I is for Ingredients!

This month we have a few great oils on sale at BCN that a lot of people may not use or understand. If you make soap or cosmetics or want to, this blog is for you! 

The first product is Sesame Oil. One of my favorite oils! 

This is a highly conditioning oil and is EXCELLENT in soap!!!! This is an excellent choice as a conditioning oil, and it also helps create a nice stable lather. This is also an excellent oil when used in massage oils as well and works wonderful as conditioning after bath oil when blended with Cyclomethicone! 

The second product is Liquid Glycerine. This is one of those things that really has a lot of uses but most people have never used it. Works great for mixing oxide colorants for use in soap making, you can use this to make Lava Lip Gloss too! 

We at this time do not carry the roller ball bottles for this but we do carry all the other ingredients to make it! The Castor Oil, the Liquid Glycerin, The Flavor Oils! This is an awesome stocking stuffer item and this is the perfect time of year to try it!

The third is Castor Oil. Oh how I love Castor oil too! It's the best thing on earth to make soap lather like there is no tomorrow! It's one of those I can't live as a soaper without it oils! It is also excellent for use in the Lava Lip Balms, and it's super for adding gloss to other lip products as well.

If you ever plan to make a shampoo bar, this will be your go-to oil! If you haven't tried it do so, you won't regret adding this rich oil to your line up!

Finally is Sweet Almond Oil. Sweet Almond is probably the best oil I have ever used for massage! I love a great massage and sweet almond gives the perfect glide! Ahhhhhhhhh! Along with being an excellent choice for massage oils it's great for an after bath oil mixed with Cyclomethicone, it's wonderful for use in CP and HP soaps, it works amazing in hand crafted from scratch lotions and so many more applications. This is one of those oils that truly everyone should have on their shelves and use it often!

Soap Pouf-on-a-Rope!

Soap Poufs, the 2013 version of "Soap-on-a-Rope"!

These easy to make poufs are fun, and are something you can market to men, women and even teens and children! Everyone washes so everyone can use them!

Use poufs that match the color of the fragrance and offer fun seasonal scents! The only limit is your imagination!

Supplies:
Microwave
Microwave safe glass (Pyrex) or HDPE Plastic measure cup
Sharp knife to cut soap
Rubbing alcohol in spray bottle 
Stainless steel spoons to stir soap
Mold for the pouf (I used a ziploc storage bowl. Find something that fits your pouf!)
Bath Pouf
Melt and Pour Soap. I used clear but you can use white and you can also color it using FD&C dyes)
Fragrance (I used Candy Corn *this scent MAY in time discolor)

First, cut up and melt your soap in the microwave. The pouf I used was quite large and required 6 weight oz of soap base. You will want to test to determine how much each of yours will hold. Melt your soap in the microwave using short 30 second burst and stirring between each just until the soap is melted, do NOT over-heat the soap. 

Once the soap is fully melted add any fragrance or color you desire and stir well. 

Pour a small amount of soap into the bottom of the mold. 

Spritz the pouf liberally with rubbing alcohol then the top of the poured soap and insert the pouf into the soap. 

Pour the remainder of the soap over the top of the pouf SLOWLY to be sure to saturate as much as possible. Using your spoon gently push the pouf down into the soap....be careful doing this or the soap can start to foam.

Wait until the soap completely cools and remove the pouf and your soap is ready! You can now package and sell. I recommend packaging in cellophane bags tied off with a cute hang tag for retail sales. 

Use your imagination and create some super fun Christmas poufs for sale at your next show! They are easy to make! This is also a great project for a Sunday School class to be made into Christmas Gifts for Mom! 






Happy Soap and Candle Making!
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Lip Balms & Solid Perfumes

Today I will be using our creamy, all natural base to make Lip Balms AND Solid Perfumes that are just plain awesome!!! Just follow the instructions below using the recommended supplies.

You will need:
Lip Balm & Lotion Bar Base
Lip Balm Tubes, Pots or Tins
Flavor Oil
Fragrance Oil
Mica which is optional


Scoop out your desired amount (a standard lip balm tube like I've used holds .15 WEIGHT ounces each) into a glass pyrex measuring cup. I find the 1 Cup size perfect for making balms as it is easy to handle.

Melt the base in the microwave on the low setting, stirring often until it liquefies completely. 

Add your flavor oil or fragrance oil if you are making a solid perfume and stir well (With our flavors and fragrances, I would typically use 6% or 1 weight oz of flavor or fragrance per lb of base. Average use is 3-6% or 1/2 to 1oz per pound, sweetener is optional with non-sweetened flavor oils or essential oils (our Kiss Kwenchers flavor oils are pre-sweetened). 

At this time, you can also add lip safe mica to the liquid base if you'd like to add a little color! Color really makes them stand out in the crowd!

Pour into lip balm tubes, tins or pots, leaving about 1/4" if using tubes and allow to harden. 
Re-heat any remaining base once they have settled and re-pour to finish them off.


These great little perfumes and lip balms cost very little to make but can make you a bundle of profit! Lip Balms range in the $3-$4.00 price range in most locations. 


You can make a variety of products with this base easily including:

* Menthol "Vapor Rub" Stick – use eucalyptus & camphor or peppermint, tea tree oil, etc.
*Under Eye Moisture Stick (best unscented for use near eyes).

*Lip balms (use our Kiss Kwenchers™ pre-sweetened flavor oils, or edible EO's)
*Lotion bars (use lotion/skin safe fragrance oils only).
*Solid perfume sticks – great for purse size & travel!
*Elbow grease – excellent on rough dry elbows, knees and heels!
*Foot balm – funky feet, foot fetish,
*Cuticle conditioning balm for fingernails & toenails - sell in sticks, tins or jars.
*Body butter – try whipping it!
*Massage bar – use massage bar soap mold and relaxing EO’s!
*Shimmer stick – add mica powder and/or cosmetic glitter for a sparkly perfume stick!
*Make up remover stick - use unscented in eye area.
*Suntan butter bar - use a tropical scent like Pina Colada or Honey Coco Mango! *Pampered Paws Doggy & Kitty Paw Balm – for rough or cracked animal paws! 
*Market it as either a Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Soy lotion, vitamin E bar, etc.
*Use with EO’s for an all natural product.

Don't forget to label your products ingredients per FDA guidelines.

Tip: Place Lip balms near your cash register if you own a retail store or on the table in the front nearest where you package the customers items at a show. Lip balm is a small item that fits easily in a basket and works excellent as an impulse item! Bet you sell a lot of them using this method!


Happy Cosmetics Making!
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Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance; It seems to be the last thing people think about when they plan to start selling their products. Weather your plan to sell one or one million, it's really the first thing they should have. Since I've been asked about this subject several times in the past weeks alone, I thought with the upcoming season of high sales and craft shows it was the best time to blog about it and give people some help in finding a policy that fits their needs. In our litigious society, people sue readily so it's best to be covered!

What is product liability insurance you ask? Product liability insurance protects the business from claims related to the manufacture or sale of products, food, medicines or other goods to the public. It covers the manufacturer's or seller's liability for losses or injuries to a buyer, user or bystander caused by a defect or malfunction of the product, and, in some instances, a defective design or a failure to warn. In a nutshell, it will protect you, the manufacturer of the products in the case of a lawsuit up to the dollar amount you are insured for. 

I have found that area by area and state by state coverage's will vary as will companies that sell policies.  I have been in the same shoes as you are now and I know how frustrating it can be.  We were dropped 2 months into our first renewal.  It seems that as we got bigger, fewer companies want to deal with the liability although my premiums keep making them more and more money.  I have yet to have a claim in all my years. 

Although I cannot help you find an agent or a company in your local area, I can help you find new coverage.  If you or any other person who is finding themselves in need of coverage, follow this you will find insurance.

• Open the local Yellow Pages and look under "Insurance".  I know this seems very obvious, trust me sometimes it is the LAST place people seem to look. You can also try an internet search engine and search for Commercial Business Insurance in your area. 

• The size of your area will dictate what is shown in the Yellow Pages. If you live in a smaller area, this may be a single page where as in a larger metro area it is likely to be broken down by insurance type. If you live in a larger area, be sure to look for "Commercial" or "Business" Insurance. Most agencies do not cover commercial needs as they are highly specialized so looking at companies that primarily insure Home and Auto are not what you want.
    
• Look for "Insurance Brokers". These are smaller independent agencies that deal more with specialty policies and unlike State Farm, and Prudential, etc., they deal with a variety of carriers and can generally handle just about anything that needs to be covered.
  
  
• Ask for the proper coverage. You need General Liability as well as Product Liability.  So many candle makers out there only have General but no Product, and that is not going to cover you in the case of a faulty product claim.
  
  
• Generally it's best for crafters to insure for $1-5 Million in coverage. $1 Million is acceptable in some areas, $1 million is not enough in others. Look at the areas that you will be selling in.
  
  
• Finally, get as many quotes as you can.  We found that policies can be exactly the same in coverage but can cost you in some cases 100% more than the next company. It really pays to shop around for this kind of coverage! 

There are two Crafters Guilds that I know of for sure offer low cost insurance:
Indie Beauty Network www.indiebusinessnetwork.com
Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild www.soapguild.org.

Good luck in your quest to find insurance. If you know of other guilds or groups that offer insurance at a special rate to their members, please let me know at techsupport@candlesupply.com and I will get them listed along with the above.
 
Happy Candle & Soap Making!
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Pretty Palms!

Bitter Creek North offers Palm Waxes that are sustainable, Eco-friendly and virtually soot free! Palm waxes are one of the most beautiful waxes. What many don't know is they can be made into a container candle that looks beautiful as well as in a pillar or votive and even used as melts! Palm has excellent scent throw and an even more incredible appearance making it a win/win in a selling environment! Palm wax creates a unique crystal structure within the candles interior and exterior during the cooling process that creates patterns that look similar to the star burst pattern of natural granite or the soft sweep of a feather. Our palm waxes come from RSPO sources and are made from 100% natural palm based raw materials and contain no paraffin/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Both come in granular form for easy weighing and storage. A very versatile wax with an exceptionally unique look

Shown to the left is a photo with both the Feather and Granite Palm waxes. Bitter Creek offers both. Both have a unique look to them but both are equally beautiful. For this container demonstration I used the Feather blend. What you will need is: 




Shopping List:
Feather Palm
CD 14 wick. This will work well in a Jelly Jar with most scents and this wax.
Fragrance, for this I used Persimmon Spice
Liquid Dye, I used Burgundy
Wick Stickums
Jelly Jar
Round Black Wick Centering Holder (Standard Mason Jar) 

Instructions:

Palm wax is best suited for use in seamless aluminum molds and clear glass containers. Liquid, chip and powdered dyes seem to work best in palm waxes. Other dyes may interrupt the crystalline structure and appearance of the wax.

Heat wax to 205-210* add dye, blend well and then add fragrance and blend well. Feather palm wax will hold up to 6% fragrance by weight. Pour the wax between 200-205* into heated molds for best results. This wax will require re pours. Wait until the surface of the candle has crusted over, poke multiple relief holes through the surface of the candle around the wick and about 3/4 of the way down the candle, the candle center will still be fluid at this point and fill with reserved wax heated 10* hotter than the first pour. Repeat this process as needed. Palm waxes should be cooled a slowly as possible to inhibit the crystal structure to form fully. This can be done in a Styrofoam cooler or other insulated box. It is advised to use mold release when making palm candles in any mold.

As the candle cools you will begin to see the crystals forming. It's really pretty to watch! These candles are so beautiful! They also are very durable in terms of shipping and shelf handling in a retail climate. 

If you have not tested out our palm waxes, give them a try! They are certainly wonderful attention grabbers!

Tip: (Feather Palm Pillars shown here) Try making some palm wax candles for the upcoming Christmas Holiday season! These would be beautiful on display using Christmas colors, dancing under the lights!
Some ideas are:
Mistletoe: Green
Spice: Red
Frankinscense & Myrrh: Gold
Just think of the new doors you will open with candles this beautiful to look at! :)

Happy Candle Making!
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