Homemade Toothpaste

My son is now 15 months old! He is walking, talking (his favorite words are Mama, Dada, duck, and uh oh!), and he just recently popped his first molar. Now that he is popping teeth in earnest (he is up to #11 with three more coming in), my husband and I are getting concerned about his oral hygiene. Before now, we would hand him his toddler toothbrush and watch as he chewed away on it, mimicking us as we brushed. We always made sure to give him water after juice or other sweets to rinse his mouth... But now, we want to start really brushing.

However, my husband has some concerns about fluoride found in toothpaste and in our city's water supply. For the most part, our son drinks spring water or breast milk, but we are wanting to eliminate fluoride as much as we can.

So, I've done a bit of research, and today, I made our first batch of homemade toothpaste!

Here's what you need to make your own:
-1 cup baking soda
-1/8 cup fine salt (You can leave out the salt if you want. I have seen other recipes call for 1/4 cup of salt, but I found that to be a bit too salty.)
-water (enough to give the mix a paste-like consistency)
-flavoring (a baking flavor, like peppermint, cinnamon, strawberry, lemon, etc.)

Combine your ingredients and store them in a clean container with a seal. Rubbermaid food containers work well, and are cheap! I found a nice, glass container with a seal lid for under $2.

In the end, you will have a liquid paste (about the consistency of glue) to brush your teeth with! It will not be foamy like commercial toothpaste, but it cleans sooo well and leaves your mouth feeling really fresh! The baking soda naturally eliminates odors in your mouth! Just make sure to use a soft-bristle brush...

Now I am not worried about my son swallowing toothpaste anymore! :oD Plus, we are lowering our impact on the environment by using a product without any unnatural chemicals and we are not producing any waste from the traditional toothpaste container and box. Bonus!!

Happy Creating!

Know your Oils: Olive oil

Olive oil! Everyone knows olive oil! A staple in the culinary world, the production of Olive oil is said to have began as early as 3500 BCE! Even Homer, the famous Greek behind The Odyssey and The Iliad is said to have called olive oil "liquid gold." The oil is extracted by pressing olives grown in the Mediterranean region of the world, and is used in cooking, soap making, and religious ceremonies!

Image courtesy of itsfordinner.com

Olive oil is an excellent base for soap, and is the main ingredient in all of our soaps! Olive oil creates a mild bar of soap that is good for all skin types. Some people even bathe their babies in pure olive oil soap due to its mildness! It is said that olive oil based soaps are excellent for helping to repair skin damage caused by wind, sun, or environmental hazards (like smoking and pollution).
Olive oil is also an excellent cleanser! I mean, soap is there to get you clean, right? Olive oil will adhere to dirt, which can be rinsed off, getting you cleaner! And olive oil will not clog your pores as it cleanses!
Olive oil is common in beauty regimens. Olive oil can be smoothed onto hair to create shine!

All of our soaps contain a base of olive oil, and we are working on a formula for castille soap, which is pure 100% olive oil! Make sure to check out my Etsy shop to see my olive oil based soaps.

For more info on olive oil, check out:
The Olive Oil Source
Olives 101

Happy Creating, everyone!

Why Handmade Soap?

I am sure that many of you who stumbled onto this blog must be thinking, Why should I use handmade soap? My commercial soap is just as good!

Well, I am here to tell you why!

Handmade soap is amazing! It is made using real oils, butters, and waxes, so you know that the stuff you are rubbing on your skin is natural! And when lye (sodium hydroxide) is added to these oils, a chemical reaction takes place that turns the oils into glycerine!

Wait, what? Your soaps have lye in them! I know what lye can do to someone! I've seen Fight Club!

Actually, once the chemical reaction takes place, and the soap has had ample time to cure, the lye is gone! All that is left is the byproduct, glycerine, which is a natural cleanser!

But, my soap from the store is working just fine.

Actually, did you know that most commercial "soaps" are actually not soap at all? If you look closely on most labels, your "soap" bars are actually called detergents or washes. These cleansers actually use synthetic chemicals to clean the body, rather than natural glycerine. In fact, most cleansers start off with glycerine, but the glycerine is removed! And most commercial cleansers contain paraffins and petrolium byproducts, which can be harmful to sensitive skin. In fact, doctors and midwives are now starting to sugest that pregnant women avoid cleansers with chemicals in them, like paraffins and propylene glycol.

So, now what?

Well, look into handmade soap! Always make sure to check the labels for products that might be irritants or cause allergic reactions. For instance, I have some soaps that are made with sweet almond oil. Folks allergic to almonds may need to steer clear! Handmade soaps can also contain colorants, both natural (like cocoa powder or parsley) or synthetic (such as micas or dyes). Scents can range from fragrance oils (synthetic) to essential oils (plant derived). (Caution: always check out a fragrance oil before using it! Certian ones can cause bodily complications! For instance, citrus EOs are known to make the skin more sensitive to the sun's rays, and rosemary EO is supposed to be avoided by folks with blood pressure problems!)
And many folks with various skin conditions, from mild sensitivities, to eczema and psoriasis have found that handmade soaps made with natural ingredients have helped ease their symptoms!

For more information on the benefits of handmade soap:
My Health and Fitness.com

Craft Tutorial: Feather Quill Pen

For years, I have always loved the idea of writing letters and cards and poems with a real feather quill, dipping the ink in an ink pot and scribbling away... And I finally made it happen! I made my own feather quill!

Do you want to make one, too?
Then good! You are in the right place!

Supplies:
A feather (I used a big fake one from my hobby store.)
A quill nib (found in the calligraphy section, near the paint supplies)
Electrical tape
Ribbon
Scissors
Pliers
Hot glue gun with glue sticks

1. I first started by measuring out my feather's ends to "feel" like a pen in my hand, which turned out to be about half of the wire at the end. I folded it over using the pliers and used the electrical tape to tape the ends together.

2. After wrapping the tape down most of the wire, I attached the quill nib with hot glue and wrapped over the top with more tape.

3. I wrapped the tape over the wire about 3 more times to get the approximate thickness of a regular pen.

4. Using hot glue, I wrapped my ribbon over the tape.

And that's it! Super easy, and the pen works great! You can find loads of ink in a variety of colors in your local hobby store, or you can buy ink on Etsy! Here is a store that sells scented ink... Guess who might be getting some of it in her stocking at Christmas?!? :o)

Happy Crafting!

Know your Oils: Cocoa Butter

Photograph by AgricultureSouce.com

Cocoa Butter has been around a very long time in the culinary world as well as the cosmetic world. Cocoa butter is one of the main ingredients used in both milk chocolate and white chocolate. It is completely edible, and can be used in baked goods as well. The natural form of cocoa butter is a creamy color and has a slight chocolate smell to it!
In the world of cosmetics, cocoa butter has always been reccomended for pregnant women to help reduce stretch marks. It's also found in lip balms and products used to heal dry and cracked skin. It is a fantastic moustiruzer, and a pot of it can last for years!

When used in soap, cocoa butter helps to add hardness to the bar, as well as creamy lather when used. Its lovely moisturizing property can be found in soap when used to superfat, and it helps to create a barrier between the skin and the envorinment. And in regular cocoa butter, the cocoa smell will sometimes come through! Yummy! (Unscented cocoa butter can be found as well!)

You can find cocoa butter at most stores, but I buy mine from my local health food store. I actually try to look for the "Fair Trade" logo on most special oils that I buy. "Fair Trade" simply means that companies are committed to buying products (like cocoa butter and palm oil) from developing countries at fair prices. Fair Trade is also applied to other items, like fruit, wine, coffee (probably the most well known fair trade product), and gold, among others.

As of this writing, I have only used cocoa butter in one soap, which is currently in the "curing" stage. In the curing stage, cold process soaps are losing water and becoming hard. This soap (see right) was made with cocoa butter, colored with cocoa powder, and is scented with a fragrance oil called "Chestnuts and brown sugar", which is a sweet, rich, warm smell that goes along perfectly with the undertones of cocoa!

Happy creating, everyone!!

Know your Oils: Coconut Oil

Coconuts are great in pies, cakes, pina coladas, and perfect for making radios on deserted islands, but did you know that Coconut oil has tons of benefits for your skin?
Coconut oil has been used as a moisturizer for the skin, scalp, and hair for centuries. It can be used to make hair shine, and straight oil can be massaged into the scalp to help relieve dandruff!

When used in soap, coconut oil is beneficial by making the bars hard. The coconut oil in my soap usually consists of around 30% of the total oils. Some people find that higher percentages of the oil tend to be drying, but lower percentages can be moisturizing! Coconut oil usually consists of 100% of the oils found in salt bars, because this amazing oil can actually create suds in salt water!

Coconut oil, which is found in the bakery isle of your local grocery store, is also excellent to cook with. It can be used to grease, cook, and fry, and can be beneficial for people with sensitive digestive systems. When ingested, CO aids the body by helping with the absorption of minerals! This helps strengthen the bones and teeth. It is also a healthy and economic alternative to cooking with animal fats, and is a good substitute for people looking to lose weight.

For more information on coconut oil, check out these sites:
LiveStrong.com
Natural-Soap-Making.com

All of my soaps contain coconut oil, and it even makes up 30% of the base of my lip balms! Check out my shop to see my products!

Know your Oils: Jojoba Oil

Psst! I am starting a new series called "Know your Oils", where I talk about the properties of the beneficial oils I use in my soaps! Tune in weekly (Thursdays or Fridays!) to learn about how your skin can benefit from these amazing, earth-based soaps!

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One of the ingredients that I find myself using a lot in my soaps is a wax called Jojoba oil. Pronounced ho-HO-ba oil, the liquid wax comes from the jojoba shrub in warm climates like Southern California and Mexico.

Jojoba oil has many benefits to human skin. Jojoba absorbs well into the skin, and is a fantastic moisturizer. Jojoba will not irritate the eyes, so it is safe to use the plain oil as a make-up remover! Jojoba can be found in shampoos, lip balms, and lotions! I like to use it in my soaps because it will not go rancid after a period of time, and is one of the more stable oils on the market. I usually add my jojoba oil towards the end of the soap making process as a superfat (extra oil not consumed in the soap-making process).

For more information on Jojoba oil, check out this website!
You can buy Jojoba oil at most health food stores, and at vitamin shops.

I currently have a few soaps on the market which contain Jojoba oil... Make sure to go check them out!

Unscented Tallow Soap with Jojoba Oil, in Purple, Green, and Yellow

Set of 3 CP Soaps, Fall Leaves scented with Apple and Mint jelly, Vegan

Happy Soaping, everyone!

Soaping Corner and Soap Preview

I've always had a crafting desk in my apartment, where I (tried!) to keep all of my crafting supplies and finished products... but when I began preparing in earnest for my soap shop, I quickly outgrew my little desk! If you came into my place, you wouldnt see a kitchen table, but storage for totes of supplies, fragrances, and oils. You wouldnt see a miniature bookshelf, you would see two or three batches of soap curing in their molds. And you definetly wouldnt see my crafting desk, but you would see soaps curing by the dozens!

So, after much brainstorming, my husband and I set out for shelving for my crafting corner...

And here's the results!

On the top shelf are my soaps ready to wrap and photograph, and my finished crochet projects.
Farther down are soaps that are curing. I found these excellent kitchen shelves at Wal-mart, and they are wonderful for making my tiny space a little larger!
In the middle are my soap gloves, my utensils and sharp objects (gotta keep them out of baby's reach!), my additives and herbs, and my fragrance oils and dyes.
Towards the bottom are my molds and mixing bowls (my toddler has already discovered them and has learned that he can throw them around!).
And on the bottom shelf are my large bottles of oil and my shipping envelopes.

And here's a sneak preview of soaps to come!

On the left is my batch of rosemary and patchouli soaps, which I colored green and brown using a column swirl.

In the middle is a batch of hand-molded vegan oatmeal soap.

And to the left is a batch of vegan lavender soap, with lavender buds embeded in it! (And you can see some more fall leaves curing as well.)

Look for these awesome soaps on sale in my Etsy shop in about a month, once they are ready to use!

Hooray for breathing room in my craft space! Happy creating, everyone!

Second Spring Soaps on Etsy is LIVE!

What a first day it has been! I have posted 20 listings (and let me tell you, those listings were tedious, especially while juggling a toddler!), I have all of my photos ready to go, the soaps are weighed, and all of my hard work and perperation over the last three months is finally paying off.

And on my first day back at Etsy,my shop already has 51 views (!!) and I was featured in 3 treasuries!! Wow, what a welcome back!

If you have a moment, take the time to go see these three fabulous treasuries, and visit some other artists and view their work.

Leaf on Fire, curated by cielorosa

A Squeeze of El Limon, curated by kittyloobg

Fall Leaves, curated by ElvenGrove

I just wanted to take out a moment to thank these wonderful artists for featuring me!! Whoo! What a great first day back on the job!

Etsy and Relevancy

Although I have been absent from the Etsy scene over the past few months while preparing to open my bath and body shop, I have tried to stay current on any changes that the Etsy staff, and its new CEO, have been making. One of the big changes was to searches, making "Relevancy" searches the default search, instead of "most recent", the old default search.

I decided to compile a list of tips from other Etsy members that have helped their items appear higher on relevancy searches. I originally did this for my own benefit, but I decided to post them here was well, in case any Etsy members needed the help as well!

Here's just a few things that I have learned:

• When titling your item, make sure that the exact phrase of your item is actually in the title. For example, the title "Crochet Cotton Washcloth Set in Pink" is a better title than "Baby Pink, Hand Crochet, Washcloth, Organic Cotton".
• When titling, the first few words of your title will count towards relevancy more than the words at the end of the title.
• Use your item tags and categories very carefully!! Try to use all 14 tags for your item, and repeat key words from your title in your tags. Also, many people have had success with making their key word from the title of the item the FIRST tag. So, if my item is "Bath Tea Set with Rosemary, Mint, and Salts", then my first tag should be "Bath Tea".
  
• In tags, Etsy is now allowing sellers to use "phrases" in tags. For instance, a seller can now tag an item as "short sleeved tunic" instead of "short sleeved" and "tunic". However, sellers have noticed that they get better search results when all one-word tags are used first, then the remaining tags are filled with phrase tagging. Also, be careful not to stuff tags!! Tagging a rainbow item with "red yellow orange blue green purple" is still against the rules!!
• One of the first changes that has came to Etsy since their new CEO has arrived is the "Shop Stats" feature. It allows a seller to see where their views are coming from, on which items, and what key words were searched. Use shop stats to your advantage! Use your top key words, and variations of these key words, in your titles!

For more tips, you can check out this admin post, or search through the forums at Etsy!

Happy Hunting!

Crochet Washcloth Pattern

One of the series of items that I will be offering in my Etsy shop will be sets of 3 hand made washcloths. I have been using 100% USA grown cotton, and I've even kept a few for myself! I was my toddler with these nightly!

If you are interested in making these great, economical, and eco friendly, here is the simple pattern that I created:

Simple Cotton Washcloth

Need: Cotton yarn, size I crochet needle
ch: Chain
DC: double crochet
SC: single crochet

1. ch 20, turn
2. DC in each stitch, turn, ch 1
3. SC in each stitch, turn, ch 2
repeat sets 2-3 3 times, for a total of 8 rows
FO

Or, if you are not interested in making your own, these washcloths will be available for sale next week on my Etsy shop! They will be sold in matching groups of three!

Happy creating!!

Bergamot Eclipse and Honey Oatmeal

This week, I have been working on two delicious new soaps!

The first is a new soap of my own design. I call it "Bergamot Eclipse."

I started off by creating a half-circle loaf of bergamot soap, colored a rich gray by using powdered activated charcoal, which has a wonderful detoxifying effect on the body! After letting that set for a few days, it was removed and trimmed. Over the top and sides, I poured a lovely bergamot-scented accent soap colored with powdered tumeric, giving the soap a lovely, pale yellow tint!


Before letting the soap completely set, I gave the top a little swirl, which seemed to give the soap a life of its own!



Well, last night, I decided to venture in to very familiar soaping territory... Oatmeal and Honey! Nearly ever soap maker has made their own version of the classic Oatmeal and Honey soap, so I decided it was high time for me to head that way as well!

I started off by using regular old oatmeal (not the quick-cook stuff, the real oatmeal!) and I ground it up into powder using my Magic Bullet. I added the oatmeal to my soap batter once the batter had reached a nice, medium trace, and I added pure honey as well. I did not add any scents or dyes... I tried to keep this batch as natural as possible!
I am so excited about this batch, and I have not even cut it yet!

I added whole oats on top to give it a nice, country feel! And I had enough batter left over to make a 6 ounce teddy bear bar (one of my favorite molds! And a great thrift store find!)

They will be all cured up and ready for purchase at my Etsy shop by mid-September!

Getting started!

21 days until my shop opens on Etsy!!

I have been hard at work for the past 3 months, creating beautiful, bubbly soaps, crocheting handsome washcloths, sewing up muslin tea bags for bath teas, and now, I am focusing on my blog and my facebook page!

I recently uploaded pictures of the soap making process. If you are interested, check them out here. I start with my lye, water, and oils, and end up with beautiful yellow and orange swirled soap!

Make sure to "like" my Facebook page while you are there!