Lotus Blossom Melt & Pour Swirl

Although it's still February all of us here at Voyageur feel that spring is in the air!  We can't wait for longer days, crisp sunshine, and cherry blossoms, and when we brought in our new Lotus Blossom guest sized soap mold we couldn't resist making these shimmery spring-inspired soaps!  Here is what you'll need to make 5 soaps:

150 grams of Clear Melt and Pour Soap

50 grams of White Melt and Pour Soap

Lily of the Valley Fragrance Oil

Various micas (we used Sparkle Gold, Romantic Rose, Spring Meadow, and Blue Pearl)

Lotus Blossom Guest Milky Way Soap Mold

To start, melt your soap base in the microwave or double boiler.  We separated the clear soap into 4 batches for 4 different colours.  Once the soap base is melted, add the mica and stir well.  

Add about a teaspoon of fragrance to your soap, dividing it between the batches.

When the soap has cooled until all the batches are right around 130-135 degrees, you can start to pour one colour of soap into the cavity of the mold.  If you don't have a thermometer  the soap should feel warm to the touch but not too hot to keep your hand on the bottom of the measuring cup.  

We tried many different techniques to pour, most of them starting with the white soap first.  We found that the white melt and pour soap is slightly more buoyant than the clear, so it has a tendency to float to the top.  

One swirling method is to pour the colours directly on top of one another.

Another method is to swirl the soap in the mold as you pour.

Have fun with it and try different techniques!  It's the uniqueness that makes each soap special.  Wait 12-24 hours after pouring to unmold, then enjoy!

All the best,

The Voyageur Team

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Solid Sugar Scrub Recipe

As winter drags you might notice your skin feeling tight, itchy, and maybe even starting to flake off.  This could definitely be attributed to a build-up of dead skin cells, which are blocking the skin from functioning normally.  This recipe that we devised for a solid sugar scrub will help polish and brighten the skin, and leave it feeling touchable and silky smooth!  It contains a high percentage of nourishing and luxurious shea butter, as well as skin loving coconut oil and vitamin E.

Ingredients for one tray of scrubs:

37%                    Shea Butter               74 grams

5%           Coconut Oil Fractionated     10 grams

20%          Clear Melt and Pour Soap   40 grams

37%                        Sugar                    74 grams

1%                Vitamin E MTS-50           2 grams

Clover Wax Tart Mold

Chromium Hydroxide Colourant

Step 1: Weigh out the melt and pour soap, shea butter, and coconut oil into a measuring cup.  

Step 2: Using a double boiler or the microwave, heat up the mixture until no solids remain, stirring well.  The shea butter will sit in suspension in the soap base, so it's ok if the appearance is spotty. 

Step 3: Weigh out and add your sugar to the melted mixture, and stir to incorporate.  Shea butter cools very slowly so the sugar will have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the cup, just keep stirring until the scrub cools slightly.  

Step 4: Add the Chromium Green colourant.  We used about 3 x 0.15 cc scoops' worth, but it's totally up to you how much to add depending on how dark or light you want your scrub to be!

Step 5: Action Shot!  Stir the scrub until the colourant is evenly dispersed. 

Step 6:  Pour the scrub into each cavity of the mold.  There should be just enough for one tray of scrubs. 

Let the scrubs cool down completely before un-molding.  This might take quite a few hours due to the shea butter, but you can put the tray in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.  

Perfect for gift-giving or just to treat yourself, these easy-to-make scrubs are both adorable and totally functional for the cold weather months.  To use, simply take one in the shower or bath, get it moist, then gently scrub your skin in a circular pattern.  Exfoliating dead skin cells can actually help your skin absorb and retain moisture better, which is perfect for dry, stubborn areas such as elbows, legs, knees, and feet.  

Enjoy!

Sincerely, 

The Voyageur Team

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