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…
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…
Herbal powders are a convenient way to add nourishing components and label appeal to your handmade soaps! Instead of infusing herbs (and flowers) in oil or water for soap, you can stir small amounts of the finely powdered herbs into the: lye solution, warmed oils, or the soap batter at light trace. Some ground floral…
Avocado is a wonderful addition to cold process soap, featuring: skin-loving nutrients, essential fatty acids, and lots of label appeal. Here’s how to add avocado to your soap recipes! 7 quick tips when making avocado soap: Try replacing up to 1/3 of the water amount in your recipe with mashed avocado. If your recipe calls…
This forest-scented charcoal and pine tar soap lathers well and washes off cleanly. It’s a favorite with the guys in my family! Pine tar is a fantastic ingredient in soap, renowned for clearing tough-to-treat skin problems, but it can have a strong smell that’s off-putting to some. When a relative requested a pine tar soap…
Learn how to make your own orange peel powder and how to use it in cold process soap recipes. Do you or your family enjoy snacking on fresh oranges? If so, save some of those peels for your soapmaking projects! Orange peel powder adds: soft natural color label appeal loads of flavonoids (antioxidants) Depending on…
Explore these essential oil body care and clean home recipes to help support your health and immune system this winter. These recipes all feature blends from the Wellness Sampler Set, created by Plant Therapy. You can buy it at Amazon, or Plant Therapy’s website. What’s in the Wellness Sampler Set? The set contains 3 bottles…
These lotion bars were designed for climbers and other actives who want to retain the calluses on their hands, while still keeping their skin healed and protected. It’s my take after studying and trying out a few popular climbing bars (hard salves) on the market. Unlike traditional lotion bars, you won’t find butter (shea, mango)…
This nourishing vegan lip balm is easy to make and perfect for gift giving – made even easier by using the pretty printable labels below! Today’s recipe article was contributed and written by a recently-retired blogging friend who kindly offered to share her old site’s most popular recipes with my website readers. 😊 I’m so…
Pineapple sage is more than just another pretty pollinator plant for your garden – it’s rich in antioxidants & also used as a traditional herbal remedy! Health Benefits of Pineapple Sage Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is “widely used in traditional medicine, particularly in the form of infusions or decoctions, to… lower blood pressure and combat…
Add a delicious immunity boost to your day with mulled apple cider infused with turkey tail mushrooms and astragalus root. This yummy creation came about when I decided to combine a fall favorite – fresh apple cider from my local orchard, with turkey tail mushrooms gathered from the woods around my house. Turkey tail (Trametes…
Learn how to naturally color handmade soap with beautiful mineral-rich Brazilian clay. One of my favorite soap additives is clay. Not only does it add natural color (derived from minerals naturally found in the soil), it also contributes to the skin benefits of our soap. Clay draws oils and impurities from your skin, making it…
Learn how to use charcoal in soap, how much charcoal you need to make gray and black soaps, plus a helpful usage rate table for reference! Activated charcoal is a popular natural ingredient to include in soap and other skin care products, because of its power to draw impurities from your skin. (This same action…
Learn how to infuse pine resin to use in homemade soap recipes that are great for your skin! Pine resin is traditionally used in first aid salves and balms for achy muscles, troublesome skin conditions, or damaged and chapped skin. Pine resin can also be used to create soaps that might be helpful for someone…
Calendula lotion bars are an exceptional treatment for dry, cracked skin and make wonderful gifts for those you love. The basic recipe requires only three ingredients, and is a super simple DIY to whip together! If you can melt chocolate, you can make lotion bars! For this recipe, the oil portion is infused with calendula…