Easy Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipes for Beginners

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October 22, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

These easy fall melt and pour soap recipes are perfect for even beginner soapmakers. They can be scented with your favorite fall fragrance oils or your choice of fall essential oil blends. Keep reading to learn how to make six bars of homemade fall soaps in two designs using a single mold for seasonal holiday gifts.

A Celebration of Fall!

For as long as I can remember (or at least since the last time I stepped foot into a classroom) fall has been my favorite season. I love not just the crisp cool air that accompanies autumn’s entrance, but also the deep connection I feel with nature as wildlife change habits to prepare for the winter ahead. Fall is when I reflect on the things that have passed as well as the future to come.

The squirrels tease us with fluffy tails as dart in and out of trees foraging for nuts to store for winter. The colors of scenery change to burnt umber, reds and oranges. The leaves fall to rejuvenate the earth the following year in a cycle of life that reminds us, that though some things end, new things are always born.

When I was in the fourth grade, my class was given an assignment. We were to collect, at minimum, leaves from 40 different trees. These leaves were then preserved between two sheets of wax paper, identified and compiled into book form. My parents later used that book for one of their Boy Scout troop meetings.

While I, unfortunately, can no longer identify all forty of those tree leaves, that class project certainly brought me closer to nature. And it gave me a better appreciation of all the living things around us.

With this reflection in mind, I really wanted to create a few fall melt and pour soap recipes. So I picked up an acorn and leaf silicone mold at a local craft store. I then combined a variety of melt and pour soap bases with not just mica colorants, but some fun eco-friendly biodegradable glitter as well, to create unique one of a kind melt and pour soaps for fall.

Easy Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipes for Beginners

I used a Wilton mold I picked up at Joann’s for my fall melt and pour soap recipes. If you aren’t able to find this particular mold, you can use any silicone mold of your choice. Simply adjust the follow melt and pour soap recipes accordingly to fit the size of the molds you’ve chosen. I do this by pouring unscented plain melt and pour soap into the molds cavities. Once hardened, I weigh the soap to figure out the amount needed for my fall melt and pour soap recipes. Alternately, you can purchase a similar fall silicone soap mold here.

Fall Acorn Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

This fall soap idea is pretty straightforward and the easiest of the two fall melt and pour soap recipes. It requires only a single melt and pour soap base, an Almond Milk & Chia fall fragrance oil, a soap colorant and a dash of glitter. The kids will have fun helping you make this fall acorn recipe to gift to their own friends and family members. This fall soap recipe yields three acorn shaped soap bars.

Ingredients:

7.5 oz. melt and pour soap base, white or clear
.15 oz. Almond Milk & Chia fragrance oil
brown mica or brown soap color bar, to suit
biodegradable brass or gold mice, to suit

Melt and Pour Soap Making Tips:

Before you get started on my fall melt and pour soap recipes, here are a few soap making tips and tricks to help you achieve soap making success.

You can use either clear or white melt and pour base for this recipe. If you use a white soap base, your fall acorn soaps will be more of a pastel color, while a clear base will give you a dark, rich color. I want to remake these myself using a clear base and a brown sparkle color bar!

Should you choose to substitute the fall fragrance oil, then be sure you know what the max usage rate is for that fragrance oil you’d like to use. You don’t want to exceed that amount. At the same time, some usage rates are rather high.

The skin safe usage rate for the Almond Milk & Chia fragrance oil is over 90% for soap. But obviously you can’t make a bar of soap using more fragrance oil than product. Therefore I recommend a usage rate of 2-5% for this particular fragrance oil. You can adjust that number depending on how strong you’d like the scent to be in your fall melt and pour soaps. For my fall acorn melt and pour soap recipe, I used the Almond Milk & Chia fragrance oil at 2%. You can tweak this number accordingly depending on your own personal tastes. (The fragrance oils for my fall melt and pour soap recipes were obtained from Wholesale Supplies Plus.)

If you’d rather use a custom fall essential oil blend recipe for your homemade melt and pour soaps, then I recommend a usage rate of no more than 2%. However, you should use less if the essential oil in your blend contains oils that are known skin irritants such as cinnamon leaf or clove.

Placing your soap mold on a cutting board will allow for easy transport while soap is still fluid. So if you’d like to speed up the amount of time it takes for your fall soaps to harden, simply transfer the mold on a cutting board to the fridge.

Additionally, spritzing the tops of your melt and pour soaps with a spray bottle filled with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol (also sometimes referred to RA in the soap niche) will remove any air bubbles you may have.

Ready to get started?

Melt and Pour Soap Making Instructions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the melt and pour soap base. Cut the soap base into chunks and place inside a large glass Pyrex measuring cup, or similar. Then, heat in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring after each heating, until melted. Take care not to overheat the soap base.

Now add the soap colorant of your choice and mix well. Follow the less is more guideline and slowly add additional colorant until you reach the desired color. (If using mica you may want to premix the mica with a bit of glycerin prior to adding it to the melted soap base.) Be careful not to add too much colorant or your soaps will bleed excess color when used.

Once the desired color is achieved, weigh out the fragrance oil and stir into the melted soap base. Set aside.

Next, place your soap mold onto a cutting board, if desired. Dust the inside of the soap mold’s three acorn cavities with eco-friendly, biodegradable glitter. Then slowly pour the melted soap base into each of the cavities of your mold.

Spritz the the top of the liquid soap you just poured with rubbing alcohol, if needed, to remove any air bubbles. Then follow with the second of my fall melt and pour soap recipes to make a set of three fall leaf soaps on the other side of the mold.

Once all the soaps have hardened, unmold and then wrap tightly in foodservice film.

Yield: 3 soaps

Acorn Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

Learn how to craft acorn shaped DIY fall soaps with this easy melt and pour soap recipe. These fall soaps can be scented with your favorite fall fragrance oils or your choice of fall essential oil blends.

Materials

7.5 oz. melt and pour soap base
.15 oz. Almond Milk & Chia fragrance oil
brown mica or brown soap color bar, to suit
biodegradable brass or gold mice, to suit

Instructions

Once the desired color is achieved, weigh out the fragrance oil and stir into the melted soap base. Set aside.

Spritz the the top of the liquid soap you just poured with rubbing alcohol, if needed, to remove any air bubbles.

Once all the soaps have hardened, unmold and then wrap tightly in foodservice film.

Fall soap ideas. Easy beginner melt and pour soap ideas for fall inspired leaf shaped soaps. These homemade melt and pour soaps make lovely DIY seasonal fall gifts for friends, family and teachers.

Fall Leaf Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

While this fall soap idea is slightly more complex than the acorn soap recipe, it’s still an easy enough melt and pour soap recipe for beginners. My fall leaf soap is poured in two separate layers to add visual interest and is scented with a fall inspired Wild Berries & Mimosa fragrance oil. This fall soap recipe yields three leaf shaped soap bars.

Ingredients:

3.75 oz. clear melt and pour soap base
5.25 oz. white melt and pour soap base
.2 oz. Wild Berries & Mimosa fragrance oil
crimson or copper soap color bar or mica, to suit
yellow or gold soap colorant or mica, to suit
brass or gold biodegradable glitter, to suit

Melt and Pour Soap Making Instructions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out 3.75 oz. of the clear melt and pour soap base. Cut the soap base into chunks and place inside a large glass Pyrex measuring cup, or similar. Then, heat in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring after each heating, until melted. Take care not to overheat the soap base.

Now add the yellow or gold soap colorant of your choice to the melted soap base and mix well. Slowly add additional colorant until you reach the desired color. Then stir in a bit of gold or brass biodegradable glitter to suit.

Next, weigh out .1 oz. of the fragrance oil and stir into the melted soap base.

Then slowly pour the clear melted soap base evenly into each of the three leaf shaped cavities of your mold. Spritz the the top of the liquid soap you just poured with rubbing alcohol, if needed, to remove any air bubbles. Set aside until the soap has hardened.

Once hardened weigh, heat and melt 5.25 oz. of the white melt and pour soap base. Add crimson or copper soap colorant to suit.

Follow with .1 oz. of fragrance oil. Mix well. Set aside and allow the melted soap to cool slightly or just before the soap starts to form a film on top.

Next, spritz the tops of the clear soap base in the mold with rubbing alcohol. Then dust the tops of the soap in the three leaf cavities with eco-friendly, biodegradable glitter.

Spritz again with rubbing alcohol, then slowly pour the white melted soap base into each of the leaf cavities of your mold over top of the existing clear, hardened soap base.

Now spritz the the top of the liquid soap you just poured with rubbing alcohol, if needed, to remove any air bubbles.

Once your fall soaps have hardened, unmold and then wrap tightly in foodservice film.

Leaf Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

Learn how to craft leaf shaped DIY fall soaps with this easy two-layer, melt and pour soap recipe. These fall soaps can be scented with your favorite fall fragrance oils or your choice of fall essential oil blends.

Materials

3.75 oz. clear melt and pour soap base
5.25 oz. white melt and pour soap base
.2 oz. Wild Berries & Mimosa fragrance oil
crimson or copper soap color bar or mica, to suit
yellow or gold soap colorant or mica, to suit
brass or gold biodegradable glitter, to suit

Instructions

Next, weigh out .1 oz. of the fragrance oil and stir into the melted soap base.

Once hardened weigh, heat and melt 5.25 oz. of the white melt and pour soap base. Add crimson or copper soap colorant to suit.

Follow with .1 oz. of fragrance oil. Mix well. Set aside and allow the melted soap to cool slightly or just before the soap starts to form a film on top.

Next, spritz the tops of the clear soap base in the mold with rubbing alcohol. Then dust the tops of the soap in the three leaf cavities with eco-friendly, biodegradable glitter.

Spritz again with rubbing alcohol, then slowly pour the white melted soap base into each of the leaf cavities of your mold over top of the existing clear, hardened soap base.

Now spritz the the top of the liquid soap you just poured with rubbing alcohol, if needed, to remove any air bubbles.

Once your fall soaps have hardened, unmold and then wrap tightly in foodservice film.

Melt and pour fall soap scents & recipes. These easy fall melt and pour soap recipes are perfect for even beginner soapmakers. They can be scented with your favorite fall fragrance oils or your choice of fall essential oil blends. Learn how to make six bars of homemade fall soaps in two designs using a single mold and working with no lye. Simple beginning melt and pour soap recipes for DIY holiday gifts for friends & family.

If you like my easy, fall melt and pour soap recipes for beginners, then be sure to pin these recipes to Pinterest for later. You can also find and follow Soap Deli News blog on Pinterest here. Alternately, you can also discover more fall soap ideas here. Or try one of my other easy melt and pour soap recipes.

For more homemade soap recipes and DIY gift ideas, be sure to follow Soap Deli News on social media. You can follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Homemade Gift Ideas, Soapmaking Tagged With: autumn, crafts, easy, fall, fall crafts, gift idea, kids project, melt and pour soap, melt and pour soap recipe, melt and pour soapmaking, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Bourbon Balls Recipe with Woodford Reserve: No Bake DIY Holiday Gifts

October 19, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

Make this easy gluten free, no bake bourbon balls recipe with Woodford Reserve (or rum if you prefer!) for the ultimate last minute DIY holiday gifts!

This no bake bourbon balls recipe with Woodford Reserve allows you to create the ultimate no bake last minute DIY holiday gifts. These easy bourbon balls not only taste delicious, they’re also gluten free. So everyone can enjoy the delectable taste of chocolate and bourbon this holiday season. A delightful no bake dessert for Christmas, these bourbon balls can also be made with rum or customized with your favorite ingredients whether it be coconut or dried raspberries for a flavorful holiday treat!

How to Make No Bake Bourbon Balls

Whether you need a last minute gift to bring to a holiday party or a super last minute gift on Christmas Eve, these homemade bourbon balls are the perfect choice! Not only is this recipe for bourbon balls super easy to make, there’s also no baking required. Basically that means they are pretty fool proof. Even if you’re a slacker in the kitchen like I am. While this recipe for bourbon balls calls for nuts, you can easily omit them from the recipe if you have nut allergies.

Ingredients for Making Gluten Free Bourbon Balls

This easy bourbon balls recipe can be made with either vanilla wafers or ginger snaps. For my first batch of homemade bourbon balls, I used gluten-free Mi-Del’s Ginger Snaps. They crush really easily which makes them worth the extra $1.50 even if you don’t need gluten free bourbon balls. However, one bag will only make you one batch. For my second batch I used regular grocery store brand gingersnaps and had a heck of a time crushing them. I actually took a hammer to the outside of the bag at 9am the first year I made these. However I still ended up with some whole cookies left in the bag and lots of large chunks.

I also used baking nuts for my recipe for bourbon balls. They were significantly cheaper than buying whole nuts from the nut aisle, especially as I wasn’t going to use an entire can. Plus it was the only way I could find them unsalted at the time. Finally, I recommend that choose your bourbon wisely. The better the booze, well, the better the ball! I specifically used Woodford Reserve for my recipe.

If you aren’t a huge fan of bourbon, you can simply swap out the bourbon with your favorite rum. These would actually be amazing with a spiced rum or a flavored rum that accents the ingredients that go into the recipe.

Easy Bourbon Balls Recipe with Woodford Reserve

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups ginger snap cookies, crushed
1/2 Cup pecan baking chips, optional
1/2 Cup confectioners sugar
1/4 Cup Woodford Reserve (or rum of choice)
2 Tablespoons baking cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons raw local honey
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Shredded coconut, chopped for dusting

Instructions:

Crush the ginger snap cookies as much as possible then combine in a large bowl with the other ingredients. Mix well with a spatula then place in freezer to chill for about an hour.

Once your bourbon balls have chilled, roll into about 3/4″ balls and then roll in shredded coconut to coat thoroughly. (Alternately you can use confectioner’s sugar or even dried raspberries, as pictured, instead.) Keep at it until all dough has been used.

Easy Packaging Idea for Gifting Your Bourbon Balls

For easy DIY holiday gifts, I placed about 8 balls each in a zipper sandwich bags. I then place the balls inside glassine bags for presentation and labeled them with holiday stickers. You can even add a strip of washi tape to each of your gifts with the “eat by” date.

Once made, cover and refrigerate your bourbon balls. They will keep for a week in the refrigerator so don’t make these too far ahead. Otherwise you’ll have to freeze them.

You’ll also want to keep them refrigerated when you’re not binging on them during yet another seasonal rerun of A Christmas Story.

Yield: About 42 bourbon balls

Bourbon Balls Recipe with Woodford Reserve

Make this easy gluten free, no bake bourbon balls recipe with Woodford Reserve (or rum if you prefer!) for the ultimate last minute DIY holiday gifts!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups ginger snap cookies, crushed
1/2 Cup pecan baking chips, optional
1/2 Cup confectioners sugar
1/4 Cup Woodford Reserve (or rum of choice)
2 Tablespoons baking cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons raw local honey
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Shredded coconut, chopped for dusting

Instructions

Crush the ginger snap cookies as much as possible then combine in a large bowl with the other ingredients. Mix well with a spatula then place in freezer to chill for about an hour.

Once made, cover and refrigerate your bourbon balls. They will keep for a week in the refrigerator so don’t make these too far ahead. Otherwise you’ll have to freeze them.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

3 balls
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 150mg Carbohydrates: 30g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 14g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 2g

More Holiday Dessert Recipes & Food Gifts

If you like my recipe for bourbon balls, then you may also want to try some of these other dessert recipes.

Or learn how to make these other boozy Christmas treats.

For more last minute DIY holiday gift ideas, be sure to follow my boards on Pinterest! You can find and follow Soap Deli News on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Holiday DIY, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: christmas, Christmas gift, cookies, dessert, food gift, food recipe, gift idea, holiday gift, last minute gift, no bake, treat, winter

Snickerdoodle Soap Cupcakes with Melt and Pour Soap & Essential Oils

October 16, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 6 Comments

Cookies and cupcakes were a regular part of my childhood growing up. Since cutting back on sugar however, sometimes food scented soaps are the next best thing. Learn how to make homemade snickerdoodle soap cupcakes for your bath or shower. Made using melt and pour soap, this easy soap cupcakes recipe is naturally scented with essential oils and is simple enough for even beginners to craft.

Isn’t it amazing how just the scent of food can trigger so many memories? Everytime I smell the warm cinnamon sugar fragrance of a snickerdoodle cookie, I’m instantly taken back to my childhood. From as young as four I often found myself in the kitchen making snickerdoodle cookies with my mom. They were my absolute favorite cookies at the time! And while I loved licking cake and brownie batter off mom’s hand blender beaters, rolling sugar cookie dough in cinnamon and sugar was the most fun.

I still get nostalgic whenever I see snickerdoodles in the store at our local Fresh Market. Making snickerdoodles with my mom as a kid is still one of my favorite childhood memories. While I’ve (mostly) giving up baking cookies for more grown up green things, I’ve since turned the tables and have been teaching my mom some new tricks in the kitchen.

While eating snickerdoodle cookies isn’t something I do all that often (it’s hard to forget the evils of sugar and inflammation when you have fibro) making snickerdoodle soap cupcakes is a fun (sugar free) experience that allows me to enjoy their warm seasonal fragrance!

Food inspired soaps are always popular because of their fun scents. Not only do the kids have fun with these at bathtime, they’re also great for adults! After all, what’s more fun than self care for the kid in you? I used a cupcake mold to make these cute snickerdoodle soap cupcakes. This mold contains both the top and bottom mold portions of the cupcake. So not only are these soaps easy to make, you basically get two molds for the price of one!

Whether you’re selling your homemade soap creations or making them for yourself, using a mold to make the whipped icing eliminates the trial and error of making soap icing. Not only does it save you time, the tops always come out perfect.

How to Make Snickerdoodle Soap Cupcakes (with Melt and Pour Soap)

Snickerdoodle Essential Oil Blend

There are snickerdoodle fragrance oils that you can use to make snickerdoodle soaps. I wanted to use an essential oil blend because I had the essential oils already.

To make a snickerdoodle essential oil blend, combine:

5 drops sweet orange essential oil
2 drops cassia or cinnamon essential oil
1 drop clove essential oil

To be honest, I was surprised at how wonderful this smells! The three oils combine for a sugary sweet and cinnamon spice scent that’s perfect for making snickerdoodle cupcake soaps.

You can create a master blend in an empty essential oil bottle, or you can add the essential oils by the drop. I give you directions to use it either way in this recipe.

(For my snickerdoodle essential oil blend recipe I used essential oils from a past Simply Earth essential oil box. If you’d like to give them a try, use coupon code: SOAPDELIFREE to receive a FREE bonus box worth $40 with your first order. You’ll also get an e-coupon for $40 off anything on your next purchase. Free diffuser anyone? Take advantage of this offer here.)

If you do use a snickerdoodle fragrance oil blend, you can use twice as much as you would an essential oil. I would start with the amount suggested in the recipe and add more as needed to get the scent that you want.

Cupcake Mold for Soap Cupcakes

I wanted to make soap cupcakes, but I don’t like piping soap on top for the icing. I consider myself pretty crafty, but cake decorating is not among my talents. My mom used to make cakes all the time however. Which worked out well enough for me. She was pretty intent on piping the perfect flowers for her cakes, so I always got to eat the icing flowers that didn’t quite make the cut. (As photographed above. Me at age six in 1981 wearing a nightgown for the evening. Remember those?)

Whipped soap isn’t an easy recipe to master. It tends to be soft, so iced soap cupcakes are hard to package for gifts or for selling.

Rather piping soap icing, I picked up this silicone cupcake soap mold instead. It makes adorable two piece cupcakes with melt and pour soap. Now the icing tops for my soap cupcakes are always perfect. And they won’t get dinged or damaged when you handle the soap.

Melt and Pour Soap Bases for Soap Cupcakes

I wanted these soap cupcakes to look like real snickerdoodle cupcakes, so I used two different kinds of melt and pour soap.

For the icing, I used white melt and pour soap base. The essential oils, which contain vanilla, turned it cream. So it looks like real vanilla icing.

I wanted the cake part to be darker, so I used a cream or almost tan oatmeal soap and added real cinnamon.

Cinnamon can be irritating to children or those with sensitive skin. If you’re giving these soap cupcakes as a homemade gifts, you can skip the cinnamon and add some mica or soap colorant to get a darker color.

Adding real spices like cinnamon to melt and pour can be tricky. Cinnamon tends to clump in the melted soap. To avoid this, you can stir the cinnamon in a little bit of glycerin or rubbing alcohol and add it to the soap.

I just added it to the soap and stirred it really well. If there are clumps, press them against the side of the container with the back of a spoon to break up the clumps. There may be a few small clumps of cinnamon left, but I think it gives the soap a more realistic look.

Either way you add the cinnamon, it will tend to settle to the bottom of the soap. To help it stay dispersed through the soap, let the soap cool until it just starts to form a film on the top. Then stir a few times and pour. The cinnamon is less likely to settle when you pour the soap at a cooler temperature.

Snickerdoodle Soap Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces white melt and pour soap
10 ounces white or cream melt and pour soap
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon snickerdoodle essential oil blend (or 64 drops sweet orange, 24 drops cassia, and 12 drops clove, divided)

Instructions:

The top and bottom are two separate pours, so let’s start with the icing on the top of the soap cupcakes. Cut white melt and pour soap into 1 inch cubes and microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted. Stir every 30 seconds.

When it’s melted, add ½ teaspoon of the snickerdoodle essential oil blend or 32 drops sweet orange, 12 drops cassia, and 6 drops clove. (Here’s an easy essential oil conversion chart if you need it.) Stir well and pour into the top, or the icing, cavities in the mold. Spray with rubbing alcohol to remove air bubbles.

Now cut 10 ounces of cream or white melt and pour soap and microwave it as before. When it’s melted, add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and stir well to remove lumps.

Then add ½ teaspoon of your homemade blend or 32 drops sweet orange, 12 drops cassia and 6 drops clove. Stir well.

Pour into the cupcake or bottom part of the mold. Spray with rubbing alcohol to remove air bubbles.

Let sit until completely cooled, about an hour.

Remove the soap from the mold. This mold is very flexible, so they will come right out. Use a knife to score the tops of the cupcakes and the bottom of the icing tops. Scoring the soap helps the two pieces stick together better.

Melt about half an ounce of white soap for 10 seconds in the microwave. Carefully spoon it on top of the cupcakes and set the icing on top. Let sit until completely cooled.

If you’re gifting or selling these snickerdoodle cupcake soaps, you can package them in clear bags and add a ribbon to the top.

Yield: 4 soap cupcakes

Snickerdoodle Soap Cupcakes

Learn how to make homemade snickerdoodle soap cupcakes for your bath or shower. Made using melt and pour soap, this easy soap cupcakes recipe is naturally scented with essential oils and is simple enough for even beginners to craft.

Materials

8 ounces white melt and pour soap
10 ounces white or cream melt and pour soap
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon snickerdoodle essential oil blend (or 64 drops sweet orange, 24 drops cassia, and 12 drops clove, divided)

Instructions

When it’s melted, add ½ teaspoon of the snickerdoodle essential oil blend or 32 drops sweet orange, 12 drops cassia, and 6 drops clove. Stir well and pour into the top, or the icing, cavities in the mold. Spray with rubbing alcohol to remove air bubbles.

Now cut 10 ounces of cream or white melt and pour soap and microwave it as before. When it’s melted, add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and stir well to remove lumps.

Then add ½ teaspoon of your homemade blend or 32 drops sweet orange, 12 drops cassia and 6 drops clove. Stir well.

Pour into the cupcake or bottom part of the mold. Spray with rubbing alcohol to remove air bubbles.

Let sit until completely cooled, about an hour.

Melt about half an ounce of white soap for 10 seconds in the microwave. Carefully spoon it on top of the cupcakes and set the icing on top. Let sit until completely cooled.

Soap Cupcakes DIY with melt and pour soap and natural essential oils. The perfect in shower treat and DIY beauty gift! Learn how to make homemade snickerdoodle soap cupcakes for your bath or shower. Made using melt and pour soap, this easy soap cupcakes recipe is naturally scented with essential oils and is simple enough for even beginning soap makers to craft. Gift them to yourself for self care or make them for DIY holiday gifts throughout the winter season.

Love my snickerdoodle soap cupcakes? Then be sure to pin this soap making tutorial for later.

More Seasonal Winter Soap Recipes for DIY Holiday Gifts

Looking for more beginner melt and pour soap recipes? Try one of these other DIY holiday soap gift ideas!

Want more great ideas? Then follow me across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow Soap Deli News on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: Christmas gift, crafts, cupcake, diy, easy, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, gift idea, holiday gift, melt and pour soap, melt and pour soap recipe, melt and pour soapmaking, snickerdoodle, soap tutorial, soapmaking, winter, winter skin care

Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend: Make A Homemade Vapor Rub Cold Remedy

October 12, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

Try this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe to make your own homemade vapor rub cold remedy for symptom relief from nasal and chest congestion. A simple and effective home remedy for fast cold relief when you’re fighting a cold or the flu.

How to Use An Aromatherapeutic Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend

When I get a cold, there’s nothing worse than not being able to breathe through my nose. While shower steams with menthol work wonders in the morning, taking a shower every time my nose gets stuffy isn’t a realistic option. Especially not at night when I’m trying to sleep. That’s when a breathe easy essential oil blend comes in handy. Whether you make your own breathe easy essential oil recipe or use a ready made breathe easy essential oil blend, you’ll be set for all the congestion challenges seasonal colds throw your way.

There are three easy ways to use the breathe easy essential oil blend. You can use your breathe easy essential oil blend in an essential oil diffuser at night or include it in an essential oil shower steamers recipe. Alternately, you can also use it in a simple remedy for homemade vapor rub. Keep reading to learn how to make a breathe easy essential oil recipe as well as where to buy a premade essential oil blend. Then try out your breathe easy essential oil blend in my simple (super easy!) homemade vapor rub cold remedy.

Breathe Easy Essential Oil Blend Recipe

Support respiratory function and promote a healthy immune response with this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe. This natural plant-based blend can be used in your diffuser as well as in my homemade vapor rub recipe. Use it to support easy breathing, revitalization and clear airways throughout winter.

Combine in an amber glass jar with a reducer or glass dropper and shake to combine.

Alternately, if you prefer, you can buy this specific blend premade in order to avoid buying multiple essential oils from Edens Garden. Or try the Respire blend from Spark Naturals, which also contains tea tree and clove essential oils. Formulated with a combination of peppermint, melaleuca (tea tree), eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon and clove, this blends aids in relief of congestion and other respiratory symptoms caused by colds and flu.

Once you’ve made an essential oil blend to use for aromatherapy, you can use your formulation to create your own homemade vapor rub recipe as a natural cold relief remedy.

Homemade Vapor Rub Recipe for Nasal & Chest Congestion

Ingredients:

2 oz. beeswax pastilles
4 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
3 mL Respire or Breathe Easy essential oil blend (or .1 oz.)
.05 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the beeswax. Place the beeswax in a double boiler and gently heat until melted.

While the beeswax melts, weigh out the carrier oil into a separate container.

Next weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil. Stir until the menthol crystals dissolve.

Once dissolved, measure or weigh out the breathe easy essential oil blend. Then combine with the carrier oil and menthol mixture.

Once the beeswax has melted, remove from heat. Then stir in the carrier oil mixture with the menthol crystals and essential oils.

Now pour the homemade vapor rub into a 6 oz. glass jar or three 2 oz. glass jars. You can also use metal tins.

Allow the homemade vapor rub to cool completely, then screw on the lids and label as desired for personal use.

To use your homemade vapor rub as a natural remedy for fast cold relief, rub a thin layer on your chest or upper back at nighttime. It will help to soothe coughs and may also offer relief from nasal and chest congestion as well as sinus pressure and headaches.

Yield: 2 - 6 oz. jars.

Homemade Vapor Rub Recipe

Materials

2 oz. beeswax pastilles
4 oz. carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
3 mL Respire or Breathe Easy essential oil blend (or .1 oz.)
.05 oz. menthol crystals

Instructions

Using a digital scale, weigh out the beeswax. Place the beeswax in a double boiler and gently heat until melted.

While the beeswax melts, weigh out the carrier oil into a separate container.

Next weigh out the menthol crystals. Add the menthol crystals to the container with the carrier oil. Stir until the menthol crystals dissolve.

Once dissolved, measure or weigh out the breathe easy essential oil blend. Then combine with the carrier oil and menthol mixture.

Once the beeswax has melted, remove from heat. Then stir in the carrier oil mixture with the menthol crystals and essential oils.

Now pour the homemade vapor rub into a 6 oz. glass jar or three 2 oz. glass jars. You can also use metal tins.

Allow the homemade vapor rub to cool completely, then screw on the lids and label as desired for personal use.

Breathe easy diffuser blend for colds. Try this natural breathe easy essential oil diffuser blend recipe in your essential oil diffuser to support respiratory function and promote a healthy immune response with this natural breathe easy essential oil blend recipe. This natural plant-based blend can be used in your diffuser as well as in my homemade vapor rub recipe. Use it to support easy breathing, revitalization and clear airways throughout winter.

Like this recipe? Then you’ll also want to try my recipes for DIY shower steamers with menthol crystals and a sickness support bath soak! As well as check out my post on other natural ways to fight colds and flu including how to make an elderberry syrup to support your body’s natural immunity. Plus don’t forget to pin this post for reference later!

Where can I buy homemade vapor rub?

Not ready to make your own homemade vapor rub from scratch? Try one of these artisan made, petroleum free cold and flu salves instead.

You can also explore more herbal home remedies here. Also be sure to check out my eucalyptus & orange essential oil blend recipe. It’s one of my favorite aromatherapeutic essential oil blends and has a number of uses for health, home and beauty. Or discover more DIY ideas by visiting my Essential Oils & Herbs board on Pinterest as well as my Home Remedies board.

Want more great ideas? Then be sure to follow Soap Deli News across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: aromatherapy, cold relief, colds, diffuser blends, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, fall, flu, health and wellness, healthy living, home remedies, home remedy, self care, vapor rub, winter

Cooking & Baking with Mace: The Vintage Spice You Need to Try

October 9, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 1 Comment

Have you ever used mace in a recipe? No, mace isn’t just a deterrent from assailants. It’s actually a lesser known vintage spice. Mace is closely related to nutmeg and is similar in both aroma and flavor. It is often used in teas and tinctures. And it also makes a great addition to foods and baking recipes. Keep reading to learn more about the vintage spice mace. And to discover food, dessert and drink recipes that call for mace as an ingredient.

Many years back I read what I thought to be a rather interesting article on Etsy’s blog titled The Historic Spice Cupboard. It contained some really neat information on vintage spices – rather the spices our great and great great grandparents probably used – in cooking and baking. Some of the spices are still used today, while others are a lot less common. For example, mace, is not a spice I had ever heard of.

What is the Spice Mace?

I’ve always thought of mace as pepper spray so I was a little confused at first. But as it turns out, mace is a very close relative of nutmeg. Mace is actually the red membrane that surrounds the nutmeg seed. It’s very similar to the taste of nutmeg, but rather has a more red pepper reminiscent heat. It was very common in the 18th and 19th centuries, but has since fallen by the way side. Like nutmeg, mace can be used in baking. However it is also served well in savory dishes for flavoring meats, stews, curries, savory sauces, and even homemade pickles. You can also use it in teas, tinctures and beverages.

What are the Health Benefits?

Additionally, it’s believed that mace has an antioxidant effect in the liver, helping it conserve glutathione and increasing protection against free radicals. theKitchn has additional information on this amazing vintage spice. You can also find out more information on mace from Mountain Rose Herbs including both contemporary and folklore info.

Where Can I Buy It?

If you want to try mace, be sure to buy it from a reputable source that guarantees that the powder is not made from previously BWP (broken-wormy-punky) nuts. It’s also better not to use an irradiated product which breaks down the fatty acids that contain the essential oils that give it aroma and flavor. Mountain Rose Herbs is great place to buy ground organic mace. In fact, I have it on my next shopping list of things to buy from them since it’s so versatile and can be used in so many different types of recipes. I’ve also found it to be a common ingredient in many Indian dishes.

Recipes That Call for Mace

Following are just a few of the many recipes I’ve found that can be made with mace.

Baking & Dessert Recipes

Drink Recipes

Dinner Recipes

Spice Mix Recipes

Have you ever cooked with mace? I’d love to hear what your favorite recipes are for this wonderful vintage spice!

For more DIY ideas and food recipes, be sure to follow Soap Deli News across your favorite social media channels. You can find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Health & Wellness Tagged With: baking, dessert, dinner, drink, drink recipe, food, food recipe, mace, spice, vintage spice