Adventures With The Sage

Notes: I cut this soap and then photoed it immediately afterward. You can see what the soap will look like cure and not quite cured. I have noticed the color changes during the curing process. Some soaps have it more extreme than others. Although it is hard to see in the photo, it is a soft green to brown color. Very light and natural looking.

In the finished soap, there was the light smell of salt but I could not really smell the greenness or the olive oil odors any more. The salty odor that was there was not enough to hugely influence fragrance you might choose though. I am considering fresh odors like Mona Lisa and Cotton. What scents would you use with this botanical?

Recipe:

Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Add the Sodium Hydroxide to the water to form a lye solution. Allow the oils and the lye to cool to a lower temperature. We do not want to have the soap overheat and volcano. Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until trace is achieved. Pour into a mold and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. Longer curing time will result in a harder bar. Enjoy!

Notes: I am in love with the finished color of this soap. It is kind of a soft green color. It almost reminds me of french green clay. It is very natural and elegant looking. I think it would make a beautiful salt soap. There was no coloration of the water, suds or a washcloth. No staining to worry about! Yippee!

This bar of soap did have an odor. When I added the Kelp Powder at trace, it smelled potently of fish. When it was first cut, it almost smelled like dirty feet. After curing, the odor smelled more like seaweed and salt. Not strong or overwhelming. However, I would definitely choose strong scents or those that have an ozone note to them.

I am excited to play around more with this botanical. I am thinking of using fragrance oils like The Meadow, Jacob, Ocean Rain and Woodland Ice. What fragrances would you use for this botanical?

Recipe:

Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Add the Sodium Hydroxide to the water to form a lye solution. Allow the oils and the lye to cool to a lower temperature. We do not want to have the soap overheat and volcano. Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until trace is achieved. Pour into a mold and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. Longer curing time will result in a harder bar. Enjoy!

First I started with Beeswax. Beeswax makes this formulation hard enough to stay in a lotion bar tube. It also adds some drag to the product which is why it can be used as both a skin care product and a perfume stick.

I also used High Melt Point Shea. I rarely like to miss out on the luxury of Shea Butter but when you have an anhydrous formulation that contains Shea Butter, you always run the risk of fractionation to occur. High Melt Point Shea Butter reduces that risk.

Next, I used Aloe Butter. Why use Aloe Butter? It is dreamy! It melts on the skin and it is somewhat silky in texture. No wonder why it is a favorite in lip balms and body butters.

I used a total of three liquid oils. One of them being Cherry Oil. Cherry Oil is light in color and it weight. It contributes glide and makes the final stick not feel so heavy as it potentially could be.

The other liquid oil I used at a slightly higher percentage was Black Currant Oil. Black Currant Oil is high in gamma-linolenic acid which helps the skin renew itself. This means it helps keep the skin soft, smooth and supple.

Lastly I used my specialty oil and my fragrance oil. However, in this case my specialty oil is used as much for odor as it is for color and texture. I find it amazing that one oil can hold so many roles. Wow!

Recipe:

Weigh all of the ingredients except the Creamy Chai Fragrance Oil into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Stir and allow it to cool slightly. Add the Creamy Chai Fragrance Oil. Stir and transfer to containers of your desired size. I used our Bigger Tubes. Enjoy!

Notes: I have to admit, I am pleased and thrilled about the color of the soap. It is not a bold scarlet but it does make a beautiful soft red/pink color. I really have to wonder how the color will change due to a lower or higher usage rate. I did not have any lather change color, or water or even stain a washcloth. I am so thrilled about that!

I did not notice any odors when using this botanical. The finished bar of soap smells like a regular unscented bar of soap. It does have that clean smell but nothing other than that.

I can’t wait to use this botanical with fragrance oils. I want to use berry or floral scents. Ooh, I can just imagine one with Rose Geranium. What scents would you use?

Recipe:

Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Add the Sodium Hydroxide to the water to form a lye solution. Allow the oils and the lye to cool to a lower temperature. We do not want to have the soap overheat and volcano. Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until trace is achieved. Pour into a mold and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. Longer curing time will result in a harder bar. Enjoy!

There is an added benefit besides the view changing and weather warming up. If you like to add tinctures, extracts and infusions to your products, you are now unlimited! Just take a stroll and see what inspires you! I am thinking of perhaps an infusion with basil or even sagebrush. What do you have right outside your door that you could use?

First I started with Emulsifying Wax. Emulsifying Wax prevents the cream from separating. Because oil and water don’t get along, we need to use an emulsifier. Think of an emulsifier making oil and water sing “Why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends!”

Next, I used Calendilla Wax. I wanted this cream to be a little different so I didn’t used Stearic Acid as my thickener. Calendilla Wax also creates a barrier on the skin. I think it also makes the skin less slick, with is important for a foot cream because you don’t want to go slip-sliding away!

Babassu Oil is a wonderful oil. It is smooth, silky and non-greasy. It also won’t break the bank! I love it when oils fit the profile of exactly what I need without me needing to consider selling my car. Whew! That was a close one!

For my humectant, used used my all time favorite. You guessed it! Hydrovance! Hydrovance is a long term, intensive moisturizer. I use it anywhere from feet and elbows, to arms and legs, to the face! It is wonderful and very versatile!

For my preservative, I chose Optiphen. A preservative is super important. I can not stress this enough. My three favorite preservatives are Liquipar, Liquid Germall Plus and Optiphen. Between all three, I cover all of the products I will make. Scrubs, lotions, creams, butters, etc. It is always good to know the products I make are safe and not a growth-and-transfer point for microbes.

The last ingredients I used where my fragrance oil and menthol crystals. I wanted a fragrance oil so I could change up the monotony of mint. I used the menthol crystals for a cooling sensation on the feet. Always use less than what you think you will need. It is easier to say “Next time I will add more” instead of wanting to run out of your own feet due to the extreme cooling and tingling sensation.

Recipe:

Weigh all of the ingredients except the Optiphen, Vanilla Cream Fragrance Oil and Menthol Crystals into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Stir and allow it to cool slightly. Add the Optiphen, Vanilla Cream Fragrance Oil and Menthol Crystals. Stir occasionally as the mixture continues to cool. Once it has cooled completely, transfer to containers of your desired size. I used 20 mL jars. Enjoy!

First I started with Cyclomethicone. Cyclomethicone is a light weight silicone oil that is so volatile it can evaporate when exposed to air. It also has excellent spreadability which means cyclomethicone will help move itself and any other oils through the hair nicely and then mostly evaporates, leaving the hair nice and light.

Next I used Dimethicone. Dimethicone helps condition the hair, add slip and slide and reduces stickiness. The addition of this ingredient allows you to add low percentages of oils that may be heavier without making your hair weighed down or oily.

Isopropyl Myristate is used to reduce any greasiness. It also acts as a dry emollient. This is very beneficial because it allows the each strand of hair to slip past each other smoothly without creating static or flyaways.

Lastly I used Coconut Oil. Coconut oil is reputed to have many benefits when used in the hair. It has been used for a long time in Hawaii and many of the other islands. I find a small addition of coconut oil does wonders. Try it for yourself!

Recipe:

Weigh everything into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until the coconut oil has melted. Stir well. Pour into small spray bottles. Seal, label and enjoy!

To start I used Emulsifying wax. Emulsifying Wax keeps the oil and water from separating. This is very important when you want to keep your products emulsified. There is nothing more frustrating than making a cream and coming back to it two hours, four hours, or even a day later to find that it has separated on you. Emulsifying Wax is here to the rescue!

Next I used Carnauba Wax. Carnauba Wax is used as a thickener. This replaces the more commonly used Steric Acid. There are many available thickeners that you can use. Feel free to change it up. Note any differences different thickeners give your formulations.

The shining star of this formulation is the Virgin Coconut Oil. The Virgin Coconut Oil has a wonderful odor. If you haven’t tried Virgin Coconut Oil yet, you are missing out! It is perfect Hydrovance is very effective at moisturizing skin while living little to no residue. Isn’t that wonderful?!

One of the most important things to consider when formulating a lotion is a preservative. I preservative means that your lotion is preventing microbes and bacteria from growing within it. We don’t want our jars of fabulous lotion to become petri dishes. Imagine going to a biology lab opening a petri dish covered in bacteria and mold and all kinds of other microbes, rubbing it on your hands and then going home, going to work, or even cooking dinner. It sounds so gross, right? Preservatives helps prevent your lotion from becoming a petri dish. They are a necessity! There are many preservatives available on the market today. I prefer to use ones that are very versatile. For this particular formulation I used Liquid Germall Plus.

Last but not least is the fragrance oil. I chose coconut because we are also using the Virgin Coconut Oil. I wanted a more intense sent. Remember there are also several coconut fragrances in our catalog. You can use Coconut Milk, Toasted Coconut, Pina Colada and more! Let’s go bring the beach to us!

Recipe:

Weigh all of the ingredients except the Liquid Germall Plus and Coconut Fragrance Oil into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Stir and allow it to cool slightly. Add the Liquid Germall Plus and Coconut Fragrance Oil. Stir occasionally as the mixture continues to cool. Once it has cooled completely, transfer to containers of your desired size. I used bottles with treatment pumps. Enjoy!

First I started with my emulsifier. I chose my regular workhorse emulsifier. My father is a bit of those country boys at heart and simple workhorse products are just his style. It is also the emulsifier I can always count on being in my cupboard. You never know when you need to make a batch of lotion or butter for men because he certainly ran out a week ago and just told you today. Talk about emergency!

Next I moved onto Stearic Acid. Stearic Acid is used as a thickening agent. I used a higher percentage of Stearic Acid because I wanted a thicker, tough kind of butter. I wanted something that would have to be worked into his feet and would stay there, not moving from his feet into his socks or slippers. Some transfer of lotion or cream is inevitable but I can attempt to reduce it.

I also added Beeswax. Beeswax is also used as thickening agent. Beeswax forms a barrier on the skin. This means that it helps the skin stay hydrated by preventing water from leaving the skin. However, a high percentage of beeswax can cause an undesirable waxy texture.

I chose to add Palm Oil to this formulation. Palm Oil is creamy, silky and works well as a viscous oil. Another excellent replacement for Palm Oil is Babassu Oil. For a lighter option you can consider Coconut Oil. Both would work wonderfully in this formulation.

For my humectant, I chose to use Hydrovance. Hydrovance is a wonderful humectant and a real workhorse too. This cream is to be a heavy-duty contender against all others for the tough job of softening the feet. Hydrovance is very good at moisturizing and it leaves very little to no residue. It is one of my favorites! It is also very to you easy to use. How great is that?

Because this is not an anhydrous product, it needs to have a preservative. For my preservative I chose Optiphen. Optiphen is a very versatile preservative. This makes it a wonderful preservative to have in your cupboard at all times. What is your favorite preservative?

Lastly, I had to choose a fragrance oil. I decided on frankincense. Frankincense reminds me of my father and because I was formulating this butter for him I wanted to scent with something just for him. Some of my favorite fragrance oils that remind me of my father are Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood and Bay Rum. However, you can choose to use any fragrance oil of your choice.

Recipe:

Weigh everything except the Optiphen and the Frankincense Fragrance Oil into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Mix well. Allow the solution to cool below 120 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the preservative and the fragrance oil. Mix well. Pour into jars. Enjoy!

Note: This butter is too thick to put in a bottle. I recommend you put this in a jar that has a wide mouth for easy access.