Adventures With The Sage

I am thrilled to announce that I have three prizes. Yes, you read that correctly. There were three chances for you to win! I am also thrilled to announce the winners to this challenge. They are… (drum roll) Cecelia, bluebeaker and Kinky Witch!

For those of you who didn’t win this go around, don’t lose heart. We will have more challenges in the future and we hope you participate. We really love hearing your ideas and getting feedback. This means we can test and try things that interest our readers. Thank you for your participation and don’t for get Valentines. It is just around the corner!

What can I say? Acai is inspiring!

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This soap took two days to make since I started making my tea as I would normally make it for drinking. I measured 13 oz of water and heated it until almost was boiling. This took about 2 minutes in my microwave. I removed the water from the microwave and added two tea bags to it. Most of the time you will want 1 bag or 1 teaspoon of tea for 6 ounces of water. You can always add a more tea for a stronger infusion if you would like.

As I was not going to drink this tea, I allowed the tea to steep for about 45 minutes. I wanted to be able to have a strong tea that was at room temperature. Due to my not so great timing the tea had cooled by the time the day had ended. I removed the teabags and then placed the tea in the refrigerator so I could come back the next day to make this soap.

First thing the next morning I removed the tea from the refrigerator and allowed it to come back to room temperature. I left the tea for about 90 minutes while it came back to room temperature. After the 90 minutes, I checked the temperature of the tea and it was warm enough that I could begin making soap.

Measure the fixed oils on your scale. Warm on the stove or in the microwave. I melted the fixed oils in the microwave. It took about 2 minutes in my microwave to melt all of the oils.

While the oils are melting in the microwave, add sodium hydroxide to the tea. Mix well. This will drastically change color, so don’t be alarmed. When I first added the sodium hydroxide to the tea, there was a color change to brown where the sodium hydroxide settled to the bottom. Then as I began mixing, the solution turned a rotten green and then brownish-orange! At this point, I started feeling as if this soap might actually be a bad idea. I decided since I had already mixed my lye solution and my oils were melted, that the only thing I could do was to continue making my soap.

Combine the fixed oils and lye solution. Stir until thin trace. For me, this took almost 2 minutes to reach the thin trace. I had to wonder about that because I felt like I was making a Castile soap just for the long time that this soap took to reach thin trace. At this point I added the fragrance and mixed well. Once the fragrance was completely mixed into the raw soap, I poured the soap into the Guerrilla Soap Mold. I allowed the soap to sit until was firm.

The next morning cut into bars. Stack to allow good air circulation. Allow to cure for several days before using. Longer curing will result in a harder bar.

Notes:
This soap was firm when I removed it from the mold after 24 hours. I sliced the soap into bars and was very surprised to find that the brown soap had light swirls in it. I was perplexed, so I wandered over to Technical Support to ask why.

It turns out that this will happen when the stearine parts of the oils (most likely from the Palm Oil) were not completely melted and mixed. The soap is poured into the mold with these parts making a swirl. While the soap loaf goes through gel phase and completes the saponification, these separate oil components turn to soap and leave a decorative swirl pattern to the soap. These swirls are easily seen when the rest of the soap is a darker color.

I’m glad to know that my soap is just fine. I asked if this was easily duplicated and to my surprise, I was told yes. When making a batch of soap, have lower temperatures that are around 110° F and add partially melted Palm Oil or sprinkle Beeswax into the soap, lightly mix and promptly pour into the mold. I think I’ll have to try this purposely to see if I can make a tutorial for that!

This soap smells awesome, so I would highly recommend giving trying the Acai & Mangosteen Fragrance Oil for your next batch of soap. Definitely a sweet and fruity way to enjoy a shower!

Tomorrow I’ll share the Blueberry Soap that I made right after this one. I think you will enjoy it!

Enjoy!

Most men are one product type of guys. They like things quick and easy. In some ways, they present a challenge for us. They also inspire quick, multi-purpose and single use products. I wanted a firm bar that lathered well. I also wanted to add something that would keep his hair and skin healthy and soft.

I used Coconut Oil, Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil as the backbone for this recipe. These oil create nice firm bars with excellent and rich lather. I also added Shea Butter to my recipe. It softens, moisturizes and smooths to create luscious hair. This soap just might make you look for more excuses to run your fingers through his hair.

I used Almond Milk in this soap. I made fresh Almond Milk using the SoyaPower Plus Soy Milk Maker.

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Measure oils on your scale. Heat your oils until they are liquid. In a separate container, add the sodium hydroxide to the water. Stir well. Combine the oils and lye solution. Blend until you reach a light trace. Add the Almond Milk and the Citrus & Basil Fragrance Oil. Blend well. Pour the soap into molds. Allow the soap to sit until firm. Cut into bars and allow to cure. Longer curing will result in a harder bar.

I wanted a light lotion so I tried to formulate using light to mid-weight oils. I wanted an almost delicate lotion whose presence could be ignored by your man so he can go on with his day. I added Pumpkin Seed Extract because it softens and treats dull and dry skin. It really rejuvenates and heals the skin for a healthy appearance and feel. I also just had to add Tamanu Oil. It has fabulous healing properties and it smells great. Its nutty aroma blends so well with many masculine scents. Mmn. Who knew great skin could smell so good?

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Heat all ingredients except for Optiphen and Bay Rum Fragrance Oil until liquid. Blend well. Allow the solution to cool to less than 120 F. Add the Optiphen and Bay Rum Fragrance Oil. Mix well. Pour into containers and label.

Now remember, this is a dry oil spray so he can apply it right out of the shower without being left oily or greasy. You can take the opportunity to give him a quick (or not so quick) massage in the morning. What a great ritual as you both get ready for your day!

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Add ingredients to bottle. Cap and shake. Label. Now the cologne is ready to give! How simple is that? Now you can spend your time doing better, more enjoyable things! Have a great time!

Note: You can also make this using Everclear. However, this can not be shipped due to the alcohol content and we suggest that you use it for personal use only. If you do decide to use Everclear instead of Cyclomethincone, you will use the same percentages listed here.

Many men love the scent of anise. What a great way for your sweetie to have an enjoyable shower without smelling like anise all day! These shower tablets are also great for scents that your honey loves that don’t particularly move you. What a great compromise!

Mix the dry ingredients together. I am using a bag because it reduces cleaning and dust. Add the Chinese Star Anise Essential Oil. Mix well. Spritz water in your bag until it is moist. If you want any color, you can spritz it in with your water. Press into molds. Allow to dry and remove from the molds. Package in a bag. Enjoy!

Now ladies, let’s all just admit it. We all like his lips to be soft and kissable. Rough lips just do not work. I have found that most men prefer a more firm lip balm. No problem. No more chapped lips from his time outside!

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Recipe:

Weigh all ingredients except the Lemon Essential Oil, USA and Sugar Baby Flavor Oil into your microwave safe container. Microwave in short bursts until all ingredients are melted. The beeswax will take the most time to melt, but if you stir the lip balm after the other oils have been heated, it will melt quickly. Once the mixture is melted, add the Lemon Essential Oil and Sugar Baby Flavor Oil. Stir until all of the flavor has been incorporated. Fill tubes or jars. Allow the lip balm to cool. Label. Enjoy!