Soap Of The Week

Sunflower & Calendula Soap

A light, refreshing handmade soap. Made using Sunflower oil, which is rich in vitamins & minerals to help to nourish the skin.

The healing properties of Sunflower and Calendula provide an antiseptic action which can help the relief of skin infections such as acne and athletes foot, while Calendula's anti-inflamatory properties can aid sufferers of eczema. The Vitamin E found in Sunflower, can also help fight the signs of ageing. This soap can also help very dry hands which have a tendancy to split & crack, by softening the skin and with the help of a good hand cream, it can make a big difference. This soap is also fragranced with Bergamot, Neroli & Chamomile.

Ingredients: 

Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Aqua, Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Citrus Bergamia, Anthemis Nobilis, Citrus Aurantium Amara, Calenudula Officinalis Flower. 

My Soap Diary

Reviews On My Soaps

Hi Everyone

I just thought I would review some of the soaps that my family & I have managed to try, so that I can give you as the customer a good idea of what you might expect.  All the soaps have been used by myself, my husband, my 3 children  (all of varying ages the youngest being 4yrs old and having sensitive skin) & some unsuspecting guests that have visited us. And the feedback especially from my children (who are my hardest critics) has been positive. So here goes I hope you find it informative & helpful making your decision a little easier:

Lavender & Thyme

A rustic soap made with Lavender & Thyme essential oils which give this soap a strong and long lasting fragrance. It’s a soft soap which gives off lovely soft bubbles and a good lather. Its suitable for most skin types. Vegan Friendly. Lavender oil is very calming on the skin and thyme has antiseptic properties.

Sunflower & Calendula

A Bright, sunny & soothing soap, infused with Calendula petals & Sunflower Oil. It has the light, gentle fragrance of Bergamot, Chamomile & Neroli. This is a soft soap which gives off a lot of soft bubbles and a good lather. Its suitable for all skin types and is especially good for those who suffer with dry & callused hands from manual work . Vegan Friendly.

Rosehip & Geranium

A delicate soap pebble dashed with ground rosehips and enriched with moisturising rosehip oil. The soft pink colour will darken & mellow over time.

This soap is Slightly grainy but firm, it doesn't give any obvious bubbles and very subtle lather. Its very good for using as a massage soap for the thigh & bottom area. Rosehip seed oil contains Vitamin A, which helps with cell regeneration helping the skin to heal itself. Geranium oil is also a good hormone balancer so aiding problematic skin to restore its natural balance

Rosewood & Honey Shaving Soap

This shaving soap has a good earthy aroma with the sweetness of honey, its gives a gentle lather with soft bubbles giving a smooth & gentle shave, especially for those men that suffer with sore skin after wet shaving. Rosewood oil is a good oil for cell stimulant and tissue regeneration, making it a valuable ingredient in skin care. Honey has now become one of the top researched natural ingredients for skincare as it helps support the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and supple.

I also welcome and value your feedback as the customer, so please let me know what you think of my soaps.

Soap Of The Week

The Gardeners Soap

This soap is perfect for people who love to do a spot of gardening. Made with 100% pure and sustainable oils creating a wonderfully natural mild bar of soap with no chemicals to irritate the skin. We have added Shea Butter for extra luxury.

Made with the antiseptic qualities of Tea Tree and Eucalyptus essential oils combined with the rough texture of ground pumice, ground rosemary and poppy seeds should help to remove mud after a hard days gardening.

Tea Tree essential oil has a clean fresh medicinal aroma. Tea Tree is one of only two essential oils (Lavender being the other) that can be used neat on the skin in small amounts. It is a non-toxic natural antiseptic ideal for cuts, insect bites, blisters, warts and other topical infection.

Similar to Tea Tree essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil has a medicinal earthy aroma. The principal active ingredient in the oil is ‘eucalyptol’ which gives it its strong disinfectant properties.

Ingredients:

Aqua, Olea Europea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Melaleuca Alternifolia, Eucalyptus Globulus, Papaver Somniferum (Poppy) Seeds, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Ground), Pumice Powder.

In the making of this soap we use Palm Oil, Now "Don't Panic" We source our palm oil from a supplier that is registered with The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) this means that all of our Palm Oil comes from sustainable sources and is guaranteed not to endanger animals such as the orangutang. We pride ourselves on our Environmentally Friendly Stance and source such ingredients only after researching the supplier in depth.

This soap is sold in cubes only so you can get a good grip on it without it slipping out of your hands. £3.25

Also sold as part of our Gardeners Gift Set, which also includes our Gardeners Hand Cream: £9.50

Regards

Laurinda

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

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