tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27021191806127947282024-03-06T22:34:18.341-05:00Soapsmith's NotesI am a soap maker and product formulator. We began this endeavor in 2008 and have steadily built our company from the ground up. Here you will find my soap notes and bubbly musings. Please enjoy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-4762358142523651792020-07-28T20:37:00.000-04:002020-07-28T20:37:56.288-04:00Making soaps throughout history: Castile SoapHello Soapsmith Nation!I have been reading about how soaps were made in various parts of the world and at different points in history and I thought it would be fun to recreate some of them. I started simple with probably the most commonly known soap which is a castile soap. In my interpretation a castile soap is a 100% olive oil bar although sometimes anything that is mostly or all vegetableUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-26844274787253349942020-04-22T14:19:00.001-04:002020-04-22T14:19:38.166-04:00Calculating your soap mold
Hi There! Today I am going to give you 3 ways to figure out the size of your soap mold today.
Method #1: Sometimes when I need to know the size recipe I can fit into a mold I cheat and look it up on the site I purchased it from. But for those times that I either can't remember where I got a mold from, if it's been discontinued or even if it is a homemade mold like a milk cartonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-23414226924392679872020-03-18T10:00:00.000-04:002020-03-20T14:26:08.101-04:00Oat Milk Soap (palm free!)This is part 2 of the great oat caper! I've always wanted to partake in a caper, this may be the closest I get so let's just roll with it. To read about part one in which I made home made oat milk for this project click here.
Recently I formulated twelve, yes, TWELVE new recipes and will be working through them all and writing (and possibly making videos) of the adventures. I am also goingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-86661681963799317502020-03-11T15:15:00.000-04:002020-03-11T15:15:01.597-04:00Making oat milk in preparation to make an oat milk soapHowdy Soapsmith Nation! I am working on some new recipes with additives I have been wanting to try out. After 10 years of making my tried and true recipes I have decided it's time to, once again, spread my wings and make some new awesome recipes!
I wanted to work with oatmeal for a recipe so I decided to make it into oat milk first. Let's take a step back and look at the skin care Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-46873099202551107602020-02-26T16:54:00.000-05:002020-02-26T16:54:28.960-05:00The first E-Book is finished!
Well I finally did it! I wrote a soap making book. I have been wanting to start writing books related to bath and body product making for awhile and I am really pleased with the final result. I went through and detailed out all the big important parts that every beginner should know such as safety, equipment, supplies and provided a couple of basic recipes that can easily be made using oils andUnknownnoreply@blogger.comPittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.995886440.24723929999999 -80.3186099 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-27055110501028167212019-12-30T10:44:00.000-05:002019-12-30T10:44:05.274-05:00A look back on 2019It's been a busy year here at the studio both personally and professionally. I just re-read my 2019 goals blog and am feeling like I actually was able to accomplish what I set out to do. For the company one of my main goals is always to be as environmentally friendly as possible. I spent countless hours researching packaging options and making decisions regarding which would be the most Unknownnoreply@blogger.comPittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-54423429385959309702019-10-21T17:33:00.000-04:002019-10-21T17:33:06.861-04:00Ingredient Highlight: Mineral OilThis is an ingredient which has been demonized in the bath and body products industry unjustly. I find that when I need a super healing type of lotion which happens in the cool dry winters we have where I live I always want a lotion with mineral oil as one of the ingredients. I want to take the time in this post to simply lay out the facts of what mineral oil is and why it is beneficial to many Unknownnoreply@blogger.comPittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-50422533720272253422019-10-15T10:30:00.000-04:002019-10-16T15:50:41.746-04:00Reading and understanding Safety Data Sheets, aka SDS (formerly known as MSDS)I had to learn about Safety Data Sheets (SDS) many different times throughout my schooling and then later in life in my professional career as well. It occured to me that maybe not everyone is familiar with them and I find them immensely helpful to refer to from time to time so I wanted to share what they are used for and why they may be helpful to you someday.
Safety Data Sheets were formerly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-50242395320075100302019-10-11T20:54:00.001-04:002019-10-11T20:54:59.920-04:00Ingredient highlight: AluminumWell hello again. I've been a busy bee these past few months and have been lax on posting. But I have been thinking about topics I wanted to research and write about so here I am for a long overdue ingredient highlight on Aluminum. I have been wanting to know more about aluminum in body care ingredients for awhile. They are one of those "scary" ingredients and I wasn't completely sure why so I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-89659096582333138212019-07-25T09:30:00.000-04:002019-08-01T09:58:53.541-04:00We are on Pinterest!Yahoo! We have a presence on pinterest and I have been filling it with a bunch of fun (and good) DIY bath and body recipes, eco friendly and zero waste ideas, funny animal pictures and more!
Check us out here!
This is fun, it kind of gives me a place to put recipes that catch my eye and just another way to connect with you all. So tell me, what are some recipes you have come across Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-65397165833770125012019-07-24T07:44:00.002-04:002019-07-24T07:44:40.304-04:00A soapmakers notes from a small island
View as we arrived
Greetings from across the pond! That's right I am in the UK this month. I have loads of family still residing in both Ireland and England so it is nice to be able to come over for a visit. So far I have spent about 5 days around and about London (Wow! What a big and busy city!) size and bustle-wise it definitely rivals New York City, it even seems that it may be bigger Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0England, UK52.3555177 -1.174319700000069142.4995277 -21.828616700000069 62.2115077 19.479977299999931tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-26408482849066411652019-07-18T09:30:00.000-04:002019-10-17T14:47:58.738-04:00Essential Oils, the series- Part 3Howdy Soapsmith Nation! I hope all are well and enjoying their summer (winter if you are in the Southern Hemisphere of course).
I seemed to have skipped right over part 2 of my essential oil series and dove right into the heart of part 3 so here you go. I sometimes eat dessert before dinner.....so....yeah. This post really digs into one specific term that is often heard and very misused.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-45533773235891735322019-07-11T09:30:00.000-04:002019-07-12T18:48:57.129-04:00Watering down liquid soap to make it last longerToday I am going to write about a topic that has brought me angst for ages. I have finally decided to speak up on this. All too often I will be at someone's house and need to wash my hands and spy a soap dispenser at the edge of the sink and go squirting away with the soap only to discover that it has been watered down beyond belief (like seriously.....it's not even soap sometimes!). Well I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-9227158955294360312019-07-04T09:30:00.000-04:002019-07-08T19:05:29.504-04:00The SkinLet's talk about our largest organ. THE SKIN!
Fun facts:
The skin is part of the integumentary system which comprises the hair, skin, nails, specialized glands and nerves.
The skin is the largest and heaviest organ- it comprises 16% of your bodies weight, (bonus fact- the liver is the second largest and heaviest).
The skin is a barrier, a thermostat, a sensor, a factory and a window.
The Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-80166347819170421672019-06-27T12:09:00.001-04:002019-06-27T12:09:20.618-04:00The pH of hair, skin and products (and why it matters!)
Good morning Soapsmith Nation! I have been thinking a lot about pH lately (I think about it all the time really). At a recent market I was chatting with a customer and he asked if I made any bar soaps that were anti-bacterial. "Of course I do, actually all handmade bar soap is anti-bacterial," I explained to him, "but I don't need to add anything to make them that way." He looked puzzled until IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-88692333052363581582019-06-26T09:30:00.000-04:002019-06-26T09:30:00.883-04:00Green "life hack"
This is off topic of soapmaking, selling or anything in-between but I thought it was a cool idea and wanted to share. I have been using this little eco friendly life hack for quite some time.
For those that purchase the paper "milk" cartons that have the plastic pour spout you can save and reuse that plastic pour spout for so many other items. Check it out, below are the two components Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-11063121935603859822019-06-19T09:30:00.000-04:002019-06-19T09:30:00.672-04:00Pop-up markets in Pittsburgh
We will be at the Garfield and Squirrel Hill night markets in Pittsburgh this summer and fall. At these markets we will be offering select items from our classic and beer soap line as well as from our new Greenline.
The awesome little sink! YES, it works :)
To make our booth even more fun we have an awesome little sink that you can use to test products! It was a BIG HIT at Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-43552591440850784642019-06-14T09:30:00.000-04:002019-11-12T12:37:30.340-05:00NEW Partnership with Arsenal Cider We have formed a fantastic new partnership with Arsenal Cider located in Pittsburgh, PA!
We were sitting in their Lawrenceville shop one fine afternoon enjoying a glass of their amazing cider and I got the idea that "this cider needs to be in my soap" and so I made it.
With the wonderful fragrances of apple paired with grapefruit essential oil this soap is A-MAZING! It bubbles Unknownnoreply@blogger.comPittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-33816413225558449342019-06-12T10:33:00.000-04:002019-06-12T10:33:45.447-04:00Introducing the Greenline
We are excited to introduce our new "Greenline"concept. The idea is simple; we would rather invest in your skin than in our packaging. Sure fancy little boxes and wrappers look nice, but they raise your price without adding anything beneficial to the product itself. Plus, the world could do with a little less trash and we'd like Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-62513880196753348412019-02-06T10:49:00.001-05:002019-02-06T10:49:33.663-05:00RAW Natural Born Artist ShowWe have been plugging away over here in the studio and one fine
day while adding a fresh coat of (recycled) paint to the walls I got a call asking if I wanted to be a featured artist in an upcoming show? Well I thought, this sounds kind of neat! While I have always thought of my soaps as usable art I didn't realize that others may as well.
We checked into the organization a little bit and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-34577704506626724502019-01-10T23:20:00.001-05:002019-01-10T23:20:34.265-05:00Goals for 2019
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I love the new year, it's a time when everyone can have a clean slate, a chance to start over with new goal, dreams and aspirations.
Over here at Soapsmiths we are busy building up inventory after an awesome holiday sell out season. While we work on that we are thinking about some goals we have both personally and professionally for this year. The biggest goal we have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-61924498445232159042018-10-18T11:36:00.000-04:002018-10-18T11:36:30.970-04:00Essential Oils Part 1 of...?I have been wanting to write an essential oil series for quite awhile.
I have three categories in mind for this series which might equate to 3 different parts over time. 1. Safety and uses. 2. Quality and where to find them. 3. Terminology and why this is important. With so many home EO users out there it seems that there is much interest in using these wonderful plant gifts in many Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-40505211560598959852018-10-04T08:33:00.000-04:002018-10-04T08:33:15.265-04:00Ingredient highlight - Argan OilArgan oil is something that has seemed to hit the mainstream over the past few years. I see it in the
Goats eating the argan nuts in Morocco
drugstore frequently in the hair care aisle.
Argan oil comes from the Argania spinosa tree which is a slow growing tree native to Morocco and the oil itself is extracted from the seed of the plant. It is a labor intensive process which is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Pittsburgh, PA, USA40.440624799999988 -79.99588640000001840.24723929999999 -80.318609900000013 40.634010299999986 -79.673162900000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-44461674870518829412018-09-27T09:09:00.003-04:002018-09-27T09:09:44.867-04:00The "Natural Deodorant" test
Ok, who is using them? Natural deodorants I mean! I have done boat loads of reading to figure out what makes a good and effective natural deodorant. I found 2 things that seemed important in making this product effective. #1 most natural deodorants contain baking soda. The pH of baking soda is 9 while the pH of the skin is 5.5. While the numbers might seem trivial that is actually a HUGE Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2702119180612794728.post-42696173302525986082018-09-20T10:36:00.000-04:002018-09-20T10:36:58.015-04:00What’s Curing?
Available January 2019 locations to be announced.
Ingredients: Saponified oils of olive, coconut, palm kernel and castor. Also contains sodium lactate, essential or fragrance oils and colorant. (see below for specifics.)
Lemongrass, grapefruit and basil essential oils,
green chrome oxide and nettle leaf powder.
Spearmint, eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils,
pearly white mica, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0