(diy) Suction Cup Teddy Soap

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I wanted to make a cute soap that would stay put next to the sink, so join me on the adventure where I discovered a couple interesting hacks: 

I found this teddy bear silicone mold on ebay, but I was having a super hard time getting the soap out without damaging it. So I carefully sliced open one side of the mold.... Then I used these clips from Dollar Tree to hold that edge tightly shut (I saw online other crafters used electrical tape or rubber bands) while I poured the soap in and let it harden. I use melt & pour soap base because it's easy 🙂

I tied a rubber band on top of the suction cup so the soap has more surface area to hold on to. Let the soap harden slightly (5 seconds lol) and then push the suction cup piece down in place. It's ok if it sinks in a little.

When the soap hardens take it out of the mold carefully. The suction cup needs space around the base in order to function properly, so if you need to: use a knife to carefully shave off soap and give the suction cup space!

DIY Shower Steamers

Shower steamers / shower bombs are *AWESOME*! 😄 put them in the bath tub corner out of direct water, and when water splashes it fizzing starts and fragrance explodes- your shower turns into an aromatherapy spa!

I like to whip up some shower steamers with new fragrance oils I get so that I know how much I like the scent before I turn it into a soap/candle/perfume/etc. Here's some messy pics of my work station (lol) and how I keep my steamers organized in a cute basket on my bathroom toilet.

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My Recipe: 2 parts baking soda, 1 part citric acid, 1/4 part cornstarch, 1/4part kaolin clay, fragrance, pinch of crushed menthol crystals

(I make small batches so for me "part"= tbsp)

The cornstarch and kaolin clay help hold the scent and make the steamer last longer. I think they're important ingredients but I've seen other crafters skip using them 🤷

Directions: Mix everything but add the citric acid in very last, and then lightly spray witch hazel and squeeze with your hands trying to make clumps. Repeat spray-squeeze until you get it clumping. You want to use as little witch hazel as possible!! When it starts clumping you press the mixture into your molds. 

Use a hard plastic mold- ice cube trays work, I like little plastic clam shells (like packaging for wax melts, I ordered mine from Maple Street Candle Company), or plastic candy/soap molds. Don't use silicone molds they're too soft. You can use tin muffin pans but the steamers are harder to remove and might break. You can use bath bomb molds and presses, too.

Let's talk about menthol crystals~

Using menthol crystals will help clear your sinuses, but you don't have to use them if you don't want to. I don't use menthol with any food/sweet scents.

Also, a little menthol goes a long way!! LOL 

If you're using peppermint essential oil then there's menthol already in there, don't add menthol.

Epsom salts are not menthol crystals. I've seen other crafters online use Epsom salts instead of menthol crystals... But I have never tried it.

Let's talk about fragrance~

Only use skin safe fragrance oil or essential oil.

 Don't use alcohol-based fragrances.

Vanilla fragrances can turn your product a brownish color- beware!

If the fragrance oil you use is colored then it will dye your steamers that color. Consider that when deciding if you want to add additional colors (sometimes mixing colors gets ugly).

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Let's talk colors~

Don't use too much dye pigment or it can 

stain your tub!

Beware: when you mix in color pigment the color won't show up immediately- after the shower steamer dries in the mold the color darkens. So don't worry while you're mixing ingredients! You don't have to overdo the color!

I mostly use TKB micas. I've also used eyeshadow as pigment (hey, it's skin safe! haha), but I have not tried using food coloring. Dye isn't necessary for a shower steamer, it's optional. Unless color "brings you joy" then it's a waste of money.

Problem: they blew up in the molds 😂

If your shower steamers look like fluffy clouds then you made them too wet and the citric acid activated (use less witch hazel next time). It's ok, try  to press them back down and let them harden.

You do not have to trash them, they're still usable!

 They just won't fizz when water hits them- so it will give off scent but there's no fizz to push the scent into the air (use your hands to wave the scent around). 

If you have a shelf in your shower put the steamer there instead of side of the tub.

(review) New fragrance oils at Candle Science

Some Fragrance Ho's convinced me to buy more fragrance oils lol as if I need more 😂 

 Fresh Cut Grass (new): Citrus, Lemongrass, Grass, Green Leaves, Sage, Moss -Excellent! Could do without the citrus note but definitely smells green.

Pink Sugar Crystals (new): Black Currant, Strawberry, Raspberry, Sugar, Freesia, Tonka, Vanilla, Light Musk  -I think this scent would smell better without the musk. Smells worse than a cheap Justin Bieber perfume

Black Coral and Moss (new): Marine, Camphor, Pineapple, Lavender, Bamboo, Dark Musk, Amber, Vetiver, Cedar -Manly, wow! This would be a good cologne. I will definitely buy more of this to make manly soap 😂

Beach Linen (discontinued): Sea Salt, Ozone, Citrus, Jasmine, Lavender, Powder, Wood -Smells super clean, I love this!

Magnolia and Peony (discontinued): Violet, Lily, Peony, Magnolia, Freesia, Powder, Wood -I smell lily, I love lily! Then I smell the other flowers and it reminds me of Grandma's house.

Hemp: Lemon, Lime, Hemp, Green Leaves, Vetiver, Patchouli -Too much lemon, not enough patchouli. Will not repurchase.

Himalayan Bamboo: Bergamot, Lime, Grass, Green Leaves, Cucumber, Bamboo, Violet -Smells like the bathroom at a sushi restaurant

Coconut: Rum, Lime, Coconut, Vanilla -Smells nice. Would smell better if it was only coconut. There's not enough lime to make it smell delicious, it just has a weird sour edge

Rose Petals: Green Leaves, Ozone,Rose, Carnation, Lily of the Valley, Ylang Ylang, Powder, Peppercorn -this smells really beautiful!

Apple Peppercorn (new): Green Leaves, Green Floral, Apple, Peppercorn, Pear,Spice, Light Musk, Nutmeg -🤷this smells like a lumberjack man coming to your Thanksgiving and bringing you a bag of red apples.

Palo Santo (new): Cardamom, Citrus, Palo Santo, Violet, Saffron, Smoke, Wood, Sandalwood, Amber -I heard a lot of great reviews... I'm not feelin' it tho.

Santal and Coconut (new): Benzoin, Coconut Milk, Coconut, Sandalwood, Cedar, Tonka, Amyris -smells like an inoffensive coconut scent 🤷 idk,nothing special

Lavender Driftwood (new): Marine, Eucalyptus, Honeydew Melon, Green Leaves, Lavender, Sage, Cedar, Amber, Benzoin, Cypress -nice woodland gnome variation of lavender

Neroli and White Jasmine (new): Green Leaves, Petitgrain, Citrus, Neroli, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Powder, Patchouli -all the extra crap drowns out the jasmine, I don't like this

*WARNING* about shipping: Candle Science has 2 warehouses, one on the East Coast / one on the West Coast. So you have to watch what you buy and make sure it all ships from 1 warehouse. If your order ships from both warehouses = you get 2 shipping fees! 😡 

(review) Wholesale Supplies Plus: fragrance oils, soap making supplies

I purchased some bulk supplies from WSP

--they're rolling thru sales constantly, if you want something and it's not on sale just wait a week and it might go on sale (especially soap bases!)

--don't be fooled by "free shipping", the cost is built into each product's price. And you still get a $5.95 handling charge regardless.

--shipping is so slow!! takes like 2-4 weeks before they physically ship your package

--beware that WSP is buying up smaller companies like Rustic Escentuals, Just Scent, and Element Bath and Body... so yeah...

Here's something you might not expect: when you buy bulk melt&pour soap base, WSP seriously puts a blue garbage bag inside a box and pours the soap in to weight. You get a block of soap in a bag. And to use it you have to chop off pieces. It's tedious.

Tip: after you chop off the soap you need for your project, store the soap block in an air tight bucket or in a vacuum sealed bag (I bought them in a set of 8 for $20 at Walmart). Soap can loose moisture over time- you can still use it tho, just add a little glycerin when melting it down.

There's lots of soap bases to try out on WSP. I've never liked one enough to use on its own, you always want to add a moisturizer! The goats milk is ok but the 3 butters is really drying. (I suspect WSP might delete bad reviews on their website- or soap seller are lying trying to sabotage other sellers lol because no way is this soap "amazing!" And "sells out immediately, no extra oils added!")

The crystal clear soap base is really clear but it hardens fast and is difficult to work with. 

Going to try the baby buttermilk next...

When you order under 24lbs of soap base, your order comes in 2lb blocks- in the shittiest plastic packaging ever! They always arrive broken. So be prepared with some sort of air-tight container to put them in immediately. ((So Frustrating!))

The fragrance oils are good. I've rarely been disappointed with the scent. My favorite scent is "Water Orchid". However, sometimes they leak in shipping, I hate that. And the labels wear off which is bullshit 😡

They sell other additives and stuff in bulk, too. Look at this HUGE jug of hemp oil I bought 😂  I also bought 50lbs of citric acid to make bathbombs and shower steamers. 

(you can buy baking soda cheaper at Costco or Walmart)

(review) the Common Scents fragrance oils

I made this purchase (with my own money) foremost because I needed scents to make shower steamers and soaps for my Valentine gift. I purchased a few extra scents just for fun.

Prices are low prices but you get what you pay for, these are diluted fragrance oils not "100% pure". You know this because the oils are being sold as ready to wear-- fragrance oils that are actually pure need to be diluted to be skin safe. And pure fragrance oils normally smell much stronger than this. Fragrance oils are used for perfume, soaps, bath bombs, lotions, candles, potpourri, and other projects.

But ready to wear, these scents are great! If you are buying the $2.99 1oz bottle roll-on fragrance oil then you're getting a great deal! 🙂 I've been happy enough with every roll-on I've purchased. Also, I think the oils smell better in the roll on bottles, I don't know how this is possible- but when I purchase the 2oz+ bottles the scent smells weaker (more diluted?).

Shipping: the company physically shipped my purchase 2 weeks after I ordered. They ship out of Utah. Everything was packaged extra carefully.

Inventory: this company literally has thousands of designer brand fragrance dupes to choose from, it's *fantastic*! However, their online system does not tell you if something is out of stock. The company notified me after my order that a few selections were unavailable.

Customer service: AMAZING! these people responded to me quickly, better than any other online seller I've ever dealt with, I was shocked ♥️

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Masculine scents 

I ordered mostly fresh-marine type fragrances with citrus and woodsy notes (unfortunately I didn't smell woodsy notes in any of these dupes). I expected them to be light fragrances, but these are pretty weak... like if you had a son in elementary school who wanted to wear cologne, you could give him these. <--there, if anyone wants to start a reselling business lol "My First Colognes" 😂 you're welcome!!

Azzaro Chrome Aqua: drowned green apple- I used this to make "freshies" (car air fresheners) and shower steamers. Smells luxurious!

Azzaro Chrome Extreme: ok, but needs tangerine- I used one shower steamer of this and one shower steamer made with tangerine essential oil omg heaven!

Nautica Voyage: excellent dupe! This is probably the best male scent they sent me which is ironic because irl Nautica is always the weakest, lamest, most generic cologne 🤷

Bvlgari Aqua Marine Toniq: I used this in shower steamers. Up close during my shower I can almost smell seaweed but standing a foot away it smells sexy like Axe Phoenix. I will totally repurchase!

Bvlgari Aqua Por Homme: smells better than the Marine Toniq dupe but still also needs more seaweed scent like the original cologne. Will repurchase

Versace eau de Fraiche: lemon water- I used this to make "freshies" (car air fresheners)

Dolce & Gabbana Love is Love: cream+green apple, could be unisex, I think I love this, great cologne

Escada Sunset Heat: delicious! fruity yet manly- this makes a great cologne but disappointing in shower steamers ☹️ the scent totally disappeared when the water hit it

Clinique Happy: citrus, it's a happy scent for sure, I like it. Great as cologne but weak in shower steamers- using orange essential oil would be more effective and cost efficient in shower steamers for this scent

Acqua de Gio Essenza: lemony like the original, exactly what I expected

Hollister SoCal: ok but weak

Usher: good enough, not as sexy like the original but made good shower steamers

Unisex Tom Ford scents~ 

Cafe Rose: smells nice but weak so I dunno

Fleur de Portofino: weak floral

Neroli Portofino: weak floral and a hint of citrus

I'm surprised these are sooo weak because all of the actual Tom Ford perfumes I own are SUPER strong! But I don't own these 3 so I will need to check them out next time I visit Sephora 🤷 when Covid ends haha

Girly designer scent dupes~

Gucci Bamboo: this smells like I threw a wad of cash in the toilet

Escada Lily Chic: smells really pretty, I like it! This is the strongest scent they've ever sent me (maybe someone forgot to dilute it lol)

Escada Into the Blue: the original perfume smells like grass+watermelon, this smells like... ok, have you ever been to Miami? 🙄 throw a watermelon rind in a potato chip bag and toss it on the beach water shoreline= that's how this smells. This is the first time I've seriously hated a CS scent 🤦

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue: ok. It's missing something.

Thierry Mugler Alien: this is pretty, I like this!

Thierry Mugler Alien Mirage: smells weird... don't worry, it's supposed to smell weird ("mineral+pink pepper") haha! 😂 A little metallic. A little salty. I don't hate it. I think it would smell better on a man tho.

Guerlain French Kiss: litchi fruit and plastic, reminds me totally of YSL Parisienne

Dior Miss Cherie: absolutely FANTASTIC! I can smell the buttered popcorn! I am *in love* with this roll-on ♥️

Dior Hypnotic Poison: this smells recognizable but it lacks the sexiness of the original

Dior Lily: this is my *favorite* fresh lily scent ever!!

Dior Diorissimo: OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS!!

Dior Addicted to Life: too musky, needs more peach

Marc Jacobs Dot: needs more red berries

Marc Jacobs Daisy: this lasts a million times longer than the real thing, haha! good

Calvin Klein Euphoria Blossom: nice orchid, needs more pomegranate tho- I used this to make "freshies" (air fresheners) for my closet

Coach Poppy Flower: I love this!!

J.Lo Glow After Dark: The original has a yummy white cherry in it and this dupe doesn't. Don't buy this to wear as a perfume

"Lick Me All Over": nope. Smells weirdly like pine needles? Christmas? Just not right.

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And I live in Colorado, home of the potheads lol so let's see if Utah peeps can actually scent "Cannabis/Pot": ....umm? This doesn't smell like dank weed. Maybe they were going for a cannabis blossom, but then they drowned it in moonshine 🤷 

DIY Christmas Gift: Soap Ducky

I like to make soap. It's strangely comforting. I get to play with chemicals, it's kinda like cooking, it's a lot of artwork and creativity. And if I mess up- then I get to melt it down and make something new 🙂

---olive oil clear soap base at Hobby Lobby with a 40%off coupon (normal price is $9.99)

---blue mica from TKBtrading.com (in a pinch in the past I've also used crushed eyeshadow for coloring)

---snowflake silicone mold from eBay (I've seen some at TJ Maxx, too). 

---rubber duckies are from Oriental Trading Company (I've also seen some at Dollar Tree).

To melt the soap I used a double boiler method. I used a 3-4qt saucepan to boilwater. Then I have the soap inside a Wilton melting pot silicone pot insert sitting on the boiling water. The soap never touched the water. I like this Wilton silicone pot thing because it's easy to pour the soap out (Walmart $9 in the cake party aisle).

Mix a little colored mica powder with glycerin.

When the soap is melted, mix the colored dye into the soap. Add glitter, fragrance, and other oils you want.

Spray the snowflake inside with rubbing alcohol (prevents bubbles).

Pour a little soap into each snowflake, let harden a little. Put the pot back in the water to keep warm/melted.

Put the ducky in the soap and let harden some more. Put something on the ducky to hold securely in place, like a paintbrush or chopstick.

Spray rubbing alcohol.

Pour more soap in the snowflake. 

Spray rubbing alcohol.

Let harden overnight.

I know most people don't like to drown the duck in the soap- but these are gifts for my dirty nephew and I want him to use the damn soap before he can play with the ducky!

 USE THE SOAP!!