Jadryga

I'm about to order from soapersworkshop... well, once Lindsay finishes her move

I can't wait, her lotion/cream bases look awesome! I have a tight budget so I research like mad before I decide on something, and there's lots of good things going around about them. The fact that they're shipped condensed is heavenly news to me and my wallet. The lip balm kits look great too - I'm ordering the mac and jojoba one.

Sadly, this means I can't give you my opinions on them, but I can say for certain that Lindsay's extremely helpful and friendly, and her site is very informative about her products.

I've heard of it being all sorts of shades actually, and green is one of them, but I don't know if that has any effect on how good it is.

Soapersworkshop has some concentrated lotion/cream bases that have the preservative figured out for up to 2 times the weight in water added - any more than that and additional preservative is needed. Lindsay's website is pretty informative.. maybe you could check with the supplier as to how much water you could safely add to the base?

Love the background picture. I could almost hear the waterfall. On first impression, very soothing and inviting, but the layout being biased towards the left side is a little awkward for me because that huge chunk of green on my right is somewhat distracting. Then again, that could just be me. Otherwise, easy to navigate, didn't really read too much because it's 4.30am, and I'm pretty tired, but it looks like everyone else has

I think Lindsay said that she would send the wholesale info actually, just not the products... or am I just getting super mixed-up here because it's 4.30am?

Ditto Robin's idea. I was about to suggest some vanilla infused oil. Honey or agave nectar are other options you could consider... maybe even some sweet orange, chamomile or lime eo?

I checked out the oil-soluble extracts at Herbarie, there's an Oat CO2 Extract that looks particularly interesting to me though I'm not sure how you'd impart flavor from that.

Any honey will do, actually, but I like these particularly. I'm in Malaysia, but I think you should be able to get them at grocery stores or supermarkets.

It's a pretty gentle scrub, and generally fine for all skin types, but some people may be sensitive to baking soda. If you're worried, test it on a small patch of skin. The honey and milk are pretty soothing, but never hurts to be careful. If you have broken skin, it may sting slightly, and if you get redness or irritation, of course, wash it off immediately.

Otherwise, have fun with it, feel free to add or reduce ingredients as you like, and I hope your daughter likes it!

Finally! I've found something that really helps with the smell!

I've been using apple cider vinegar rinses and toners for several months, and DH usually complains about that faint, slightly sour, vinegary smell that lingers no matter what I do, so I've been experimenting with a lot of things - honey, tea, essential oils, etc.

But then I stumbled onto something in my local organic grocer... vanilla powder! Added to my vinegar concoctions, it sweetens it considerably and leaves a pleasant lingering scent. The organic vanilla powder I use is a lovely creamy beige and is a little pricier, but smells much more robustly vanilla than the cheaper white synthetic vanilla powder.

Honey Vanilla Vinegar Hair Rinse

1 cup acv infused with herbs (I use rosemary, hisbiscus and nettle)

3 tbsp honey (I use manuka or rewarewa)

1/4 tsp organic vanilla powder

a few drops of eo (optional)

Mix them all and bottle. After shampooing (don't laugh :embarasse , but I use one of my pet soaps - it's mild, I like the clean soapy smell and the sulfur's good for my hair and scalp), stir a tablespoon of rinse into 3-4 cups of water then use the water to give your hair a final rinse. I have very thick hair that comes down to 2-3 inches below my shoulders, so I use quite a bit. If you like, you can rinse a final time in the shower before drying off. I find I generally don't need to use conditioners anymore, though you may if you want a little extra for your hair.

Honey Vanilla Vinegar Face Toner

3/4 cup strongly brewed tea (the lazy bum in me uses a few bags of Tazo Chamomile Tea in a mug of hot water. The ingredients are agreeable to me and I love the smell as it's brewing )

1/2 tsp acv

1/2 tsp honey

1/4 tsp organic vanilla powder

preservative (optional, I don't add it myself, but I make small batches that I finish fast)

Mix and bottle. Swipe on skin after cleansing and before moisturizer. I soak a cotton pad with it and sweep it over my skin. It'll take a minute to soak in. If it's faintly sticky, it'll go away once it dries I once tried adding aspirin in to make a multipurpose toner, but I didn't like the granules on my skin everyday, so I'll stick to the occasional aspirin mask, I think. Sometimes when I'm feeling particularly lazy, I just use it as a facial cleanser

These recipes can be altered to suit - some might like more vanilla, some might like less, but too much vanilla and honey can make your hair & skin a little sticky. Some might like hydrosols or witch hazel for the face toner (I know I would, but I don't have any handy )

Anyhow, just thought I'd share

Sadly no... the active 10+ honey comes up to 100++ ringgit a small jar here! After the conversion rate that's about $30-40 or so. I use regular manuka or rewarewa. Manuka smells a lot sweeter, but I also loves how it tastes, so I compromised and use rewarewa for my outsides and eat my manuka :embarasse I did some research anyhow and found that rewarewa is one of the few honeys that also have the non-peroxidal activity associated with manuka.

Maybe one day I'll save my pennies and get a bottle of active honey, but I think I'll be hoarding it too much to use it very often as a face masque. Right now between eating and using my manuka honey I can go through a third of my jar in a day!

Just checked out Lindsay's site, her things look so tempting!

Now to pray they ship internationally (and that it won't cost me an arm and leg).

For me, since I can get MNO locally, but not FCO, it's actually cheaper for me to do so. The other place I'm looking at is Aromatics & More, an NZ-based company. MNO and FCO are both priced the same, so it's all the same to me, really. Would it be feasible though, or too thick?

Hmm... how about macadamia nut oil in addition to FCO? Would that make it somewhat more moisturizing, or would that make it too thick for a mist?

Jami, you mentioned that using Cyclo alone can be used on hair... can't the Cyclo/FO/FCO mixture be used for the hair?

I ran around a lot! It wasn't hard for me though, because I'm a bit of a research nut, so this simply involved more legwork and well, I've been interested in B&B for a long time.

As for the soaps... I cut a lot of costs by doing my own packaging and importing from the Philippines, which isn't too far away. I'm also relatively lucky because my mother is a fashion designer with her own boutique (the link on my site) so I display my things there. This makes life a lot easier for me

Scrubs, massages, facials, bath soaks, pedicures, manicures, hair treatments, wraps, probably some mud-based treatment, some milk-based treatment, herbal teas, lovely essential oils and bliss. Mmm.

Rice bran oil - just about all supermarkets

Grapeseed oil - most supermarkets, slightly pricier

Olive oil - all supermarkets

Macadamia nut oil - found only in one supermarket so far

Hazelnut oil - also in that one supermarket

Sesame seed oil - just about all supermarkets

Avocado oil - health food store, but I don't see it anymore. Luckily, I found a small aromatherapy supply store that's reasonably priced.

Walnut oil - health food store

Sweet almond oil - aromatherapy spots, unbelievably pricey in most, but I've found a reasonable one.

Jojoba oil - some health shops & aromatherapy spots, also pretty darn pricey.

Beeswax - craft shops, if I'm lucky & they have stock

Castor oil - some people tell me to try old Indian sundry shops because they're used extensively in Ayurvedic treatments, the pharmacies (drugstores) don't carry them anymore

Cocoa butter - some craft shops, but only refined & pricey (ironic, since we produce chocolate. I think I can get it, actually, but their min quantities are way past my budget)

Wheatgerm oil - health food stores

Sunflower oil - all supermarkets

Safflower oil - health food stores

M&P bases - some craft stores

Just about everything else (butters, some oils, preservatives, emulsifiers, colorants, some herbs, even some eos) I have to have shipped in. Not many people here are interested in making their own B&B, so there hasn't been much demand, hence not much supply. Over time I've built up a small list of places where I can get things in small amounts though. I can't even really play with CP soap because lye comes under the poisons act, so it's hard to obtain too. Hence I've had to stick to simple things like bath salts, soaks, scrubs, massage oils, dry face masques, etc. I import my CP soaps from a friend in the Philippines who makes them there.

That looks water-soluble, actually. I don't think it'll mix in well with an oil-based lip balm.

Sadly, our drugstores aren't as well stocked over here in Malaysia. I even have trouble getting castor oil

Hmm... not sure if the baking soda might completely dissolve... that might leave you with a great mask, but without the scrubbiness. I'll experiment with that and let sit, and let you know how it turns out? I've been contemplating adding some vanilla powder too for scent :>

Oh dear, I'm sure it smelt heavenly, but it really does look like bird poop :lipsrseal I think it's that yellowish hue that makes it look... odd. Maybe Lurkin can give you confirmation if it's meant to look like that?

It's a good question, really... because to the total newbie, drops can be confusing... Small drop? Big drop?

I don't really know if the drops from an amber bottle drip thing is equal to a drop from a pipette or dropper. I should try measuring that one day

Awkay, finished sidetracking.

Back to the acne wash!

(Still trying to figure out how to get witch hazel locally.)

You can add honey or stevia drops, but if you do with honey, you'll have to stir until it's just about cooled, or else the honey will separate from the balm and you'll get these gooey honey pockets. I've had those before, not fun!

Always wanted to try agave nectar in lip balm, but never got around to it!

Actually, Robin has made an excellent suggestion... you could always ask the supplier!

If kept in a small separate container that you use within 2-3 days, I don't think you'd need additional preservative. The problem is when you affect the preservation and keep it for a long period of time (weeks, months). Consider it like something you whip up fresh to use within a short time span, though it will definitely last much longer than something using fresh ingredients without preservative. Even fresh recipes can last a few days to a week if kept in a refrigerator. There's a chance you might not compromise anything at all by adding the IPM and cyclo, but better to be safe than sorry!

Here's a good guideline for cyclo:

http://www.rusticescentuals.com/personalcare.html

Says to add up to 1% to premade lotion base, or 5-20% for lotion from scratch.

Just a quick recipe that I've been using with great results. I originally made it for my face, but I find it's great for all over the body. The baking soda is abrasive enough to scrub, but gentle enough for the face. I find sugar scrubs way too harsh for my facial skin.

1 tsp goat's milk powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp honey (I use rewarewa or manuka)

1/2 tsp cocoa powder (optional)

1-2 tbsp water, enough to form a runny paste

I usually mix it fresh, don't really measure, but thought I'd put measurements here to give a rough idea of the amounts I use. This recipe is a generous portion for the face and neck. I rub it onto my skin, leave it on for 5-10 minutes (longer doesn't hurt, but I have no patience), then rinse it off. It starts out sticky but rinses unbelievably easily, which is great for me, and no residue in the shower or sink.

Sometimes I add 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar (I like watching it fizzle when it reacts with the baking soda. Yes, I'm easily amused :embarasse ).

I use this every 1-2 days as a cleanser at night, leaves my skin nice and soft.

After which I moisturize with a few drops of macadamia nut + avocado oil.

It's hard for me to get olive-based liquid castile soap here, but I've found a coconut and palm based one (coconut and palm oil are cheap locally, so most "natural" companies use that). I'm worried it might be a tad drying. It's also got a somewhat odd smell, a little rubbery, though I noticed that a liquid coconut and palm based soap wash by another natural company has that same smell, so I guess I'll just have to mask it somehow, since DH tends to wrinkle his nose every time I inflict it on him

Thanks for sharing that, it sounds like a great recipe!