Last weekend I was wishing I had some lipstick or tinted lip balm. Getting dressed up (a little) for a niece’s outdoor wedding reminded me I don’t often wear lipstick but it’s been so long since I dressed up I didn’t even have a lip gloss anymore! When I got home, I started thinking about whether I wanted to go to the drug store to find some, or look up how to make a tinted lip balm myself. Making it myself seemed to be my choice! Pinterest to the rescue!
I found a simple recipe and got to work. For ingredients I needed: Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter and Mica Powder (for color).
I got my lip balm holders ready. The recipe makes about 10 lip balms, so I decided to make a double batch so I could share them with my high school friends at our next monthly luncheon.
The ingredient list says to measure out 1 Tbsp. each of the Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter. Since I was doubling the recipe, I measured out 2 Tbsp. of each ingredient into a glass measuring cup and placed it in a pan of water on the stove. It did not take too long to melt everything together.
When melted, I stirred in 1/4 tsp. of Rose Pearl Mica Powder.
I did not add any scent because it wasn’t necessary and several folks in my high school group prefer unscented products.
Using a disposable pipette I filled 25 1/2 lip balm tubes! (I’ll use the half-filled tube). I guess the original recipe is going to make more than 10 tubes.
I always try to make a card with ingredients for the stuff I make…by our age, we are all allergic to something!
Now I’m ready to get dressed up! Hopefully it won’t be another two years before I need this! Enjoy!
I recently came across an article about making aromatherapy soap dough. This project sounded like such a neat idea! The article was written by Jan Berry who has written my favorite book about working with melt and pour soap:
The focus of this aromatherapy project had to do with the various scents and how working with dough that had a specific scent could, for example, calm the child (lavender), brighten their mood (lemon), or even soothe overexcitement (Himalayan cedarwood). Therefore, the amount of scent in each batch was quite strong. The recipe called for 1/8 plus 1/16 tsp. of essential oil. Since most essential oils are measured by the drop, 1/4 tsp. of essential oil represents 20-30+ drops in 5 oz. of soap.
For this project, you melt the soap of your choice, add soap tint and essential oils, and then stir in 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch until it makes a soft dough. The pictures in the article showed a small ball of tinted play-dough-type clay that kids could roll out and cut out shapes, let them dry and then use them to wash their hands.
After giving this recipe a try my final recommendation is…this project was more trouble than it was worth. I can’t imagine trying to make enough of this dough for kids to play with. You might have a better result than I did, but I don’t plan to spend any more time trying to get it right!
Making the Soap Dough
Step 1: Melt the Soap
I started with 1 lb. of Goats Milk melt & pour soap base. I divided the pound into 3 glass measuring cups by chunking it up and weighing each cup. I needed 5 oz. in each cup.
I put two of the cups into saucepans with water on the stove and started them melting.
I decided to work with one cup at a time.
Optimistically, I had three sets of tint and essential oils ready for three colors/scents of soap dough.
Step 2: Add tint and scent
When the first cup of soap was melted, I added the purple tint (directions said to mix the tint with twice as much rubbing alcohol). I’m not sure why that was important, but I mixed a few drops of tint in a metal measuring cup with a teaspoon of Everclear alcohol and then added it to the soap.
I use Everclear in my perfumes so I had it on hand.
Then I added about 20 drops of Lavender essential oil. I would never use that much in such a small portion of soap but I did in this first batch.
Step 3: Add cornstarch.
Next, the recipe said to begin adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of cornstarch a little at a time.
The cornstarch stayed in lumps…kind of like lumpy gravy! Don’t you hate that!
I was to keep stirring as the soap cooled. By the time I had added 4 tablespoons of cornstarch the soap was making a sticky ball in the cup.
I dumped it out onto parchment paper and tried to make it into a ball of dough. It stayed lumpy with the cornstarch that didn’t mix in. I finally pressed it flat and tried to use a cookie cutter to make a heart. It sure didn’t look pretty!
The final chunk I just patted into a circle and called it quits! Now they are supposed to dry for a few days. Then they can be used to wash hands.
So much for a cool project! NOT!
At this point, I decided to just melt down the soap in the other two cups, add tint and essential oils, and pour them into my heart molds. These heart soaps, scented with Lemon and Rose essential oils can be used in a few hours. Much simpler!
In a few days I’ll see if the “aromatherapy soap dough” hearts work well for hand washing. However, I think the small molded hearts have enough scent to be useful as good smelling soap.
If I really want to calm down a child with lavender scent, I think an essential oil diffuser in the room where they are playing might be more effective and much less messy! Even a small pillow stuffed with dried lavender buds would work well. Give it a try! Enjoy!
Why would I experiment making perfume that smells like maple syrup? Back in December I did another experiment with lip balm flavors…one of which was Maple Coffee. (see https://marykisner.com/two-lip-balm-flavors-and-a-cool-new-tool/). Quite a few folks liked it, including my niece in California. In fact, she let me know that it was the first scent she could actually smell since she had had Covid months before. Interesting! Recently, she asked if I would try making a Maple perfume…she didn’t care if she smelled like a pancake breakfast! Kind of yummy if you think about it!
I’ve been brainstorming with a local friend about how to make this perfume (thanks, Becky!). I knew that I needed several scents to make a balanced perfume…but what would complement the maple scent? After much deliberation, we decided that the maple would be the heaviest scent and could be enhanced with vanilla, wild orange and black pepper essential oils. (Sounds like a breakfast buffet!)
The maple flavoring was really meant to be used in cooking and baking, so one look at the ingredients let me know that I would have to use something as an emulsifier. I’ve used Polysorbate20 in the past and glycerin and alcohol can also serve that purpose. Here are the ingredients for the maple flavoring:
This product is definitely not an essential oil!
I tried two formulas, one with sweet almond oil as the base and the other with alcohol and glycerin as the base.
Maple Perfume #1
For the first formula I mixed the ingredients up directly in the roller ball…thinking they would blend and be easily applied with the roller ball. The ingredients included:
Unfortunately, the mixture separated, leaving a huge glob of the maple flavoring floating around. Shaking hard helped but it separated again. Not sure if I used enough Polysorbate20. It was certainly fragrant and lasted on my wrist all day!
Maple Perfume #2
The second recipe started with a 1-cup glass measuring cup and ended up filling 6 10ml spray bottles and two 10ml roller balls. However, it made it much easier to mix the ingredients.
A dropper and tiny funnel were essential to fill these tiny bottles.I hope my niece likes this perfume…she’ll have enough for quite a while!
The Maple flavoring seemed to stay mixed in this recipe but I’ll still recommend a shake before spraying!
I’ll put these in the mail to California and wait for feedback before I make any more! I must say, my kitchen smells great today! Never be afraid to experiment! Enjoy!
Last week I was asked by my son-in-law and grandson to make some glycerin soap bars with the scents of Lavender and Lemon. I made a double batch and added about 12 drops of Lavender essential oil to one batch and 12 drops of Citrus Bliss essential oil to the other. Citrus Bliss is a blend of oils, including: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin Sweet Orange, Tangerine and Vanilla. A nice blend, but definitely not very “lemony.” I also added just 1 drop of soap tint to each batch (purple for the lavender and yellow for the citrus) to better tell them apart.
When they were cool, I was concerned that they didn’t have a very strong smell, especially of lemon. After letting them sit for a week, I decided that I needed to add more essential oil before I could hand them off.
So, this week I unwrapped the bars, chopped them up and put them back on the stove to melt them down.
These are the lavender bars.Chopping the soap into small pieces help them melt quickly.Ready to go into the pan of water on the stove.Who knew 1 drop of yellow tint would make them so YELLOW!Bring the pan of water to a boil and turn down to simmer until the soap is melted. A little bit of white vinegar in the water will keep our hard water from leaving sediment on the pan and the outside of the glass measuring cup.I added an additional 15 drops of essential oil to each batch. I thought Lemongrass would enhance the “lemon” scent.Let the soap bars cool for about 2 hours before removing the from the molds.
I felt better about these bars. I’ll wrap them individually in plastic wrap so they won’t absorb moisture from the air. Hopefully they’ll be just what my boys were expecting! Enjoy!
I was not happy with the colors of clay I used and the shapes I experimented with in that previous post. So, I pulled out the Pearl clay I had and started over.
I decided to make rectangles that were 2″ x 3″. I did not have a cutter that size so I made a cardboard pattern from an old tablet back.
I rolled out a ball of clay and placed the pattern on it. Then I used a zig zag cutter and just cut around it, like this:
I made about 20 of these rectangular shapes. Some ended up closer to 1 1/2″ x 3″ and a few were round circles. They baked for 50 minutes at 265 degrees in my old toaster oven.
Next, I printed out pictures of the vegetables we are going to grow. Even though I know what the common vegetables look like, I wasn’t sure about the various beans we were going to try.
Then, I pulled out my various bottles of acrylic paint and brushes.
I started with two of the round circles to see if I could make a representative picture of a radish and a strawberry. Those two, plus the lettuce and spinach, will be in the planters on the patio so they didn’t need huge signs.
Luckily the paintings are pretty small, so they didn’t have to be perfect! I’ll glue the signs to the wide craft sticks and then spray them all with a polyurethane spray. Hopefully, that will help them weather the outside summer temperatures and moisture.
Before I invest in more polymer clay to make my garden signs, I thought I should figure out if it will even work. I collected up my pile of partially used bits of clay leftover from other projects and spent the day making some samples.
I haven’t worked with clay for many months but the clay seemed to survive just fine in plastic bags. My first goal was to see if one color worked better than others and how I should write on them. My second goal was to figure out what shape worked best and how to attach the stick that will go in the ground.
The first color I chose was a pale pink. I thought I could write on it with a black marker. I also didn’t need anything too large because five of the signs could be small…they will be in the smallest planters on the patio. These small signs would be for the Radishes, Lettuce, Spinach, Radicchio and Swiss Chard. I put a piece of clay on the back that would make a pocket to hold the stick.
Back of the small sign.I used the flat end of a marker to tap down the edge of the pocket…hoping it would stay put after baking. I left the stick in the pocket while it baked to keep the pocket from collapsing.
After baking in my toaster oven (275 degrees for 30 minutes), I wrote Radish on the sign with a permanent marker. The sign looked like this:
I added glue to the end of the stick and stuck it in the pocket to harden.
Just for fun, I chose a cookie cutter of a gingerbread man to make a larger sign. I added the pocket piece to the back and tapped the edge down.
After baking, I glued the stick into the pocket using fast-drying E6000 glue. These are the ones I made today:
When the signs were cool, I turned them over and wrote on the black ones with yellow paint. I may have to make the rest larger than the round one above…too much to write so they need to be bigger.
After writing all the words with yellow paint on black I think I like the light color clay with writing in black marker. It’s much easier, especially as the number of letters increase.
When they are all done, I’ll seal them with an acrylic spray to make them waterproof. I’m sure they could also be more decorative too! I’ll have to look up some ideas on Pinterest! Enjoy!
Just one more experiment with soap before I put away all the equipment. I wondered if embedding a coin in soap would be different from a Lego toy? (see https://marykisner.com/making-soap-with-an-embedded-toy/) Actually, yes! The Lego toys are very light and often hollow plastic. They will float, thus the need to pour hot soap in only half-way, letting the toy float to the top and then letting it partially cool before adding the rest. That keeps the toy anchored in the center of the soap.
A coin, however, is solid and quite heavy compared to the toy. I will still need to fill the mold only half way and let it cool…at least enough so the coin will not sink to the bottom of the mold.
Bert had a bunch of beautiful shiny 50 cent pieces and was willing to share for my experiment.
I gathered the equipment…two 4-cup glass measuring cups, two saucepans, soap cutter, soap, molds and coins.
I chunked up 1 1/2 pound of soap base into each measuring cup and added a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar to the sauce pan (keeps the hard water sediment from forming on the pan and the outside of the measuring cup.) I set the cup into the saucepan and carefully filled the pan up to about 3/4″ from the top. This essentially makes a double boiler.
I turned the front burner on high to get that pot of soap going faster. I left the back burner on low because it will not need to be ready until the half-filled molds are firm.
The front measuring cup is ready to pout. I filled each mold half way and waited 30 minutes.
When the soap was firm, I placed a coin face down on top of the firm soap. I sprayed the soap with alcohol, which helps the next pour of soap stick to the first layer. I filled each mold the rest of the way to the top.
After an hour or two, I was able to pop out the soaps from the silicon mold.
Not as pretty as the original coin, but might be more useful as a novelty gift for an older child or an adult. It did appear there was an air pocket left under the coin and then all the tiny bubbles of air in the soap left it kind of cloudy.
And not as colorful as the Lego toy! That’s OK. This was all an experiment!
I have seen other embedded objects, like rose petals or small flowers. Endless possibilities for special gifts! Enjoy!
Putting together a gift basket for a child or grandchild, or even a gift basket for a friend, isn’t too hard. Choosing an assortment of things the recipient would like is part of the fun. However, it seems the focus in the spring, like Easter baskets, is on chocolate candy and hard-boiled eggs. If not real eggs, then plastic eggs that can hold more candy! Here is a different kind of surprise for the basket…a clear bar of soap with an embedded toy inside. The toy is a reward for washing hands instead of eating candy!
I first made these at the beginning of 2020 when the Pandemic kept us all at home. I mailed these to my grandchildren since I could not visit. I was sure the soaps would keep them entertained for several weeks.
My dear granddaughter was so excited to get to her Lego toy, she took a VERY VERY long bath and managed to use up enough soap to release the toy in one evening! So much for making it last a long time. Made me laugh! Try it yourself! Enjoy!
Making Soap with an Embedded Toy
I collected a bunch of Lego people from the store and even snitched a few from my son’s pile of Legos he had as a kid. I eventually had my grandchildren go through their old Legos to find a few.
You can see, some would be too big…the character on a bicycle would not work in my mold.
Then I had to order the molds that would be large enough and deep enough to fully submerge the toy in soap. Measure your preferred toys and then check the measurements of the mold before ordering.
Supplies and Ingredients:
(Makes 16 individual soaps with an embedded Lego toy)
16 small toys
Silicon molds to make 16 small soaps
2 4-cup heat-safe glass measuring cups plus two pans of water
3 lbs. Clear glycerin Melt & Pour soap base
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut the soap base into small cubes, placing 1 1/2 lb. in each measuring cup.
Step 2: Place each cup into a pan of water. Bring water to a boil and simmer until all the soap melts.
Step 3: While the soap melts, arrange the toys face down in the mold.
Step 4: When the soap is all melted, fill each section about half way. Reserve the second measuring cup of melted soap by keeping it on simmer until needed, adding water to the pan to keep it simmering.
The Lego toys will usually float. Use a toothpick to gently push the toy to the center if necessary. The soap quickly makes a thin skin over the surface but poking through it isn’t harmful. Let the soap set up about 30 minutes before filling the molds the rest of the way. That will keep the toy centered in the soap.
Step 5: After 30 minutes, spray the half-filled molds with alcohol (this helps the next layer of soap to stick to the first pour). Using the second cup of melted soap fill each mold to the top. The toy should stay embedded in the center.
Step 6: Allow the soap to completely harden…about 2 hours. Once hardened, the soaps can be popped out of the silicon mold.
Soaps ready for a gift basket!
Note: Wrap each soap in plastic wrap to keep it from absorbing moisture from the surrounding air.
With all the body care stuff I’ve made I had never thought about making my own sunscreen. Up until two summers ago I had never needed sunscreen. I can think of only one time in my life where I actually had a sunburn so I just didn’t worry about it. Then two years ago I spent several days with burns on my legs just from wearing shorts…and sitting on a shady porch! I was so surprised! Boy did that hurt! Then last summer I was even more sensitive so I tried an assortment of sunscreen lotions. They all felt sticky when they dried and I wanted to wash them off as soon as I came inside.
I really wanted to spend time in the garden cheering on my green beans!
I found it was just easier to not wear shorts and managed to find a few of those “sun shirts” for my arms. That was really ridiculous heading out to the garden all covered up. Needless to say, I didn’t stay outside for long! I really feel like I missed most of the summer weather because I stayed inside.
I hated not being able to enjoy the flowers on a beautiful summer day.
This year, I decided to see if I could come up with a natural sunscreen lotion that I could stand with the fewest chemicals. I use essential oils in everything else…why not sunscreen?
I started with research. I had questions about whether certain essential oils have natural sun protection. I wondered if zinc oxide had to be used in a product to be protective. What’s the difference between nano- and non-nano zinc oxide? What other chemicals are in sunscreens that could be bothering me?
Other people online have done extensive research into all the necessary and unnecessary chemicals found in commercial sunscreens. Here is one article that I’d like to refer you to that explores many of my questions:
Many homemade sunscreens start with a mixture of shea butter, oil, essential oils and non-nano zinc oxide powder. It appears that several essential oils are naturally high in SPF, including raspberry seed oil (SPF 28-50) and carrot seed oil (SPF 38-40). Several carrier oils, including coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil have an SPF range from 4-1 5. Adding zinc oxide can boost the SPF to 20 or higher depending on how much you use.
About Zinc Oxide Nano-Particles
There has been some concern that nano-particles (very tiny ones) could be absorbed into the skin, although there is little research proving that is a problem. However, just case a non-nano zinc oxide is offered for sale too…meaning the particle size is larger and would not be absorbed by the skin…important for use on children. Since I’m trying to stay as simple as possible, I decided to go with the non-nano zinc oxide. If it leaves a white coating, I may have to get the other kind so it soaks in better.
This can be purchased on Amazon.Of course, disclaimers about it’s use is important, but the recommendation to use a mask sounded like a good precaution.
I’d like to share two recipes for sunscreen that I have made. First is a sunscreen spray that stays a liquid. It includes fractionated coconut oil, which means the fats have been reduced so it stays a liquid; essential oils; and non-nano zinc oxide. It’s pretty to quick mix up but the zinc oxide tends to separate out and settle on the bottom of the spray bottle. Giving it a good shake before spraying is necessary. I will have to research how to keep the particles in suspension for the next batch.
(Recipe #1) Sunscreen Spray
Ingredients:
The ingredients I used along with a mask ready for when I scoop out the zinc oxide.
Directions:
Step 1: Combine the oils in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Step 2: Whisk in Zinc Oxide powder. (Wear a mask so you don’t breathe in any dust)
Step 3: Pour into a 4 oz. spray bottle.
Step 4: Shake well before each use.
Sediment of zinc oxide left behind after pouring.Ready to test!
(Recipe #2) Sunscreen
This recipe is a firmer lotion and can be made more waterproof with the addition of a little beeswax. I did not add it for my first try. I will also choose some essential oils for a better fragrance…this did smell just like shea butter!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Step 1: Combine all ingredients except zinc oxide in a heat-safe glass container. Adding the optional beeswax will make it more waterproof.
Step 2: Heat over boiling water until melted.
Step 3: Wear a mask to measure and whisk in zinc oxide.
Step 4: Pour into containers, stir frequently while pouring and again after containers are filled.
Step 5: Set containers into the refrigerator to set up…the quicker it sets up the more the zinc oxide stays suspended.
This recipe filled 5 tins half way. I wanted to be able to share it for testing.This recipe made a soft lotion that I can scoop out with my finger and apply to my skin.
This sunscreen went on very smoothly. Hopefully by summer I’ll have a solution to my sun sensitivity with a less irritating sunscreen! We’ll see! Enjoy!
I’ve been staring at two boxes of metal tins that have been on my shelf for over a year. I thought I was going to make tiny travel sewing kits, but never quite got around to make them. Was I really going to buy a bunch of tiny scissors? Would anybody need such a thing? Since I couldn’t decide, nothing happened and I put them on a shelf.
I finally took them down off the shelf today to see if I was any more insightful about what to do with them. I have two sizes of tins.
Box #1
One box contains 4 sets of heart-shaped tins with lids. The largest is about 4″ across and 1 1/2″ deep. The lid is not attached. Two smaller hearts are stacked inside.
I thought I could use my covered button magnet for decoration on the top of the largest heart, and with additional magnets inside things like a needle and pins could be secured…but that’s as far as I got.
I ended up putting the heart-shaped tins aside for now.
Box #2
The second box has 28 rectangular tins, 3 1/2″ by 2 1/4″ and 3/4″ deep. The lids are attached. (Originally it was a box of 30…I must have used two for something!)
I still couldn’t decide what to do with them, so I took myself out to dinner at Cracker Barrel to think about it! While I was eating, I pulled up Pinterest on my phone and searched DIY Projects with Tins. Wow! What a treasure trove of ideas! Here are few ways folks have used the tins:
A sewing kit (from Pinterest)Another sewing kit (from Pinterest)A travel game (from Pinterest)A jewelry box (from Pinterest)A miniature doll house (from Pinterest)A travel coloring box (from Pinterest)Decorated lids of gift boxes (from Pinterest)An Advent Calendar. Each tin could hold a surprise! (from Pinterest)
After dinner, I wandered around Cracker Barrel to see all the cool stuff for sale. Guess what I found!
A travel nail kit (from Cracker Barrel)A travel trivia game (from Cracker Barrel)
O My Goodness!! Now I have so many ideas swirling around in my head I’m going to just have to let them simmer for a day or two. Be careful with brainstorming…you may be sorry you asked for ideas! If you have any ideas that I should try let me know! Or try them yourself!! Enjoy!
