Friday, June 26, 2009

Newsletter: Bulk Oils & Butters!

Hi all,
Just a heads up that we will be taking orders for bulk quantities of our oils. For a price list and to see what is available, please email me at randi@creationsfromeden.com. The terms of the bulk orders are at the end of this email.

The following is a list of bulk oils, butters and waxes available:

Babassu Oil
Cocoa butter- Deodorized
Cocoa butter- Deodorized Organic
Cocoa butter- Natural
Cocoa butter- Certified Organic Natural
Coconut Oil RBD
Coconut Oil RBD Certified Organic
Mango butter- Refined
Palm (Organic)
Palm Kernel (Organic)
Palm Fruit Stearin (Organic)
Palm Kernel Stearin (Organic)
Shea butter- Natural
Shea butter- Organic

and

• Almond Oil
• Apricot Kernel Oil
• Argan Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Black Currant Oil
• Borage Oil
• Castor Oil
• Canola/Rapeseed Oil
• Cherry Kernel Oil
• Corn Oil
• Cotton Seed Oil
• Evening Primrose Oil
• Flax Seed Oil
• Grape Seed Oil
• Hazelnut Oil
• Jojoba Oil
• Kukui Nut Oil
• Macadamia Nut Oil
• Peach Kernel Oil
• Pecan Oil
• Perilla Seed Oil
• Pistachio Oil
• Pomegranate Oil
• Pumpkin Seed Oil
• Rice Bran Oil
• Rosehip Oil
• Safflower Oil
(Oleic & Linoleic)
• Sesame Seed Oil
• Soy Bean Oil
• Squalane (Olive)
• Sunflower Oil
• Walnut Oil
• Wheat Germ Oil
• Beeswax (Organic)
• Carnauba Wax (Organic)

Most of these are available in an organic and or/ Kosher version.

Bulk Pricing Policies:

~All bulk and special orders are to be prepaid, no exceptions! We now take Credit Cards via the phone if needed.
~Shipping for bulk and special order items (items we normally do not carry) are considered separate from orders submitted via the website. Actual shipping rates will be charged.
~Bulk and special order items are not subject to any Loyalty or coupon discounts as the prices are already deeply discounted.
~Bulk and special orders may take up to 6 weeks to receive (we anticipate 3-4 weeks on the outside for this order). If you are in a rush, please note additional fees apply.

Happy Creating!

Randi Carr

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Pina Coloda Lip Gloss

Pina Coloda Lip Gloss- Courtesy of Jane at www.Rainbowsoap.ca

Here's my recipe:
Castor Oil - 50 gram
Aloe Butter - 30 gram
Avocado Butter - 30 gram
Beeswax - 30 gram
Mango Butter - 15 gram
Pina Colada Flavouring Oil - 10 gram (I used my lollipop flavourings)
A dab of Lip Balm colourant
Ultra Fine Iridescent Glitter - 0.60 cc

Packaged into lip balm tubes & lip balm jars. This recipe filled 30 tubes and 3 jars.

It's creamy, dreamy & luscious feeling. Of course you can substitute any quality flavouring oil.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Newsletter: Blog, Facebook Page & More!

At Creations from Eden we have been very busy updating the website and adding more information pages to benefit our customers.

You can see our new sites by going to Facebook and Blog. Please let us know if either link does not work. They can also be reached by going to our home page at www.creationsfromeden.com and clicking on the links on the top of the page.

Use our discussion forums on Facebook to ask questions, share success stories and post pics of your creations! Use the blog for recipe ideas, how-to informtaion and general information on natural products, herbs and essential oils.

From now until the end of June, we are running specials on all of our natural flavour oils, natural colourants, clays and books as well as a few miscellaneous other products. And don't forget to go to the Chase Creative molds website and name your top 10-15 molds for an additional 5% off your next order!

Also, please note, we have changed the free shipping minimum to $250 due to rising shipping costs and special orders now have to be ordered on a seperate order so they do not get lost in the mix (additional shipping applies on special orders).

We have had some questions about bulk pricing and ordering larger quantities than what is available on the website.

We are more than willing to order in larger quantities than what is posted on the website. Often we have larger amounts, but the sizes on the website reflect the quantity that most people purchase. For instance, Coconut oil, if you want an 18KG barrel of coconut oil, it will cost you much less per lb to buy it this way... the drawback is we have to order it in due to limited inventory space. We generally have this quantity, but to be fair to everyone, we keep that amount on hand. If we order it in it may take up to 6 weeks (on the outside) to receive as we add it to our next product order.

Essential oils bought in 1lb (approximately 500mL depending on the eo) quantities and up can also save you.

The same goes for micas, bases, packaging, etc. Some items we cannot go lower as we are giving the lowest price we can (especially for those that receive the 15% off loyalty discount).
Additional discounts (such as the loyalty discount) do not apply when purchasing in bulk.
Much of our stock comes from the US and is based on US Dollar pricing. So depending on the dollar at that point is what we'll quote you. For this reason prices are subject to change. Quotes are valid for 14 days from date issued. Free shipping does not apply on these items.

Happy Creating everyone!

Randi Carr

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Basic Soap Making Recipes

Basic homemade soap recipes are ones that have no frills, no additives and provide you with a clean slate to create your own soapmaking masterpieces.

Simply pick the soap recipe that suits your wants or needs and then start creating. Add some scent, pick a design idea, choose a color option.....there are so many possiblities that you'll find it hard to decide what to try first.

All of the recipes listed below can be made using either the
cold process or hot process methods of soap making.

Whichever method you decide to use, I urge you once again to run the recipe through a
lye calculator before starting. This habit is important to develope, it ensures that all homemade soap recipes you use are correct when you start and it encourages you to start exploring on your own with new and improved formulas that you have created.

Have fun and happy soaping!

Courtesy of Cathy at Soap-making-Essentials.com.




For the recipes click on this link.



Sunday, June 7, 2009

Cream Soap Recipe

Cream Soap Recipe:
Recipe courtesy of Jannie at Rainbow Soap

Oils/Butters/Glycerin:
7.5 gram - Castor Oil
2.0 gram - Jojoba Oil
10.0 gram - Olive Oil
5.0 gram - Shea Butter
30.0 gram - Coconut Oil
20.0 gram - Palm Oil
90.0 gram - Stearic Acid
51.2 gram - Glycerin

Lye Mixture:
Sodium Hydroxide - 5.1 gram
Potassium Hydroxide - 25.4 gram
Water - 91.6 gram

SuperCream:
Melted Stearic Acid - 2.5 gram
Glycerin (mix with above Stearic Acid) - 3.7 gram

Second Measure:
Aloe Juice or Water - 91.6 gram
Aloe Juice (extra, you may not need this) - 25 gram

Additives:
Allantoin - 4.6 gram
Kaolin Clay - 2.3 gram
Hydrolyzed Silk - 4.6 gram *Note* The link goes to a liquid form of silk, the weight here is not accurate if you substitute it!
Goat's Milk Powder - 4.6 gram

Instructions:
* Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees (place a cookie sheet under where your soap pot will rest in case of spills
* Place oils/butters and first glycerin measure in the soap pot. Heat until solids are just melted.
* Add both lyes to the first water measure. Set aside to cool.
* Add the lye water to the oils/butters/glycerin mixture and stick blend until mixture is somewhat smooth and uniform ... work quickly ... once this sets up, it goes very fast.
* Let soap rest for a couple of minutes.
* Place the lid on the pot ... Put in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
* Check every 15 minutes, stir ... replace the lid
* Heat the stearic acid/glycerin blend until melted ... add to hot soap.
* Turn off the oven. Turn on the oven light. Leave the covered pot in for 24 hours.
* Whip it ... Whip it good! Take a spoon and massage the mass ... when it loosens enough (this takes some time and is hard on the arms).
* Using the stick blender ... Alternate adding Aloe juice and stick blending until it resembles frosting. * Add your additives. Stirring in by hand.
* Transfer to a glass or ceramic dish that has a lid. Cover the bowl/dish and cure for two weeks or longer.
* Whip the soap ... if you are happy with the texture ... you're ready for colour & scent. If the soap is too thin ... let it sit uncovered to evaporate out a bit of the water (a couple of days is good). Too thick? Add a bit of that aloe juice that was held in reserve. Adding by 1/4 tsp. at a time.
* Colour & Scent as desired.
* Packaging ... thicker soap works best in jars ... thinner soap works well in dispensers or tubes.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Natural Colourant options in soap

Many people are trying very hard to stay away from synthetic dyes and colourants these days. So what are the alternatives available to a soapmaker? Below is a list of some natural colourant ideas:

Yellow - Annatto, saffron, Turmeric, Carthamin, Calendula petals (whole or ground)
Green - chlorophyll, Spirulina
Brown - the cocoa bean (pods, shells, stems), cocoa powder, fermented tea
Red - Paprika (may be irritating), Red Rooibos Tea, Carmine
Purple - Alkanet Root (for CP), Ratanjot (can sometimes be more red), Beet Root Powder
Blue- Indigo Root

To name a few.

The biggest draw back to using natural colours is that you won't get a vibrant lemon yellow or a bright lime green using natural colourants. Plus they generally stain when used in large quantities.

Herb Notes: Soap Nuts, natural laundry soap?

So, I have stumbled upon something I think might be worth mentioning to all you naturalists out there. The product is directly from mother nature and is called Soap nuts or Soap berries (Sapindus mukorossi).

What are these nuts?

The soap nut is supposedly (I will test it out to make sure) an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and is a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. They have traditionally been used as an expectorant, and in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis. Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing.

How are they used?

Evidently (again, I will test the theory to make sure) you only need 4-6 nuts in a muslin bag (I am thinking panty hose should work too) and you toss them into your wash cycle. They can be used several times (they will become mushy and grey when they are to be replaced).
So what now?

Can you use soap nuts in place of other cleaning products?

Apparently you can. Soap nuts can be used for anything that you would normally use detergent for-washing the car, windows, etc. Some people have used them as a base for shampoos and hand lotions, and as an all purpose cleaner for around the home. They can be used as an anti-microbial for septic systems. Steep them in warm water and add the "tea" to a spray bottle and use in place of your regular cleaner.

So what now?

I am going to experiment myself with these neat creations from mother nature and I will update this entry when I have completed the experiment. As most of you know, I currently use ECOS laundry detergent, which is what I thought was as natural as one could get, but perhaps not.

The experiment (Number 1):

So I've done 2 loads of the kids laundry at this point with the soap nuts. Being that I always wash in cold water, I decided to simmer the soap nuts first to soften them. I then threw them into a muslin bag and tossed them in with the laundry on a normal cold wash. I dried the clothing in the dryer as usual. I treated stains as I normally do by spraying with Nature's Ultimate Concentrated Orange Cleaner. Logan's clothes (my 3 month old) if stained are generally protein stains from breastmilk and poop, Sam's are dirt from playing outside and juice and whatnot.

Results:

Whites: The whites aren't bright, like you would get using Tide with bleach or some other detergent, but I am thinking the addition of Borax or Washing Soda may fix this (I will experiment with this next).

Colors: Same as the whites.

Darks: Clean, soft, what more could I ask? The soapnuts did not remove the colour from them.

Softness: I did not use fabric softener (I never do, I use borax instead) and the clothes came out extremely soft. Big win on this end.

Static: No static. The clothes, even without using a dryer ball, are static free. Big win here too.

Stains: Well, the stains all came out with minimal effort, including some old ones on Sam's clothes that I never seemed to be able to get out. Big Win here too!

So, what is my final analysis on this experiment?

I am very pleased! Logan's clothes are as if I washed them in Ivory Snow (it always makes clothes soft for babies) and the cleaning power is nice. I am going to try the addition of Borax and Washing Soda to see if it will help with the brightness, but other than that I think the soapnuts are a keeper. They actually seem to work better than the ECOS.

Experiment #2:

More to come..