Aloe Vera, Mango and Chamomile Body Butter

Hi again dear friends,

This time I decided to do some Body Butter. The whole idea with this blog is to show that we can create our own cosmetics, free of everything that is bad for you. With natural, fresh ingredients so you know what is in the final product.
This body butter is still being tested. I don't know the expiration date, and I don't think is going to be as long as the other butters on the regular stores. The reason is that for the body butter I didn't add any preservatives, additives or stabilizers.
The formula is very simple! And if you can make soap, you can make this.
Body Butter is a water-in-oil emulsion, Aloe Vera (Babosa), Mango Butter, Passion Fruit Oil and Cupuacu Butter are some of the ingredients used.
Blend everything really, really, reaaaally well... whoever made homemade whipped cream before knows what I'm talking about. It takes some time blending. But is worth it... I promise.
Here is a scheme that shows the "butter evolution":

"Body Butter Evolution"

It helps if you put to freeze for a couple minutes too. The result is a smooth whipped body butter, but the next day after all the butters finish hardening, will be a little more consistent, more like... you know... butter!

Ingredients:

-Cupuacu Butter
-Mango Butter
-Babacu Oil
-Coconut Oil
-Passion Fruit Oil
-Grapeseed Oil
-Aloe Vera Extract
-Chamomile Essential Oil

The plant leaf that I used to extract liquid Aloe Vera next to my Poinsettia so you can gave an idea how big this thing is. I will have to make a lot more Body Butter... guess what my family is having for Christmas?

Aloe Vera Leaf and my Poinsettia

Merry Christmas!! Peppermint :)

 Oi Friends!!!

So I got my first order placed by a friend! She needs 6 soaps for Christmas. I am very happy to design soap and packaging for her. Peppermint essential oil is just perfect for this time of the year, don't you think?
The result:

I hope you like it!

Brazilian Soap Collection - Soap Number One

Hi friends!

I am back! I was in Brazil last month and couldn't stop looking for ingredients to make soap with.
Well... the Brazil sea water from last post's picture didn't make it... I know, I know, is sad. I had issues with my luggage at the airport and had to throw it away.
But I was able to bring other things! I am soooo very happy about this!!
I found that there are wonderful oils in the Amazon forest to be used in cosmetics! And I am having lots of ideas and fun playing with them...

All oils together to make Number One

Let me talk about the soap #1:
I am calling soap "Number One" because I run out of ideas for names (let me know if you think a better name for this soap)... so, let's keep it simple!
Soap Number One is made with Babassu Oil. This oil has properties similar to coconut oil, an effective emollient and it is solid at room temperature.
Cupuacu Butter is also in this soap. Smells so sweet,  a pleasant mix of chocolate and pineapple. The rainforest tropical tree is somehow cocoa's "cousin" and this is why it has such a nice aroma. Cupuacu butter is a excellent moisturizer and will be used (by myself) to make creams and lotions in the near future.
I am not sure if we can call Avocado a rain forest fruit.. probably not... but I found the oil in Brazil, and I HAD to bring it with me to make soap. Avocado oil is rich in proteins, vitamin A and E. It is a powerful antioxidant.

At trace point - soap Number Oner

For the soap's scent I used pure essential oil of Bergamot Orange and Lavender. It smells AMAZING! Really! I love the aroma! Absolutely LOVE the aroma!

Bergamot Orange and Lavender Pure Essential Oils

Ingredients:

• Babassu Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Cupuacu Butter
• Olive Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Bergamot Orange and Lavender Essential Oils
• RO/DI Water (yessss we are getting very clean water, RO/DI stands for Reverse Osmosis ans Deionization systems)

In Brazil!!!

Hi Friends!!

I just want to let you know that I am in Brazil having a blast!! As a loyal soapmaker, I am looking for fun and interesting ingredients to make soap too.

What about Brazilian beach water? This is me holding a bottle of sea water, in Florianopolis - SC/Brazil. I hope my luggage won't be too heavy with all that I am planning to take... :)

See you soon!!

Basil and Tea Tree

Hello Soapy Friends!

This soap is made with my garden's basil. Thanks mom and dad Kilian! They gave me the seedling.
Last year I found that I love growing plants, now I have basil, tomatoes, lavender, tulips (I took beautiful pics this spring from tulips), lilies and everything that I find cute when I see for sale.
Back to soap:

I added pure Tea Tree essential oil only and I think this will be a excellent antibacterial soap. Just wait after the 30 days period that is needed to cure.
I will let you know :)


Ingredients:

• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Grapeseed Oil
• Sunflower Seed Oil
• Maceration of Carla Gardens' Basil 
• Tea Tree Essential Oil
• Sodium Hydroxide
• Water

And here is my tulip's pic from last spring: Isn't she beautiful?

Lavender and Chamomile Soap

Hi Friends!

Just want to let you know that my Lavender and Chamomile Soap is a success! Smells WONDERFUL! After my last disaster HERE I decided to make something more traditional.

If you look closer, you will notice little dark dots in the batter. That's because for this soap, I did something special. I left chamomile tea to macerate in grapeseed oil for about 5 weeks. Maceration is a process to extract organic matter, oils and other compounds, from a plant (for example) using a organic solvent, in this case, I used grapeseed oil as my solvent.
After all, I strained the oil through a sieve, but didn't catch all the little scraps.
It is OK, actually, I love the final look:

Gosh, this picture looks good! :)


Ingredients:

• Sweet Almond Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Shea Butter (unrefined)
• Grapeseed Oil
• Maceration of Chamomile Tea 
• Lavender and Chamomile Essential Oils
• Sodium Hydroxide (completely consumed in the saponification process)
• Water

Apple Spice Disaster

Everything was going just fine with my recipe of Apple Spice soap, until I drop a huge amount of milk cream + cloves and cinnamon oil and spices on the batter. Was an accident, of course, the cream mixture was too thick. I wasn't able to rescue my soap, so I let it be! It did, it became a huge black sponge soaked with oils.

My theory for what happened here is a mixture of too much milk fat and "soap seizing" because of cinnamon and clover's excess oils.

Next time I am going to make only the necessary amount of cream to be used. This was a test, so I was adding spices and oils until to reach the right color and aroma. This is another soap to be redone. I won't give up! I am a survivor! I'm gonna make it!

...Did you start to sing Destiny's Child now? I did... :)