Now THAT was a surprise!

I have been busy with other things unrelated to crafting recently. I just found out I am pregnant! I have a (step) son from before but I have never been pregnant until now. Wow. I didn't think it would work... :-P

So, now it will be a bit difficult planning the move, a bit MORE difficult, I mean. I will have to stay here in Norway, my husband and son will have to move but come back to visit me of course, and then I move after the baby is born.

I just can't believe I am having a baby, that is all. My due date is in the middle of September. I am already suffering from various symptoms, cramping like you would not believe, fatigue, etc. But so far, no vomiting. Hope it holds.

I am staying home as I need to stay in bed for most of the day because of pain, but I can stay up for short intervals.

On another note, my husband tried shaving with my vanilla castile soap yesterday and said it was his best shave EVER. Not a single nick by the razor and he is usually a bloody mess by the time he is done. I have asked him to get me more supplies so I can make more of this great soap. He just lathers up the soap and rubs it on his stubble and shaves with a cheap razor. Now his friends want to try it too. :)

Tips for Craft shows

First of all let me say sorry for not blogging for a bit there. My husband and I are feverishly trying to get ready for our move to the States and there are just not enough hours in the day.

I came across this amazing list of Craft show Do's and Don'ts today. Once we are settled in and I have my products all figured out I think I will do some of those. If you live in the Carbondale, IL area you may find me there one day!

UPDATE: 06.03.08
I just found a great article detailing how to successfully work a farmer's market.

Overview of Preservatives - updated Dec 23 2007

This is a list of the various preservatives I have found on soaping supply websites. There are more out there, definitely, but these are the ones that are the most available. Find one that you feel comfortable using. As I am more comfortable using non-paraben and non-formaldehyde releasing preservatives I have added more information to the preservatives that fulfill these requirements, but if you need more information about any of the preservatives, please check out the links at the bottom of this post. Let me know if there are any more preservatives that I have missed and I will add them to my list!

An important note: Vitamin E, Grapefruit Seed Extract and essential oils are anti-oxidants. That means they will keep your oil from going bad but will NOT protect against bacteria and fungus. If you don't use preservatives your products will only be good for 1-2 weeks, even in the fridge. They may look ok, but there are lots of bacteria you cannot see or smell.


Contains no Parabens and releases no Formaldehyde:

Cosmocil CQ
INCI: Water, polyaminopropyl biguanide
Effective against: Bacteria (incl. Gram), yeast and fungi. Not active enough against yeast and mold to be able to be used on its own.
Contains parabens: No
Releases Formaldehyde: No

Note: Do not use Cosmocil CQ in a beeswax-borax emulsification system or in natural liquid soaps. The preservative will coagulate and become brown.

Usage Guidelines: Cosmcocil CQ is stable in heat to 140°C/284°F and may be added to your water phase prior to processing. Standard use rates are .2 to 1.5%. Typical use rate is 1.0%. It is effective in pH 4 to pH 10 media. Its solubility is in water, ethyl alcohol, glycerine and propylene glycol. It is not miscible in oil.



Optiphen
INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol
Effective against: Gram-positive and Gram-Negative bacteria, yeast, and mold
Contains parabens: No
Releases Formaldehyde: No

Usage Guidelines: Optiphen is a unique liquid preservative formulation which consists of phenoxyethanol and an emollient base. For use in a variety of formulas such as aqueous, anhydrous and emulsion products. Optiphen is a clear liquid preservative that can be easily added directly to the formulation during pre- or post-emulsification, at or below 80°C/176°F. Optiphen has no pH restrictions in formulating, and is compatible with most ingredients used in the personal care industry. Recommended Use Levels: 0.5 - 1.5%



Preservatives that contain Parabens and / or releases Formaldehyde:

Germaben (II, II E)
INCI: Propylene Glycol (and) Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Methylparaben (and) Propylparaben
Effective against: Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as yeast and mold
Contains parabens: Yes
Releases Formaldehyde: Yes


Germall
INCI: Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Effective against: Everything
Contains parabens: No
Releases Formaldehyde: Yes


Liquapar Oil
INCI: Isopropylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben (and) Butylparaben
Effective against: Gram-positive bacteria, yeast and mold
Contains parabens: Yes
Releases Formaldehyde: No


Liquapar Optima
INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Isopropylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben (and) Butylparaben
Effective against: Gram-positive bacteria, yeast and mold
Contains parabens: Yes
Releases Formaldehyde: No


Phenonip
INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben (and) Propylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben
Effective against: Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and molds
Contains parabens: Yes
Releases Formaldehyde: No


Suttocide A
INCI: Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
Effective against: Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, yeast and mold, even at low concentrations
Contains parabens: Yes
Releases Formaldehyde: Yes (but contains no formal-dehyde donors)


For all of these preservatives, please follow the instructions carefully. Some require that temperatures are under a certain level, some require a particular range of pH-values.  Please be careful and keep both yourself and your customers safe!

Sources: MMS, Lotioncrafter, Snowdrift Farms

Busy, busy

I have been slacking off a bit on the blogging lately. The reason is that I have a huge translation project going on (oh yey, concrete bridges! How fun!) in addition to my full-time work and preparing to move across the planet. A bit busy. :)

I am still working on trying to find a safe preservative that will not allow all kinds of bacteria but still be paraben-free and non-formaldehyde releasing. It is not as easy as I thought. I have found an alternative for most of the products I have planned to make, only the scrubs and deodorants left to work on. Scrubs need preservative because you use them in the shower or tub and put your wet hands into them and that way you get water into them which can cause all kinds of nasties to grow.

I will try to be more regular in my blogging though I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.

Shattered Illusions

*Sigh*. When I first started becoming interested in making my own natural beauty products I had a vision of being able to do so without using preservatives. I would make lotions, shampoo and scrubs and only use Grapeseed Extract for preservative. I have now learned that this is exceedingly dangerous.

Apparently, all the GSE (Grapeseed Extract) or Vitamin-E does is to keep the oils in the formula from going rancid. It does not keep the product from growing mold, yeast and bacteria. ICK! If a product has the least bit of water in it or is used in the shower it needs a real preservative. So much for being all natural, I guess.

I am quite bummed from learning this. I now have a choice of a) only making products that have no water in them and that are not to be used in the shower, or b)use a preservative or c)not use preservative and make whatever I want and then be sued or have people getting sick and dying from my products.

The lesser evil seems to be using the preservative. But which one is the best one for my use? Which one has less dangerous chemicals in it? This article may help you, as it has helped me. I haven't decided yet, but I have found more info to research, at least.

What do you think about this?

Castile Soap

I really need to make some soap soon. I have been wanting to make a Castile Soap (soap consisting of 60-100% olive oil) for a long time but time constraints with the move and other things keep getting in the way.

Castile Soap is an interesting thing, though. Some say it has to be 100% olive oil, some say you can add palm and coconut oil for better lather, or even canola oil for creaminess.

If I am able to craft this weekend I think I will make it according to this recipe:

90% Olive oil and 10% Palm oil

I hope it turns out nice. Has anyone else tried using a Castile Soap before?

What to do when bored...

If you have a hobby like knitting, crocheting, or maybe you walk to work or you're at the gym or doing other mindless, repetitive tasks I have discovered a great way to keep from being bored.

Audio books!

But, you may say, they are so expensive and I can't afford it right now. Well, there is a site you can go to that is totally run by volunteers that read books that are in the public domain. When they are done reading you can download the book for free, put it on your mp3 player or just play it from the computer.

There are lots of classic books that you may have meant to read but never got around to. Like "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, and they also have all the sequels to it. Or all of Jane Austen's work. There's a lot of Shakespeare on there too.

And if you want to, you can help read the books as well. The people who read are not professionals (mostly at least) so the feeling you get when they read is kind of like when your parents read to you. Which I like, at least. :-)

Oh, the site is LibriVox


Hope you have as much fun with it as I have had!