My Soap Diary

23/09/11

Hiya everyone, I'm sorry I really feel like I'm neglecting all you guys, but my word its been another busy week, I should be used to this by now, but it always creeps up on me, I've finished another wholesale order and 3 out of the 12 buntings are ready, all the fabric has been cut its just stitching them together, I could make my life easier by doing them on a sewing machine, but where would the fun be, but I do wonder sometimes whether I take on too much, with a poorly husband and a disabled child too, but hey, I'm not the sort of person to sit around all day and do nothing, I think I drive my husband mad because of that, but like the Bon Jovi song "I'll sleep when I'm dead" lol. I have also made another 2 batches of Rose & Ylang Ylang soap as well today. My word I think I'm going to treat myself tonight to a nice glass of wine and a pat on the back.

26/09/11

We are now getting close to the launch of the soaps, all the packaging is here, and today we played around with it, yey!!!

I must say I am quite pleased with the packaging, I know it will  probably need refining, but that comes with time and practise. We were going to keep the soap's on the TVO natural skincare site, but scott got creative so we have now launched or should I say launching, www.thelittlecornishsoapcompany.com site, because we are not quite ready yet.

I love working under my own steam, because I am sat here with a lovely cuppa and a fresh cream scone. I have made 4 more batches of soap today, but it never seems enough lol. The Flower Fairy Bunting I'm making is coming along lovely, and it’s a good way of relaxing, it’s the one thing in my life that isn't stressful, I know its for an order and I know I only have until next Tuesday to complete it, but I can sit down in the evening and watch tele while making it. Don't get me wrong I'm not falling out of love with making the soap or the skincare but when you have a major task master cracking the whip, telling you, you need so many of each to be made, it does tend to take the edge off it, I know when I have bulked up the stock I will only need to make a couple of batches each week to keep on top of the stock, then I will enjoy it. Mind you I am nearly there, I don’t need to make any more Gardeners, Rose & Ylang Ylang or Rosehip & Geranium. So that’s 3 down 7 to go lol.

My Soap Diary

Sunflower & Calendula Soap

13/09/11

Hiya everyone, sorry I've been kinda busy setting up at St Swithians for a craft fair and getting orders out, so I haven't made any soaps for at least 3 days and believe it or not I've already got withdrawal symptom's lol. Ah well, but I have cut up all the blocks I have made and I must say they are looking good and smell great, hopefully I will get back into the swing of making tomorrow, I will be ordering the rest of my packaging next week so I will be able to start wrapping my first batches which should be ready the last week of the month, so the Lavender & Thyme slices and the Oatmeal & Honey chunks will be on the website by the 1st October I cant wait.

Rose & Ylang Ylang Soap

14/09/11

Well I've been busy busy busy today, after getting rid of the kids to school, feeding the husband and walking the dog, I finally made a start at 10am, I was quite surprised I actually made 3 loaves of soap, which was the Rosehip & Geranium. I know it doesn't sound much, but as I am working around 3 children and a poorly husband having the time to make 3 loaves is a good day lol. I then cut chunks of The Gardeners, the Sunflower & Calendula and The Rosewood Shaving Soap, (which smells amazing, its now gone from a Gingerbread to a liquorice fragrance). At 4 o'clock I thought I would call it a day and leave the rest until tomorrow, mainly because I have had an order for 12 strings of Flower Fairy bunting and the fabric arrived yesterday so I need to crack on with that tonight. Well its now 8pm and I have cut up 2 pieces of fabric and made 24 individual flags which are now ready to be stitched together, I am calling it a night.

15/09/11

Well that’s another hard days work over with, it started pretty much the same but today I have made 4 trays of Gardeners Soap, I did have a close call, just a warning, I doesn't matter if your wearing Rubber Gloves & Goggles, well to say it doesn't matter it does what I'm trying to say is, even though I was wearing the right gear I thought I got lye solution in my eye, I took my goggles off to wash up and a bit of water from the sink splashed up when I put everything in, I felt a sting and then my eye got all blood shot, so I followed instructions by rinsing my eye with cold water, but luckily it wasn't it must have just been a bit of washing up liquid, but to say it didn’t scare me was an understatement, so be careful, like I said it doesn’t matter if your wearing the full gear, you let your guard down and the lye could still get you, I know it sounds a bit mellow dramatic but hey isn't better to be dramatic and stop someone else getting hurt or just brush it off and not mention it. I know what I would prefer.

 Lavender & Thyme Soap

 Citrus Cleanser

Rose & Ylang Ylang

Gardeners Soap

Sunflower & Calendula

Rosehip & Geranium

18/09/11

Well that was another busy week, I de-moulded the Rosehip & Geranium and the Gardeners Soap yesterday, both are looking really nice, I am going to leave them until mid week before I cut them. The reason I'm doing this is mainly because they have hardened up slightly, and they are less likely to squish when you cut them and get all mis-shaped.

I have really enjoyed doing the soaps again, even though I was only going to do a couple and it seems to have taken control and doubled, I now have a further 10 recipes ready to send off, but they wont be launched until after Christmas.

Its not just about Soap

09/09/11

Hi there everyone, I hope you are enjoying my soap diary as much as I am writing it, but I was thinking the other day, it shouldn’t just be about soap, I do so many other things as well, so I am now going to add some new bits.  I have always had a fascination with herbs and oils, but I have never had the time to do anything about it, well hopefully in the next coming months I will finally be able to. I have studied Aromatherapy although not in depth, but I have enough knowledge and understanding in the Values and Usage of oils. Now its time to learn everything I can about Herbalism, as it is one of the oldest & original forms natural healing & natural medicine. And the more we can learn about our environment the more we can learn about how to heal, as many scientists have said there is a cure for every disease in this world we just have to know where to look & find it, but its also about the knowledge & understanding of nature and taking the patience to look & learn what she has to offer, so below is just a taster of what other things are to come. You may ask yourselves why have I done a section on Herbal Vinegars & Oils well Herbalism is also as much about healing the inside as well as the outside.

HERBAL VINEGAR AND OILS: MAKE AND MARKET YOUR OWN

Herbal vinegars and oils are products that have become increasingly popular in kitchens around the world. Bottles of them line the shelves of gourmet cooking shops and upscale delicatessens.

When a herb is steeped in an oil or vinegar base, the flavour of the herb permeates this base. Dashed into soups and stews, used in marinades or splashed onto fresh salad greens, these oils and vinegars are a cook's delight.

If you have a herb garden underway, you may want to look at these herbal gift products you can make and market yourself. Home-made oils and vinegars are attractive to many people and they sell nicely at farmer's markets and craft fairs. They usually do not require a lot of effort and expensive equipment to make or to package.

Popular herbs for vinegars are majoram, mint, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. Other herbs which make good vinegars are basil, bay, dill, lemon balm and sage.

Making the Base

Use apple cider or any good white vinegar as a base. just before they flower for the best Use about one cup of herbs for each two cups of vinegar.

Method

Crush or bruise the leaves and loosely pack them into a large clean jar. Pour slightly warmed vinegar over them to cover and place a non-metallic lid over the jar. Be sure all of the herbs are covered with the vinegar so that they do not mould.

Place the jar in a dark cupboard, so that the leaves retain their colour, and shake or stir daily for two weeks. Test for flavour at the end of that time. You can always add more herbs for a stronger taste or leave it as is.

When it's ready, strain the herbs through a piece of cheesecloth and place the vinegar into an attractive bottle. I use old salad dressing bottles which have been sterilized. You can buy new bottles in many different colours for your product.

Three Bottling Tips

Place a single sprig of the herb into the bottle for easy identification.

Find a label for your product. There are many interesting stick-on labels available from stationery stores. Some have stunning Celtic borders or borders of bright fruit and flowers. You can also computer-generate labels, adding interesting colours and designs.

Create your own unusual label - you can write on it the date, name of the vinegar and identify yourself as the grower of the herb. Labels can then be further adorned with small stickers - I often use tiny moon and star images, making each bottle unique.

Now you may want to think of a name for your new herbal vinegar business!

Dual flavours

As you become confident with the process, try experimenting with dual flavours. I have combined basil-mint, dill-lemon balm and thyme-rosemary with great success.

You can also try floral vinegars by using edible flowers - lavender, rose petals, pinks, violets and marigolds. Fruit vinegars can be made from almost any type of berry, although raspberries are the most commonly used.

Fruit should be bruised before the vinegar is added. Once it has steeped to your satisfaction, strain into a pot, add a little sugar to taste, and simmer on the stove for 3 - 5 minutes. Skim off the foam as it develops and let the mixture cool before pouring it into your attractive bottles.

Popular herbs for oils are basil, garlic, fennel, majoram, mint, oregano and thyme. Rosemary, tarragon and savory can also be used.

As with herb vinegars, you can loosely pack your bruised herbs into a jar and covered with the warmed oil. Use a good quality safflower, grapeseed or olive oil and be sure all the herbs are completely covered by it. Close the jar with a non-metal lid and let the oil sit in a sunny window to steep. Allow it to steep for at least three weeks and stir daily. When it is ready, strain it through cheesecloth, bottle and label.

Making oils

Oils can be used much like the vinegars - wherever you want a fresh dash of flavour. Use in marinades, over salads or for frying. Basil oil is particularly delicious on salad or poured over sliced tomatoes. Fry sliced potatoes and onions in an oregano or thyme oil and you will have the taste of Spain!

In the next part of this I will be talking about Aromatherapy Bath & Massage oils

My Soap Diary

08/09/11

Its amazing how tiring making stock is, I fell asleep at 9 last night and today I feel like I've been partying the night away, so I decided to have the day off, apart from taking the other soaps out of their moulds.

I removed the Sunflower & Calendula Logs out of their mould, they were covered in a light film of oil, this isn't a major problem as soap tends to re-absorb any oil that’s sat on the surface, but it will better for me if I leave this soap to cure for the full 6 weeks, I will cut this soap after a week of drying out. The Citrus Cleanser, I don’t know if McVities still do them but does anyone remember Jaspers, well that’s what my Citrus Cleanser Soap smells like, yummy. The Rose & Ylang Ylang soap looks absolutely fine, the Rose petals which I scattered on top have turned black but that’s down to the oils again they will dry out. I will look at cutting this soap probably on Monday. The Rosewood Shaving Soap's are I think going to take the full 6 weeks as well, the Castor oil seems to make the initial soaps soft and moist so we'll see how they dry out over the next 6 weeks, but on the upside of things they smell like warm Gingerbread.

Crikey that was hard work its taken just over an hour, 2 freezer trips and a heck of a lot of banging to get the Lavender & Thyme Soap out of the mould, The second batch of Sunflower & Calendula just slipped out no problem at all.

Lol I have just read the last couple of lines and it makes soap making sound quite saucy lol..

My Soap Diary

07/09/11

Well all three children left for school this morning, our house was like "The first day of the Next Sale" lol I didn’t know whether I was coming or going, I needed a brandy in my coffee once they had gone lol….

So now on with the important stuff, SOAP MAKING….

I have just taken my Gardeners Soap out of the mould with a little help from the freezer, yes that’s right, it was being stubborn so I put it in the freezer for half an hour and hey presto out it pops, I also checked on the 1st batch of the Sunflower & Calendula (that was the disaster at the beginning of the week) and it looks lovely, I'm still not going to take it out of the mould until Friday to give it a better chance. I made my 2nd batch of Lavender & Thyme Soap, this one is going into the chunks while the first one was sliced, hopefully this afternoon I am going to make the Sunflower & Calendula one, again this one will be in the form of chunks as well and then that will be it for the day as I have just about run out of Moulds. Yippeeee my Cornish Spring Water has just turned up, thank you Just Water Ltd.

Well over the past couple of days I've learnt so much about soap making, some of it is basic common sense, which is in very short supply in my life and some of it you learn as you go and hope beyond all hope that it turns out ok, here are just a few, for those of you that are just starting out:

1. Castor Oil seizes the mixture, so you need to move quick.
2. The Sunflower & Calendula mixture is sloppier than all the rest, even though I do nothing different.
3. The freezer is a god send when having difficulty get the soaps out of the moulds, even if you loose a little with the fragrance.

            And finally

4. 48hrs is better than 24hrs for curing.

My Soap Diary

06/09/11

Happy Tuesday to all those parents who have Kids that go back to School today, we have our lives back Yippppeee. Now on with the soap making.

Well that went great, I have just finished making the Rose & Ylang Ylang Soap with added Goats Milk, and out of the whole lot that was the smoothest, I must be getting the hang of it now, hey! I better not speak to soon I have 2 other Soap's to make today, The Citrus Cleanser and Rosewood & Honey Shaving Soap, so there's still time for it all to go pear shaped…(Ye o'little faith!)  It had to be raining today, because how mean do I feel, booting the dog outside while doing the lye, its typical the rain had stopped for 5 sec's and the moment I think great and put him out it absolutely buckets it down so he now looks like a drowned rat and the filthy looks I'm getting, no amount of soap will clean them up, thank god for Ginger Nut biscuits lol…. I will win him back round….

See I told you I spoke too soon, I found out today Castor Oil can seize the soap mixture, well I presume it was the Castor Oil mainly because both the Citrus Cleanser & Shaving Soap have Castor Oil in and both of them starting setting in the pan, to which I quickly shovelled it into the moulds, yes I said shovelled, not a technical term I know, but that’s what it probably looked like. But saying all that, they both looked and smelt really good, and like all good disaster's in the kitchen, they normally turn out for the best and are usually very hard to replicate so fingers crossed.

Help me to secure funding

Afternoon,

Enterprise Nation, is a small business support system and through them and Fund101, in partnership with Paypal and Intuit, They are offering companies the chance to secure up to £500 in funding.

I have applied and need to secure 300 votes, all you need to do is follow the link, sign up, vote for The Natural Skincare & Soap Co. Thats it......

Each vote secured is classed as £1 in voting terms, so I have applied for £300 for marketing my new soaps, therefore I need 300 votes.

Please help me launch my new soaps in style

Vote now at http://enterprisenation.com/funding-applications/the-natural-skincare-soap-co/

Thank You!

Better When Wet!

Last piece of the jigsaw in locally sourced ingredients,

falls into place.

The ethos of our company is to source local ingredients where possible: So with the impending launch of our new “Natural Collection” of soaps, we have secured our main ingredient supplier, right on our door step. One of the main ingredients in Soap is unbelievably Water!

So The Natural Skincare & Soap Co are pleased to announce that, all of our soaps will now be made using Natural Cornish Spring Water, from right here in Bodmin. Yes that’s right, Trekillick Farm on the outskirts of Bodmin is home to a company called Just Water Ltd.

The water is protected from any possible contamination from surface water, the water is filtered in the most natural way, making its way to the surface from deep under the Cornish hills, becoming enriched with minerals as its passes through the rocks.

Our supplier, Just Water Ltd is a family run business from a farm on the outskirts of Bodmin,  Just Water was another product born out of the crisis in farming. “With dairy farming at such a low in 2000, they looked at how they could boost their income on the farm by diversification,” Tests on the farm’s spring water returned excellent results and the family began to bottle it in 2002. They now produce around 1.5 million bottles a year.

Just Water has a very strict environmental policy, which is another reason that we decided to use their product. They keep their packaging to a minimum by using shrink film only and no cardboard trays or boxes and being local, means that product mileage is kept to a minimum.

The name Just Water was chosen because that is exactly what is in it - just natural spring water. The quality and purity of the water comes from deep under the Cornish countryside, becoming filtered through and enriched with minerals, as it makes its way to the surface.

Why Not Just Use Tap Water?

Well Tap water sometimes has various chemicals added to it; it also has a habit of becoming discoloured through Iron, along with a strong fluoride taste at times. So the water quality although drinkable, is not always perfect. But the “Natural Spring Water” from Just Water is tested by Trading Standards to check its quality. These checks take place throughout the year on a regular basis. It is also free from any potential discolouration and any other chemicals.

The Natural Skincare & Soap Co prides itself on being just that “Natural”, by combining Just Water’s Spring Water into our handmade soaps; we have a final product that will be 100% Natural, after it has finished curing, and truly Cornish!

Written by Scott Taylor
On Behalf of
The Natural Skincare & Soap Co
www.tvonaturalskincare.com

Learn More About Just Water and it’s benefits at www.justwater.biz   

My Soap Diary

04/09/11

You know when you have one of those weeks when everything comes at you from all directions…. Well that was last week, what with Doctors appt. packing down & setting up for events and making up 2 wholesale orders I don't think I stood or sat still for any period of time, how I used to cram in 3 days at Tavistock Market is beyond comprehension.  I feel absolutely shattered I am so glad its Sunday, I did some work this morning making up a few orders and returning a couple of calls to customers, then I sat down and I have only just woken up lol….. Well I obviously needed it. Now I have time to sort out my schedule for next weeks soap making.

05/09/11

Well if today is anything to go by, I think I'll scratch this week, go back to bed and start again next week lol….. No seriously it wasn't that bad, in fact I got quite a bit done today. I  finished off one of my wholesale order's and nearly completed the second I am just waiting on some ingredients and 3 x 1 litre bottles to turn up and then I am done. As for the soap making we'll get to that in a minute, I asked myself  today why am I writing this diary, well here was my answer:  I am writing this diary mainly because I can't make head nor tail of some the blogs out there (No offence) and if you ask a question it seems like it takes forever to get a reply that’s if you get one and forever isn't good enough when your in dire need of help, so I thought if I write a diary as I am going then I can find my own answers and if this diary help's someone else out, out there then bonus I have done my job, right I'll stop waffling now.

The one piece of advice I can give out today is: DO NOT under any circumstances buy a hand blender that has a plastic attachment on the Stainless steel whisk part, the reason for this is what I found out today while I was trying to Trace my Calendula & Sunflower Soap. The Caustic Solution eventually eats through the Glue that binds the Stainless Steel & Plastic Attachment to the Motor of the Hand Blender, hence while blending the metal piece kept coming away from the Plastic, so because of that I think I might have to write off Calendula & Sunflower Soap,(We've heard you say that before  I hear you say), I don't think I traced it properly, it seemed very sloppy when I poured it into the moulds. I will let you know. My other batch of soap (The Gardener's Soap) seemed to turn out ok,  mainly because I did the batch in half the amounts of what I wanted to do so there wasn't too much bulk in the pan while blending so no drag was created to pull the whisk out of the motor. I am going to leave the Calendula Soap until the end of the week to see how it turns out, but the Gardeners Soap I will check on tomorrow. So Until then Happy Soaping xxx

My Soap Diary

Brain Storming

02/09/11

Well I'm sat here on this gorgeous day letting the sun and nature inspire me, while sorting out my next lot of soap recipes, and balancing the oils, butters & wax so that they give you the customer a long lasting bar but also making sure you get all the benefits possible from the natural ingredients, here is a sample of what's to come: Christmas Dream's  (which is a Frankincense & Orangey soap), Memories of Noel (which is a Cinnamon & Clove spice soap) & a Castile one. As from the 5th September I will be having a soap making week and this is when I will hopefully be making my complete range which I have just Launched, then once that is done I will be doing the finishing touches the my next chapter, with a (fingers crossed) Launch date of November just in time for Christmas…..

My Soap Diary

Honey & Oatmeal Soap Update

31/08/11

Well, I think the luck of the gods is on my side, I have just taken the soap out of the mould and it looks ok, there's a bit of condensation on the corners making them really soft and it looks to have sweated on the bottom, but that’s nothing that 4 - 6 weeks curing won't (excuse the pun) cure. I tested it with a pH tester and it is reading 7 at the moment, so I am pleased with that. There are some websites out there that say anything less than 8 is considered synthetic, well I can assure them there is nothing synthetic about my soap, and then there are other websites out there that say anything between 7 - 10 is absolutely fine, and considering that water has a natural pH level of 7 then how can it be synthetic. What amazes me is there is absolutely no colouring in the soap and yet it looks like a yummy Honey & Oatmeal Cake and it smells just as good as something I have baked. I can't wait to try this one.

01/09/11

Today I checked on the Honey & Oatmeal Soap to make sure everything was ok, and it was drying out nicely, it also smelt absolutely divine, when I used to make this one 5 years ago it was my favourite, it turns out to be a hard soap with a soft and gentle lather so it doesn't produce large bubbles, its gentle on the skin and the oats act as a soft exfoliator so its brilliant for sensitive skin.