, but I just learned about this today, so I'm going to recap for myself and the benefit of anyone out there who's not entirely sure. An emulsion is a mixture of two things that don't really want to go together-- for instance, oil and water. Water is the number one ingredient (by weight) in our CP soaps, and just about everything else is some type of oil (apricot kernel oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, fragrance oil, and- of course- coconut oil 76). An emulsion stabilizer helps to keep this mixture from separating. This means, not only will it help hold your soap together, it will also help hold the fragrance. (Don't worry, the coconut oil itself has been refined so it is odorless. Unless you ARE looking for a coconut fragrance in your soap. If so, we've got ten coconut-related scents you may enjoy using!)Coco No-noOh, wow, you're thinking. Coconut oil 76 in CP soap is so great, I want to use as much of it as possible! And of course you do, but how much is too much? A typical soap recipe calls for 20-30% coconut oil. It's important not to use more than 30% coconut oil. Why? Is it possible to be TOO clean? The excess coconut oil 76 in CP soap will interact with the natural oils on your skin and dry it right out. But if you use the appropriate amount of coconut oil, it works in the soap to help clean skin and even reduce inflammation.CococonclusionCoconut oil 76 in CP soap is awesome as long as you're careful not to use too much in your recipe. So go ahead-- what are you waiting for? Follow the links above to purchase coconut oil 76 and other ingredients for our CP soap testing recipe or one of our other fun CP soap recipes. Browse our wide array of fragrance oils to find a scent that you love. Thanks for reading and happy soaping!

Cocoa butter is considered a luxury butter that is actually a saturated, very hard fat. It can be used be in very many products. The obvious, chocolate, is just pure delicious. I couldn t help but mention it, what girl doesn t love chocolate! Now that I got my chocolate thoughts out, it can also be used in very many of our products here at Nature s Garden. Cocoa butter can be used in bath and body products such as lip balms, lotions, soaps, scrubs, massage bars, and lip gloss.There are many benefits to your skin when using cocoa butter in your bath and body products. Cocoa butter is very high in antioxidants which helps fight signs of aging and many skin stressers. Come on ladies, who doesn t want to look younger? It helps fight signs of aging, how awesome is that? Many people also use cocoa butter to help reduce their stretch marks, however there are no guarantees that it actually helps. Cocoa butter also helps to keep your skin hydrated and some people also use to help with skin irritations like dermatitis and eczema. See why so many bath and body products contain cocoa butter? It s just amazing!Our cocoa butter at Nature s Garden is consisted of many essential fatty acids: palmitic (28%), stearic (33%), linoleic (3%) and oleic (35%). For all the soap makers, when using cocoa butter in your products, make sure to use the right amount. If too much is used, it can result in a very hard and dry soap. Use it in conjunction with unsaturated oils like castor oil or olive oil or with sticky ingredients like lanolin or shea butter. The easiest way to get to our cocoa butter on our website, is to type cocoa butter into our search bar at the top of our site. It will take you right to a page titled Search Results for Cocoa Butter. That page shows all of the cocoa butter products we offer. You can choose from our Golden Natural Cocoa Butter or our Deoderized Cocoa Butter. Our cocoa butter melt and pour is also available on that page as well.Cocoa butter is awesome to use in your bath and body products! It is a fat actually taken from cocoa beans! Come on ladies, if you don t already use it, I m sure you re dying to now! It actually helps signs of aging and I know you just can t get the thought of that out of your head! This is a great product to try in your next projects, and watch out for more Enlightened by Layla! Please Don t hesitate to contact us with any thoughts, questions, or concerns you may have! Looking for more fun projects? Try one of our free classes or recipes!Note: Natures Garden sells our butters for external use only. We do not sell them as food items. (The information we provide is for educational purposes only. This information is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration). Keep all butters out of reach of children and pets. Natures Garden accepts no responsibility (written or implied) for any products you make with our herbs. All testing is the responsibility of the customer.

With all the effort that comes along with making your own soap from scratch, it is nice to know the cold process soap benefits. We at Natures Garden would like to remind you about all the wonderful reasons why homemade soaps are the best.Further, if you are a looking to become a soap maker, we'd like to share the advantages of making your own soap. Depending on what you are looking for in a soap, you may find different aspects of homemade soap appealing. Those that have a difficult time finding soaps that don't irritate their skin will rejoice after using this soap. People that enjoy crafting and would like to make soaps that are more fun and creative than the typical bar will enjoy this method of soaping. Not only can you combine any scent with any color, but you can create crazy fun designs that are not not often found in soaps. Regardless of what you are looking for in a soap, I'm sure you will be able to find something special in cold process soap!Cold Process Soap Benefits Main Reason to Soap At HomeThe biggest reason you should want to create your own soaps from scratch is that they are better than store bought. It all boils down to quality and making your own soaps is the best way to ensure a quality product with total control of the ingredients. We will discuss exactly what we have found to convince us that homemade soaps are better for the skin.Cold Process Soap Benefits Better for Skin Than Commercial SoapWhen you can simply go out and buy a bar of soap, there are some benefits from making your own soap. Though both bars will get you clean, many store bought soaps aren't as nice for your skin. Cold process soaps can be made with skin nourishing oils, butters, and herbs that really work well for your skin.On the other hand, commercial bar soaps can contain ingredients that leave your skin dry. Further, store bought soap could have some of the natural moisturizing elements removed. For example, the glycerin in store bought soap, which is created during the saponification process, could be removed in these bars. Thus, leaving you with a bar that really dries out your hands. So, creating your own soap will leave you with a creamy lather that is softening and provides amazing moisture for your skin.Cold Process Soap Benefits Get Ready For Softer HandsSince you will have a bar of soap that is more moisturizing than those soaps at stores due to the glycerin content remaining, you will have softer, more moisturized hands! So, say farewell to your lotions and creams because you may not need them as much as you used to need them. These soaps will care for your skin and make sure that they don't dry out your hands. While your soap will still clean hands effectively, it won't dry out your skin. Also, you won't need to buy as much lotion due to your soap extra moisturizing power! So, this is the best soap recipe to create for hands that will help your skin hydrate and heal.Cold Process Soap Benefits Freedom to Control All IngredientsWhen you make your soap at home you have all the control. You can create any kind of soap that your skin could possibly need. You can easily account for sensitivities, allergies, and your skin type. No need to find a specialty bar of soap at the store, you can simply leave out or swap ingredients to create your perfect bar of soap.Cold Process Soap Benefits Crafting the Perfect Bar of SoapSince you are going to control exactly what is in your soap bars, you have the power to create a soap that cares for your skin exactly right. You know your skin best and can learn about the properties of different oils to create the perfect soap! Whether you have oily skin, sensitive skin, or dry skin it is within your ability to make kinds of soap, as well as many others, to formulate the bar that will fit your skin type perfectly. Changing the types and amounts of oils in your recipe will impact the bar's appearance and how it treats you.An easy way to create the exact soap recipe that you need is to enter in different oils into a soap calculator. This program will tell you exactly what kind of bar your recipe will create. It does help to know a bit about the oils. You can learn quite a bit about soaping oils through our Soaping Oil Properties class.Cold Process Soap Benefits Soaps that Care For Your SkinFurther, you can choose from a wider variety of soaps when you have control of your ingredients. Stores don't often have a wide selection of soaps. Often, there are different brands of the same old, generic kind of soap. Additionally, those that do find the rare, more natural bar of soap are likely to find it to be too expensive. So, you are more likely to be stuck with very little choice regarding your soap. However, creating your own soap from home will open the door to so many possibilities. You can literally make any kind of soaping recipe to find the exact recipe you enjoy best. No more waiting and hoping in the cosmetics aisle, it's time for you to get more and better choices regarding you skin care!Cold Process Soap Benefits Potential to Create All Natural SoapSince you can control all of your ingredients, you have the option to create soap bars that are fully natural. For those that prefer to live on the more natural side, you can create soap without anything synthetic at all. You can include some herbs and spices to naturally enhance your soap with some nice properties. For example, you can add Chamomile Flowers to your soap for its relaxing and skin softening properties. There are so many herbs that provide different kinds of benefits that are explained for each one on the Natures Garden website.Further, you can use powdered herbs to naturally color your soap, such as Beet Root Powder, Spirulina Powder, or Cocoa Powder Organic. Additionally, an additive like Activated Charcoal has both deep pore cleansing properties and the ability to color your soap! You won't have to turn to unnatural colorants or additives if you don't want to, because there are plenty of options. All the decisions on ingredients are up to you!Cold Process Soap Benefits Can Make Sensitive SoapsAs I mentioned before, you are able to create bars of soap that are perfect for sensitive skin. So, those that have had a difficult time with typical bars of soap may have more luck creating their own bars of soap. There is no fear of the recipe being changed all of a sudden to add an ingredient you are avoiding and no worries about finding the exact right product, because you control it all. If you have sensitivities to certain colorants, fragrance oils, or other ingredients, then just leave them out of your soap batch and enjoy the freedom!First, there are many substitutes for colorants that have been mentioned and you can even leave the soap batch uncolored. Also, you can either create an unscented bar of soap or add one of our all natural essential oils. This option can be easier for sensitive skin and allows you to still scent your bar. Lastly, you don't have to worry about unnatural ingredients in a natural soap bar! You can make everything homemade from natural ingredients to create a sensitive bar that will be gentle on your skin.Cold Process Soap Benefits Creating Soaps With PurposePlus, you can create soaps with a specific function. Instead of looking for a product that will fit the needs of a certain situation, why not create exactly what you need? We have a few recipes that were made with a specific activity in mind. So, all of the ingredients were researched to ensure that they would work properly for their intended use. For example, the Cold Process Shaving Soap Recipe was specifically formulated with the intention of creating a rich lather for shaving. So, every ingredient has a purpose and they work together to create the desired effect, which you can see on our blog for this recipe.Cold Process Soap Benefits Total Creative FreedomOr course, with full control over the ingredients comes full creative power. Since you are making your soaps from scratch you can make any kind of shapes or designs that you'd like. Some designs and techniques take more skill to master, but even the soaps you use to practice these techniques can be used. So, you won't lose too much from working on your soap making abilities.Cold Process Soap Benefits Ability to Make Creative SoapsAnother benefit of creating cold process soap is that it is a form of art. There are many different ways to change the appearance of you cp soap whether you are using swirls, layers, or a modeling soap recipe. You can get in touch with your inner artist and create something beautiful. While it can take time to get really good at making pretty soap, eventually you will be able to make any kind of soap you'd like!First, you can create swirled soaps like the Lavender Cold Process Soap Recipe or the Peeps Cold Process Soap Recipe. While swirled soaps are lots of fun, you can create more simple recipes that are just as cute. For example, the Peppered Poppy Seed Cold Process Soap Recipe is a solid color with poppy seeds that was placed in a flower shaped mold. While this recipe looks more fun than a typical bar, it is very simple to create differently shaped soaps. Further, we have even more cold process soap recipes that you could look through on our webpage.Cold Process Soap Benefits Customizing Your SoapsAnother great benefit of creating cold process soap is creating any style you'd like. Ever have the problem of trying to find soap you like that actually matches your home? With cold process soap making, you can create soaps to match your home or make them your favorite color. But, there is one twist that makes homemade soap making better than store bought soaps.This twist is that you will be able to create any kind of scent and style combination. For example, you can create a blueberry scented soap that is colored red. While it's unlikely that you would would want this exact soap, you have to admit it would be pretty hard to find this exact soap in stores. This is just a single example of all the fun combinations you can get into. All you have to do is pair a favorite scent with a fun recipe or design! So, if you want a unique scent and color combination this is the best option! Never settle for soap when you can create cold process soap with your favorite scents that match your bathroom perfectly. This gives you the opportunity to use you favorite scents in soaps without compromising the soap's appearance.Cold Process Soap Benefits Additional Fun with Soap MakingWe aren't kidding when we say that you can add many fun things to your soaps! The possiblites are endless. In fact, we created a Wine Cold Process Soap Recipe that used real wine to add some authenticity and create an even better scent with our fragrance oil. Also, we added real, raw honey to our Oatmeal Milk Honey Cold Process Soap Recipe to add the beneficial properties of honey to our bars of soap.We would love to see your cold process soap creations! Show us what you have created by tagging us on Instagram or Twitter @ngscents. You can also post pictures of your handmade soap on our Facebook Page!

We at Natures Garden would like to share with you the supplies and materials needed when making cold process soap! We know that the majority of our customers are familiar with the soap and candle making industries. However, we think that it is important to provide educational blogs, videos, and recipes for beginners and anyone looking to learn or expand their knowledge. There are many different classes and recipes on our website that help guide our customers when making homemade projects. One of the main topics that these center around is cold process soap. We will dive into the process, some of our classes, and mention multiple recipes we have. Let's get started!Cold Process Soap:In general, soap crafters consider cold process soap to be one of the most common methods for soap making. This method has been termed "cold process" because there is no outside heating source applied to initiate the process of saponification. Hot process soap uses different types of heating sources, such as the stove or a crock pot. On the other hand, in cold process soap, the lye mixture creates heat and saponifies the oils by itself. The lack of a heat source unfortunately means that this type of soap will take a lot longer to cure. The typical curing time for cold process soap is between 4 and 6 weeks. Although lengthy, this curing time is necessary to allow the soap to harden. The longer cure time will also help your soap to be more tolerable on the skin.After creating your soap, you can decide whether or not you want to insulate it. A lot of the research we read suggests insulating, but it is mostly up to your personal preference. We have written a blog in the past about how you can insulate soap to promote gel phase. After pouring the soap into your mold, surround it with layers of towels or blankets. The layers will absorb the heat while your soap undergoes saponification. This process is the gel phase, where the fats in your soap become hardened. The key to this process is evenly heating the soap in order to prevent a partial gel from occurring. If you insulate, it will accelerate saponification and the finished look will look slightly shiny. By deciding to put your soap in the fridge instead, saponification will slow down and the finish will look more matte.Ingredients in Cold Process Soap: LyeNow that we have discussed the process of insulation, we should mention ingredients that are important for cp soap. In order to get your bars of soap to turn out correctly, measuring the ingredients to a tee is very important. Starting with the main ingredient, sodium hydroxide, which is also known as lye. This is completely necessary to make cold process soap. Lye is an emulsifier, which allows oils and butters to mix with water and make soap. Without it, these ingredients would not mix which would prevent any soap being made. By adding too much lye, it can result in your soap having a higher PH level, which may end up causing burns and irritation to the skin. On the other hand, if the lye is not balanced properly with the oils, it can interfere with the reaction, which can lead to greasy and oily bars of soap.Ingredients in Cold Process Soap: OilsPalm oil, coconut oil, and olive oil pomace are all commonly used when making cold process soap. They contribute different qualities to your soap depending on their main properties. We have a chart on our website that breaks down the soaping oil properties for each type of oil. The properties we looked at are hardness, cleansing, conditioning level, bubbly lather, creamy lather, and sap value. Also included in the chart is some miscellaneous information to provide you with more knowledge about each of the oils. Palm oil is high in its hardness, conditioning, and creamy lathering elements. Coconut oil contributes to hardness, cleansing quality, and bubbly lather. Olive oil pomace is very high in conditioning, which is definitely an ideal quality for soap. The combination of these three oils would create a soap that cleanses thoroughly, lathers nicely, and is gentle on the skin all at the same time.Ingredients in Cold Process Soap: ColorantsSome other ingredients that are commonly added to cold process soap are FUN soap colorants, soap dyes, and mica pigments. We have many different color options to choose from in colorants, dyes, and beautiful diamond dust and 24K gold micas. When it comes to adding colorants or pigments, some may cause color morphing, which could affect the appearance aspect of your soap. To save yourself the frustration of ruining a batch of soap that discolors to something you do not like, you can test this out before hand. This can be done by taking a small amount of soap dye or mica pigment and adding it to a little of the lye mixture. You will be able to see your results quickly.Cold Process Soap TestingWe have taken the time to test each of our fragrance oils in cold process soap. This way, our customers are able to see the results before they decide to use them. When we tested them, we were specifically looking for acceleration, discoloration, ricing, separation, and scent retention. We have the results for each of them on the website in video form as well as a chart. These videos can be found when you search by the individual fragrance oils. Over 300 of them did not cause any discoloration. A few included in these are the Aromatherapy Energizing, Blueberry, Egyptian Musk, and Magnolia. Some of the ones that caused discoloration include Absinthe, Blue Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, and Pomegranate Cider. If you would like to see the rest of the criteria we tested like ricing and separation for each fragrance, use our soap testing results chart to find out!Cold Process Soap Class 101We have a couple of classes on the website that are good for beginner soap makers. The first one is our Cold Process Soap Class 101. It is easy to follow along with this class, but you will need to get your ingredients ahead of time. As we mentioned before, the most important one you need to create cold process soap is lye. You will also need distilled water, vinegar, some soaping oils, a fragrance oil that is body safe, and colorant(s) that are body safe. Doing your research before making cold process soap for the first time is extremely important. For example, if you have never worked with lye before, you will need to learn about it before hand. Your top priority when making soap should be practicing proper safety because accidents may happen if precautions are not taken. Another thing when it comes to lye is that it cannot be stored in or combined with any containers or other products that are made out of aluminum or tin. The reason for this is that the combination will cause a violent reaction. For these reasons, we implore you to use the safety gear that is provided by Natures Garden including safety goggles, a safety mask, and gloves. One last thing to remember is that the materials and equipment used when making soap should never be used for food again. By keeping these steps in mind and being cautious, making soap can be both easy and fun!Beginners Cold Process Soap RecipeAnother one of our cold process classes for beginners makes an easy to follow cold process soap recipe. This is the perfect recipe to start with if you have no experience making this type of soap. Natures Garden sells each of the items featured in this recipe. This makes it possible and convenient to get your products from a single source. This soap uses Rain Barrel Fragrance Oil which is a fragrance oil that is original to this company! It has notes of leafy greens balanced with lavender, cedar, musk, highlights of lemon, and fresh water. You will also need some pieces of equipment including a thermometer, a stainless steel mitre box with a cutter, and disposable pipettes. Also remember to always use your safety glasses, gloves, and a mask when preparing your recipes.Thirty Free Cold Process Soap RecipesFor a blog that we wrote in the past, we created a list of thirty cold process soap recipes. Many of the homemade recipes on our website are for melt and pour soap and cold process soap. We want to share with you some of our favorites for you to try out for yourself! In this list of thirty, we have our Hot Fudge Brownies CP Soap, Caramel Custard Soap, Energized CP Soap, and Peppered Poppy Seed CP Soap. The ones in this compiled list are fun and easy recipes to create, are homemade and original to us. The two classes that we mentioned above are sure to help you get started on making your cold process soap.Bastille Cold Process Soap RecipeOne specific type of soap that you can make is called bastille. The term "bastille" commonly refers to a type of cold process soap but it can also be made as a hot process soap. There is a very high percentage of olive oil in this soap, 70% or more. We like and prefer to use olive oil pomace in many of our recipes, in addition to other types of oils. Olive oil will increase the lathering quality of your soap and helps it to cure faster. We want to share this recipe for Bastille Soap from Natures Garden, which will make about three pounds of soap. It is an easy to follow recipe and can be made into your own by adding in a soap colorant or mica pigment!Natures Garden is not responsible for the performance of any of the recipes provided on our website. Testing is always the responsibility of our customers. If you plan to resell any of the recipes that we provide, it is also your responsibility to follow all FDA regulations. For any products and ingredients listed in recipes that are not sold by Natures Garden, we can not offer advice on where they can be purchased. When you use Natures Garden recipes and/or raw ingredients, you are agreeing to indemnify Natures Garden against any liability of performance, any lack of performance, or any problems that you encounter with the finished products..

Frankincense and Myrrh Fragrance Oil- Fragrance Oil SpotlightFrankincense and Myrrh is a beautiful fragrance that represents the very special story of the baby Jesus himself. It is a wonderful way to bring the real meaning of the holiday into your home. In the Christmas Story, after Mary has given birth to the baby Jesus, three wise men, or other wise known as the three magi, come to visit the baby. They come bearing three special gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts fit for a King! Frankincense and Myrrh scent is amazing scent that is perfect for all of your holiday projects and gifts! It is a great way to remind people of the real meaning of Christmas! What Does Frankincense and Myrrh Smell Like?Frankincense and Myrrh by Nature s Garden is a wonderful and rich combination of vanilla, sheer musk, herbaceous woodsy pine, olibanum, patchouli, myrrh, floral notes of lilac.How Do Our Customers Use Frankincense and Myrrh Fragrance Oil?With the day that the baby Jesus was brought into the world bring just around the corner, Frankincense and Myrrh scent is the perfect way to pay homage to this most glorious of days. If you would like to use this fragrance for candle making, it is nice and strong in soy wax and performs perfectly in joy wax and wow wax. If you are into making incense or potpourri, Frankincense and Myrrh has a maximum usage rate of 50%. You can even bring a memory of the Christmas story to your whole house by using this scent it is nice and strong aroma beads!For bath and body products, Frankincense and Myrrh scent has a maximum usage rate of 5%. It can be used in many common bath and body products such as soaps, lotions, bath gels, perfumes, and bath oils. However, Frankincense and Myrrh does have a vanillin content of 6% meaning that it will discolor your soaps and bath body products to a very dark brown color. You can try out Vanilla White Color Stabilizer to help prevent discoloration. For all the CP soapers out there, this fragrance is perfect for you for this holiday season! Our CP findings are: no acceleration or ricing, it will discolor your products to a very dark brown color, and it has a perfect pour! Frankincense and Myrrh scent is the perfect fragrance for the Holiday season! Use it in any gifts or products to help your loved ones really remember what this holiday is all about! But hold on a minute, because it gets even better! We offer many free recipes and classes here at Nature s Garden, and our free recipe for Frankincense and Myrrh Soap just so happens to be made with Frankincense and Myrrh Fragrance Oil! This soap is perfect for Christmas time! The easiest way to get a hold of these awesome products is by typing frankin into the search bar on our website. That will take you directly to our Frankincense and Myrrh Fragrance Oil page. On the top of the fragrance picture will be a little green link that says Recipe. That will show you the name and picture of our Frankincense and Myrrh Soap. That link will take you right to our free recipe! Enjoy these amazing products and please don t forget about the real meaning of Christmas! Make sure to watch out for more Enlightened by Layla!

At Natures Garden, we are here to help you succeed! We are going to answer some common melt and pour soap questions that we get asked frequently by customers. Since these questions are common, its likely that these are the issues most soap makers will come across when making their melt and pours soaps. So, let's get these soaping issues solved so you can create some gorgeous bars of mp soap!Does Natures Garden Offer Melt and Pour Soap Supplies?Yes, we do! We offer all kinds of melt and pour soap making supplies! Click on the Soap Making Supplies tab on the website and you will find soap base, soap colorants, an mp soap kit, soap additives, and soap molds. Everything that you could need right in one easy place!Can I Make Soap Without Using Lye?Since the mp soap base has already been made, you can create melt and pour soap without worrying about the lye. If you are wondering "What is the difference between melt and pour soap and cold process soap?", then this is a big difference. While melt and pour is pre-made and can be remelted, cold process soap is made from scratch using lye.Can Melt and Pour Soap Be Used Right Away?Since mp soap was already made and the saponification process has already taken place, you don't have to wait to use your soap. As soon as the melt and pour soaps have hardened in the molds, you can pop them out and use them!Where Do I Find the Melt and Pour Soap Ingredients?You can find the soap base ingredients in two places. The first place is online, as each mp soap base has the ingredients listed in the description. Also, these ingredients can be found on the label of the base itself.What Soap Making Supplies Do I Need to Make Melt and Pour Soap?Most importantly, you will need a microwave or double boiler and mp soap. Also, you will need a cutting board, knife, a microwave safe dish, spoon, rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, and a soap mold. If you want fragrance, color, or herbs you will need to have these out, too.How Do I Melt Soap Into a New Bar?Melt and Pour soap can be melted using a double boiler on a stove top or a bowl in the microwave. Just make sure that you use 30 second intervals to warm the soap int the microwave. Otherwise, it may get too hot and your soap will be ruined. Also, make sure that you are watchful when melting soap on the stove. While a double boiler on medium heat will help to protect your soap, you don't want to heat it too much longer after it is liquid.How Much Soap Will I Need for My Mold?For every ounce by volume that your mold is you will need 31 grams of soap by weight. So, let's go to the Soap Mold page and pick one. I choose Ollie Octopus,which says it holds 4.5 ounces in the description. So, we are going to take 4.5 times the 31 to give us 139.5 gramsFormula: (Weight Needed Per Ounce) x (Ounces Mold Holds) = Total WeightEquation: 31 grams per ounce x 4.5 ounces = 139.5 grams of soapHow Do I Get My Melt and Pour Soap Out of the Mold?Sometimes your soap may get stuck in the mold. You can place the mold in the fridge for a short amount of time. Once the chilled soap mold is removed, the soaps should pop out fairly easily.What Temperature Should I Pour Melt and Pour Soap?Melt and Pour soap should be poured in a liquid state, which should be around 140 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you can pour your soap once it has all completely melted.Why Do I Have Bubbles in My Melt and Pour Soap?Although making air bubbles is unavoidable, you can get rid of them by spraying lightly with rubbing alcohol. These are often air bubbles that form when you pour, so you can release them by spraying right after you pour. However, bubbles that are a light-yellow color are fragrance oil and won't go away by spraying. This is either due to adding too much fragrance oil or not mixing thoroughly.Why is My Homemade Soap So Oily?One reason that you soaps would be oily is that they contain too much oil. So, you can try reducing the amount of the fragrance oil and/or the carrier oil that you are adding to your soaps. If your bars look like they are sweating, then it could be due to not wrapping the soap soon enough. Since your soap contains an ingredient, vegetable glycerin, that pulls moisture to it, it will pull moisture out of the air to create "sweat". But, you can lessen your chances of this by wrapping your soaps right after they are out of the mold.Why is My Melt and Pour Soap Dissolving So Fast?While a softer bar of soap is great for nourishing the skin, it is more likely to dissolve quickly in water. So, you can add some extra oil to your soap to moisturize. However, adding too much will make your bar very soft and it will dissolve quickly in the shower.How Do I Swirl Melt and Pour Soap?While it is possible to swirl mp soap, it is a bit trickier to swirl compared to cp soaps. On its own melt and pour soap won't swirl. Instead, the colors will mix before the soap hardens. So, you need to add a cosmetic powder, like clay, fruit, or veggie powders. This will slightly thicken the soap and create tension between the two colors that are gong to create the swirl. We did this in our own Swirled Melt and Pour Soap Recipe!Why Won t My Melt and Pour Soap Lather?There are a few possible answers to this question. First off, soap can loose its lather due to an excess of oils and herbs being added to the bar. Also, some types of our soap base use ingredients that naturally lather better.Why is My Soap Not Hardening?If your melt and pour soap isn't hardening, then it could be due to adding too much oil. Whether the culprit is fragrance oil, carrier oil, or both, it is most likely that this excess oil is to blame. Another possibility is that the soap was overheated, which resulted in a break down in the soaps that prevents it from working properly.Can You Use Essential Oils in Melt and Pour Soap?Of course! Many essential oils can be used in soap making and the rules for using them safely are just like the ones for fragrance oils. So, you need to check the IFRA sheet to determine usage rates and figure out whether the specific essential oil is body safe. You can find this IFRA statement on the page of each individual essential oil that we carry. Many are body safe scents, but some are not considered safe for prolonged skin contact.How Do I Color Melt and Pour Soap?We have soap dye, soap colorants, and powdered herbs that can be used to color your homemade soaps. The soap dyes are great for solid color soaps, but tend to bleed when used in layered soap. Also, the white soap base will provide a more pastel color and the clear soap will give a more true color. The FUN Soap Colorants are vibrant colors that are more true in all soap bases. Lastly, the natural form of coloring soaps is cosmetic herbs, which are perfect for a rustic or natural look. Just be aware that herbs can oxidize over time and cause discoloration of the soap.Do You Offer Melt and Pour Soap Recipes?Of course! We have a wide variety of melt and pour soap recipes and soap making ideas. On the top of the website you will see a box with the words "Free Recipes & Classes". After you click on this fine the melt and pour soap recipes and you will find all of our recipes using mp soap.Does Natures Garden Offer Soap Making Kits?Yes! We have the Melt and Pour Soap Kit available with options to choose either Goats Milk MP Soap or Ultra Clear MP Soap.Why Won t My Soap Frosting Setup on My Melt and Pour Soap?If you are making cupcake soap wholesale, then the frosting is a pretty big deal. You are going to want to use the whipped soap base, melt and pour soap, and vegetable glycerin. The soap base allows the frosting to harden on the cupcake, while the vegetable glycerin allows for a little flexibility. If you are curious and thinking, "How do I make melt and pour soap frosting?", then check out our Soap Frosting Recipe to see how we make the frosting for our soap cupcakes. While the recipe goes into more detail, basically it is equal parts of mp soap base and whipped soap base with 5% of vegetable glycerin and fragrance oil all whipped into a frosting consistency.Are Most Recipes are Showing Oils Measured in Weight Ounces Or in Fluid Ounces?In our soap recipes we will use weight ounces. We do this because weight ounces are more accurate than fluid ounces. So, we highly recommend weighing your ingredients using a gram scale. This will allow you to be precise in your measurements and prevent accidental mix ups.What is the Best Way to Wrap Melt and Pour Soap?There are a few different ways that you can package your finished soaps. We prefer to use shrink wrap, but you can use ziplock bags, or a decorative box.How Should Soap Be Stored?After your soap is wrapped, you can store it in a cool, dry place for later use.Does Natures Garden Offer Any Melt and Pour Soap Recipes with Shea Butter?We sure do! If you go to the Shea Butter Melt and Pour Soap page of the website and click on the Recipe tab, you will see all kinds of melt and pour soap recipes. For example, we have the Zebra Print Soap Recipe and the Graffiti Melt and Pour Soap Recipe that both use shea butter mp soap.History of SoapToday, there are all kinds of different types of soap from melt and pour soap recipes to commercially made soaps. However, the first soaps ever made weren't too fancy. In fact, the first known use of soap was by ancient Babylonians that used animal fats and ashes as their ingredients. If you want to learn more interesting soap facts, then check out History of Soap and Soap Interesting Facts by Soap History.Ask Us Your QuestionsHopefully, this blog was helpful in learning a bit more about melt and pour soap. If you have anything else that you aren't sure of, then please ask us your questions. One easy way to reach out and talk to us is social media. We have an account on Facebook, Twitter (@ngscents), and Instagram (@ngscents).

Adding herbs to your soap not only provides great skin loving benefits, but also can naturally color your soaps as well.If you are looking for a way to naturally color your cold process soaps, herbs may be your answer. The addition of herbs to your soaping recipes not only can provide your skin with different skin loving benefits, but can also give your soaps beautiful color as well.There are basically three ways to incorporate herbs into your soaping recipe they are:1. As is. If the herb you are adding is in a powder or small leaf/seed form, they can be added when your soap batter has reached trace.2. Herbs in tea form. This is done by steeping the herbs in water to create a tea, and then this tea is used as the water portion of your soap recipe.3. Oil infusion. If you are selecting to infuse your herbs this way, you must make your herb oil infusion several weeks before using it in a soaping recipe. The selected herbs are placed into one of your oils (that will be used in your soap recipe) and allowed to set for 4-6 weeks. Then, strain the herbs out and use the oil in your soap recipe. Please Note: This process can also be done by adding the herbs to the melting pot as you wait for your soaping oils to melt.The choice of how you would like to infuse your herbs is up to you and testing. It is important to keep in mind what the end goal of adding the herb is before choosing your herbal addition method. The answers as to why some people prefer different methods over others various based on easiness, time frame, best color production, or even strongest herbal infusion. However, if you are simply looking to add herbs to your soap recipe for natural color, the herbs are added to your soap batter at trace.It is also important that you test for discoloration in a soap recipe before adding an herb for colorant. Natures Garden has a list of every fragrance oil they carry and how it preformed in cold process soap. It is on their website under each fragrance oil s page in the Fragrance Tested area, or for a complete list click Fragrances Tested in CP Soap Results. You want to be prepared when adding herbs to soaping recipes, so knowing a little about how the fragrance oil reacts will only prepare you more for what to expect, especially when it comes to colorants!

Hello all you wonderful people out there! Are you looking for a new idea for new crafts and projects to try? Or maybe some new products for every day use? Well, have you ever tried any projects with clay? French Green clay specifically? This awesome product will make a great gift or surprise for all of your friends and family! It is sure to leave them and your customers coming back again and again! French Green clay is amazing and has so many wonderful uses, just read on to find out!Illite Clay, better known as French Green Clay is mined from quarries. The quarries can be anywhere from 100 to thousands of feet! It is found in Wyoming, Montana, China, and many European countries including of course, France! French Green Clay includes many elements that are very important for your health such as magnesium, phosphorous, silicon, silicon, calcium, manganese, selenium, iron, dolomite, copper, silica, and potassium. Did you know that French Green Clay is sometimes also called marine clay? This is because the quarries it is mined from are actually found sometimes in ancient marine beds!French Green Clay has a very high absorption rate and is awesome at working to detoxify the body. It can be used in many common bath and body products such as soaps, bath bombs, feet deodorizing treatments and even mineral baths. French Green Clay actually contains decomposed plant material which makes the clay very healthy and nutritious for the skin. It has many medicinal benefits for the skin such as being used in soap recipes to help cleanse and exfoliate the skin. It also helps to relieve sunburn, shrink the size of pores, remove any impurities from the skin, stimulate blood flow and it also gives the skin a nice glow. French Green Clay has even more medicinal benefits though! It can detoxify the body of harmful toxins that cause digestive problems, headaches, fatigue and even food allergies. This clay has even been used as a treatment for salmonella and a disease that causes stomach ulcers called Buruli Ulcer. (Buruli Ulcer eats away at the fatty tissue in the stomach, which causes the ulcers.) Really, how much more awesome could this clay be for you?Are you wondering how you can get your hands on this fantastic product as soon as possible? Well, all you have to do is type french green into the search bar on our website and it will take you right to our page for French Green Clay. But wait just a second, because this products gets even better! We offer many free classes and recipes here at Nature s Garden, and our Refreshing Face Mask and our Soothing Facial Mask are both made with French Green Clay! These amazing recipes are sure to be a perfect gift for this holiday season! They are sure to help everyone you know relax and wind down from the stress of the holidays!

Hello everybody! For all you crafters out there, are you looking for something new and exciting to try out for your next projects? Or maybe you re looking for something unique and different to make for your friends and family? Maybe you re just looking for a new product for all of your great customers to try? Well, have you ever done any kind of project with clay? Dead Sea Clay specifically? Here at Nature s Garden we actually offer seven different cosmetic clays, each with their own amazing advantages! Let s focus on Dead Sea Clay, you just won t be able to stop yourself from wanting to try it out as soon as possible!Did you know that Sea Clay, or more commonly known as Dead Sea Clay, actually originated from the Dead Sea? It was found on the floor of the actual Dead Sea in Israel. Dead Sea Clay is a greenish-gray colored clay that is known for its healing powers. People actually used to visit the Dead Sea just to bathe, hoping for the possibility that its powers would work on them! It s powers are a result of the fact that it contains such high clay and salt levels. Did you know that because of its different color, it has been used as a colorant for crayons?Dead Sea Clay is has many benefits for the body. It contains many important nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulfate, aluminum, and iron. For all you crafters, it can be used in many different bath and body products such as soaps, bath bombs, herbal teas, face masks, salt scrubs, sugar scrubs, and mud baths. It has many medicinal benefits and has been used to treat many different ailments such as joint inflammation, arthritis, rheumatism, fibromyalgia, stiffness and muscle aches. Dead Sea Clay even has many benefits to hair care, helping to strengthen hair roots, enhance hair growth, and prevent hair loss. For skin care, Dead Sea Clay is used to hydrate and moisturize the skin, improve blood circulation, remove dry skin, and it also treats acne, psoriasis and eczema.Are you totally in love with this product now? Wondering how to get your hands on this amazing cosmetic clay as soon as possible? All you have to do is type dead sea clay into the search bar on our website and that will take you directly to our Dead Sea Clay page! But hold on just a second because this product just keeps getting better! We offer many free recipes and classes here at Nature s Garden and our free recipe for Mechanics Soap is actually made with Dead Sea Clay! When you are on our Dead Sea Clay page, on the top of the clay picture, there is a little green box that say Recipe. That link will show you the name and picture of our Mechanics Soap. If you click on that, it will take you directly to our awesome recipe! Make sure to check out all the rest of our wonderful cosmetic clays as well! Please don t hesitate to contact us with any thoughts, concerns, or questions you may have, and keep watching for more Enlightened by Layla!

If you want an answer to the question, "What can you use eucalyptus oil for?", then look no further! We are going to be talking about some of the amazing eucalyptus benefits for your whole body. There are many different things that this natural herb can be used for, which include bath and body products as well as natural medicine. So, read below to learn a bit more about what you could do with the eucalyptus herb, the eucalyptus Essential Oil, or a food grade eucalyptus. Whether you create body products or create your own natural cold remedies, you are sure to see some benefits from the eucalyptus herb.Eucalyptus Benefits: Growing ConditionsThe Eucalyptus plant species originate in Australia and some of the islands to its north, like the islands of New Guinea and Hawaii. Throughout all these places there a few hundred different species of eucalyptus. These vary from the kinds we typically see koalas munching on to the beautiful rainbow eucalyptus trees of the Hawaiian Islands. However, both our eucalyptus Essential Oil and eucalyptus Leaf herb is from the eucalyptus globulus species of the eucalyptus family.While these Eucalyptus plants may be accustomed to conditions in Australia and the northern islands, there are other areas of the world that have similar enough conditions. So, these trees can thrive in these areas as well. While some of the eucalyptus trees can make do with partial shade, most of these trees require full sunlight. Also, they require well draining or dry soils.Another important aspect of these trees is that they cannot take cold temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time. So, most gardeners in colder climates will keep their eucalyptus tree in containers to protect them from winter conditions. While these indoor trees won't grow to be the typical 30 to 180 feet (which will need to be controlled with pruning), they will be a unique house plant that can provide fresh eucalyptus. Just make sure that your plant has the right conditions and you're good!Eucalyptus Benefits: Eucalyptus Uses in IndustriesSo, you know that the eucalyptus herb is from the leaves of a certain tree, but you might not be sure what eucalyptus oil is good for. Well, actually there are quite a few benefits that can be had from herbal eucalyptus. You can use this herb to help your body fight off a cold and alleviate you of certain symptoms. Plus, you can use it to benefit your hair and skin. Also, you can use eucalyptus to help you around your home and in the garden. So, you can see that there are many beneficial properties to utilize!Eucalyptus Benefits: Bath and Body ProductsFirst of all, you can effectively use eucalyptus essential oil or herb in your natural bath and body recipes. This ingredient would make a great addition to your cosmetic making supplies due to its abundance of beneficial properties. These properties are perfect for promoting health and well being for both the inside and outside of your body. So, let's look at some of the ways that you can use this ingredient in your handcrafted bath and body creations.Many people have found that the anti-inflammatory properties of eucalyptus are useful for reducing muscle pain and arthritis. Further, the antibacterial properties make it an effective cleansing and helping to prevent infection.Plus, you can use eucalyptus to create effective hair care products. This is because this herbal ingredient is known to reduce dandruff and promote healthy hair growth. Also, the eucalyptus scent is refreshing and clean. So, hair care products are sure to be fantastic! Not only does eucalyptus care for your hair, but it can be used to repel lice! While it won't necessarily kill them, it is a pretty good natural lice treatment recipe to displace them from their home on your head.Eucalyptus Benefits: Natures Garden RecipesDue to the great properties of this cosmetic herb, we created some of our own recipes. First, we created the Rejuvenating Foot Balm Recipe using eucalyptus essential oil. So, the essential oil is useful to soothe muscles as the oils and butters nourish your skin. Also, we have our Beard Oil Recipe that includes the cut and sifted eucalyptus. This beard oil was formulated with conditioning properties that will help care for your beard and skin. This great blend of oils is perfect for growing a glorious beard with less hair loss and less breakage. So, your beard is sure to be its best and leave you looking sharp.Eucalyptus Benefits: MedicinalAlthough there are some risks of ingesting eucalyptus, the active ingredient, which is often called cineole, has been tested and used in some medicines. Some people like to use it for natural cold remedies due to its beneficial properties. These wonderful properties include improving many respiratory conditions, as eucalyptus is effective for simulating both your immune system and respiratory circulation. This can even lead to helping a sore throat feel better and release the pressure in your sinuses as all the congestion caused by mucus begins to be broken up. Further, it has antibacterial properties that are useful for detoxifying your body of microbes and toxins. If you have a cold, then you may notice that this helps to improve your cough.Also, components of the eucalyptus herb have been found to be useful for reducing seasonal allergies due to its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antimicrobial properties. A study on this subject has found that eucalyptus is useful for altering the body's immune response to be less severe when in contact with the allergen. Further, eucalyptus has been known to boost the immune system to help you feel better faster. In fact, some will take advantage of these properties by using the herb or essential oil topically.Eucalyptus Benefits: Utilizing these Medicinal PropertiesFirst, you can use a combination of eucalyptus and peppermint oils to create an herbal chest rub that is perfect for clearing your nasal passages. Another great option is incorporating the eucalyptus essential oil in an aromatherapy diffuser to help relieve nasal congestion.Eucalyptus Benefits: Other UsesThere are many benefits that you can find in this herbal cosmetic ingredient. Another great eucalyptus benefit is that eucalyptus oil is an effective ingredient for creating bug repellent. Not only do mosquitoes dislike the strong scent of eucalyptus, but many other insects dislike the scent, too. This includes pests like gnats, ants, and quite a few others. So, you can smell fresh while repelling pesky bugs. Also, there are some more outdoors uses for eucalyptus. Some people have found that using a eucalyptus mulch or saturating their garden with herbal eucalyptus can help to reduce pests. The pests that eucalyptus repels includes both insects that can destroy plants and weeds that try take over your garden plants. So, some find this to be a very useful tool for gardening!Further, some people have found that they can use this herb in their home! There is evidence that eucalyptus is useful for preventing mold growth. Plus, some people have found that it is useful for killing microbes on the surfaces of your home. So, this cosmetic herb may be effective for creating natural cleaning supplies. Also, eucalyptus is known for repelling rats and other pesky rodents. Just be careful about where you put it if you have cats as it can be irritating to them, too.Eucalyptus Benefits: Food and BeveragesAlthough there are some medicinal uses for eucalyptus, like some cold medicines, ingesting large quantities of this herb is not a good idea. In fact, it is not a great idea to eat eucalyptus just for fun. Many people enjoy the antibacterial properties and the boost it can provide your immune system. But, we can't eat too much eucalyptus. Eucalyptus leaves are covered in an oil that humans can't digest well. So, humans cannot use it at too high of a dose internally.However, Koala bears are perfectly adapted to consume these leaves. They are able to survive on only the leaves of eucalyptus and other gum trees. However, even the baby koalas need some help learning to digest these tough leaves. Until they grow up, they can't digest the leaves well enough. So, the babies need their koala moms to help them digest. So, these leaves can even be challenging for the professional eucalyptus eaters! If you want to learn more about baby koalas, then take a look at Baby Koala: Facts about a Cute Species by Sydney Close Up where they talk about everything from the newborn to the joey that is ready to leave their mom's pouch and explore the world.Eucalyptus Benefits: Growing Your Own Eucalyptus Tree at HomeAlthough eucalyptus trees will grow the best in conditions that are most similar to their original habitat, anyone that lives in a different kind of climate can keep the tree as an indoor potted plant. In fact, you can use eucalyptus trees as a beautiful house plant that can add interest to a room. Further, it is thought that this is one of the best plants that you can use to help purify the air. If you want to learn more about tips for growing eucalyptus as a showpiece, then check out Do You Know that Eucalyptus Can Be Grown as Houseplant on Nursery Live.Ask Us Your QuestionsIf you have any further questions, then ask us! You can ask us more about the eucalyptus herb and the eucalyptus essential oil or something else relating to your craft making. We are available to talk with you in the store, on the phone, and online. We are here to help make the creation process easier for you, so you can get to the fun part! You can easily reach out to us online on social media. We have a Facebook account. Also, you can use @ngscents to find us on either Twitter or Instagram. Not only can you ask us questions on social media, but you can stay updated on important announcements and interact in a community of home crafters. Join the conversation!Reminder About Our Herbs and Essential OilsNote: Natures Garden sells our eucalyptus herbs and essential oils for external use only. We do not sell them as food items. The information we provide is for educational purposes only. You should not use the information above to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease or illness with this information. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated this information. Just be sure to keep all herbs and essential oils out of reach of children and pets. Pregnant and/or lactating women should take special care when handling herbs or essential oils. Natures Garden accepts no responsibility (written or implied) for any products you make with our herbs or essential oils. All testing is the responsibility of the customer.

Firming Facial MaskWhether you are looking to spend some quality time with the girls, or just wanting to treat yourself; using a homemade facial mask is the route to go.Not only is making a facial mask super easy, it is also a great way to tone, firm, and even revitalize your face. There are a variety of herbs and clays that you can use to make your very own facial masks. Each herb or clay has its very own distinctive skin loving benefits that you can introduce into your facial masks. The herb and clay that you select is dependent upon what you want the end results of your mask to have.For this firming facial mask recipe, the herb that was focused on was Hibiscus. This includes both hibiscus flowers and hibiscus flower powder.Hibiscus is quite the amazing flower and has even been affectionately named the botox plant . Used in skin and hair care for thousands of years, this amazing herb is a natural source of alpha hydroxy acids (Vitamin C). These acids can gently exfoliate your skin while encouraging the replacement of dead and dull cells with new ones. This herb also has anti aging properties with the capability of soothing, smoothing, and firming the skin.As for the main ingredient for the firming facial mask, Red Moroccan clay was selected. This clay is one of the purest forms of cosmetic clays available. With the ability to draw out toxins and impurities, Red Moroccan clay also acts as a moisturizing agent for your skin.To help to keep the skin moisturized vegetable glycerin is also used in this recipe. Vegetable Glycerin is a humectant. What this means is that this ingredient will help to draw moisture to your skin and keep it there.If you want to make this recipe, all ingredients can be found at Natures Garden.Now, on to the firming facial mask recipe:This easy homemade recipe will make 2 facial masks. The total time the masks take to make is about 45 minutes. Game on wrinkles!Step 1: In a pot, weigh out 120 grams of distilled water. Then, place the water on the stove top and heat it until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you hit this temperature, allow the water to hold for an additional 20 minutes.Step 2: Weigh out 2 grams of Hibiscus flowers. Place the dried flowers into an empty tea bag and tie it shut. Place the tea bag into a coffee cup.Step 3: When the 20 minutes have elapsed, remove the water from the heat source. Now, carefully pour the hot water into the coffee over. Using a spoon, hold the tea bag down into the water until it is completely saturated. Then allow the tea bag to steep for about 10 minutes or so. Occassionally while the tea bag is steeping, use a spoon to press the tea bag. This will ensure you have a nice and strong Hibiscus Tea.Step 4: In a small bowl, weigh out 23 grams of Red Moroccan clay and 3 grams of Hibiscus flower powder. Break up any clumps you may have. Then, gently stir these two ingredients together.Step 5: When your hibiscus tea is finished steeping, in a separate bowl, weigh out 18 grams of the tea. To this add 6 grams of vegetable glycerin. Stir.Step 6: Now, carefully scoop the clay/flower mixture into the tea/glycerin bowl. With each scoop that is added, stir well to fully incorporate. Keep adding the clay/flower mixture until it is all in the tea/glycerin. Keep stirring this until there is no visible powder left.Note: If you plan on selling this mixed facial mask, you will need to add 1% optiphen preservative to the mask at a temperature that is not higher than 140F. This will help prevent bacterial growth. If you are making this recipe for self use, but do not plan to use all of it at one time, place the remainder in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Throw away after 1 week if the mixture is not properly preserved.Now, to use your firming facial mask:Once the mixture has cooled, start applying it generously to your face. Once the mask is completely applied, allow it to fully dry. This drying process will take about 20 minutes to complete. As the mask dries, you will notice a color change in the mask itself. Your face will also begin to feel tighter.When the mask has dried, wash it off with warm water. Then, pat your face dry with a towel.Please Note: Hibiscus WILL stain your clothes/towels. It is advisable to wear clothes and use towels that can be stained. Also, there will be a slight stain left on your face once the mask is removed. This stain will disappear after an additional wash or two.Natures Garden is not responsible for the performance of any of the recipes provided on our website. Testing is your responsibility. If you plan to resell any recipes we provide, it is your responsibility to adhere to all FDA regulations. If there are ingredients listed in a recipe that Natures Garden does not sell, we cannot offer any advice on where to purchase those ingredients.

Soaping with knowledge, experience, and confidence.With such a variety of soaping bases, fats, and oils available in the market, one can easily see where the excitement can collide with frustration, especially if you are new to soaping. We strive for a perfect recipe, but where to begin, the possibilities are endless. From this soap making blog series, we have already gone over the different types of soaping processes, soap safety, and soaping terminology. Now, we seek out creating the perfect soaping recipe.Soap is made by the chemical reaction that occurs when mixing fatty acids, lye, and water. The lye component actually works as an emulsifier, bonding the fatty oils and water together. Without the lye, this bond would never form. These 3 elements, fatty acids, lye, and water are all essential components to the saponification process.Each soaping oil/butter has a fatty acid composition, and since every oil/butter is different, so is their fatty acid composition. It is through the variance of each fatty acid composition that important soaping characteristics and qualities are found. Let s briefly look at some of the most common fatty acids, as well as, the qualities that are provided by them in a cured bar of soap.Lauric Acid: Provides hardness, cleansing, and bubbly lather.Linoleic Acid: Provides conditioningMyristic Acid: Provides hardness, cleansing, and bubbly lather.Oleic Acid: Provides conditioningPalmitic Acid: Provides hardness and a creamy latherRicinoleic Acid: Provides conditioning, bubbly lather, and a creamy lather.Stearic Acid: Provides hardness and a creamy lather.As you can see, each and every element that is put into your soaping recipe has distinct benefits or uses, and some ingredients can also inhibit certain soap bar qualities. Please also notice, that none of the fatty acids allow for all five of the soaping qualities that you are looking for in a bar of soap. This is why; in order to find a good symmetry among these qualities, a soaping recipe usually contains several different oils (fatty acids).In order to create a quality bar of soap, it is necessary to find a balance between hardness, cleansing, conditioning, bubbly lather, and creamy lather. This usually involves using a combination of oils/butters in your soap recipe. A typical bar soap recipe calls for 38% water content, and a 5% superfat (the percentage of oils that do not saponifiy).Here are the values for a typical bar of soap; they are presented in a range:Hardness29 to 54Cleansing12 to 22Conditioning44 to 69Bubbly lather14 to 46Creamy lather16 to 48There is however, one example of a soap recipe that can be done with just one oil. For people who are allergic to nuts, olive oil soap can be made with just that olive oil. No allergen worries. Once this bar has cured though, you have a nice conditioning soap bar that will not leave your hands dry, but, that same soap bar also will not produce a nice lather, and will be very limited in cleansing ability. This is why being aware of all of the capabilities of your oils, fats, butters, and additives will give you a distinct advantage over other soap bars in the market.Remember, since all oils have their own fatty acid makeup, they also have specific saponification or SAP values. This is why it is extremely important that once the ingredients of your soaping recipe are calculated, you MUST use those oils. They cannot be exchanged out for other soaping oils without recalculating your recipe.Feeling overwhelmed yet? Don t! We know that this is a lot of information to grasp. This is why if you are new to soaping, it is our suggestion that you try a recipe that has already been tried and tested. Doing this will allow you to initiate yourself with the soaping instruction and procedure. Performing the steps from beginning to end will also give you a firsthand experience of the soaping method and key properties of the saponification process like trace or gel phase.Congratulations Newbies! Now is the time where we are actually going to make our first batch together.If you have not read our blog on soap making safety, please do so nowhttp://www.naturesgardencandles.com/blog/soap-making-safety/Working with lye can be very dangerous!We have already went slightly ahead, and provided you below a recipe for your 1st time soaping.Here is what you will need for a 2 pound batch:6 ounces of Coconut Oil, 76 degree8.4 ounces of Olive Oil Pomace8.4 ounces Palm Oil1.2 ounces of Castor Oil1.5 ounces of a body safe fragrance oil ie Oatmeal Milk & Honey9.12 ounces of Distilled Water3.393 ounces of lye (NaOH)This recipe range for soap bar quality is:Hardness43Cleansing17Conditioning54Bubbly lather22Creamy lather31As you will notice all of the qualities fall within the suggested range nicely. This soap recipe will give you a balanced overall bar of soap.When selecting your body safe fragrance oil, please take the time to review the CP soap results. We have a link with all of our fragrance oils listed alphabetically with the CP results:http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/mas_assets/pdf/fragrtest.pdfGood Luck and remember, once you feel confident with your testing recipe, it is time to break the mold and explore the realm of crafting your own soap recipe. Soap that is completely made by scratch, every ingredient controlled by you!A very informative class has been created to help you find exactly which ingredients you may want to consider using in your recipe. Here is the link:http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/mas_assets/pdf/soapoils.pdfAs you looking at all of the various fats/oils/butters that are capable for soaping recipes, jot down or note any of interest.In the next class, we will review how to use the soap calculator!