RazzNilla is Back in the House!

I had the evening to myself and took to the soap room once again, after I tucked dinner into the oven to do its thing.  RazzNilla is one of my all time favorite soaps, and second best seller after the Kitchen Soap.  The mad scientist in me decided to tweak the soap formula a touch, and play away.  This time I used water instead of goat milk because I wanted to see how the formula behaved before advancing to goat milk.  I am anxious to see how this one turns out when it is ready to come out of the mold and cut into bars...but most of all, I can't wait for the cure time to pass by so I can test the new formula.  It is always a mystery until then.  It is hard to see the swirls on top as I used my cell phone to take the pictures, and the lighting at night doesn't exactly do me any favors, either. 


RazzNilla Soap



Glass Etching Projects

This past summer I spent some of the warmer days brainstorming ideas to etch on glass. It was a great project to do while I sat on the porch to enjoy the wonderful warm air. Each piece was unique and one of a kind. They turned out so well that I filled them with soy wax. They have been a huge hit at Farmer's Markets and craft shows, in that people are looking for one of a kind, unique gifts. Visit our Etsy store for more details.

In Search of Real Soap...

Several years ago I had problems with my skin that seemed to magnify in intensity during the winter. I developed what was thought to be allergies to perfumes in soap. The Doctor told me to switch to unscented soaps...how boring! What I found is that my skin condition remained unchanged after I made the switch. I had multiple suggestions...use ivory, or liquid body wash...nothing helped until one day I happened to stumble upon a website that sold old fashioned lye soap. The seller told a story similar to my own, and how they discovered the "soap" as sold in the stores isn't really true soap. You can find more information about true soap from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Office of Cosmetics and Colors Fact Sheet dated February 3, 1995.

Needless to say I was hooked on the idea, but not quite ready to jump in and make my own soap. I dabbled with melt and pour glycerin soap for several months, made lots of nice Christmas gifts that year, before jumping in with making lye soap. My first batch was made in the crock pot so I could test the soap as soon as it hardened up. I was so delighted with those first bars, even though they weren't a very luxurious bar of soap, but it was soap! I absolutely LOVE the way my skin feels after I have bathed with a bar of good old fashioned soap...it is like a cleanser and lotion wrapped into one single bar! My skin was digging it, and thanking me! I am no longer a scaley, cracking lizard in the winter.

I discovered that the "soap" I was accustomed to using from the stores had in fact been the culprit for all of the skin rashes, redness, inflammation, irritation, itching, and burning I experienced every day after I bathed. My skin problems had absolutely nothing to do with the fragrances, and everything to do with the fact that my "soap" was really a detergent.

If you found this information useful, you might also be interested in reading about the differences between commercial and homemade soap OR how commercial soap is made.

Pansy Single Use Soap Petals

These Soap Petals are great single use guest soaps. Decorative, uniquely elegant, fun and yet functional. We have taken a simple silk petal and coated it with scented glycerin soap. There is enough soap on each petal for one single hand washing. When you are finished, the petal is simply thrown in the trash. The fragrance lingers on the petal to freshen the room even after the soap is gone. Indulge yourself, make your guests smile, or put a smile on someone else. You can view and purchase these gorgeous petals in our Etsy Store.

Layered Soap Success!

Fresh out of the mold I consider the layered soap making effect a success!

While the bars are not trimmed yet, they are absolutely gorgeous. I will definitely use this technique again.