Warming Aromatics for Winter

Well, it is still winter and snow is in our forecast.
In cold weather, I prefer woodsy, spicy and resinous scents. Additionally, my skin needs an incredible amount of moisture in the cold months.

Above is my "Aromatic Sandalwood", a superfatted, cold process soap that is scented with sandalwood, rose, neroli and a few other pricey goodies. The swirl was created with French pink clay and Sandalwood powder.

This soap is popular for many reasons....there is something intensely purifying and warming about sandalwood in any form.

Below is a soap that is lovely to look at and transformational to smell! "Cedar Swirl" is another cold process soap that features cedarwood, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, vetivert and some other top secret ingredients.

"Cedar Swirl" reminds me of my Grandmother's cedar chest. There is no other smell in the world like a good cedar oil.

Keep warm, be well, and use good soap - not detergent!

In Truth, Love and Beauty...

Help for Winter Blahs....Sweet Citrus & Ginger

The Sweet Citrus Gingerbread Soap has finally cured. This is a hot process soap with a sweet scent that coordinates perfectly with the sharp ginger essential oil. I added colloidal oats, blackstrap molasses and a touch of dark baking cocoa to further enrich the moisturizing properties of this recipe.

My skin has been very dry this winter - more than usual - so I concocted this soap a month or so ago (see older post) to benefit my skin and perk me up with a little spice and citrus!

And here it is, all dressed up with gold jute ribbon...so nice in mid-winter! You should know by now that I am a sucker for bling!

In Love, Peace and Beauty.....

St. Valentine Soaps and Love

A huge chunky block of hot process soap with a composed look (thanks to a rebatch). This handful is heavy on the olive oil, weighs a whopping 7.5 ounces, colored with mica and scented with Turkish Coffee and Cherry Chocolate blend. A gentle, subtle scent of jammy fruits (fig and dark cherry) and mild chocolate more than coffee. Quite nice ... decidedly feminine.

Cold process Dark Chocolate Marbled Petite Soap.......cut into 2 ounce slivers. Made with real baking chocolate, you know what this smells like! Enriched with cocoa butter and other emollient and moisturizing oils, this soap is a "good for your skin bar", disguised as a dessert!

I cannot eat, therefore, I wash!

No guilt. Promise.

Tuberose Hearts created from castile base.....sweet and tender. Each heart weighs 3.3 ounces, but visually looks larger. Castile (olive oil) is so good for your skin! The tuberose (actually a white flower) lends a heady, perfumer's signature and the pink = LOVE.

These soaps are only here for a short time. Supplies are limited.

If you have any questions or interest, please contact me at angelicsoap DOT cs AT gmail DOT com.

In LOVE, Truth and Beauty.........

A Surprising January Pleasantry

After all the flashy swirls, decadent ingredients and seriously complex fragrance blends for winter, I found a new soap to be surprisingly fresh and pleasing in every way.

This is a cut and stacked loaf of soap that I have christened "Black Tie". This is a simple, but elegant, cold process soap with wholesome ingredients that produce a well-balanced lather with creamy bubbles.  "Black Tie" is a nice blend that offers conditioning, emollient, moisturizing and gentle cleansing properties. Sensitive types appreciate that this soap is unscented with no added color.

Translation? A great soap for facial and body cleansing. Super-fatted to be kind to winter-weary skin.

Perfect!

If you are interested in a price and shipping quote, please contact me!

In Light, Love and Beauty....

My New Favorite Creamy Soap

I just tested this new batch of coconut cream/cocoa butter soap ... and I believe it to be the best soap in my current line. The soap is Coconut Cocoa Butter Cream. I cut it into 3 ounce squares. It has no artificial coloring, no artificial fragrance. In its simplicity, it provides a delicious, mild scent from the coconut cream with a whisper of chocolate from the raw cocoa butter.

I sprinkled coconut on top of each soap that should rinse off with one washing (for those of us who do not like "knobby bits" in our cleansing experience).

I am going to make a bigger batch of this soap soon - all for myself. I love it!

The lather is rich and creamy, and somehow, it feels indulgent. My skin needs this soap. Between the cold winter, indoor heat, and my hands constantly in and out of soap and water, this soap gave my skin a big sigh of relief and comfort.

You can see from the photo that it is all dressed up and ready-to-go.

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing a few pieces of this small batch. I will give you a quote. Shipping costs are outrageous lately, but this is a smaller-sized chunk that should be able to ship for about $1.75.

In Light, Love and Beauty......

A few pics of new soap

On New Years Eve, I broke out the cauldron and celebrated the Blue Moon and the Eclipse with two new hot process soaps - Lime, Mint and Patchouly and an Amber with blue swirls against an dark orange base. I chose an elegant base formula that is super-moisturizing because of the bitterly cold winter most of us are experiencing.
On New Years Day, it dawned on me that Valentine's Day is looming in the very near future.
Slight panic set in. I have already made some soaps and shipped most of them off for the romantic day, but I still need some basic stock.
I felt inspired to make some feminine, looking forward-to-spring soap.
Here they are ....

Above is Clementine-Tuberose soap, complete with the remainder of the soap loaf from which I have cut a few chunky bars. This soap has a lovely, not too sweet scent, plus the naturally rustic appearance from the hot process method. There is also a drop of precious Jasmine (an intoxicating flower!) and some rosehips.

Next, is my Cherry Blossoms soap (below). The scent is sweet, but not sickening, and has a nuance of musk and something else that elevates it to the rarefied air of a costly-smelling fragrance. No kidding. Cherry Blossoms also has the rustic appearance that hot process lends. There are a few threads of creamy white running through the soap, intertwined with French pink clay. Very reminiscent of the revered spring-blooming trees!

These soaps will be released for sale in less than three weeks.
I will also attempt to get photos of the Blue Moon Amber (perfect for a man or a woman!) and the divine Lime-Spearmint-Patchouly. Patchouly never smelled so good!! Forget the stigma of the 60s....
All of the above soaps feature coconut milk instead of water, lending a very creamy, yet bubbly lather.
Thank you for reading my blog!
I am attempting to tweak my blog here and there, and hopefully will be able to post more soap pics that can be purchased directly from this site.
I also need to restock my Etsy store. I have many soaps that have cured nicely, but before I put them up for sale, I need to document, label, etc. Not my favorite occupations, did you know?
Keep the faith - the winter will not last forever....a nice hot bath or shower and a handmade soap is pure luxury. We are so lucky to be able to indulge!
In Love, Peace and Beauty..........

The Eve of a New Decade....

I cannot believe that it is New Years Eve. What happened to 2009?  For that matter, what happened to the past 18 years?!
Speaking of memory lapse, I have been thinking about how I started using handmade soap.
After years of trying every cosmetic and face product ever made, I ordered a bar of handmade soap many years ago. The soap had beeswax, honey and goat milk in the brew.
We were in love within 48 hours.
I have sensitive skin - touchy, thin, with a tendency to be dry and red. I have pampered my skin for as long as I can remember.
After I started using the handmade soap, my "personal care" costs went waaay down....
I tried more soaps.
Loved them, but still not my perfect match. Like a mad chemist, I tweeked recipes and mixed lye solutions...I bought exotic butters and a basement full of supplies.
And then - the magic happened. I customized two soap recipes for myself - bingo!
That is where my addiction started....
I have studied art, aromatherapy, homeopathy and the ancient art of Ayurveda - put these together and you have my personal favorite soaps.

The soaps above are made with my secret formula, rosewater, essential oils and a bit of French clay. These are perfect for summer use as they calm any irritation from heat and tend to cool. Formulated with almond butter, coconut oil and sunflower oil and lightly scented with a special Ayurvedic blend of essential oils, this is my "go to" soap.

The soap above is my winter favorite. Great for the blustery weather and incessant dryness and cold we are currently experiencing. It is a baby soap recipe that I adapted with gentle French white clay and turmeric, super-fatted with castor oil and shea butter. This soap has avocado and jojoba oil in it too. Most of my soaps are olive oil based, but this soap is truly special! It lathers in a tangibly rich way and my skin never feels tight.

In fact, since I have been using my own soaps, I never have a bad skin day!

So, for 2010, DITCH THE COMMERCIAL DETERGENT and pick up a bar of handmade soap. I prefer that you use mine (I have about 20 different kinds in the cure rack. Photos, soon. Promise!), but any good soapmaker's soap will convert you. Look for soap made in the cold processed or hot processed modes. Choose a soap based on your needs. Read the ingredient list. For instance, I cannot use strongly scented soap (sadly).

Keep these things in mind when you look for your personal soap. If the soap is handmade, you probably cannot go wrong with any selection. To my eye, the "ugliest" (rustic-appearing) soaps are the best!!

Handmade soap can be anywhere from $3 to $9+, depending on the ingredients and size. Start with a smallish bar (3-4 oz) or a few samples. 

Good soap lasts a long time if it has been cured (aged) properly, so please store it on a well-draining deck or dish. Plunk down a few extra dollars for a good deck. It will serve you well.

So - I leave you with glad tidings of PEACE and JOY for a safe, healthy and happy 2010...

In Peace and Beauty...........and may you always have a good skin day!

Love