Review: Make Your Own Soap, 2nd Edition - by Joy James

Available from www.how2crafts.com and amazon.co.uk in two formats: ebook £4.95 and paperback £5.50.

This little book is surprisingly comprehensive.  The clear sections take you on a lovely journey from novice to budding soap maker.

The first few pages explore some of the background to this age-old craft as it examines some of the fundamentals for getting started, such as points of safety, equipment, ingredients etc…  You soon realise that soap making is a very accessible to everyone.

It is written so clearly and in such a ‘you can do this’ way, you are rolling up your sleeves, ready to get stuck in and give it a go, by page 17.  That’s a good thing too because the following pages are dedication to 11, delectable and very tempting recipes.  These are beautifully illustrated, using so many different luscious ingredients, such as pumice and nettles, in the Gardeners Soap, goats milk in the Calendula and Goats Milk Soap and even beer in the Shaving Soap recipe – there’s plenty of information on where you can get these ingredients too.

It is perhaps a good idea to read through the basic method, later in the book, before deciding which recipe you are going to try first.  It gives VERY clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations to take you through every single step of the process, logically and systematically.

Of course, like with cooking, things may not go according to plan, when trying new recipes and what is particularly good about this book is the Troubleshooting section, which examines possible problems that can arise during the soap making process and offers solutions or ways to avoid problems in clear, non-jargon English.

There’s also a section that provides links and contacts for further reading or information, support networks and accessible suppliers.

To sum up, this book is rather like Dr Who’s Tardis – small on the outside but HUGE inside.  So much has been packed in, yet it is completely uncluttered, clear, logical and beautifully illustrated.  Well written, informative and inspiring.

New Products! Sweet Shop Now Open.

I am ever so excited, having (finally) published to the site a new range of fragrance oils.  A fun range of smell-a-likes in the Fresholi Sweet Shop.  Still looking for a few sweeties to photograph (Black Jacks are more difficult to find than you think) and I will add the pics in due course.  This range actually got my own creative juices flowing with thoughts of the fun bath time products that 'fit' the fragrance.  None have been test run, at least not in soap, so your feedback will be of great value.

A couple of other new products include 250g Tin Tie Bags as well as Easimulse, which is a really easy-to-use, cost-effective emulsifier (excellent for beginners)

Natural Vitamin E is now back in stock but the best thing is, I have can now offer it at a much lower price than ever before, which feels good - especially as we are all trying to make savings where we can ;o)

Also back in stock are a few old favourite Allergen Free Fragrance Oils, Baby Powder, Melon Boat and (my personal favourite) The Happy Hippy.

There's still a few more products to add (a new allergen free FO and another FO), but I am just waiting on the right documentation for those and a couple of gorgeous and interesting materials (that are very much in-keeping with Fresholi's natural theme).  I will keep you posted on those though.

Visit Fresholi's New Products Page....

Enjoy your evening!!

New Recipe - Cocoa Dream Cream

This cream is a great example of how a simply structured formula can create a luxurious and indulgent cream.  I love the way this feels on the skin, being velvety and smooth.  The richness of the dark, organic cocoa butter mixed with the emollient and super-fast absorbent qualities of the meadowfoam oil, form the heart of this lovely cream that sinks in beautifully.

Being simple in formulation leaves plenty of room to put your own stamp on it, by adding different ingredients, but I think it is lovely just as it is.  The other nice thing about this cream is its appearance.  Because it contains unfiltered, organic, virgin cocoa butter (that retains the natural cocoa solids that gives it its dark colouring), it slightly tints the cream and leaves little speckles of cocoa throughout, which is reminiscent of expensive vanilla ice-cream, with specks of vanilla pods.  Click to view recipe at Fresholi....

New Recipe - Body On Body Cream

I had a little playtime yesterday and came up with a new receipe, that I have added to the Fresholi site.  This makes a lovely, rich and dense hand/body cream, with lots of body, hence the name.  Body On Body Cream is ideal for dry skins, although most skins will benefit from the rich texture.  It is easily absorbed and easy to make.

This formula a couple of ingredients that I am finding quite interesting at the moment.  Honey powder, exploring its humectant properties, and stearic acid.  I hadn’t had much experience with stearic previously but recently, the more I have been working with it, the more I am liking it and what it brings to the formulation.

Actually, I have focussing my attention on all sorts of exotic emulsifiers over the past few months, that I had been neglecting the simple, no-frills emulsifying powder.  I had forgotten how good it is.

Anyway, here's the recipe.......... Body On Body Cream

More New Products...

Just a quickie note to say that I have just published some more new products to include soap bases, bath bomb dry ingredients, emulsifiers and more....

I hope everyone's enjoying their weekend!  x

Exciting... New Products, New Pricing!!

Well, finally everything’s in place. It’s been a rather intensive few weeks behind the Fresholi scenes.

Changes to Packaging & Restructuring

Restructuring prices and switching the packaging of some of our products over, from glass to HDPE bottles. This will help to absorb some of the impact of the impending price increases at Royal Mail, because HDPE is much lighter in weigh and far less fragile.

Of course, it goes without saying that essential oils will continue to be supplied in amber glass bottles, but of other materials, such as fragrance oils, lip balm flavours and some lipids, HDPE seems a sensible step to take to reduce the shipping costs to customers.

Just a quick note, unlike the glass bottles, the HDPE bottles will not have a dropper, as the affected materials were unable to be dispensed effectively through the orifice of the droppers, so these will be a simple screw cap that will make dispensing a little easier (which will save you the trouble of removing the dropper insert to get at the contents).

Streamlining & Simplifying

You will notice that some product, such as fragrance oils and lip balm flavours, will now have a standard price structure. This is to help keep things a little more streamline for us and the predictability is useful for customers who are planning their stock/future purchases when making site to site price comparisons and, for some ranges, they will no longer have to list individual products, simply a product range. Hopefully this is a positive move for us all.

Reductions Across The Whole Site

There have been price reductions across the whole site wherever it has been possible and I have also introduced bigger sizes for many products, to help make ordering Midi-Bulk easier. I am still working on adding bigger sizes, this will be an ongoing process, so bear with me.

New Products

Ooh… I am really excited to be adding a whole new range of products and this is only the first wave. There’s more to come. I thought it was time for Fresholi to explore its fun side with products that inspire a more colourful type of creativity. We are pleased to launch….

A new colour range... Concentrated water-soluble (skin-safe, food-safe) colourants, ideal for many M&P soaps, bath and body products.

Honey Powder... a luxuriously indulgent addition to soap, skin care, bath and body products.

Palm-Free Vegetable Glycerine... with its humectant qualities, it has invaluable functions in skin care emulsions.

Fragrance Oils... Previously, Fresholi only offered allergen-free fragrance oils, which are lovely, but the scent range can be limited. So for those wanting a little more excitement, I have introduced the first, standard fragrance oils in the collection for you to enjoy. I would, however, love to hear your suggestions on further lines that could be introduced – I am truly listening. Also, please do feel free to leave some product feedback (on the product pages of the site). It helps everyone.

Cosmetic Packaging... The first of a new range of packaging jars, pots and lip balm tubes.

Pay a visit to the New Products page at Fresholi....

Old Friends

I have brought back some old favourites, across the whole site and, in the next few weeks , there will be more as well as introducing more new products, so watch this space ;o)

Well, that’s it from me. I hope you enjoy all the new things that are taking place at Fresholi and please, feel free to leave a short product review or contact me if you have any suggestions on how Fresholi can improve things for you.

Happy Sunday!!

New Site User Facility

As I am finalising the details of the first wave of new additions to Fresholi, I have switched on the customer review facility. This allows for customers to easily leave feedback or a short review. I think this will be particularly useful in the coming weeks, when the new additions 'go live' so to speak.

It will be both useful for Fresholi but, most importantly, it will be useful for other customers. There's nothing quite like the shared views and opinions of others to help you decide whether a product is right for you.

There have been a few reviews added already (my sincerest thanks to them) and it would be wonderful (for everyone) if we could add some more. So, next time you visit the Fresholi Shop it would be utterly brilliant if you left a little review/feedback that you think might be useful to others, or maybe you just want to leave a comment for no other reason but to leave a comment. I, for one, would be ever so grateful but I know it would be very much appreciated by other visitors. Please also feel free to include your URL (this isn't linkable unfortunately, the software doesn't have that facility, but it could be copy & pasted).

Ooh... and if you haven't already, don't forget to submit your weblink to the main site. This does get a lot of interest from people looking for finished products so its worth adding yours. Remember, if you are a member of Fresholi, you can submit your press releases and news, to be published on the front page.

So, until the next update, stay happy and keep smiling :o)