Newest soaps

It's been a little too hot and too humid to get more bath bombs made and it hasn't been tolerable for heat either, so we're slow on candles.
Though we've been testing honey in soap and have tried a few essential oil soaps, we've found some time to add to our line as well. All of these soaps will be ready for the fair in August!
Pictured above is what we call Pretty. This fragrance had a good debut in the spring in bath bombs, so we were finally able to get it into soap. Pretty is a mixtures of succulent nectars, plum blossoms and mimosa with hints of fragrant air (minus the humidity!)


Our most popular scent, behind Lilac, Lavender and honeysuckle, has been Misbehavin' (pictured above.)
The picture is a little deceiving. That nice soft pink has been gradually turning to the darker pink color of the embeds. It is a bar of flirty fun.


We decided to do a small batch of this and we're going to call it Heart Throb for that special man in your life (and if you steal it from him, we'll understand too.) It's everything reviews of this fragrance said it was -- good, sexy and a few things I won't repeat. Be sure to get a whiff of it while it lasts.

We do have other batches curing -- Caribbean Queen and South Pacific. Caribbean Queen will be released first. South Pacific has a month to sit while it cures.

We're still working on a fall lineup. We're pretty sure Apple Jack will return along with a little more than what we had last year, since it was gone in less than a month, but we're also trying to find a little something not-so-common too.

Intro to EO and honey

While still experimenting with the use of honey in soap, we thought we might as well add a second testing element and get a better idea of how essential oils react in soap.
Surprisingly similar to the aromatics we currently use in all but the price range.
Essential oils are usually distilled or steamed variations of the actual plant. There are some synthetics out there, because some of these elements can be upwards of $100 for less than an ounce.
So our honey experiment has led us to this:
A batch of lavender essential oil mixed with a light-colored pure honey. We used two colors of purple, which look pretty cool to me in the wet stage. Since honey has the ability to slow trace, it's not really a surprise that these logs won't be pulled and cut for days, because of their softness.
With the exception of perhaps two batches, most of these went into our log molds a thin to medium trace. Not my favorite thickness to pour, but at the same time the soap was starting to heat and I wasn't wanting cracked or volcanic soap.

The second batch above is less than two hours old. This is a mix of basil eo with some spearmint and bergamot added and two colors of green were used. We opted to try the dark honey with this, so the butterscotch-colored batch we had has darkened the greens. In the wet state, I think the colors are surprisingly gorgeous. We'll see what happens as it hardens throughout gel.

Honey and soaps

Honey in soap is apparently a skin delicacy according to some people.

So we're trying it, purely in the testing stages, to see if there is truth behind articles that say honey can aid in radiant skin. Its known to be a humectant and according to the National Honey Board, it has antimicrobial qualities. Humectants attract moisture and help retain it.

In soap, honey might impart a light, warm and sweet scent and adds to the lathering. We happen to love the lather off our bars and others do as well, so we will make tests in this arena too.

We have a light golden honey, a medium shade and an ultra dark one that has a nuttier aroma to it. None of these batches are more than four days old as of this post. Two of the three batches have fragrances added to it that should complement.

The light, golden honey in this batch is mixed with a fruit combination. This was by far the easiest of the honeys to blend with the oils and water. This is the oldest of the batches made. Made with full water, it will take longer than the other two to develop into a hard bar, but we'l see what happens in the fourth week.

In this batch, I used the darkest honey and had trouble getting it to incorporate, which is evident by the flecks in this uncolored batch. While it's known that honey soaps have a tendency to take a long time to come to trace, I discounted water and added buttermilk to this batch, which made trace easier to reach. I'm disappointed that there are golden flecks in this batch, but I'm looking forward to trying it just to get a feel. In this batch we're also using cocoa butter just to see what it's like compared to the mango butter we normally use. It's my opinion this is the complete tester batch with the addition of three ingredients. I'll probably have to sample this at more length.
The third batch simply has the medium honey, which was warmed before introducing it to the oils and that didn't go over as swimmingly. I fear the honey pearled an am expectly small bits of it to be in the soap. This may work as a gentle abrasion that works with dry skin. We'll have to wait for the tests, which will likely start four or more weeks from now.

Because of my issue with not being able to pick up the honey notes, I added a fragrance to this batch, reduced water and found that the scent actually helped to induce trace. It went into the mold at a medium-thick trace, since I had to work faster to get the two colors incorporated.

Actually I need to make a few more honey batches and do my best to put down the color and the fragrances. I'm most looking forward to the milk and honey version, but I'm intrigued by what could happen if I increase the amount of honey in each batch. Since honey and sugars will add heat, I have to be careful to avoid it in excess to keep the soap from turning into a volcano or cracking.

There are several variations to try. Depending on how testing results go, we could be adding honey soaps into our line. These batches will go through a national sampling. We'll analyze the results and then submit to a more strident field of testers before anything will appear on our shelves.

So here's to honey and what could be an interesting road ahead.

We're heading into June with the promise of a sale and if all goes well, the beach ball bonanza will be ready in two weeks or less!

Yes, we're promising a beach ball bonanza summer sale for June, July and August. We just haven't had the opportunity, because of other work commitments, to get it off the ground! It will be up as soon as is possible though! Promise!

Forming balls

We're gradually getting the new lineup posted for our Bubble mania Bath Bombs.

While there will be plenty of changes in the fragrances, not everything will be new. Sweet Pea™, Sandalwood Rose, Lilac, Lavender, Kai™, Grapefruit Jasmine (shortened to Jazzy), Endless Love™, Karma Chameleon, Lustful Thoughts, Pure Seduction, Queen Bee, Tahiti Temptation and Victorian Rhapsody will remain.

Sensuous has been renamed to Sensual. There's no other name suitable for the fragrance.

Beneath the Stars and Pretty have been among favorites of our customers and those will be added soon -- definitely before we kick off our Beach Ball sale.

New additions are:

Beguiled -- Mysteriously alluring. Amber and vanilla are laced with florals. Colors are confetti green, orange and yellow (the camera battery died, but I'm working on a picture.)

Black Orchid -- Stunningly feminine. Delicate orchids with a powdery finish.

Black Raspberry Vanilla™ -- Black raspberries skinny dipping in pools of sweet vanilla cream.

Calypso -- An exotic floral symphony with a breeze of tropical air. Quite lovely.

Cherry Blossom™ -- About time, eh! Fragile cherry and plum blossoms, delicate rice flowers and hints of the orient.

Desire -- Citrus-laced vetiver, rose geranium, jasmine, lily of the valley, amber, vanilla and musk.

Enchanted -- Night-blooming florals, nectar and mist.

Flirtation -- Jasmine, neroli, bergamot under a powdery veil of vanilla.

Harmony -- A relaxing and calming blend of frankincense and myrrh.

What's yet to come:

Too much to keep this entry short, but Forbidden, Ladies Night, Pigtails & Braces, Moonlight Path™, Satin Gown, Sexy Little Things™, South Pacific, Inspiration, Warm Vanilla Sugar™, Mistress, Oh Foxy Lady and Scarlett will join the line.

More votives

In the previous post I mentioned we were unveiling some more scents. Right now they're in votive form and when they appear in more than our 2 oz size, I'll add more options to the website.

I realize I still need to get that updated with the current choices.

We have added a Heavenly Blue Lotus, which is not overbearing in its floral components.

Pigtails & Braces is now in votive form as well as Oatmeal Cookies & Raisins, Lustful Thoughts, Herbal Indulgence and Mandarin Coconut.

So what about these fragrances:

Heavenly Blue Lotus has a softly sweet floral bouquet that is balanced with fresh greens and hints of herbs and spices. It was a sacred symbol of beauty in upper Egypt.

Pigtails & Braces is a fun combination of sugars, vanilla and an enticing musk.

Oatmeal Cookies & Raisins. I picked up on the butter and oats with a hint of spices that felt warming. I actually thought about cooking for the first time in years and was fortunate enough to not have oats in the cupboard lol.

Lustful Thoughts. This used to be exclusive to an After Dark collection we had. Now it's offered in its own box. What is it? An incredible river of musk with juicy strawberries. It's heady, rich and irresistible IMO.

Herbal Indulgence. Remember those commercials where women were moaning in the shower after using Herbal Essence shampoo? This is a similar fragrance in that it's a great collection of herbs that delivered a relaxing atmosphere for me.

Mandarin Coconut. This is the OMG fragrance. I took my nose out of the bottle long enough to get the votives made. It's a fantastic combination and great for any time of the year. What comes to mind is just a long mmm sound. The mandarin is quite noticeable, but the creamy coconut adds a little bit of lush to it.

Within another week or so we hope to have Vanilla Bean Noel, Butt Naked, Black Orchid, Misbehavin', Strawberry Shortcake and quite possibly some Vanilla Lime, Iris Padilla and glazed donuts to add to the mix. We're still working on a carnation, tulip and desire.

Restocked: Lavender, Monkey Farts, Cool Citrus Basil, Spring Rain, Zen Tea and Russian Tea. We still have Georgia Peach and a host of fall and winter scents to stock.

Unfortunately we will have a lot of discontinued scents. Some of them we hate to see go, but with the rash of newbies to the line, perhaps we'll both find some new favorites. I know I'll miss the lavender chamomile and maybe one of these days these two will be united again.

Votives

After a successful Wamego Tulip Festival we found ourselves depleted in several categories, of which, votives were one.

We've been working hard to replenish our votive stock as well as get new scents tested.

At this point we have restocked Sweet Pea, eucalyptus, honeysuckle, gardenia, lilac, jasmine, rosemary mint, strawberry kiwi, coconut banana blast, clean cotton spiritual awakening and spring rain.

It may not seem like a lot, but to try to stay ahead of sales, it is.

We still have tulip, red hot cinnamon, monkey fars, lavender chamomile, cappuccino and other coffee scents, fireside, zen tea, Russian tea, vanilla bean, herbal indulgence and mulled cider to get back on the shelves.

As we replenish stock, we've also managed to sneak in some new ones.

Rustic Jeans -- It's a clean scent, yet spicer than the clean cotton and contains a blend of sandalwood, bayleaf, amber and musk with bergamot and a sprinkle of kitchen spices that make this a little sensuous. Keep in mind, to my nose, it's a new twist on clean.

Attraction -- We had this three years ago and it was exclusive to an After Dark collection we offered at the time. Now that the After Dark collection isn't in circulation, we're pulling out some of those scents to offer regularly. This is one. The cold throw, admittably, is a little light to my nose, but when that melt pool forms, oh my. This is a combination of some amber and musks that draws attention and most of people are immediately attracted to it. See the complementing moisturing perfume bar and people will follow you in the grocery store just to try to find out what it is.

Cantaloupe -- Sweet, juicy, ripe fruit. I love this chilled and it's pretty great in wax too.

Wild Mountain Honey -- I'm definitely not a fan of leather scents and this one can be added to the list, but I'll survive. There are days when this scent is beautiful and days when I can't stop sneezing. However, if you love the scent of the honey, this is the one. I just happen not to be a honey fan, except on KFC biscuits. This is every bit a strong honey scent and the cold throw is powerful. This is wild honey combined with hints of wildflowers.

Warm Vanilla Sugar -- Returning in votives after three years of missing from our line. We think we ran into the best there is out there so we have decided to inch it back onto the shelves to see how people react. Soft notes of brown and powdered sugars are mixed with vanilla and pulled together with a musk.

Cinna-Vanilla -- The marriage of vanilla and red hot cinnamon and the vanilla doesn't damper the strength of those red hots.

We're working on a few more scents, which include vanilla lime, oatmeal cookies, Iris padilla, mandarin coconut and other surprises.

If you're following us at shows, we'll be in the Kansas City area next weekend, followed by trips to Tonganoxie and Junction City. Check us out.