On Your Mark, Get Set, SHOP BLACK FRIDAY

Pictured above is one of the new mold designs from Mold Market. The possibilities for coloring this soap is endless. It's just one of the designs we are offering on sale for GPE Black Friday. All Mold Market molds are 20% off. Use Discount Code: MM20BF at checkout.

Here are other great BF savings starting at 12:01 AM (ET), November 24 through 11:59 PM, November 25, 2012 (ET).

• 10% off one-ounce and four-ounce fragrance oils. No back-orders. Limited to stock on hand.
  Use Discount Code: BF10FO at checkout
• 10% off all DVD and books.
  Use Discount Code: BF10DVD at checkout
• First five orders received over $100 in product receive an additional 8% discount.
  Use Discount Code: 5BF100 at checkout
• 15% off 20-count mesh soap saver bags.
  Use Discount Code: BF15SSB at checkout
• 10% off two-ounce size Flower Child Soap Colors.
  Use Discount Code: BF10FC at checkout

**All discounts limited to stock on hand for dates noted. Coupons are stackable!

We are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov 22-25th to enjoy time with family and friends. Hope you do the same.

Denise

Holiday Savings: 25% Off Shipping & More

I am so geared up to enjoy this holiday weekend. Looking forward to family time, fireworks, and boating. But, before I sign out for the weekend, here are those holiday savings I promised!

25% off UPS ground shipping or 10% postal shipping when ordering $50 plus in product. Key HOLIDAYSHIP in the comment section at checkout. We'll review the order & apply discount manually.

Buy one and get one free on our discontinued molds. Make your free discontinued mold selection(s) in the comment section at checkout. Free mold is for a discontinued mold only, not regular stock molds.

10% off one ounce fragrance oils with $25 order (in product). Key coupon code FRAGRANCE1 during checkout.

No adjustments after order is submitted and not valid on previous submitted orders. If you fail to key the discounts, they will not be applied. If your free mold selection is sold out, we will substitute for another discontinued mold of our choice. These offers are valid through July 4, 2011, 11:59 PM ET.

Update on Vanillin Fragrance Testing

Bet you thought I had forgotten my promise to update you on our Vanillin testing? Not to fail. Here are some updates after 5 days. Soaps were poured on Friday afternoon (April 1).

Here are the results as of this morning at 10 AM (April 6). In photo #1 (four soaps shown above): The soaps on the left were colored with our bright neon blue liquid gel colorant and scented with Butt Naked fragrance oil. I selected Butt Naked because it has a 5.8% vanillin content. I tried to get a good mix on the percentage of vanillin in the fragrances tested. The soaps to the right (that look darker) were colored exactly the same as the soaps to the left. However, they were scented with non-darkening vanilla which has a 1.95% vanillin content. Oddly enough, it turned the soap much darker . There are no brown spots on any of the soaps to date but I want to let them all set for another couple of weeks to see what happens.

In the above pic (two clear soaps): Soap to the left that looks darker was our extra clear soap scented with vanilla (17% vanillin content). Vanilla stabilizer was added. As you can see, the soap does not have any brown spots (yet, and maybe it won't!), but, it has darkened. The soap on the right is our extra clear with no fragrance added.

(PS: There is this annoying little round black spot on the lens of my camera. I can't get rid of it. Think it's time to buy a new one. You will see it on the soap to the right. Sorry! I've tried cleaning the lens and that spot still appears.)

In the above pic: Our GPE clear and GPE white base was colored with the neon bright blue liquid gel color and scented with vanilla fragrance oil. Amazingly, the colors have not changed or darkened. We will see what happens in the next two weeks.

My final observation is that the vanilla fragrance with vanilla stabilizer added helped to prevent brown spots and browning, but it does darken the soap. You can see this in the above pic. The GPE white soap base has definitely turned slightly darker as did the GPE clear.

I'll give you another update in a few weeks. At this point, I'm not so happy with the non-darkening vanilla and will have to consider whether it's a fragrance I want to continue to carry. One of the other fragrances tested was our Peppermint. It has a 10% vanillin content. I was quite surprised to see that there was no color change in either the white or clear colored soap base. It seems that if coloring your soap, you may not notice any darkening of the soap unless you use the "non-darkening" vanilla fragrance. It's puzzling to me why that would darken and the other scents had little or no color change. Odd! Life is full of mysteries.

The Proof is in the Pudding... Oh, I Mean Soap!

The true value true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use. That's exactly what we have been doing today with our vanilla color stabilizer. We have been testing it with our Vanilla Fragrance oil (FO) to determine how much it helps to keep away those dreaded brown spots in melt and pour soap base.

We are testing not only the Vanilla Stabilizer, but also several FO's that have high vanillin content. We will need a few days to chart our results. The fragrance oils tested today are Butt Naked (5.8% vanillin content), Vanilla (17% vanillin content), Vanilla Non-darkening (1.95% vanillin content) and Peppermint (10% vanillin content). We are using both white and clear bases. We'll keep you updated on our test results.

Soap Making: The Browning Battle

If you are new to soap making you may not yet engaged in vanillin warfare, but rest assured you will. I call it the Browning Battle and one rarely wins. Here is a recent test we did using our Non-Darkening Vanilla fragrance oil in both cold process (right) and melt and pour soap (left). This particular fragrance is not intended for use in CP (cold process) soap, but I wanted you to see the results. Believe it or not, the soap on the right was white when we started out. As you can see, over the course of a few days it darkened to a deep chocolate brown.

The white melt and pour soap was less dramatic, but you can note how it has change to a rose color. The Non-Darkening Vanilla fragrance did help, but it did not keep the soap white. It didn't darken to a brown shade, but it also did not work as well as we had hoped. My next test will be to see how this fragrance performs when the soap is colored. Since we now know that the soap will lean toward a rose color, we can factor this into how our color choice will ultimately display.

Based on the color wheel, we know that the rose color is a red hue, so adding blue to the soap is likely to produce more of a lavender shade. Vanilla is such a wonderful scent and also found in many other fragrance types such as Peppermint. You don't want to avoid these great fragrances, you just need to learn to work around them by testing in small batches and make notes of your successes for future batches.

Soap Making: The Final Melt & Pour Project #1

This week has been a whirlwind. It was one of those weeks you wish you could clone yourself, not just once, but multiple times. I was thankful to have one of our former workers, Sophie, home from college on Spring break. She's was able to fulfill a list of soaping projects that I've been wanting to get to for months now. I've already showcased a couple of the designs in a former blog post. While I was off for a mother-daughter day on Friday, Sophie finished up the last few designs.

So what did Sophie do with those curls? She used them in our large Mold Market Cubed Production tray mold (#112). Which, BTW, is currently on special for $15 (limited time!!). The curls were made using a chocolate shaver/planer available at most full service chain or kitchen stores. Hint...hint... we will likely be carrying this little device in the near future :))

This tray takes approximately 6 pounds of clear soap base (not including the soap curls). Soap curls were poured in white soap base using soap colors neon bright yellow and bright pink. Soph jazzed it up a bit by adding some Snippets of Silver glitter to the top layer of the final soap pour.

Each sliced cube weighed (on average) around 2.2 ounces. Some more, some less depending on how many curls were in the cube. Since the curls are randomly placed, you won't have the same weight for each cube. Our new Bamboo & Citrus fragrance was used and, I must say, smelled awesome in the finished soap. Now is the time to sample this hot fragrance since it is on Web Special. It's a great uni-sex fragrance, crisp and clean!

Drop one of these cubes into our soap bags, add some ribbon and you have a perfect gift to include in an Easter basket. Don't forget that you can also use soap for Easter place settings. See a former blog post. You can add your own twist on how to label the soap bags, but what fun to have a "take with me" place card.

We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to Christina from Crossville, TN. She is the recipient of (10) 1/2 ounce fragrance oil samples of our most popular Spring scents. Our FB Giveaway asked that our Fans submit why they like to make soap. The drawing was random, but it was very interesting to read all the comments. I've posted Christina's comment as well as a few others. Thanks to everyone (and there were a good number) who entered. Look for more FB giveaways in March.


Our winner, Christina wrote....

"I first became interested in soap making at the age of 5 years. My family went to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO before it became known as Branson, and outside there were these ladies dressed in 1800s costume making soap. I stood there watching them as long as my parents would let me. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I never forgot it and always in the back of my mind was the desire to start my business making soap. I would go into stores and would think if only this was available in this color and fragrance only it wasn't.

At our family owned and run business that is exactly what we offer. We offer all natural soap, body care, perfume, make-up, and hair care products that we make right in our kitchen. I am thrilled to see my life long dream come true. I truly love being able to personally make each customer's order. When they are allergic to a product offered we simply customize it for them using ingredients they are not allergic to.

Owning our business with my sister enables me to home school my 12 yr old daughter and spend quality time with her. It has drawn us much closer than when I was working for Employers. We look forward to seeing our business grow and my daughter is learning it."


Alison from California wrote:


"In this constant struggle against germs and dirt, One person must grab a bar of soap and say "Enough is enough!" I see myself as a hero amongst those who wish not only to be clean, but smell good and feel soft in the face of this adversary we call Body Odor! No longer will we walk around destroying others nose holes! No longer will we be ashamed to raise our arms with fear of killing those near us and ask "why can't we just smell good for once!?" That is why I Love to make soap! To help those in need of a good bathing. Not only help them, but help those around them AND RISE UP AGAINST STINK! =] "

Denise's comment: Clever~might need to hire you for marketing ;)


Tami from Utah wrote:

"I love soapmaking! As a woman, much of what I do each day... I wake up and do again the next day (laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.). Soapmaking gives me a creative boost, and in the end I can stand back and look at the beautiful, fragrant soaps I have created and feel a touch of pride. Using them in the shower is the icing on the cake!! Having someone say their "wife asked for my soaps for Christmas" is the ultimate!!!"

Denise's comment: Yes, having someone request product or compliment you on it is a high. Keep it up!


Nikole from Michigan wrote:

"I've never thought of myself as a creative person - in fact, I pretty much thought I just ruined anything I tried to accomplish. so when I forced myself to choose a hobby, I picked soap making. Hey, why not get soft happy skin while stimulating my brain...right? It has completely changed my outlook on, well everything.

Not only is it actually fun to design and create items that are actually good for your skin, but for me it's more. Making soap gave me confidence that I've really lacked for a long time in different parts of my life, it extends further than just feeling that boost from having people compliment me on my products (and actually purchase things from me because they really do like them) but somehow it's also helped me to realize that I can't possibly suck at Everything, right? haha, That's what I'm going with anyways :) "

Denise's comment: You keep going with that girlfriend!! I've always been a creative person. Sadly, my daughter always compared herself to me and my work. She felt she lacked in her creative abilities. Today, she has far surpassed me in more creative ways than one. It's all about perservering and believing that you can "DO IT!" Thanks for sharing.

Win (10) Spring Soap Making Fragrance Oils

FB FRIDAY FREEBIE! Register to win (10) 1/2 ounce FO samples of popular Spring scents. How? Email why you enjoy soap making. Include first/last name & state with your comment. That's it!

Drawing held March 1, 2011 at 8 AM (ET). Winner notified by email. We'll post winner's first name & State on the GPE blog & FB page. If you live outside USA, and win, you'll be emailed a coupon to claim your prize when placing a future order.

All fragrance oils are suitable for CP, HP and MP soap making as well as candles.... yes, soy candles included.

Not yet a FB friend? Click here.

DIY Room Spray

I went shopping with my daughter last week at Kohl's. We were heading for the check-out when my daughter stopped and picked up a bottle of Linen Spray.

"OMG", she said. "I love this stuff. You spray it on your sheets and they smell wonderful."

I took one look at the price and gently pried it from her hand.

"What are you doing, Mom?"
"I'm going to make you a home-brew and trust me, it will be 1/4 of the cost."

I had a container of a new linen base that I was sampling and this was the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I had some extra bottles and sprayers lying around and I knew I could whip up a scent similar to the one my daughter coveted. I used a 3 to 1 part ratio (1 being the fragrance oil). A few vigorous shakes of the bottle, and the results were awesome. I used Lavender, Island Retreat, Silk & Cashmere and Martini Rose fragrance oils. I kept the labels very simple using natural kraft 2-inch round circles. A few squirts in the air and.... wow... the aroma lasted for hours.

I can't wait to give my daughter her new home-brew linen and room spray. I'm giving serious consideration to stocking this linen base. I'm certain that you could do a 2 to 2 part ratio and still have a powerful scent. I'm pretty impressed with this product, but want to do some more testing. I'll keep you posted if we decide to add this product to our line-up.

A new fragrance oil is coming arriving on Wednesday: BLUE TWILIGHT. Think cool, crisp, with a hint of mist that ever so lightly arouses the senses. A uni-sex scent perfect for soaps, lotions and shower gels. Oh, and did I mention you can use it in candles, too? You're gonna love this one! It has a big thumbs up from me on the soaping end.

FREE Phlox Fragrance Oil to 10 Lucky Customers

For whatever reason, my Phlox flowers are doing incredibly well this year in spite of the morbid heat wave we've had here in Michigan. My garden has bloomed in all its glory and I can't tell you how wonderfully fragrant these phlox flowers have been. I'm using them as cut flowers in vases throughout my home and WOW, you simply can't ignore their fragrance.

I have never been a big fan of floral fragrances, however, this flower scent is so incredible that I've brought in a few sample bottles of Phlox soap fragrance to test. They should be here late next week. That's good news for you BECAUSE.... I am going to let you be the testers. Once we have the fragrance in stock, I am going to give away 1-ounce samples to the first 10 customers who type PHLOXFO in the comment section during checkout. Sorry, but you must use our shopping cart to be eligible. This is a FREE $3.60 product. Certainly worth the effort if you already plan to place an order with us.

Now, don't jump the gun here. You must wait until you see the Phlox fragrance posted on our web site before you can place an order to receive the FREE sample. We will have the fragrance posted on this page of our web site once it is in stock. This link will be invalid once the ten fragrance oils have been given away.

http://tinyurl.com/freephlox

OK, now for the fine print: You must be a Face Book member of GoPlanetEarth to be eligible. What does that's mean? Well, you must visit our Face Book page and "LIKE" us. That's a former term for being a Fan. You can "LIKE" us by clicking on the like button to the right of our company name (very top of our Face Book page).

Good Luck! Hope you're one of the lucky ten.

Hello Halloween... are you retail ready?

Black and orange holiday sprinkles have arrived. Perfect for dressing up the top of the Mold Market cupcake soaps for that special Halloween event.

Sprinkles are a seasonal item and available while quantities last.

Look for some way cool Halloween cupcake soaps to be displayed in the next few weeks using our soap frosting recipe. Here are some suggested fragrance oils for the Fall / Halloween season. There's only one more month left before we start into the Fall craft /retail selling season. Order early to ensure you're ready!

• Apple Autumn
  
• Pumpkin
  
• Caramel Apple
  
• Cinnamon Bun
  
• Fireside
  
• Harvest Moon
  
• Roll in the Hay
  
• Sage & Citrus
  
• Turning Leaves
  
• Vanilla Spice

Face Book Soap Making Offers...Don't Miss Out

If you haven't been checking out our Face Book site on a regular basis, you are DEFINITELY missing out on some great soap making supply offers. We make randon posts that include FREE items and discount coupons. All you have to do is click the button to "Like" our site. This means you are added to our fans page and will receive updates as soon as they are posted on our FB page.

Take a peek at today's SPECIAL offer.

We Have the Best Smelling Garbage on the Block

We've been on a pouring frenzy this week getting ready for the many upcoming soap gatherings and conferences. Each year we donate a large number of fragrance samples to fill goodie bags at these events. Even in tough economic times, GoPlanet tries to sponsor and donate to various events related to our industry. This week we poured over 600 plus fragrance samples. There was fragrance in the air and not just inside the building, but outside as well. Like in the big rolling trash bins.

The guys who pick up our trash tell us we have the best smelling garbage on the block. When pouring fragrance, sheets of paper towel are used to clean up any over-pours. The toweling is thrown into the trash along with any empty fragrance containers. It makes for very aromatic garbage. When you open the top of our trash bins you get an unexpected blast of lovely, fragrant garbage.

Melt and Pour Summer Soaps: Flower Flip Flops

Thanks to my friend, Irene, for sending this photo of the Mold Market flip flop (which, by the way, is a nice 4 ounce size bar). Word has it, that Mold Market will be producing a matching (Right) flip flop late August.

Here are suggested top selling GoPlanetEarth fragrances that make perfect summer scents:

French Tarragon Oswego (great uni-sex scent!)

Alyssum

Watermelon Taffy

Ocean Breeze

Kinetic Breeze

Hawaiian Tropics

Watermelon Taffy

Pina Colada

Coconut

Island Retreat

Plumeria

Papaya

Pineapple

Showcasing the Spring Fling Butterfly Soap

It's always a delight to find online companies using the many instructionals offered by GoPlanetEarth. I stumble upon this photo of the Spring Fling butterfly . I listed this tutorial in our Resource section a number of years ago. The above photo is an example of this soap and was made by Magic Senses (and beautifully done I might add). The butterfly mold is from the Mold Market line and available for purchase at GoPlanetEarth.

Our site gives you detailed instructions on how to make the soap curl embeds that you see inside the butterfly. What a perfect Mother's Day soap and you can't go wrong when adding one of these lovely, aromatic spa-quality scents.

Olive Asian Tapenade Spa Quality Fragrance. A luxury Mediterranean spa fragrance that is pure harmony. A blend of Asian fruit, sweet olives, and Japenses florals with hints of Eastern spices.

Paradisus A floral spa quality scent that is soft, subtle, sexy! Transport your mind and body to a tropical paradise.

Japanese Cherry Blossom A blend of pink Japanese cherry blossoms and fragrant mimosa flower petals, with warm base notes of vanilla, tonka bean, and oriental woods. Well rounded and very romantic.

This Week's Soap Making Poll~ March 2

Poll Results ~ Favorite Soap Making Scent

The results are in and Fruity Type soap making fragrances was the favorite. I love fruit scents but was still surprised with the results. I was expecting either Spa or Asian Type fragrances to be the leaders. The OTHER category included Citrus, Candy, Ocean, and Baked Good types. Thanks to all who participated in the poll.

This Week's Soap Making Poll

Cast your vote. Which of these fragrance group types do you like best. We've listed a couple of examples to indicate the types of fragrances you would find in each group. Goplanet offers a large selection of soap making and candle fragrances. Have a favorite you don't see on our web site? Let us know, we keep a customer wish list!

New Spa Fragrance Oil Added

Love it, love it, love it is all I can say about this newst addition to our fragrance line up. It's sure to be one of our all-time favorites (at least in my opinion). Cilantro-Wasabi-Guava is a perfect uni-sex blend with hints of citrus, fern and cucumber. It is currently featured as one of our web specials. The consensus of our staff is a Big Bravo!! We'd like your opinion.