| Last week, we made fresh Almond Milk for our Cold Process Soap: Half and Half Method with Almond Milk blog post and I promised that I would take a picture of the Almond Meal that was left over after straining the milk. If I had not slipped all of the skins off of the almonds, there would have been flecks of almond skins throughout the meal. If you were to eat this Almond Meal, it would have the texture of almonds, but it lacks the flavor of almonds. This Almond Meal would make a perfect face mask. You could make something like the Face Mask with Okara and substitute the Almond Meal for the okara instead. Ahh! Time to be perfectly pampered!
I know I promised to show you the comparison pictures of the milk soaps, but I’m having a difficulties with the camera flash and the color correction of the photos. This is skewing the color comparison too much to actually show the color differences. I will definitely post these pictures tomorrow! |
 Almond Meal. |
I also have some very exciting news for those who want to test all of the milk soaps I made last week. If you would like to receive all 5 soaps and test them on your own, you can order them for $18 including shipping! Each bar weighs between 4.5 oz and 5 oz and has measurements of 2 1/2″ X 2 1/2″ X 1″. They have not been scented at all, so you will only have the soaps as made on their respective posts. I will be sending the set of 5 soaps with no exceptions, but it is a great bargain.
How do I order the 5 Milks Soap Set?
1) Go to the Gift Certificate Form on our website.
2) Fill out all required fields for shipping and billing information as well as the credit card field for payment.
3) Give a Gift Certificate Value of $18.00. Type it into the “Other Amount” box as 18.00 (no dollar sign) to prevent problems.
4) In the “Gift Message” box, type the following message “Please send me the 5 Milks Soap Set!”
5) Submit your order request!
What do I get for $18?
1) 1 Cows Milk Soap
2) 1 Goats Milk Soap
3) 1 Buttermilk Soap
4) 1 Soy Milk Soap
5) 1 Almond Milk Soap
6) Shipping is INCLUDED in this total!
Can I place this through the MMS Catalog Online Ordering?
No. At this time, our MMS Catalog Online Ordering will add a shipping calculation to all orders processed through the system. Our Gift Certificate System will not add any additional shipping charges to your order.
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!
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Posted
February 15th, 2010 in Thoughts from The Sage
By
Andee|
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| Ready for final part of milk cold process soap? We are going to follow the same recipe and steps as the posts before, but we are going to use Almond Milk instead. I made fresh Almond Milk using the SoyaPower Plus Soy Milk Maker and pressed the “Beans +” button.
Again, here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.
1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.
2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.
3) Measure the lye and set aside.
4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.
5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.
6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.
7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.
This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.
Collect needed items:
Time spent:
Weighing time: 8 minutes
Adding lye to water: 15 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of stirring
Heating of oils time: 3 minutes
Pouring lye solution into the fat mixture: 10 seconds
Using immersion blender to mix soap solution: 90 seconds
Adding milk to the batch: 20 seconds
Using immersion blender to completely mix milk into soap: 40 seconds
Pour into molds: 60 seconds
Allow soap to rest: 24 hours |
Recipe in ounces:
40 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
20 ounces weight Coconut Oil
20 ounces weight Olive Oil
11.1 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
15 fluid ounces Almond Milk
15 fluid ounces Water |
Notes: I will also show you a picture of the Almond Meal leftover from making the Almond Milk. I showed you some of the almonds with their skins still on so they could still be easily recognized, but the Almond Milk is best if you take the time to slip the skins off the hydrated almonds.
Don’t forget to give me your guesses on the final colors of the soaps! We will see a cut soap comparison on Monday!
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!
|
 Hydrated Almonds.  Almonds in water to make almond milk.  Fresh Almond Milk.  Oils ready to be melted.  Adding lye to the water. |
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Posted
February 13th, 2010 in Cold Process Soap, Soap
By
Andee|
1 Comment »
| Ready for part 4 of milk cold process soap? We are going to follow the same recipe and steps as the posts before, but we are going to use Soy Milk instead. I made fresh Soy Milk using the SoyaPower Plus Soy Milk Maker.
Again, here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.
1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.
2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.
3) Measure the lye and set aside.
4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.
5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.
6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.
7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.
This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.
Collect needed items:
Time spent:
Weighing time: 8 minutes
Adding lye to water: 15 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of stirring
Heating of oils time: 3 minutes
Pouring lye solution into the fat mixture: 10 seconds
Using immersion blender to mix soap solution: 90 seconds
Adding milk to the batch: 20 seconds
Using immersion blender to completely mix milk into soap: 40 seconds
Pour into molds: 60 seconds
Allow soap to rest: 24 hours |
Recipe in ounces:
40 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
20 ounces weight Coconut Oil
20 ounces weight Olive Oil
11.1 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
15 fluid ounces Soy Milk
15 fluid ounces Water |
We only have Almond Milk left! Don’t forget to give me your guesses on the final colors of the soaps! We will see a cut soap comparison on Monday!
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!
|
 Hydrated soybeans on top and dehydrated soybeans on the bottom.  Oils ready for to be melted.  Adding lye to the water.  Mixing the lye solution.  Adding the lye solution to the melted oils. |
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Posted
February 13th, 2010 in Cold Process Soap, Soap
By
Andee|
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| Ready for part 3 of milk cold process soap? We are going to follow the same recipe and steps as the posts before, but we are going to use buttermilk instead.
Again, here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.
1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.
2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.
3) Measure the lye and set aside.
4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.
5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.
6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.
7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.
This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.
Collect needed items:
Time spent:
Weighing time: 8 minutes
Adding lye to water: 15 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of stirring
Heating of oils time: 3 minutes
Pouring lye solution into the fat mixture: 10 seconds
Using immersion blender to mix soap solution: 90 seconds
Adding milk to the batch: 20 seconds
Using immersion blender to completely mix milk into soap: 40 seconds
Pour into molds: 60 seconds
Allow soap to rest: 24 hours |
Recipe in ounces:
40 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
20 ounces weight Coconut Oil
20 ounces weight Olive Oil
11.1 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
15 fluid ounces Buttermilk
15 fluid ounces Water |
Tomorrow we will make a Soy Milk Soap. We only have Almond Milk left! AND THEN (drum roll, please). I will show you the pictures of ALL the soaps! Which is the whitest? Which turned peach-colored? Which is tan? Go ahead and give me your guesses!
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!
|
 Oils ready for the microwave.  Adding lye to the water.  Mixing the lye solution.  Adding the lye solution to the melted oils.  Mixing the batch to halfway to trace. |
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Posted
February 11th, 2010 in Cold Process Soap, Soap
By
Andee|
3 Comments »
| Ready for part 2 of milk cold process soap? We are going to follow the same recipe and steps as the post yesterday, but we are going to use goats milk instead.
What is the advantage to using the Half and Half Method rather than adding the milk to the lye solution?
The advantage is that we allow the normal saponification to happen, without stalling using cold temperatures, we get firm soap quickly, AND we don’t have any separation in the mold. We feel that our best batch of soap is the first batch and by following the Half and Half Method, we reduce the chances of our soaps failing and increase our chances of getting that perfect batch of soap the first time around.
The Half and Half Method is actually very easy to follow. Here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.
1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.
2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.
3) Measure the lye and set aside.
4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.
5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.
6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.
7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.
This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.
Collect needed items:
Time spent:
Weighing time: 8 minutes
Adding lye to water: 15 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of stirring
Heating of oils time: 3 minutes
Pouring lye solution into the fat mixture: 10 seconds
Using immersion blender to mix soap solution: 90 seconds
Adding milk to the batch: 20 seconds
Using immersion blender to completely mix milk into soap: 40 seconds
Pour into molds: 60 seconds
Allow soap to rest: 24 hours |
Recipe in ounces:
40 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
20 ounces weight Coconut Oil
20 ounces weight Olive Oil
11.1 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
15 fluid ounces Goats Milk
15 fluid ounces Water |
Tomorrow we will make a Buttermilk Soap. We only have Soy Milk and Almond Milk left after buttermilk!
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!
|
 Oils ready for the microwave.  Adding lye to the water.  Mixing the lye solution.  Adding the lye solution to the melted oils.  Mixing the batch to halfway to trace.  Almost ready for milk to be added.  Adding the milk to the batch. |
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Posted
February 10th, 2010 in Cold Process Soap, Soap
By
Andee|
3 Comments »
| I’ve had many questions pop up in the last few weeks about making milk soaps, so today we are going to start a 5 post series for milk soaps using the Half and Half Method.
The Half and Half Method is actually very easy to follow. Here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.
1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.
2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.
3) Measure the lye and set aside.
4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.
5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.
6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.
7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.
This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.
Collect needed items:
Time spent:
Weighing time: 8 minutes
Adding lye to water: 15 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of stirring
Heating of oils time: 3 minutes
Pouring lye solution into the fat mixture: 10 seconds
Using immersion blender to mix soap solution: 90 seconds
Adding milk to the batch: 20 seconds
Using immersion blender to completely mix milk into soap: 40 seconds
Pour into molds: 60 seconds
Allow soap to rest: 24 hours |
Recipe in ounces:
40 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
20 ounces weight Coconut Oil
20 ounces weight Olive Oil
11.1 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
15 fluid ounces Cows Milk
15 fluid ounces Water |
Tomorrow we will make a Goats Milk Soap. Later this week, we will make milk soaps with Buttermilk, Soy Milk, and Almond Milk.
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
|
 Preparing to add lye to water.  Adding lye to the water.  Almost completely melted oils.  Adding the lye solution to melted oils. |
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Posted
February 8th, 2010 in Cold Process Soap, Soap
By
Andee|
4 Comments »
It’s that time again! We had four fantastic submissions for January blog posts and I just had to share all of them with you. I’m giving away two kits this month.
Jennifer won one of the January MMS Perfumer’s Kits with her blog post about making a Sea Salt Cold Process Soap. Her post was set up very clearly and detailed her experiences while making the soap. Her pictures were a fantastic aid to her post and matched her text well.
Kristin won the second January MMS Perfumer’s Kit with her blog post about making liquid soap. Her post was very detailed from step to step and even included a video of the process.
Carolyn took second place with her blog post about making soap. Her post tells the story behind her Christmas present and her latest experience with making soap and included some fabulous pictures.
Melody took third place with her blog post about making soap with coconut milk. Her post shows her method of soap making and is informative as well as entertaining.
Congratulations to Jennifer, Kristin, Carolyn and Melody! I will be sending each one of you an e-mail for an address to send your goodies! Jennifer and Kristin will receive the MMS Perfumer’s Kits, while Carolyn and Melody will receive a small box of goodies.
Remember, I still have several Perfumer’s Kits to give away. Each month will reveal a new lucky winner. Need an update on the rules? Click here to see the original post. I’m now accepting submissions for blogs and videos posted in the month of February.
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Wow!
Tomorrow we will start a five part series on milk soaps!
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Posted
February 3rd, 2010 in Drawings and Contests
By
Andee|
4 Comments »
The beautiful pears.
It is always great to receive thank you letters from customers who have dealt with our Technical Support Staff and received the help they needed. Today we received an amazing package from Kim E. and I’ll admit, we were pleasantly surprised to find some yummy pears from
Harry & David in the box. I just had to share what Kim told us in his note, because it was very nice.
Thanks for all of your help and advice! These pears are my absolute favorite.
Thank you Kim! I’m glad that we have been able to give you the help and advice that you needed!
I was able to capture a picture of the pears before they disappeared and they look beautiful! Don’t you agree?
I’m always excited to hear comments about experiences with our staff and I try to share them with our blog readers! The best responses are that we eliminated your hurdles. We don’t need pears to help. The notes, calls, and e-mails are wonderful to receive. Thanks to all!
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Posted
February 3rd, 2010 in Thoughts from The Sage
By
Andee|
1 Comment »
| We just added extracts to the After Swim Conditioner and now we should make a matching Shampoo so your hair gets the best treatment possible. This complete set will be great for any hair needing a little bit extra love and attention.
Some users think that additives to our bases are a big NO NO. So, today we will work on a base and 2% in additives. The bases can handle up to 3% in additives. Fragrance and color do not count in this 3% rule.
Collect needed items:
Recipe in ounces: (Makes 16 ounces)
15.6 ounces Daily Shampoo Base
0.16 ounces Comfrey Leaves Extract
0.16 ounces Horsetail Grass Extract
0.08 ounces Green Tea & Cucumber Fragrance Oil |
Recipe in ounces: (Makes 1 gallon)
128 ounces Daily Shampoo Base
1.32 ounces Comfrey Leaves Extract
1.32 ounces Horsetail Grass Extract
0.66 ounces Green Tea & Cucumber Fragrance Oil |
Recipe in Percentages:
97.5% Daily Shampoo Base
1% Comfrey Leaves Extract
1% Horsetail Grass Extract
0.5% Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil |
Instructions for making 16 ounces:
Weigh the extracts and fragrance into the small glass beaker. Once these have been weighed, set aside and weigh the shampoo into the bottle for final use. Add the extracts and fragrance to the bottle and cap the bottle. Shake vigorously until everything is completely mixed.
Instructions for making 1 gallon:
Weigh the extracts and fragrance into the small glass beaker. Pour into the gallon jug of Daily Shampoo Base and cap the jug. Shake vigorously until everything is completely mixed. You may have to bribe someone with baked goodies! Check the Food and Recipes Category for bribery ideas. Pump into final bottles!
Don’t forget to label your bottles!
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
|
 Collect needed items.  Weighed Extracts and Fragrance.  Pouring extracts and fragrance into the gallon jug.  Finished bottles ready for labels. |
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Posted
February 2nd, 2010 in Fast and Simple Gifts, Product Assistance, Thoughts from The Sage
By
Andee|
No Comments »
| Sometimes we put lots of stress on our hair just with our daily activities. Our After Swim Hair Conditioner is perfect for competitive swimmers or those just swim for the exercise. Even runners in city smog should take special care of their hair. Today I’m going to add some of our extracts to After Swim Hair Conditioner to help add strength and shine to hair as well as aiding moisture retention and keeping hair from looking like stable straw.
Some users think that additives to our bases are a big NO NO. So, today we will work on a base and 2% in additives. The bases can handle up to 3% in additives. Fragrance and color do not count in this 3% rule.
Collect needed items:
Recipe in ounces: (Makes 16 ounces)
15.6 ounces After Swim Hair Conditioner
0.16 ounces Comfrey Leaves Extract
0.16 ounces Horsetail Grass Extract
0.08 ounces Green Tea & Cucumber Fragrance Oil |
Recipe in ounces: (Makes 1 gallon)
128 ounces After Swim Hair Conditioner
1.32 ounces Comfrey Leaves Extract
1.32 ounces Horsetail Grass Extract
0.66 ounces Green Tea & Cucumber Fragrance Oil |
Recipe in Percentages:
97.5% After Swim Hair Conditioner
1% Comfrey Leaves Extract
1% Horsetail Grass Extract
0.5% Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil |
Instructions for making 16 ounces:
Weigh the extracts and fragrance into the small glass beaker. Once these have been weighed, set aside and weigh the conditioner into the bottle for final use. Add the extracts and fragrance to the bottle and cap the bottle. Shake vigorously until everything is completely mixed.
Instructions for making 1 gallon:
Weigh the extracts and fragrance into the small glass beaker. Pour into the gallon jug of After Swim Hair Conditioner and cap the jug. Shake vigorously until everything is completely mixed. You may have to bribe someone with baked goodies if your arms get too tired. Check the Food and Recipes Category for bribery ideas. Pump into final bottles!
Don’t forget to label your bottles!
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.
|
 Collect needed items.  Weighed Extracts and Fragrance.  Pouring extracts and fragrance into the gallon jug.  Finished bottles ready for labels. |
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Posted
February 2nd, 2010 in Fast and Simple Gifts, Product Assistance, Thoughts from The Sage
By
Andee|
No Comments »
