Adventures With The Sage

I chose Comfrey Leaves Extract and Horsetail Grass Extract for different results I wanted in the finished product. Comfrey Leaves Extract is great for moisturizing and nourishing hair as well as aiding the prevention of split ends. Horsetail Grass Extract is great for nourishing hair, aiding the prevention of split ends, and encouraging hair growth.

This split ends prevention serum is light-weight and feels great on your hair!

Collect needed supplies:
Cyclomethicone
Dimethicone
Conditioning Emulsifier
Wheat Protein
Horsetail Grass Extract
Comfrey Leave Extract
Water
Liquid Germall Plus
Scale
Transfer Pipettes
Beaker or Mixing Bowl
Immersion Blender
Microwave
Spoons
Containers for the finished product (I used the 2 oz PET Boston Round Bottle, Size 20 and the Treatment Pump Top Closure, Size 20.)
Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil if desired

Recipe in Percentages:
10% Cyclomethicone
8% Dimethicone
8% Conditioning Emulsifier Wax
67.5% Water
2% Wheat Protein
2% Horsetail Extract
2% Comfrey Leaves Extract
0.5% Liquid Germall Plus

Recipe in grams for 100 gram test batch:
10 grams Cyclomethicone
8 grams Dimethicone
8 grams Conditioning Emulsifier Wax
67.5 grams Water
2 grams Wheat Protein
2 grams Horsetail Extract
2 grams Comfrey Leaves Extract
0.5 grams Liquid Germall Plus

Weigh the Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Conditioning Emulsifier and water into the beaker and microwave in short bursts until the Conditioning Emulsifier can be completely melted and all the ingredients in the beaker can be blended together. At this point, the mixture looks like a clear hair gel. Stir the mixture occasionally and allow to cool until the temperature drops below 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the extracts, Wheat Protein, and Liquid Germall Plus and mix together. Pour into desired containers and allow to cool before using. The mixture will now be white in appearance.

Application Directions:

Wash hair normally and then towel dry hair. Pump the needed amount of serum onto your palms and lightly apply to all of your hair. Do not rinse. Style as usual.

Enjoy!

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Embedded Melt & Pour Soap Challenge! Submissions will be accepted through October 18th at blog@thesage.com. The submissions will be released October 19th through October 23rd. Each guest writer will receive a $25 gift certificate.

Collect needed supplies:

Brown Sugar
Oat Flour (I made this one myself in the food processor)
Liquid Glycerin
Colorless Jojoba Oil or Golden Jojoba Oil (I’m using Colorless Jojoba Oil)
Liquid Soap Base
Body Milk Base
Mokalata Fragrance Oil
Scale
2 Mixing Bowls or Heavy Zipper Style Bags
Jars for storing your finished product in
Transfer Pipettes

Recipe:

200 grams Brown Sugar
10 grams Oat Flour
2 grams Liquid Glycerin
21 grams Jojoba Oil
10 grams Liquid Soap Base
20 grams Body Milk Base
0.5 grams Mokalata Fragrance Oil

Use a blender or food processor to make the oat flour.

Weigh the Brown Sugar and Oat Flour into the mixing bowl or bag and mix until all lumps have been removed. Set aside. Weigh all liquid ingredients into the other bowl or bag. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and stir until completely blended. Now you can fill your containers with the scrub.

I want to use this scrub right now!

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Embedded Melt & Pour Soap Challenge! Submissions will be accepted through October 18th at blog@thesage.com. The submissions will be released October 19th through October 23rd. Each guest writer will receive a $25 gift certificate.

Collect needed supplies:
White Granulated Sugar
Molasses (I’m using Grandma’s Unsulphured Original Molasses)
Mixing Bowl
Mixer (Hand style or Stand style)
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Cooking Spray or Oil
Container for finished brown sugar

Recipe:
1 cup White Granulated Sugar
1 – 2 tablespoons Molasses

Measure sugar into the mixing bowl. Before measuring the molasses, lightly coat the measuring spoon with the cooking spray or oil. Now measure the molasses and then pour over the sugar in the mixing bowl. Mix well until you can’t see any more clumps of molasses. Now you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the brown sugar you just made and brown sugar purchased at the grocery store.

Molasses Notes:

You can use any molasses you desire. The Grandma’s Unsulphured Original Molasses will create a golden or light brown sugar, while a more robust variety up to blackstrap will create a dark brown sugar.

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Embedded Melt & Pour Soap Challenge! Submissions will be accepted through October 18th at blog@thesage.com. The submissions will be released October 19th through October 23rd. Each guest writer will receive a $25 gift certificate.

Rules:
1) Submit a picture to show the soap. You can show us the whole process or just the finished soaps.
2) Tell us about your opinions of the process.
3) Any mold, soap, or embeddable is open.
4) Enjoy yourself and have fun!

Submissions will be due by October 18th. Each guest writer will receive a $25 gift certificate for their participation.

Happy Soaping!

Collect needed items:
4 batches of fresh Soy Milk
Large cooking pot
Measuring Cup
Stirring Spoon
Measuring Spoons
Water
Nigari (Natural Magnesium Chloride)
Tofu Mold
Weights
Cheesecloth
Stove

Pour all four batches of the fresh Soy Milk into the large cooking pot and place the pot on the stove. Turn on the heat to medium high and heat the Soy Milk until it begins to simmer.

While the Soy Milk is heating, measure 1 cup of hot water and add 2 teaspoons of Nigari to the hot water and stir until dissolved. After the Soy Milk has reached a simmering point, remove from the heat. Slowly stir 3/4 of the Nigari and water mixture into the Soy Milk and then stop stirring. Wait for 2-3 minutes. Gently stir the forming curds and add the last of the Nigari and water mixture to any milky areas left in the pot.

After the Soy Milk has separated into curds and whey, an amber colored liquid, transfer to the tofu mold lined with cheese cloth. Cover the top of the curds with the cheesecloth and place the lid onto the tofu. Place a weight on top of the lid and allow to sit for approximately 20 minutes.

After allowing the tofu to sit for 20 minutes, empty into a tub of cold water and allow to sit for another hour. Now the tofu can be stored in the refrigerator as long as the soaking water is changed daily.

You can eat the tofu as soon as you separate the curds from the whey.

Notes:
I apologize for the missing photos of me adding the Nigari, but I didn’t realize that the camera was fogged up from all the steam rising from the Soy Milk.

I used 2 teaspoons of Nigari since 1 teaspoon was not sufficient to make the Soy Milk clump. You can start with 1 teaspoon of Nigari in 1/2 cup of hot water and see if that works for you.

Enjoy!

Collect needed items:
1 batch of Okara
Rose Hydrosol
Honey
Chamomile Extract
Heavy Duty Paper Towel or Hand Towel
Scale
Container for mixing
Spoons

Recipe:
1 batch of Okara (My batch weighed 5.1 ounces after removing excess water)
0.20 ounces Rose Hydrosol
3.66 ounces Honey
0.12 ounces Chamomile Extract

After making Soy Milk, strain the Soy Milk and then place the okara onto the heavy duty paper or hand towel. Wrap the towel around the okara and gently twist to assist the draining of excess water. Place the barely damp okara into the mixing container and add the Rose Hydrosol, Honey and Chamomile Extract. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Once all ingredients are mixed, this mask now ready to use.

You can also use this mask as a body mask. Simply apply the mask and allow to sit for several minutes before washing off with cool water.

Enjoy!

After removing the super from the hive, we set aside all the supers to allow any remaining bees to move out and go home. A super is a box intended for honey storage that a beekeeper places above the hive, it is no different than the hive bodies in which the bees reside all year. People are often confused about the difference between a hive body and a super when there isn’t a difference, just a different intended purpose.

After the bees have left, we remove each individual frame from the box and start scraping the caps of wax off the top. Once all the caps have been scraped off we can place the frames into the extractor. When the extractor is full of frames we turn on the cycle. The centrifugal force of the extractor spinning is what causes the honey to be forced out of each cell. The honey coats the inside of the extractor and then runs down into the bottom. At the bottom of the extractor is an opening called a honey gate. When the gate is open we get honey to flow out and into pails. When the gate is closed the honey collects in the extractor.

I am sure you can imagine that this is work. We really enjoy the smell of honey extraction and the fresh honey on our hands. We always joke that this time of year is the time when you can just lick the door knobs for dinner. HA!

The final picture is of a 5 gallon pail of fresh honey. The top has small particles of beeswax that have floated to the surface. This wax will be scraped off and the honey will be filtered through a cloth. Simple process, rewarding efforts.

Toast anyone?