Jasper's Secret Garden

Are you sick and tired of paying high $$$'s for those fancy-dancy Shower Gels and Liquid Hand Soaps? Yep - me too!

I've been buying a brand-name liquid hand soap, but there were a couple of things I was not totally satisfied with. #1 - the fragrance ~ Pomegranate & Mango. There's something missing from this scent ~ maybe a "green" note? I'm not sure what it is. Now, to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of heavily scented bath & body products (especially florals - ugh!) and #2 - Instead of moisturizing, it left my hands dry. So this popular brand always left me wondering - what's the point? Pretty bottle? The floating beads? Pretty color? Who cares?! I want a scent that's going to take me away (hmmm, sounds like Calgon!) and make me feel all warm & fuzzy! More importantly, I want it to do its job ~ gently clean and moisturize at the same time! Know what I mean?

If you buy the gallon size of Shower Gel & Liquid Hand Soap from MMS - you have the best of both worlds! You can make a shower gel & hand soap in any scent or color combo you want! Plus - it can go from the bathroom sink to the shower without worrying if it's going to dry out your skin! Don't forget to buy the pump too! Each stroke of the pump dispenses about 1 oz of product - so - 8 strokes = 8 oz. No need to weigh out on a scale - how easy is that??!!

If you are chemically sensitive to fragrances or even colorants - don't add them! Just pump the liquid hand soap base directly into the bottle you want to use! (HA ~ less dishes to clean up too!) This Shower Gel & Liquid Hand Soap Base is wonderful as-is! It's crystal clear, mild, has a creamy lather, simple to make and cost effective too!! Can't go wrong with that ;o) !!!

Let's get started!

I'm going to make 2 - 8 oz bottles of Liquid Hand Soap ~ 1 with Jojoba Beads and 1 with a beautiful, burgundy colored Mica!

Ingredients Needed:
Shower Gel & Liquid Hand Soap Base + Pump (for gallon size)
Polynesian Red Fragrance Oil
Red Jojoba Beads (Bottle 1)
Bordeaux Lustre Mica (Bottle 2)
2 - 8 oz Clear Boston Round Bottles (PET)
2 - High Viscosity Pumps (Black)
Crothix Liquid Thickener (optional - 1% to 8%)

Equipment Needed:
Packing paper for your counter (I'm just messy, what can I say?!)
16 oz Pyrex cup
10 oz clear SOLO cup (PETE)
1/2 teaspoon OR 3.5 mL Pipette (for fragrance oil)
.15cc Scoop (for colorant)
Spatula
Funnel (make sure it fits in the neck of the 8 oz bottle)
Coffee Mug (wide enough to hold the 8 oz bottle ~ there's nothing worse when a half-filled bottle tips over! Been there ~ done that!)
Vinyl or Latex Gloves
Paper towels (for clean-up)

Phase A:
Pump out 16 oz of Shower Gel/Hand Soap base into the Pyrex cup. (Remember ~ 16 strokes = 16 oz! Since this is a thicker gel, you may need to add more - use the Pyrex as your guide) It took 19 strokes to get 16 fluid oz with this batch.
Add 1/2 tsp OR 2.3 ml of Polynesian Red Fragrance Oil. NOTE: Do not add more than a 1% load - it is excessive, not necessary and can actually harm the base.
Stir thick mixture gently with the spatula until well blended.

OK ~ here's the fun part! I love experimentin' ~ don't you?!!

Bottle 1:
Pour out 8 oz of Phase A into the 10 oz SOLO cup (use the Pyrex as a guide)
Fold in 1/2 tsp of Red Jojoba Beads with the spatula
Let this sit while working on Bottle 2 (write down what time it is_________)
I want the Jojoba Beads to "float"...please, please, please? Fingers and toes crossed ;o)

Bottle 2:
In the remaining hand soap sitting in the Pyrex -
Add 2 - .15cc scoops of Bordeaux Lustre Mica
Stir gently with the spatula until well blended
Proceed to Phase B

Phase B:
Place an empty 8 oz bottle into the coffee mug and insert the funnel
Pour the hand soap, but leave enough head-room to accommodate the pump
Insert the High Viscosity Pump (carefully!) and screw it on. Label bottle and it's ready to use!
(NOTE: If this is strictly for personal use, use an Avery Address Label and handwrite "Shower Gel/Hand Soap and Polynesian Red Fragrance Oil." Also, put a strip of clear, packing tape over the label, to waterproof it somewhat)

OK ~ let's take a look at Bottle 1 still sitting in the 10 oz SOLO cup. How much time has passed? Did your Jojoba Beads rise to the top of the cup?
No? Lucky you ~ proceed to Phase B!
Yes? Try adding 1/2 tsp of Crothix Liquid Thickener to the hand soap
Stir gently with the spatula until well blended. Let it sit for 15 - 20 minutes - see what happens.
If the beads rise again, you have 3 options:
Option 1: Try adding another 1/2 tsp of Crothix Liquid Thickener and wait another 20 minutes
Option 2: Skim off the beads and pour the liquid soap but try not to let any of the jojoba beads get into the bottle ~ yea right!! :o)
Option 3: Gently rock the bottle every time you use the hand soap ~ pffft! ;o) Not happening!

Personal Notes on Bottle 1:
1:25 Added Jojoba Beads
1:35 While working on Bottle 2, my peripheral vision told me I was in trouble...beads are rising VERY quickly ~ oh no ;o(
1:40 Added 1/2 tsp Crothix Liquid Thickener and stirred in
1:50 Beads are not rising as quickly, but who am I kidding?! They're rising ;o(
2:00 Added another 1/2 tsp Crothix Liquid Thickener, stirred and poured into bottle
3:40 They're not rising as quickly as at 1:50 ~ much slower to rise
Next day
12:30 ALL the jojoba beads are sitting all pretty-like at the top of the soap ~ taunting me ~ yea, I even heard a little snicker coming from the bottle...well ~ "dirty word" ;o(

And you know what's even worse? My mica bottle is rising too...I didn't really notice it until I put the bottle up to the light ~ well ~ another dirty, dirty word...yea, phoohey! This is interesting because my other bottles with mica have not risen - hmmm, must be this particular mica.

Helpful tip when using Mica's:
3 oz clear SOLO cup (PETE) or any small bowl
Add: FO, Crothix & Mica
Mix thoroughly until there are no lumps of Mica left ~ it should be smooooth!
Pour/scrape into Base and stir gently. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of your Pyrex w/spatula while stirring. Pffft ~ you knew that ;o) !!

Other options to try:
Place a plastic flower into the bottle - scent but don't color. Do not use silk flowers - I worry about nasties growing... You will have to use less soap base to accommodate the plastic flower. This calls for a trip to the Dollar Store!!

I'm going to try Hinoki Wood FO next - that scent is right up my sisters' alley ;o)!! Color with a White Gold Mica or maybe Cappucino Mica. Ooooh ~ very woodish looking! (what was I thinking?!!) She'll love it!!
(16 oz Base, 1/2 tsp FO, 1 Tb Crothix (3%), 3 - .15cc Light Gold Mica and 1 - .15cc Cappuccino Mica ~ 2 bottles)

Blowing Bubbles FO for 2 of my grandchildren:
Rose Petal Liquid Dye for Samantha - needs to be girlie don't you know? She's 3 going on 30 - LOL!!
Ocean Blue Jojoba Beads for Dustin - do I dare try Jojoba Beads again? No, I'll use Sapphire Liquid Dye for him!
(16 oz Base, 1/2 tsp FO, 1 Tb Crothix (3%), divided this into 2 cups, added 2 drops of liquid dye to each cup ~ 2 bottles)

Lemon Zinger FO for my mom's kitchen sink (and mine too!). Color with Sun Gold Mica ~ pretty!!
(16 oz Base, 1/2 tsp FO, 1 Tb Crothix, 3 - .15cc Sun Gold Mica ~ 2 bottles)

Vanilla Cream FO for me & Amber:
This is a sweeter Vanilla but it's non-discoloring, so that's a plus! I'll use Light Gold Mica for these! Expensive looking!
(16 oz Base, 1/2 tsp FO, 1 Tb Crothix (3%), 3 - .15cc Light Gold Mica ~ 2 bottles)

(FO = Fragrance Oil)

You see? There are so many scent/color combos possible with this wonderful base! Sure wish I'd bought more than 10 bottles though :o( !

Polynesian Red Fragrance Description:
Juicy pomegranates are the core of this fragrance. Hints of pineapple, red grapefruit, green apple, mango and subtle moss make this scent unforgettable. Oh yea it is ~ this is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks Tina :o) !!!

I had so much fun experimenting with this base - even the disaster with the Jojoba Beads!! You just never know what's going to happen unless you try it - right??!!

~ Click on images for a close-up view! ~