This is an exciting post for me for several reasons. First up, I made some lovely soap. (Yay!) Secondly, I get to take part in a special promotion from my favorite source for almost all of my soap making needs, Bramble Berry®, Inc. Thirdly, giveaway time!!! But first we need to talk soap.
I'm so happy to be participating in Bramble Berry's Givember promotion. For me, this meant an opportunity to try out and talk about a product of my choosing -- and rumor has it, I like to talk... For you this means a special code to use with any purchase you make at Bramble Berry during the month of November (GIVEMBER50). Just plug that puppy in at checkout and you'll be entered to win a Bramble Berry gift certificate worth $50.00!
But I know you're dying to know what I chose, yeah? I picked a product I thought not only looked like something I'd love to make, but also something that would speak to those of you who might still be teetering on the edge of deciding to make your own cold process soap from scratch. (Like really, if these kinds of things had been widely available a few years back, I would probably have started making my own soap a LOT sooner than I did.)
So without further ado, allow me to introduce to you the Sunshine Soap Kit. I used my own base oils, lye, and a natural colorant (turmeric), but I was graciously provided with a HUGE bag of fragrant dried Calendula petals and 2 oz bottles of both the 10x Orange Essential Oil and the Yuzu Cybilla Fragrance Oil. If you have not yet tried the 10x Orange (as I hadn't), TRY IT. It held up beautifully in this soap and is an intense, true orange like you have never smelled in CP soap. Really. And this was also my first experience with a Yuzu fragrance and I must say, I am hooked. It is sweet and tangy and juicy and just so vibrant and pleasing to smell. I am so taken with both scents as individuals and together they are a perfect pair.
Now, my batch looks considerably more *ahem* rustic than the one in Anne Marie's tutorial due to my lack of a vertical mold, but I'm okay with that if you are. (In lieu of being able to pour side by side, I simply brought both halves to thicker traces and layered them one on top of another in my usual mold.)
Now, I do realize that this kit is not recommended for beginners due to the techniques involved, but never fear! There is a great kit just for beginners that might just be what you've been waiting for to start in on your very own handmade cold process soap! This is exactly the product I wish I could have had a few years back when I felt I was really ready to try my hand at real soap making but had no idea where to buy supplies (or when I found some, they were in amounts too ridiculously huge for just a test run, you know?) I mean, if you were just thinking about learning to knit, you probably wouldn't buy a blanket's worth of yarn right off the bat, right? So why should soap making be any different? Bramble Berry's beginner CP kit is perfect; all the important stuff in reasonable amounts at a great price, so if you have the desire, you should totally take the plunge! I can almost* promise you will not regret it.
*Unless you're kind of crabby or somebody who doesn't like learning amazing new things or somebody who just generally likes being difficult. Then I guarantee nothing. (I tease, I tease.)
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NOW do you know what time it is? Oh my GOODNESS it is awesome giveaway time!!! I am really super excited about this one and I am calling it the "All Natural Super Exciting Jumbo Deluxe Soapmaking Stuff Giveaway of Fun." To enter, you must submit a video of yourself saying that ten times fast while standing on one foot and patting yourself on the head.
Not really.
But LOOK! and then I will tell you how to actually enter when we're done.
First up we have some clays! One ounce samples of Yellow Silt Clay and Rose Clay, and a seven and a half ounce tub of French Green Illite Clay from my own personal stash.
Then, botanicals!
One and a half ounces of dried chamomile!
One and a quarter ounces of dried Lemongrass!
One and three quarter ounces of luscious dried Calendula petals!
And here's the doozy. A Bramble Berry Essential Oils Sampler Kit!
The kit contains twelve .5 oz bottles of the following essential oils: Rosemary, Peppermint 1st Distilled, Valencia Orange, Peppermint 2nd Distilled, Hungarian Lavender, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Lemongrass, Litsea Cubeba, Anise, and Fir Needle.
I can personally state that Bramble Berry's essential oils are the tops, because they're all I use now
Edit, 11/8: Comments now closed, thank you SO MUCH to everybody who entered! Winner will be announced shortly.
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And remember, if you make any purchases at Bramble Berry this month, use the special code GIVEMBER50 and you'll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate! Good luck!