Moving Trite Along

"There is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes) Ugh. How frustrating it is! That little fellow to the left and all of his brethren are alas-as common as dirt, but still quite pleasant. I definitely cannot take any credit for originality on some of the products I have recently offered for sale. I do make original soap from recipes I have indeed created, but sometimes I just thirst for a different effect. All my rustic endeavors get stale in my mind, no matter that I have formulated with the most natural substances available outside of the NaOH required for the delight of saponification. I found the mold for the owl and other assorted shapes and the cute bit me. I just had to possess it. So, I subjugated the artistic snob within and catered to the lust for the works of others! One thing I will not compromise is the use of pure essential oils in any products. Another truth is that many essential oils that work for my skin do not combine peacefully with raw soap. Oh ho, so how could I make some cute little shapes with great skin friendly smells? Cooked soap is best for incorporation of essential oils, but tends to be uncooperative for detailed molding in many cases. The answer: Melt and pour. I didn't merely subjugate the clamoring snob within, I stepped on this voice for originality with a lead weighted steel shod shank!
I did, however, search for the most perfect, beautiful, palm oil free, touted as "natural"(but really, it isn't) melt and pour glycerin soap base I could afford. Then I melted, mixed micas, dropped in essential oils, and poured. Ugh! How I despised myself as I gloated over the sparkly cute little owls. Gah! How could I solve such a dilemma? Well, I decided to formulate a melt and pour base of my own. I wanted more bubbles and lather. Could I create such a thing without exotic solvents? (All soap that is meltable and pourable requires solvents-tis the nature of the beastie)Yeah, I too tried straight glycerin but the results were depressingly sweaty and soft. So, I broke out the propylene glycol. Yes, yes I did. I truly believe this substance to be non harmful. I do go for the least effective solvent amount possible in my soap base and I have been lathering up with it daily with no ill effects. I'd like to get my mitts on some sorbitan oleate, but for the now...My own melt and pour base of the moment is not beautifully transparent, and I'm experimenting to solve(nt) this problem too. Oh how I have coveted the clarity! For now, if a soap has a nice transparent feature it will have that not so sudsy touted as "natural" (but isn't really) base in it that I did indeed purchase from another manufacturer. I just love giving insect soap transparent wings on occasion! Expect any non transparent features to be made with my in house soap base. At least there is a hint of originality in these rascals.
My next project is some original mold making. The cute ones are all well and good-for everybody! Lets just take a quick tour of etsy:
_https://www.etsy.com/search?q=owl+soaps&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=+etsy++soaps_broad&utm_campaign=Search_US_Google-Branded-Etsy-Bath%2B&utm_ag=Soap&utm_custom1=2b09e105-d8a8-4648-d349-00002a06b459&gclid=CIOBiYG2yccCFUYlgQodTikJmw

Yep, and you too can make cute little owls, etc-anytime! Just visit Amazon for some molds like mine. Don't let anyone convince you it takes special skills or equipment. You can melt MP base in a microwave safe container, in the quantity you desire-in your microwave oven! Color it, scent it, pour it-let it harden up and then enjoy! But please note: NO soap is "natural" and "organic" really does not apply to non food products. What IS important is whether or not a set of ingredients is generally recognised as safe when used appropriately within studied guidelines, and your own personal preferences and tolerances. 

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