10th ave. soapworks

I knew I was pushing my luck when I tried to squeeze in some time to make a batch of soap.  But if everything went exactly as I wanted, it would work just fine.  ....Does anything ever go absolutely perfectly? So why did I think it would this time?  I guess it's just the thrill of the challenge. I've long admired the teardrop effect in soap-- this is my very favorite example.  I thought I would try it out on a batch of caramel apple soap.  The fragrance I knew would discolor to a dark brown, so I left some unscented and used a merlot mica to give the top teardrop layer a deep red.  In my mind it would be caramel-y and gorgeous and look as good as it smelled. The problem was that the red portion was much thicker than the rest of the batch.  I had already poured the base color into the mold and was supposed to be out the door 5 minutes ago.  To put my own twist on the classic advice, "When in doubt, charge ahead."  So I just started pouri...

I've mentioned that I use a lot of apple cider vinegar in my hair and this is why. I make certain soaps that I use as shampoo. It's great for many reasons, but rinsing it out with just plain water is a bad idea. It's so squeaky clean I can't run my fingers through my hair and when it dries, it's like a handful of straw perched on my head. But when I pour some apple cider vinegar diluted in water over my hair it gets instantly softened and conditioned. I even use it whenever I use commercial shampoos. I must include a word of caution here....(Good Story Alert)....Early in my herbal interest, I read that vinegar made a good final hair rinse. I took this literally. I washed my hair one morning and poured on a cupful of vinegar, towel-dried it and raced off to work. The vinegar was definitely smelly, but what's that when gorgeous hair is on the line? I arrived with my hair still damp and set to work with a co-worker. After several minutes, she wrinkled up her nos...