Soap Making Safety

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Tes

Soap Making Safety

One of the most important parts of making soap is safety…when making soap and using lye (sodium hydroxide) safety is a very important part of the soap making process.  Lye is a caustic soda and can be very dangerous if not used properly so make sure to follow the soap making instructions and understand the use of lye in soap making.

Lye Soap Making

What to do if you get lye on your skin

When making soap it is important to have the right safety gear which would include safety glasses or goggles, gloves, long sleeves and a good apron.  Also, remember when using lye the lye is added to the measured water never the other way around! Continue reading →

Posted in Making Soaps | 4 Comments

Packaging Handmade Soaps – I’m switching to boxes

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Tes

Soap Boxes

There are many ways to label your soap; soap in boxes is another way to present your craft.  I have used the cigar label for years and I like it because you can see the colors or additives in your soap bar and potential customers can pick it up and smell it.

In todays times with the coronavirus I have decided to put my soap in boxes.  I don’t really want people at the market to be picking up and smelling all the bars displayed.

My soaps are now put in boxes and one of each is left out on the table.  I cut up small pieces of soap and place them out for people to take, smell and keep.

Soap in a box looks professional and the boxes can be labeled or even written on if you are better than I at handwriting lol.

Here are a few soap boxes that I found on-line.  The prices are reasonable and there is a great variety of sizes and shapes to choose from. Continue reading →

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Soap Oil Flash Point

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Tes

Flash Point of soap oils

What is the flashpoint of oils

Flash point is the temperature at which a combustible or flammable substance will burn when it is exposed to a spark.

  • Flash point can be used as a rough measure of how volatile a flammable/combustible substance is, but its good to also note that not all volatile substances are flammable or combustible.Some soapers use the flash point to safely add fragrance or essential oils at or below the flash point. I don’t really pay much attention to that because once mixed with the soap it won’t burn and you shouldn’t be handling your fragrances around an open flame.When adding fragrance or essential oils to my soap the temperature is at 100.  The soap oils I never heat above 120 I have never had a problem and don’t soap make around open flames.

    For your knowledge here are a few flash points.

    Coconut Oil Flash Point is 450 degrees
    Olive Oil Flash Point is 468 degrees
    Canola Oil Flash Point is 400 degrees
    Castor Oil Flash Point is 392 degrees
    Lard Flash Point is 390 degrees

    So you see the oil would have to be heated to such a high temperature that it would surely take all the benefits of the oils away as well.  When making soap the oils should never reach these temperatures making soap making oils safe from becoming flammable.

    Essential Oils Flash Point

Angelica Root – 113° F
Anise – 200° F
Balsam – 200° F
Basil –164° F
Bergamot –125° F
Calendula –200° F
Carrot Seed –117° F
Cedar Leaf– 135° F
Cedarwood – 200° F
Chamomile – 127° F
Cinnamon  -190° F
Cinnamon Leaf – 190° F
Citronella – 170° F
Clove Bud – 200° F
Eucalyptus 80 / 85 – 118° F
Eucalyptus Lemon – 118° F
Frankincense – 104° F
Geranium Leaf – 185° F
Grapefruit Pink  – 142° F
Lavender – 156° F
Lemon – 110° F
Lemongrass – 160° F
Orange  – 110° F
Oregano – 145° F
Peppermint – 151° F
Rosemary – 110° F
Sage – 125° F
Spearmint – 122° F
Tea Tree – 134° F
Thyme  – 131° F

Looking at all the flash points you can pretty much make soap without worrying about them.




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Natural Baby Powder Recipe

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Tes

Natural Baby Powder

First – What is in Baby Powder – well for years baby powder was made from talc a substance that is know to contain asbestos.  We know the asbestos has been linked to cancer.  So we certainly don’t want to use Talc on our babies.

Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder was the most used powder and in May of 2020 they announced that they will no longer be using Talc in their baby powder.

So today what is in baby powder is some or all of the ingredients listed below.

There are other safer powders that can be used to make your own baby powder, some of the ingredients found in natural baby powder can be:

Here are some great natural baby powder or go to the recipe at the bottom of the page and make your own. Continue reading →

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Vaseline – Petroleum Jelly – Non Petroleum Jelly Recipe

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Tes

Is Vaseline Safe for you Baby


Vaseline Healing Jelly for dry, cracked skin Original 100% pure petroleum jelly 375 g

The ingredient in Vaseline is 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly – which is White Petrolatum, USP.  Petrolatum is used In industry, to lubricant for machinery. Where as we use it to relieve diaper rash, soothe chapped lips and relief dry skin. The (EWG), which is a non-profit US organization doing environmental and safety studies, says that petrolatum is an ingredient in one  of every 14 cosmetic products on the market, this includes some lipsticks and about 40 percent of baby lotions and oils. I wonder why I see products being listed as Petroleum Free?  Is it safe or not? Continue reading →

Posted in Baby Care, Recipes | 4 Comments

Oil of Oregano Health Benefits

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Tes

Oregano Oil

The Oregano is growing like crazy and I’m ready to start harvesting it.

Oregano is one of my most used herbs, it is a very hardy plant that is easy to grow and has many uses. We live in a cold climate and my Oregano thrives here. The leaves can be dried, eaten raw or soaked in oil for oregano benefits of health.

Oregano oil has been used for thousands of years for health benefits, traditionally it has been a great remedy for colds and flu, inflammation of the mouth and throat, upset stomachs and respiratory problems.

Joy of the Mountains 100% Wild Organic Oregano Oil – 30 milliliter
The Chinese have used this herb to treat fever and itchy skin problems as well as diluting the oil for and using it externally for headaches, muscle and joint pain as well as for stings and bites.

Oregano oil has become increasingly more know today as a natural remedy for colds and flu.

This herb has strong fungicidal, bactericidal and antiseptic properties which are just a few of the health improving properties this incredible herb have. Continue reading →

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Soap Supplies

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Tes

Buying Soap supplies online

Recently I have been doing some shopping on Amazon and I have been seeing more and more soap supplies that can be bough through their site. If you want to try to make soap or are just starting out it might be a good way to get some reasonably priced supplies.

Below are the supplies I found and think are not to bad in price is your wanting to start making soap for yourself, your friend and family or for gifts.

Soap Making Oils

The 5 top soap making oils

Continue reading →

Posted in Soap Making Equipment | 1 Comment

Soap Kills Viruses

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Tes

Soap kills viruses – yup that’s right!

Plain old ordinary soap actually works better than disinfectants for killing viruses because ordinary soap destroys the viruses structure.

Soap is the best thing to use in the fight against viruses but when it is not available use alcohol wipes.

The reason soap is better is because it dissolves the fat membrane and the virus just simply falls apart and becomes inactive. That is simply put because I’m not a scientist and don’t want to bore you with science and chemistry. If you want to know more about that you can follow this link Deadly Viruses are no match for soap Continue reading →

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Hand Sanitizer Recipe

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Tes

Hand Sanitizer

With the shortage of hand sanitizers in stores in our area, I wanted to find something for our family to use.

After doing research and reading WHO Recommended Hand Rub Formulations  I found this recipe that you can easily make.

Hand Sanitizer Recipe

This recipe has been scaled down by Kevin Lee Jacobs – the prep time is about 5 minutes and it only required 3 ingredients plus water. Continue reading →

Posted in Recipes, Skin Care | 2 Comments

Water and soap making

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Tes

How much water in soap recipe?



You have your oils all picked out and are creating your first recipe!  Now you are wondering about the water/lye mix.  How do I find out how much water to add the lye to?  Does it have to be exact?

The addition of water is a little different from that of the oils and sodium hydroxide.  The oil and lye measurements need to be pretty exact, but with the water you have room to play.

When creating your own soap recipe make sure you use a calculator to determine the amount of lye that needs to be added to the water.  This calculator will also give you a range for the amount of water to use.
Continue reading →

Posted in Making Soaps | 8 Comments