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You’re About to Discover Your New Favorite Tea!

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August 13, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Whether you’re new to drinking loose leaf teas, or you’re a self described tea connoisseur, you’re going to love the natural, organic loose leaf teas from Mountain Rose Herbs.

With a wide selection of every kind of organic loose leaf tea imaginable, it’s hard not to find a tea that you love. However, if you’re still on the hunt for that perfect tea that fits both your tastes AND your lifestyle, then you must take Mountain Rose Herbs new tea quiz to find your tea soulmate!

I’ve been shopping with Mountain Rose Herbs for over a decade and I’ve never once been disappointed by the quality of their products. I first became a customer in what I like to call my “market days.” I would shop from their selection of organic ingredients that included unrefined butters, clays and carrier oils for my soapmaking recipes and skin care products that I sold on my local city market.

Rarely, however, did I consider purchasing from their wide selection of organic loose leaf teas. What a mistake! After taking the new tea soulmate quiz from Mountain Rose Herbs, I found my new favorite tea!

Take the tea soulmate quiz!

Mountain Rose Herbs tea soulmate quiz asks questions based not just on your favorite flavors. It also asks where you enjoy drinking your tea most. How you like your teas? Who are you drinking that cup of tea with? And why do you reach for a cup of tea over another beverage?

So whether you enjoy your tea hot or iced, with or without friends, in a valley of wildflowers or in an urban sanctuary, you’re sure to find the perfect tea to fit your lifestyle. With 32 different teas featured in their quiz, you’re not only going to discover your new favorite tea – but possibly several new favorites! Simply take the tea quiz more than once and change up your answers to find the perfect tea to fit your mood.

My tea soulmate.

My tea soulmate was turmeric chai. This spicy, warming herbal chai tea is caffeine free, making it the perfect tea for chai enthusiasts who have cut caffeine from their diets. Especially delightful as we start transitioning into cooler nights this fall, the turmeric in this organic tea, gives this brew an exotic, piquant flavor. It also highlights the other earthy spices found in this chai tea blend.

I love the pinch of cayenne that gives this tea blend a spicy bite! And while this organic chai tea is delicious when brewed with water, it’s also delightful brewed with milk or your favorite milk substitute. Think of it as a flavorful twist on golden milk.

As I’m a bonafide turmeric junkie, this tea is a perfect fit for my healthy lifestyle. (You can find all of my favorite turmeric recipes here.)

What makes loose leaf teas special?

If you’re new to loose leaf teas, then you probably don’t realize what you’ve been missing. Compared to tea bags, which commonly contain what is referred to as “tea dust,” loose leaf teas are like the caviar of teas.

What really sets the teas from Mountain Rose Herbs apart, however, is their quality. Not only are their loose leaf teas made using organic tea leaves and herbs, you know you’re always receiving the freshest, pesticide free botanical tea blends. So you get all of the healthy benefits of drinking tea, without any of the things you DON’T want in your teas.

How to brew loose leaf teas.

So, just how do you blend that perfect cup of organic loose leaf tea? To brew Mountain Rose Herbs turmeric chai tea, heap one tablespoon into your preferred strainer. Then pour 8 ounces of boiling water over the tea. Steep for 3-5 minutes, or until desired strength. Then simply strain and enjoy.

Or discover three more ways to enjoy your turmeric chai tea here.

To learn how to brew your other favorite types of loose leaf teas, be sure to check out this guide to tea brewing.

So, the only question left is, which tea is about to become your new favorite? Find your tea soulmate now!

To discover more about tea, including recipes and tea infused products, be sure to follow my Everything Tea board.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, G+, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alternately, you can subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Shopping Tagged With: artisan tea, black tea, chai tea, food, green tea, health and wellness, herbal tea, honeybush tea, loose leaf tea, tea, tea recipes, white tea

Matcha Green Tea Butter Bars Recipe

July 1, 2017 By Rebecca D. Dillon

These DIY Matcha Green Tea Butter Bars are made with skin nourishing tea seed oil and matcha green tea to create a luxurious non-greasy solid lotion bar that melts onto skin upon application. Unlike recipes for traditional solid lotions bars, these naturally green tinted Matcha Green Tea Butter Bars absorb quickly and won’t leave your skin feeling greasy.

About the ingredients.

Matcha green tea is rich in antioxidants that are beneficial in supporting skin health. It can help to reduce inflammation as well as free radicals that accelerate skin aging.

Like matcha green tea, camellia (tea seed) oil also contains valuable antioxidants. Not only does it help to moisturize skin, but camellia (tea seed) oil can also help to improve skin’s tone and texture as well as reduce the appearance of aging.

I’ve also included oat butter in my matcha green tea butter bars recipe for it’s hydrating and soothing skin care properties. Somewhat softer than shea butter, oat butter makes a wonderful addition to homemade skin care products formulated for sensitive skin.

Ready to make your own DIY Matcha Green Tea Butter Bars? Just follow the recipe below!

Matcha Green Tea Butter Bars Recipe

Ingredients:

.75 oz. candelilla wax
.5 oz. cera bellina wax
2 oz. oat butter
2 oz. camellia (tea seed) oil
.05 oz. matcha green tea
.15 oz. green tea fragrance oil

Notes & Substitutions:

My matcha green tea butter bars recipe calls for cera bellina wax. Cera bellina wax is a beeswax derivative in which the free fatty acids have been converted to polyglycerol esters. As a result, cera bellina softer is softer than regular beeswax. It also adds a smooth, creamy texture to lotions and lip balms. When added to oils it will cause them to gel.

Recommended usage for cera bellina wax is up to 20% in lotions and lip balms and up to 29% in oils for an oil emulsion. If you’d like to learn more about cera bellina wax, Humblebee & Me blog has a wonderful guide to this unique ingredient here.

If you do not want to use cera bellina wax, you can substitute this wax with regular beeswax. Alternately, if you’d like a plant-based vegan matcha green tea butter bar, you can omit the cera bellina wax entirely and use 1 oz. of candelilla wax instead.

Should you not have or do not wish to use oat butter, you may substitute this ingredient with another hydrogenated butter. Alternately you can also substitute the oat butter with refined shea butter or matcha green tea butter.

Camellia (tea seed) oil can be swapped out with fractionated coconut oil and, should you desire all natural matcha green tea butter bars, you can substitute the fragrance oil with .05 oz. essential oil of your choice.

It is, however, important to note that while making substitutions will still a yield a similar solid lotion bar as my matcha green tea butter bars recipe, the final properties and feel of the end product may differ.

Finally, I specifically used the matcha green tea from Adagio Teas for this recipe. I’ve been a customer of Adagio for over a decade and have always trusted their brand, enjoyed their products and loved their rewards program. However, if you already have a favorite supplier for matcha green tea, then that will work as well!

Instructions:

Using a digital scale, begin by weighing out the candelilla wax and cera bellina wax into a small glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat the waxes in the microwave at 40% power until melted. (Alternately you can also use a double boiler.)

Once melted, remove the waxes from your heat source. Weigh out the oat butter and stir into the melted waxes until it liquifies.

Next, weigh out the camellia oil and stir into the previously melted ingredients. Follow with the matcha green tea and the fragrance oil, weighing each ingredient first to get the right amount.

Mix well to fully incorporate all of the ingredients and to remove any clumps of matcha green tea. Then pour into your mold of choice.

I used a square silicone ice cube tray for my mold and evenly filled five of the six mold cavities about 1/3rd of the way full.

Once your matcha green tea butter bars have fully hardened, remove them from the mold. Then wrap your matcha green tea butter bars tightly in foodservice film.

If desired, you can also decorate your matcha green tea butter bars with washi tape.

You can also tie on small gift toppers, like this cactus eraser from Target’s Dollar Spot, or dried herbs.

Your DIY matcha green tea butter bars are now ready to enjoy for personal use or gifting!

If you are wanting to sell the matcha green tea butter bars you’ve made, you will need to follow FDA guidelines for labeling your product. If you’re unsure about the rules and regulations regarding labeling cosmetics, I highly recommend the book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, by Marie Gale.

If you liked my matcha green tea butters bars recipe then you may also like my recipe for a Vegan Solid Lotion Bar. It’s made using plantain infused olive oil, oat butter and candelilla wax and is naturally scented with lavender essential oil. You can find that recipe here.

To discover more of my homemade skin care recipes, be sure to follow my DIY Bath and Body board on Pinterest. You can also find and follow me on G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram.Or subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: anti-aging, crafts, diy, easy, gift idea, green tea, lotion recipe, matcha, moisturizer, Mother's Day gifts, natural, skin care, solid lotion bar, solid lotion recipe, washi tape

Homemade Green Tea and Turmeric Soap Recipe

October 31, 2015 By Rebecca D. Dillon

For this homemade green tea and turmeric soap recipe I really wanted to combine two natural ingredients that have shown to have wonderful properties when used in skin care – green tea and turmeric root powder. The result was a convenient, everyday product that harnesses green tea’s antioxidant properties and combines it with turmeric’s powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and skin lightening properties.

To create this green tea and turmeric soap recipe, I used a strong, cold brewed green tea in place of the water. I then added turmeric to my soapmaking oils which include three separate soapmaking butters – shea, mango and cocoa – for a truly luxurious homemade soap with extra skin conditioning properties. (I mean everyone needs that in the winter, right?) In addition, I also made this cold process soap recipe palm free.

About the Ingredients.

Green tea, of course, is prized for it’s powerful anti-oxidant properties. That’s one of the reasons we drink it, right? (What antioxidants do is bind to oxidants, also known as free radicals, that cause cell damage and neutralize them so don’t damage the cells.) Because antioxidants can deactivate free radicals, it’s believed that they can also help to repair damage to skin tissue as well as prevent aging when used in skin care. (Source.)

Turmeric root powder has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine. Turmeric’s primary active ingredient, curcumin, has shown promising results in helping to fight cancer and slow cancer growth. (Source.) It also has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties when taken internally. (I take turmeric capsules daily for just this reason and it helps considerably!) In skin care, turmeric’s natural antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties means it naturally helps to fight acne and blemishes. Turmeric is also used in traditional Indian skin care remedies to lighten and brighten the skin as well as to even out skin tone and lighten pigmentation and dark spots that come with aging.

Homemade Green Tea and Turmeric Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. coconut oil
2 oz. cocoa butter
1.5 oz. mango butter
2.5 oz. safflower oil
1 oz. shea butter
3 oz. castor oil
1 oz. hemp seed oil
2 oz. avocado oil
15 oz. olive oil

4.9 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide
11.8 oz. strong brewed green tea

1 oz. 60% solution liquid sodium lactate
1.5 oz. turmeric root powder
dried calendula flowers, optional
2 oz. fragrance oil, optional

Soap Notes:

Water as % of oils=33% (This is a softer soft even with the sodium lactate, especially if you’re using a fragrance oil for scent. If you need your soap to harden quicker try using 30% water discount.)

Superfat=6%

The sodium lactate was used at 2.7% of the total oil weight.

As with most of my homemade soap recipes, my homemade green tea and tumeric soap recipe will fit inside one of my DIY wooden loaf soap molds and will yield approximately 10-12 bars depending on how thick you cut them.

To Make the Green Tea:

I used Adagio’s fantastic cold-brew citron green tea for this green tea and tumeric soap recipe. Their cold brew pouches are my favorite as there’s no work involved other than dropping a cold-brew iced tea pouch into a pitcher of water overnight. (I sweeten mine afterwards with simple syrup.) They also work well for this homemade soap recipe.

To make the strong brewed green tea you’ll need to combine 15 oz. of distilled water with two cold-brew citron green tea pouches. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Then remove the green tea pouches and squeeze out the excess. (You need to use more water than called for in the recipe as the tea will retain some of the water content. If there’s leftover green tea, you can use the extra green tea to mix with these DIY facial cleansing grains!)

Soapmaking Instructions:

To make this homemade green tea and tumeric soap recipe, you’ll need to follow my basic cold process soapmaking method instructions. (If you’ve never made cold process soap before here’s a good, inexpensive beginner’s cold process soap recipe.) Be sure to take all proper safety precautions when working with lye including goggles and gloves.

Begin by measuring out the refrigerated green tea you’ve prepared in fluid ounces. Pour into a heat safe pitcher. Next, using a digital scale weigh out the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water in a well ventilated area and stir until all the lye has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Next, weigh out the soapmaking oils and butters using a digital scale. Combine in a stainless steel pot then heat over medium heat on the stove until all the oils and butters have melted. Once melted, remove the soapmaking oils and butters from heat and set aside.

You can mix this green tea and turmeric soap recipe at any point in which your lye solution and soapmaking oils have cooled to around 95°F-110°F. Once you’re ready to make the soap, weigh out the sodium lactate and stir into the lye solution. Then weigh out the turmeric root powder and mix into the melted soapmaking oils using a stick blender. You are now ready to mix the lye solution and soapmaking oils together.

Slowly pour the lye solution into the soapmaking oils. Mix with a stick blender until you reach a light trace, then add your fragrance oil if desired. Continue mixing until you reach at least a a medium trace. (Because of the properties of ingredients used in this homemade soap recipe – especially the high percentage of olive oil and the lack of palm oil – this does take a bit longer to trace than most of my other soap recipes.)

Once, your soap has traced, pour the soap batter into your prepared mold. Add calendula petals to the top of the soap for visual interest if desired. Finally, you’ll need to cover your soap for the saponification process. Cover with a piece of cardboard cut to fit your mold then place a folded towel or blanket over the mold to insulate it.

If you’re using a wooden loaf soap mold, you can remove your soap from the mold the next day. However, you’ll want to wait an additional day before cutting the soap into individual bars to the soap a bit of extra time to harden further. If you’re using a silicone loaf mold or individual silicone (shape) molds, I’d wait two to three days before attempting to unmold the soap to be sure the soap releases from the mold cleanly.

Allow your soap to cure for four to six weeks, then wrap and label your homemade soaps as desired for yourself, friends and family or to sell. (If you’re selling your homemade green tea and turmeric soaps in the United States, be sure to label your homemade soaps with the weight and refrain from making any medical claims about the final product.)

For more of my homemade soap recipes be sure to visit Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen. You can also follow me on Pinterest for collections of not only my homemade soap recipes and homemade holiday gift ideas but also some of my favorites from around the web.

Or keep up with all of my new homemade soap recipes and other DIY creations by following Soap Deli News blog via Blog Lovin’ and Tumblr. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Instagram.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, gift idea, green tea, palm free soap, soap tutorial, soapmaking, stocking stuffer, turmeric

Green Tea & Agave Homemade Cold Process Soap Recipe

September 15, 2014 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This homemade cold process soap recipe is formulated with skin conditioning oils like safflower and evening primrose oils and boasts the anti-oxidant power of natural green tea. A touch of agave is added for its humectant properties. I also used up the rest of my comfrey, calendula and plantain infused olive oil that I made a while back for my homemade black drawing salve recipe in this soap. However, you can use regular pomace olive oil if you like.

Finally, I chose to scent my Green Tea & Agave Homemade Cold Process Soap Recipe with a Be Delicious Blossom fragrance oil I’d been wanting to try this one in soap for a while. I was really happy with the results. This particular fragrance is a sophisticated blend of ruby cassis, ripe pineapple, sweet rose blossoms and dewy fresh air. Naturally you can substitute the fragrance oil with any of your skin safe favorites or with half the amount of essential oil for a completely natural soap.

Green Tea & Agave Homemade Cold Process Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

9 oz. olive oil infused with plantain leaves, calendula flowers & comfrey leaves
9 oz. 76° melt point refined coconut oil
3.6 oz. grapeseed oil
3.6 oz. safflower oil
1.5 oz. castor oil
3.6 oz. macadamia nut oil
2 oz. cocoa butter
2 oz. sesame oil
1.7 oz. evening primrose oil
.25 oz. carnauba wax
2 oz. stearic acid

12 oz. distilled water
4.9 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide pellets

1 oz. green tea powder
1 oz. light agave syrup
2 Tablespoons white kaolin (cosmetic) clay
2 oz. fragrance oil of choice (or 1 oz. essential oil)

Directions:

To create this homemade cold process soap recipe you’ll need to follow my basic cold process soapmaking instructions.

Begin by measuring out the water into a large Pyrex measuring cup or heat proof pitcher. Next, using a digital scale weigh out the lye then slowly pour the lye into the water. Mix until all the lye has dissolved then set the lye-water aside in a well ventilated area to cool.

Now weigh out the soapmaking oils, cocoa butter, stearic acid and carnauba wax and combine in a large stainless steel pot. Heat over medium heat on the stove until all the ingredients have melted then set aside to cool.

Once the soapmaking oils and lye-water have reached around 90°-95°F you’re ready to make soap!

Slowly pour the lye-water into the soapmaking oils and mix with a stick blender until you reach a light trace. Stir in the clay, agave syrup, green tea powder and fragrance oil and combine thoroughly using your stick blender until soap has traced fully.

Pour the soap into your prepared mold and cover, but don’t insulate the soap. Twenty-four hours later you can unmold your soap loaf and cut it into bars. Allow the soap to cure 4-6 weeks before use for optimal results.

This homemade cold process soap recipe will fit into one of my easy DIY Wooden Loaf Soap Molds. The final loaf will yield anywhere from 10-12 bars of handmade soap depending on how thick you cut them. You can learn how to make a soap loaf cutter here for even bars.

Want to make this homemade cold process soap recipe palm free? If you are unable to source palm free stearic acid simply substitute the stearic acid with beeswax!

For more homemade cold process soap recipes go here. Or you can browse all of my homemade soap recipes by visiting Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen. Also be sure to follow my DIY Bath and Body Pinterest Board for more great homemade soap recipes and beauty DIY’s from both Soap Deli News and around the web.

Keep up with all of my new DIY bath and beauty posts by following Soap Deli News Blog on Blog Lovin’, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: agave, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, green tea, palm free soap, soap recipe, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Anti-Wrinkle Green Tea Eye Cream Recipe with Natural Ingredients

August 22, 2014 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Does your eye area need a little extra love to help keep those pesky wrinkles away for as long as possible? Then be sure to try out this natural anti-wrinkle green tea eye cream recipe!

Formulated using a combination of natural carrier oils known to promote healing like rosehip seed oil, walnut oil, pumpkin seed oil and evening primrose, this natural anti-wrinkle green tea eye cream recipe also contains green tea extract which is renowned for it’s antioxidant properties.

Use this anti-wrinkle green tea eye cream around eyes under makeup during the day and then also around the eye area at night before bed. A little goes a long way!

In addition this anti-wrinkle green tea eye cream recipe is also wonderful for dry skin and eczema or as a night cream for your face if you have dry or maturing skin.

Natural Anti-Wrinkle Green Tea Eye Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

.25 oz. beeswax
.3 oz. walnut oil
.3 oz. rosehip seed oil
.25 oz. pumpkin seed oil
.25 oz. shea butter
.25 oz. evening primrose oil
.5 ml vitamin E
.1 oz. liquid green tea extract

Instructions:

You will need a digital scale to weigh out the ingredients for my anti-wrinkle green tea eye cream recipe.

Begin by using a digital scale to weigh out the shea butter and beeswax. Melt a double boiler then remove from heat. Now weigh out the walnut, rosehip, pumpkin, and evening primrose oil and stir into the melted shea butter and beeswax.

Using a graduated plastic transfer pipette measure out the vitamin E oil and stir into the cream.

Allow the natural green tea eye cream to cool completely and solidify to a creamy consistency – you can speed this up by popping it in the fridge for several hours – then weigh out the liquid green tea extract and stir into the cream.

Spoon the final product into a 2 oz. glass jar and seal. Store in a cool dry place.

For more natural anti-aging skin care recipes like this one, be sure to follow my DIY Bath and Body board on Pinterest.

You can also keep up with all of new posts and bath, beauty and skin care recipes by following Soap Deli News blog on Blog’ Lovin, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Or subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: anti-wrinkle cream, beauty, crafts, diy, green tea, natural, organic, skin care, under eye cream