GIVEAWAY!!

I’ve got an awesome giveaway!  As you may know, I’m giving a portion of all soap sales to the Loraine family to help them raise money for their adoption.  Well, Erin Loraine’s favorite soap is Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, so I thought it only fitting that I give away a bar of Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap.  But this isn’t just ANY bar of soap!

It’s a tractor!!  Isn’t is cute!?  It’s 3.5 oz of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap and contains Avocado Oil and Oat Extract.

But wait!! There’s more!!  (Do I sound like an infomercial, or what?)

I’m also giving away a coupon code for 15% off your next order in my etsy shop!!

That’s right, folks!  You have the chance to win a super cute Oatmeal Milk and Honey tractor soap AND 15% off your next soap order.

Here are the ways you can enter the contest:

1.  Blog about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Provide a link on your blog to my etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth) and then post a comment on here, along with a link to  your blog post, to let me know you entered the contest.  Every time you blog about Catie Beth and let me know about it, you receive another entry in the contest.

2. If you follow Catie Beth Bath and Body on  Facebook, suggest to all of your friends that they like Catie Beth, too!  Then post a comment on this blog to let me know you suggested that your friends like Catie Beth.

3. Twitter about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Post a comment on here to let me know you Twittered about us!  Include #catiebethbath in your Twitter so I receive it.

4.Visit www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth and add my shop to your favorites.  Then leave me a comment here on my blog telling me which soap you liked the best.

The more times you spread the word about Catie Beth Bath and Body, the more times you enter!

The contest ends Wednesday, September 14 at midnight!  Good luck!

Soapy Preview

I’ve got three great soaps that will be ready in September!  Here they are:

Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap with Oat Extract.  This is by far my most popular soap.  It’s warm, fragrant and super-moisturizing.  Oat Extract is used in the treatment of such skin problems as acne, pimples, blemishes, eczema, and dermatitis.  Look for this soap in my etsy shop the second week of September.

Applejack Peel Soap is the quintessential fall soap with scents of apple, cinnamon and cloves.  And with Sweet Almond Oil and Avocado Oil, it’s perfect for itchy fall skin.  Look for it the around first of fall.

And for when you start to miss summer, Hawaiian Tropic soap will bring the smells of summer to you.  Coconut, Vanilla and a hint of Mango will remind you of sunny days on the shore.  Its moisturizing abilities will wash away dry, winter skin.  Look for it toward the end of September.

Check out all the other wonderful soaps that are currently available in my etsy store.  A portion of profits help the Lorraine family with their adoption.

Sheer Freesia and A Lesson Learned

This picture really doesn’t do Sheer Freesia justice.  Though it looks nothing like how I had intended it to look (I’ll get to that in a minute), it took on a loveliness all its own.  It has hues of pink, lavender and purple and smells as wonderful as Freesia should smell.  It reminds me of an amethyst crystal.

My intent was to do in-the-mold swirls with purple and pink.  However, I was also working with a new ingredient: Palm Kernel Flakes.  The combination of the Palm Kernel Flakes and the fragrance oil caused the soap to trace very quickly and by the time I got it poured into the mold, it was a big, gloppy mess.  I poured my chunks of pink and purple soap on the top and did my best to swirl it around, but it just wasn’t going to happen.  All I could do was cover it and wait.

So, maybe it wasn’t what I intended, but the colors still look great and you can’t beat the soft, floral smell of Freesia!  And, I learned that I shouldn’t experiment with two things at once: swirling and a new ingredient.

Sheer Freesia is for sale for $4.  A portion of proceeds go toward the Loraine’s adoption fund!

Ginger Blossom Soap

Among the veggies growing in my garden is a lovely, and rather large, Calendula plant. I’ve been harvesting the bright yellow flowers all summer and drying them with the intent of using them in soap. 

And here it is! Ginger Blossom soap with Calendula petals (from my garden) and Calendula Extract Oil.  The Ginger Blossom is a nice, green floral fragrance.  Calendula has long been used to heal skin irritations and is great for reducing skin inflammation and healing eczema.  I’m not claiming my soap will do all of that, I’m just letting you know what Calendula is often used for.  This soap also has Avocado Oil in it; a super-moisturizing treat for the skin.  It should be ready for sale mid-August.

Soaping with Purpose

Ah, gorgeous Orange Grove Soap, freshly poured into the mold. 

I love to make soap, but even more than that, I love to help unite forever families.  I’m so glad to now be donating a portion of my soap profits to the Loraine family!  They are adopting another sweet, little girl!  I hope you’ll visit the Loraine’s blog and learn more about this awesome family!  And, of course, I hope you’ll buy lots of soap or donate directly to their adoption fund!

New Soap!

Energy Soap!  It smells as bright and cheery as it looks.  It’s a stimulating blend of Citrus, including Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne. Energy is an exciting mix that's perfect for spring and summer.  It’s chock full of moisture-rich oils, including Calendula Extract Oil.  It’s currently my favorite bar of soap! 

I no longer have the Catie Beth website and am working on setting up an etsy shop.  If you’re interested in buying soap, you can email me or message me through Facebook.  I should have my etsy shop up soon!  All soaps are $4/ea.

Bramble Berry Soap Swap: Sheer Freesia

Once again, I’m participating in Bramble Berry’s Soap Swap!  Above are the soaps I’m swapping: Sheer Freesia.  The way the swap works is, I send in 12 bars of soap and then pay for the shipping of 12 different bars of soap to me that other soapers entered in the swap.  I hope the recipients of these lovely bars enjoy them!  They smell sooo good!  I can’t wait to see what I receive in April!

FAQ About Handmade Soap

I thought I’d answer some of the questions I’m often asked about my handmade soaps.

How do you make your soap?

Soap is basically a chemical reaction between a fatty acid and a caustic alkali.  This can be accomplished by a number of methods.  I combine plant-based oils (fatty acids) with sodium hydroxide mixed with distilled water (caustic alkali known as “lye”).  The chemical process is called “saponification”.  When the saponification process is complete, only soap, water and glycerin remain.Isn’t Lye harmful?

Yes, Lye is very caustic and extremely harmful when working with.  However, notice what is left after the chemical reaction between the oils and the lye…only soap, water and glycerin.  There is no more lye in the soap. 

Are commercial soaps made with lye?

Yes, commercial soaps are made with Lye.  In order for it to be soap, it must have been made with lye.  If you look at the ingredients on a bar of commercial soap you’ll find the words “Sodium Tallowate”, which is sodium hydroxide combined with animal fat, or lard.Why is handmade soap better for my skin than commercial soap?

Remember, after saponification is complete, we’re left with soap, water and glycerin.  Commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin and replace it with synthetic detergents.  They can then sell the glycerin at a high price to other skin care manufacturers.  Handmade soap retains its natural glycerin.  Glycerin is important in skin care because it is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin.Why does it take so long for your soap to be ready for sale?

I like for my soaps to cure for a minimum of 4 weeks before I sell them.  Most of the saponification process is complete within the first 24 – 48 hours, but the process will continue slowly for another 2 weeks.  I let them cure for an additional 2 weeks so that water evaporates from the soap.  This leaves a harder, longer lasting bar that is rich in lather.

Featuring Jade Lotus

My favorite soap lately is lovely Jade Lotus.  It’s made with Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena-infused Olive Oil.  Both Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena have astringent qualities and are good toners for the skin.  This soap also features Avocado Oil!  Avocado Oil is rich in emollient properties and soothes dry skin.  Jade Lotus has pink and green swirls and is scented with Ylang Ylang EO, Orange Valencia EO, Lemongrass EO and Basmati Rice FO.  It smells like a sweet and floral tropical island!  Give it a try if you need a breath of spring air!

S.O.A.P. Floral Fragrances Arrived!

I was doing my happy dance yesterday when the FedEx truck pulled up and my box of floral fragrance samples were delivered to my door step!  I was selected to be a part of Bramble Berry’s S.O.A.P. panel (Soap Opinion Awesome Panel).  My mission (which I’ve accepted) is to sample 10 floral fragrances in whatever product I want, take notes of how I used the sample and how it reacted, and then return a survey to Bramble Berry by April 4th.  I hope my mission isn’t top-secret because I plan to share as much of the process with you as I can. 

Being the “nerd” that I am, I immediately created a spread sheet with a list of each fragrance and spaces for taking notes.  Once that was complete, I opened each jar and took a whiff (stopping to smell coffee beans in-between).  The first notes I took were about my first impressions of the fragrances.  Some I loved right away, others were familiar, and a few just weren’t to my personal liking.I make primarily Cold Process soap, so I plan to test all of the fragrances in CP soap.  I’ll use a basic CP recipe without colorants.  I have three questions when I use a new fragrance: 1) Will it cause my soap to trace too quickly or seize up?  If it traces or thickens to quickly, I can’t create the pretty swirls that I like to create.  If it seizes, well, back to the drawing board. 2) Will it discolor the soap?  Is it going to turn the soap brown?, and 3) How strong is the fragrance after the soap has cured a few weeks?  These are the three factors I will take notes on, in addition to answering the survey questions.

I’ll start the first rounds of testing this weekend!

Cherry Chocolate Valentine Soap Tutorial: Phase 2

So, you have your hearts and swirls all ready to go, now it’s time to make the cold process soap!   I’m assuming you’ve made cold process soap before, but if you need assistance Soap Queen TV has some great tutorials!  I’ve included links to Bramble Berry Soap Supplies for purchasing materials.  For this recipe, you’ll need:

• A 5 pound wooden loaf mold.  (My husband made mine for me, but it’s very similar to the one Bramble Berry sells.)
• 15 oz Olive Oil
• 13 oz Palm Oil
• 12 oz Coconut Oil
• 2 oz Sweet Almond Oil
• 2 oz Castor Oil
• 6.232 oz Sodium Hydroxide (this is superfatted at 5%)
• 14.52 oz Distilled Water
• 1.5 oz Dark Rich Chocolate Fragrance Oil
• 1.5 oz Black Cherry Fragrance Oil
• 1 tsp Pink Oxide (mixed with a carrier oil in a container).
• 1/2 tsp Cappuccino Mica (mixed with a carrier oil in a heat-safe, 32 oz container)

Make your cold process soap as you usually would. While you’re waiting for the lye and oils to cool, you can get out your hearts and swirls and give them a good spritzing of rubbing alcohol.  Place some swirls in the bottom of your soap mold; as many as you like.  Reserve some to place on the top of your soap.

Once you have a light trace, stir in the Dark Rich Chocolate and Black Cherry Fragrance Oils.

Pour about 1/3 of the soap into the container with the Cappuccino Mica.  Stir until the color is blended throughout. 

Pour your Pink Oxide oil into the remaining, 2/3, batch of soap and stir until the color is blended.  I didn’t get a dark pink color because my Olive Oil was very green. 

Pour your pink-colored soap into the soap mold.  Next, layer it with your cappuccino-colored soap.  Hint: pour your layer close to the mold so that it sits on top of the soap rather than sinks below.  Give it some time to set up before inserting your hearts.

Once the soap is firm (but not too firm), you can start inserting the heart soaps.  Start at one end and line them up one after the other, so that they are touching.  Press them about 2/3 of the way into the soap so that just the heart “bumps” are sticking out on the top.  Once you have your hearts firmly in place, you can add your swirls alongside the hearts.  You might need to press them into the soap a bit.  Below is a picture of how mine looked when I took it out of the mold but before I cut the bars.When you slice your bars, slice in between the hearts but close enough to the hearts that you can see them embedded in the soap.

Send me a comment if you have any questions.  Have fun!

Cherry Chocolate Valentine Tutorial: Phase 1

I’ve been asked how I made these cute Cherry Chocolate Valentine Soaps.  Here, I’ll provide the steps involved in making these soaps, however, I’m assuming you have a basic understanding of both the melt and pour method and cold process method of soap-making. I’ve provided links for purchasing the items you’ll need through Bramble Berry Soap Making Supplies.  I made the soaps in two phases.

The first phase is to make 18 hearts and a lot of swirls to be embedded.  Note: I didn’t record my measurements for the melt and pour phase, so these are estimates.  You’ll need:

• 5.5 lbs Bulk Clear Melt and Pour Base
• 1.5 oz Black Cherry Fragrance Oil
• .4 oz Dark Rich Chocolate Fragrance Oil
• Brown and Pink Colorant.  I used Bakery Beige from the Sweet Treats Colorant Set and Non-Bleeding Red Liquid Colorant.
• A silicone square tray mold.
• A silicone heart mold.

Hearts: Cut 3 lbs of the melt and pour base into cubes, place in a 32 oz Pyrex measuring cup (or other heat-safe measuring dish), cover with plastic wrap and melt in the microwave.  I melt mine in 20 minute increments until it’s all melted.  Let cool a bit and then stir in 1 oz of Black Cherry Fragrance Oil.  Then, add drops of Non-Bleeding Red Liquid Colorant while stirring.  Add drops of colorant until you like the color.  I wanted mine to be pink and somewhat translucent.   Pour into each heart cavity of your heart mold, spritz with alcohol and wait for it to set up. Note: I put mine in the freezer because I’m impatient that way. 

Swirls: In the meantime, you can make soap for your swirls!  For this, you’ll cut and melt 1 lb of melt and pour soap.  Follow the same procedures above for cutting and melting.  You’ll then use .4 oz of Dark Rich Chocolate FO and your brown colorant.  I added drops of Bakery Beige until I liked the color.  Then, pour it into the silicone square mold, spritz with alcohol and let set.

Hearts: Your heart soaps should be ready to pop out of the molds, so do that.  Then, you’ll use the remainder of your melt and pour soap and Black Cherry Fragrance Oil to make 6 hearts.  Again, I didn’t record how much melt and pour base I used, so it’s possible that you’ll either need more base or you’ll make more than 6 hearts.   Follow the hearts directions above.

Swirls: Slowly remove your slab of chocolate-scented soap.  On a cutting surface, slice the soap in 1 to 2 inch-wide strips.  Then, use a vegetable peeler to peel each strip.  As you peel, the soap will curl; creating swirls.  See my swirls below:

Once you have your 18 hearts and your swirls completed, you can store them in separate gallon-sized zip-lock bags until you’re ready for the second phase.

Learning as I Go and a Warning

Having an Ethiopian baby presented one challenge for this White gal….what to do with his hair!?  At the orphanage in Addis Ababa, the special mothers used baby oil in the infants’ hair to keep it moisturized.  When I got back to the states with him, my African American friends confirmed that baby oil was good to use in his hair.  So that’s what we did for the first few months.
It turned out, however, that baby oil was NOT good for MY skin and, in general, poses a health risk to infants and toddlers.
Whenever Abraham is sitting on my lap, I love to kiss the sweet curls on top of his head.  All this skin-to-baby-oil contact caused me to break out with big, ugly pimples on my chin!  When I did some research into baby oil (which is pure mineral oil), I found that mineral oil can, indeed, cause contact dermatitis.  (Read here). As I researched further into baby oil, I found that baby oil can cause severe respiratory problems and even death in infants! (Read here).
Wait, what?  This product that is marketed and sold as a product to use on infants and that sits carelessly around a nursery room without a single warning label on it can cause DEATH?!  Some cases of death were from ingesting it, but other cases were caused by inhaling baby oil that was near the infant’s mouth and nose.  The inhaled oil coated the lungs and the toddler suffocated to death.
That was it!  The baby oil went in the trash.  My dermatitis cleared up, but what to do about Abraham’s sweet curls?  I looked up some all-natural hair milks that were made exclusively for African Americans and found that most of the ingredients were what I used in my lotions.  In fact, the hair milks were lotion with smaller amounts of thickening agent.
With a list of natural ingredients and an idea of the results I wanted, I went to work creating my own lotion for Abraham.  The lotion I use on his skin is the same lotion I use in his hair, and he gets a lot of compliments about both!  Now, his curls are moisturized and defined (and they smell great, too!)  I know exactly what is in his lotion because I put it in there!  My favorite ingredients to use in his lotions are Aloe Vera Liquid, Pistachio Butter, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E Oil, Avocado Oil, and Sweet Almond Oil  I don’t use them all in the same lotion; just various combinations.  And, my chin looks great!  Bonus! 
Here are some before and after pictures of Abraham’s hair. 
Abraham has beautiful curls that are typical of the Amhara people in Ethiopia, but without hair lotion, they look fuzzy and matted.


Now, for mom’s remedy.  I wet his hair a little first and then slather on the lotion.  I use a wide-toothed comb to comb the lotion through and remove any knots in his hair.

Now, his sweet curls are shiny, moisturized and defined!

And the winner is…

A BIG “Thank you!” to everyone who entered the Soap Giveaway Contest by giving a shout out for Catie Beth Bath and Body!  I enlisted the help of my lovely daughter, Caitlyn, for drawing the winner.   Here, she’s holding the bag filled with contestants’ names.

                          Reaching in for a name!  Oh, the suspense!

                                She’s got a name!  Who will it be???!

                                              Congratulations!!

Thanks again to everyone who entered!  I had so much fun with this and will definitely be having more giveaways!

Christmas Gifts are Here!

As promised, Christmas soaps and Gift Boxes are here!  Premade Gift Boxes are very limited, only THREE in stock!  You can choose the Mint collection, Ginger collection or Cranberry collection.

You  also have the option of creating your own gift box of soaps.  Each gift box can hold up to three soaps!  After you order a Make-Your-Own Christmas Gift Box, you can send me a message at check out telling me which three soaps you want in your gift box.  I’ll take care of the rest!

Don’t forget to check my blog regularly for Discount Codes I’ll randomly post between now and Christmas!  They’ll be good for one time, one day only.  Catch one if you can!

It’s in the Details

I found these adorable Christmas votive candles at Michael’s Craft Store about a month ago and thought they’d be a perfect part of my Christmas Gift Boxes!  The only thing I didn’t like was that they looked a little plain.  No problem!  I had fun dressing them up with cute Christmas bows!  The Christmas Gift Boxes are almost finished and will make great gifts for someone who loves a bit of pampering!

Cocoa Mint Gift Box: one bar of handmade Cocoa Mint Soap, handmade Peppermint Lotion and a votive candle in Evergreen fragrance.

A Day of Making Lotion

Handmade lotion is the BEST!  Sure, I’m a bit biased, but honestly, you can’t beat the rich oils and butters and lack of chemicals and alcohol when it comes to winter skin.  I spent Sunday whipping up 72 ounces of moisture-rich, creamy lotion and then divided it into five, fragrant batches.  Here’s a peek at how I did it.

The first step is to sterilize everything that will come into contact with the lotion.  Jars, lids, mixers, bowls, spoons, droppers…you name it.  I sterilized everything using a water/bleach solution.  Once it’s sterile, I set it out to dry.

Then, I start the measuring and melting process.  I use a basic lotion recipe that’s based on percentages.  You can find it here.  It allows me to use any variety of lotions and butters that I want.  For this batch, I used Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E Oil.  Below, I’m measuring the Cocoa Butter.  It smells just like chocolate!  Mmmmm!

Next, it’s time to blend my water with my oil/butter/emulsifying wax/stearic acid mix. 

Once the oils and water mix and the batch starts to thicken, I add my preservative.  I use a paraben-free preservative.  Once it was to a thickness I liked, I divided and scented five batches.  Here are the final lotions; ready for Christmas!

Time to Make the Lotion

My lotion supplies came today from Bramble Berry!  Yay!  I’ll spend the weekend making lotions that are chock-full of moisturizing goodness: Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, and Vitamin E Oil.  Then, I’ll fragrance them to match some of the Christmas gift baskets that will be ready soon: Cranberry Fig, Ginger Orange, Peppermint….Mmmmmm.  I can’t wait!

Handmade Soap Giveaway!!

 Okay, I’m not sure how I feel about not being able to give my soap away for free.  ;)  But, because I LOVE this soap and the fragrance and I know you will, too, I’m going to run this giveaway again.  Please don’t miss your chance to win a big ol’ bar of Almond Biscotti Soap AND an organza bag filled with your choice of three soap samples!
Entering to win is super easy!  Here’s all you need to do:
1. Blog, Tweet (@catiebethbath), Facebook, Shout from the Rooftops (Okay, maybe not that one if you like your neighbors) about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Essentially, I’m asking for your help to spread the word about my website: www.catiebeth.com and encourage folks to BUY SOME SOAP! 
Also, November is National Adoption Awareness month and I give 75% of my profits to a family who is in the process of adopting.  Buying Catie Beth soap is an easy way to help unite a child with its forever family.
2. Post a comment here telling me how you spread the word.  It would help if you posted a link to your blog post or some other way for me to see how you helped spread the word. Also, if you comment as "Anonymous", please include your name and email address in the post.
3.  That’s it!  The more times you give me a shout out, the more times you enter the contest!  Pretty cool, eh?
4.  The deadline is Friday, November 5th.

Good Luck!

Minty Meadow Unmolded

I love to unmold my soaps.  It’s like opening a Christmas present.  I do what I can to create the soap I’ve pictured in my head, but the unmolding phase is when I can see if my creation came to fruition. For Minty Meadow, I envisioned standing in a green field beneath a summer, blue sky and being surrounded with fragrant herbs. I think it turned out just right.  :)