The Naked Bar

Leafy Cupcake Soaps!!

2013-08-22T17:32:00.001-04:00

2012-07-21T09:50:00.001-04:00

A fine rebatch:

I am not sure if I will ever use cedar wood essential oil in soap again. To begin with I am not a big fan of this strong smelling oil. The soap that I made was a combination of cedar wood essential oil and citrus essential oil, and was made for Fathers Day. I guess my intentions were good in the beginning, but in the end it just did not work. This bar just sat around at the markets like a lump of soap coal. Horrible! Needless to say this was the perfect time to do something I have been wanting to try for a while now. I would be re-batching the soap using coconut milk instead of distilled water.

To start out I grated all of my soap into the bowl and then added a large amount to my crock pot:

This is the can of coconut milk I used to add to the melting soap in the crock pot. As the soap melted I added a small bit of coconut milk and the remainder of the shredded soap. I was careful not to add too much liquid because of course that is the golden rule of a good rebatch!!

I noticed that as I added the coconut milk to my melted soap, it gave my mixture a nice creamy texture. The cedar wood smell was not going off as I planned, so I needed to use a fragrance that would blend well with it. Nag Champa was the perfect spicy scent to compliment the Cedar wood.

In order to give this green soap a nice grey shade I added a heavy dose of activated charcoal to the mix.

This was as dark as she got, but it worked. To complete the process I glopped this melted mixture into some round molds (for felted soaps) and some square molds. I have yet to get some pics of the outcome of this re-batch, but check back for an update!!

2012-04-21T11:57:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Just posting on the fly here. A few new soap pics to add and a little info on the essential oils blends that I have been working on. In the coming weeks I will be updating my purchase page and enhancing my blog design. I also have a new blog designer! My wonderful hubby is now helping me design the site! Many changes are underway so check back and enjoy the new stuff. Blog you later :)

Revamped Bar

Berg Fruit Bar

The Castile Bar

Dreams of India Bar

Revamped Bar

This bar is a re-batch of a sage & rosemary soap that I made a while ago. The scent was just not strong enough so I decided the melt the entire batch down and add some stronger essential oils to make the scent stick. This is a blend of Tea Tree, Peppermint, Sage, & Rosemary. There is added shavings of the Muddy, Minty, Kelp Bar to give it an aesthetic look. The scent is wonderful.

Berg Fruit Bar

So rather than cutting soaps into chunks I went a little Geometrical with it by cutting triangles instead. The came out adorable. I even stuck little triangles in the top of each bar. For this essential oil combination I blended bergamot, grapefruit, and the soap "triangles" are ylang ylang. I used my short stamp because the embeds were not soft so I did not have enough room for my big "naked" stamp. Still cute and gets my point across.

The Castile Bar

I absolutely love this castile soap. It is wonderfully moisturizing with all the benefits of a traditional Castile Olive Oil bar, but the added Coconut Oil gives it just the right lather and texture! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this soap! No colors and no scents (though I am toying with the idea of an oatmeal castile bar). I used my new silicone tray mold. I made a little more soap than I should have so some of the bars came out a whopping 8oz. After cleaning them up a bit, they are still big bars. Some bars I sliced in half so I have some 3+ozs, some 4+ozs, and a few 7+ ozs. The Naked stamp is just so fitting for this soap!

Dreams if India Bar

This is probably the most amazing essential oil blend ever! Top notes of ginger lily, with lemongrass, & clary- sage make for a most unique scent. I embedded lemongrass curls throughout the top and placed some pink round embeds of the same essential oil blend scent inside the loaf. I topped it with gold mica and the bar is a true work of art.

Soap Chunks and Swirls

2012-03-13T23:19:00.002-04:00

In the early days of my soap making career, I worked mainly with melt and pour glycerin soap. It was so easy to just melt down some soap, add color and scents, then make embeds, or cut chunks or peel some swirls. I was hesitant to start doing the same with Cold Process or Hot process Methods. There are just so many possibilities when it comes to making unique designs in soap. So this month I am getting back to my roots and cutting up chunks of soaps, molding embeds, and slicing swirls for embeds. They have come out beautifully and I am reinventing my soap line!!

CHUNKY LILY BAR
I am also having such fun blending essential oils to make new scent combinations. This one is Ginger Lily, Lemongrass, & Clary Sage. I cut up some Clary sage soap that I had leftover and just stuffed them in the loaf. The smell is unbelievable!! I messed up the swirl by getting crazy and adding Calendula petals, but it still came out kind of cute.

SPARKING SEA BAR
Jasmine, Citrus, & Ginger- Iused Butter Bar chunks to make swirls and curls throughout. Then I topped with a few curls and some glitter. I just love glitter!!

BLUE SACHET BAR
Lavender, Grapefruit, & Cassia - This bar is just swirled, but the essential oil blend is fabulous!

LAVENDAR OATMEAL BAR
Swirling or layering hot process soap is a little bit trickier than cold process. This is just the beginning, but I have some other ideas regarding swirling and embedding that I will be trying soon.

MOROCCAN GOLD BAR
Anise, Grapefruit, Vanilla, & Clove- I had some leftover Coco Loco bars and I made some nice long slices and then just "got em in where they fit in". Came out really cute, but I should have dusted with more Gold Mica on top.

Felted Soap Bars

2012-03-03T12:10:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post today. I just love felted soap!! They make for the most adorable, fun, and lightly exfoliating bar of soap. (Plus wool is naturally anti-fungal). It's like soap wrapped up in a little sweater! The soap is felted in the wool and the wool forms a little soap sack of sorts. You just use the soap right in the sack. No wash cloth required! Felted soaps make the perfect unique gift. Check my buy a bar for the latest felted soap bars on tap....

Here is a collection of some felted soap bars that I have made.

Red, Hot, & Felted Soap Bars

Felted Soap Bars felted in Mohair Wool

Salty Naked Soap Bars!!

2012-02-27T17:05:00.001-05:00

So I thought I'd take a stab at a popular type of natural soap, the sea salt bar.

Salt soap bars are gently exfoliating and sea salt has many minerals like magnesium, zinc,calcium, potassium, and iodine. So it can be also quite nourishing to the skin. Salt is relaxing to the muscles as well as both cleansing and detoxifying. Sea salt soap bars just make for an overall refreshing bath. Perfect for treating yourself to an in the shower spa treatment.

Salty Green Tea Soap Bars

Salty Green Tea & Lime Salt bars with Lime & Litsea Cubeba Essential oil. Green Tea Powder gives them the most adorable speckled color. The smell and texture remind me of the beach.

Salty Ylang & Peel Bar

I was definitely on a salt & citrus kick with these salt bars. For the second sea salt bar I blended Ylang Ylang, Sweet Orange, & Tangerine Citrus essential oils. Then I mixed in some ground orange peel for some more citrus scent and some yellow color. Very cute and smell so fresh and clean!

I can not wait to try these bars myself and of course to begin offering them to my customers. It was very exciting to make the salt bars. They set up amazingly quick and were "rock solid" in a matter of hours. Even with the quick set up they will still need about 8 weeks of cure time. I have even read that some soap makers cure their salt soap bars for 3 to 4 months. I'll do a test at the 8 week mark to check them out. Keep checking the Buy a Bar Page for them to be listed once they have fully cured.

Finally, New Soaps!

2011-12-10T00:47:00.001-05:00

It'e been a while, but I am still here! The holidays have got me on a bit of a hiatus! I am working a very cool gig at a local health food store Farmers Market. It's only two Sundays a month, but needless to say it has kept me busy making (and selling) soap. This is a very good thing. Now I just need to schedule myself accordingly. (LOL!)

Okay, so first off I am working on my buy a bar page as many soaps are no longer available. Plus, there are a whole bunch of new soaps that I have yet to put up! I will update that page in the next few days.

This week I got back to my roots of melt and pour soap making. I also tried to spread some new ones by trying the hot process method of soap making! While working at the farmers markets I have had some recent soap bar requests. One was shave soap bars with some natural clay additives, and the other being shampoo soap bars.

Green Tea Shave Bars

These are my Green Tea shave soap bars. I used my tried and true "Sulfate Free" gylcerin soap base and added some Green Tea Powder for detox, some Kaolin Clay for Slip and Dry Skin, as well as some Dr. Bronners Unscented Liquid Castile Soap for a little more lather. I scented them with a refreshing Basil/Sage/Mint Essential oil. We'll see what kind of response these get on the sales side of things, but so far I give them a "thumbs up".

I don't have any pics just yet, but I also whipped up a batch of Comfrey & Betonite Clay Bars scented in Sandalwood. Once I get those pics, I will post them. Boy, it's been a while since I made melt and pour. I had to wrap those suckers quick, because they started to sweat! LOL! CPOP has me so spoiled.

On to my next endeavor this week: The Hot Process Method of Soaping! In the past I have seen many, many, many, tutorials on hot process soaping. Plus I have rebatched old soaps in my crock pot and felt like it was somewhat similar, so I had a basic idea. Since I have been thinking about making some Shampoo Bars, I decided to go ahead and make them using the hot process method. Here is my result:

"Pelo Bello Bar"

These shampoo bars will be named "Pelo Bello Bars". Pelo Bello is Spanish for "Beautiful Hair". Here's to them living up to their name! :/

I used a combination of cleansing and nourishing oils. Coconut, Avocado, & Shea Butter (just to name a few). Then I added a bit of honey and Vanilla Lavender Essential oil for a calming and nourishing scent. So I researched the daylights out of shampoo bar recipes and came up with a whole lot of questions. Now I am wondering if I should work on a few different kinds, based on hair types. (Dry Hair vs Oily Hair) Methinks this recipe will be more geared more towards hair that is similar to my own, curly and on the dry side. So for now I will be giving these a test run with some curly family members before selling. So give me some time to see of this particular recipe makes the cut.

That's all I've got for now, but I shall return with so much more! Adios Bellos!!!

Silky Silky Soap

2011-11-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

Hello again! So lately I have been back at the drawing board to refine my traditional soap recipe. In my last few batches of soap I have added a special "luxurious" ingredient, Raw Tussah Silk. Here is a pic of the silk that I have on hand. Doesn't it just "look" silky? It feels absolutely fabulous to the touch!

To give you a little background on this ingredient, Raw Tussah Silk is wild crafted and gathered from the Tussah Silk worms that live naturally in the rain forest. Their silk is gathered after the moth emerges.

Silk protein is one of the most luxurious elements of products to impart silkiness and a luxurious feel to cosmetics, body care and soap products. Silk protein is easily absorbed by the skin and adds silkiness as well as conditions the skin.

So far I have made three soaps, which I will be adding to my Buy A Bar page soon! Both of these soaps will be available within the week!

"Figgy Pudding Bar" (Brown Sugar & Figs Dupe)

Love Potion #9 Bar (Lovespell Dupe)

I also made an essential oil Lemongrass/Eucalyptus loaf today that has silk in it too! The soap really feels "silky"! There is no other way to describe it. So needless to say that I will be adding this as a staple ingredient in many soap bars.

In the near future I am looking forward to making a 100% olive oil (or castile soap bar), and adding some more butters like mango & cocoa butter.

So check back soon and see what I am serving up at the bar!

This past Sunday I was at Hoovers Market in Altamonte Springs, Fl for their bi-monthly Farmers Market!

This was my little set up at the market!

It was awesome! I met some really amazing "local" organic produce farmers. Not only were they selling some delicious, fresh, organic produce, but they were "very cool" peeps to hang out with! I am really looking forward to the next Farmers Market at Hoovers with them. That will be Sunday November 20th! The weekend before Thanksgiving! So come on through and get your produce and support the local farmers in our area!!

Check out my contact page for more info: http://thenakedbar.blogspot.com/p/contact-us.html

We Have a Winner!!!

2011-11-05T18:31:00.001-04:00

Hi Folks! I am sorry that I got this posted so late in the day today, but I have been a busy little soap maker this week and all day today!! This is a good thing! :)

I just want to extend my thanks and gratitude to all those who participated in my first soap giveaway. There were over 28 name ideas posted for my pumpkin spice soap. Needless to say picking the name that I feel is the best fit for this soap was a really tough decision. There were so many good ones to choose from!

Anyway, enough with the pomp and circumstance.

The winning name in the Give Me A Name Get You A Bar Giveaway is :

"Harvest Your Pumpkin Bar"

Harvest Your Pumpkin Bar

Thanks to CindyP for your entry, and I will be in contact with you via email in order to send you the Naked Bar of your choice.

Thanks again to everyone who participated and please continue to follow my blog for more giveaways and more soap chat!! Hugs everyone!

New New & More New!!

2011-10-29T22:37:00.002-04:00

Whew! It's been one of those weeks. Busy, busy, and more busy! First off the giveaway is still on and I have been given quite a few awesome names to choose from. Overwhelming? No, not at all ;)

Check out this pic of the "pumpkin spice" soap that will be renamed this week. I was going for a different kind of swirl, but it did not work out as planned. It still came out in a neat layer on the bottom with a swirl on top. The smell is absolutely amazing as well. The soap will be ready in time so that the person who wins the giveaway can request it as their "free" soap choice.

Thanks to all those who have participated thus far. If anyone else wants to take a last minute stab at a name idea for my "pumpkin spice" soap you can click here and leave me the comment with your name idea.

http://thenakedbar.blogspot.com/2011/10/give-me-name-get-you-bar-giveaway.html

Oh, and all ideas need to be in by November 1st, and I will be picking the name on November 5th!

This week I was also able to snap a couple of snazzy pics of me making some Cold Process Soap. Sorry some of them are a little blurry, but you know how it is taking pics of yourself.....

In this photo I have all of my items laid out in preparation for making my latest men's soap "Cool Like That". (It's a Cool Water dupe). You remember the song from back in the day by Digable Planets? Am I dating myself? LOL!

The large red bowl contains all of my oils (melted down and cooled to room temp). The two small orange bowls contain my colorants. In the case I used titanium dioxide for white color and activated charcoal for grey color. I combine both colorants with a touch of olive oil so that I can easily incorporate them into the soap.

Now I pour my lye water (also cooled to room temp) into the melted oils. Do you see how the oils and the lye water are starting to combine on the bottom making it cloudy looking? Exciting!!! That is the chemical reaction taking place in the formulation of soap!!

Okay in this next pic you can see the action really getting started! The lye and oils are mixing together and I am accelerating the process by using a stick blender. (Can you imagine that years ago this was done with a spoon? Uh, no thanks!) I continue mixing until I reach the stage in soap making known as "a light trace". The mixture is the consistency of a gravy.

Check me out with my soap maker costume! I've got my really super cute green eye goggles. You can't see them in this pic, but I also have some cute gloves too!

After combining my lye water and oils I then divide the soap into the colorants in each bowl. Finally I swirl each of them into my mold. (Sorry I could not get pics, but I needed both hands for this). Not to toot my own horn, but this is probably the best looking swirl I have done ever! I absolutely love the way it came out. This soap is very "Cool Like Dat!!!"

I probably need a better camera, but I think my picture taking skills are getting a little bit better. There are so many soap blogs that I have seen with some truly amazing pics of their soaps! So I have got to step it up!

Oh and BTW, check this out!

This week I also came across a very cool soap blog called The Soap Seduction! As a fledgling soap blogger I get so inspired when I come across soap artists like Patrice! Her soaps are awesomely awesome and her soap names are hilarious (to say the least)!!!
Here is her link....

Give Me A Name Get You A Bar Giveaway!!

2011-10-24T12:38:00.004-04:00

Hello All!

In my last post I went over some of the soaps scents that I will be making for my Christmas themed soaps. This weekend I thought about asking my readers to help me to name my bestselling Fall soap "The Pumpkin Spice Bar". This bar is sold out, so I will be making a new batch with a new design and a new name.

That being said I am pleased to announce my very first giveaway!!

"GIVE ME A NAME GET YOU A BAR GIVEAWAY"!!

If you have have never tried a Naked Bar soap, this is your chance to get a 5-6 oz bar of your choice for FREE!

Here's what you do....

(No International entries please)

Leave a comment on this post with your unique name idea for the new "Pumpkin Spice Bar" by November 1, 2011. Feel free to think "outside" of the box on this!
Multiple entries are encouraged.
Anonymous entries are allowed, but a valid email address is required for the winner notification. (Email address will not be published or sold) Giveaway winner will be notified via email.
On November 5, 2011 I will choose the winner and re-name my soap!
The winner will get a FREE 5-6oz (in stock) Naked Bar of their choice.
So C'mon Give Me a name and Get You a Bar!!

Tip: The pumpkin spice scent is a blend of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, ground cloves, & of course Pumpkin!!!

Mmmm, Smells like Christmas

2011-10-19T13:10:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone! I am working on my Christmas themed soap bars early this year. The holidays come and go so quick that I believe it's worth it to start preparing for them as early as possible. Really folks, I am about to break out my Christmas Tree and decorations. Just joking! :)

During Christmas time we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The story in the Bible tells of the three wise men who brought the baby Jesus gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

Frankincense & Myrrh

Why would the three wise men bring Jesus frankincense and myrrh? Frankincense and myrrh were extremely expensive resins which were used as both medicine, and as Holy anointing oils. Myrrh is mentioned more in the Bible than any other aromatic essential oil. The wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus which were considered Gifts Fit For a King.

The Gifts Bar

A traditional Christmas scent Frankincense and Myrrh is delightful to the senses. This fragrance is a rich combination of olibanum, myrrh, patchouli, herbaceous woodsy pine, sheer musk, vanilla, and floral lilac notes.

I am offering these bars in a choice of 5-6 oz bars or larger 7-8 ounce bars.

These bars on cured and ready to go. Check them out on the Buy a Bar page!

http://thenakedbar.blogspot.com/p/naked-bar-selection-cold-process-soaps.html

Over the next few weeks I will be working on a lineup for the holiday season. Here are a few fragrance ideas that I have brewing in the Soap Shoppe in my head!

I like to give each of my soaps a unique & funky name. It makes them memorable. So, if anyone has any good soap name ideas please comment on this post! Okay, here's what's I've got so far....

Pomander Bar (Orange & Clove)

Santa's Cookies Bar

Figgy Pudding Bar (Brown Sugar & Figs)

Yum, It's Bay Rum Bar

I try to give each soap a unique & funky name. This makes them more memorable. If anyone has any good ideas for soap names please comment on this post! Thanks in advance.

Not just your "Average Joe"!!

2011-10-13T13:13:00.007-04:00

Soaping with a Purpose!!

The whole reason I began soapmaking is because my husband and my son both suffer from Eczema. Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes scaly and itchy rashes. Previously we always used commercial soaps, many of which contained harsh sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and chemicals. These ingredients can exacerbate and irritate already sensitive and dry skin.

Since we've been using my homemade soaps there have been no incidences of Eczema rashes or scaly skin on my son or on my better half!!

So to honor my hubby and darling son my latest soap creation is called "Average Joe"!!

This soap is truly a "naked bar"! It is made using my traditional soap recipe of coconut oil, palm kernel oil, olive oil, shea butter, and castor oil.

I then add a few heaping tablespoons of baby oatmeal cereal. Oatmeal is a phenomenal ingredient for assisting with skin conditions of any kind. It helps to relieve dryness, restore the natural moisture balance of skin, it aids in reducing redness, itching, and minor skin irritations.

The soothing colloidal action of oatmeal binds moisturizing
emollients to your skin so that skin becomes softer and more elastic. Plus there is a "ridiculous" amount of vitamins in the stuff :)!!

Baby oatmeal cereal is so fine that it is not grainy in the soap. (Even though whole grains of oatmeal are also wonderful and can be used for super exfoliating action).

There are no added colors or fragrance oils, and the smell is just kind of "nutty". Kind of like baby oatmeal cereal.

These bars are going to be "curing" for about a week and then will be on the Buy a Bar CP page.

Soap Baskets!!

2011-10-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

Coming Soon!! Soap Baskets!

This week I will be working on soap gift baskets for the holidays. I am also going to be making lotion bars to match the scent of the soaps. All in yummy fall scents!!

As soon as I get some finished I will be posting them.

Check back soon!!!

Soap Basket with Bath Pouf, Scented Lotion Bar, & Breathe In & Out Soap Bar

New Fall Artisan Soap Lineup!

2011-10-06T09:49:00.004-04:00

Check out our "fall inspired" handmade artisan soap lineup!

My handcrafted soaps are made with all natural ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, & Shea butter. Just all natural "naked" soap!!

Seriously, some of these soaps smell good enough to eat! :)

*All soaps available for purchase:

http://thenakedbar.blogspot.com/p/naked-bar-selection-cold-process-soaps.html

Apple Jack & Peel Bar (Claire Burke Dupe)

Breathe In Breathe Out Bar (Tea Tree/Eucalyptus/Orange)

Pumpkin Spice Bar (Pumpkin & Cinnamon)

Pom & Berry Bar (Pomegranate & Bayberry)

The Naked Bar Soaps

2011-07-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

A Drink for your skin!!

The Naked Bar handmade soaps are both sulfate and paraben free. Our soaps are made with only the finest NATURAL ingredients such as, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Organic Honey, & Grapeseed Oil.

Organic Honey

A staple that is used in every Naked Bar is Organic Honey. Honey has many natural antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. With it's ability to absorb and retain moisture it is an ideal ingredient in soap to keep skin hydrated and prevent drying.

Grapeseeds

Grapeseed Oil is a fixed oil that is obtained by pressing grapeseeds. It is easily absorbed into the skin and also has anti-oxidant properties and its astringent abilities that help to tone and tighten skin.

Shea Nuts

Another staple on The Naked Bar ingredient list is Unrefined Shea Butter. Shea Nuts are the fruit of the Shea Tree found in Africa. While naturally rich in a number of vitamins, it is popular for having Vitamins A, E, & F.

Cocoa Butter

Often called the ultimate moisturizer Cocoa butter is also full of vitamins A, E, & C. Cocoa butter penetrates through the top layers of skin therefore keeping the next layers healthy and hydrated as well.

Why No Sulfates and No Parabens?
What's in that bath gel I got at the latest "Semi-Annual" Sale?
Many popular Liquid Bath and Body soaps are often filled with unnecessary sulfates and parabens. These ingredients are used to make the soaps last longer on store shelves and in storage facilities. They are also used to help the soap create that "foaming" action that many believe get you clean.

Shower Gel Ingredients

Parabens:

*Commonly used parabens are described on ingredient listings as benzylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben. These estrogenic substances disrupt the normal hormone functions and increased exposure to them may elevate an individual’s risk of developing cancer.
For additional info on parabens see: http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/06/21/what-are-parabens-and-why-should-you-avoid-them/

"With it's natural antibacterial and preservative qualities we use honey as a natural alternative to keeping the "germies" at bay!"

Sulfates:
*The ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate in soap is exactly the same as you would find in a car wash or even a garage, where it is used to degrease car engines. In the same way as it dissolves the grease on car engines, sodium lauryl sulfate also dissolves the oils on your skin, which can cause a drying effect. It is also well documented that it denatures skin proteins, which causes not only irritation, but also allows environmental contaminants easier access to the lower, sensitive layers of the skin.

*For additional info on Sulfates see: http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.html

"Natural additions to our soaps such as Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, and Liquid Castile Soap are used for adding plenty of luxurious lather. "

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