Pumpkin Celebration

To celebrate Thanksgiving, Pumpkin Celebration is in the shop.  Some of my friends and family members have already tried this soap, and they all love it.  Although I love all my soaps, I must admit this is one of my favorites.

Weight: Approx. 5+ oz.*

Autumn is my favorite season, mostly because with the changing of leaves comes PUMPKINS! This soap not only smells like your favorite pumpkin spices, it also contains actual pumpkin from my local Farmers Market. Pumpkin contains lots of anti-oxidant vitamins A and C, as well as zinc and beneficial alpha-hydroxy acids. Celebrate autumn and pumpkins year round with this fabulous soap.

This soap also features:

Olive oil, which attracts moisture, holding it to the skin and allowing the skin to produce its natural oils

Avocado oil, which contains vitamins A, D, & E, protein, amino acids, chlorophyll, glycerides. easily absorbed by skin, regenerates skin cells and softens tissue. Avocado oil helps moisturize and regenerate skin.

Sweet Almond oil is very mild and it helps soften and condition the skin.

Jojoba oil (actually a liquid wax) works a greaseless moisturizer for the skin and works with the skin’s natural ability to control moisture

Shea Butter is very gentle. It soothes and softens the skin and helps replenish dry and chapped skin.

Coconut oil, which also has moisturizing properties in the right amount (too much can be drying). Coconut oil also adds a nice creamy lather to this soap.

Palm oil, works well with coconut oil for a creamy lather.

Ingredients: Distilled water; Lye*;* Olive oil; Coconut oil; Palm oil; Avocado oil; Sweet almond oil; Shea butter; jojoba oil; Pureed Pumpkin; Cinnamon; Cloves; Pumpkin Spice Fragrance oil

* Due to the handmade nature of my soaps, each bar is slightly different.

** No lye remains in final product.

Have your own Pumpkin Celebration:  $5.50

Flowers I Gathered

I made this soap using the same basic recipe as the "Oh Baby" soap to make a very gentle soap. The difference is I added essential oils (Litsea Cubeba, Ylang-Ylang, and Bergamot) for fragrance and some dried flowers for texture (chrysanthemum flowers and rosehips). The flowers on top help produce a nice lather and feel cleansing against your skin. This is a very unique soap, offered only by Gather a Lather.

Buy Yours:  $5.00

This soap features:
Avocado oil, which contains vitamins A, D, & E, protein, amino acids, chlorophyll, glycerides. easily absorbed by skin, regenerates skin cells and softens tissue. Avocado oil helps moisturize and regenerate skin.
Sweet Almond oil is very mild and it helps soften and condition the skin.
Jojoba oil (actually a liquid wax) works a greaseless moisturizer for the skin and works with the skin’s natural ability to control moisture
Shea Butter is very gentle. It soothes and softens the skin and helps replenish dry and chapped skin.
Coconut oil, which also has moisturizing properties in the right amount (too much can be drying). Coconut oil also adds a nice creamy lather to this soap.
Palm oil, works well with coconut oil for a creamy lather.
Ylang-Ylang essential oil: Used in skin treatments to help with inflamation
Chrysanthemum tea: Used in skin treatments to help with acne.
Ingredients: Distilled water, Chrysanthemum tea, lye**, Coconut oil, Palm oil, Avocado oil, Sweet almond oil, Shea butter, Jojoba oil, Litsea Cubeba essential oil, Ylang-Ylang essential oil, Bergamot essential oil, dried chrysanthemum flowers, rosehips
* Due to the handmade nature of my soaps, each bar is slightly different.
** No lye remains in final product.

Oh Baby!

I have a precocious little 10 month old, and I made this soap to meet her skincare needs. Babies have sensitive skin and usually a light water bath is sufficient for keeping them clean, but occasionally a baby needs a bit more. I’ve always been skeptical about using commercial baby products on my baby. Why use a product that contains ingredients you can’t pronounce? My solution was to make my own soap using extra mild ingredients such as sweet almond oil and shea butter. This soap has been tested on a real baby (my own), and it works great on her soft and delicate baby skin. Use it on your baby or on yourself, Or I'll wrap it for you as a baby shower gift.

Purchase Oh Baby!

You may have noticed a handknit washcloth in these soap pictures.  In addition to soapmaking, I also knit and crochet.  I made this washcloth as a gift for my sister, along with some special Pumpkin Celebration soap.  In the future I plan to add some handmade washcloths to my Gather a Lather store.

Soapstress in Action

Pink Flower Garden in the Shop

Purchase Pink Flower Garden Now

Weight: Approx. 3 oz.*

My mom is deathly allergic to anything containing coconut oil, so I made this soap with her in mind. This soap contains no coconut oil, and smells very floral. It’s a great soap for those who are sensitive to coconut oil.
Olive oil, which attracts moisture, holding it to the skin and allowing the skin to produce its natural oils
Castor oil is a humectant which attracts and helps the skin retain moisture. This also gives the bar the steady and smooth lather you would want from shampoo.
Avocado oil, which contains vitamins A, D, & E, protein, amino acids, chlorophyll, glycerides. easily absorbed by skin, regenerates skin cells and softens tissue. It is great for skin and hair.
Palm oil gives the soap a creamy lather.
Ingredients: Water, lye**, Olive oil, Palm oil, Castor oil, Soybean oil, Fully hydrogenated palm oil, Partially hydrogenated palm and soybean oils, Avocado oil, Mono and Diglyserides, TBHQ and Citric acid (antioxidents), Fragrance oil, Fusha lab color
* Due to the handmade nature of my soaps, each bar is slightly different.
** No lye remains in final product
 
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Check back later this week to see new soaps that will be coming to the shop in November!

Gather a Lather and the Big Stitch

For those of you who find your way here from the Knit and Crochet Tennessee blog, here's some pictures of the soap samples that will be in the goody bags Saturday:

Everyone will get a sample of one of the following soaps:  Gather a Sunbeam (White very light fragrance), Rooibos Scrub (Speckled), or  Pink Flower Garden (can be either white or pink).  Each sample is at least half an ounce of soap, and I hope you like it.

In addition to samples I have donated a gift basket for a doorprize:

Pictured (starting at the top left and working clockwise):  Pink Flower Garden, Gather a Shampoo, Rooibos Scrub, and Gather a Sunbeam. 

Now for those of you who live in the Nashville area and do not know about the Big Stitch, I'll give you a little more information.  The Big Stitch is hosted by Knit and Crochet Tennessee, and brings together knitters and crochetiers to work on charity projects.  Saturday is Make a Difference Day, and we will be gathering to donate and work on hats, which will go to various charities.  We're making chemo hats for cancer patients, hats for homeless shelters, and hats for sick or premature babies.  It's a fun and exciting time, and if you knit and/or crochet you should come.  Also if you want to learn how to knit or crochet, there are always folks there who are willing to teach.

As for me, I'll be there on Saturday, if you want to come say "Hi."  Here's a picture of some of the hats I've made (because if you came here with the Big Stitch in mind, you probably also like looking at fiber art):

The ones on the left and the turqoiuse one are knitted.  That's the Photography Hat on Ravelry, and it's a very fun knit.  As you can see, I enjoyed knitting it so much, I made four of them.  The baby hats (brown, flower, and pointy) are all crocheted.  I did my own thing on each of those, and I'm not even sure I could tell you what I did.

Rooibos Scrub in the shop

Remember Rooibos Scrub? I've been using a sample bar for the past couple of nights, and I really really like it.  Now you can purchase your own Roobios scrub through my Etsy shop.

This soap uses organic rooibos tea as its base and ground rooibos tea to add texture and scrubbing power. Rooibos contains alpha hydroxy acid zinc, and vitamin C which are all good for your skin. Rooibos has long been used in traditional African medicine to treat a variety of skin problems. Similar to green tea, rooibos tea contains beneficial antioxidants, but unlike green tea, there is no caffeine and much less tanic acid


This soap also contains:

Olive oil, which attracts moisture, holding it to the skin and allowing the skin to produce its natural oils.

Coconut oil, which also has moisturizing properties in the right amount (too much can be drying). Coconut oil also adds a nice creamy lather to this soap.

Palm oil, works well with coconut oil for a creamy lather.

Avocado oil, which contains vitamins A, D, & E, protein, amino acids, chlorophyll, glycerides. easily absorbed by skin, regenerates skin cells and softens tissue. Avocado oil helps moisturize and regenerate skin.

Jojoba oil (actually a liquid wax) works a greaseless moisturizer for the skin and works with the skin’s natural ability to control moisture

Castor oil is a humectant which attracts and helps the skin retain moisture

Fragrance oil (provides no added skin care benefits) adds a citrus fragrance with Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, and added hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne


Ingredients: organic rooibos tea, olive oil, lye (No lye remains in final product. This is used in the chemical reaction to make soap.), coconut oil, palm oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, castor oil, fragrance oil