Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Happy Halloween!


I know it's not the season yet, but I love to get started early on Halloween. It's always been a favorite holiday for me, and now that my kids are thinking they are too old to go "trick or treating", I'm beginning to worry. Where will I get my October chocolate fix?

But I digress. Summer is coming to a close. It's time to rethink your line and consider some new ideas for fall and winter.

Color, texture and scent are three ways you can bring a touch of autumn to your soaps and more. Earth colors found in oxides and clays are a perfect way to color soap.

D&C Orange No. 4 adds lovely shades of orange to cold process soaps, melt & pour soaps, lotions, creams, sprays and more.

If you prefer natural colorants, check here for a complete list of colors from herbs, spices and minerals that withstand cold process and other rigors of lab.

Certain fragrance oils also give color. The vanillin in our Vanilla Bean FO will turn your CP soaps and lotions and creams tan to brown. Try our Pumpkin Spice FO, too, for an aromatic journey to Grandma's autumn kitchen.

Essential oils lend scent and color, too. Try our 5-fold Valencia Orange if you're making an orange-colored soap. You'll get a lovely shade of orange using just 3% of this remarkable essential oil. Use in leave-on products, too, without fear of photo-sensitization -- the turpenes are greatly reduced. Sweet Orange, Pink Grapefruit and Patchouli also add lovely yellow and orange colors to cold process soaps.

Calendula petals and ground rosehips are examples of herbs and botanicals that will compliment your autumn soaps and sundries. Use at about 1-2% of the batch weight.

More ideas for Halloween are on the way, so stay tuned!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Essential Oils are wonderful, I had the opportunity to work for a retailer selling those a while back and I did a lot of research into them. I never knew scents are so powerful, now I am a big fan :)

Snowdrift Farm said...

I agree. Essential oils are powerful. Not only do they offer scent, but they evoke memories, too. Even now, when I smell cinnamon, I think of my grandmother's kitchen. She was forever baking cinnamon cookies, and the scent sends me on a speedy journey back to my childhood.