St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a pretty yellow flowering plant that’s considered a noxious weed in several states, but is well-loved by herbalists! Besides using it for tinctures and liniments (like this herbal liniment for varicose veins & muscle pains), it’s also wonderful to infuse into oil for salves and lotions. If you don’t…
Learn to make an all-natural witch hazel + herbal liniment can be used for varicose veins, muscle pains, strains, and aches. This recipe was kindly shared by Dawn Combs, author of the book, Heal Local. It’s a great book centered around 20 homegrown or regionally sourced herbs that you can use to build a complete…
Learn tips and tricks to help you stamp soap of all kinds: cold process, hot process, and melt and pour! Using a decorative stamp is an easy way to personalize an otherwise plain bar of soap. However, there’s a little bit of learning curve when you start stamping, so these tips and tricks should help!…
Soap on a rope is an easy and fun way to dress up an otherwise plain soap. It makes a great gift too! The examples shown in the photos are made using chaparral herb infused soap base, from my Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soap print book, but you could use this same idea with…
Learn how to make an effective natural deodorant using magnesium hydroxide powder and flower-infused coconut oil. If you check out the label of your favorite natural deodorant, you’ll most likely notice magnesium hydroxide in the ingredients list. Magnesium hydroxide is a mineral used in natural deodorants to neutralize body odor and is the star of…
Learn how to make charcoal pencil lines in melt and pour soap. (It’s easy!) Charcoal pencil lines are a design technique used to create a striking line of separation between layers of soap. While they might look tricky, they’re actually quite easy to make! (Want to make pencil lines in cold process soap instead? Check…
These simple but effective facial cleansing grains feature rolled oats, dried lavender flowers, and a small amount of gentle clay. Cleansing grains are ultra simple blends of ground herbs, flowers, grains, and other goodies that are beneficial for your skin. This recipe highlights the soothing nature of oats along with the calming properties of lavender,…
This salve recipe combines anti-inflammatory turmeric with pain relieving menthol to create an effective salve that can be rubbed into sore or achy joints, backs, feet, or wherever you have pain that’s relieved by a deep cooling sensation. Today I’m delighted to share a recipe that my daughter created! For many months, we’ve been working…
In this article, you’ll learn how to make three herbal salves featuring mullein infused oil: Basic Mullein Salve – for dry, chapped, or cracked skin Mullein First Aid Salve – for minor scrapes, scratches Mullein Chest Rub – for respiratory support Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is an herbal weed you’ve likely seen growing on roadsides…
Learn why and how to use honey or agave nectar in soap, how much to use, and tips on using them. Plus, there are recipes for you to explore! Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture, and it helps to soften rough or damaged skin. In soapmaking, honey also has the…
Learn how to infuse skin-loving dandelion flowers into soap base to create these super easy dandelion and honey melt and pour soap bars. This soap is naturally colored with dandelion flowers, while honey adds nourishment and a slight boost to lather. It’s a melt and pour version of my popular cold process Honey & Dandelion Soap….
Learn how to resize soap recipes to fit your soap mold; includes step by step details plus helpful screenshots. Most of my recipes are sized to fit a Crafter’s Choice 1501 silicone mold, or a homemade wooden version of similar size. What if you have a larger or smaller mold, but want to make one…
In this article, you’ll learn about 10 natural and/or organic-approved preservatives to consider adding to your handmade products. For years I made my family lotions and creams with no preservatives since I automatically lumped those into the “harmful chemicals” category. What I didn’t realize is that there are quite a few nature-derived and organic compliant…
Can you add different kinds of fibers, such as alpaca, cashmere, and bamboo silk to soap? I try those fibers and more in this cold process soap experiment! Several months ago, my daughter (an avid fiber/spinning enthusiast) saw me adding some Tussah silk fiber to soap, and wondered if other types of fiber could be…
Chickweed (and optional violet leaves) combine to create a soft natural green color in this skin soothing melt and pour soap. This soap is a fun and useful way to use two abundant springtime weeds! Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a nourishing plant that’s used to promote lymph flow, and as a skin-soothing agent for itchy…
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is an easy to grow garden flower that’s often used in skin care products such as lotion, soap, salves, and other items for itchy, irritated, or sensitive skin. Internally, the tea is calming and promotes relaxation. Chamomile is so easy to start from seed, so if you have a garden spot, I…
This soap is made up of three simple layers, colored with purple clay and indigo, and scented with a floral essential oil blend. Feel free to change up the colorants and scent to put your own spin on the recipe! I first made this recipe back in spring of 2018, and recently realized that I’d…
This moisturizing herbal hand cream is perfect for skin that’s rough, damaged, or dry from gardening, or working a lot with your hands. It’s rich and thick, but soaks in nicely after a minute, to protect and repair your skin. I especially love making this cream with weeds which have been gathered while prepping veggie…
A common garden weed + simple ingredients makes up these purple dead nettle lotion bars that are perfect for dry, chapped, or cracked hands and feet. Lotion bars are not only super easy to make, but they’re highly effective too! This lotion bar recipe features purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum), which is a common weed…
If you tend to have cold feet, especially in the winter, then this lotion bar was created just for you! Coconut oil is first infused with two kitchen spices – ginger and cayenne powder – that promote warmth and circulation, plus calendula flowers are added for their skin-soothing properties. The infused oil is then mixed…