So many new stuff & things.....

HOT process

What do you do when you planned meticulously weeks in advance for 3 (three!) Holiday Craft Shows, but feel you need more soap (at the last minute)

HOT PROCESS SOAP!

I sat and calculated how many varieties and quantity of each weeks ago and made batch after batch weeks ago only to look at my soap stash and wonder if it is enough?  I have to admit I've never had my shelves so full!  

I'm not one who usually makes soap in the hot processed method - 

(I've actually never done it!) but I'm always up for an adventure. 

It isn't a whole lot different than when I melt all of my scraps down in the 

crock pot so I got to cooking.   I think it turned out nicely.  

Most people say you can use it right after cutting, but I have a week and a half

 before my first market so it has some time to sit.  I am using a bar in the kitchen 

today though and I really like it

.....smooth, creamy and a great lather - just like my cold processed.  

Holiday Cheer

I'm sold that I actually made another batch today - so now I have 14 varieties (had to make another couldn't be 13!) and close to 400 bars of soap.  

I'm set - seriously all done! 

Thrifty vs practical

I got a free sample of a fragrance oil when I ordered from a  large supplier of soap making products.

The thrifty part of my brain got to thinking..."yeah maybe some people might like this scent, maybe I'll make a small batch, some people don't really care about the whole all natural thing, blah, blah....."
And the practical side got to thinking..."well what is this stuff, let's read more about it, and I don't really feel comfortable even cracking open the bottle to take a sniff."

So I got investigating....it actually has a Materials Safety Data Sheet!  Um, ok....  Here is what I found out:
-it contains diethyl phthalate...what the heck is that?  A quick Google search and I found this article about it.  Read here for your reference, but anything that is listed on the Toxic Substance & Disease Registry website sure isn't something I really want in my soaps.  Basically, this is nasty stuff!  It affects your liver and reproductive health (especially in kids)  Great!  Not only is it a main component in this fragrance oil, but it is also found in plastics....toothbrushes & food packaging are the ones that I took notice of.

Also on the Materials Safety Data Sheet you will find that.....
-it can cause a reddening and burning sensation when applied to your skin --WHAT! people add this to many soaps to add scent.
-it shouldn't be inhaled -- WHAT!  it is a fragrance oil.
-if applied to skin, wash with soap and water.  Ok, now this just doesn't make sense to me.  People are to buy and add this fragrance oil to soaps, lotions, etc, but are told on the Materials Safety Data Sheet to wash with soap and water if applied to skin
-avoid exposure to vapors -- this just gets me laughing...isn't that the whole point behind these fragrance oils....to smell, but technically you shouldn't inhale or be expose to the vapors
-avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing -- well, I'm just about done here seriously how is this stuff even being sold let alone added to personal care products that we lather and slather all over our bodies.  This is down right scary!
-and the last two that I won't even comment on are.... wear an approved MESA (whatever that is) respirator when working with this product and wash hands after use.

Holy smokes people!  This stuff is in a lot of things too.  Sometimes I feel ignorance is bliss, like the less you know the better, but in this case maybe not.  I started making soap after I had children since I didn't want to use Sodium Laurel Sulfates on their skin.  I never even thought about these other things...scents, colors, etc.  I always knew in the back of my mind they weren't good, but I never would have guessed all this!

Now, I'm so glad I didn't crack the seal on the bottle....basically it is toxic stuff.  What in the world do I do with it now?

Dusty Tree Soap is, will and always will be free of this stuff -  thrifty or not!  I never use scents/dyes/colors so my soaps are people & earth friendly.

Thanks for stopping by for a read and I hope I educated you a bit and not freaked you out too much.  People laugh at me all the time since I'm a 'label reader', but it seems like you have to be these days.
*steps off soapbox*  (no pun intended)

stuff & things......

sitting pretty waiting to be cut......

close up!

Decorative Tops

 Easy 

creative 

interesting 

The EVER Popular....Shampoo Bar!

Organic Raw unrefined SHEA BUTTER

Pumpkins!

Pumpkins are great any time of year!

FINISHED that WIP....

Did you look at my last post and wonder what those bundles were around a stick?  

Here's what I made from it..............

I Eco-dyed fabric to make some drawstring bags.  

Just an idea I had to package something new that Dusty Tree Soap will be featuring this Season at our local farmer's market.  

Watch this space......

So how in the world did I do that?

I purchased a yard of plain muslin...washed/dried it and cut 5 stripes using my elaborate template of an old piece of paper.  My template is 7"wide x 291/2" long.

I gathered my supplies.....

some dried herbs/flowers from my garden, steel wool, vinegar & tea 

I enlisted the help of my 3 year old son to help work the magic....he really did all the work, I just directed him.  We make pizzas together so I told him to sprinkle it on like you do the cheese on pizza.  I put the steel wool in a container with some vinegar to soak to start it rusting. 

 (I put this on the fabric...my son did everything else)

After you cover it as much (or as little) as you prefer, top it with another piece of fabric and roll it around a stick.  I secured it with some wire I had on hand.

then steam them for a bit..........

and voila....eco dyed fabric. The fabric panels actually turned out better than I expected.  I thought they would be somewhat pale so I was pleasantly surprised with them.

  I used this tutorial to make my bags.

If you like DTS already on Facebook, 

then you've seen these, but some of my newest soaps for Market.  

The classics........

Thanks for stopping by!

SoAp...YES soap!

With Market (quickly) approaching, I set out to make some soap. 

 During the Winter I cleaned and organized my work-space and I must admit I'm a bit more efficient when things are scattered everywhere in a big mess....almost like it is a bit of an inspiration to be 'IN THE MESS'.  With everything put away all proper, I wasn't sure what 'type' or design I wanted to make.  I knew I wanted to use: Cinnamon, Mint and Moroccan Red Clay, but I wasn't sure what I wanted my design to be so I turned to the internet.  

I did a quick Google search and found this inspiring.......

To me I see colorful stripes with green and orange accented with some brown.  I have to admit it is a bit hard to get a true orange in naturally dyed cold processed soap but I knew my Moroccan Red Clay would give me somewhat similar results.

so I made this.......

Moroccan Spring

A quick run-down of my process......

divided my batch into thirds and added my natural colorants

and started layering.....

 and layering.....

and layering until all the soap was gone!

It is nice to be back in the soaping seat again...look out for more bubbly goodness in the weeks ahead.  Thanks for stopping by!

Dried Orange Peels

My brother sent us a large box of Honeybell Oranges for a belated Christmas present.  The kids loved the oranges and ate quiet a few simply peeled.  I was throwing away all the peels initially, but after about the third orange, I thought there has to be some good to these peels.  I decided to save all the future peels and put them in the freezer until all the oranges were gone. I ended up having a filled bag of frozen peels.  

I turned to the internet to research these things...so after a few minutes I learned that Dried Orange Peel is wonderful at many things like:

• as an additive to food - sprinkle it on your oatmeal, onto sandwiches or add to cookies - apparently the good bacteria in your intestines love it!  They grow and thrive.  I also learned the opposite is true when you eat sugar...this helps the bad bacteria grow and thrive.  
• Dried Orange Peels also make a good tea - sprinkle a tablespoon into boiling water, let steep and strain.  I assume it works in a similar manner.   
•  Then there are the uses as skin benefits....helps with acne if you mix with yogurt to make a mask, many people use it to help with mature skin and as a skin brightener.  
• And the one use that peeked my interest is to use Dried Orange Peel in soap as an exfoliant.  Which is what I plan to do  

So here is what I did with my peels...watch this space to see the SOAP I make!

I laid my frozen peels on the counter to thaw

Then put them into a warm oven (200 degree) for a few hours.  You will need to check them somewhat frequently...you don't want them to burn and some will dry sooner than others.

I let them cool overnight.  Then ground them with my spice grinder. 

After grinding all of the peels, I spread the powder out onto a cookie sheet to sit overnight before I placed in a sterile glass jar.  I did this to ensure everything was dry to prevent mold.  There you have it!  Dried Orange Peels to do with what you may......ENJOY the health benefit from something you typically throw away!

Natural Dyeing Series, Part 1 - Alkanet Root

I dye all of my soaps naturally and I'm always interested in learning more about what to use.  I thought it would be interesting to make a series of posts highlighting some dye I use or things I learn through my research.  There are so many resources out there to find out information, but the best way for me has been simple experiments.  I turn to Google at lot to see if someone else has any info to share about a different herb.  I have also checked out at my local library these books:  Dye Plants and Dyeing, by John & Margaret Cannon and The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes, by Sasha Duerr.  The latter has amazing pictures and is an excellent source for all kinds of things found in nature.  Both give detailed descriptions about the dyeing process that is used for animal fibers or fabric.  I sometimes think what some of the stuff found in nature would look like in soap...most may end up being brown when it hits the lye, but it is fun to think about and maybe experiment with.

I chose Alkanet Root as my first herb to feature in the series since it is so versatile and I use it frequently.   It is in the Borage family has been a source for red dye for centuries and is considered non-toxic.  I use it in powder form since I mainly use it for soap so it can be a bit messy.  I've used it as a natural tint in Lip Balm and to naturally dye wool.

I'll start with the soap first.  I've done both methods -- adding directly to the lightly traced soap and making an oil infusion with the powder prior to making a batch.  I have to admit both give similar results so I tend to just add it directly into the soap pot.  It makes a nice grey/purple color.  The soap in the above photo is my 'Queen of the Galaxy' which contains both Alkanet Root and Moroccan Red Clay -- a nice contrast in an all purpose naturally dyed soap.  My use rate is about 2 tbls to about 15 oz of raw lightly traced soap. 

In Lip Balm, I infused my Olive Oil with some Alkanet Root Powder for a few days stirring it each morning. The infusion is super simple and makes a nice naturally dyed lip balm.  It leaves a faint touch of color which is just perfect for me since I don't usually wear much makeup.  My use rate is about 2 tsp to 2 oz of oil.  My lip balm contains:  Olive Oil infused with Alkanet Root powder, Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Vitamin E Oil & Natural Peppermint Oil.

It was a total experiment when it came time to dye the wool.  I found some interesting articles on the internet to read, but most people dye with the actual root and not the powder, but since I have powder it made it a tiny bit tricky.  I found this incredible post which was invaluable.  Alkanet Root isn't soluble in water so in order to dye wool you must make a dye solution in either vodka or rubbing alcohol.  My dye solution was about 5 tbls to about 1 cup of rubbing alcohol and I let it soak for 3 days.  I had to stir it a few times each day since the powder settled to the bottom and seemed to get a bit clumpy.  Alkanet Root should be used at a rate of 75-100% WOF (weight of fiber).  I think I should have used a bit more alkanet since I ultimately dyed 11oz of wool.  I didn't weigh my 5 tbls prior to starting.  You must pre-mordant your fiber prior to dyeing so the color will adhere to your wool.  Mordant for Alkanet should be:  Alum 12-20% WOF + CoT (Cream of Tartar) 5-6%.  I used 1.3oz of Alum (which wasn't enough, but I didn't want to run to the store) and .5oz of CoT for my 11oz of wool.  To actually dye the wool I had to strain my rubbing alcohol solution since you don't want the powder in your dye bath.  That was uhh...a MESS!  I used coffee filters and paper towels, but it still found it's way onto every surface in my kitchen.  Make sure you are working in an area you can get messy or clean quickly.  I put a large pot of water on the stove and brought it to a simmer, added my dye solution, mixed it well then added my mordant wool.  I let it simmer, never boiling!  for about an hour and then turned the heat off and let it cool until I could remove the yarn and give it a bath.  I think it turned out well.  The yarn is reclaimed from a 100% wool Limited sweater.

BEFORE

AFTER

I wound my yarn into a ball to knit with and my hands turned a bit purple.  I ended up soaking all the skeins in a warm vinegar bath for about an hour and all is well!  Ready to knit sans purple hands. 

Up next in our Natural Dyeing Series is Marigold & Calendula Flowers.