Happy Earth Day!

It's that day...the one where we celebrate the beauty of this big blue planet!

And a great day make a few simple changes to make our lifestyles more earth (and body!)-friendly! Read below for some awesome body care and household recipes that are sublimely good for you and this big beautiful world of ours!

And wile you're at it, check-out our all-natural soaps, bath accessories and soy-candles, all marked-down today!

Fast-Absorbing, All-Natural Body Oil

This oil combines some fast-absorbing, light weight oils with some more emollient, nourishing oils to create a fabulously-natural replacement for your standard lotion. And the true beauty of this recipe is that when applied straight out of the shower while your skin is still warm and soft, it leaves behind a satin-smooth, almost powdery finish. Then add your favorite essential oil (or oils) to create your own signature scent! My favorites are ylang-ylang for a fresh citrus-blossom type scent or a blend of lavender and sage. Bye-bye Lubriderm!


Sunflower Oil    5 parts
Avocado Oil      2.5 parts
Grapeseed Oil   1.5 parts
Coconut Oil       1.0 parts
Vitamin E*          1% of your total oils
Essential Oil      1% of total oils


You might need to warm these oils enough to fully-liquefy the coconut oil if it's still cold in your area, but otherwise just blend together and put in your favorite pump-style bottle and you're good to go! As always, cautious trial is recommended for any new products!


*The vitamin E oil serves the purpose of extending the shelf-life of these oils. While some oils (namely the Coconut) have a pretty long shelf-life, others (namely the Grapeseed) are known to go rancid more quickly (typically within 6-12 months). There is no way to know exactly how long this blend will last, but for the best shelf-life possible, don't forget the Vitamin E and store in a dark-colored bottle in a cool place out of direct sunlight. When the smell starts to change, time to toss it.

Wood Cleaner/Duster

I've shared this recipe with many friends over the years and the report is always the same: not only does it leave wood beautiful and shining, but it actually seems to repel dust (don't ask me how!) allowing for longer between household dusting! And the best part is that it's SO simple and incredibly natural. No more solvents and aerosol cans!


Coconut Oil*                    4 fl oz
Distilled Water                 6 fl oz
Lemon Essential Oils**   45 drops +/-


*Fractionated coconut oil works well here since it will not solidify in cold weather, but good ol' coconut oil will do the job just fine. Just pop in the microwave for a few seconds and shake if it solidifies between uses!
**Lemon essential oil provides a true cleaning benefit here, so don't skimp! But it should be noted that "Therapeutic Grade" is not necessary in this case. Any decent-quality oil will do.


 To use, simply mix all ingredients in a micro-mist spray bottle and shake well. Add to dusting cloth or directly to furniture (though it's always wise to do a test area to be sure your furniture likes it). Since this product does include water and may spoil, you may consider making in a smaller batch for 1-2 uses, storing in the fridge between uses. If it starts to look or smell icky, toss it and make a new batch!

That's it for now folks! But stay tuned! I can't wait to share more natural body care and household recipes! And in the interim, don't forget to head over to the store for our Earth Day Sale!

As always, we recommend  cautious trial of all skin care and household products. Always test in a small area first to ensure reaction does not occur. Discontinue use if results are not favorable.

Don't Miss Out!

Sale ends tonight!!

You're not going to want to miss this! All soaps and candles on sale through MIDNIGHT only! Plus Free gift with purchases over $50 and free shipping over $75!

Head over to www.horsethiefsoapco.com for some awesome deals!!

It's Go-Time Baby!

Spring Soap & Candle Market is OPEN!!

Head over to:

www.horsethiefsoapco.com

Don't Forget:

• All Soaps & Candles on sale until Saturday!
  
• Flat $5 Shipping + Free shipping on all orders over $75!
  
• Free gift with purchases over $50!

Hurry! When it's gone, it's gone!

Spring Soap & Candle Sale Opening Tomorrow!

It's here! Our first ever Seasonal Soap & Candle Market!

Shop opens tomorrow morning at 8am (PST)!

And there are a few things I think you'd like to know:

• First-off, product ships for a flat rate of $5 with all purchases over $75 shipping for FREE!

• Product ships within 3 business days, typically via USPS flat-rate.

• Candle offerings are limited for this first sale, so if there is something you LOVE and it's sold-out, shoot me an email and we'll see if we can scrounge something up.

Here's why you don't want to wait to place your order:

• When we're sold-out, we're sold out! So, if you're in need of Mother's Day, Father's Day or any other kind of gift, you'd better, as we say, "get on it!".

• For the first three days of the sale, all soaps and candles will be on sale with gift sets marked down even further!

• For the first three days only, orders over $50 will be eligible for a free gift with purchase!

So, don't wait! Set your Outlook alert and before you even consider looking at those "TPS reports" sitting on your desk at work come and get you some awesome soap and candles. You'll be glad you did.

Conserve water. Shower with a Friend.

Or Not. Your Call.

But if you're not going to share your shower-time, at least share your favorite shower-time goodies...

Face it. Nothing says "I Love You" like some awesome soap and candles. I mean, soap says "I'm thinking of you...and want you to be clean and nice-smelling". Candles, well, "I want your house to smell nice when I come over".


Alright, so that's not really what you're saying when you give handmade soap and candles (or at least I hope that's not what you're saying). Truth is, it's hard not to love receiving a quality hand-made gift. But probably the coolest parts about giving our soaps and candles, is how well they pair together and the myriad of options available to suit every taste!

Not to startle you, but Mother's Day is right around the corner

But it's ok. We've got you covered with some amazing soap + candle combos! While we aren't able to offer candles coordinated to every soap (some fragrances just don't smell all that great when burning), there are still some excellent pairings that are supremely gift-worthy.


Gift Ideas: For the flower-lover, how about a bar of sweet orange blossom "My Darlin' Clementine" soap with a matching candle? For those who prefer something more sultry, "The Infamous El Guapo"  soap and candle combo would make an excellent choice. And for those who prefer fresh, invigorating scents, how about  a bar and a jar of "The Mule".




My Darlin' Clementine Soap + Candle Combo

Even pairing two excellently-matched candles would be a beautiful choice.




Gift Suggestion: Try "April Showers" and "May Flowers", a clean rain scent complimented by a fresh hydrangea fragrance. Or a little "Sun Daze" and "Sunshine + Whiskey" for a pineapples and oranges paired with coconut, citrus and whiskey. No matter which way you go, you really can't go wrong.

Crunchy options for your crunchy pals

By crunchy I am not referring to the texture of the soap, of course. I'm referring to those soap gladiators who tolerate nothing less than the most natural of ingredients in their products. Horsethief Canyon's line of soaps includes an excellent (and soon expanding) selection of all-natural soaps scented exclusively with essential oils and colored with natural ingredients like clays, carrots, honey, turmeric and oxides (also natural). They range from uplifting peppermint to soothing lavender and palmarosa, and come in a range of beautiful colors.


Gift idea: A set of these gives their lucky recipient endless options to suite their mood and season. Present them in a simple muslin bag with a hand-written note. Crunchy folks love that stuff.




From top to bottom: "Misty Mountain Morning" (Peppemint & Lavender),
"Prairie Rose" (Lavender & Palmarosa),
"The Rabbit of Seville"  (Unscented, Carrot, Turmeric & Honey),
"No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" (Citrus Lavender with Sea Clay & Spirulina)



Beer Soap for the Beer Lover



The Mule from Moscow

(Ginger Beer + Ginger, Spearmint & Lime!)

Because the only thing more awesome than some badass craft beer is getting to take a shower with it (and still be sober enough to go to work). The line of craft beer soaps are made exclusively from California beers and cover all the bases:

You're a stout kinda guy? We got that.

Belgian wheat bro? Yup.

IPA-lovin' babe? Ohhhhh yeahhhh.

Porters, Blonds and Saisons? Yessirrreee!

We even have some Ginger Beer!

The beer soap offerings are always expanding and always made with excellently crafted beers that you'll love showering with as much as you love drinking.



Beer soaps in a simple wood slide-top box

Gift suggestion: A "Flight" of beer soaps with a selection of beers to match (just shoot us an email if you're curious about what beers went into each bar)!

Man Soap

Squeakin' Clean Cowboy Soap with
Fresh Aftershave Scent and
Bentonite Clay for extra cleansing.

So at the beginning of my journey, not only did I fall in love with beer soap, but I was completely drawn to the more masculine fragrances. Everyone told me it was silly to focus on manly bars since "men don't buy soap". Yeah. Except for men ABSOLUTELY buy soap. They just don't want a girly bar of lavender, geranium, rose, pink sugar, sweet pea soap. They want TOBACCO soap. They want CHARCOAL soap. Turns out, for the right bar of soap, men get pretty darn excited.

The "Horse Thief" stout beer and tobacco bar.

Gift idea: A selection of man soaps (maybe including some of beer soaps) wrapped-up with a wood-handled, boar-bristled body brush. Just a basic brown bag and some bakers twine give this awesome gift an understated elegance for your favorite man! And if I may, Father's Day is coming soon!

 

The variations are endless...

Like I said, a myriad of options. For sweets-lovers: "Granny's Buttermilk Pie" and "Burnt Sugar". For florals, "Luscious Lilacs", "The Blossom Trail" and "My Darlin' Clementine". For clean scents, "Squeakin' Clean Cowboy", "Misty Mountain Morning", "The Mule" and "Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere". Just check the selection on www.horsethiefsoapco.com. You'll be glad you did.

Spring Market opens Thursday!! Stay tuned!!

 

"Burnin' Love"

Showing some love to our soy candles

The lecture begins...

By now you're probably thinking, "Why is this chick always telling us how to use all this stuff?". I know. It's probably the mom in me. No piece of advice must go ungiven. Sorry. It's in the mom rule-book. Can't go breakin' those rules.


Mom-rules aside, the real reason for all this lecturing is that I simply detest the idea of someone purchasing my soaps and candles and not getting every single ounce of use out of them. Truth is, handcrafted products aren't cheap. I'm not afraid to say it. Their price reflects all of the quality ingredients, love and attention put into making them the best that they can be. But it still represents part of your budget and I think you should get every penny's-worth.


So, now I'm going to lecture you on proper candle burning. Feel free to take the teenager approach and ignore it. ...*Sigh*...you just won't understand until you have kids of your own...or something like that...

Soy Wax: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

The soy wax used in our candles is all-natural, sustainable and renewable. It's grown in the USA and certified kosher. And as if that isn't good enough, soy wax is also a clean-burning and carbon neutral fuel source. And better still: it's a slower and cooler burning fuel source, allowing for a 30-50% longer burn-time ounce for ounce.




Wood wicks are sustainably sourced and certified organic

Another delightful feature of Horsethief Canyon soy candles: wood wicks. Our wicks are certified organic, responsibly grown in the USA and fully renewable. They also crackle when they burn. And that's just awesome.

The Bad (kind of)

It's true. Cooler-burning soy wax can be slower to release it's scent. But, it's hard to really consider this a bad thing. Instead of overwhelming a space with intense fragrance, it creates a pleasant ambiance. For those who don't necessarily consider themselves "candle people" this effect is a welcomed way to bring your favorite scent into a room without overwhelming it. For those who are used to the immediate and intense scent provided by a paraffin candle, it's just helpful to remember that it can take a little longer for a soy candle to get up to speed.

The Ugly

Alright. There's no denying it. "Frosting" is ugly. No, not the kind you eat on a cake (or on a spoon, or a cookie, or your finger...no judgment). That kind of frosting is sweet, beautiful and shall never be spoken ill of. No, here we are talking about the frosting of soy wax after burning. This refers to the mottled and rough texture that can result on the top of soy candles after burning.




Frosting...not the good kind.

The good thing about frosting is that it is completely harmless and has no effect on the burn of the candle. In fact, it's a tell-tale sign that you've purchased an authentic soy candle (rather than a candle made with other less-natural fuel sources). Still, it is very, very ugly.

So, now what?

Now that you know about soy candles, here are a few suggestions for getting the most bang for your buck:


1. Wicks should always be trimmed to about ¼”above wax when lighting. For wood wicks, simply break-off some of the blackened part of the wick before burning subsequent times (being careful not to break-off too much). Obviously, only trim wicks when cool enough to handle without risk of burning yourself.




Simply break-off some of the burned wood wick (when cool, of course)

2. To avoid “tunneling” and wasted wax, always plan to allow enough burn time for candle to establish a full melt-pool. A full melt-pool is achieved when the melted wax reaches all the way to the walls of the vessel and is approximately ½” deep. This typically takes about 1 hour per inch of diameter (about 2½ +/-hours for our candles), though this time may vary.




 

Establishing a full melt-pool ensures a more even burn and less wasted wax

Failure to establish a full melt-pool will often result in "tunneling" (pick below) or wax hang-up on the walls of the jars. Both of these things will cause an inefficient burn and wasted wax (limiting the burn-time on your awesome candles.





The result of not establishing full melt-pool.

3. A single-wicked, 8oz candle can only do so much in the scent department. If you find the scent is not strong enough while burning, the room may just be too large for the size of the candle. If you're trying to scent a larger room, two of the same candle will usually do the job just right. Otherwise, enjoy your candles in smaller rooms.

4. It is a good practice to keep the lid on the candle while not in use. This will keep the scent stronger and the wax from discoloration. Of course, it goes without saying that these lids should NEVER be placed on candle while burning or while wax is still hot. 'Cause, ya know, that might catch on fire.

And now for the common sense warning...

Part of making sure you get the most out of your candles is making sure you don't burn your house down while burning one. The is the "Don't drive over the speed limit and make sure you call me when you get there", part of the lecture. You most certainly already know this stuff, but it's important enough to repeat.


1. Always burn candles within sight.
2. Keep away from drafts and vibrations.
3. Keep out of reach of children and pets. No one needs a cat with its tail on fire.   
4. Never burn candle near anything that may catch fire. Duh.  
5. Do not use if container becomes damaged.
6. Glass container can become very hot and caution should be taken to avoid injury. So, don't touch it.
7. Discontinue use when ½” of wax remains.
8. Keep candle free of any foreign materials including matches and wick trimmings.
9. Only burn candle on a level, fire resistant surface.
10. Do not burn candle for more than 4 hours at a time.

Most importantly: Never leave candle unattended!

So now you know.

And knowing is half the battle.


Ok. You probably already knew at least most of that. But if you learned just one thing that will help you get more enjoyment from your new soy candle, then that's a good thing. If you feel like you've just spent the last 10 minutes listening to your mom tell you what to do...yeah...sorry 'bout that. It's only 'cause I love you.


Enjoy!

"Bar etiquette"

"Dry Soap is Happy Soap"

If it's important enough to print it on every bar of soap, then it must be pretty darn important, right?


That's a 10-4 big papa.


Mucho importante.

You see, while soap should be your #1 water companion, you'd be wise to consider it more like the pool lifeguard: always ready to come to the rescue, but not lounging around in the water getting pruney all day.

"The Hubs" is a chronic misuser of soap. It's true. Lucky for him, he's married to a pretty prolific soapmaker. Truthfully, I hate to think what portion of the household budget went to soap before he started serving as "Soap Tester General" around here. No matter how many times I tell him, he never, ever, EVER puts the soap back up in the wire holder in the shower. Where does he leave it? On the little shelf, about 3 feet high, right under the shower stream. Every day. Needless to say, it's a really, really good thing there are always soap ends and trimmings that need testing around here.


But what if you're not married to a soap maker? It's ok. Read on. I'll make sure you get every ounce of soapy-goodness from your next bar of soap.

Let's talk shower rules

If you leave any bar of soap sitting under a stream of water or in a soupy, liquid-filled soap dish it will turn to the soap-equivalent of Stage 1 baby food. It will still smell like soap, but all structural integrity will have been lost in favor of a slick, slimy texture that no one (not even a baby) wants. So, it seems pretty simple: keep your soap high and dry!


If your shower is like ours, fitting more than one person in there requires some serious acrobatics (not to get too personal or anything). So, you get the picture. It's teeny. And since there's pretty-much no place that doesn't get hit by the shower stream, the best place I've found to keep the soap is in a little wire rack that hangs from the top of the glass wall. It meets the basic qualifications of "well-draining" and "away from running water" and when I'm in charge of soap-placement, our bars last a long time, drying out completely between uses.


So we've talked "shower placement", but what about shower usage? Sure, there's no wrong way to enjoy your favorite bar of soap. But who wouldn't like to use it longer? You can extend the use of your bar in a major way using an all-natural sea sponge. This folks, is what you call a two-fer. Not only will it extend the use of the bar, but the feel of the sea sponge and all of it's gentle exfoliating goodness is a major shower-time bonus. You see, lathering-up your sponge just once at the beginning of the shower (then putting your bar somewhere high and dry) will give you endless lather for the duration!

So obviously I am demonstrating this at the sink, but it really
makes a world of difference in the shower!

Oh yeah, and when the bar in question is a BIG 5-6oz Horsethief Canyon bar, cut it in half and use only one piece at a time! That way only half of the soap is being exposed the water, while the other half continues to age and get harder (and therefore longer lasting!).

I have a 'sink'ing suspicion...

...that your soap dish (like mine) is about as good at draining excess liquid the Hoover Dam. Most ceramic dishes are woefully bad at keeping your soap from languishing in a pool of icky, slimy water. Even those with raised ridges don't really keep bars all that dry. But alas, there is a solution (and it doesn't involve tossing out your favorite soap dish)!

Introducing...The Soap Lift!

One of my dear friends (and avid handmade soap-convert) tuned me into something called a "soap lift". It's a fabulous little recycled plastic "mesh" pad that you set in your soap dish. Water and "ick" can flow through it, and your bar stays "lifted" high and dry. Kinda like a bra for your soap. Just sayin...

Check-out this Horse Thief bar all high-n-dry on the soap lift!


So, that's it folks. A couple simple soap-saving steps (say that 3 times fast!) and you'll be on your way to soap-induced bath time bliss!

Stay tuned for a tutorial on getting the most bang for your soy-candle buck!

Happy Soaping!