Here are old archives from the old "blueapplegallery" blog. I wanted to consolidate things and make a new blog under my blueapplesoap@gmail.com address. However, I didn't want to delete these archives. They document my process in my self taught journey in how to make soap. Sorry I wasn't able to transfer the pictures but I have better new ones anyway. So anyway, here they are:
Sunday,
July 24, 2011
I just completed an e-swap on swap-bot.com where you have to
choose areas in your house and clean/organize them and then send before and
after pictures to your swap partners. I thought it turned out well (mostly
being that it motivated me to get things clean and organized in the first
place.) Here are the before and after pictures for the swap. I tried to pick
the very messiest areas to tackle first. As you can see from the before pics.
my biggest problem is clutter! I feel like it gets everywhere but, when you are
a crafter, you will have clutter!
These first two pics. are of my kitchen desk area. As you can see, the before
pictures had the stuff looking out of control. Some of the stuff is for soap
making.
I moved the soap making stuff back out to the soap/craft shed where it belongs.
I organized the rest of the stuff in baskets and some of my handmade pottery.
It's a great place to work on swaps, pay bills, sketch or look up recipes. I
can also plug in my laptop there. Glad I got the space clean so I can use it
now!
These next two pics. are the before and after pictures of the inside of my
soap/craft shed. It's this great little shed where I keep all my soap making
stuff in so it doesn't take up space in my kitchen. As you can see, soap making
equipment requires a good amount of space so I'm glad I have this space.
The shed is not heated or cooled so I have just basically been throwing stuff
in there because it's so hot! I waited until night time when it was much cooler
and got to work on it. Now I can utilize this space to store my oils, lye and
other supplies and organize my soap making projects. (I actually make the soap
inside my house because I have to have running water for soap making.)
Last but not least, my closet.
It was a bit hard to get a good angle because of it being a walk in with the
rack and shelves being off to the side. As you can see from the before pictures
the closet is a complete disaster. I still have winter sweaters out in the
middle of July. Shirts are being thrown all over the shelves and the rack has
winter stuff in the front so I have to sift through it all to find my summer
clothes.
I moved my sweaters to a higher shelf and moved my winter hanging stuff to the
very back of my closet. Then I folded all of my summer stuff and organized it
neatly on the shelf. No more having to sift through all that stuff to put
together a decent outfit!
I also placed my shoe rack (which was at the bottom of my closet) toward the
front and under the shelves for better access.
Hope you enjoyed my before/after pictures. I still have many other areas in my
house which could use some cleaning/organizing so I will definitely be joining
future Clean House Challenge swaps!
Thursday,
June 2, 2011
Starting this month, Blue Apple will feature a
product of the month every month. The product of the month will always be
offered at a discount of $1 off retail price. This month we are featuring our
all natural, aluminum free deodorant.
Most commercial deodorants contain aluminum. Any time you wear these
deodorants, your body absorbs the aluminum it contains. With the rising concern
about aluminum possibly causing neurological problems and breast cancer, many
people are switching to aluminum free deodorants.
Blue Apple's All Natural Deodorant will keep you smelling fresh on these hot,
hot days without aluminum! Our all natural deodorant contains four things that
fight against sweat odor; cornstarch (to absorb odors and sweat,) baking soda,
lemon oil and tea tree oil (to kill bacteria and neutralize body odor!) All of
which are suspended in cocoa and shea butters and jojoba oil. I even have a tea
tree oil free version for people who have sensitivities to tea tree oil and
pregnant women (who are advised not to use tea tree oil during pregnancy.)
Stop by the Chowan Farmer's Market (8am-12pm Saturday) or the HUB Farmer's
Market (2pm-7pm Saturday) to make the switch to all natural today!
Wednesday,
May 25, 2011
Lately, my shower has
become an exhibition of handmade soaps. I have to be honest, it's nice to have
about five or six choices over which soap to use when I am in the shower. This
led me to consider posting about how to care for handmade soap.
It's important to remember first and foremost that the trade off to having a
wonderful natural bar is that it does have a shelf life of about 6 months to a
year. Handmade soap is a great option for keeping your skin healthy and
chemical free but most handmade soap is intended for use not to decorate with
long term so don't expect it to be able to lay around for decades untouched.
Never store handmade soap in an airtight container. This includes zip-lock bags
and plastic wrap. Handmade soap needs to breathe or the oils in them will go
rancid more quickly. You can however, wrap it in wax paper. Melt and pour
glycerin soap is fine to be wrapped in plastic wrap because it's chemistry
doesn't require it to have to breathe.
Last but not least, when you use handmade soap in the shower or bath, take care
not to get it into a direct stream of water for too long or it will melt away
quickly. It's also wise to use a soap dish with raised ridges so that the
bottom of the soap doesn't stay soggy turning your soap into mush. Once a bar
of soap is wet for the first time, soap socks (the hand knit cloths we make for
our soaps at Blue Apple) should be removed while soap is not being used. I have
found that my soap stays soggy and desegregates quickly due to the cloth
staying wet if, I leave it around the soap.
If you follow these tips, your bar of soap is sure to last longer however
remember that handmade soap (especially hot process soap) well melt faster than
commercial soap. It does this because it contains naturally occurring glycerin
and holds moisture well but so will your skin when you use it!
Labels: all
natural, body care,
cold
process soap, eco
friendly living, green
living, handcrafted,
handcrafted
soap, handmade,
handmade
soap, hot
process soap, soap care,
soap
making
Monday,
May 23, 2011
As a result of my desire to make my business
more eco-conscious I have been working on and studying natural fragrances to
put into my soaps as opposed to chemical fragrance oils. I am currently working
on a vanilla fragrance where I soak vanilla beans in 100 proof vodka (which is
odorless when dry) the vodka will absorb the vanilla and become heavily
scented. I can then use this in soap and other skin care products instead of
synthetic fragrance oils.
I hope to be able to create more natural fragrances
as well as do some research using natural substances to color soaps instead of
synthetic dyes. I have had several people tell me that they have allergies to
most soaps or detergents they use. This is usually due to synthetic chemicals.
I encourage anyone to try natural and
handmade soap if you don't already. You will notice a difference!
Labels: bath, body, castile
soap, cold
process soap, eco
friendly, fragrance,
handcrafted,
handmade,
natual, soap
making, vanilla
Friday,
May 20, 2011
It's been a while since a blogged last.
ALMOST A YEAR! YIKES, I have no real excuse other than well...I have just been
busy with life. Part of this life I have been busy with has been making soap
and selling it. I have started a soap company called "Blue Apple Soap
Co." I working along with a friend who also makes soaps but she became too
busy to do it so I am back on my own making and selling. It's been a fun ride
though. I have learned so much and intend to continue this blog regularly.
Peace Out! -Kim
Tuesday,
July 6, 2010
I have formulated a recipe for
laundry soap. I like it because:
1. To me, it cleans better than the
commercial varieties.
2. It's cheaper to make than buying
the commercial varieties.
3. The ingredients are all natural
so if you have a sensitivity to the synthetic chemicals in commercial laundry
detergents try making and using this soap.
Ingredients:
2 qts. Water
1 4-6 oz. bar of castile soap
1 c. washing soda (you can
substitute baking soda)
1/2 c. borax
Directions:
1. Bring the water to a boil in a
stock pot.
2. While water is being brought to a
boil, shred bar of castile soap with cheese grater.
3. Once water is boiling add soap
shreds to boiling water stirring until all soap has dissolved into water.
4. Remove from heat and allow to
cool for a 30 minutes.
5. Add borax and washing soda stir
until mixed evenly.
6. Pour soap into a cleaned out milk
jug or similar container.
When you go to use the soap give it
a shake before dispensing it. The dry ingredients tend to separate back out. I
use about an ounce per load in my front loader. For a top loader you would want
to use about 2-3 times as much depending on the size of the load.
Castile soap is a natural soap made
using vegetable oils. You can find it at natural/organic food stores or at some
supermarkets. I make my own castile soap using an olive/coconut oil blend. If
you would like to get some contact me or visit my shop at www.shophandmade.com/store/blueapplegallery.
If you decide to make this laundry
soap, please comment and let me know what you think!
Monday,
June 28, 2010
Dear Blue Apple fans,
I have had quite a bit of interest my handmade candles. I have been making soy
wax container candles for personal use over a year now and I am very excited
about a new line of candles I will soon be selling along with my soap.
When I started making container candles, I chose soy wax because of it's eco
friendly properties. There are two reasons I like soy wax so much.
1. Most scented candles are made from paraffin wax which can have up to 11
carcinogens in it. Yuck! Do you really want to be polluting the air in your own
home? Soy wax, however, is clean burning. Not only does soy wax produce little
soot and no carcinogens, it has an excellent scent throw with fragrance oils.
2. Soy wax is a sustainable resource produced from soy beans that are generally
American farmed. The type of soy wax I will be using in my candles is EcoSoya,
a brand made exclusively from American farmed soy beans.
The containers are made from either recycled glass bottles or reused glass
containers from former candles. As a result they will vary in size and shape
making each candle unique. They will make their owner's home and earth more
beautiful!
I will also be giving away Blue Apple Gallery $1 off coupons to anyone who
turns in a used glass candle container to me. You will be keeping them out of
the landfill because I can reuse them to make new candles!
I hope you enjoyed my informative article on soy wax candles. Please comment
and let me know what you think. Also let me know what scents you would like to
see (or should I say smell!) in my candles. And remember, God gave us one earth
to live on; so take care of it!
Thanks For Reading!
Kim
Labels: arts, candle, candle
making, container
candles, crafts,
diy, earth, eco
friendly, green,
recycle,
scent, soap
making, soy wax
Monday,
June 14, 2010
Sorry it's been so long since I
blogged. I have been busy making soap soap and more soap. I've started selling
locally at the downtown farmer's market on Saturdays and it's going pretty
good.
Sunday,
May 16, 2010
I made two new batches of soap
today. Both were hot process with lard. So far, lard is my choice of oils. It
makes a nice harder white bar of soap. One batch is scented with lemon oil and
swirl colored and the other is made with ocean water I collected from the Outer
Banks and it is scented with a fragrance oil called down by the sea and swirl
colored blue. Check out the pictures!
Saturday,
May 15, 2010
Today I unmolded the
olive oil soap I made yesterday. Unfortunately, I forgot to spray my mold and
it stuck like gum on a sidewalk. I finally got it out by sticking it in the
freezer. It then came out with quite a bit of effort and prying. I will not
make this mistake again!
On the upside, I purchased an old Crock Pot from Good Will and made my first
batch of hot process soap. Hot process soap is an extension of cold process
soap where you cook it in the Crock Pot for a few hours to cure it instead of
having it cure for weeks.
After mine was ready, I put it in some silicone cupcake molds I had laying
around the house. I did remember to spray these and with the bendable nature of
silicone, I don't think I will have a problem getting them out.
The oil I used for the soap was vegetable shortening. I also added Tea Tree Oil
to the soap I hot processed. Tea Tree Oil is a good essential oil to use in
soaps because it is a strong antiseptic. It can kill various surface bacteria,
viruses and fungi. It can even treat a variety of things from athlete's foot to
acne! Tea Tree Oil also has a great natural and woodsy scent.
Friday,
May 14, 2010
I haven't been able to STOP thinking
about making soap! Today I checked on my batch which is currently curing and
it's completely odorless now (doesn't smell like lard anymore!)
As soon as I got home from work, I made a batch of castile soap. Castile soap
is made with all vegetable oils. The main ingredient I used was olive oil but,
I also used coconut oil.
I also took a trip to the thrift store earlier so I can start making "hot
process" soap. This is where you cook it to a cure and it can be
immediately used!
As always, thanks for reading!
Thursday,
May 13, 2010
I went ahead and cut up the soap
into bars today. I was going to wait 48 hours instead of 24 but it was already
cool and hard when I got home from work. This way I could go ahead and allow it
to cure on metal racks. The curing process takes about 3 weeks. I will test the
pH around the end of this time and if it's 8 the soap can then be used.
The soap usually takes on a similar color to whatever fat you use. Using the
lard caused my soap to have a snowy white appearance. I love it! The one
downside is that it hardened to the point that it chipped and cracked a little
while I was cutting it. I'm not too concerned though because I will be hand
milling it after it cures and adding fragrance and color to some!
Thanks for reading! I'll keep you posted.
Wednesday,
May 12, 2010
I made my first batch of cold
process lye soap today. It is much different from the soap casting I have been
doing for years. Basically, the only way you can make soap from scratch is by
combining two things. You need a fat (lard, shortening, olive oil, etc.) and a
hazardous chemical called "lye" or "sodium hydroxide." If
you mix the right amount together, you get soap.
The recipe I used was:
21 oz water
12 oz lye
5lbs 7oz lard
(Pretty basic as far as soap making is concerned!)
Here is the account of how it went this afternoon.
1. I gathered all my materials. This didn't take me long because I had already
made a checklist a few days ago.
2.I put on gloves, safety goggles and long sleeved clothing. This step was
important because I DO NOT want to get lye on my skin! It has a pH of 13,
therefore it's pretty caustic!
3. Outdoors, I took my canister of lye, ice cold water in a "lye solution
only" pitcher, a wooden spoon, vinegar and my digital tabletop scale to a
table. The reason I chose to do the lye mixing outdoors is because it causes
fumes that can be pretty dangerous if there isn't enough air circulation.
4. I measured the water very carefully.
5. In a separate container I measured my lye very carefully.
6. I then very carefully and slowly poured the lye into the water while stirring
with a wooden spoon. Lye always goes in water; it is always important not to
reverse this. (The lye was so harsh it turned the part wooden spoon it came
into contact with a burnt orange color.)
7. Right then I rinsed the container I measured my lye in with vinegar.
8. As soon as the lye mixed with the water it caused a chemical reaction that
got VERY HOT!
9. I took this lye solution inside VERY CAREFULLY of course! I placed a cooking
thermometer into the lye solution. It was around 175 degrees f. I have to wait
for it to get down to 11o degrees f to mix with the lard.
10. In the mean time I heated my lard over low heat on the stove until it was
at a liquid state. It reached about 125 degrees f but in order to mix the lye
in, it has to be 110 f as well.
11. It took FOREVER for the lye to cool down so I finally gave whole pitcher an
ice water bath.
12. The melted lard and the lye actually reached 110 f at the same time. At
this point I mixed the lye solution into the lard while stirring. This is
another thing you can't reverse. You must add the lye solution to lard.
13. I used a stick blender (or immersion blender) to blend the lye and oil
until it formed something called "trace." This is where it has the
consistency of pudding.
14. I poured the now "young" or "raw" soap into a
rectangular Rubbermaid container. I placed the lid on it. And then wrapped the
container in towels.
15. I placed the container in an empty cabinet. It will stay there for 2 days. After
that I cut it into bars and allow it to cure on a metal rack for 3 weeks.
I will let you know how this soap turns out as it cures.
Most people consider soap making dangerous because of the lye. This is why I
have never attempted to make soap from scratch until today but I am glad I did.
I was very careful and it paid off because I will have a brand new batch of
soap soon!
DISCLAIMER: Do not try to make lye soap until you have studied the process and
know how to safely handle lye. I have read a soap making book, watched soap
making video as well as read a countless number of web pages on lye soap making
before attempting this first batch. I recommend that anyone who wants to make
lye soap to do their homework!
Thursday,
May 6, 2010
I have been soap casting for a few
years now. If you have never heard of it or are not familiar with the process
soapcasting (aka: melt and pour method) is a method of soap making where you
purchase premade blocks of plain glycerin soap specifically designed to melt
down. You then melt it down using a microwave or a double boiler. Once melted
you can add all sorts of wonderful treats for your skin to the soap. I have
added essential oils, apricot seeds, oatmeal, coffee and cornmeal just to name
a few.
One unique soapcasting project that
I do that seems to get a lot of attention is making layered clear glycerin bars
with rubber toys embedded partially or completely in the soap. One example of
this is the rubber ducky soap on my profile picture. Another is the picture above.
In this soap, I have rubber porcupine balls embedded into the clear glycerin
soap with a layer of white at the bottom.
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About
Me
I am trying my hand in the world of soap making. In this
blog I will journey into the world of soap making. Join me as I document my
successes and failures!
