Melt and pour recipes

Melt and Pour Recipes
M&P stands for melt and pour. It's also known as the soap easy enough for
anyone to make. All you need to have is some purchased melt and pour base, a
double boiler (you can also use a microwave, but this will melt it from the inside
out and is hard to keepit at the right temperatures), some additives such as
fragrance oils, essential oils, herbs, coloring and molds.
M&P is also known as glycerin soap or casting soap. Some craft stores may
carry the base, but you can also order from many reputable sites on the web.
Certain chain stores glycerin bases may contain ingredients that may not be the
best all around product. These ingredients can cause smelly, slimy bars, so you
may want to check out our suppliers page to find good sources to buy your
supplies from. Below are the basic steps to get you started. These recipes are only
a beginning. You will find m&p soaps addicting and want to create your own
signature styles and types.
Step 1: Cut and weigh out your base and place into the top half of a double
boiler;(don't worry if you don't have a double boiler, you can substitute two pots
and create your own). Keep it covered as it's melting so as not lose moisture.
Melt over low heat, you don't want to let it get too hot, try not to let it get over
160 degrees or you will get cloudy bars. A good tip is to let half of the base melt,
then remove from the heat and leave it in the water until it melts the rest of the
way. Try not to stir it as it's melting, if you have to, just gently nudge the soap
around or you will create air bubbles which won't make very appealing bars.
Step 2: Add your colorant. Many people use food coloring, but they can fade
and bleed. You can purchase color nuggets, micas or pigments to help achieve a
better color. Stir your coloring in gently.
Step 3: Add any additives such as herbs when your base has cooled and
started to thicken to help suspend them in the base. You can also add other
ingredients at this time such as aloe vera gel, vitamin E, beeswax, cocoa butter,
shea butter, etc. Melt your solids such as cocoa butter and beeswax before
adding to the base. You can use 1 Tablespoon per pound of base.
Step 4: Add fragrance. This is up to your own preferences, you may use
fragrance oils or essential oils, just make sure the fragrances are safe for
soapmaking and use on the skin. Fragrance is added at anywhere from 1 tsp. up
to 1 Tbs. per pound depending on how strong you want it to smell.
Step 5: Pour into molds. This is where you can be very creative too! You can
use just about anything as a mold. Some ideas are candy molds, pringles cans,
pvc pipe, rubbermaid containers, yogurt containers, cat food cans (washed and

dried, of course) be careful of any sharp edges.....some cat food cans don't have
this edge.
Step 6: Unmold after hardened and enjoy. M&P can be used right away!
Tips: if you have trouble unmolding your soap, stick it in the refrigerator
for a few minutes and try again.
Keep your soaps wrapped in plastic wrap, such as cling wrap or saran wrap
to protect your bars from moisture.
When your cooling your base to suspend herbs, gently keepstirring like
with a bamboo chopstick just enough to keepa skin from forming.
Now on to the recipes!
Lavender Beeswax Soap
4 oz. Unscented glycerin soap
10 drops lavender perfume oil
1 drop violet food coloring
1 tsp. Grated beeswax
Purchased soap mold: or empty, clean tuna can or milk carton. Melt the soap
over low heat until liquefied. Add the grated beeswax and stir until melted.
Remove from heat and add the perfume oil and the coloring. Stir until well
blended. Pour the mixture into a mold and let set for three hours or until
hardened.Kelly Reno
Citrus & Calendula Soap
by Jan Teaford
1 # M & P transparent soap base
A handful of calendula petals (dried) , about 1/4 cup
15 drops of yellow food coloring ( I used the Wal-Mart soap color)
3/4 tsp. grapefruit EO
1/2 tsp. tangerine EO
1 TBSP melted shea butter ..melted separately
Melt the soap base... at the same time melt the shea butter in a custard cup placed
in a pan of boiling water or in the microwave. Add calendula petals to the melted
base, a few drops of yellow food coloring..... the EO and then the melted shea
butter..... try to have this the same temp as the melt and pour. Keep stirring the soap/
shea butter mixture.As it starts to set up spoon into Pourette heart molds. ( By
spooning you have more control how many of the calendula leaves go into each
mold) I like to let my molds set at room temp until them are skimmed over fairly
firm.... they I chill them in the freezer for about a half hour before removing them
from the mold..... and place them on a rack to finish drying completely.

***** By stirring the soap/ shea butter mixture as it cools..... the butter will not
float to the top and make little circles of butter... which might look like mold to those
that don't know.
Orange Julius Soap
by Sue Traudt
2 cups transparent M&P, melted
2 tsps honey
1 tsp Almond Oil
1 tsp French white clay powder
1/4-1/2 tsp Orange FO or EO (I tried both, found I needed more FO also,
I like
my soap more on the lightly scented side)
1/4-1/2 Vanilla FO
While the M&P was melting, I mixed the French clay, the Almond oil & the
honey together in a small bowl. When the M&P had fully melted, I mixed in the
clay/honey/oil mixture and my scent. I also didn't add any coloring to the soap as it
seemed to have enough on its own.
Dog Soap Bar
Cheryl Keeley CK1st@aol.com
4 oz. melt and pour base
1 tablespoon herbal shampoo(I use Aubrey Organics Camomile from the
health
food store because I like the ingredients in it)
400 IU vitamin E (My vet says this is great for the dogs coat)
1/4 teaspoon liquid glycerin
essential oils of tea tree, peppermint or lavender
(I wasn't great at measuring and recording when I made the last batch,
so use your judgment)
I use tea tree oil for it's antiseptic quality and peppermint since fleas don't like
the smell of it. For my sister who is allergic to peppermint I use lavender with the tea
tree oil. Lavender is supposed to have antiseptic qualities also and fleas aren't drawn
to it. Melt the base and then add the rest of the ingredients. This is better than liquid
soap for dogs because it is easier to use on them. No holding them in the tub with one
hand and trying to balance and open a bottle with the other. Just rub the bar around on
the wet dog. I have a keeshond and it leaves his coat beautiful.

Fisherman's Soap
Lynda Agen Alaskan Nights Soap Company
1 lb. M & P base
1/2 TB. anise EO
15 drops blue color
little fish (candy molds, ten to a sheet)
these I put one in each cavity of Pourette's oval mold, as I pour the clear M&P,
which is 1# M&P and 1/2 Tbls anise EO. This makes a great soap according to my
dad, who "Fishes to Live!"
Anise EO has been shown to attract fish.
***Use anise EO with caution, it can be harmful. Avoid during pregnancy.
Natural Sunflower Seed Soap
*From Sandy Maine's book, "Soothing Soaps For Healthy Skin".
oil = emollient
ground seed = exfoliant & nourishment for skin
Sunflower Tea = golden radiance & warmth
To make tea : place 1C sunflower petals in clean jar add 1cup of cool water,
place in sunny place for few hours, strain, discard petals
For each 2 cups of soap base add:
4 TB. Sunflower Tea
2 TB. sunflower Oil
2 TB. sunflower seeds (unsalted, raw, hulled & pulverized)
1 tsp. heli-carrot oil (for golden color-optional)
Iced Tea Soap
Cathy Loper bobcat12@gte.net
I made some orange and lemon slices in the ice cube mold Walmart had awhile
back; then suspended them in clear M&P with the brewed (regular orange or black
pekoe) tea as a coloring. It looked and even smelled (faintly)like iced tea. Now the
regular teabags (i,.e., Lipton,
etc.)may not be the 'golden' brown you want, but I bet there's an herbal tea out
there that would brew up just right, color-wise. The tea did not 'cloud' the clear base

as I thought it might, but I only used just enough to get the translucent brown I
wanted.
Lemon Tea Soap
Karyn Cox korriann@texoma-ok.com
I made some lemongrass/clary sage soap. I tried to swirl it...but messed it up. My
daughter smelled it & kept saying it smelled like lemon tea to her. I remelted all of it
& made it brownish to look like tea, then put it in some squares of plain-clear base, let
it cool cut it & you can
see the 'tea' & the 'ice cubes'!
Oceania
Lynn Woosley
Home Delights Soaps & Sundries
Ingredients:
1 pound melt & pour soap base
lilac and blue mica - I use TKB's hilite colors, and add 1-2 sections of each color
from one of Kaila's color nuggets
1 tablespoon Oceania fragrance oil
1 teaspoon dried apple mint
1 teaspoon dried lemon or lime balm
2 vitamin E capsules (optional)
1 teaspoon castor oil (optional)
In a double boiler, heat soap base and colorants until about half of the base is
melted. Remove from heat and cover until base is fully melted. Stir in FO, finely
ground herbs, Vitamin E, and castor oil. Gently stir until colorants are evenly
distributed and base begins to cool and thicken. Pour into molds.
I like to use opaque base with this recipe. The white base and the ground herbs
make this look like an old-fashioned herbal soap, and the mica adds just a touch of
sparkle. The herbs also add a top note to the Oceania FO. If a tablespoon of FO is
used, this will be fairly heavily scented.
Earth Clay Soap
by Susan Weiss Olatou@aol.com

1 lb. glycerin soap
2 Tablespoons Jojoba Oil
1 Tablespoon Earth Clay
1/4 cup distilled water
colorant and scent
Facial soap/good for all skin types
makes six 2 oz. bars
Iris Emily PUREEM@aol.com
13 oz opaque m&p
3 tsp lavender flower infused oil - olive, jojoba, almond, etc
1 tsp. Lavender EO
1 tsp. Vitamin E
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. pink clay
1/2 tsp. finely ground lavender flowers (You can grind your own or buy
lavender flowers in powdered form)
slight tint for color (optional)
Gently melt m&p, add oil, vit e, honey until mixed, then add eo, flowers, clay,
and tint
Special fragrance oil bars
Makes nine 3oz bars
30 oz opaque m&p
2 tbs herb infused olive oil or whatever you like
1 tsp vit e
1 tsp aloe vera gel
1 tsp rose or white clay
3 to 4 TB. fragrance oil
tint or color
This is great for those scents that are too delicate for cp soap or won't hold. With
the additional ingredients it makes a lovely skin soap as well...not drying like m&p by
itself. These should give you some ideas...go with what you like or what sounds good
and have fun.

MP Facial Soap
8 oz opaque m&p
1 oz elderflower infused olive oil
1/4 oz jojoba oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 oz milk (room temp) - Maybe a little less
*2 teaspoons "finely" ground oatmeal
1 tablespoon vit e
fo (your choice)
I put a shelf life on this one. I made it Jan 26 of this year. I tested, leaving it
unwrapped, (shrink wrapped, and of course by my sink) No problems so far with the
milk. May want to add a little white clay as this doesn't lather well, but then you can
educate people that a small lather doesn't mean a good soap. Jan
Gent's Canadian Balsam Fir/Basil Soap
3 1/2 lbs opaque MP
2 tsp. beeswax (melt wax alone and add to melted MP)
2 tsp. cocoa butter
4 Vitamin E capsules pierced and contents squeezed into melted MP
About 1 1/2 droppers of Canadian Balsam Fir eo/fo
A good sprinkling of dried ground basil leaves
Coloring of choice (I like the woodsy greens or light browns)
*Melt MP base and cocoa butter in double boiler (do not let base get any hotter
than 160)
*When base is completely melted, add MELTED beeswax, vitamin E and
coloring
*Take portion of double boiler containing base off and set to cool some *When
first small traces of skin start forming, add eo/fo *Gently stir to cool base some more,
then gently stir in basil *Pour base into desired mold...the cooler your base, the more
suspended your basil will be.
My favorite recipe for a great lathering, creamy, harder, long
lasting bar of M&P is this:
Per 2 pound batch of melted opaque base add:*

2 T. Goatsmilk or Buttermilk powder whisked with 1/4 cup cold water
*(add this liquid milk to your base as your melting it and it
won't clump)
1 T. Emu Oil (fantastic oil) melted with 1 tsp. of stearic acid flakes
2 T. Fragrance Oil or 1 T. Essential Oils
Also add your color. Blend well and pour into molds.
You can also add 2 T. ground oatmeal, calendula petals, etc. etc. If
you want your additions to stay suspended in the base cover the base
with saran wrap so a skin doesn't form. Come back to it every few
minutes and stir. As soon as it gets thicker and your oatmeal (or
whatever) stays suspended in the base then its time to quickly pour
into your molds.
You can add the emu oil and stearic acid to a clear base with a very
little pinch of borax and it will stay clear, and still make a nice
bar. Don't add milk a clear base it looks murky and yucky.
Stacy B.
Randa's Honey Oatmeal Soapcakes
4 oz. white melt & pour base
l/2 tsp. honey fragrance oil
l tsp. dark brown honey.
Cut soap into l" chunks and melt in a double boiler over medium heat.Stir in honey
and fragrance oil.Pour about l/4" layer into the bottom of molds. Second layer
8 oz. white melt & pour soap base
l tsp. honey fragrance oil
2 tsp. dark brown honey
2 tsp unsulphured molasses
3 Tbsp. finely ground oatmeal
Cut soap into l" chunks and melt as directed above.Stir in fragrance oil, honey,
molasses,then oatmeal. Spritz first layer with alcohol.Pour or spoon second layer
over it into the molds.If you desire a harder bar, beeswax may be added.I love this

soap made inthe MWM acorn slab mold.(OF course you have to make a bigger
batch.Randa Black
Randa's Mint Leaf Soap
l small leaf mold(I used Deltas)
l oval scalloped mold
White melt & pour soap base,small amount for leaves, mint fragrance oil,green soap
color tabs,sparkling accents glitter(Delta)
3 oz. transparent melt & pour for second layer Leaves
Melt white soap,add l-2 drops green soap coloring or a few color tabs tomake a very
pale green. Add mint fragrance oil and sparkling accents glitter. Pour soap into small
leaf molds. Glitter may also be sprinkled in the bottom of each mold before
pouring.Let leaves set up.Unmold.Place leaves in freezer for l0-15 minutes before
adding them as embedds to following soap.
Melt transparent melt & pour, add green coloring to make a medium green,then
fragrance oil.Let soap cool slightly. Remove leaves from freezer and place one in
each mold face-down. Carefully pour soap over leaf to fill the mold.
Gardeners Soap
by Rachel Smith
1 lb M&P honey base (aloe vera or goatsmilk are nice too)
1 - 2 Tablespoons white cornmeal
1 1/2 Tablespoons fine pumice (you can substitue coffee grounds if
you don't have pumice on hand)
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon bentonite clay
1 Tablespoon of shea or mango butter (for moisturizing)
2 - 3 teaspoons of a citrus essential oil (orange, lemon, etc.)or
one of each. Be creative! Lemongrass is a nice scent to add as well.
But Orange cuts the grime.
3. The Recipes and Ingredient Lists

NOTE: BEFORE MAKING ANY OF THE RECIPES PLEASE READ THE SAFETY
INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE Useful Essential Oils and Herbs SECTION.
*EO - essentialoil
*FO - fragrance oil
Animalistic
This project used the Petroglyph Animals
mold by Milky Way molds and makes 8 bars.
Ingredients: Allspice FO, Patchouli FO,
Spiced Bay FO, Woodsmoke FO, Hazelnut
FO, Vetivert EO, Cypress EO, Clary Sage
EO, Cedar EO, opaque white melt and pour
soap base,ground nutmeg, soap colorants,
cooking spray.
Instructions:
1. Lightly spray the soap mold with cooking spray and wipe with papertowel to remove
the excess.
2. Mix a blend of fragrance oils in the following proportions: 1 part Allspice FO, 1 part
Patchouli FO, 1 part Spiced Bay FO, 8 parts Woodsmoke FO and 16 parts Hazelnut
FO. Mix another blend of essentialoils in the following proportions: 1 part Vetivert,
1 part Cypress, 2 parts Clary Sage, and 2 parts Cedarwood.
3. Melt 1 1/2 cups (quantity is after melting) of opaque white melt and poursoap base
in one microwaveable glass measuring cup, and melt the same amount in another
microwaveable glass measuring cup. Color one batch ochre yellow and one light
brown. Add 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg to each batch. Add 30 drops of the first fragrance
blend to one, and 20 drops to the other.
4. Try to keep both cups close to the same temperature, but they don't have to be exact.
When a skin starts to form on top, pour both colors simultaneously into each mold
cavity. Swirl a stick once in each cavity to mix colors slightly.
5. Unmold bars and repeat until you have used all the soap you mixed up.

Dog Soap Bar
Flea-repelling soap with a cute dog bone
suspended in clear soap base.Safe for human
use too as an antibacterial and insect-
repelling soap bar. NOT FOR USE ON
CATS.
Ingredients: Clear melt and pour soap base,
opaque white and off-white melt and pour
soap base,Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil,
Peppermint essentialoil, cooking spray for
mold release, 70% isopropyl alcohol in a
spray bottle.
Instructions:
1. Line a glass baking dish with
aluminum foil. Fill to a depth of
about 1" with small pieces of white
and off-white opaque soap base.
2. Turn your oven on it's lowest
setting.Put the baking dish full of soap pieces in, and check it about every five
minutes until the soap melts enough to slump into a flat mass, melted just enough to
be mostly flat, but not melted so much that the interesting confetti effect disappears.
In my oven this took about 10 minutes.
3. Carefully remove the baking dish and allow to cool until the soap has cooled and
hardened.
4. Turn the baking dish over onto a clean cutting board to let the contents fall out, and
peel the foil away. Now you have a flat slab of soap that is ready to be cut into
inserts.Decide whether the top or bottomis the most interesting (I find it's usually
the top)and lay the slab on the cutting board with the interesting side up.
5. With the medium sized cutter from the Fox Run Dog Bone Cookie Cutter Set, cut
shapes out of the slab and set aside.
6. Select a soap mold that you like to use for clear bars with inserts - usually one with
individual bar cavities and a plain smooth surface. I used an oval mold for my bars.
7. Lightly spray the insides of the cavities of your mold with cooking spray. Wipe out
the excess cooking spray with a paper towel. If your mold does not sit flat and level
on the work surface, balance the mold on the bottoms of four identical upturned shot
glasses (or any four small objects with flat bottoms of identical height) to keep the
mold as stable and level as possible. It will make the pouring a lot easier.

8. Melt some clear soap base and add Peppermint and Tea Tree essentialoils in
amounts recommended by the manufacturer.
9. When the soap starts to form a skin on top,remove the skin then fill one of the bar
cavities 1/3 full of the clear mixture. Spray with alcohol or Bubble Buster to break
any bubbles that might be on the surface. Add a soap bone and push down into the
clear if one end floats up. Repeat for each cavity. Let bars sit until the first pour layer
is solid.
10. To add anotherlayer and finish up the bars, spritz with the alcohol or Bubble Buster,
and add more clear.
11. Let the mold sit undisturbed until the soap is hard. To be safe wait until the soap has
cooled off completely and then wait some more. It will be worth the wait!
12. Pop the bars out of the mold and enjoy!
Bayberry and Vanilla Soap Bar
A simple technique that does not take away
from the detailed mold, with a scent that is
particularly nice at Christmas time.
opaque white melt and pour soap base,
bayberry fragrance, vanilla fragrance, soap
colorants, cooking spray for mold release.
Instructions:
1. Choose a fairly detailed soap mold
and lightly spray with cooking
spray. I used a geometric candy
mold for this example. Wipe away
the excess oil with a papertowel.
2. Mix two batches of soap base - one lime green and one a darker grass green. Adding
some clear with the opaque makes a pleasant translucent effect. My lime green mix
was about 1/4 clear and my darker green mix 1/2 clear.
3. In amounts recommended by the manufacturer, add bayberry fragrance to one color
and vanilla to the other.

4. Simultaneously pour both colors into the mold cavities.
Antibacterial Soap Bar
I have a lot of hobbies that require washing
my hands frequently - for example aquarium
keeping, gardening, and taking care of my
pet bird Atilla. I wanted some soap that is
antibacterial, slightly abrasive for deep
cleaning, and also kind to my skin. This
batch of soap succeeded admirably for it's
intended purpose,except for the swirl effect
I was trying to add. I'm not even going to
describe how I tried to do the swirl because
it obviously didn't work, but the results have
a rugged look that I find pleasing.
Ingredients: Clear melt and pour soap base,opaque melt and pour soap base,green coloring,
dried eucalyptus leaves, Polysorbate 20, Goat Milk Powder, Stearic Acid, Eucalyptus essential
oil, Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil.
Instructions:
1. To make the green batch, put a small handful of eucalyptus leaves into a spice
grinder and grind into a powder.
2. Melt some clear melt and pour soap base,and add green coloring and the eucalyptus
powder. Set aside.
3. To make the white batch melt some opaque melt and pour soap base,and add, in
amounts recommended by the manufacturer, Polysorbate 20, Goat Milk Powder,
Stearic Acid, Eucalyptus essentialoil, and tea tree essential oil.
4. Remelt the green batch and try to get the green and white batches ready to pour and
roughly the same temperature. They don't have to be exactly the same temperature,
just liquid and pourable.

5. Pour both colors simultaneously into a rectangular loaf mold.
7. Pop the bars out of the loaf mold and slice with a serrated cutter. Enjoy!
Embedded Confetti Flowers Soap Bar
Here is a slightly different take on making
inserts for clear melt and pour soap.If
you've been making soap for awhile,
particularly if you mix up batches of colors
for loaf soap inserts,you probably have
odds and ends of colors left over. I'll explain
how to use them to make interesting inserts
for clear soap bars.
opaque melt and pour soap base,leftover
chunks of colored soap from previous
projects, Lavender Fragrance Oil, Vanilla
Lavender Fragrance Oil, cooking spray for
mold release, 70% isopropyl alcohol in a
spray bottle or Bubble Buster.
Instructions:
1. Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil. Fill to a depth of about 1" with pieces of
colored soap,both clear and opaque, left over from previous soap projects. If you
don't have leftover pieces available, you can mix up three or more batches of color,
let harden, then cut them up and put them in the baking dish.
2. Turn your oven on it's lowest setting. Put the baking dish full of soap pieces in, and
check it about every five minutes until the soap melts enough to slump into a flat
multicolored mass, melted just enough to be mostly flat, but not melted so much that
the interesting multicolored confetti effect disappears. In my oven this took about 10
minutes.
3. Carefully remove the baking dish and allow to cool until the soap has cooled and
hardened.

4. Turn the baking dish over onto a clean cutting board to let the contents fall out, and
peel the foil away. Now you have a flat slab of soap that is ready to be cut into
inserts.Decide whether the top or bottomis the most interesting (I find it's usually
the top)and lay the slab on the cutting board with the interesting side up.
5. With the metal pastry,canape, or cookie cutters of your choice, cut shapes out of the
slab and set aside. Plastic cookie cutters are not sturdy enough to cut the soap without
breaking.
6. Select a soap mold that you like to use for clear bars with inserts - usually one with
individual bar cavities and a plain smooth surface. Here are links to some examples
of suitable molds for this project:
 Rounded Oval
 Basic Rectangle Soap Mold
 Circle Disc Soap Mold
7. Lightly spray the insides of the cavities of your mold with cooking spray. Wipe out
the excess cooking spray with a paper towel. If your mold does not sit flat and level
on the work surface, balance the mold on the bottoms of four identical upturned shot
glasses (or any four small objects with flat bottoms of identical height) to keep the
mold as stable and level as possible. It will make the pouring a lot easier.
8. Melt some clear soap base and add fragrances in amounts recommended by the
manufacturer. I used one part Lavender and one part Vanilla Lavender.
any bubbles that might be on the surface. Add some of the cut out insert pieces.
Repeat for each cavity. Let bars sit until the first pour layer is solid.
10. To add anotherlayer and finish up the bars, spritz with the alcohol or Bubble Buster,
and add a layer of a contrasting color or more clear. I used a pearly white in my
sample.

Wood and Spice Fragrance Pastilles and
Car Air Freshener Trees
I was first introduced to salt dough in
preschool, where we made ornaments for
Christmas. It became a favorite craft
material of mine throughout childhood.In
recent years, I've experimented with using
salt dough for making fragrant ornaments
and pastilles to add to potpourri mixes. In
my opinion this is my most successfulbatch
so far.
Ingredients:
o 1 cup flour
o 1/2 cup salt
o 1/2 tsp alum
o 1/4 cup wallpaper paste
o 1/4 cup Sage leaves
o 1 TBSP ground Nutmeg
o 1 TBSP ground Sage
o 1 TBSP Orris Root Powder
o 1 TBSP ground Cinnamon
o 1 TBSP Cedarwood essentialoil
o 1 TBSP Northwoods fragrance oil
o 1/4 tsp brown oxide powdered soap colorant
o Sandalwood Powder
Instructions:
14. Crumble the dried Sage leaves into a glass microwave-safe measuring cup. Add 1
cup of water, and heat in the microwave for approximately three minutes.
15. Add all the otherdry ingredients except for the Sandalwood powder to a
large bowl that can withstand having near-boiling water poured into it. Mix well.
16. Remove the measuring cup from the microwave, and strain out the sage
pieces while pouring 2/3 of the water in the cup into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix
dough together,adding more of the sage-infused water if it is needed to make the
dough workable.
17. Sprinkle some Sandalwood powder on a flat work surface, as you would lay
down flour when making cookies or pie crust. Sprinkle more Sandalwood powder on
top, and roll dough out with a rolling pin, to somewhere in the vicinity of 1/8 to 1/4
inch thick.

18. Apply more Sandalwood powder to the top of the dough,then stamp
randomly with decorative rubber stamps.For my samples, I used these stamps from
Carolyn's Stamp Store: Line Drawing with Double Spiral, Line Drawing with
Squigglies and Shape Stripes.
19. If you want to make tree-shaped car air fresheners,cut out tree shapes with a
cookie cutter. If you want to make fragrance pastilles or fragrant ornaments, cut out
shapes ofyour choice with cookie cutters or canape cutters.Poke a hole toward the
top of any shapes that you want to attach a hanging loop too.Place finished cutout
shapes on a cookie sheet to dry.
20. When the dough shapes are completely dry, which will probably take
several days,brush any excess Sandalwood powder off with a clean paintbrush and
store shapes in a plastic zip-lock bag until you're ready to use them.
21. For ornaments or air fresheners,attach a hanging loop with cord. You can
embellish the cord with beads if you want to.
22. The fragrance pastilles can be used alone or added to a potpourri mix such
as the one below. Make sure they are safely away from anyone who might mistake
them for edible cookies!
Basil and Citrus Potpourri
Ingredients: Dried leaves of Rosemary,
Lemon Balm, Lime Balm, Korean Hyssop,
Red Rubin Basil and Sweet Basil, Rosemary
Essential Oil, Lemon Essential Oil, Basil
Essential Oil, Lemongrass Essential Oil,
Juicy Lime Fragrance Oil, Orange Essential
Oil (Citrus aurantium),lemon peel, lime
peel, orange peel and Wood and Spice
Fragrance Pastilles.
Instructions:
1. Grow or otherwise obtain two
handfuls of each of the following
dried leaves: Rosemary, Lemon
Balm, Lime Balm, Korean Hyssop,
Red Rubin Basil and Sweet Basil.
The herbs I used for this particular
batch were home-grown. Put the
leaves into a large container that has a tight-fitting lid.

2. Add several drops of each essentialand fragrance oil and shake or stir the contents.
Smell the mixture and see if it is strong enough.If it's not,repeat until you are
satisfied with the fragrance.
3. Peel several limes, lemons, and oranges.Cut the peels into thin strips and set out on a
cookie sheet for several days to dry. When the peels are throughly dry, add them to
your mix. If you need a use for the juice of the lemons and limes, here is a tasty
cookie recipe.
4. Optional: Display potpourri in an open decorative container and place a few
fragrance pastilles on top.
On The Santa Fe Trail Soap Bar
An exfoliating bar with a fragrance that will
take yourimagination on a trail ride on the
High Plains!
Ingredients: Natural White MP Soap Base,
cooking spray for mold release (soybean oil,
soy lecithin, water, propellant), Polysorbate
20, Leather fragrance oil, cosmetic grade
colorants, home grown yucca root, home
grown sage (salvia officinalis), Fruit Fresh
(Dextrose, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Citric
Acid, Silicon Dioxide), 70% isopropyl
alcohol and Bubble Buster.
Instructions:
1. Spray the insides of the cavities of a
Horse soap mold with cooking
spray. Wipe out the excess cooking
spray with a papertowel. Balance
the horse mold on the bottoms of four identical upturned shot glasses (orany four
small objects with flat bottoms of identical height) to keep the mold as stable and
level as possible. It will make the pouring a lot easier.
2. On the first pour we'll fill in only the details of the horse portrait and rope border.
Melt some opaque white soap base,and color with brown soap coloring to make light
brown. Add leather fragrance and Polysorbate 20 in amounts recommended by the
manufacturer. Pour into the horse soap mold filling only the horse and rope portions
of the design. Let this layer harden.

3. While the light brown pour is hardening, grind some dried yucca root pieces and
dried sage pieces in spice grinder as finely as you can get them. Sift the ground
pieces through a fine meshed strainer to remove any large pieces that might remain to
get a fine powder to add to your soap.Discard the sifted out large pieces or save them
to use for something else.
4. When the light brown layer is hard enough to handle without damage, inspect your
pour for any light brown drips or spills that are outside the rope and horse portions of
the mold. You might be skilled enough not to have any drips where you don't want
them, but I'm not! If there are any, you can remove them by cutting around them with
the tip of a knife that is not sharp enough to damage the mold, and gently pulling the
unwanted pieces up. They should come up easily due to the earlier application of the
cooking spray. Some unwanted bits might come up more easily by scraping them
with a piece of cut-up credit card.
5. Melt some more opaque white soap base,and color it a light tan-yellow color. Make
sure it's lighter enough in color than the brown layer to create enough contrast to
showthe design. Add Polysorbate 20 and Leather fragrance in amounts
recommended by the manufacturer. Add approx 1/4 tsp Fruit Fresh and 1 TBSP
combined yucca root and sage powder to about 1 1/2 cups of melted soap.
6. Spray the brown pourlayer with alcohol or Bubble Buster, and fill the remaining
space in the mold cavities with the light yellow mixture.
7. Let the bars cool, then unmold and enjoy.
Hyacinth Garden Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial melt and pour soap
bases (Crafters Choice Natural Clear and Ultra
White, and Life of the Party Cool Soap
Flourescent Green), Sweet Cakes Hyacinth
Fragrance, cosmetic grade colorants,Bubble
Buster, 70% isopropyl alcohol, canola cooking
spray for mold release.
Chunky Lavender Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial melt and pour soap
bases (Crafters Choice Natural Clear, Ultra

White, and Natural White), Lavender Fragrance, Vanilla Lavender Fragrance, and cosmetic
grade colorants.
Cream of Celery Soap Bar
A fresh green color and fragrance will cheer you as you
wash if you can't wait for spring to get here!
Ingredients: Commercial crafting soap base (Life of the
Party Cool Soap Base, Life of the Party Avocado
Cucumber Soap Base, Soapcrafters Glycerin Melt & Pour
Clear), celery, contents ofvitamin E capsule, Polysorbate
20, Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE), Sweetcakes
Fresh Grass Fragrance, Germaben II, Fuller's Earth,
cosmetic grade colorants. Canola Harvest cooking spray
used for mold release.
Tools and supplies:
Glass measuring cups
Plastic food storage containers,including one wide flat one
Strainer
Clean empty plastic tubes from powdered drink mix packaging
Scissors that can cut plastic
Rubber bands
Plastic wrap
Aluminum foil
Cutting board
Knife
Paper Towels
Tray with raised edge
Melon baller or curl-cutting tool of choice
Serrated soap cutter
Soap cutting mitre box
Instructions:
1. Wash and chop up a handful of fresh celery parts. Melt 1/4 package of opaque melt
and poursoap base with the celery parts in a glass measuring cup. I used Life of the
Party Avocado Cucumber Soap Base. Cover the measuring cup with foil or plastic
wrap, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Next make a batch of clear green soap for cutting curls. I used Soapcrafters clear melt
and pourglycerin base mixed with Life of the Party Cool Soaps green for color, and
poured it into a 6-cup flat rectangular plastic food storage container. The wide flat
shape makes it easy to cut curls from the hardened soap.If you don't have green soap
base to mix with the clear like I did, use soap colorants to make the clear soap base
green.

3. The next day, remove the cup with the celery-infused soap from the refrigerator, and
remelt it. Pour the mixture through a strainer into anothercontainer for temporary
storage,and discard the celery bits. Melt more opaque soap base and add the
following: contents ofone vitamin E capsule, ROE, Germaben II, Fuller's Earth and
Polysorbate 20. Refer to manufacturers' recommendations for amounts of the
additives. Leave out the Fuller's Earth if you have dry skin. Pour the mixture into a
container for temporary storage.You will eventually be mixing this with the
celery/soap mixture, so it can go into the same container.
4. Cut the ends off of some powdered drink mix tubes.Spray the insides of the tubes
with Canola non-stick cooking spray and wipe off the excess with a papertowel.
Cover one end of each tube with a square of plastic wrap followed by a square of foil,
then secure with a rubber band. When you pour the soap into these tube molds, there
will probably not be any leaks, but just in case there are stand the tubes covered end
down into some kind of receptacle or tray with a lip or raised edge to prevent spills.
5. Using a melon baller or other tool you like for cutting soap curls, cut curls from the
large block of clear green and drop them into the tubes.If you use a melon baller,
you don't have to remove the soap block from the food container while you cut.
6. Remelt the opaque soap base infused with celery and with the additives, and add
Fresh Grass fragrance in amounts recommended by the manufacturer. Stir gently to
minimize air bubbles.When the soap begins to form a skin on top,remove the skin
and pourslowly and steadily into the tubes.As each tube is full, tap the sides to
encourage any air bubbles to float to the surface.
7. Let cool, push out of the molds, then slice with the serrated cutter for extra visual
interest.
Possible Improvements for Next Time:
Over time, the green from the celery turned a light brown. I might try adding Fruit Fresh if I
make this again to see if it helps it to stay green. Perhaps a hint of artificial green color in the
lighter green part will help disguise that also. I added the celery because I liked the color and
fragrance, perhaps some cucumber could be added as well because it has benefits for the skin.
And next time I would put two different colors of green curls instead of just one to add more
visual interest - such as a medium celery green like you see in the sample plus a darker
cucumber-ish green.

Oceanic Soap Bar
Party Cool Soap Base, Soapcrafters Glycerin Melt &
Pour Clear, and Crafters Choice Natural White Melt and
Pour Soap Base), Polysorbate 20, contents ofvitamin E
capsules,kelp, Sweetcakes Juicy Lime Fragrance, Soap
Wizards Ocean Fragrance, Soapcrafters Ocean Fragrance,
Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE), food grade vanilla
extract (vanilla bean extractives in water, alcohol, corn
syrup), cosmetic grade colorants. Canola Harvest cooking
spray used for mold release.
Sea Shell Guest Soaps
Ingredients: Commercial crafting soap base (Life of the Party Cool Soap Base, Soapcrafters
Glycerin Melt & Pour Clear, and Crafters Choice Natural White Melt and Pour Soap Base),
Polysorbate 20, contents of vitamin E capsules, kelp, Sweetcakes Juicy Lime Fragrance, Soap
Wizards Ocean Fragrance, Soapcrafters Ocean Fragrance, Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE),
food grade vanilla extract (vanilla bean extractives in water, alcohol, corn syrup),cosmetic
grade colorants. Canola Harvest cooking spray used for mold release.
Foot Scrub Bar
Ingredients: Commercial crafting soap base (Life of the Party Cool Soap Base, Soapcrafters
Glycerin Melt & Pour Clear, and Crafters Choice Natural White Melt and Pour Soap Base),
Polysorbate 20, contents of vitamin E capsules, kelp, Sweetcakes Juicy Lime Fragrance, Soap
Wizards Ocean Fragrance, Soapcrafters Ocean Fragrance, Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE),
food grade vanilla extract (vanilla bean extractives in water, alcohol, corn syrup), Tea Tree Oil
, cosmetic grade colorants. Canola Harvest cooking spray used for mold release.
Relaxing Bath Salts
Ingredients: Orange EO, Cedarwood EO, Bergamot EO, Patchouli EO, Basil EO, Palmarosa
EO, Rosemary EO, Lemongrass EO, Lavender EO, baking soda,coarse sea salt, Dead Sea
salt.
Instructions: Mix up a bend of the essential oils listed and store it in a glass container. In a
medium sized mixing bowl, add 1 cup baking soda,1 cup coarse sea salt, and 1/2 cup Dead
Sea salt. Add two eyedroppers full of the essentialoil mixture and mix well. Break up any
lumps with a fork.
Foot Soak Bath Salts
Ingredients: Epsom salt, sea salt, baking soda, seafoam green liquid soap colorant,
Soapcrafters Pine Forest Fragrance, Eucalyptus fragrance oil.
Foot Soak Bath Salts II
Ingredients:

o 2/3 cup epsomsalt
o 2/3 cup sea salt
o 1/3 cup baking soda
o 20 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
o 20 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
o 10 drops seafoamgreen liquid soap colorant
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small glass mixing bowl. Use a fork to break up any lumps. Stir
and break up lumps periodically for a day or two until mixture is dry. Store in a closed glass
container. Dissolve about a 1/4 cup in a basin of hot water and soak your feet whenever they
feel like they need a bath,after a hike for example. I don't know how it makes your whole
body feel good, not just yourfeet, but it does.
Mega Flora Bath Salts
Ingredients: Epsom salt, sea salt, baking soda, lilac liquid soap colorant, yellow liquid soap
colorant, Gardenia Fragrance, vanilla lavender fragrance.
Peppermint Lemongrass Lip Balm
Ingredients: All-Natural Lip Balm Base, beeswax, sweetenerand Peppermint Lemongrass
flavor oil.
Salt Dough Leaf Ornament
I like to make these to tie onto my
gift packages. It makes the gift look
more festive plus the recipient can later
hang it in a closet or some other place where
they would want a nice scent.
Ingredients: Chopped dried herbs
(sage, rosemary, and spearmint), flour,
salt, wallpaper paste,food coloring,
Northwoods fragrance oil,
Cedarwood essentialoil, watercolor paints and
crayons, dye-based rubber stamp ink. The
double spiral rubber stamp is from my own
collection.

Berry Good Soap Bar
Party Moisturizing Clear Glycerin Soap, Soapcrafters
Opaque Glycerin, and Crafters Choice Natural White
Melt and Pour Soap Base), Polysorbate 20, bayberry
fragrance, vanilla fragrance, strawberry fragrance, and
pearberry fragance, cosmetic grade colorants.
Canola Harvest cooking spray used for mold release. 70%
rubbing alchohol used for soap layer adhesion and bubble
reduction.
Instructions:
1. Mix three color batches of approx. 1/2 cup to 3/4
cup each. Start with white opaque melt and pour
soap base and add colorants of yourchoice. For
this project I used yellow-green (which looks all
yellow in the finished bar), peach, and magenta.
Pour each color into a separate container and let
harden. You can use soap molds for this, or in
order to save wear and tear on your soap molds,
use clean plasic food containers.
2. Get yourloaf soap mold and spray the inside lightly with cooking spray. Wipe off the
excess with a clean paper towel. For this project I used the loaf mold made by Life of
the Party.
3. Place the mold on some kind of support that will keep it from rolling or moving
while the soap is hardening. Sets of cups of matching height work well, an old ice
tray is also handy for this.
4. When your colors are hardened through,cut them into chunks.Try to vary the size
and shape as you cut.
5. Fill the loaf mold with chunks, distributing the colors as much as you can. Fill the
mold all the way to the top. It's okay if pieces project higher than the top of the mold
- you can trim those pieces off later if you want. At about 1/3 full, spritz the chunks
with alchohol or Bubble Buster. Repeat at 2/3, and again when full.
6. Melt enough clear melt and pour base to fill a 2-cup measuring cup. Add some
opalescent soap glitter, and one drop of red or magenta liquid soap color. I used
about 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp Polysorbate 20 to theoretically help keep the soap glitter
suspended.It's usually used for helping things like fragrance and water mix together,
but on a whim I added some to see if it would help suspend the glitter since I read
that it helps to disperse things. I'm no chemist as you can tell! I'd have to do another
similar batch without it to see if it actually did anything. Stir slowly to avoid adding

excess air bubbles.
Add the fragrance:
Refer to the manufacturers instructions for guidance on amounts.
2 Parts bayberry FO
1 Part pearberry FO
1 Part strawberry FO
1 Part vanilla FO
7. When the mixture is mixed fully, and starts to cool enough to form a skin on top,
remove the skin with a spoon,set it aside, and pour the rest of the mixture into the
mold. Pour slowly and steadily until the mold is full. Gently tap the sides to dislodge
any bubbles and allow them to float to the top. Use the alchohol or Bubble Buster to
break bubbles on the surface.
8. Let the mold sit undisturbed until the soap is hard. Such a large chunk of soap might
take several hours to harden completely. To be safe wait until it has cooled off
completely and then wait some more. It will be worth the wait!
9. Pop the loaf out of the mold, slice, and enjoy!
Icy Clean Soap Bar
Party Moisturizing Clear Glycerin Soap and Avocado
Cucumber opaque soap base,Soapcrafters Opaque
Glycerin, and Crafters Choice Natural White Melt and
Pour Soap Base), Life of the Party "Spa" fragrance (I
don't know what they really call it but it came with the
Spa Indulgence embossed soap bar kit), Life of the Party
Spruce fragrance, cosmetic grade colorants.
rubbing alchohol sprayed on for soap layer adhesion and
bubble reduction.
Instructions:
1. Mix up and harden up two or three batches of colors to use for inserts. For the soap
pictured I made a batch of opaque pale blue, a batch of clear darker blue with dark
blue coloring and blue irridescent powdered color, and a third batch made of
leftovers from the first two mixed togetherand fortified with more blue coloring.

2. Choose a large container to use as a mold. A plastic storage box or a loaf mold would
be a good choice. Spray the inside of the container lightly with cooking spray,and
wipe off the excess with a paper towel.
3. After the color chunks are hard, cut curls from them. The size and shape of the curls
will depend on the size of the soap chunks and tool you use for the cutting. For the
soap you see in the picture, I used the large end of a melon baller to cut out the curls.
4. Place the curls in the mold, mixing up the colors as well as you can. Spray from time
to time with a rubbing alcohol spritz or Bubble Buster.
5. Fill a 2-Cup glass measuring cup with melted white opaque melt and pour soap base.
Add a bit of white pearlized powder colorant. Add the fragrance:
Refer to the manufacturers instructions for guidance on amounts.
1 part Spruce fragrance
1 part "Spa" fragrance
6. When the mixture is mixed fully, and starts to cool enough to form a skin on top,
remove the skin with a spoon,set it aside, and pour the rest of the mixture into the
mold. Pour slowly and steadily until the mold is full. Gently tap the sides to dislodge
any bubbles and allow them to float to the top. Use the alcohol or bubble busterto
break bubbles on the surface.
Santa Fe Ranch Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial crafting melt and pour soap
base,food grade vanilla extract, soap fragrance (My notes
on this one are more vague than I'd like but it's probably
Woodsmoke, Sweetgrass, and Desert Sage), cosmetic
grade colorants.
Helpful Hint #2 - Why did I use food grade vanilla extract
in thissoap bar? In thiscase it's because I wanted the
white soap that forms the background for the Kokopelli
figure to be more creamy white and not stark bright white.

Vanilla extract will give a nice hint of color, and a very small hint of fragrance that is not
likely to clash with anything.The food grade vanilla extract is not strong enough to make
much of a vanilla fragrance on it's own, if I was aiming for a strong vanilla fragrance I would
use a vanilla soap fragrance with it. Many vanilla fragrances reportedly also discolor soap,
so if you're not sure if yours does, do a small test first.
Bath Fizzies
Bath Fizzies are like big Alka Seltzer tabs for your bath.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of Baking Soda
1/2 cup of Citric Acid
Witch Hazel in a fine mist sprayer
Fragrance or essentialoils of your choice
Powdered or liquid colorants of your choice
Cooking spray for mold release
First, put baking soda and citric acid in a large bowl. If
you're using powdered colorant, add it and mix dry
ingredients well. If you are using liquid colorant, add it,
mix and break up any lumps that form. Add whatever fragrance or essential oils you want,
using your nose as guide to how much to add, mix, and break up any lumps that form. Repeat
until there are no more lumps.
Prepare your mold by spraying lightly with cooking spray and wiping with a paper towel to
remove the excess oil. Begin wetting down the mixture by spraying witch hazel into the bowl
and mixing with a spoon.Spray about three or four times, mix and check consistency.Repeat
until mixture just barely starts to clump together.Be careful not to add too much Witch Hazel
at one time, if you add too much the mixture will start to fizz too early. Pack mixture into
mold cavities, pop out after about 10 minutes and spritz with a little Witch Hazel to harden up
the surface. Store in a dry place until ready to use.
Honey and Oatmeal Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial crafting
melt and poursoap base,honey, food grade vanilla
extract, contents of Vitamin E capsules, Beeswax and
Honey fragrance, powdered oatmeal.

Coffee Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial crafting melt and pour soap
base,some leftovers from Honey and Oatmeal soap
above, food grade vanilla extract, vanilla fragrance,
hazelnut fragrance, coffee bean fragrance (Soap Crafters),
dark portion infused with flavored hazelnut cream coffee
(arabica coffee beans,malt extract, nut extract, vanillin,
artificial hazelnut flavor).
And by mixing leftovers from Honey and Oatmeal and Coffee together,I ended up with
Coffee Dessert!
Lime Delight Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial crafting soap base (the clear portion is Crafter's Choice Extra Clear),
fragrance (Masculine Musk, Green Tea (Soap Crafters), Leather, Juicy Lime, Coconut,and
Amber), cosmetic grade colorants.
Canola Harvest cooking spray used for mold release. 70% rubbing alchohol sprayed on for
soap layer adhesion and bubble reduction.
1. Mix up a small batch of opaque lime green soap and add some complementary
pearlized powders. Pour the mixture into the cavities of a citrus slices mold. The
flexible mold I used was sold as an ice cube tray, and although I'm not sure if they
are exactly the same, I've seen similar molds on a soap supply web site.
2. Get a multi cavity bar soap mold and spray it lightly with cooking spray. Wipe off
the excess with a clean paper towel. I used a mold of two circles and two ovals made
by Life of the Party.
3. Place the mold on some kind of support that will keep it from rolling or moving
while the soap is hardening. Sets of cups of matching height work well.
4. Pop the lime slices out of the flexible mold and place the pieces near the soap bar
mold. Timing is important in the next step,and having your materials near will help.
Get yourbottle of rubbing alcohol or Bubble Buster ready as well.
5. Melt some clear soap base and add fragrance: I used 1 part Amber, 1 part Juicy Lime,
and one part Coconut. (I used some leftovers from anotherbatch in this project, and
the colored portions already contain some Juicy Lime, Leather, Green Tea, and
Masculine Musk fragrance.)

any bubbles that might be on the surface. Add some lime pieces - two of mine fit in
the round cavity, three fit in the oval cavity. Repeat for each cavity.
7. Let the soap sit until the clear is just barley hard. Then spritz with the alchohol or
Bubble Buster, then add another layer of clear to just cover the lime slices. In my
mold, this filled the round cavities completely, but there was still some room for
anotherlayer in the oval cavities.
8. To add anotherlayer and finish up the bars, let the soap sit again until the second
clear layer is barely hard. Spritz with the alcohol or Bubble Buster, and add a layer of
a contrasting color or clear. I used a pearly white.
El Don Soap Bar
Ingredients: Commercial crafting melt and pour soap base,
cosmetic grade colorants,soap fragrance (Leather,
Masculine Musk, Juicy Lime, Green Tea (Soap Crafters),
Sandalwood, Frankincense, Myrhh).
rubbing alchohol sprayed on for soap layer adhesion and
bubble reduction.
This batch was made mostly from leftovers that already had
some fragrance in it. I added some extra Frankincense and
Sandalwood during Step 3. All of the color mixes I used in
this soap were opaque.
1. Mix up a batch of light brown soap, about the color of hot chocolate. Pour into a
container and let it harden.
2. Cut curls from the light brown with a melon baller or your curl-cutting tool of choice.
Fill a suitable container or loaf mold with the curls, spraying periodically with
rubbing alcohol or Bubble Buster. I used a large yogurt container for this project.

3. Mix one batch of pearly white soap and one batch of pearly green soap in separate
glass measuring cups.You'll be pouring these two colors simultaneously, so try to
melt them at the same time and get them to the same state of liquidity at the same
time. It doesn't have to be exact, just close. Add fragrance now.
4. Let the two melted batches start to form a skin on top.
5. Remove the skin, then pourboth batches at the same time, one on each side of the
mold. Don't move the cups much while you pour if you want a two-tone effect like
my sample.
6. Gently tap the sides to dislodge any bubbles and allow them to float to the top. Use
the alcohol or Bubble Buster to break bubbles on the surface.
Citrus Mint Potpourri
Ingredients: mandarin orange peel, home grown peppermint leaves, home grown lemon basil
leaves, Orange Spice Fragrance Oil, scented salt dough strips (flour, salt, cornmeal, cosmetic
grade powdered coloring, Lemongrass essentialoil, Peppermint essential oil).
Here are the steps to make it:
1. Wash and peel a bunch of mandarin oranges.Cut the peels into strips, and let them
dry on a cookie sheet until they are crisp. Eat the oranges (yum!).
2. Put the peels into a large container such as a cooking pot or big salad bowl. Add a
few drops of Orange Spice fragrance oil. Stir it up and let it sit for a few days with a
cover on it. Stir it every once in a while.
3. Add a handful or two of dried whole Peppermint leaves and dried whole Lemon Basil
leaves. I grew these,but you can probably buy them from an herb supplier. These are
really easy to grow yourself if you want to. I can say from experience that in the St.
Louis area climate you will soon have mass quantities of them with no effort at all!

4. Mix up a batch of salt dough,and if you care about making it look pretty add some
yellow coloring. Add a few drops of Peppermint and Lemongrass essentialoils.
5. Roll out the dough into a sheet,cut it into strips,and let the strips dry. Add them to
your mix when done.
6. Put the Potpourri into the bags or containers of your choice. For this batch I used
drawstring muslin bags which I first dyed with tea, then rubber stamped with fabric
ink.
Sunny Apple Potpourri
Ingredients: Home-grown Korean Hyssop (Agastache rugosa), Chamomile flowers*, home-
grown Pennyroyal**, Orris Root Powder, Life of the Party Apple Fragrance, and Star Anise
essentialoil.
*NOTE: The supplierfrom where I ordered the flowers says on their web site that it can be
used for herbal tea, but after I ordered it I found out that was not the case, it's of a grade for
external use only. So I will be using it in bath teas, potpourri,and things like that.
**NOTE: Before using Pennyroyal for anything (especially do not use internally),please read
up on cautionsassociated with it's use. Here is an example: Pennyroyal.
Laundry Soap
Save up small soap bar scraps and motel soaps and make laundry soap out of them!
Ingredients:
Bar soap scraps
Water
Borax
Optional: Fragrance oils or essential oils
Instructions:
Chop soap bar scraps into 1" pieces and put into a large plastic bucket. Add enough water to
cover and make it easy to blend. Blend with a stick blender until mixture is reasonably
smooth, adding more water as needed.Add powdered Borax until the mixture is like a
milkshake. If you want to, add fragrance or essentialoils.
Carpet Freshener
The Borax in this recipe is not strictly necessary,but it is said to dry up flea eggs so it might
be useful to add it.
Ingredients:
2 heaping tsp Borax
8 heaping tsp Baking Soda
20 drops fragrance or essentialoils of your choice
Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in bowl and break up any lumps. Pour into a container with a shaker top - I
use a sugar dispenser.Sprinkle on carpet, let sit for several hours and vacuum up.
Bath Tea
*Ingredients:Calendula flowers, Chamomile flowers, Rose Hips, Red Clover, Eucalyptus
leaves.
*NOTE: The supplierfrom where I ordered the flowers and herbs says on their web site that it
can be used for herbal tea, but after I ordered it I found out that was not the case, it's of a
grade for external use only.So I will be using it in bath teas, potpourri,and things like that.
All of the ingredientsI used are from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Instructions: A few minutes before you draw your bath, put a handful of bath tea into a pot,
cover with two or three cups of water, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off heat. Strain out
the herbs and add the liquid to your bath right before you get in.
Lotion for Acne-Prone Skin
This mixture alone did not cure my acne (after years of trying different things something I
have to take internally did the job), but it seems to help skin to heal quickly.
Ingredients:
Witch Hazel
Dried Chamomille flowers
Dried Rose Hips
Dried Calendula flowers
Dried Lavender flowers
Dried Eucalyptus leaves
Instructions: Put dried herbs into a large glass jar and pour Witch Hazel over all. Shake well,
put on lid and store in refrigerator. You can start using it right away, but the longer it steeps
the strongerit will get.When you're ready to use some, strain a portion into a small glass jar
and apply to skin with cotton pad.
I try to get everything I can out of the strained out herbs - I make a batch of bath tea with
them, then I put them on the garden for compost!
Facial Mask for Acne Prone Skin
Ingredients:
Make a selection of one or more from this list of dried herbs: Bay, Calendula, Chamomille,
Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Marjoram, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme,
Wintergreen, Yarrow, Yucca root.
Fuller's Earth Clay
Moroccan Rhassoul Clay
Aloe juice
Witch Hazel water
Instructions: Put a selection of dried herbs from the list above into a spice grinder and grind
into a powder. Store this powder in a labeled glass jar in a dark place. To one cup of Fuller's
Earth clay, add 1 tsp of herb mixture and 1 tsp of Moroccan Rhassoul Clay. Store this mixture
in a labeled glass jar also. When ready to use, wet down a quantity of clay mixture with Witch
Hazel water, fresh Aloe juice or a combination of those,and spread on face. Leave on until
dry then rinse off.

Body Spray
Make to order with your favorite fragrance oil or blend. If you have problem skin, you can
customize with helpful essentialoils or add a blend that repels insects for outdoorfun. DO
NOT USE NEAR OPEN FLAME.
Ingredients:
1 oz vodka
1 oz water
2 ml fragrance oil or essentialoils of your choice
Instructions: Pour ingredients in a glass jar and shake well. You can store the mixture in the
glass jar until ready to use.Pour into a container with a spray cap to dispense.
Variation: I have to be careful about excessive use of cedarwood oil in my home because I
have a pet bird, but before I had the bird, I would make a cedarwood oil spray and apply it to
my dust mop when getting rid of spiderwebs in corners. I also sprayed it on house plants and
wiped it off with a cloth or soft fluffy paint brush to clean the leaves. It's one of my favorite
fragrances and it repels insects too.
Perfume
Ingredients:
1 part fragrance oils or essentialoils
6 parts carrier oil (Jojoba, Evening Primrose, Grapeseed, etc.)
Instructions: Mix togetherand pour into a small glass bottle.
Dusting Powder
Orris root powder is useful as a fragrance fixative, but it has a couple of drawbacks. Some
people are allergic to it, and it feels a bit grittier than the starch.If either of those qualities are
of concern to you,leave out the Orris Root Powder.
Ingredients:
1 part Orris Root Powder
3 parts Arrowroot Starch or Corn Starch
Fragrance or essentialoils
Instructions:
Mix ingredients well in a bowl and add fragrance or essentialoils a few drops at a time until
the fragrance smells right. Break up any lumps with a fork. Store in a dry place.
Variation: Some people add powdered dried herbs to their dusting powder. I tried that with
Calendula petals and found the mixture to be a bit gritty for my taste,but try it if you're
interested and see if it works for you.
Herbal Liquid Soap
I grow herbs and when I dry them and harvest the leaves for use in cooking and crafts, I have
a lot of stems left over. They are too tough to use in food and not attractive enough to use in
potpourri, but are deliciously fragrant so I try to find a use for them before they go on the
compost pile. For this recipe, I boiled the stems of lemon basil and peppermint to make a tea,
then used the resulting liquid to make liquid soap from concentrate.You know a batch is
successfulwhen you keep opening the bottle to smell it and you keep feeling your skin
because it's so soft - this is one of those batches!
Ingredients:
Herb stems
Essential oils and fragrance oils of your choice

Polysorbate 20 (optional)
Germaben II (optional)
Humectant (optional)
Aloe juice or powder (optional)
Goats milk powder (optional)
Liquid soap concentrate
Container with pump top
Instructions:
Put herb stems into a large cooking pot,cover with water, and bring to a boil. Let liquid cool.
Get a container that is large enough to mix liquid with a stick blender and fill it about half full
of the liquid, after straining out the herbs.If you want to use Polysorbate 20, Germaben II or
other preservative, Humectant, Aloe or Goats Milk powder, add those nowin amounts
recommended by the manufacturer. Add your chosen essentialoils or fragrance oils and mix
well with the stick blender. I used a blend of Black Pepper EO, Fresh Grass FO, Lemon EO
and Basil EO for mine - it smelled heavenly with the herbal fragrances already in the liquid. If
you want to use the soap for a special purpose such as skin care or killing germs, select the
appropriate essentialoils to add to your mix.
Start adding the liquid soap concentrate bit by bit, blending as you go, until the thickness is
right for dispensing from a pump-top container. The liquid will look opaque until the bubbles
settle out, then it will clear up to a beautiful tea color. Pour into a clear container to dispense.
Other suggestionsforusing dried herb stems:
o Make bath tea
o Break up and put in a cloth bag to scent your drawers, closets,or laundry when it's
tumbling in the dryer
o Soak in vinegar to make flavored vinegar
o Grind up in a spice grinder and mix with dough for fragrance pastilles
o Add to the fire while grilling food
o Put in a Potpourri crock pot to scent the house
4. Favorite Fragrance Blends
Blends such as these can be used to scent personalfragrance products,bath salts,pastilles or
sachets,candles,room spray, linen spray,carpet freshener, bath fizzes, soap,shampoo, lotion,
and more. Try some of these or make up your own blends.
1 part Clary
Sage EO*
1 part Ylang
Ylang EO
1 part
Bergamot EO
1 part
Sandalwood
FO*
2 parts
Patchouli EO
1 part Vanilla
Lavender FO
4 parts Green
Tea FO
3 parts
Masculine
Musk FO
3 parts Leather
FO
1 part Lime
FO
5 parts
Woodsmoke
FO
3 parts
2 parts
Cedarwood
EO
2 parts
Sandalwood
FO
1 part
Palmarosa EO
4 parts
Cedarwood
EO
2 parts
Rosemary EO
1 part Vetivert
EO
1 part Cypress
EO
2 parts Clary
Sage EO
2 parts
Cedarwood
EO
1 part
Hyacinth FO
1 part Fresh

1 part
Sandalwood
FO
2 parts Spiced
Bay FO
2 parts
Patchouli EO
1 part
Sandalwood
FO
1 part Baby
Powder FO
1 part Fresh
Linen FO
1 part Pine
Forest FO
1 part Allspice
FO
1 part
Patchouli FO
1 part Spiced
Bay FO
8 parts
Woodsmoke
FO
16 parts
Hazelnut FO
2 parts
Patchouli FO
2 parts Cedar
FO
1 part
Sweetgrass
FO
1 part Desert
Sage FO
2 parts Black
Pepper EO
1 part Fresh
Grass FO
1 part Basil
EO
1 part Lemon
EO
Hazelnut FO
2 parts Fresh
Grass FO
1 part
Oakmoss FO
1 part
Mandarin
Dreams FO
7 parts
Coconut FO
4 parts Lime
FO
1 part
Cucumber
Melon FO
1 part
Sandalwood
FO
1 part
Lemongrass
EO
1 part Vanilla
FO
1 part
Lavender FO
1 part
Sandalwood
FO
1 part Orange
FO
1 part Pine
Forest FO
1 part Cedar
Chest FO
1 part
Lavender FO
2 parts
Cedarwood
EO
1 part
Lavender EO
1 part
Patchouli EO
1 part Vetivert
EO
8 parts
Cedarwood
EO
4 parts
Sandalwood
FO
2 parts Vanilla
FO
1 part
Masculine
Musk FO
1 part
Patchouli FO
1 part
Cedarwood
EO
1 part
Northwoods
FO
1 part
Lemongrass
FO
1 part Green
Tea FO
8 parts
Sweetgrass
FO
1 part
Woodsmoke
FO
1 part Fresh
Grass FO
1 part
Sandalwood
FO
Grass FO
1 part Pine
Forest FO
2 parts
Cedarwood
EO
4 parts
Cypress EO
4 parts
Northwoods
FO
20 parts Fir
Needle EO
1 part
Sandalwood
FO
1 part Ocean
FO
1 part Spruce
FO
1 part
Northwooods
FO
3 parts
Magnolia
1 part
Woodsmoke
1 part
Frankincense
1 part
Mandarin
Dreams

*EO - essential oil
*FO - fragrance oil
How to Create Your Own Fragrance Blends
I've found that creating a fragrance blend is in some ways similar to creating a piece of visual
artwork. First I familiarize myself with the materials, then I build up a collection of "tools"
that I like (in this case Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils are the tools), then I play with the
materials and wait for inspiration to strike - after inspiration hits, then I get a little more
organized with my activity.
When it's time for a new blend, first I get out my bottles and start sniffing. Certain ones will
inspire me more on certain days - just like you're in the mood for certain colors or flavors on
different days or different times of the year, you'll be in the mood for different fragrances at
different times. I pick one that will be the focus and then pick out two to five others that I
think will complement it.
Now it's time to start thinking about what proportions to use of each fragrance. If I want one to
dominate, I'll use more of that one.If some smell very dominant coming out of the bottle and I
don't want it to overwhelm the others,I'll use less of it. If it smells weak coming out of the
bottle, I'll use more of it. At this point I jot down what I think the proportions will be - 2 parts
this, 5 parts that, etc.
Now it's time to test this mix to see how it performs. You can mix a small batch and put it in a
glass bottle with some carrier oil or vodka, and test it out.Another way to test is to dispense a
small amount of your blend from an eyedropperonto a coffee filter, then put the filter in a
glass jar let sit for awhile, then sniff. If you like it, mix a bigger batch. If you think it needs
work, make adjustments and test again until you are satisfied. Always make sure not to put
fragrance or essentialoils on yourskin without diluting them first.
If you have any leftovers from your test batches,save them. Try blending some of these test
batches togetherlater - you might discover a great new combination!
Professional perfumers think in terms of Base Notes, Middle Notes and Top Notes. You can
make a chart of what fragrances you have available and what category they fit into and try to
make sure to include some of each in yourblend. Sometimes I do that,at other times I just let
my nose be the guide.
If you want to learn to blend fragrances "properly", there is a lot to learn, I've barely scratched
the surface of what there is to know. Perfumery would certainly be a worthy hobby for those
with the inclination to go further, and a rather glamorous one at that. Society figures
sometimes have customblends made just for them. You don't have to be an expert to make a
blend that pleases you and helps you to present yourself as uniquely you.
5. Useful Essential Oils and Herbs
I am not a doctor, herbalist, scientist, botanist,chemist or anything like that. My university degree is in
Fine Art. I think if you have a medical condition you should see a doctor. That said, I do like to
experiment with essential oils and herbs to make life more pleasant and make me feel betterwhen I
have a cosmetic issue or want to accomplish some specific aim around the house such as repelling
insects or making the closets smell good.Some "official" medications, cleaning and cosmetic products
are based on plant products,so their use as home remedies is not an unreasonable or unproductive
pursuit - it can be fascinating and very educational to study the useful properties of plants.Reading
about folk remedies of the past is also very interesting from a historical standpoint.Some folk remedies
I wouldn't think of trying, they seem more destructive than helpful, while others seem to be quite good.
It's very romantic and interesting to try to do things "the old way" but I think it's also important to keep

in mind that sometimes the old way was the only way so they did the best they could with what they
had and we might have something better now. Since useful plants and human beings have a long
history together, the names of the plants,whether common or scientific contain a lot of interesting lore
in themselves.
I initially acquired fragrance oils and essentialoils and dried herbs for the purpose of making soap,and
figured once I have them in stock why not see to what other uses they can be put? Some household
cleaning products and many cosmetic products that I used to buy I have replaced with my own
concoctions.I have listed uses gleaned from many different sources to which herbs and essential oils
have traditionally been put in case you are interested in doing yourown experimenting.
Safety Precautions
I do not sell any of my cleaning or cosmetic or fragrance craft products,I'm a hobbyist and do it for my
own use and enjoyment and learning. If you make products to sell, please make yourself familiar with
labeling laws so that you don't get in trouble or harm people. Some essentialoils and herbs can be
dangerous,and some that are safe if used correctly can be dangerous in excessive amounts or to people
who have allergies or certain medical conditions. You must take extra care to avoid accidental
poisonings if there are pets or children in the house. They are more sensitive than adult humans,
and even a small quantity of some essential oils or herbs can be fatal to a pet or a child (and
sometimes adults too). You should also be wary if you are pregnant or lactating.
Some preparations can get contaminated with mold or bacteria and become a safety hazard that way, so
please do research to make yourself aware of what products need a preservative and what kinds of
preservatives are safe and in what amounts. You will find a lot of varying opinions on that and it's an
issue you probably will have to do some reading on and make your own informed decision.
Essential oils can be very potent and should not be used directly on the skin unless mixed with
something as a carrier, such as soap or lotion or oil, and they are not for internal use. Plants that are
safe to use as food can be deadly in essential oil form. Too give you an idea of the potency,
undiluted essentialoils and fragrance oils can eat plastic (not to mention kill people in some cases),so
store your oils and blends in glass containers and label them carefully to avoid mixups. They can also
be flammable (that goes for fragrance oils too). The manufacturer should provide you with information
about what the flash point is. If you don't have an allergy to an essentialoil initially, it is possible to
develop one as a result of overexposure.
I have not included any herbs or essentialoils on this list that I know to be dangerous ifused in a
responsible way and I have used them all myself in various ways with no apparent ill effects, but I
would recommend that you do your own research before attempting to use them, especially if you're
allergy-prone. I have no allergies that I know of so I'm not a good test subject for allergens. You might
be much more sensitive to the following plant products than I am. Do not rely on the information in my
list alone, I have made an effort to make it accurate but it may not be complete and the information is
only as good as my sources.You will notice that many of the herbs on this list are culinary. Do not
assume that just because an herb is consumable that it is 100% safe in all uses and forms - Peppermint
essentialoil can burn if used in excess, too much Sage can cause liver damage and too much Nutmeg
can cause hallucinations, to cite a few examples. When you read different sources on herbs, you will
find varying opinions on safety and efficacy. To be safe, I recommend following the most conservative
opinion. Unfortunately asking a doctorfor advice may not help - my doctoris a traditional Western
medicine kind of doctorand he's aware of what herbal products I use,but he's not able to guide me
much because he mainly knows about "traditional" drugs.I'm not down on Western medicine at all -
my interest in herbs is not based on mistrust of the medical profession or commercial drugs and
preparations, though ofcourse they are not infallible either. I've found that in some cases,I can make
something at home for cosmetic use or cleaning that works just as well and either smells better, works
better, or is in some way superior to the commercial product. And at other times the commercial
product IS better and necessary.
You must be careful about your sources ofherbs and essential oils. I am not knowlegeable enough to
feel comfortable with wild harvesting herbs for my own use and I don't want to deplete populations of
wild plants, so I grow a lot of my own. Picking the wrong plant has proved fatal for some people. If I
grew it, I know exactly what it is and underwhat conditions it was grown and harvested.I know it's

free of pesticides and not mixed with anything else. You also want to avoid using plants from along the
roadside margins1. For essential oils and herbs you can't grow yourself, try to get them from a reputable
supplier. That is very subjective and difficult to quantify. I considerit a good sign if the supplier has
been in business awhile and has a good reputation,tells you the scientific name and country of origin of
each product,provides safety information about the products they sell, and when providing guidance
on safety or efficacy, is on the conservative side.
Anotherthing to keep in mind about herbs is that the amount of active ingredient in the plant can vary
depending on where it was grown, how it was grown, when it was harvested,what part of the plant you
use and possibly otherfactors that I'm not aware of. There is a good reason to try to synthesize drugs in
a lab - it's not necessarily just an excuse for pharmaceutical companies to make money off of us. An
incorrect dose can fail to help or kill outright. Some people believe that nature, God, or whatever you
want to call it created plants for our use and there are otherconstituents in the plant besides the active
ingredient that drug companies isolate or synthesize that we need for healing. I don't know if that's true
or not, but we are often told that vitamins we get from food are more easily used by the body than
vitamins we get from a pill, so it doesn't sound crazy to think that a whole plant might have benefits.
After all we know some herbs do contain vitamins and minerals. My advice is not to self-diagnose,
not to attempt to treat yourself with herbs for medical conditions, and be conservative,be fully
informed, and leave plenty of room for error if you do want to experiment with cosmetics and
fragance-oriented crafts.
I've had hours and hours of fun and learned a great deal from growing my own herbs, reading about
them and using them and essential oils in different ways. I enjoy learning about the use of plants
throughout human history and feeling a connection with our ancestors by learning about ancient
knowledge collected over time. I certainly don't know enough to be an expert - just a hobbyist. I must
stress again that if you're not careful, plants and plant products can also be injurious or deadly if
you mess with the wrong ones or use too much! I'll list my sources for information at the end of this
list, I urge you to do additional reading of sources you trust if the useful properties of plants are of
interest to you.
I've included information about how some of these plants perform in my garden. I live in a humid
continental type climate and the zone is listed as 5 or 6 depending on the source.More information
about some plants I grow in my garden is here, and photos of my garden are here.
Aloe - Aloe spp.
I don't know exactly what species of Aloe I have around the house,but the gel from the leaves is
wonderful for burns.I also use it as part of the liquid when I do a face mask treatment. Scientific tests
showthat is has anesthetic,antibacterial, and tissue restorative properties10.All Aloe plants have more
or less the same properties. The gel promotes the removal of dead skin and the stimulates the growth of
living cells12. Fresh gel is best but if you don't have the plant on hand you can purchase it in powdered
and liquid form. For external use only. It's easy to grow as a house plant.More information on Aloe
from Drug Digest.
Amyris - Amyris balsamifera
Anise - Pimpinella Anisum
This plant is in the same family as Queen Anne's Lace, parsely, carrots, lovage and fennel. It's a well-
known culinary herb and the crushed seeds are nice in tea as well. It's been traditionally used as a
remedy for digestive issues10.Anise is also used for it's fragrance. Fishermen like the oil as a fish
attractant.This plant is likely to attract Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars to your garden.
Essential oil cautions:Avoid when pregnant, not for children, possible skin irritant, sensitizing4.
Food Recipes with Anise Spice
 Morning Rampage
Basil (Sweet) - Ocimum Basilicum
Most of us know this herb as culinary, and it's also grown for it's fragrance, ornamental qualities, and
for use in cosmetics10.It is also thought to be helpful with a variety of disorders involving the

stomach6.It also has antibacterial properties12.There are many species and varieties of Basil available
other than Ocimum Basilicumand some are better for some uses than others.Other than Sweet Basil,
I've grown Lemon Basil (might be Ocimum × citriodorum) and Red Rubin Basil. In my experience
they will hybridize if you grow them near each other. In my opinion, Sweet Basil has the best flavor,
Lemon Basil is good in cooking and potpourri and tea, and Red Rubin Basil is best as a fragrance and
ornamental plant. Lemon Basil is the easiest of these to grow for me, it reseeds readily - once you have
it, you'll probably always have it unless you try to get rid of it, but I doubt you'll want to becasue it
smells so good!It attracts bees - I've seen praying mantises taking advantage by hanging out just below
the flowers to nab unsuspecting bees that landed.Essential oil cautions:Not for small children, avoid
sensitive skin, possible carcinogenic, hepatoxic4. More information on Basil from Pag-Hat's Garden
and From Nature With Love.
Food Recipes with Basil Herb
 Spinach Appetizers with Caraway and Basil
 Lemony Sandwich Spread or Veggie Dip
 Orange Poppyseed Salad Dressing
 Prickly Pear Fruit Salad Dressing
 Sweet Carrot Salad
 Mom's Best Mostaccioli
 Shrimp and Tomato Pizza
 Mini Artichoke Pizzas
 Steamed Salmon with Yogurt Dill Sauce
 Baked Salmon Sandwich
 Orange Lemon Basil Muffins
 Greek Seasoning
 Boca Pizza Burger
Bay - Laurus nobilis
The essentialoil may cause dermatitis in some persons10.It is said to be an astrigent, to aid digestion,
to reduce flatulence, to stimulate appetite, and to have narcotic properties, so use it sparingly6. Essential
oil cautions: Avoid when pregnant,possible skin irritant, potentially sensitizing4.
Food Recipes with Bay Leaves
 Garam Masala Spice Mix
 Split Pea Soup with Faux Bacon and Rosemary
Bergamot - Citrus bergamia
Essential oil cautions:Phototoxic, possible carcinogenic, possible skin irritant4. More information on
Bergamot essentialoil from Soapcrafters.
Black Pepper - Piper nigrum
Essential oil cautions:Possible skin irritant, high levels may damage kidneys4. More information on
Black Pepper essentialoil from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Calendula - Calendula officinalis
This plant is sometimes called "Pot Marigold" but it is not the same as the Marigolds from the Tagetes
family. The flower is edible and can also be used to make fabric dye10.Calendula tea is rich in
phosphorus and vitamin C. It is astrigent and reduces perspiration6.It is said to remove warts and
makes a good hair rinse for blondes and brunettes8.It has antiseptic properties and helps heal skin
irrations and injuries12. It is also recommended for external use as a painkiller7. In Native American
tradition, it is used for inflammations, sunburn,and skin disorders1.The seeds survive through the
winter in my climate. More information on Calendula from Drug Digest.
Camphor - Cinnamomum camphora

Essential oil cautions - potential toxic reaction. Possible convulsant,neurotoxic. Avoid when pregnant4.
Cardamom - Elettaria Cardamomum
The seeds are a culinary and aromatic herb and are said to help with digestion10.The seeds smell so
good that I once soaked them in a carrier oil then added bergamot to make a perfume. The results
where not overwhelming, but nice. If I could figure out how to get the fragrance more intense,I'd try
that combination again. Essential oil cautions:Possible skin irritant4.
Food Recipes with Cardomom Spice
 Morning Rampage
Catnip - Nepeta Cataria
You might want to grow this one to make yourown cat toys.I also drink a tea made from the leaves
and flowers when I think I need some help sleeping. Science has found evidence that the sedative effect
may be real, and it's regarded as safe by many though herbalist Michael Moore warns that it might
increase menstrual flow10. Catnip improves circulation and helps reduce fatigue from muscle
exhaustion12.A small percentage of people react to catnip as a stimulant rather than a relaxant6. Like
other members of the mint family it's easy to grow and attracts beneficial insects to the garden. More
information on Catnip from Drug Digest.
Cedarwood - JuniperusVirginiana
The essentialoil is one of my all time favorites. I have had to curb its use in cleaning and scenting the
house in areas where my pet bird spends his time because birds' respiratory systems are very sensitive.
When I hand-wash clothes, I like to put a couple drops in the rinse water. It's often an ingredient in
personal fragrance products I make for myself. Essential oil cautions: Avoid when pregnant,possible
skin irritant, phototoxicity, sensitizing4. More information on Cedarwood essential oil from From
Nature With Love.
Chamomile - Chamaemelum nobile,Matricaria recutita
Chamaemelum nobile,Roman Chamomile, is a perennial plant and Matricaria recutita,German
Chamomile is an annual. They look similar, but the Roman version has a strongerfragrance10. I have
tried to grow both and it is not easy in my area, I may not have enough sun or maybe it's too damp
here. I have never gotten enough to grow to harvest it, so I buy it also, but I have gotten the annual kind
to come back from seed a couple of times. The flowers are fragrant, smelling like apples, and very nice
in potpourri. Chamomile tea is very popular for relaxation, but if you have known sensitivities to
ragweed, chrysanthemums, or other members of the Compositae family you should be cautious about
possible allergic reactions10.Chamomile tea also makes a good rinse for blonde hair8. More
information on Chamomile from Drug Digest.
Cinnamon - CinnamonumZeylanicum
We all know Cinnamon as a spice, it's also a great fragrance. I like to add Cinnamon sticks to tea,
spiced coffee, and to my potpourri crock pot. Japanese researches have found that Cinnamon contains a
substance that kills fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms10. It is not recommended for pregnant
women12. Essential oil cautions:Skin, mucus membrane irritant, sensitizing. Avoid when pregnant and
with ulcers. Not for children. Use highly diluted4. More information about Cinnamon Leaf essentialoil
from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Food Recipes with Cinnamon Spice
 Pimp My Chocolate Pudding
 Spiced Pumpkin Muffins
 Health Nut Banana Muffins
 Three-Grain Porridge
 Cranberry Carrot Cake Muffins

Citronella - Cymbopogon nardusRendle
We mostly know Citronella oil as an insect repellent. In cosmetic use,it's used in perfumery, hair care,
soap,and it cleanses the sebaceous glands8.Essential oil cautions: Potentially sensitizing4.More
information on Citronella essentialoil from Soapcrafters.
Clary Sage - Salvia Sclarea
Leaves of Clary Sage can be used in food and tea. Clary oil is used commercially as a fragrance10. It
makes a good fragrance fixative8. Essential oil cautions: Avoid when pregnant, with endometriosis and
cancer. Potentially sensitizing4. More information on Clary Sage essentialoil from Wholesale Supplies
Plus.
Cloves - Syzygium aromaticum
The familiar spice has anesthetic and germicidal properties10.Clove oil can also be used against foot
fungus12.
Food Recipes with ClovesSpice
 Morning Rampage
Coffee - Coffea arabica Coffee is considered a fairly safe stimulant in small amounts and in excessive
amounts can have the following undesireable side effects - nervousness,insomnia, rapid and irregular
heartbeat, elevated blood sugar, elevated cholesterol, excess stomach acid and heartburn.James Duke,
Ph.D., a botanist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture rates 2 cups of coffee a day as a 2 on a scale
of 0 to 3 - "not real safe, not real poisonous"10.I gave up caffeinated coffee a few years ago because my
blood pressure was up a bit and I wanted to see if getting rid of caffeine would make it come down - it
did. I still enjoy the aroma and taste in decaffeinated beverages,and the fragrance can be nice in
scented crafts as well.
Coriander/Cilantro - Coriandrum sativum
The spice coriander is the dried seeds of this plant, and the foliage is the herb Cilantro. No one would
ever say the foliage is aromatic but it is delicious in some recipes. The ripe seeds have a nice smell and
flavor, and are said to aid digestion6.Cilantro does not like to be transplanted in the garden so I just let
it reseed itself year after year. It seems to be one of those plants that does betterwith benign neglect
rather than with being overly fussy with care.
Food Recipes with Coriander/Cilantro Herb and Spice
 Classic Hummus
 Pimento Crab Dip
 Morning Rampage
 Spicy Chicken Salad With Papaya
 Tex-Mex Rice with Shrimp, Corn and Lime
 Spice Roasted Squash and Onions
 Turkey, White Bean and Poblano Chili
Cypress - Cupressus sempervirens
Essential oil cautions:Avoid when pregnant, with high blood pressure and with cancer4.
Dill - Anethum graveolens
Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus spp.
Eucalyptus oil is used as a germicide, for respiratory ailments, and as an expectorant for coughs.The
oil also repels insects10.It may be used externally as a deodorant.Eucalyptus oil should not be used in

large quantities over long periods of time since it is difficult to eliminate from the kidneys 12.Essential
oil cautions: Avoid with high blood pressure and epilepsy. Not for small children4. More information
on Eucalyptus from Drug Digest and Soapcrafters.
Evening Primrose Oil - Oenothera Biennis
I like this as a carrier oil for perfumes. Evening Primroses are really interesting plants.My Mom and
Dad had a 5-6 foot tall variety in their garden, which came from a wildflower mix, turned out to be a
biennial and did not reseed.It was fun to go out to their garden right before sunset and watch the
flowers spring open for night pollinators. I have a 1 1/2 foot tall variety in my garden that is a
perennial. There are so many plants in this family that I'm not sure what kind mine is. Avoid Evening
Primrose Oil if you have epilepsy1. More information on Evening Primrose from Drug Digest and
Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Fennel - Foeniculumvulgare
This plant is likely to attract Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars to yourgarden. All parts of the
plant are considered safe for human consumption but the oil of the seed can be irritating or dangerous
to those with allergies10. The seeds and roots are thought to be helpful for a variety of digestive issues 6.
The plant is a good source of Vitamin A12.Essential oil cautions: Avoid in pregnancy,epilepsy.
Potentially sensitizing4.
Food Recipes with Fennel Herb and Spice
 Baked Tilapia and Vegetables
 Mom's Best Mostaccioli
 Orange-Braised Fennel
 Roasted Vegetables With Fennel
 Roasted Fennel and Carrots
 Apple and Fennel Salad
Fir Needle - Abies Sibirica
More information about Fir Needle from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Ginger - Zingiber officinale
Traditionally used for stomach problems, digestion problems and nausea.I've found that drinking tea
made from the fresh root or eating crystalized ginger will sometimes help me with a headache.Ginger
promotes circulation10. Tastes good too! Essential oil cautions:Potential skin irritant, sensitizing,
phototoxic4. More information on Ginger from Drug Digest.
Food Recipes with Ginger Spice
 Spicy Chicken Salad With Papaya
 Cranberry Carrot Cake Muffins
Geranium - See Rose Geranium
Grapefruit - Citrus Paradisii
WheneverI eat a Grapefruit I like to put the peels in a potpourri crock pot with a covering of water and
enjoy the fragrance. Essential oil cautions:Potential skin irritant, sensitizing, possibly mildly
phototoxic4. More information on Grapefruit essentialoil from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Green Tea - Thea sinensis
Contains caffeine. Technically, only tea made from this plant should be called "tea",and all others are
really "herbal infusions",but in this guide I'm using "tea" to mean any herbal infusion, which is the
way most people use the word.
Gurjum Basalm - Dipterocarpus turbinatus

Used as a fragrance fixative.
Hops - Humulus lupulus
Hops are used in beer brewing for aroma, bitterness,and as a preservative. Hops also have a calming
effect, which can be too much for some people. There is speculation that the terms "Hopping Mad",
"Hopped Up" and "Hophead" come from bad experiences with this herb13.I have brewed myself some
hop tea and found the taste terrible and won't be doing it again unless it's for bath tea, but if you are
interested in trying it, drink it in moderation, avoid prolonged use,and avoid if you suffer from
depression 6.Hops are often recommended for use in sleep pillows. Making the pillow from quilted
fabric is supposed to quellthe rustling sound from the hop flowers. Hops also have antiseptic properties
and used externally as a hot poultice are said to reduce inflammation10. The oil in hop flowers goes
rancid quickly so I store my hops in the freezer to slow down deterioration. More information on Hops
from Drug Digest and Pag-Hat's Garden.
Horehound - Marrubium vulgare
Horehound tastes terrible unless it's sweetened heavily, but I can vouch for its effectiveness as a
remedy for sore throats and coughs.I made myself some Horehound candy once that worked as well if
not better than any cough drop I have ever used - and tasted better too.It's easy to grow and stays green
a long time in the fall, so it's always welcome in my garden. Like other members of the mint family it
attracts beneficial insects.It can be used as a wash for skin dermatitis conditions to promote healing12.
Large does can cause irregular heartbeat, and be careful not to confuse Marribum vulgare with Ballota
nigra which may be toxic in large quantities10.More information on Horehound from Drug Digest.
Hyssop - Hyssopus officinalis
I used to be able to grow this, but the last couple of years have been wetter and colder than normal and
maybe that's why I haven't had much luck lately. I keep Hyssop tea on hand to drink when I have a
cold. The taste is mild and inoffensive and if there is any medicinal effect it seems subtle to me.
Hyssop is mentioned in the Bible, but so many fragrant plants have Hyssop in the common name that
it's hard to say whether Hyssopus officinalis is the plant that was referred to. The leaves are used by
some to cure infection and promote wound healing, and Hyssop has also been used to dispel head lice8.
It also is believed to have anti-viral properties and has been used to reduce perspiration12.Essential oil
cautions:Avoid with high blood pressure,epilepsy, pregnancy.Possibly neurotoxic. Not for children 4.
More information on Hyssop from Pag-Hat's Garden.
Juniper - Juniperuscommunis
Should not be used internally as a medicine, only in small amounts as food. Some use it externally on
swellings, bruises, and sores 10.It has antiseptic qualities12. Juniper berries can be dried and strung like
beads - if you have traveled in the American Southwest you may have seen necklaces of Juniper berries
for sale. Avoid during pregnancy12.Essential oil cautions:Avoid extensive use on delicate skin, with
kidney or bladder disease, when pregnant.Potentially sensitizing4. More information on Juniper from
Drug Digest.
Food Recipes with JuniperBerries
 Sage and Juniper Vinegar
Kelp (Brown Seaweed)
Kelp granules and kelp powder can be added to skin care products,but if you do be aware that the
finished product will really smell like the sea and might be a little fishy. Adding a nice fragrance oil
can help mask the odor a bit if you don't like it. As a food, it's very nutritious and it sounds like it has
lots of possibilities as a nutraceutical. More information on Kelp from Drug Digest.
Korean Hyssop - Agastache Rugosa This is one of many plants that has "Hyssop" in the common
name but is not related to Hyssopus officinalis. Like other members of the mint family it's easy to grow
- one of the easiest plants of all time if you ask me. As a tea herb and culinary herb it has a mild taste.
The whole plant is very fragrant and it's joy to have in the garden for that reason and also because of
the wildlife it attracts - for example hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, bees and butterflies. I like to
use it as a potpourri base because the flowers and leaves dry well and I'm able to grow it in huge
quantities. More information on Korean Hyssop from Pag-Hat's Garden.

Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia
The flowers are very fragrant and the stems and leaves, although a little different, are fragrant also. The
dried flower buds are excellent in food and in tea, and Lavender's use in cosmetic products and
fragrances is legendary. The name lavender comes from Latin verb "to wash". It is said to be good for
repelling mosquitoes and for treating oily skin10.It is also said to helpful with insomnia, halitosis,
flatulence and a few other things6.Some people keep the flowers on hand to make tea for coughs7.
Lavender will grow in my climate but it's not easy to get it big enough to harvest the quantities I want
to use.Luckily there is a Lavender farm in my area where you can go pick the fresh blossoms for a fee.
More information on Lavender from Pag-Hat's Garden.
Food Recipes with LavenderFlowers
 Lavender Cookies
 Honey Lavender Pound Cake with White Chocolate Drizzle
 Lavender Blueberry Banana Bread
 Lavender Sugar
Lemon - Citrus Medica limonum
WheneverI eat a Lemon I like to put the peels in a potpourri crock pot witha covering of water and
enjoy the fragrance. Dried lemon powder makes a very pleasant-smelling exfoliant in a bar of soap.
Some use it to stop the bleeding of shaving nicks8 because it has blood-clotting ability, so give it a try
in shaving soap.Essential oil cautions:Potential skin irritant, sensitizing, phototoxic4. More
information on Lemon essentialoil from From Nature With Love.
Lemongrass - Cybopogon flexuosus
Essential oil cautions:Avoid when pregnant, not for children, possible skin irritant, sensitizing4.
Lemon/Lime Balm - Melissa officinalis
I grow both a lemon and lime variety. The dried leaves are great in potpourri, though you might want to
boost the scent with fragrance or essentialoils, and are very mild and inoffensive in flavor if added to
teas and food. If there is any medicinal effect, it's not enough to be noticeable by me. It may have mild
sedative,antiviral and antiseptic properties10.Like othermembers of the mint family it's easy to grow
and attracts beneficial insects to the garden. In my climate it's one of the easiest plants to grow that I've
ever seen. The name Melissa, the Greek word for bees, reflects the use of the herb as an attractant for
bee swarms. If you raise bees, you might want to try growing it and rubbing it in your hives as the
ancients used to do. Essential oil cautions: Possible skin irritant, avoid when pregnant4.More
information on Lemon Balm from Drug Digest and Pag-Hat's Garden.
Food Recipes with Lemon/Lime Balm
 Lemony Sandwich Spread or Veggie Dip
 Quinoa and Cucumber Salad
 Tomato-Tomatillo Salad
 Roasted Beet Salad
 Baked Eggplant with Peanut Sauce
 Lemon-Lime Butter Cookies
Lime - CitrusAurantifolia
WheneverI eat a Lime I like to put the peels in a potpourri crock pot witha covering of water and enjoy
the fragrance. More information on Lime essential oil from Wholesale Supplies Plus.
Marjoram - Origanum Majorana

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