My husband is vegan and a big fan of sushi. Recently, he brought home sushi from our favorite Asian deli. Hmmmm.... I started thinking about how I could make sushi soap. The above photo shows the end result.
I used ground Adzuki beans (found in Asian food stores/health food stores), ground oats, and sea salt as exfoliants. Soy protein powder was also added to the mix along with Ginger Lime fragrance oil. I rolled the soap in Nori seaweed which is found in most Asian food stores or the ethnic section of grocery stores.
These soaps display nicely in the clear acetate soap boxes sold at GoPlanetEarth.com. You can shrink wrap the finished soaps or heat seal inside one of our new Eco Bags (bio-degradable cellulose bags that are Earth-friendly!). Position the finished soaps atop a bed of green paper shred or use with Bento grass.
Probably no one more than my daughter has been counting down the days until the arrival of Fischer Michael. It was a rough pregnacy for her , but Baby Fischer and mommy are doing well. He weighed in at a whooping 9 lbs., 6 oz.
I won't have much extra time the next couple of weeks as I lend a hand to care for my other two grandkids so that Mommy can recover. Please be patient while I take some time to enjoy this wonderful celebration of life. I promise to be back up to full speed by August to once again answer your questions and assist you with your soap making endeavors.
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce released a Discussion Draft of the "Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2008." The “Discussion Draft is meant to stimulate discussion about how to provide adequate funding and authority for FDA to ensure safety of . . . food, drug, medical device, and cosmetic” products.
While the bulk of the document addresses the safety of foods and drugs, there is a section on cosmetics that, if enacted as it is currently stated, will have an adverse effect on any cosmetic manufacturer - and that includes all of us who make any products that fall under the FDA definition of "cosmetic".
This video gives more insight about how this act will affect small businesses and why it's important to take a proactive stand against this proposed Draft Legislation. As it stands, the act would require small cosmetics companies to pay thousands of dollars a year in registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork that would serve only to put them out of business.
Marie Gale, President of the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, has commited to making it a primary mission of the The Guild is to "give a voice to the handcrafted soapmaker". She states, "You can count on my making our voice heard on this matter in those hallowed halls of Congress!"
What can you do? Copy and paste the following Petition text and send it to Virgil Miller at virgil.miller@mail.house.gov. Mr. Miller is a Professional Staff Member with the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Make your voice count!
Petition Text:
We are the owners of small cosmetics companies, and the customers who love their products. We understand that laws must be in place to protect everyone from unsafe products, but we are outraged by the Draft Legislation that would require small cosmetics companies to pay thousands of dollars a year in registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork that would serve only to put them out of business.
If passed the legislation would deny thousands of families the ability to earn an honest living, and also deprive consumers of the variety of cosmetics and personal care products available to choose from.
We oppose this law and condemn any companies that support it as being interested only in creating an unlevel playing field where small and family owned businesses will be forced from the marketplace before they even get a chance to start out.
We urge you, as our representatives in Congress, to stop this law which would serve only to make it even harder for families to support themselves. We call instead for a real and meaningful discussion about how Congressional goals can be accomplished without enacting unfair laws that make it impossible for small businesses to survive.
In signing this Petition, we formally request that the Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 be marked up so that the legitimate concerns of small businesses and the consumers they serve can be translated into reasonable laws that protect consumers without also killing small businesses by making them pay unfair fees and comply with burdensome paperwork.
The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild now has their our own Lye Calculator!
Unlike other lye calculators on the web, the HSMG Lye Calculator allows you calculate by the total amount of oils used OR by the percentage of oils within a specified batch size. You can also calculate sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH) or a combination of both. The Guild has licensed with the American Oil Chemist's Society to use the SAP values they have determined as standards for the oils. Since all oils vary from location to location and year to year, the AOCS provides a range of of acceptable values for each oil. In the HSMG Lye Calculator, you will see what those ranges are and what number is being used in the calculations. You will have the option to change the SAP value being used if you know the actual SAP value of the oil you have.
While there have been lye calculators available, there's never one like the new HSMG Lye Calculator when it comes to providing you with all the information and calculations you need to make the best possible batch of soap.
If you are not already a member of the Soap Guild, I encourage you to join! The Guild offers many valuable services designed specifically for those in the soap making industry. If you are already a member of the Guild, you can check out the Lye Calculator by logging in to the member area and you'll see a link in the top left menu bar.
There is also a non-member version of the HSMG Lye Calculator available in the "Industry" section of the website. It doesn't allow for specification of an exact SAP value and a few other things, but it's still a great lye calculator. This is an incredible tool for those of you making Cold Process or Hot Process soaps. I hope you take advantage of this FREE tool.
