Thoughts and ideas from the world of Majestic Mountain Sage.

Denise

About Denise

I'm a crazy goat lady who got into making my own soap with goat milk, found MMS to order supplies, and now I get to combine my love of creating skin care products with a job to pay the feed bill. I live in Alaska and greatly enjoy the unique aspects of my northern home - summer days when it never gets dark and the Northern Lights dancing above in winter. Favorite scents include Wild Mint and Ivy, Rhubarb & Sugar Cane, and Eucalyptus Spearmint.

To soap makers around the world, Amy Warden is a household name thanks to her Soap Challenge Club. She kicked off the club in 2012 with the peacock swirl technique, and thousands of bars later, soapers line up each month to learn, create, and grow in their art. “There are […]

Interview with Amy Warden of Soap Challenge Club

October 15, 2019 in Special Features by Denise

Would you like to learn new soaping techniques?Join a group of creative minds? Compete to win great prizes? Then the Soap Challenge Club is for you! Every month, the Soap Challenge Club offers a different technique or tutorial to help soapers expand their skills and have a great time doing […]

Gain amazing skills with Soap Challenge Club

October 14, 2019 in Challenges and Q&A by Denise

When fall rolls around, there’s a certain staff member who gets really excited for October. Inevitably, Wicked Fragrance Oil gets mentioned. Wicked Fragrance is a blend of scents that are musky, sweet, citrusy, and sensual. One reviewer said it smells like their local tattoo parlor! It is warm, intriguing, and […]

Wicked Is the Perfect Fragrance for Intrigue

October 11, 2019 in Fragrances / Melt & Pour Soap by Denise

Ever wondered how to boost citrus scents in soap? Try using citrus zest! It’s hard not to love fresh, uplifting citrus scents, but they can be a challenge to hold in cold process soap. Fresh zest helps lock in that elusive scent. Another option is to anchor citrus with base […]

How To Give Your Soap an Ultimate Citrus Boost

October 4, 2019 in Cold Process Soap / Fragrances in Cold Process Soap by Denise

I bet you expected “ice cream,” right? We have something else for you to scream about – Osmanthus Fragrance Oil. This scent is a favorite with just about everyone who gets a whiff. It comes from the flower of a plant in the olive and lilac family. Common names include […]

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Osmanthus!

September 27, 2019 in Fragrances / Melt & Pour Soap by Denise

We recently sent out some samples of St. John’s Wort Extract as gifts with orders, and we received some inquiries as to how such a product should be used. Extracts are an easy way to get the beneficial properties of botanicals into a usable form. People have been doing it […]

All About Extracts

September 26, 2019 in Special Features by Denise

Are you a person who practically dances when the first crop of cherries arrives each spring? Get ready to dance some more – Black Cherry Flavor is here! Imagine biting into the most perfectly ripe cherry. The sweet flavor floods your mouth as you close your eyes in bliss. Now […]

Wish granted: Fabulous Black Cherry has arrived!

September 25, 2019 in Fast and Simple Gifts / Lip Balms / New Products by Denise

Way back in April, I did an experiment to see how Illipe Butter and Cocoa Butter worked in soap. I made two identical batches, except one used Illipe Butter and the other Cocoa Butter. Click here to read the original post. Now that the soap has had ample time to […]

Follow-Up on Illipe Butter/Cocoa Butter Comparison Soaps

September 24, 2019 in Cold Process Soap by Denise

While the name may sound unfamiliar, the scent is not. Litsea Cubeba has a sharp and tangy smell like lemon, only sweeter, with floral undertones. The essential oil is steam distilled from the fruit of an evergreen shrub that grows in Southeast Asia. Common names are may (mei) chang and […]

Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil

September 23, 2019 in Fragrances by Denise

I played with fragrance blending several months back, and the blend I most loved was The Meadow Fragrance Oil and Lavender Essential Oil. Andee teaches a class on fragrance blending, and in the class, she shows photos to inspire fragrance blends based on the image. At the right is one […]

Fragrance Blending Friday: Lavender Meadow Soap

September 20, 2019 in Cold Process Soap / Color In Products / Scent Blends by Denise

I am excited to mix up a batch of soap using Hibiscus Passion Fragrance Oil. The scent is lightly fruity, a bit floral, and has a lovely undertone of musk that gives it surprising depth. It’s intriguing, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out in soap. I’ll […]

Hibiscus Passion Tiger Stripe Soap

September 19, 2019 in Cold Process Soap / Color In Products / Fragrances by Denise

Fruity and woodsy. Sweetness and comfort. Berries and earth. What could I be describing? Berries and Twigs Fragrance, of course! This one has been a favorite of mine forever. It was one of the first scents I ordered from MMS, and I quickly ordered a larger bottle, so I had […]

An Easy Recipe for a Luxurious Lotion with Aloe

September 18, 2019 in Fragrances / Lotions and Creams by Denise