Late Night Soap Shop

Tonight, I'm at the shop making soap pretty late.

Here I am drilling my mold back together.  There were some problems with the last batch getting the slab of soap to come lose.  I had to break down part of the mold to get it out.

Now I'm lining the mold.  Getting the paper nice and straight!

I melt my oils individually and pour them all into the big soap bucket.  Here I'm doing olive oil.  You can see the big can of olive oil on the table.

After blending the oils and lye water (in this case lye beer because this is a batch of beer soap) the soap starts to reach trace.  A little more blending and we should be good!

Finally, the soap is ready to be poured into the mold!  After this, I wait a little bit until the soap solidifies to the point that it isn't liquid anymore.  Then I'm able to plastic wrap the mold and cover it with layers of towels to slowly cool.

If you are in the area driving by after hours and notice the open sign is still on, odds are there is soap making going on.  Stop in and see the soap making in action!

House of Plush

Fall is coming.  That means brisk weather and chilly nights curled up on the couch.  Drinking hot cocoa.  With this little guy:

Doesn't he look snuggly?

Or maybe you want to snuggle this little guy:

Don't worry, there are other Halloween plushies for you to snuggle as well.

Check out more at House of Plush.

Let me know you bought something and I'll send you a coupon code for the Halo Soap Etsy shop!

Soap Savers: Free Soap Giveaway

I hate throwing away soap.  Even when it comes down to the last sliver, I try to mash it with a new bar to use every ounce of soapy goodness.

But sometimes it doesn't work.  Then you need a soap saver.

Now, you may be asking your self "where is this free soap deal is coming in"?  Well, I'll tell you.  Through the end of September, if you purchase a soap saver from this Etsy shop,  you will get a free bar of Halo Soap bar soap.  All you have to do is email me a copy of your transaction, I will confirm with the seller, and you'll get a bar of handmade soap shipped to your door step!  Pretty cool, huh?

Now start buying up those soap savers!

It's Always Time for Wrist Warmers!

I love wrist warmers.  I love wearing them, making them, gifting them... and it's always wrist warmer season!  Do you have a job where you are always in a cold office building no matter the outside temperature?  Wear wrist warmers.  Do you want to spunk up an outfit with a funky accessory? Wear wrist warmers.

Speaking of wrist warmers, here is a great place to buy them!  They are wonderfully priced and best of all they are handmade.  Buy purchasing any of these wrist warmers, you are helping an American artist.  Stop sending your money to China and Indonesia by purchasing crap from Wal-Mart!  Instead, buy some of these:

Purple Soap on Etsy

I've recently come across some gorgeous looking soap on Etsy.  I wanted to make a treasury featuring all of these lovely soaps.  Here they are! (Click on the pictures to view each listing and purchase these soaps.)

New Totes at Halo Soap

Mom came in with some new tote designs the other day!  You can order these through Etsy.  Or you can order these through the Halo Soap website but it will just re-direct you to Etsy.  Or order them through this blog!  Which again, will re-direct you to Etsy, but it's much easier to shop from this one page and choose a tote you like, don't you think?

I'll be sending out some coupons and discount offers through my email newsletter soon.  If you haven't joined it, then do so now!

join our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *

Last Name *

Address

• Street Address
• Address Line 2
• City
• State/Province/Region
• Postal / Zip Code
• CountryUSAAaland IslandsAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua And BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D'IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJersey (Channel Islands)JordanKazakhstanKenyaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarRepublic of GeorgiaReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSamoa (Independent)San MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurks & Caicos IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican City State (Holy See)VenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands (British)Virgin Islands (U.S.)Western SaharaZambiaZimbabwe
  

Close

CLOSED JULY 22 - JULY 29

Hi folks.  I'll be in Orlando and Jacksonville for a week.  Expanding Halo Soap to Florida?  I wish!  Maybe some day.  In the mean time, you can check out my products on my website, on Etsy, on Artfire or on Zibbet.

Ciao!

Healing Butt Balm

I finally got this product on the shelves!  I've been wanting to make a line of baby products for quite a while now and I think it's finally finished :)  For those of you who don't follow Halo Soap on all of our social networks, here are the other Little Cherub Skin Care products that you are missing out on:

You can also purchase these products direct from our website: www.halosoap.com

Beer Soap for Father's Day

When I first made beer soap last year, it was a big hit.  Maybe not right away, but once the holidays started rolling around, everyone wanted beer soap.  By that time, all the soap I had made just for Father's Day was sold out.

This year, I wanted to have beer soap ready in time for Father's Day, but I've decided to start keeping beer soap in stock all the time!  What we're going to do here is keep cycling through various combinations of beer/fragrance until we start finding ones that people go crazy over or come back looking for.

Currently, we have the following beer soaps available:

• Black Cherry Beer Soap - made with Farmhouse Ale Lazy Mutt
• Clean Cotton Beer Soap - made with Milwaukee's Brewing Co. Louie's Demise Ale
• Hazelnut Beer Soap - made with New Glarus Coffee Stout
• Mauna Loa Beer Soap - made with Monkey Wheat Ale

Stop in and let me know which is your favorite one!

Chocolate Decadence Body Butter

What was a little mix up in the kitchen turned into these delicious body butter fragrances!

When I make body butter, I usually use deodorized cocoa butter but I made a batch using regular cocoa butter thinking the scent wouldn't come through too strongly.  WRONG!

But we now have some yummy body butter scents at the shop:

• Chai Tea
• Chocolate
• Chocolate Mint
• Hazelnut
• Tahitian Vanilla

We currently have them in the small 4 ounce body butter size while we gauge how well they sell.  And they are the same price as our regular body butter recipe.  Bonus!

Pineapple and Coconut Lip Balm with SPF 15

We've got some new lip balm  at Halo Soap and it's just in time for summer!  Our website still isn't publishing new products (technical error we'll hopefully have fixed soon!) so you can purchase these on the Etsy shop for the time being!

Choose from:
Pineapple - this lip balm is made with skin safe chemical sunscreens
Coconut - this lip balm is made with natural mineral sunblock

If you click on the links, you'll be taken to the Etsy page for each lip balm where you can read even more about the individual product.

Mineral Sunblock

 
We have a new product at Halo Soap: Mineral Sunblock!   You can purchase this item through Etsy.

Our Mineral Sunblock comes in an easy to apply tube. There are no parabens, no chemicals, no dyes, and no fragrances. We use micronized titanium dioxide which means the particle size is so small that it doesn't create a visible layer of white on your skin. We've formulated this product so that is isn't greasy feeling. This product can be used by everyone and is especially great for kids and adults with sensitive skin.

Our ingredients are simple: micronized titanium dioxide (10%), fractionated coconut oil, candelilla wax, almond oil, cocoa butter and vitamin e.

None of these statements are verified by the FDA, but if you compare this product to the active ingredient (titanium dioxide) in other mineral sunblock sticks, you'll find that our product is just as effective and all natural. It's even half to a third the price of similar products that are out there!


After doing lots of research, there are a few things you should know about products made for sun exposure -

Sunblock vs. Sunsceen
Sunscreens - are chemical ingredients that protect your skin and prevent sunburn by absorbing harmful UVA and UVB rays so that these rays are not absorbed by your skin. A mixture of various chemical sunscreens allow for the widest range of protection. Sunscreens can irritate sensitive skin. Sunscreen degrades faster than sunblock. Sunscreens are more cosmetically friendly because they are transparent upon application.
Sunblocks - are physical sun blocks, deflecting and dispersing the sun's rays it they hit your skin. They also block UVA and UVB rays. Sunblocks are better for sensitive skin since they are minerals, thus natural ingredients. The sun doesn't break down sunblock the way it breaks down sunscreen. Sunblocks aren't always the best ingredients cosmetically because they can appear slightly opaque on the skin if the particle size is not small enough.

Sun Protection Factor (SPF)
You may think that if you double the SPF, you double the sun protection. This is not true, however. SPF 15 blocks 92% of UV rays while SPF 30 blocks 97% of UV rays. A higher SPF just means you don't have to reapply it as often.

Apply your sunblock/sunscreen at least 15 minutes before initial sun exposure and reapply sunblock/sunscreen every 2 hours.

And here's a little tidbit about the difference between UVA and UVB rays:
~ UVB rays affect the top layers of the skin and are responsible for Burning
~ UVA rays affect the lower layers of the skin and are responsible for Aging

Ok, so that's my spiel on our newest sunblock product.  Keep an eye out for our dark tanning spray, a sunblock lotion and a daily face moisturizer with SPF!

Hemp Oil Lip Balm

Just as I had promised, we have Hemp Oil Lip Balm in stock at Halo Soap!  No info on our website yet, but you can purchase them and read more on Etsy!

Choosing Handmade Soap: Why You Should Grab From The Front

Everyone does it. They grab from the back, dig through to reach the bottom of the pile, all because they want the freshest, newest product on the shelves.

Not cool when it comes to handmade soap.

Soap that isn't commercially created retains a lot of its natural moisture from the soap making process.  Soap crafters often let their sudsy creations site for weeks to months before wrapping the goods for their shelves.  This is mostly because letting the bar "cure" gives you a milder product.  Another reason is to make sure the bar is nice a hard before the consumer starts using it.

Many people tend to want the newly created bars.  At Halo Soap and Products, all customers who want to purchase these specific bars are told that they should wait to use the bar after they get home.  The longer a handmade bar of soap sits, the harder and drier it gets, meaning it will last longer for you as you begin to use it.  When you try to grab the newer bars, they may not last as long when you take them home to start using them.  Longer lasting bars make happier customers!

All bar soap should be left to dry well between uses.  Sitting in standing water will make the bar mushy at your next attempt at use and you will not get to use the bar to its full extent.  People also tent to throw away bar slivers as they become too thin to wash with.  Instead, just wet the next bar you will be using and mash the already used, wet sliver of soap on to the new bar.  After a few times of using these bars together, the suds will make them stick and you'll be able to use every last bit of that handmade soapy goodness.

Hemp Seed Oil Products

We have a new line of hemp oil based products at the shop!

Currently, we carry 4 scents of hemp butter and a hemp mud mask.  Coming soon, we will have three flavors of hemp oil lip balm including: Sweet Patchouli, Blood Orange and Chai Tea.  Yum!

Hemp Butter

 Hemp oil contains high amounts of essential fatty acids.  It is healing, balances dry skin and fights skin inflammation.  Hemp oil is non-greasy, emollient and moisturizing with excellent anti-aging and moisture balancing properties.  But hemp isn't the only awesome ingredient in this butter!  There is also a massive helping of shea butter and cocoa butter, along with avocado oil which helps to naturally increase collagen production.

Hinoki Wood - warm essences of blondewood, cedar and patchouly are enhanced with vanilla musk, cinnamon, clove and uplifted with notes of fresh eucalyptus, lavender, orange blossom, jasmine and rose.
Hippie - a beautifully complex Asian-inspired fragrance with notes of orange flower, Japanese lily, ylang-ylang and amber
Nag Champa - a sweetened version of Nag Champa incense, this is a great scent that both men and women love. It has a sweet, slightly woodsy smell that many people describe as calming, warming, and moist. For some, the smell is reminiscent of jasmine or magnolia flowers, the forest, or even tea.
Patchouli - the ever popular, typical 'dirty hippie' scent.  This one is scented with essential oil which is made directly from the plant so you know there won't be any sweet notes like you usually find in patchouli fragrance oils.

You can purchase any of these four hemp butters or one of our hemp clay masks at the shop, through the website or on Etsy!

New Artwork by Charlotte Kovak

We just got some new artwork in by local artist Charlotte Kovak.  Stop in the shop to see her newest designs or to browse a few older selections that we also have in stock.

Sea Salt Soap

Due to some problems with FrontPage, I was not able to get these new bar soaps up for sale on the website, but you can read about them here or come into my shop to buy some!

When correctly made, salt soaps soften your skin with out being over-drying.  These bar soaps are smooth like a river rock, super hard and have a creamy yet bubbly lather.  These bars gently slough off dry skin that is inevitable during summer months.  The bar feels smooth on the skin, except our Pineapple bar (see below). They make great deodorant and antiperspirant bars because they keep your under arms feeling dryer when compared to washing with a regular bar soap.

Since these bars contain such a large amount of salt, it may slightly sting freshly shaving skin or areas of broken skin and cuts.

We currently carry these summer delights in three different fragrances:

Pearberry - a strong pear scent with extra notes of sweetness

Melon - a fresh watermelon scent

Pineapple - a delicious pineapple scent with light notes of coconut.  This bar soap is also made with coarse ground Dead Sea salt to give the bar some grittiness!

For now, we will only be making these bars available to you for the summer months.  Get 'em while they're hot!