Soap Making | An Art Created Through Planning, Inspiration and Creativity

The Way of Color is a soap collection solely inspired by the movie, Avatar: The Way of Water. It was a magnificent movie with lots of color and the most interesting looking creatures. The action and the graphics were top notch and you just can't forget about all the gorgeous water scenes. With that, inspiration took and I got to work on one of the most color collections I have ever put together; aside from making a 3 tier birthday cake ( SEE FIRST VIDEO HERE ), starting with the right bar soap.  When creating this soap in particular, I wanted you, the buyer, to feel where I was coming from and what I meant by "The Way of Color" being the name of this collection and the correlation with the Avatar movie. I wanted it to be vibrant but also sea-like, it needed color and lots of it. Colors that would pop and make the eyes excited. Once we got the perfect colors, we needed the best, most mouth watering scent to make your tastebuds excited. I concocted a scent blend of citruse

I literally know nothing about Satsuma and if you're like me, neither do you. I have been seeing a lot of YouTube videos about Satsuma something; whether it is shower gel, bar soap, citrus fruit or just about anything else; Satsuma is around, has been around and will be around to stay. Gathering inspiration from these videos, I compiled together the perfect soap making formula using virgin and organic oils, Satsuma fragrance oil by Nature's Garden and the brightest neon colors ever from Mad Micas . As a total combined all of these elements have brought forth, in my opinion, the best representation I could think of when it comes to exotic, summer fruits. A fresh yet sweetly sour citrus scent that smells of blood orange, grapefruit and lime mixed with neon colors that light a fire to your soul they are like star fragments in the palm of your hand. I hope I did the fruit, fragrance and these neon colors justice, but you be the judge. Check out the video below and leave me a

Today's question is...How do you Yuzu? Lol, I have never smelled Yuzu or even seen one let alone knew what it looked like, but I'm a risk taker and I went out on a limb and purchased this yuzu fragrance from Natures Garden and Oh My Goodness; let me tell you, it's one of thee most mouthwatering and delicious citrus fragrances I have ever smelled. There is nothing subtle about this fragrance but it's very sweet, bright and overtly refreshing. When thinking of a design for this soap, I wanted the fragrance to stand out so I figured I would keep it simple. I decided to do an "in the pot swirl", which essentially means you pour different colored soap batter into one container and do a soft mix about 2-3 times and pour into the mold. This method is one of the easiest to gain a simple yet unique soap design every time you do it. With making this Yuzu Cold Process Soap it was the perfect added touch. In this soap there is also my go-to colors

Soap collaborations are a big thing with me, not only does it keep the players in the soap making community to come together, but it's a way for you to get to know the individual(s) that you're in the collaboration with get to know one another on a personal and more in depth level.  Meghan from The Butterbean Shop is an absolute doll, not only does she make beautiful soaps for sale she most certainly has to be an amazing mom and mentor; her baby girl is ALWAYS popping up in her videos and that I truly admire. Not only do I respect her as a soap maker but a business woman, so the only logical choice, was to ask her to do a collaboration with me and she so generously said yes! In this soap making collaboration because both of our favorite color is pink, we decided to work around that and a few other sweet elements to make both of our soaps beautiful and whimsical. I chose to use a fragrance from Wholesale Supplies Plus and both titanium dioxide and neon pigments

Whether it's the television show or the Bath and Body Works Fragrance Mist , Mad About You is a classic. The scent is a combination between champagne and strawberries with notes of floral essence.  This particular soap making process through me for a loop. The highly concentrated Wholesale Supplies Plus fragrance had my mad about you cold process soap going AWOL. From a quick seize  ( soap hardening too fast ), separation ( oils and lye not combining ), to the fast forward gelling ( the soap heating up and becoming translucent and gel-like ) on itself, I almost lost it but in true BodyGarbage fashion; I overcame this hurdle and pushed through.  I used some of the best Nurture Soap mica with this cold process soap; the vibrant orange is Atomic Orange Mica , the eye popping pink is Lollipop Pink Mica , the elusive black is Black Pearl Mica and the pinkish red is Raspberry Pink Red Mica , which gives this soap in my opinion the perfect balanced contrast between light a

Since people found out there was a leaf that could be smoked and would give you a feeling of euphoria and relaxation, they have been rolling joints and lighting bongs. The 420 celebration is the mother of them all when it comes to "hippie" festivals and I am no stranger to them. This is my tribute to stoners everywhere! This cannabis inspired cold process soap, is made with CBD Oil from Bluebird Botanicals , Super Sparkle Iridescent Glitter and Hemp Fragrance from Wholesale Supplies Plus, Green Vibrance and Neutral Gray Micas and Titanium Dioxide from Nurture Soap . The whimsical design and coloring was to give a peace and love type of euphoric feel. The muted green and gray colors give this soap a mellow and laid back tone while the melt and pour marijuana leaf embeds and soap dough joint let's you know just what this soap is about if the smell doesn't tell you already. As a person that suffers from PTSD and the high anxiety and paranoia that comes wi

HIS BLACK LOVE SCENTED IN JAPANESE LOTUS BLOSSOM The month of February is known for three things, Valentine's Day, President's Day and for being Black History Month. Black History Month is a time for not only Black or African Americans to reflect on their heritage and to learn more of their ancestors and themselves; but for all to participate and get to know the culture and the history of all who are melanated. Living, loving and basking in all things and people with melanin, our culture, our Black History is rich and full of a harsh past but perseverance, opulence, excellence, wealth and intelligence. This 2019 in Celebrating my Black Culture and Black History, I decided to give praise and representation to my heritage by creating his and her soaps that I dub Black Love. Respectfully, his black love ( women's ) and her black love ( mens ). There is no love like black love and to be proud of it. Share in the black culture full of mystery and abundance by purch

Here we go again! Picture it, it's Valentine's Day and all you're trying to do is make beautiful soap to sell for the upcoming Spring season, but instead your left with a seized mess. Both fortunate and unfortunately, your almost stuck trying to figure out a way to save these expensive ingredients you've just used to make this soap! So you pull out your crockpot. If you start your soap hot process that's one thing, but to rebatch is a whole other beast. Melting and mixing beyond compare. Your arm hurts, your shoulder is tense and you're absolutely frustrated! When the hell does it end? To your horror, none of your colors want to mix properly because the soap base is no longer white or cream so you have to over compensate and once the pour happens utter relief...should you get to that point lol. In the video below watch how I struggle with putting back to what I initially thought in my mind was going to be a magnificently gorgeous soap. Instead you'

With any and everything we do in life, as time goes on we learn to grow, evolve and perfect the flow of our lives and in my case it has been my maturity in soap making. Some may think all of my soaps are perfect all the time and I am ahead of most in my craft because I started out making hot process soap. Be that as it may, no one is perfect and sometimes we miss the ball and in the video below that's just what happened to me! On this day, Valentine's Day 2019 to be exact, I attempted to make two soaps, one Japanese Cherry Blossom and Magnolia Blossom  with fragrance oils purchased from Indigo Fragrance. For both of the soaps, everything started out as usual and as time went on, those of you that are soap makers can attest to this, something drastically changed. At first, I thought it may have been the fragrance seizing the soap and in some instances it was, but I soon realized after I switched my recipe and used the Magnolia Blossom fragrance again, I had entirely too hi

Are you a YouTuber? If you are, then you know that every single last one of us wants to hit 1000 views on our video uploads; whether it be within the first hour or over the course of the first 48 hours of our video being posted, going viral is always in the back of our minds and it all starts with 1000 views! In this video, I designed a soap that I thought would not only smell delicious but be so funny you couldn't help but be tickled by the sight of it. The concept behind it is all those gurus and influencers on YouTube telling you they are going to show you how to get 1000 views, subscribers FAST! Most of the time their words don't really help because with anything, as with Youtube consistency is key! So in true BodyGarbage fashion I decided to play on this and give you, my reader and viewer a chance to REALLY get 1000 views FAST! Giving off heavy notes of blueberries, melon, and vanilla; the Sex in the Shower Fragrance Oil by Wholesale Supplies Plus is super vibrant an

If you are by chance into make up videos/tutorials on YouTube, then you long well know about the craze of videos entitled " I Tried Following..." and this is where the idea for this collaboration with myself and Aromatic Suds  originated from.  As far as I know, no other soap makers have attempted this before and it's always good to be THE FIRST!!!  As you can see from the title, I chose to follow a Yellow Cottage Soapery video. The creator of this channel and owner of Yellow Cottage, Stacey, is a very skilled soap maker and her piping skills are what any great baker would envy. I wanted to do a video where I could emulate her skill with ease and poise. My first attempt didn't go so well and you will get a chance to check out my fail soon, but I thought it best to put my best foot forward so to speak.  Back to the drawing board I went, reformulating my recipe, getting more fragrance and with a little prayer, patience and grace from God; I persevered and made

When Renee from Soaps for Love , first approached me about doing a YouTube Collaboration, I had no idea it would be this fun or; let's face it, with this amount of people. I mean c'mon 17 soap makers on YouTube all working together for one purpose... unheard of, but if anyone could hold this group together it would be Renee. She's a woman, with a beautiful soul and a giving heart, giving away for FREE all the artisan soap she makes to those less fortunate and/or just to brighten up someone's day. This collaboration, although overwhelming was a fun experience and grew my soaping family astronomically. All the people I have met through this soap making process of creating a beer soap for St. Patrick's Day, has connected me with so many beautiful people and it's so heartwarming to know theirs so many others out there like me, that are creating and doing what they love. For my soap, Truffle Butter, I chose to keep it simple. I used four different mi

Now, be honest, you like the heavenly taste of a soft and chewy warm; technically fried, baked good whether it be glazed, "caked" , cream filled or old fashioned the doughnut or more popularly, donut is undoubtedly delicious. What about in a bath? Picture it, you have a hankering for a doughnut, but you're on a diet or let's just say there's not any good shoppes in town, Dunkin and Krispy Kreme doesn't exist, and then it hits you like a ton of bricks. The sweet aroma of strawberries, cream and sugar smack you right across the face. You go with your nose and you follow that smell, take a look in the window and there it is; before your eyes and to your dismay is a delectable yet; inedible treat. You throw your hands up and teeter with walking away from the shop. In your mind, you know these falsies are just too cute to pass up and you decide to have some much needed relaxation instead of devouring calories. That's what a BodyGarbage bath dessert wi

Black History Event | Union County College When I first started making soap, and you can go to my channel to find out about my story , but I really needed something to focus on. I wanted the pain to stop, the mood swings to sway in another direction and a means to channel my emotions in a positive way. I took to YouTube, blogs and books and hit the ground running. This blog is essentially about the journey of my soap making from start to present. When you first start making soap, if that's what you're interested in, your soaps will not be cute okay! It really does take time and planning and of course practice to get to where you want to be.Whether business, hobby or the soap enthusiast you must admit; handmade soap, with practice and patience it is utterly beautiful no matter who makes it as long as it's made right and that my friends, is half the battle. Cocoa Butter Handmade Bar Soap   It took me several years to get to my artistic level currently and I'