DIY Chamomile and Green Tea Organic Melt and Pour Soap

Certified organic to the COSMOS standard, Stephenson personal Care’s Crystal OMP (Organic Melt and Pour) Soap Base is perfect for those looking for an option that has lesser chemicals. This melt & pour soap is vegetable-derived and contains no unapproved MPG or synthetic surfactants. It’s natural brown colour comes from the organic oils and sugar used in it’s formulation.

Picture by Stephenson Personal Care. To know more about this product, click here!

What You’ll Need

1. Stephenson Personal Care’s Crystal OMP Soap Base
2. 100% Calendula Oil (optional; any other carrier oil is fine too)
   Some Known Benefits  has powerful antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties; also helps promote healing and moisturizes skin while nourishing it
3. Refined Glycerin USP 99.5%
   Some known benefits  maintains water balance in skin; assists in the healing process of skin while also protecting it; makes skin soft and supple.
4. Green Tea Powder
   Some known benefits  a natural antiseptic; helps to restore the skin’s delicate pH balance; contains a powerful antioxidant called EGCG that reduces skin damage and signs of aging; helps maintain collagen levels for youthful skin structure and firmness
5. 100% Pure Chamomile Essential Oil
   Some known benefits  soothes irritated skin; brightens skin tone; refreshes skin and promotes skin health; relieves stress
6. Silicone Mold  We used this koi fish one which makes approx 40g of soap each!
7. Double Boiler
8. 1ml Measuring Spoon

Instructions

1. Cut the soap base into small pieces and melt it in a double boiler.
   *Note: If you’re using the same mold as us, you’ll need 240g of soap base for 6 koi fishes.
2. While the soap base is melting, create a slurry with 1ml of Refined Glycerin USP 99.5% and 1 ml of Green Tea Powder.
   
3. Turn off heat once the soap base has completely melted. Add up to 1ml of 100% Calendula Oil, 10 drops of Chamomile Essential Oil and the Green Tea+Glycerin Slurry from Step 2 into the melted soap base. Stir well.
4. Pour the mixture into a silicone mold.
   *Note: You can use Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle to pop surface bubbles in the melted soap base.
   
5. Set aside for 4-6 hours so that it can fully harden. You can use the soap immediately after!

---

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

Epoxy Resin and Resin Art

If you’ve seen gorgeous and nearly realistic art of the ocean going around social media, it’s most likely done using epoxy resin. But, what is epoxy resin? How do we create art with it?

What is epoxy resin?

Epoxy resin is a brilliant medium that’s lustrous like glass but with a composition like plastic. It pairs form with functionality, resulting in endless artistic possibilities like fairy pendants, seascape art, pseudo-marble vanities, and wood river tables. It’s experimental nature and ethereal aesthetic allows for gorgeous results. Best of all, it’s non-toxic, odorless and does not give off poisonous fumes like polyester resin.

How do we create art with it?

There are many ways in which art can be created from epoxy resin. You can make statues with it through the usage of silicone moulds; encase plants, sand, stones, toys and more inside resin; or simply create fluid art by colouring the resin and pouring it over any surface like a table top or a canvas.

Epoxy resin comes in two parts: resin and hardener. They are normally mixed together according to a 1:1, 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. The bottle label will indicate the mixing ratio. When mixed correctly according to ratio, the resin and hardener will react with each other and gradually harden into a hard glossy plastic. An inaccurate measurement of either part will result in a piece that won’t harden properly.

*The Clear Epoxy Resin we sell at our store has a 2:1 ratio. We also have other types of epoxy resin that you can find at our store!

Safety always comes first!

Take care while handling epoxy resin! It’s important to work in a well-ventilated area, to wear latex gloves, and to protect the surface of your work space with silicone mats or plastic sheets. Epoxy resin is difficult to get rid of when it comes in contact with other surfaces! Also, if you’ve accidentally gotten epoxy resin on your skin, immediately rub Vaseline onto the area and wash it.

Want to know more?

Check out this comprehensive post by acrylgiessen.com on the Basics for your first Steps in Resin Art 

---

Thank you for reading! We hope this helps 

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

Super Cute Animal Aroma Stones DIY

If wax sachets or double boiling aren’t your thing but you’d still like something flame-, electricity-, or battery- free to release scents into your space, aroma stones are your next best bet 

What you’ll need:

1. Silicone Mold  We used this super cute animal with heart mold!
2. Plaster of Paris
3. Essential Oils   We have a variety here that you can choose from!
4. Stirrer
5. Beaker
6. Bowl

Instructions

1. Mix two parts of Plaster of Paris with one part of water. Make sure to pour the powder into the water and not the other way around because the powder is light and will definitely fly up!
   
2. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it into your silicone mold.
3. Set it aside to harden for a few hours. It will be best to leave it for a day just to be sure!
4. Carefully pop out the aroma stones. You can drip as much essential oil (or fragrance oil) on it as you’d like, and as often as you prefer to too.
   

Notes:

• Be gentle when handling your aroma stone. Plaster of Paris is sturdy, but when dropped at a certain height, it will break!
• Some essential oils and fragrance oils are dark in color, which may affect the color of the aroma stone.
• You can color your aroma stone using acrylic paint. After mixing the Plaster of Paris powder with water, add in some acrylic paint (4 drops for each 100g) and mix until the color spreads evenly. Be careful not to add too much or it will compromise the stability and hardening ability of the Plaster of Paris!

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

Why you shouldn’t add breast milk (or any fresh ingredient) to Melt and Pour Soap Bases

Hi Crafters!

There has been an increase in new mothers asking us if they can make breast milk soap with melt and pour soap bases, and this is a great concern because where is this misinformation coming from? We understand that every parent will want the best for their child (we would too, and for the parents as well!), but breast milk + melt and pour soap = a disaster waiting to happen.

You see, any and all fresh ingredients shouldn’t be added into melt and pour soap because these ingredients will not become soap. It’s like adding melted chocolate to your perfectly-baked and smooth vanilla cake. You can either cover your cake with the chocolate, or inject it into the body of the cake, but at the end of the day, the chocolate and the cake are still separate from each other. They can’t seamlessly blend and become one  because the cake has already been made and baked before the chocolate was added.

So, in the case of melt and pour soap (henceforth known as MP Soap), the chemical process of saponification where the ingredients react with lye to become soap has already occurred.* It’s too late to incorporate fresh ingredients like milk, honey and purees as these fresh ingredients will not become soap.

*Note: To know more about saponification and how cold process soap is made, check out this informative blog post of ours! 

If that doesn’t deter you from adding fresh ingredients into MP soap bases (because MP soaps are just so easy and convenient to make!), let us tell you this truth: it will go bad, and when it does, it will be harmful to you.

With the humid weather in Malaysia and even if you use preservatives, the MP soap will eventually turn rancid and foul. Putting your MP soap in the fridge may help a little, but like with every other foodstuff, it will go bad. Milk left in the fridge will become rancid past its expiry date, just like how leaving milk out on your table will cause it to turn bad too. The only difference is the amount of time it takes for it to go bad.

So, fellow crafters, if you prefer MP soaps that have fresh ingredients in them, please purchase those that have already been specially formulated and saponified with those fresh ingredients (like Stephenson Personal Care’s Soap Bases, or our Goat’s Milk MP Soap Base). Alternatively, do explore the wonders of cold process soap! They require more effort to make, but it’s definitely worth it because you can customize every single ingredient added into cold process soaps.

---

Thank you for reading! We hope this helps 

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

Our Collaboration with Future of Wellness Asia!

Hi Crafters!

From the 26th until the 28th of July, we took part in Future of Wellness Asia‘s Open House where customers can enjoy quick experiences with some of the services offered there by their 9 partners (in no particular order: Jari-Jari Spa, OhanaJo, 1TCM, Holistic Hair Care, Emma Lizs, Buluu, Bondahaven, Workwell and Craftiviti).

The Future of Wellness Asia is the first Truly Malaysian Integrated Wellness Hub with the mission to become the ‘Master Curator’ of wellness experiences by creating exclusive value and extraordinary experiences for customers. As part of them, we at Craftiviti will be bringing in carefully curated, therapeutic crafting sessions.

During this event, we had a mini DIY station where we customized a Pure Essential Oil Roll-On for each customer. We used our 100% pure and refined Argan oil as the base to carry the customer’s choice of essential oil onto their skin (they could chose among Lavender, Palma Rosa, Sweet Orange and Lemongrass). It was a quick, 5-minute but informative session and we definitely loved how everyone enjoyed their roll-on!

On the second day of the Open House, we also had our very first workshop at the Future of Wellness. It was super exciting for us since it’s a new space and we couldn’t wait to meet new (and old) faces!

Here’s the beautiful space we’re sharing with Workwell at the Future of Wellness Asia!

A selection of our essential oils at the workshop.

This first workshop is a perfume making one titled Scents and Sensibilities, where 12 participants had the opportunity to create their own, one-of-a-kind perfume based on their personality, preferences and aromatherapeutic needs.

They got to choose a selection of and mix 100% pure, unadulterated and therapeutic grade essential oils with carrier oils and floral hydrosols. Though, the practical part isn’t the only fun part here! Our instructor, Daphne from Looloo Soap also taught them about the ingredients and their benefits, how perfumes can be formulated at home, what can or cannot be used for perfume formulations, and more. It’s safe to say that the workshop was a great experience for everyone involved!

---

Did you attend the Open House event at the Future of Wellness Asia? Or maybe you were a part of our first workshop there? If not, feel free to keep an eye on our upcoming workshops here! We always love meeting fellow crafters and sharing experiences with each other 

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!