Adventures With The Sage

Supplies and Ingredients
White Granulated Sugar
Grapeseed Oil
Lemon Sugar Fragrance Oil
Lemon USA Essential Oil
Spearmint Essential Oil
Container for mixing
Scale
Spoon
Transfer Pipettes
Containers and caps

Since Jordan wanted a Mint Lemonade Fragrance, I needed to blend a fragrance to match her desired scent. Her first idea was Lemon Sugar with a little Spearmint Essential Oil for the mint note. I made a test with 20 drops of Lemon Sugar and 1 drop of Spearmint in a Clear Glass Dram. After I let the blend sit for an hour, I smelled it and decided that we needed to add a sharp Lemon note, because the Lemon Sugar didn’t have the tang we wanted. I added 5 drops of Lemon USA, which is our sharper Lemon Essential Oil. That fixed my Lemon notes, but there was only one person on staff who could pick up a faint mint tone to the blend. I added 1 more drop of Spearmint. I still couldn’t smell mint so I started with a new Clear Glass Dram and added 20 drops of Lemon Sugar, 5 drops of Lemon USA, and 4 drops of Spearmint. The mint note was stronger and I could finally smell the mint. This blend was very polite and I thought it was very good. I still had to go back to the drawing board to see if 8 drops of Spearmint would overpower the Lemon or not. I got a new Clear Glass Dram and tested again! I added 20 drops of Lemon Sugar, 5 drops of Lemon USA, and 8 drops of Spearmint to this dram bottle and let it sit. Wow! This blend I think was the best! There was a great balance between the mint and lemon. We didn’t want the mint to overpower the lemon, which it can do easily.

Now I have a small dilemma. I need to fragrance a batch of sugar scrub, but I don’t want to sit here all day and count out drops of fragrance oil. This is when we converted the the drops to percentages.

Fragrance Blend in Percentages
60% Lemon Sugar Fragrance Oil
15% Lemon Essential Oil, USA
25% Spearmint Essential Oil

I needed to make 1 oz of the fragrance blend for scrub testing, so I usedthe percentages to calculate how much I needed to blend enough for 1 oz.

Fragrance Blend in Weight for 1 oz
0.60 ounces Lemon Sugar Fragrance Oil
0.15 ounces Lemon Essential Oil, USA
0.25 ounces Spearmint Essential Oil

During my testing several of the staff fell in love with this fragrance blend, so I was able to persuade the New Products team to come up with pricing for this yummy blend! I currently have a price of $4.50 for 1 fl oz of the Jordan’s Mint Lemonade blend. We will release this blend shortly, so if you can’t wait you can blend it yourself. If you want us to blend this for you, check our New Products section.

Now the fragrance has been blended, we can work on making the scrub. Jordan is planning on using Grapeseed Oil as the oil in her scrub, so we just need to mix a scrub that meets our requirements. We started with 8 ounces of Grapeseed Oil and then I started adding sugar and stirring until I had a very thick sugar scrub. I ended up using 16 ounces of sugar, which means that our sugar and oil ratio is 2:1. This ratio is one of the easiest ratios to work with on sugar scrubs.

The recipe and complete directions are below.

Scrub Recipe
8 oz Grapeseed Oil
16 oz White Granulated Sugar
.24 ounces of Mint Lemonade Blend (Using the fragrance oil at a 1% rate)

Weigh the oil into the mixing container. With recipes that you weigh like this, I like to add my fragrance oil to the fixed oils before I add the sugar. Now, add the sugar and stir thoroughly. Fill containers with mixed scrub. Stir the scrub mixture frequently while filling the jars to keep an evenly filled jar.

This recipe makes about 16 fluid ounces of sugar scrub. I used a 2 oz jar for my container and I filled 8 jars.

Next week is all about finishing up the Mother’s Day Gift Baskets!

I’m once of those M&P soapers that gets jealous over the swirled soaps we made for the Cold Process Soap Week. I couldn’t stay jealous, so I decided to resolve the issue and make a swirled soap for M&P soap.

Collect needed items:
White Melt and Pour Soap
Transparent Melt and Pour Soap
Blackberry Sage Fragrance Oil
Brick Red Color
Big Bar Soap Mold
2 Containers for melting soap
Transfer Pipette
Straw or chopstick for stirring
Mixing Spoon
Measuring Spoon

In one container, measure a small amount of White Melt and Pour Soap (approximately 3 oz). Melt this soap. In the other container, melt the Transparent Melt and Pour Soap (approximately 13 oz). Once the soap is melted in both containers, add 1 mL of Blackberry Sage Fragrance Oil to the White Melt and Pour Soap, and add 4 mL of Blackberry Sage Fragrance Oil to the Transparent Melt and Pour Soap. Pour the large amount of Transparent Melt and Pour Soap into the mold, leaving some space left for the colored soap. Stir the soap while it is in the mold, so it can be cooler for the colored soap. If it is too hot, the soap will not swirl correctly. Add 1/4 teaspoon of Brick Red Color to the White Melt and Pour Soap. Stir in the color. Once the color is completely mixed into the soap, pour half into each bar mold and swirl the color with the straw. Allow to cool and then remove from the mold and cut.

Notes:
If the soap is too hot, it will mix together and you won’t have defined swirls.

Next week is all about fun with Lotion! Head to toe moisturizing and enjoying it!

Soap #1
Eucalyptus Spearmint Light Luffa Soap

Transparent Melt and Pour Soap
Eucalyptus Spearmint Fragrance Oil
Ground Luffa Fiber
Blue and Yellow Colors from January 12 2009
Oval Soap Mold
Container for melting soap
Transfer Pipette
Mixing Spoon
Measuring Spoon

Melt the Transparent Melt and Pour soap. I usually take about 2 ½ minutes in the microwave for the or 1 pound of soap I’m melting. Once the soap is mostly melted, stir the soap to melt the small chunks still in the soap. This is done to prevent the soap from getting too hot and making it so you possibly burn yourself. Once the soap is melted, add 3 drops of Blue color and 2 drops of Yellow color. Stir in color and mix until soap is colored. Add 4 mL of Eucalyptus Spearmint Fragrance Oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the ground luffa and stir in to the soap. Pour into the Oval Soap Mold. I had 1 ounce left after filling the molds, so I filled a small heart from the Bath Fizzy Hearts post on April 1st. Allow the soap to cool and then pop the soap out of the molds. Tada! The soap is now ready to use.

This problem can be solved by making a Blooming Bath Oil. What is a Blooming Bath Oil? A Blooming Bath Oil is a bath oil that has an emulsifier mixed with the oil, so the oil mixes with the water instead of floating on the top of the tub! This bath oil will separate into layers, so you just need to shake it up before pouring into the tub. Think of a vinaigrette salad dressing, because the oil and vinegar must be mixed together before pouring over your salad. Who would want just oil on their salad when they were expecting the vinaigrette mixture? This is how a Blooming Bath Oil works, because you don’t want just oil in your tub.

Today we are going to make a Blooming Bath Oil with Sesame Oil and Polysorbate 20. I’m using the Sesame Oil because it is an oil that is light on the skin, yet rich in great nutrients for the skin. The Polysorbate 20 is going to be used because it not likely to foam very much.

Collect needed items:
Polysorbate 20 (You can use Polysorbate 80 if you desire)
Sesame Oil
Fragrance or Essential Oil of your choice (I’m going to use Rose Fragrance Oil)
Scale
Beaker or other container for mixing (optional)
Containers for finished product (I used the 2 oz Clear PET Oval Bottle, Size 20 and 20 mm Black Non Dispensing Caps)

Recipe
1 ounce of Polysorbate 20
4 ounces of Sesame Oil
.06 ounces Rose Fragrance Oil

Weigh all ingredients into mixing container, or if you wish, you can weigh directly into a bottle of your choice. Stir ingredients together if you measured into a mixing container or you can cap and shake the bottle if you filled a bottle.

Notes:
If you don’t want to use Sesame Oil but you want to use a light oil, I would recommend giving Rice Bran Oil a try.

These Blooming Bath Oils will be included in the Mother’s Day Gift Baskets!

Next week is all about fun with Melt & Pour soap! Swirls, toys, shapes and curls! Great fun for an afternoon with the kids or for some peaceful time by yourself.

Collect your needed items:
Scale
Citric Acid
Baking Soda
Cornstarch
Fragrance Oil (I’m going to use Strawberries & Champagne.)
Purple Raspberry Spray Color made on January 19 2009.
Plain water spray
Silicone heart mold
Metal mixing bowl and metal spoon
4 x6 flat bags
ribbon

First things first.  We need to WEIGH these ingredients.  In the past we have used recipes that were done by volume, but this recipe is different.  Use your scale. If you are struggling with getting a scale, then email us for some hints.  Choosing a good scale isn’t hard, once you know what to look for.

I have now weighed the citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch.  Mix gently with the metal spoon.

Add the fragrance oil and mix to break up all clumps.  This mixture must be a free-flowing powder before we start adding color and water.

Mist lightly with the plain water bottle.  Two to four sprays should be plenty.  We are trying to add enough water to the dry chemicals so we can compress them into the mold, we don’t want to start the fizzing reaction just yet.  Stir, or fold over, the powder to mix thoroughly and not create a dust cloud in your kitchen.

Let’s spray again.  Stir gently.

This time we will spray color.  Two to four sprays are plenty.  Mix again.  We will continue in this process of adding color or plain water to the mixture just until the whole mixture is slightly damp.  The mixture should hold together when tightly compressed.  (See the clod in my hand?)

Let’s press into the mold.  Use the back of a spoon or a tamper to compress this powder completely.  Each mold was filled with 2 tablespoons of dry/damp mixture before tamping begins.

We are using a silicone mold so removal is easy as pie.  Leave the tamped hearts to dry overnight.

In the morning we remove the mold and…. Viola!  Our hearts are ready for packaging.

I have used the 4*6 flat bags for packaging these hearts.  I have now tied with a ribbon yarn.

Now wasn’t that easy?

Notes:
If you don’t want to press the mixture into molds, you can press the mixture into a tablespoon and then lightly tap the tablespoon into your hand to release it. You can make multiple half ball fizzies and set them aside to dry where they won’t be bothered.

Next week is all about fun with Melt & Pour soap! Swirls, toys, shapes and curls! Great fun for an afternoon with the kids or for some peaceful time by yourself.

Collect needed items:
1- gallon Bubble Bath Base
1- fl oz Tahitian Vanilla Fragrance Oil
1- 38 mm pump for gallon jug
Bottle of Yellow color from January 12 2009
Containers of your choice (I’m using the 2 oz MDPE Bottles size 20 with Black Disk Top Caps in Size 20)

Remove the foil liner on the Bubble Bath Base. Empty 1 fl oz bottle of Tahitian Vanilla Fragrance Oil into base and add 3 drops of color. Cap the gallon jug and shake. Once the fragrance and color have been thoroughly mixed into the base, we are now ready to fill our containers. Fill the containers and cap.

Now that your bubble bath is finished, fill the tub with water and have a grand time!

Next week is all about fun with Melt & Pour soap! Swirls, toys, shapes and curls! Great fun for an afternoon with the kids or for some peaceful time by yourself.

Question:

Can I use any oil I want for a lip gloss as long I have enough wax?

Answer:

Yes. You can use any oil you want as long as the lip gloss you make isn’t so fluid that it will just flow out of the pen. We recommend using at least some Castor Oil to give the lip gloss viscosity and a substantial feeling. For example, if you use only Sunflower Oil, the lip gloss will feel too oily.

I’m going to make the a lip gloss similar to the Light Sunflower Lip Gloss, but there is more Carnauba Wax.

Items to be collected:

Castor Oil
Sunflower Oil
Carnuaba Wax
Flavor of your choice (I’m going to use Honey Flavor Oil)
Oil Soluble Lip Balm Color if you want (I’m going to use Yellow and Coral)
Silver Mica
Small transfer pipettes
Lip Brush Pens
Scale
glass beaker or jar
Microwave

Recipe:

50 grams Castor Oil
50 grams Sunflower Oil
6 grams Carnauba Wax
2 grams Honey Flavor
Touch of Yellow Oil Soluble Lip Balm Color
Touch of Coral Oil Soluble Lip Balm Color
Touch of Silver Mica

Weigh Sunflower Oil, Castor Oil, and Carnauba Wax into beaker and microwave in short bursts to melt. It took me about 3 minutes to melt the Carnauba Wax because of the high melt point of this wax. Once melted, add flavor and color. Fill the Lip Brush Pens and allow to cool. Once the Lip Gloss has cooled, cap the pens.

Aren’t these gorgeous Lip Brush Pens? I’m so excited for the labels the Graphics Department designed for these pens.

For those that are wanting to win one of the Mother’s Day Gift Baskets, these Lip Brush Pens will be included in the baskets.

Notes:

At the time I started testing the different oils, I didn’t understand why Castor Oil was so predominant in Lip Gloss recipes. I made a batch of lip gloss with only Sunflower Oil and the lip gloss was still fluid in the pen after it had cooled! I sat down with Stephanie and asked why Castor Oil was used in lip gloss. I learned that the Castor Oil gives both viscosity and a slightly tacky feeling that is a common element in various lip glosses across the market. After I looked at different lip glosses in the a pen, I noticed that most had a similar ingredient. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, then you are right! Castor Oil was the similar ingredient.

Next week is our Cold Process Soap Follow Up Week! We are going to cover botanicals, milk soaps, curing, saving a batch, Lye Heavy Soap and Using the Lye Calculator.

Collect needed items:

Jar of Lip Solutions of your choice (I’m using the Shea Lip Solutions)
Lip Balm Tubes and Caps or container of your choice
Beeswax
Coffee Butter
Scale

To be added to the Lip Solutions:
1 oz Coffee Butter
1 oz Beeswax

Place the jar of Lip Solutions on the scale and tare. Add the Coffee Butter and Beeswax to the jar. Microwave in short burst to melt the Lip Solutions, Coffee Butter and Beeswax. Once the lip balm is melted completely, fill lip balm tubes.

Notes:

The Coffee Butter adds a great scent to the lip balm. You can add Sugar Kisses Flavor Oil to sweeten the lip balm if you don’t want to add any other flavors. If you would like to add more flavor, you can add Coffee Flavor Oil for a Java Java Lip Balm, Vanilla Banilla Flavor Oil for a Vanilla Cappuccino Lip Balm, or any other flavor you would like to add. It’s your imagination and you are the barista, so have fun!

Next week is our Cold Process Soap Follow Up Week! We are going to cover botanicals, milk soaps, curing, saving a batch, Lye Heavy Soap and Using the Lye Calculator.

Collect needed items:

Beeswax
Refined Shea Butter
White Cooca Butter
Avocado Oil
Peppermint Essential Oil
Spearmint Essential Oil
Blue Oil Soluble Lip Color
Yellow Oil Soluble Lip Color
Scale
Measuring Bucket or beaker
Microwave
Containers (I’m using white lip balm tubes with white caps.)

Recipe
60 grams of Beeswax
75 grams Refined Shea Butter
45 grams White Cocoa Butter
120 grams Avocado Oil
0.5 grams Peppermint Essential Oil
0.5 grams Spearmint Essential Oil
Touch of Blue Oil Soluble Lip Color
Touch of Yellow Oil Soluble Lip Color

Makes 200 grams and approximately 60 tubes.

Weigh all ingredients except the essential oils and colors into a microwave safe container. After all the ingredients are in the microwave safe container, melt ingredients using short time bursts in the microwave. The beeswax will be the last item to melt, but you can stir the lip balm to help the beeswax melt. Add the essential oils and colors. Once the lip balm has been flavored and colored, you can fill the lip balm tubes.

Aren’t these cute? I love the labels the Graphics Department designed for this lip balm.

Next week is our Cold Process Soap Follow Up Week! We are going to cover botanicals, milk soaps, curing, saving a batch, Lye Heavy Soap and Using the Lye Calculator.

I was playing around with the lip scrub idea and I thought why can’t I mix it just like frosting? After all, I make a chocolate frosting in my food processor occasionally and I love it on saltine crackers. My point is that the chocolate frosting still has a granular texture from the sugar and that is fairly close to what I want in a lip scrub. If you don’t know what I mean, imagine creaming butter and sugar together in the mixer for cookie until the butter is nearly white and the entire mixture is fluffy. That is the texture I’m looking for.

Back to the lip scrub. We have a food processor in our kitchen here at work, so I “borrowed” it for a while for testing purposes. I thought “If I can make candy in a plastic bowl and not have the flavor stick, I wonder if a cosmetic flavor would stick?”

I’m going to use the same recipe that I posted on February 20th. First things first, I weighed my ingredients into a beaker and then used a rubber scraper to scrape the ingredients into the food processor bowl. I put the lid on the bowl and pulsed the lip scrub until completely mixed. I did have to scrape the sides of the bowl twice to make sure everything was mixed.

Perfect! The mixing in the bowl meant I didn’t have to melt any ingredients and I love the fluffy look of the scrub. The best part in my opinion is that I washed the bowl and the flavor didn’t stay!

Collect needed items:
Macadamia Nut Butter
Macadamia Oil
Vitamin E Natural
Flavor of your choice, we are using Cucumber Melon Flavor Oil
Scale
Mixing container
Sugar
Containers for finished product

Recipe:

0.50 ounce Macadamia Nut Butter
0.25 ounce Macadamia Oil
0.10 ounce Vitamin E Natural
1.70 ounce Granulated Sugar
0.04-0.08 ounce Cucumber Melon Flavor (I used the most I could use2.25 mL in this example)

Notes:
If you have a smaller bowl that fits inside your food processor, I would highly recommend using that. If you would rather use a mixer, go ahead and use that. You are just wanting the sugar and oils to be beat together. The longer you beat them together, the smoother finish it will have. If you don’t like the feeling of a regular granulated sugar, you could use a ultra fine sugar (not powdered sugar).

Next week is our Cold Process Soap Follow Up Week! We are going to cover botanicals, milk soaps, curing, saving a batch, Lye Heavy Soap and Using the Lye Calculator.