The Making of - Super Nova Explosion

The moulds:


The mess:


The results: (tomorrow!)

NZ Earth Goddess

I made these Willendorf Earth Goddess as a gift for a friend, and had a blast photographing them in the Gorgeous Natural New Zealand Wilderness that surrounds my home!

Kiwi Kisses Lip Balm ..

~ Avocado ~ Beeswax ~ Jojoba ~ Hemp ~ Shea Butter ~
& Kiwi Fruit Flavour Oil

Manuka Honey & Lavender Silk Castile

French Lavender Essential Oil (natural calming scent)
Local Manuka Honey (improves lather)
Tussah Peace Silk (provides 'slip' so useful for shaving)
Pure Olive Oil Soap (gently cleanses without stripping the skins natural oils)

Chai Tea Lip Balm ..

~ Almond ~ Beeswax ~ Castor ~ Cocoa Butter ~ Shea Butter ~
& Chai Tea Flavour Oil

Apricot Chocolate Body Butter

Trying a new recipe rich in natural Cocoa Butter which lends a gorgeous Natural Chocolate scent, enhanced with just a little Apricot fragrance oil ..




I also experimented with Mica to colour,

However after asking a few people it was clear white is preferred ..

Lady Grey Cocoa Butter Cup Cakes (unscented soap)

This was an experimental batch using Lady Grey Tea for exfoliation and higher amounts of soft oils not commonly used in soaping ..







It actually turned out exceptionally well! :D

Avabathe ..

This clean fresh vibrant green (lemon verbena) scent is perfect for the early morning shower, late afternoon pick me up - or any time of day or night really!







It's also an exceptionally bubbly bar of soap that unexpectedly didn't dry out my skin ..

Excuse Me - My Monkey Farted!

It seems coconut oil (like teenagers & sugar) has been given a bad rap ..

It's said that it's so cleansing that it's actually drying to skin, yet still used in almost all commercial and home-made soap because of the wonderful bubbly lather it creates ..

Obviously some people can have a bad reaction to any particular oil, but that doesn't make blanket statements like "it's too drying" a fact .. So I've decided to experiment with the theory that it can actually make a very nice, mild, bar of soap if one superfats accordingly ..

I chose to SF 30% (generally I do 6-9%) .. This excessive amount of oil to lye is feasible with 100% coconut oil as it has a long shelf life .. Meaning it's very unlikely to have trouble with DOS(dreaded orange spot)or rancidity ..

Oh - the subject line, well it's scented with Monkey Farts (tropical) fragrance oil ..

And the orange colour was achieved with carrot oil :)










PS: I'll update how drying/mild I find these bars when fully cured (6wks) ..

PPS: Special Thanks to: T Monkey, T Monkey II, Uncle