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What is a Surfactant?
Have you ever tried to wash dirty dishes equipped only with a sponge and water? This can be quite a feat. You will notice that it takes a lot more time and elbow grease to get the job done. Wondering why this is? The answer as you will notice right away is that the dish soap is missing.Did you know that the most eminent surfactant in existence is soap?Surfactants seem to always get the bad rap. Many people associate surfactants as bad ingredients to have in your recipes, but truth be told, this statement is not true! Yes, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) is a surfactant, and it can be more irritating to your skin than other surfactants, but is it as bad as what you read in the media lately? It is an urban myth that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate causes cancer. In fact, many of the surfactants that will be listed in this class are derived from a natural source and they work to improve the integrity and performance of your cosmetic formulations.Surfactants work with various liquids and substances; including oil and water. Much like that of the role of the emulsifiers, surfactants have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head, and a lipophilic (oil-loving) tail. In fact, emulsifiers are surfactants, and surfactants are vital to the industry of bath and body products too. They comprise the largest category of cosmetic chemicals, and seem to have an endless list of cleansing capabilities. So, needless to say, there is quite a variety to select from when seeking the perfect surfactant for your recipes.The main qualifier in deciding which surfactant to use is all based upon the benefit that each surfactant provides. Just like cold process soaping or any homemade bath and body products, the components that you choose to use in your recipes have a direct beneficial affect on the skin when the recipe is transformed into a finished product. Therefore, when selecting which surfactant to use; it is just as equally important as to what you are looking to achieve in your finished product. Each surfactant has key functions in which it will excel and equivocally each will also have other functions where it will be lacking.The term surfactant is actually a combination of its meaning: surface acting agent. Let s look at it again: surfactant = SURFace ACTing AgeNT. But the term surfactant is not always the one that everyone sticks with. It seems that surfactants have several names that all become applicable depending of the role of the surfactant in a specific recipe. For example, in recipes where foam is the finished product, the surfactant used maybe referred to as foaming agents. Surfactants used in body recipes, can even be termed as detergents or soaps. Or, in the example of shaving creams, surfactants are considered lubricants because they protect the skin from irritation and the razor s sharp edge while still allowing the removal of all of the unwanted hairs.Everything that a surfactant does occurs at the surface levels of the liquids. The biggest role that a surfactant has is the capability to lower the surface tension of a liquid. The reaction which then occurs is the conversing of the liquid (with the lower surface tension) and the additional substance. To break this down in simpler terms; a surfactant has the power to change the properties of a substance. This process is known as adsorption. The term adsorption means: the gathering of gas or liquid in a condensed layer on the surface. This condensed layer creates a film which is why the surface tension is lowered. There are four different categories of classification for surfactants based on their interfaces and charges. They are: Anionic, Nonionic, Cationic, and Amphoteric.Education is always a powerful thing, and it is not necessary to completely know the ins and outs of everything surfactants. But, you will want to have a general idea of each group of surfactants and how they play a role in your finished product. This is especially true if you are looking to accomplish a made from scratch recipe. It is also beneficial to know a few other things about surfactants too. This would include information like why the surfactants are grouped or classified together or how/if surfactants work with additional groups of surfactants in a collaborate manner. Spoiler alert: Not all surfactants play nice with one another!Anionic surfactants are considered to be the go to surfactant for many formulations. This group of surfactants is also the most commonly used among foaming product productions, like shampoos or body washes. The reasoning for this is because the anionic surfactant s primary functions are creating high foam, high cleansing, and high washing capabilities in a finished product.Anionic surfactants have a negatively charged water-loving head. Anionic surfactants work very well in recipes which have a reaction between a chemical (like lye) and fatty acids or alcohols (like animal lard or vegetable based oils). Hand processed soap, whether it is CP, CPOP, or HP, are all examples of anionic surfactants. Other examples of anionic surfactants are Sodium sulfates, Ammonium sulfates, sulfosuccinates, sarcosines, sarcosinates, isethionates, and taurates.One of the drawbacks of using an anionic surfactant relates to skin sensitivity. Due the high foaming, cleansing, and washing capabilities, skin irritations can occur. It is for this reason that if you are looking to create a handmade recipe it is best to choose another category of surfactants, or balance the anionic surfactants with amphoteric surfactants.Amphoteric surfactants are the go with the flow surfactants. They have the possibility to either have a positive or negative charge. Their charge is all based on the pH or alkalinity of your finished product. Hence the amphi prefix.When an amphoteric surfactant is used in a recipe where the end result of a finished product has a lower pH, the amphoteric surfactant takes on a more conditioning and nourishing role. On the other hand, when an amphoteric surfactant is used in a recipe where there is a higher pH in the end product, it resembles more of an anionic surfactant with high foaming and cleansing capabilities. Neither option is necessarily bad; they are just on two different planes of the beneficial skin aspects.Amphoteric surfactants are the most docile of the surfactants. They are also the second most used surfactants in the industry. This is because when used alone, they are able to provide a gentle aspect to the nature of your end product. Adversely, when an amphoteric surfactant is coupled with an anionic surfactant, the amphoteric surfactant mellows the harshness of the anionic surfactants. In fact, amphoteric surfactants can be used solo and in conjunction with any other of the surfactant groups. There adaptability is just one of the reasons why they are so widely used.Some examples of well know amphoteric surfactants are Coco Bentaine, Lauryl Bentaine, and Hydroxysultaines.Cationic surfactants are the opposite of anionic surfactants. They have a positively charged water-loving head. It is because of this positive charge that cationic surfactants can offer many skin loving, nourishing benefits to the skin and body. These surfactants are best used in recipes where foaming is not necessarily mandatory such as hair conditioners. Cationic surfactants alone do not allow for ample foaming capabilities.Cationic surfactants work well with 2 of the 3 remaining surfactant groups. Both amphoteric and nonionic surfactants will be compatible with cationic surfactants with no problems. However, because of the opposing charge cationic (positive) and anionic (negative) surfactants will not combine.Some common cationic surfactants used in bath and body recipes are your chlorides (Benzalkonium, Stearalkonium, and Centrimonium), Trimethyl Ammoniums, and Methyl Sulfates.Nonionic surfactants have no foaming capabilities which is why this group of surfactants are rarely used as a recipe s main surfactant. Evident by the prefix non, these surfactants do not have a charge in their water-loving heads. The end result of using a nonionic surfactant will allow for a finished product that has a very gentle cleansing ability. But, just because it doesn t foam, it doesn t mean it does cleanse.Psychologically speaking, there is a direct mental correlation between foaming and cleansing. We as a race have somehow inherently made this connection. Whether it is a physical view of suds equating to cleanliness, or simply urban myths that have taken on a life of their own, the reality is; it could not be further from the truth.Nonionic surfactants, or at least some of them, are ethoxylated. What this means is that the nonionic surfactants have had some reaction to the addition of ethylene oxide. With this reaction comes an even more water-loving head, almost as if it has been supercharged. This then makes nonionic surfactants (like Polysorbate 20) perfect solubilizers.But, don t just disregard this category of surfactants yet. Nonionic surfactants can also be used in formulations to reduce irritants, due to their gentle cleansing ability. They also have the capability to be used as an emollient, softening or soothing skin. Not to mention, these surfactants can be used to stabilize foam in recipes. Hold on to your seats though folks, because it gets a little better! Due to its lack of a charge, nonionic surfactants love every other category of surfactants; you can consider them the peacemakers!Some common nonionic surfactants used in bath and body recipes are your Polysorbates, Emulsifying Wax NF, E-wax, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, ingredients with the prefix PEG, Ceteareths, Oleths, Sorbitans, Lauryl Glucoside, and Polyglycose.In summary, surfactants are amazing little compounds found in many items we use every day like adhesives, bath gels, creams, lotions, frozen foods, chewing gum, inks, and fabric softeners; just to name a few! There are four main applications of surfactants particularly in just bath and body recipes. They include: cleansing, solubility, emulsifying, and conditioning.Some other additional aspects of surfactants to bath and body recipes include: the potential to increase stability of a product; certain surfactants can be used as thickening agents; due to the composition of a surfactant, some maintain anti-microbial elements and therefore can be used as preservatives; there are even some that have the capability to reduce irritation allowing for a milder product on the skin.Interested in adding some surfactants to your recipes? Below is a list of some commonly added surfactants to bath and body recipes:sodium lauryl sulfate (can be derived from coconuts) Produces High Foam; easy to thicken. Strong Anionic Surfactant; can cause irritationammonium laureth sulfate (derived from coconuts) Produces High Foam; easy to thicken. Strong Anionic Surfactant; can cause irritationdisodium lauryl sulfosuccinate (derived from coconuts) Foaming agent, Mild Anionic Surfactant; gentle on the skinCocoamphocarboxyglycinate (derived from coconuts) Mild, Amphoteric Surfactantdecyl Polyglucoside (vegetable derived, used in baby shampoos for its gentleness)cetearyl alcohol stearyl alcohol Cocamidopropyl Betaine (derived from coconut oil) Amphoteric SurfactantDecyl Glucoside (derived from sugar)Glyceryl Cocoate (derived from vegetables)Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (derived from coconuts)Almond Glycerides (derived from vegetables)Sodium Lauryl Sulphoacetate (much milder surfactant than SLS)Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (derived from vegetables and is a natural substitution for SLS) sodium methyl cocoyl taurate (derived from coconut)Sucrose Cocoate (derived from sugar)polysorbate 20 (vegetable derived)polysorbate 80 (vegetable derived)

Article
What is Spinach Powder Used for?
What is Spinach Powder Used for? At Natures Garden we use herbs, like Spinach Leaf Powder, for creating all sorts of lovely cosmetic products. This powered herb is perfect for adding to your homemade soap supplies, lotion making supplies, and supplies for many more wonderful cosmetic recipes. Not only can you use spinach as a natural colorant, but it is full of great properties and nutrients for the entire body. You can eat fresh leaves of spinach and you can use the spinach in a powdered herb to nourish your body inside and out! This is sure to maximize the exposure of these beneficial vitamins and minerals to your entire body. So, let's get into what exactly the properties are that these healthy greens have for our bodies.What is Spinach Powder Used for? Growing ConditionsSpinach plants prefer to grow in cooler temperatures. For common spinach, you will want to plant in midsummer. If you have a mild winter, you could even plant in the fall. However, this depends on your climate. Either way, the soil should not be over 70 degrees Fahrenheit for your seeds. However, your spinach is able to survive all the way down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Once your spinach sprouts are about two inches high, you should thin them to be about three inches apart. After this, all you have to do is water regularly and use mulch to keep them moist. You can harvest the leaves whenever they are big enough, but you should try to cut the outer leaves first. This will ensure that the middle leaves can continue to grow.One wonderful tip for reducing damage due to leaf miners is to plant radishes. The radishes will not only distract the pests from your spinach, but the roots will continue to grow unaffected! While starting sprouts inside and transplanting them will be less appealing to pests like cutworms, there are other preventative measures you can take. For wireworms, can try to plant carrots nearby to trap these pests. Then, every few days after the carrot has reached maturity you can pull up the carrots, remove the worms, and replant the affected carrot. For flea beetles, you can try to lay reflective mulch or aluminum to ward them off. Also, there are baits, traps, and pesticides that you can get for your home garden for many kinds of major infestations.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Industrial UsesThere are many beneficial ways to use spinach. Firstly, you can use spinach to add some added nutrients to your meals or smoothies. This is useful for getting more vitamins and minerals in your diet. Further, spinach contains properties that are amazing for reducing symptoms of various diseases or illnesses. Plus, these nutrients can be useful for promoting healthy skin and hair. So, let's talk about all these amazing benefits for our products and body!What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Food and BeveragesThere are so many different ways to prepare spinach and enjoy its multitude of vitamins and nutrients. Some people like to saute or steam spinach to add it to a meal. Other people enjoy this leafy green in their salads or health smoothies. While a little bit of the nutritional value is lost during cooking or steaming, it is still a great source of nutrition due to the abundance of vitamins, minerals, and beneficial properties. In fact, spinach has nutrients that are essential for healthy baby development. Without folic acid, which you can find in spinach among other foods, a baby is more likely to develop spina bifida. Although some cases are mild and unnoticeable, bad cases can lead to spinal cord damage and occasionally death. So, this nutrient is important for the fetal development of the spinal cord.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Bath and Body ProductsSpinach is a healthy food that is amazing for health on the inside, but there are even more wonderful things that this herb can do for your skin and hair. Adding the extra nutrients directly to your hair and skin is a great way to promote vitality! So, it would be a great idea to add this cosmetic herb to your homemade bath and body products First, using this wholesale herb in a lotion recipe or any melt and pour soap recipes would be amazing for your skin! Many have found that spinach contains pigments that can help protect your body from UV light and reduce the potential for cell damage. Also, using spinach in a face wash is thought to be useful for fighting acne, as the herb can help remove the grime and impurities that could clog your pores.Additionally, you can use spinach to prevent signs of aging. Since spinach contains antioxidants that fight free radicals, it is able to fight free radicals and push back the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Further, spinach can be useful for reducing dark under eye circles. While there are many factors that can contribute to these circles, spinach can be useful for reducing their appearance. The vitamin K is useful for strengthening the blood vessels under your eyes and reducing inflammation. Together, these properties will work to fade your circles. Another great way to use is in hair care products, which can be useful for reducing hair loss and promoting healthy growth.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Natural Colorants for Bath and Body ProductsIf you are curious about how to make natural soap that is colorful, then herbal colorants are perfect for you. Pigmented herbs, like spinach leaf powder, have a natural color that will remain in your homemade products. So, you can use spinach powder as a natural, green colorant to provide your natural bath and body recipes with a natural, green hue.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Natures Garden RecipesFirst of all, our Watermelon Emulsified Sugar Scrub Recipe is a perfect example of this herb's natural colorant abilities. the green portion of the watermelon scrub was only colored using spinach powder and provided a perfect green hue. Not only is this herb perfect for a natural colorant, but it has some beneficial properties, too. Our Lucky Leprechaun Face Mask Recipe is beneficial for skin tone, reducing acne, and skin repair. So, it is perfect for including with your other wholesale facial supplies, like in this recipe that blends a variety of herbs that are great for skin care.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Medicinal UsesNot only is spinach amazing for providing your body with a nutrient boost, but it has some properties that can be helpful against diseases. So, this food is a perfect natural remedy to try for some of these ailments. However, anyone that has issues with kidney trouble may want to consult a doctor before consuming high does of Spinach, as it does contain oxalic acid. Although this is a natural chemical that many plants, and even people, can produce, high levels can increase the chance of kidney stones. If you aren't predisposed, then you can enjoy the many benefits without the increased danger of kidney stones.Now, let's look into some of the wonderful benefits that spinach can provide. First, the nutrients in spinach, like Lutein, that promote eye health and sight. It has been shown to slow macular degeneration, which is often attributed to aging. These nutrients can be used by the eye to help protect the eyes from UV light damage. Also, spinach is rich in vitamin K, which a vitamin necessary for blood clotting. So, many people have found that this is useful for treating hemophilia by helping the blood clot faster.Additionally, spinach has been known to reduce inflammation, which can be useful for reducing the symptoms of arthritis, gout, and other diseases that cause inflammation. Further, the nitrate levels found naturally in spinach have been linked to promoting proper function in the intestines. Additionally, the glycoglycerolipids in spinach help promote a healthy digestive tract lining, which can reduce the occurrence of ulcers and inflammation.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Other UsesAnother fun use for spinach is making homemade paints from plants. This is a perfect idea for anyone with a toddler. Since the paint is created using pigments found naturally in food, they are absolutely safe for your little one. Basically, you allow the color to stain the water, remove the solid pieces, and you are ready to paint! If you want to know exactly how to make your own paint, check out Nature of Art for Kids' article Veggies Can Make Natural Safe Paint for Kids for a quick, easy recipe that your kids are sure to love.What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Tips for Making Your Spinach LastHere are a few tips on how to store your leafy, food grade spinach. First, you will want to pick out yellow and wilted leaves. Plus, you shouldn't store things like, tomatoes, apples, or melons nearby, because the spinach is sensitive to the chemicals that these fruits produce. Also, make sure that you don't wash your spinach before storing and you will want to add a paper towel to your container. These will both help keep the moisture levels down and prevent premature wilting.While this will help you keep your spinach fresh longer, you don't want to have to store spinach long. Studies on folate in spinach have shown that about half of this vitamin's amount was gone after seven days. If you have a lot of spinach grown, then you can try freezing to extend your storage time to about two or three months. Check out How to Store Spinach by Garden Guides to learn more tips on making your spinach last!What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Talk to UsWe hope you enjoyed this herbal cosmetic blog and learned something new about the benefits of spinach! You can find wonderful herbs like this one and many others on our Herbs and Spices page. These herbs can be used with our Spinach Leaf Powder to create an even better product for your body! If you have any other questions about how to create some great wholesale bath and body products, then please reach out to us for help. We are available online, in the Natures Garden store, and on our HUG Line. I would suggest our social media for anyone that wants to find us online. We have a Facebook and our handle is @ngscents for both Twitter and Instagram. Hope to hear from you soon!What is Spinach Powder Used for?: Reminder About Our HerbsNote: Natures Garden sells herbs, like our Spinach Leaf Powder, for external use only. We do not sell our spinach leaf powder as a food item. The information that we provide on our herbs is only for educational purposes. We do not intend for this information to be used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated any of this information. Make sure that you keep all herbs out of reach of children and pets. Also, pregnant and/or lactating women should take special care when handling any of our herbs. Natures Garden accepts no responsibility (written or implied) for any products you make with our herbs. All product testing is the responsibility of the customer.

Article
What Is Melt and Pour Soap?
Some of our newbie customers have been curious and asking, What Is Melt and Pour Soap? So, we are going to talk a little bit about use, ingredients, and some simple recipes that are perfect for beginners. Melt and pour is the simplest way to have some fun with soap and create beautiful bath and body products that are great for your skin. If you have never tried MP soap, then you are really in for a treat. No matter what recipe or soap mold you start out with, you are sure to have a create time creating something unique and great for your skin.What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: How Do You Use Melt and Pour Soap?One of the absolute best parts of Melt and Pour Soap is that it is super easy to use! All you need to do is cut and heat. Since the base is perforated, you can easily cut a few squares, each weighing about an ounce, off the block. Then, you can put these in a microwave safe bowl and heat them in thirty second intervals. Just make sure that you stir your soap in between these intervals. After it has been melted you can add about 0.5 to 1 tablespoon of fragrance oil to your soap depending on the usage. Further, you can color you melted base and use soap molds to create exactly what you want!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Melt and Pour Soap KitIf you are just getting into the whole thing of making melt and pour soap, then you may want to try out our Melt and Pour Soap Kit. This kit will come with all of the ingredients that you need to create soap melt and pour soaps. You can choose between Goat's Milk and Ultra Clear MP soap base. Also, you relieve all four of the following unique fragrance oils; Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil, Best Friends Fragrance Oil, Oatmeal Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil, and a lovely Lavender Fragrance Oil. Plus, you even receive both red and blue soap dyes, which you can use to make red, blue, or even purple soaps! Finally, you will receive two soap molds to choose between, which are the decorative oval and the angel heart molds.What Is Melt and Pour Soap? What is Melt and Pour Soap Made of?Melt and Pour Soap is made of 50% soap and 50% solvents to create a luxurious bar of soap that is able to be reshaped and crafted. Although MP soap contains soap and has the same properties, some melt and pour soaps are actually classified as "cosmetic products" by the FDA. This classification change is for MP soap that use detergents to enhance the quality, performance, or clarity of the bars. All of the MP soap bases contain a few of the same ingredients, which are Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Myristate, Sodium Cocoate, and Coconut oil. The Glycerin is put in to attract moisture to your skin and actually have a higher percentage of glycerin than many store bought soaps that will dry your skin. Also, the Sodium Stearate, Sodium Myristate, and Sodium Cocoate are all cleansing agents in the soap. Then, the coconut oil is added to each soap base to ensure that it has enriching oils that care for the skin. Additionally, all of the white soap bases use some titanium dioxide to maintain the color.What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Cocoa Butter Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsWhile there are some ingredients that remain constant in all MP soap bases, the Cocoa Butter Melt and Pour Soap base has a few ingredients that set it apart from the rest. This soap base contains Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Cocoa Butter, which are all wonderful for skin care and keeping your skin feeling refreshed. Plus, this base doesn't use any detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. One fun and simple recipe that you can create using this melt and pour soap base is the Vanilla Sugar Scrub Cubes Recipe. This will exfoliate, cleanse, and moisturize your skin all in one bar!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Goat's Milk Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsNext, we have the Goat's Milk Melt and Pour Soap with ingredients that will take great care of your skin. This recipe includes both Sunflower Oil and Palm Oil. Also, this soap base doesn't use detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. Furthermore, this soap base recipe includes goat's milk, which is known for providing skin with a youthful glow! One simple and effective way to utilize this wonderful soap is our Solid Sugar Scrub Recipe. This recipe is cute, simple, and so much fun to create!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Diamond Clear Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAnother option for soap making is the Diamond Clear Melt and Pour Soap base. This MP soap base includes some different ingredients that make the bar that much more effective, which include detergents so be sure to label accordingly. Both the Sodium Laureth Sulfate and the Sodium Laurate are used in soaps to increase the lather, so this bar is sure to suds up! The Triethanolamine in this soap base reduces the surface tension of water, emulsifies the oils and water, and balances the PH of the bar. The Propylene Glycol is in the soap base to retain moisture and emulsify the oils and water. One fun recipe that you can create using this soap base is the Salt Water Taffy Soap Recipe, which uses four vibrant colors to create some adorable salt water taffy soaps!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Hemp Oil Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAlso, the lovely Hemp Oil Melt and Pour Soap has some other skin loving ingredients that not every soap base has. These unique ingredients are Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Hemp Oil, which are added to help moisturize and care for your skin. Plus, this MP soap base doesn't use detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. You can use this soap base in the Bamboo Hemp Soap Recipe, which uses two layers of soap and some star anise to create a beautifully rustic soap recipe. This is a simple way to make an elegant design for you soaps.What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Mango Butter Melt and Pour Soap Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAnother fun soap base that you can try in your own homemade cosmetic recipes is the Mango Butter Melt and Pour Soap Melt and Pour Soap. If you are looking for some great melt and pour soap making supplies, then you may want to give this a try. The Mango Butter soap base includes luscious Mango Butter, Palm Oil, and Sunflower Oil along with the typical mp soap ingredients. Further, this soap base doesn't use any detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. Also, you can include this skin loving soap in recipes like the Mango Loofah Melt and Pour Soap Recipe. So, you will be able to create a gorgeous bar of soap quickly and simply!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Oatmeal Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAlso, you can create some fun soaps with the Oatmeal Melt and Pour Soap base. This soap base contains some additional ingredients, like Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Oat Kernal, which care for and are gentle with your skin. Plus, this soap base doesn't contain any added detergents, no SLS, and is completely gluten free. An easy recipe that you can create with this sensitive soap base is the Pooch Smooch Solid Shampoo Bar Recipe. All you have to do is melt the soap, mix the ingredients, and pour it all into the mold. Then, you will have some soap that is gentle and cleansing enough for your precious pup!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Shea Butter Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAdditionally, you can use the Shea Butter Melt and Pour Soap to create some wonderful bath and body products! This soap base uses Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Shea Butter that are perfect for replenishing the skin. Another bonus is that this base doesn't use any detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. Plus, you can use this soap base to create simple and effective recipes like the Shaving Soap for Sensitive Skin Recipe!What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: SLS Free Glycerin Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAnother great option for soap making is the SLS Free Glycerin Melt and Pour Soap. This soap base is perfect for anyone that wants to use diamond clear, but needs something more moisturizing. The Sodium Laurate provides a light lather. The Triethanolamine in this soap base reduces the surface tension of water, emulsifies, and balances the PH. The Propylene Glycol is there to retain moisture and emulsify. Also, the Sorbitol improves clarity of the soap and m moisturizes. Since this recipe uses detergents to enhance the bar, you need to label the ingredients on your finished products. We used this skin loving cosmetic product in our fun and simple crayon soap recipe.What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Yogurt Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsNext, take a look at the Yogurt Melt and Pour Soap base. It includes Palm Oil and Sunflower Oil nourish the skin. Further, this soap base uses real yogurt to pamper your body. Plus, this base doesn't use any detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. You can use this soap base in the delightful Perfectly Pampered Shaving Soap Recipe to create products with quality ingredients that are sure to care for your body and leave you feeling fantastic.What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Soya Milk Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsAnother good soap base you can use is the Soya Milk Melt and Pour Soap. This recipe includes Sunflower Oil, Palm Oil, and Soya Milk, which are all great for skin care! Furthermore, this base doesn't use any detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. You can include this lovely soap base in the Solid Pink Salt Scrub Recipe.The cleansing power of this soap base combined with the Pink Himalayan Salt and luxurious oils is perfect for a nice soak in the bath. What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Honey Melt and Pour Soap IngredientsThe Honey Melt and Pour Soap is another great soap base that has some skin loving ingredients. This MP soap has Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, and some actual honey added to the typical recipe. You can tell that the ingredient is actual honey because the color of the soap changes. This change is dependent on the types of flowers that are available for the bees, so this can change based on the season and location. Additionally, this soap base has sorbital, which is used to improve the clarity of the base. Another positive is that this base doesn't use any detergents, is SLS free, and is gluten free. Also, you can use this wonderful base to create some wonderful homemade recipes with this Melt and Pour Soap, like the Loofah Honey Melt and Pour Soap Recipe. This recipe is a fun, simple way to create some moisturizing and exfoliating soaps!If you are curious about the color of honey, then check out what the National Honey Board has to say about Honey Color and Flavor.What Is Melt and Pour Soap?: Talk to UsWe hope that all of our new soap makers out there were able to learn something from our MP soap blog. If any of you have questions about things we didn't cover, then feel free to talk to us. We are always happy to answer a question. You can find us on the Natures Garden Facebook page. Also, we are available on both Instagram and Twitter and you can find us with @ngscents.

Article
What are Fragrance Oils Made Of
What are fragrance oils made of?Fragrance oils are a mixture composed of essential oils, synthetic aroma chemicals, and aromatic resins. In order to achieve the scent that a perfumist is trying to achieve, the perfumist has more than 3000 different fragrance ingredients that he may use (natural and synthetic). These ingredients come in the form of liquid, powder, or crystalline. In order for a perfumist to be able to dissolve the powder and/or crystalline ingredients into liquid oil, he must use solvents. A common solvent that has been used for over 50 years is DEP (Di Ethyl Phthalate). While this solvent has been declared as safe by even the most intense worldwide standards, many companies, such as Natures Garden, decided years ago to only add fragrance oils to our line that were phthalate-free (at the request of many customers). Additionally, 99% of our old fragrance oils were reformulated phthalate-free years ago; our perfumist used alternative solvents that were phthalate-free.Although solvents are a necessary component in fragrance oil production, some companies may sell fragrance oils that contain diluents: cutting agents that ultimately reduce the strength of a fragrance oil. A common diluent is DPG (Di Propylene Glycol). Important note to anyone who is using fragrance oils for candle making or soap making: Never use fragrance oils that contain DPG for these applications. DPG prevents a candle from burning correctly, and is one of the main reasons that Cold Process Soap seizes. Natures Garden sells concentrated fragrance oils, and we never dilute our fragrance oils. Although diluents should not be used for candle making or soap making, they are a necessary ingredient to use when making incense/potpourri (cones, sticks, and liquid). Another example of the need to use diluents is when making candles with essential oils. Some essential oils may need to be thinned out with a diluent so that they can properly travel up the wick and burn correctly. Typical diluents added to essential oils for this purpose are: iso Propyl Myristate, or di-Octyl Adipate. Neither of these diluents are natural, but are effective for this purpose. According to our perfumist, in order to create natural candles, fractionated coconut oil may be used as a diluent for essential oils; however, we have not personally tested this. As stated above: Never add DPG to essential oils for candle making or soap making. All of the essential oils sold at Natures Garden are 100% pure and unadulterated. Therefore, it is up to you to add diluents to them when making candles.So, how does a perfumist create a fragrance oil? We know that fragrance oils are a mix of essential oils, synthetic aromatic chemicals, and resins. We know that a perfumist must use the proper solvents to dissolve powder and crystalline ingredients into the fragrance oil. A perfumist can either duplicate an aroma by use of gas chromatographic (GC)-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) (which shows him the ingredients contained in a fragrance), or he can create a unique fragrance oil by combining the right combinations of top, middle, and base notes.Top notes are the fragrance aromas that you smell when you first open the bottle. This is because they tend to evaporate the quickest of other notes used in fragrance manufacturing. Perfumists typically use between 15-25% of top notes in fragrance production. Common examples of top notes are: Lemon, Orange, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Basil, Bergamot, Cardamom, Clary Sage, Coriander, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Neroli, Peppermint, Pine, Tea Tree, Thyme, and Lavender.Middle notes provide the body of the fragrance, and are smelled after the top notes have faded. Perfumists typically use 30-40% middle notes when creating a fragrance oil. Examples of middle notes are: Chamomile, Cedar, Cinnamon, Clove, Frankincense, Geranium, Rose, Ylang Ylang, Palma Rosa, Jasmine, and Marjoram.Base notes are the notes that tend to linger in the air, and are smelled last. Base notes, such as musk, are the ingredients that give a fragrance staying power . Without the use of base notes, fragrance notes will evaporate very quickly and not provide ample scent throw. A perfumist typically uses 40-55% base notes in the formulation of a fragrance. Base notes, such as musk, are one of the most expensive components in fragrance production. Without the proper use of these ingredients, fragrance will not last very long. Examples of base notes are: Musk, Benzoin, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, and Vetiver. The main perfume house that Natures Garden works with also owns multiple musk-manufacturing companies. The partnership that we have with this perfumist allows us to keep our prices lower than most of our competition. In fact, the majority of fragrance manufacturers rely on our perfumist to supply them with the musk components they need to manufacturer their scents.It is important to understand that even though a perfumist has high-tech machinery at his disposal to analyze the components of a smell , perfumery is an art, reserved for individuals with the talent of blending fragrance notes to create beautiful fragrance accords. Perfumery is a science and a real art. Fragrance oils are protected under the trade secret clause of the FDA, therefore, perfumists never disclose a full ingredient list of the art that they created. When selling a product in the US that is governed by the FDA, one must simply state the word fragrance on the label. Ingredients of your product must be listed in descending order according to weight; which usually (but not always) means that fragrance is listed as one of the last ingredients on your label.The alternative to fragrance oils is essential oils. Although essential oils are natural and may provide therapeutic benefits, there are several drawbacks to using essential oils that should be mentioned: 1. The cost of essential oils are typically much higher than fragrance oils, 2. Essential oil prices can fluctuate based on weather, crops, and the trade relationships between countries, 3. Essential oils are not as sustainable as fragrance oils, 4. Essential oils do not provide the variety of scents that fragrance oils provide. You will never get a vanilla essential oil, a blueberry muffin essential oil, or a strawberry essential oil; only fragrance oils can provide these scents, 5. Essential oils can cause just as many allergic reactions as fragrance oils (perhaps even more). In fact, if the EU is successful at preventing known allergens from being contained in perfumes, many of the most well-known perfumes will need to be reformulated without essential oils. The majority of the 26 known allergens on the EU list are from natural sources; 16 are essential oil constituents and two are absolutes. While the debate continues on whether you should use fragrance oils or essential oils in your finished products, Natures Garden carries both fragrance oils and essential oils (for those who want all-natural scents). Regardless of whether you choose fragrance oil or essential oil, scent sells products. Not only do scents allow people to smell nice, scents also have the ability to create memories. What happy memories do you have with certain scents? I'm certain you have many.Thank you for relying on Natures Garden for your fragrance oils and essential oils! Natures Garden has more than 16 years of experience in the fragrance industry, and we are the largest distributor of fragrance oils in the US. Our fragrance oils and essential oils are truly priced at wholesale prices; allowing our customers to make quality products, and earn a higher profit margin themselves.

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What is a Carrier Oil?
What is a Carrier Oil? These are all the natural cosmetic oils that you can use in your homemade recipes. They are perfect for creating homemade soap, crafting a skin-loving lotion recipe, and making many of the other kinds of cosmetic recipes. So, knowing about these oils is important for creating the types of bath and body products that you need!What is a Carrier Oil?: Making Soap SuppliesIf you are looking for a good recipe for making soap, then it is going to have some carrier oils in it. Anyone making soap from scratch knows that the carrier oils you choose can influence the quality of your bars. So, these ingredients are essential for cold process soap recipes. You can see specifics on how each oil affects the soap on our Soaping Oil Properties. Even melt and pour soap recipes can benefit by adding some carrier oils to the soap base, which is often done to make the bar more conditioning to the skin.What is a Carrier Oil?: Lotion MakingAlso, our bulk carrier oils can be used to create an amazing homemade lotion recipe. These are the oils that we include to nourish and moisturize your skin. In fact, the oils are what do the majority of the skin care in lotions. While you can use butters along with your oils, they can lead to a thicker cream or even a body butter. So, lighter lotions need key carrier oils to perform effectively!What is a Carrier Oil?: Using Essential OilsAlthough essential oils are natural, they aren t safe to put directly on your skin. Plus, adding a carrier oil will help hold on to the aroma longer than on its own. So, it is actually beneficial for your scent to mix an essential oil with a carrier oil before applying. One of the best carrier oils for essential oils would have to be Sweet Almond Oil or Argan Oil.What is a Carrier Oil?: Kinds of Carrier OilsThere are many different kinds of carrier oils that you can mix together for your recipes. Depending on your skin type or level of dryness, you may want to have lighter or heavier oils. Also, some oils are better for face lotions or for foot care. So, the blend of carrier oils that you want varies based on your product and its purpose.What is a Carrier Oil?: Apricot Kernel OilFirst, we have Apricot Kernel Oil, an oil that is light and excellent for skin care. While this oil is light enough to not block pores, it is conditioning enough to be a luxurious oil for cp soap. It's great for making lotions that don t leave a greasy feeling and skin into the skin. Also, its perfect in soap because the oil will sink into the skin quickly to fully moisturize the skin. We ve used this wonderful oil in many bath and body recipes, including the Chamomile Light Lotion Recipe and the Strawberries and Champagne CP Soap Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Argan OilNext, we have an oil that is amazing for skin care. Argan Oil is easily absorbed into the skin and won t leave a greasy feeling on your skin. Plus, this cosmetic oil allows your skin to breathe and doesn t block pores. In fact, this ingredient is used in many acne-fighting recipes. We included this oil in a few cosmetic recipes, like the Argan Soap Recipe and the Sour Watermelon Sugar Scrub Cubes Recipe. In our cp soap recipe, this oil increased the lather and nourished the skin beautifully.What is a Carrier Oil?: Avocado OilAlso, adding Avocado Oil to your homemade recipes is a perfect way to increase the moisturizing ability of your product. This cosmetic ingredient is a heavy oil that is perfect for providing dry, damaged skin with the nourishment it deserves. Plus, the high level of unsaponifiable fatty acids and high vitamin content make this skin-sensitive oil great for adding some extra conditioning power to your soap bars, which you can see in the Gentle Avocado Cold Process Soap Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Castor OilAnother great oil for your homemade cosmetic recipes is Castor Oil. Not only is this oil thick and perfect for nourishing dry, damaged skin, but this oil is a humectant. This means that oil will pull moisture to it, which will further moisturize your skin as it absorbs. Perfect for creating lotions for feet, like the Natural Salve Recipe , which are often one of the most damaged areas of skin. While this oil would provide some conditioning properties and a rich, creamy lather, it can make your soap sticky. So, avoid adding too much of this oil in your cp soap formulations. By limiting the amount of Castor Oil, we were able use the beneficial properties without as many drawbacks, like with our St Pattys Day Cold Process Soap Recipe as well as many other soaps.What is a Carrier Oil?: Coconut OilCoconut Oil is a great oil for skin that sinks in well and is perfect for scrub recipes like the Foaming Hibiscus Scrub Recipe. Also, this sensitive oil is perfect to add to lip balm supplies for making recipes like the Kahlua and Cream Lip Balm Recipe. For soapmaking, this oil provides a hard bar with a bubbly lather that is cleansing. Many find that adding more than 20% of this oil is drying for the skin, so some people may include more conditioning oils to the recipe or even super fat the formula to include more oils.What is a Carrier Oil?: Grapeseed OilAnother fantastic oil for bath and body recipes is Grapeseed Oil. This oil is perfect for cosmetic supplies because it is a lightweight moisturizer that is effective without being too greasy for the skin. So, this oil is perfect for creating lotions sensitive enough for the face, like our Natural Facial Night Cream Recipe. Also, this oil is perfect for soap-making, like our Raspberry CP Soap Recipe. This oil is moisturizing, and even anti-acne, for soap but it doesn't leave a greasy, heavy oil feeling on the skin.What is a Carrier Oil?: Jojoba OilWhile Jojoba Oil is technically a liquid wax, it is still fantastic for skin care products. This cosmetic ingredient is perfect for everything from lotions like our Shea Lotion with Herbal Infusion Recipe to lip care products like our Green Apple Lip Balm Recipe. In your soap recipes, this cosmetic ingredient is just as conditioning as luxury oils. But, this oil has a longer shelf life.What is a Carrier Oil?: Lanolin Oil Lanolin Oil is a great cosmetic oil that is wonderful for moisturizing and protecting damaged hair and dry skin. This oil contains very few saponifiables, so it maintains its conditioning properties and provides the bar with a silky feeling. So, we used this wonderful oil in our Strawberries and Champagne CP Soap Recipe. Also, you can use lanoin in a solid form, which still absorbs well and is great for protecting damaged skin. This thicker oil has all of the same beneficial properties and can even be used in soaps, like our Beard Soap Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Macadamia Nut OilNext, we have Macadamia Nut Oil, which is an oil that is light and perfectly absorbs into the skin. This non-greasy oil is perfect for creating lotions, like our Almond Body Cream Recipe. Also, this oil is perfect for adding conditioning properties to your soap and is even great for mature skin types. So, we included this oil in our Lavender Cold Process Soap Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Meadowfoam Seed OilAnother great oil that skins into the skin beautifully is Meadowfoam Seed Oil. Not only does this oil work to repair damaged skin, but it has a long shelf life due to its high level of antioxidants. So, it worked wonderfully in our Honey Vanilla Lip Balm Recipe. Also, this cosmetic oil can be used to superfat soap, reduce rancidity, and increase the fragrance's lifespan. So, this oil was a great addition to our Raspberry CP Soap Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Olive OilOlive Oil is often a top choice for soapers, because it is very conditioning, helps harden the bar, and creates a mild bar of soap. While some soapmakers may use only olive oil in Castille soap or mostly olive oil in Marseille soap, it makes the bar a bit slimy and barely has a lather. So, many soapers will combine this oil with others to create a great soap recipe, like in our Creamy Cocoa Craziness Cold Process Soap Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Palm OilNext, we have another great oil for creating soaps, which is Palm Oil. This soap making ingredient creates a hard, white bar that has a rich, creamy lather. We have used this wonderfully cleansing oil in many recipes, like our Calendula Swirl Soap Recipe and our Beer Cold Process Soap Recipe. You may find that your cosmetic oil has solidified, this is because the melt point is slightly above room temperature. Luckily, this is easy to fix. All you have to do is set your bottle in a bowl of warm water until the oil melts again.What is a Carrier Oil?: Pumpkin Seed OilPumpkin Seed Oil is rich in vitamins and minerals, which provide great properties for the skin. This oil sinks into the skin without leaving oily residue to repair damaged skin. So, it was a perfect addition to our Pumpkin Sugar Scrub Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Rice Bran OilRice Bran Oil has benefits similar to Olive Oil, so it is conditioning and great for soaps! So, we included this lovely soaping oil in our Wine Cold Process Soap Recipe as well as other great cp soap recipes. Plus, this rich, conditioning bar is perfect for both mature and sensitive skin types.What is a Carrier Oil?: Safflower OilAlso, we have a nourishing and skin-loving oil that is perfect for homemade products. Safflower Oil is moisturizing and nourishing for the skin, so we included it in many soap recipes and our own Hair Conditioner For Redheads Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Sesame Seed OilAnother great cosmetic oil is Sesame Seed Oil, which is a light cosmetic ingredient full of nutrients for the skin. We include this lovely oil in recipes like our Giraffe Bubble Bars Recipe or our Beard Balm Recipe. Also, this oil can be used in cp soap to help slow trace, nourish the skin, and provide a silky lather.What is a Carrier Oil?: Sunflower OilAlso, Sunflower Oil works well with palm oil and olive oils to provide a rich creamy lather. Plus, this oil is very moisturizing and will provide a silky feel to the soaps. So, this is perfect for adding to our soap recipes and bath products, like our Natural Beet Root Lip Gloss Recipe.What is a Carrier Oil?: Sweet Almond OilLastly, we have a light oil that will perfectly absorb into the skin Sweet Almond Oil. So, it was a great choice for bath and body recipes like Tranquility Bath Melts Recipe or Fruity Rings Emulsified Sugar Scrub Recipe. Plus, this oil is perfect for adding some conditioning properties to your soaps.What is a Carrier Oil?: Reach Out to UsWe hope that you were able to find some carrier oils that you enjoy for your bath and body products. Not only are there many to choose from, but there are many combinations that you can try for your recipes. Just start with your favorites and build from there! If you have anymore questions about these oils and how they will work in your recipes, then reach out to us. An easy way to get in contact with us is to reach out on social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram (@ngscents), and Twitter (@ngscents).

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What are Cosmetic Waxes?
If you have been asking "What are Cosmetic Waxes?", then this is the perfect cosmetic blog for you! Simply, cosmetic waxes are wholesale natural cosmetic ingredients that you can use to create fantastic bath and body recipes. However, there are a few different options with slightly different properties. Adding any of these cosmetic ingredients to your homemade bath and body recipes will provide your products with some great properties. These cosmetic waxes are useful for improving the consistency and integrity of your products. Often, our customers will use these ingredients to harden a more solid recipe or thicken a lotion recipe. While these particular waxes aren't able to emulsify, they can be useful for supporting the emulsifier in holding everything together. However, we will briefly talk about emulsifying waxes later in this article.So, using cosmetic waxes can really improve the quality of your products, especially for lip balm recipes or lotion recipes. If you are interested in using some of these cosmetic ingredients, then we have a variety of our own formulated cosmetic recipes that you can create with these quality waxes. Of course, you can use Natures Garden cosmetic waxes in your own recipes as well.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Rice Bran WaxOne cosmetic wax that you can use in your homemade cosmetic recipes is our Rice Bran Wax. This wonderful ingredient is a pale yellow colored wax that is extracted from rice bran oil. This waxy substance is naturally rendered through batch chromatography technology to achieve the light yellow color. So, you will find that this product is a superior quality compared to others that are solvent extracted. Further, this light color is useful to allow you prevent discoloration in your products.You can use this cosmetic wax to add some integrity to your various bath and body recipes. Plus, this wholesale wax has a lovely, non-sticky feeling that you will enjoy in your various cosmetic products wholesale. You can use this cosmetic wax to create all kinds of recipes, like lipstick, lip balm, make up, mascara, or even sun care products. Plus, this bath and body ingredient is often used in oil based products or in emulsions. Although the wax is not able to emulsify your recipe, it has shown to be useful for helping to stabilize your emulsions.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Using Rice Bran WaxWhile you can use this natural wax to create room scenting recipes, there are many cosmetic uses for this bath and body ingredient, too. One way that you can use this wholesale cosmetic wax is to create our Lip Balm Recipe Without Beeswax recipe. Adding this recipe to your lip care recipe is perfect for creating a lip balm that is moisturizing yet sturdy. So, your lip balm products with this wax will have a fantastic glide and be able to retain its integrity.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Sunflower WaxThe next wholesale cosmetic wax can be created by removing the wax from sunflower oil. This wonderful wax, Sunflower Wax, can be used to create all kinds of bath and body recipes, like lip stick, mascara, lip balms, and other cosmetics. Our wholesale wax is a granulated solid that has a light color and a low odor. You can add this lovely wholesale wax to your bath and body products to regulate the consistency of lip balms and add some integrity to your bath and body recipes. Plus, this cosmetic wax can be useful for improving the texture and glide of the final product. However, this isn't the only way that you can use this cosmetic ingredient. Since this wax has a high melting point, you can add these granulated wax crystals to your recipes whole to create a natural exfoliant.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Using Sunflower WaxOne cosmetic recipe that you can create with Sunflower Wax is the delicious Mango Madness Lip Balm Recipe. This smooth, nourishing lip balm recipe uses lip loving oils and butters that will protect your lips. Further, the cosmetic wax is included to make sure the lip balm remains stable and not too soft. Not only does this wax help your lip care products maintain integrity, but it can be useful for making it easier to use the lip balm tubes, as some recipes may stick to the tube.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Candelilla WaxNext, we have a wonderful wax for your homemade creations, which is Candelilla Wax. This cosmetic ingredient is extracted from the candelilla shrub, which is most commonly found in Mexico, North Central Plateau, and Southeastern Texas. These plant extracts are boiled until the wax separates from the rest of the plant material. This is possible because water based and oil based materials will separate from one another. Then, the wax is skimmed away from the rest of the plant material. After, this collected wax will be filtered and bleached until it reaches a pale yellow color.This wax is another create choice that you can use in your homemade bath and body recipes. The cosmetic wax will provide your products with more of a glossy appearance and is water repellent, which can keep moisture from escaping your lips and skin. Also, this cosmetic ingredient is useful for helping provide a firm, or thick consistency, with a higher melt point. So, you can use this fantastic cosmetic ingredient to create sun screen, lip stick, lip gloss, emulsions, and lubricantsWhat are Cosmetic Waxes?: Using Candelilla WaxYou can use cosmetics supplies, like the Candelilla wax, to create various cosmetic recipes, like our lovely Green Apple Lip Balm Recipe. Further, this wax is often a perfect substitute for beeswax in lip care recipes. So, anyone avoiding animal products may enjoy the Vegan Lip Butter Recipe as well as the Vegan Silky Lip Balm Recipe. Both of these lip balm recipes are just as good as those that include beeswax, but they use plant based sources instead of bees wax.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Beeswax White PastillesPlus, you can use Beeswax White Pastilles to create some fantastic bath and body wholesale recipes. This cosmetic wax is created by bees and beekeepers can harvest some of the wax from the bee hives. This natural wax can range in color from a clear- white color to a light golden yellow or even brown color. However, our white beeswax pastilles are purified and naturally bleached by the sun. So, you won't find any color variation. Although our product is bleached, we didn't use chemicals, as the wax was exposed to air and sunlight for a period of time to provide the desired effect.This wholesale wax can be used to make all kinds of cosmetic recipes, whether it be homemade candles or natural cosmetics. The beeswax wholesale is a well loved additive to many bath and body recipes. Also, beeswax can help to protect and soften the skin. Further, this cosmetic wax is often included in lip care products, as it can promote healing and help prevent you from getting chapped lips! So, there is a lot of benefits for adding bees wax to your bath and body recipes. If you want to learn more about bees wax is used and naturally made, then check out our Beeswax Class!What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Using Beeswax White PastillesThere are all sorts of bath and body recipes that have beeswax included. This cosmetic wax is a quality ingredient that is perfect for adding some structure of thickness to a recipe. First, we included this cosmetic recipe in the Pink Lemonade Scrub Recipe. Also, you can make beeswax body lotion that is very skin loving, like the Rejuvenating Foot Balm Recipe. Further, this cosmetic ingredient is used to create the scrumptious Chocolate Covered Strawberries Lip Balm Recipe, and the lovely Kahlua and Cream Lip Balm Recipe, as it strengthens the lip balm and makes it easier to use. If you want to check out even more of the many bath and body recipes that use beeswax, then check the recipe tab on the Beeswax White Pastilles page!What are Cosmetic Waxes?: NG 100% Soy WaxLastly, you can use NG 100% Soy Wax to create some fantastic cosmetic recipes. Our wholesale soy wax flakes are pure soy wax that are extracted naturally from the plant. This wonderful wholesale ingredient can be used cosmetically or to create quality homemade candles. This wax can be used cosmetically because it is pure 415 soy wax with no preservatives and no additives. If you want to use this all natural soy wax to create cosmetic recipes, then there are many options for what you can create. This kosher soy wax is perfect for making lip balms, lotions, and all kinds of other cosmetic recipes. In fact, you can even create your very own soy wax massage candles.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Using NG 100% Soy WaxAlthough this cosmetic wax can be used with your candle making supplies, soy wax can be used to create various bath and body recipes, too. In fact, you can make 100 soy wax candles that are safe enough to use on the skin. So, one recipe that we have formulated with this cosmetic ingredient is the Massage Candle Recipe. Plus, you can use a scented soy wax to create skin loving, homemade lotion recipes. Also, you can use lip balm flavorings to create lip care products that are great for the skin and taste scrumptious.Although you can use our pure soy wax to create cosmetic recipes, it is our recommendation that you only use pure soy wax to create body safe cosmetic recipes. The additives or preservatives in other soy waxes may not be body safe, so we suggest sticking with the pure soy wax that is guaranteed to just be soy wax without any random additives.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Emulsifying Waxes for CosmeticsAnother great cosmetic wax that you can use to create fantastic recipes is emulsifying wax. This ingredient is crucial for recipes that use both oil and water based ingredients. Otherwise, your ingredients will separate overtime. So, you will want to include this ingredient in recipes, like homemade lotions, conditioners, and scrubs. We at Natures Garden have a few different types of emulsifying wax that you can use to homogenize your products, which are BTMS 25 Emulsifier, Traditional Emulsifying Wax NF, and Silky Emulsifying Wax. If you want to learn a bit more about the qualities of these different waxes and a few other options, then be sure to check out our Types of Emulsifying Wax blog. This is a perfect blog to learn about the different options for emulsifying wax to create perfectly tailored recipes.What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Different Beeswax Uses in the HomeOf course, cosmetic waxes, like our Beeswax White Pastilles, can be useful for creating amazing bath and body recipes. However, there are even more creative uses that you can take advantage of to help in daily life. One specific cosmetic wax that people have found many uses for is beeswax. You can use this cosmetic wax to create a variety diy solutions, like homemade crayons, diy cling wrap, itch relief, and so much more! What are Cosmetic Waxes?: Reach Out to UsWe hope that you learned a bit about our various cosmetic waxes that you can use to make amazing bath and body products. Anyone that has more questions about these cosmetic making supplies, should feel free to reach out to us with any questions. You can talk to us in the store, on the phone, or on our social media pages. You can reach out to us on our Facebook page. Also, you can use our handle @ngscents to find us on either Instagram or Twitter. Further, you can use this platform to share your own favorite creations that include any of these cosmetic waxes. We hope to hear from you soon!

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What is Passion Flower Used For
You may be wondering what our passion flower botanical herb is. Also, you may wonder what is passion flower used for. This second question is especially important for making homemade bath and body recipes! If you are curious, then this is the perfect cosmetic blog for you to use and find out! Of course, Passion Flower from Natures Garden Candle and Soap Supplier is perfect for creating bath and body recipes. Plus, there are all kinds of other cosmetic and medicinal benefits that this herb can provide you. So, there are all kinds of ways that you can use this herb. In this blog, you can learn all about the different benefits that you can have from this botanical herb.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Growing ConditionsAlthough the passion flower looks beautiful and exotic, it is can actually be found in the United States. Since this unique floral herb can be found in many parts of this country, it is able to survive the colder conditions of winter. Specifically, this delightful plant will survive best in Hardiness Zone 6. If you are interested in growing this plant for yourself, then check out the link below this blog to a map for areas of the US where this plant thrives! Although these plants can survive the winter months, they will lose their leaves. However, you can bring your plant indoors to bloom all winter long. Passionflowers like to be put in an area with either indirect sun or full sun. Also, these climbing vine plants prefer soil that is well draining and make sure that the soil is not too wet. So, keep the soil moist but try not to make the soil soaking wet. It is important to plant your passion flower close to something that the vines can climb, like a fence, trellis, or wall. Though your plant won't require any pruning, you can prune after flowers emerge to keep the desired shape.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Industrial UsesThere are many ways that you can use passion flower to create fantastic recipes. First, you can include this lovely cosmetic herb in all kinds of bath and body recipes. Also, there are scrumptious passion flower tea recipes that you can make with this wholesale herb. Furthermore, this botanical herb has all kinds of medicinal benefits that you can utilize. So, there are all kinds of ways that you can utilize the wonderful properties of this pretty herb flower.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Bath and Body UsesOne way that you can use this wonderful cosmetic herb is to create all kinds of wonderful bath and body recipes. This cosmetic herb can provide your products with all kinds of benefits for your hair and skin. So, you can either add this herb whole or you can create an herbal infusion with our skin loving passion flower herb. Either way, you can add this herb or infusion to your recipe for the benefits. If you are interested in using this herb for making cosmetic recipes, then check out some of the benefits for your body!What is Passion Flower Used For?: Bath and Body BenefitsOf course, the benefits of this cosmetic herb make it a fantastic cosmetic ingredient! For your bath and body recipes, you can use this skin nourishing herb to create skin care products that will soothe the skin. So, you can use this cosmetic herb to help reduce redness and skin irritation. Also, this herb is known to reduce inflammation. So, this herbal cosmetic ingredient may be useful for treating minor rashes, eczema, and burns as well as many other inflammation based issues. Also, there are those that use the passion flower herb topically to reduce hemorrhoids and burns. Plus, this herb can be useful for helping keep the skin moisturized.Another great quality of this cosmetic herb is that it is safe for both sensitive skin and sensitive scalps. So, this is an herb that can be used in all kinds of different cosmetic recipes!What is Passion Flower Used For?: Passionflower & Acai Berry Fragrance OilA great fragrance to pair with this nourishing herb is the Passionflower & Acai Berry Fragrance Oil. This fragrance is a perfectly feminine blend of floral and fruit scents that is unique and absolutely gorgeous. This scent has a perfect blend of island passion flower, red currant, mandarin, acai berries, sweet plumeria, green leaves, Hawaiian jasmine, and orange flowers. Further, the scent finishes with a touch of amber that really brings this sweet, tropical aroma together. So, the refreshing aroma of this herb is truly enhanced by this wonderful passion flower fragrance oil.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Food and BeveragesOne way that you can incorporate this herb into your diet is to create an herbal tea. This tea is said to have a sweet, grassy aroma. Also, the tea is said to have an herbal taste that has notes of grassiness and toasted oats. While the tea doesn't actually use the flower portion of the plant, it does include other parts of the plant, like the leaves and stems. This part of the plant has the fantastic benefits that are perfect for gaining the calming beneficial properties that this herb is known for.Although you can create an herbal tea with this plant, it is more common for people to eat the freshly ripened fruit of this plant. These scrumptious fruits will ripen in late spring or autumn and are a yellow-orange in color. The flesh inside the fruit is said to have a taste that is both sweet and slightly tart. While the yellow pulp is the flavorful part, the seeds are edible, too.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Medicinal UsesOf course, you can create passion flower recipes to provide yourself with some medicinal benefits for your body. You use this wholesale herb can create an herbal tea, an infusion, or even add the extract to a smoothie extract. Regardless, you can add this cosmetic herb to your typical diet to potentially promote your health. Also, you may even be able to use this herb to relieve symptoms of certain ailments. Traditionally, this herb has been used as a sedative, so the herb is sure to have calming properties for the body. If you would like to find out how these properties can benefit your body, then check below to find out all the ways that this herb could possibly help you!What is Passion Flower Used For?: Medicinal BenefitsThis fantastic herb has properties of cooling, calming, and soothing that are fantastic for helping with many different issues. First, this cosmetic herb is able to help promote a certain hormone, GABA, that may be useful for dealing with many issues, like insomnia, depression, anger, and hormone related headaches. Anyone that is seeking a more natural alternative to hormone therapy may want to give this herb a try!Another wonderful property of this medicinal herb is that it can be useful for calming the body. First, this cosmetic herb has been used by some to help reduce symptoms of anxiety. Not only can you use this herb to calm your body during the day, but this herb can be used to promote better sleep. So, some people will use this herb to reduce symptoms of insomnia. Further, the passion flower herb has the ability to reduce spasms, twitching, or muscle tension, as it will slightly repress the central nervous system.Plus, this cosmetic herb can be useful for dealing with physical pain and easing head aches. Further, this herb has been useful for dealing with menstrual cramps as well as premenstrual symptoms. Also, it is thought that you can use the GABA promoting benefits of this herb to lower your blood pressure. Further, some find that this herb can be useful for helping reduce issues with irregular heartbeats, heart failure, and heart palpitations.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Other UsesSome people have found that this calming herb can be used as a natural remedy for ADD and ADHD. So, including this herb in your diet is thought to help reduce some of the symptoms brought on by this disorder. According to WebMD, this botanical herb can be as effective as a low dose of a prescription drug. So, this may be a nice, herbal alternative to test out for those that may be wary of medication.Another benefit that some people have found for the passion flower herb is that it can be useful for dealing with menopause. This is because passion flower is promoting the hormone gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is also known as GABA. So, this botanical herb can help you with some of the symptoms that come along with menopause. Specifically, this herb can help with menopause issues that are related to the vasomotor system. So, it may be useful for you to try this medicinal herb for dealing with either hot flashes or night sweats.What is Passion Flower Used For?: History of Naming the Passion FlowerAlthough the name "Passion Flower" may suggest that this beautiful flower would be an aphrodisiac or have a romantic origin, that isn't actually how the flower got its name. Instead, this flower was named for its unique characteristics and symbolism. Christian Missionaries in Peru found quite a bit of symbolism in the flower and named it for the Passion of Christ. The five petals and five sepals were thought to represent the ten disciples. Also, the purple corona of the flower was thought to represent the crown of thorns. If you want to learn even more lore for this flower, then check out Myth and Symbolism of the Passion Flower for even more of the interesting history around this herb.What is Passion Flower Used For?: Where to Grow a Passion Flower PlantIf you live in the United States and are interested in growing your own Passion Flower vine, then check out this map from the USDA web site! This handy map shows you the areas in the US where the passion flower grows naturally. So, keeping your plant alive outdoors in these areas shouldn't be too difficult! Other areas where the plant is not common may require a bit more work for care. Alternatively, you can grow your plant indoors. So, you aren't completely out of luck due to where you live!What is Passion Flower Used For?: Ask Us Your QuestionsIf you have any more questions about using the passion flower herb or any other of our cosmetic herbs and spices in your bath and body recipes, then feel free to reach out and ask us! You can reach out to us at the store, on the phone, and on our social media pages. First, we have a Natures Garden Facebook page. Also, you can use our handle @ngscents to find us on Twitter and Instagram. Also, you can use our social media to share your opinions and your own creations. Have fun creating your various bath and body recipes and we hope to hear from you soon!What is Passion Flower Used For?: Reminder About Our HerbsNatures Garden sells our herbs, like the Passion Flower herb, for external use only. We do not sell our herbs 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. Be sure that you keep all herbs out of reach of your children and pets. If you are a pregnant and/or lactating woman, then you should take special care when handling this cosmetic herb. It is especially important as this herb has been known to stimulate the womb. Natures Garden accepts no responsibility (written or implied) for any products you make with our herbs. All testing is the responsibility of the customer.

Article
What are Jump Lines in Candles?
We tried numerous times to recreate jump lines, however because of our flaming awesomeness, every candle was jump-line-less. So, we had to find a stock photo that best represents jump lines.What are Jump Lines in CandlesJump lines are the visible horizontal rings that occur on the sides of your candles. These lines look like ridges and prevent your candle from having a smooth finish. Ideally, to have a perfect candle pour, your candle wax will still be in a complete liquid state once it has been poured into your container/pillar. This is the best shot you can give your candle to completely and uniformly cool naturally, therefore decreasing your chances of getting jump lines. All candle wax has to conform to the sides of the container/pillar mold at the same rate of time. This provides for the smooth finish of a candle.In candle making when you are pouring the hot wax, it will begin to cool as soon as it hits the jar. As this happens, you will visibly be able to see wax layers materialize. If you do not pour quickly enough, the wax will naturally start to harden and stick to the wall of the container/ pillar mold. Since the temperature of the jar stays consistent, there is no heat source to re-melt the wall portion, therefore showing each line of cooled wax aka jump lines. How do you prevent jump lines from occurring?Jump lines can occur for several reasons, the first of which is intentionally. Jump lines can also be created on purpose to give candles a textured look. Since jump lines are an aesthetic thing, they do not have any kind of effect on the candles burn or scent throw. One of the first things as a preventative measure that you can do is pour your wax at the correct temperature. You can do this by using a candy thermometer. You may have to increase your pouring temperature to adjust for jump lines. This is where testing and note taking will come into play. As always, it is of the utmost importance for candle making that your jars and/or pillars are room temperature. The second measure you can take is to heat your jars at the lowest setting on a cookie sheet in the oven for twenty minutes prior to filling them.Another important factor in combating jump lines is your pouring rate. Obviously, you do not want to pour fast, this will result in wax splashing everywhere. And, adversely, you do not want to pour so slowly that you can actually see the jump lines establishing themselves in the candle. Find your pouring medium. If you are seeking a fool proof way to prevent jump lines from the pouring stage, try counting seconds or singing a lyric of a song. These tricks will help you stay uniform with your pour.How to correct jump lines?Although all of the steps mentioned earlier are great ways to prevent jump lines, once they have occurred in your candles you really only have a one option. Using a heat gun or hair dryer to heat the outside of the candle will remelt the outside layer of the wax, this will mask the jump lines from visible view, but once again, jump lines have no direct effect on a candle.

Article
When Does Wick Size Matter
We purposely created a "problem" candle to demonstrate when wick size does matter. In this example, the wick is not centered, and there is a lack of a full melt pool. A smaller melt pool is one sign that the wick size clearly needs to be larger.When does wick size matter?Knowing when to move up to the next size wick for candles is one of the trickiest aspects to candle making. There is a fine line with wicking a candle. You want to find that perfect balance between a sensational hot throw and long burn time. Wicks, are the vessels to ensuring you have made the best possible candle. You want your candle to burn slowly and evenly all the way to the bottom, leaving nothing but the wick tab behind. The right wick has the capability of doing this, but they also have a direct effect on the hot scent throw. And when it comes to scent throw, this is one feature of candles that is extremely significant.There are many different kinds of wicks available; HTP, CD, Hemp, Zinc, or Wooden. Each wick has different qualities associated with them, and that is why testing for your perfect wick size is vital to your candle crafting. Usually, within the wick selection process there are a few factors to consider. First, wick selection will differ depending on which fragrance oil you use in your candle wax. Second, wick size is determined by the diameter of your candle container/mold. Third, wick size is determined by the type of wax you are using to make your candles. Fourth, wick size is determined by how much colorant you use in your candles.Now, it could be possible that your candle will need a double or maybe even a triple wick. This is not unheard of. Sometimes, especially with the larger candles or with candles that are shaped differently (such as star), you need the addition of extra wicks to make sure that your candle has an excellent wet pool touching all sides of your container.Once you know the type and size of the wick that works best for your candle needs, the next step is to familiarize yourself with the term "wick up". Wick up in candle making is when you purposely use a larger wick. This generally comes into play for a few reasons. If you notice in your testing that you have a poor melt pool, you might want to consider a wick up. Wicking up in this situation will allow for a hotter burn, therefore reaching more wax to allow for a fuller melt pool.Another reason to wick up is if you are struggling to smell the hot throw of the candle. In order for scent throw to be possible in melted wax, the fragrance oil needs to be in a volatile state- meaning ready to evaporate quickly. The best way to ensure this is a hot burning wick. As the melted wax pool is pulled throw the wick, the fragrance (or scent) is released into the air.Another aspect to consider is the fragrance oil itself. There are certain fragrance oils such as Vanilla ones that almost always require a wick up. This is because Vanilla fragrance oils are thicker and using a slightly larger wick will prevent your wick from clogging and/or possibly drowning out. Fragrances with heavy base notes, such as patchouli, vetiver, amber, and musk will also likely require a larger wick.The wax that you are using for candle making can also come into play for a wick up situation. Any time you use a vegetable wax, you will want to wick up to the next size wick for your candle. Whenever you use a vegetable wax, which requires a hotter burn, you want to make sure that the wick when lit, will be hot enough to melt the wax properly, and release the fragrance into the air.The other factor that will require a larger wick size in candles is the use of heavy amounts of candle dye in your candles. Candle dye slows down the capillary action of the wicks, and thus reduces the burn of the wick. Increasing your wick size will help you combat this issue.If you are interested in seeing Natures Garden's suggestions for wicks, please check out candle wick chart. However, please note that this information should never replace your testing process.

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What is Red Clover Good For?
What is red clover good for? This fantastic wholesale herb has all kinds of benefits for your entire body. You can use the Natures Garden herb to create some fantastic bath and body recipes. This cosmetic ingredient is sure to provide you with some wonderful benefits for both the inside and outside of your body. Also, you can use this herb to create an herbal red clover tea. This tea has some known benefits for the body, as well. So, there are all kinds of benefits for your when used in cosmetic recipes. If you are interested in learning more about the potential benefits, then continue reading this cosmetic blog to learn even more!What is Red Clover Good For?: Growing ConditionsNot only are there herbal benefits provided by these beautiful flowers, but the red clover plants can actually be quite beneficial to farming. There are many farmers that will use this herb as a cover crop, which means that it will protect the soil. Further, this herb can help to replenish the nitrogen in the soil. So, planting red clover will promote better health for the next years crop. Although there are other similar plants that will grow faster, produce more, and provide more nitrogen, this plant can be grown in many more soil types and weather conditions. So, the reason why this plant may be preferred in many regions of the United States is that it can be grown anywhere corn is grown.You will want to be sure to plant your clover by early spring. This will allow you to have approximately three harvests. For the seeds, you will need to make sure that the soil has a pH between 6 and 7. Although you can add limestone to raise the pH, you won't be able to plant if the soil is above 7 and too basic. Also, you will want to plant the seeds a quarter inch deep into soil that is well draining. If you want to enrich the soil, then you can add some phosphorous. Further, these clovers will prefer to have either full sun or partial shade.Once the seedlings are planted, the plant will take about seven days to sprout. Then, the plant will develop into about 40 to 60 days. After, you are ready to harvest these wonderful herbs! You can either use this crop for farming or you can simply grow red clovers for the decoration or as well as herbal purposes, too.What is Red Clover Good For?: Red Clover Benefits for Skin and HairThere are all kinds of reasons to add the red clover herb to your bath and body recipes. This herb can be used whole or used to create an herbal infusion. Of course, this cosmetic herb has benefits for your skin. So, adding this to homemade lotions or soap making recipes will leave your skin soft and youthful. Plus, this flower herb has some beneficial properties for your hair, too. Adding this herb in your shampoo or other hair care recipes will lead to stronger, healthier hair. If you are interested in using this cosmetic herb, then you may want to check out exactly how it can benefit your body.What is Red Clover Good For?: Red Clover UsesFirst, you can use the red clover herb to nourish your skin. So, you can use this cosmetic herb to reduce issues due to eczema or psoriasis. Also, this herb can be useful for burns, minor cuts, or skin sores. In fact, this herb can help your skin heal faster. Further, you can use this cosmetic herb to create fantastic bath and body recipes. So, you can use this herb to reduce signs of aging, as this herb contains nutrients that are beneficial to the skin.These nutrients help maintain the keratin in the skin and leave you with a youthful appearance. Also, there are substances called isoflavones that act very similarly to estrogen. Further, these estrogen-like substances in this cosmetic herb can be useful for reducing wrinkles, fine lines, and increasing elasticity. Plus, you can use the red clove herb to improve dry skin. Also, you can use this herb cosmetically to help with acne and other breakouts.Additionally, you can add this dried herb to you handmade hair care products. If you add this herb to cosmetic products for your scalp, then you are in for some fantastic benefits! For instance, this herb is perfect for reducing dandruff. Also, you can reduce you likelihood of scalp infections. Furthermore, this herb contains nutrients that will promote fast, healthy hair growth. So, this cosmetic herb will leave you hair feeling silky soft and looking absolutely stunning.What is Red Clover Good For?: Medicinal UsesNot only does this cosmetic herb have benefits for the outside of the body, but the red clover herb is thought to have health benefits as well. You can use this herb to help provide you with fantastic nutrients. Further, this cosmetic herb will provide you with health benefits that may be useful for helping with certain conditions. So, you will absolutely want to try out the red clover to promote your health. If you are interested in learning even more about the benefits this herb can have for your health, then check out the potential benefits this herb has for your body.What is Red Clover Good For?: Medicinal BenefitsSome women will use this wholesale herb to help deal with symptoms that come along with menopause. This herb can be useful for reducing hot flashes. Also, the red clover herb can help reduce breast pain or tenderness. Further, this herb can even be useful for dealing with menstruation. Some people have even found that this herb can help deal with PMS, or premenstrual syndrome. Also, you can use this herb to help with other hormonal conditions, as this herb contains estrogen and can be used to help balance your hormones.Further, this cosmetic herb can be used to reduce symptoms of an enlarged prostate. So, using this cosmetic herb can help reduce night time urination as well as promoting a good urine flow rate. Plus, adding more red clover to your diet will help promote a positive prostate size. Also, you can use this herb to help boost your immune system with vitamin C. The nutrients in this botanical herb are thought to be useful for stimulating white blood cells. So, this herb can help your body defend its self from all kinds of illnesses. Additionally, this cosmetic herb can be useful for detoxifying the body. This cosmetic herb can be useful as a diuretic, which can help remove toxins.What is Red Clover Good For?: Food and BeveragesOf course, there are all kinds of fantastic reasons that will make you want to add this cosmetic herb to your typical diet. You can gain many of these medicinal benefits just by simply adding this lovely herb to the food you normally eat. Plus, there are all kinds ways that you can incorporate this herb into your diet. If you are interested in learning about some fun and unique recipes, then you will certainly want to check out some of these recipes for scrumptious food and beverages.What is Red Clover Good For?: Types of Food and BeveragesAlso, you can include the red clover herb in some great food and beverage recipes. Many people would describe the taste of this herb as being pleasant. Some people will think that the herb has a common legume taste, which is similar to a bean. So, you can include this herb in all kinds of typical dinner recipes. One way that you can use this cosmetic herb is to create some Red Clover Meatballs from Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism. These scrumptious meatballs perfectly incorporate the wonderful health benefits of this herb. Further, this recipe is perfect for creating a nutritious and delicious dinner!Additionally, you can use this wholesale herb to create beverage recipes, too. In fact, the beverage recipes are just as beneficial and even easier to create! First if all,you can create a beneficial tea with the red clover herb. If you are looking for some tips on making an herbal tea, then check out the recipe for making red clover tea below. Also, there are some other beverage recipes that you can create with this lovely herb. One fun beverage recipe that you can include this herb in is the Red Clover Lemonade from Green Child. This simple lemonade recipe uses a few simple ingredients to create a refreshing and herbal drink!What is Red Clover Good For?: Other UsesOne benefit of this cosmetic herb is that it can be useful for promoting female fertility. This cosmetic herb can be made into a tea and used to help promote fertility. This cosmetic herb is thought to be useful as it is full of estrogen. So, this herb may be able to promote you reproductive functions. This home remedy is especially useful for women with low levels of estrogen, as this herb can help make you hormone levels more regular. Also, there are some people that use this cosmetic herb for helping reduce the chance of cancer. It is thought that this herb can be useful for reducing the possibility of uterus and breast cancer. Additionally, some people will use this cosmetic herb to help with weight loss along with their regular diet and exercise.What is Red Clover Good For?: How to Make Red Clover TeaIf you are interested in the medicinal benefits of the red clover herb, then you will definitely want to try out some scrumptious red clover tea. The Red Clover Tea article from The Right Tea has everything you will need to know about this herbal tea. In this recipe, you can learn even more about all the health benefits. Also, you can learn more about the purposes for the tea, which include heart health, blood purifying, and other benefits! Also, you can get a bit more into the potential risks of this herb. Furthermore, this article even has a simple recipe for making refreshing clover tea, which includes other herbs, like burdock, mint or lemon, that pair absolutely perfectly with this fantastic cosmetic herb!What is Red Clover Good For?: Ask Us Your QuestionsIf you have any more questions about this cosmetic herb or any other of the Natures Garden herbs, then please feel free to reach out to us. You can find us in the store, on the phone, and online. Of course you can always reach out to us in the store or on the phone help line, but our social media page is another easy way to reach out. You can reach out to us on our Facebook page. Also, you can use the handle @ngscents to find us on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. Not only can you reach out on our social media for help and advice, but you can share your own creations and share your ideas with like minded craft makers . We hope to hear from you soon and wish you the best with creating your very own unique bath and body creations!What is Red Clover Good For?: A Note About Our HerbsNote: Natures Garden sells the cosmetic herbs, like the Red Clover herb, for external use only. We do not sell our cosmetic herbs as food items. The information that we provide is only for educational purposes. Further, the information that we provide in this blog is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Further, this information on red clover has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Keep all cosmetic herbs out of reach of children and pets. Special care should be taken by pregnant and/or lactating women when handling herbs. Natures Garden accepts no responsibility (written or implied) for any products you make with our herbs. All testing is the responsibility of the customer.

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Candle Making Equipment
This is a list of candle making equipment. Whether you are just making a few candles as gifts for loved ones, or possibly venturing into the candle making industry; this is the equipment you will need to get started. Please note: Once this equipment has been used to make fragranced candles, it cannot be used again for food purposes.Pouring Pots- Coffee cans used to be perfect pouring pots when they were made of metal. By simply bending the lip on one side of the coffee can, you could make a perfect spout to pour candles. Metal coffee cans still exist, they are just harder to come by now. If you do choose to use metal coffee cans as pouring pots, remember to have plenty of heat resistant safety gloves or pot holders available to assist you in holding the hot can. This only works for metal coffee cans; most companies that sell coffee use plastic cans now. Unfortunately, these types of cans cannot handle the heat from the melted wax and they will melt; compromising your candle wax and making a big mess to clean up.Pouring pots, however, are great for candle making. Not only can they hold up to 4 pounds of melted wax, but they also have a plastic handle on them so there is less chance of burning your hand.In an ideal situation, you will have a pouring pot for each fragrance that you use to make candles. For example, if you carry Apple Cinnamon (red), Blueberry Muffin (blue), Fresh Bamboo (green), and Vanilla Silk (no color), that would equate to 4 total pouring pots. This works because you would never have to worry about jeopardizing your color accuracy or fragrance aromas in finished candles. But, this is only ideally. If you are just starting out, one pouring pot will work. You just have to make sure you thoroughly clean your pouring pot after each use. You also want to make sure you clean the outside and underneath portion of the pouring pot. Having debris or wax on the bottom of your pouring pot could result in splatter when the pouring pot is placed in the water to maintain wax temperature. The hot splatter can be painful. This splatter is also a reason why wearing safety glasses while making candles is a very good idea.Candy Thermometer- Wax temperature is everything when making candles. Usually, if there are problems with your finished candles, temperature has something to do with what went wrong. Using a thermometer to monitor your temperature in wax is one way to prevent these problems from occurring. For best results in candle making, pour any single pour waxes at 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit, and any votive or pillar wax at 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit.Votive and Candle Molds- After purchasing multiple votive molds, you will notice when you receive them, they will be stacked together. Make sure when you try to pull them apart you are wearing heavy duty gloves. The edges of stainless steel votives are extremely sharp. Attempting to pull them apart without gloves will cause cuts on your fingers.When working with candle molds or votive molds, you always want to make sure that before you pour the hot candle wax into the mold that they are at room temperature. Completing this one little step will save you the headache of trying to release the candle later.As for the cleaning process for these types of molds, rub a small amount of shortening in the inside and outside of the molds. Then, place the molds on a cookie sheet upside down. Once the cookie sheet has been carefully placed inside the oven, bake at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes. Once the time has elapsed, simply remove the cookie sheet and wipe the individual molds clean. Caution: The molds will be hot when taken out of the oven, so you may want to use pot holders. Please Note: Never use water with your metal molds.Work Environment- Having a favorable work environment for candle making is a must. Once again, it is all about temperature, and having a room that is 70 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for the best candle making situation. Proper ventilation in the room is necessary, but you also have to remember rooms that have drafts will not work for the natural cooling stages of your candles. Candles that cool too quickly will give you problems with your finished candles aesthetic look or functionality.Work Clothes- These items may sound silly, but you never want to risk wearing one of your favorite outfits while making candles. No matter how neat and careful you are, candle dye is permanent, and getting wax, even the smallest amount, on your clothing will ruin them.Floor Protection- When making candles, a small spill can have detrimental affects to your work area. Besides the facts that candle dyes are permanent, wax messes are not the easiest to clean up, and spilled fragrance oil on a floor is super slippery, you do not want to take any chances especially if your work environment is your kitchen. By purchasing floor mats, or simply placing cardboard on the floor in your work area, you can prevent havoc from occurring. For you own personal safety, this is one perfect work environment step you do not want to skip.Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons- When it comes to measurements for colorants, additives, and fragrance oils, you will want to have your very own candle making stainless steel tools for this portion of the job. Fragrance oils will dissolve certain plastics, stainless steel measurers will not dissolve and can be cleaned time and time again without staining or scent memory.

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Candle Making Terminology
We at Natures Garden know that there is a lot of candle making terminology and techniques that you need to know to make great homemade candles. So, we are going to answer some common candle making questions and problems to make your experience more fun. So, set aside your candle making equipment and let's figure out how to make gorgeous scented candles!Types of CandlesWhat is a Pillar Candle?Pillar candles are free-standing candles that don't require a container. These often use a harder type of candle wax that is made for creating pillar candles, like Pillar of Bliss Wax or Palm Pillar Wax.What is a Votive Candle?Votive Candles are a smaller kind of candle. The average size is 1.5 ounces and they are about two inches tall and one and a half inches wide. These are often made with a Votive Mold.What is a Tealight Candle?Tea Lights are very small candles that are about an inch and a half wide and a half inch tall. They can be made in Tea Light Cups .Candle FragrancesWhat Does Fragrance Load Mean?In candle making, fragrance load refers to the amount of fragrance oil that you are using in your homemade candle recipe.My Candle Wax Will Hold a 10% Fragrance Load. How Do I Know How Much to Add?All you need to do is some simple math that we will walk you through! First, weigh the amount of candle wax you are using. Then, multiply this amount by 0.10, which is 10% to determine the amount of fragrance oil that you can use. Formula: Candle Wax Weight X Fragrance Percentage = Amount of Fragrance That Can Be Added Example: 20 (ounces of candle wax) X 0.10 = 2 ounces of fragrance oil So, since your candle wax is in ounces, the fragrance amount that can be added to the candle wax will also be in ounces.What Does Scent Throw Mean?The scent throw is the strength of fragrance that the candle releases into the air. Cold throw is the strength of scent when the candle is not lit yet. Hot throw is the strength of the scent throw when the candle is lit and burning.Candle WaxesWhat Kind of Wax Should I Use for Candles?Choosing a candle wax type depends on the type of candle that you want to create. So, the isn't a universal answer to the question, "Which is the best wax for candle making?" For example, pillar candles would require a pillar wax, which includes Pillar of Bliss Candle Wax and Palm Pillar Wax. The Pillar of Bliss Wax is a blend of soy and paraffin that has a great scent throw and a creamy finish. The Palm Pillar Wax has a crystal finish, has a wonderful scent throw, and comes form sustainable sources.However, container candles would be best with a container wax, which includes soy wax, Joy wax, WOW Wax, palm wax, and gel wax. Soy wax would make a great, inexpensive addition to your natural candle making supplies. It has a clean burn and and excellent cold throw, but it can be tricky to get a good hot throw from certain fragrances. Wow wax is mostly paraffin and has an amazing hot throw, but has a less clean burn. Joy wax is a perfect blend of paraffin wax and soy wax, as well as veggie wax and proprietary ingredients, that provides a cleaner burn with an amazing scent throw. Gel wax has a neat translucent look, but is not compatible with all fragrance oils. Our palm wax comes from sustainable sources that aren't harming the rainforest, has a beautiful crystal appearance, and a great scent throw.What is Granulated Wax?Simply, this is wax that is grainy and looks kind of like sand. This wax can be scented and colored without melting, so it is a easy and fun way to create candles with kids. We have made candle recipes like the Bacon Candle Recipe and the Hydrangea Candle Recipe with this type of wax.Crucial TemperaturesDo I Need to Worry About the Temperatures When Making Candles?Yes, this is very important for creating quality homemade candles! There are a few key moments where you will need a thermometer to be aware of the temperature of your wax. First, you need to make sure that your fragrance oil isn't added at a temperature that is too hot. If your fragrance is added at a temperature that is too high, then some of the notes may burn off and leave you with a less satisfying scent. Another issue is pouring your wax into the container too soon. If you pour at a temperature that is too cool, you could have improper adhesion, wet spots, sinking, and other issues. So, be sure to check your wax's description to see the temperature that is should be poured.What does sinkhole mean?Sinkhole is a hole or cavity that appears on your candle as it is setting up. Often, this occurs when the candle wax is poured at too low of a temperature.Can You Cool a Candle in the Fridge?No, candles should cool as slowly as possible on their own. If you place a candle in the fridge to cool, they may not adhere to the glass properly, which can lead to wet spots.Candle WicksChoosing the Right WickThe size of your wick depends on the diameter of your container. You can see the radius for each wick under it's description. However, you will still need to test because there are many variable between wax type and fragrance oil. A fragrance with a high flash point and high specific gravity, like vanilla, requires a hotter burn. But, low flash point scents with low specific gravity, like citrus, need a smaller wick. Also, you may hear the terms "wick up' and "wick down" when talking about find the right wick size. Wick down means that you should use a wick that is smaller than what you have been using and wick up means that you should use a wick that is larger than what you use for candles this size.How Do You Stop a Candle From Tunneling?If you don't know, tunneling is often the answer for the question, "Why isn t my candle wax not burning evenly all of the way down?" Tunneling can happen for a few reasons, which includes issues with wick size. If your wick is too small for the diameter of your candle, then it will not burn all the way to the outside edge. So, you may either need a larger wick, multiple wicks, or a different type of wick that will burn hotter.However, there are a few other issues that could cause tunneling. If you think your wick is the right size, then look into some of these potential issues, First, you may have a clogged wick, which can cause uneven burning. Also, it could be that you didn't do a memory burn for the candle's first use to ensure a proper burn. Finally, you may need to use a wax that has a lower melt point that is easier for you chosen wick to handle.Why Are My Candle Jars Black After I Burn My Candles?Often, this occurs when you wick is too big for your jar or your wick is too long. If your wick is trimmed down to 1/4 inch, then the length is fine. You can check the suggested radius for your wick to see if you need to get a smaller size. Also, using too much fragrance can clog the wick and cause more soot than normal.Do Candle Wicks Contain Lead?No, candle wicks in the Unites States, like ours, do not contain lead. In fact, lead core wicks were banned in the US in 2003.Proper BurningWhat is a Memory Burn?This is the first burn of your candles and is the most important. This burn will set the boundary of your melt pool and will determines whether the edges of your candle will be reached. A guide is to burn an hour for every inch your candle is wide to ensure that it will burn properly as it is used in future burns. Also, you will want to make sure that you wick isn't too low and isn't longer than 1/4 inch high.What Does Melt Pool Mean?Melt Pool is the candle wax that has melted on the top of the candle. Ideally, you will want this to be all the way across the top of your candle to ensure an even burn.What Does Mushrooming Mean in Candle Making?When I notice black clumps on top of my wick, I know that it is mushrooming. While all wick produce this carbon as they burn, some are worse than others. Also, factors that clog the wick can increase the mushrooming effect. The CD wicks produce the least amount of mushrooming, but there isn't a way to completely stop it due to it being a product of burning the wick.Candle ColoringHow Do You Color a Candle?There are a few different candle colorant options for your home made candles. First, you can use our Liquid Candle Dyes, which are extremely concentrated and will last a long time. Also, you can use a color block, which is made with paraffin, vegan, and can color up to 15 pounds of wax. Lastly, you can use a bit of powder dye. Just be careful not to use too much because it can clog your wick.Can You Use Crayons to Make Candles?We do not suggest using crayons to color candles. They don't burn properly and are likely to clog your wick.What is a UV Light Inhibitor?Since UV light from the sun can bleach the color out of candles, the UV light inhibitor is used to protect the color of your candles. This candle ingredient is most useful for preventing fading in burgundy, blue, and violet candle colors due to direct sunlight.How Do I Color My Candles White?While titanium dioxide can be used to create white pillar candles, you don't want to add it straight to your container candles as it can clog your wick.Candle AppearanceHow Do I Get Rid of Wet Spots on My Candles?Wet spots are air pockets that are formed when your candle didn't adhere properly to your candle jar. You can take a few steps to prevent this if you are having problems. First, try warming your candle jars to give you wax more time to cool. Also, you can try pouring your wax at a hotter temperature. Another good tip is to make sure the room your are making your candles in a room that is warm.What Is Frosting In Candle Making?Frosting is the white stuff that appears on waxes that contain soy wax. You can use a heat gun or blow dryer to re-melt the surface and give it a smoother finish. While you can lessen the effect of frosting, you can't eliminate it completely.What Are Jump Lines?These are the line that you can see on the side of either a container candle or a pillar candle.Progression of CandlesAs you can tell, there is a lot that goes into candle making. But, it is a process that has been developed overtime and takes time to master. If you are interested in learning a bit about the evolution of candles, then check out The History of Candles from Prehistoric Times Until Now by Pioneer Thinking.Talk to UsIf you have any more questions about candle making, you can look at our candle making classes or just ask us! We are on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ngscents).