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Try our Rhassoul Clay & Avocado facial bar recipes! One of the main benefits of cold process soap making is having complete control over ingredients with no added detergents, which strip the skin of its natural oils. There are so many natural ingredients that you can formulate for your soap recipes but here are our favourites for facial bars: Rhassoul Clay Rhassoul Clay has been used by several different cultures for over thousands of years and the word “rhassoul” comes from an Arabic word that means “to wash”. Benefits of Rhassoul clay: Rhassoul clay is full of metallic elements that carry a negative charge. This magnetic energy draws out positively charged toxins and bonds to them so that when you wash the clay away, the toxins purportedly go with it. For this reason, rhassoul clay is used as a detoxifier for skin and for hair. Precautions when using Rhassoul Clay: Rhassoul clay is safe for most people to use, with some exception. Avoid if you have allergy to metallic elements like aluminium or magnesium. Not suitable if you are prone to scalp, eczema or other chronic skin conditions. Where to get Rhassoul Clay: You can get Rhassoul Clay from Sugar & Spice studio. Avocado Oil Avocado oil is one of few edible oils not derived from seeds; it is pressed from the fleshy pulp surrounding the avocado pit. The absorbent oil is thought to have numerous benefits for your skin, like moisturizing dry hands or acting as a natural sunblock. You can apply avocado oil directly to your skin or mix it with your favorite soap or skincare recipes. Benefits of Avocado Oil: Avocado oil is a wonderful sub for some of the olive oil in a recipe. It is high in vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals making it a great addition to facial bars or bars for elder skin. How to Use Avocado Oil: Soft / Hard or Brittle: Soft Properties in Soap: Medium lather, mild cleansing Recommended Usage: 5-12% Where to get Avocado oil: You can get Avocado oil from Sugar & Spice studio. Essential Oil Essential oil has its own therapeutic properties which can help with the different skin issue when added to your cold process soap recipes. Here are some of our recommendation for the different skin conditions: Acne: Anise, Basil, Cedarwood, Ginger, Grapefruit, Tea Tree Dull Skin: Basil, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Juniper, Lemon, Lemongrass, Rosemary Eczema: Bergamot, Juniper Berry, Lavender, Tea Tree Aged Skin: Clary Sage, Cypress, Fennel, Frankincense, Ginger Dry Skin: Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Lavender, Orange, Ylang Ylang Oily Skin: Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Lime, Litsea, Juniper Where to get essential oil: You can get essential oils from Sugar & Spice studio. Like to give our facial bars a try? Get FREE samples from our studio: 81 Ubi Avenue 4 #10-19 UB.One Singapore 408830 (pre-appointment required). While stocks last! If you like it, don't forget to try the above recipe for your next soap making project! New to soap making? Book for our Basic Cold Process (CP) soap making classes (Suitable for Beginners): Basic CP soap making class (Learn how to make bar soaps) CP Liquid soap making class (Learn how to make liquid soaps) For Experienced soap makers, rent a space for soap making: DIY Workshop Want a greater deal? See our cost-saving Price Plans & Packages. All Package holders will be automatically signed up as Paid Members to enjoy exclusive member discounts and privileges.

Give the Gift of Experience and save more this December! Hello everyone! Gifting season has arrived and most of you will be wondering what to buy for your loved ones this holiday season! Since travelling is restricted this year, why not inspire them with a Gift of Experience! We have a range of hands-on experience in soap making to bathing essentials available for you to choose from. Here are our Top 6 gifting ideas: 1. DIY Melt & Pour Soap Making Kit We have designed a kit to make soap making fun & easy to make at the comfort of your own home! If you’ve always wanted to make your own soap or know a crafter who does, our soap making kit is the best way to get started! Special Promo: from $26.30 (Usual: from $29.90, Limited sets!) SEE VIDEOS // BUY NOW! 2. Surprise Box Don't know what to buy? We have curated a Surprise Box filled with 3pcs of mystery handmade soaps this gifting season! Special Promo: $39/box (Usual: up to $60/box, Limited sets!) // BUY NOW! // 3. $50 Gift Voucher E-vouchers are perfect gifts for any occasion. For Corporates, purchase our e-vouchers to reward your employees, thank your customers or as prizes for a company event. Special Promo: $44 (Usual: $50) // BUY NOW! // 4. Melt & Pour soap making class Learn how to make soap the easiest way. This class is suitable for both children & adults! Special Promo: $44/pax (Usual: up to $50/pax) SEE VIDEOS // BUY NOW! 5. Basic CP soap making class Learn how to make natural bar soap from scratch! An easy step-by-step cold-process soap making class for beginners! Special Promo: $88/pax (Usual: $100/pax) SEE VIDEOS // BUY NOW! 6. CP Liquid soap making class Learn how to make natural liquid soap in less than 2 hours! Special Promo: $158/pax (Usual: $180/pax) SEE VIDEOS // BUY NOW! For our regular soap makers, you can now stock up on credits when you buy in bulk. Save more when you purchase credits this December! Purchase our $100 credits to buy your soap making ingredients. 1 credit = $1 Credits never expire. Special Promo: $88/pax (Usual: $100/pax) // BUY NOW! // If you are a soap maker and looking for a space to rent & make soap, check out our DIY Workshop rates. We welcome all makers with CP experience to book the workshop - with FREE use of equipment too! All promotions are valid from now till 31st December 2020, while stocks last! Please note that our studio will be CLOSED on the following dates: Christmas: 24th & 25th December 2020 New Year: 31st Dec 2020 & 1 Jan 2021 Our team at Sugar & Spices wishes you Happy Holidays!

What is Castile soap? ​In its simplest definition, Castile soap is a soap made from vegetable oil. Originating from the Castile region of Spain, it was traditionally made from one ingredient- pure olive oil. Today, Castile soaps are primarily olive oil based, but many of them can also contain different vegetable oils such as coconut, argan, neem, palm, hemp and jojoba. Castile soaps do not contain any animal products or synthetic detergents and can be found either in bar or liquid form. What are the benefits of liquid Castile soap? Real liquid Castile soap is a fully natural and detergent-free cleanser made from 100% vegetable oils with excellent conditioning properties. Liquid castile soap is one of the best natural and bio-degradable soaps for washing your body, hair, laundry, dishes, and almost everything at home. It is gentle and safe enough to be used for children. As it does not contain any parabens, sulphates, and many other synthetic chemicals found in commercial soap, Castile soap is great for all skin types, especially sensitive and dry skin. Unlike most commercial soaps, glycerin is retained during the production of a castile soap. Glycerin is a humectants that attracts water. It moisturises and hydrates our skin. When glycerin is applied to the skin, it seals in moisture that might otherwise escape. Liquid Castile soap is enriched with vegetable glycerin that leaves a micro-film on our skin. This thin micro-film pulls water from the environment and keeps our skin hydrated. With its hydrating nature and strong cleansing power, Castile soap opens and unclogs pores gently to allow for deeper cleansing. People with severe acne have reported that using Castile soap has allowed their pores to be gently unclogged, reduced acne breakouts and blackheads. It is also known to be effective for those with eczema. How is it beneficial to the environment? ​Unlike commercial soaps that rely on detergent and artificial fragrances to create lather and scent, bubbles from Castile soap come from saponins in vegetable oils while its scent comes from essential oils. These natural ingredients break down in the environment much more easily than other soaps and detergents. The simple nature of the soap means lesser impact to the environment due to reduced waste generated during the production. In fact, during the process of making handcrafted Castile bar soap or liquid soap, all ingredients are transformed into soap and there is literally zero waste produced. On the other hand, Castile soap can be washed away easily, which means saving precious water when cleaning. Where to buy liquid Castile soap in Singapore? So, where can you buy liquid Castile soap in Singapore? There are many brands of liquid Castile soap in the market that you can purchase off-the-shelf, such as the most famous Dr. Bronner’s. You can also buy some other brands of liquid Castile soap from local suppliers like Singapore Soap and The Castile Soap Shop. How can I make my own liquid Castile soap in Singapore? If you are interested in making your own handmade liquid Castile soap, there are many free resources online with detailed instructions. One good example is the article “How to make DIY liquid Castile soap” written by Erica Strauss, although she is using the hot process method which takes a longer time (4 to 6 hours) than the cold process method (less than an hour). However, there is an issue if you want to make your own liquid Castile soap in Singapore. One of the essential ingredients to make liquid soap, Potassium Hydroxide, is a controlled item in Singapore. Individuals can only get it by renting a soap making workshop approved by National Environment Agency (NEA) with a special permit. At the moment only Sugar & Spice, Soap Ministry and Singapore Soap have the permit. Note: Potassium Hydroxide is just like Sodium Hydroxide, they are both alkali (commonly known as lye) used to make soap. The reasons why they are controlled items in Singapore can be found here. If you want to learn how to make your own liquid Castile soap, here is the good news! We now offer the very first Cold Process Liquid Soap Making Class in Singapore! Join this fast and easy liquid soap making class and learn how to make your very own liquid Castile soap in less than 2 hours. Other liquid soap making classes available in Singapore are still using the hot process method which requires long hours (3-5 hours) of working/cooking. We also offer Cold Process Soap DIY Workshop where you can rent our facilities and equipment to make your own liquid soap or bar soap. Find out more details about our liquid soap making class and other workshops/classes here. Useful tips to make your own multipurpose liquid Castile soap Making a liquid Castile soap as a body wash or as a cleaning agent is as easy as switching up your oils during the soap making process! When making a cleaning agent (laundry or dish washing liquid), you will want to use a higher percentage of hard oil such as coconut oil. This will create more lather and a better cleansing effect. However, as this can be drying to the skin, you will want to use a higher percentage of soft oil such as olive oil when making a body wash. Join our cold process liquid soap making class now to learn more about this and other useful tips! More tips to make a multipurpose liquid Castile soap (with video): HOW TO MAKE A MULTIPURPOSE LIQUID CASTILE SOAP: DR. BRONNER’S COPYCAT RECIPE Happy soaping! #class #DIY #soapmaker #soapmaking #lye #potassiumhydroxide #showergel #liquidsoap #castile #handmade #natural

Most people who love art and craft know how important a homey place can be as a cradle for great ideas. Having a cosy space to do things that we like may be a luxury of city life, but we believe it's worth everything to make one if we can't find one. After months of planning and making, we have finally turned our studio at UB. One into a warm and snug place. It is now ready to welcome guests who are interested in making their own soaps. The studio is fully equipped to host soap making classes for up to 30 students. See more photos of the studio in our Gallery. With such a relaxed atmosphere conducive to learning, now we are able to allow more crafters and artists to conduct workshops and classes here. If you are looking for a convenient and yet affordable space to share your passion with more people, contact us for more details. Yes, this is probably the cheapest rate you can find in Singapore! The only reason we open and offer this space to you is we hope to see more art and craft classes around in Singapore. Believe it or not, attending these classes is one of the best ways to relax and de-stress! #workshop #home #clase #soapmaking #idea #cozy #homey #space #equip #AngMoKio #classroom #art #craft

This could be the most frequently asked question by soap makers in Singapore. Well the search ends here. But let's review some brief Q&As about lye first for those who are new to soap making. What is lye? Lye, or sodium hydroxide, is an essential chemical required to make soap. It is caustic by itself but there is no more lye in the end product of any soap because all lye will be reacted with oil to become soap. This process is called saponification. Lye exists in nature when rain water mixes with ashes. Is there a substitute for lye in soap making? The short answer is no as all soaps are made with lye. Either sodium hydroxide is used for hard bar soap or potassium hydroxide is used for liquid soap, there is no substitute for lye. Nothing else will make oil to become soap. We have gathered some resources here if you are interested to find out more about the relationship between lye and soap: What is lye? The truth about lye and soap. Is there lye in your soap? Won't it harm my skin? Can you make soap without lye (sodium hydroxide)? Making soap without lye: How to avoid the dangers of lye? How to make your own sodium hydroxide (lye)? Why you can’t buy lye in Singapore? Many Singaporeans who are just started to learn about soap making, particularly cold process soap making, may find it a bit frustrated to source for this material in the first place before they start making anything. The main reason why you can't simply buy lye off the shelf in Singapore: It is for the sake of safety and environment. In Singapore, both sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are controlled industrial chemicals regulated by National Environment Agency (NEA). No individuals are allowed to import or purchase such controlled chemicals for personal or domestic use because handling of these chemicals requires a high standard of safety measures with a proper plan for waste disposal. With such regulation, injuries to human and introduction of contaminants into the natural environment can be prevented/minimised if there is any mishandling of the chemicals. So, where can you get lye in Singapore for soap making? Soap makers in Singapore can only get lye by renting a soap making workshop approved by NEA with a permit. These workshops must meet the strict safety requirements imposed by the authority. As lye is only allowed to be used in these premises, it has become illegal and irresponsible (to ourselves and the environment) to use lye and make cold process soap at home. We are a group of soap makers who faced the same problem of getting lye to make our DIY cold process soap in the beginning. Eventually we decided to setup a workshop by applying to NEA for the permit and started out our very first soap maker's workshop Sugar & Spice in early 2017. Now our workshop allows soap makers around Singapore to gather here and make their own cold process soaps with lye safely without any worry of compromising the environment and our own safety. You can use lye (both sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide) supplied by us in the workshop for soap making at discounted price. Simply rent an hour or two of our studio to use the facilities and equipment freely. Other soap making ingredients and materials are available as well. There is no need to purchase a whole list of soap making equipment and ingredients to start as a beginner! Alternatively you can bring your own ingredients and equipment if you are already a soap maker. We also conduct easy-to-learn cold process soap making classes for beginners every week in our workshop. All classes and DIY workshop can be booked online. Find out more details about our DIY workshop and classes here. Hardcore soap makers can even sign up as a member for unlimited use of our workshop and enjoy 50% discount on lye plus other attractive privileges. Check out our member’s privileges here. Our aim is to provide a convenient and free-and-easy environment for enthusiastic soap makers to make their cold process soaps. A soap maker should enjoy exploring the maximum creativity and possibility of soap making with minimum worry about the rest. We are soap makers too! We strongly believe nothing can stop us from developing this healthy and yet fun hobby. Though we are unable to enjoy the freedom of making cold process soap at home like in other countries, having a little bit more sense of social responsibility is something we can be very proud of :) Meanwhile, you may want to check the following three other workshops in Singapore that provide the same services if you have yet to do so: Soap Ministry Rough Beauty Singapore Soap Happy soaping! What is Lye? How to make your own lye for soap making? Available Soap Making Classes #lye #sodiumhydroxide #potassiumhydroxide #singapore #soapmaker #soapmaking #purchase #workshop #NationalEnvironmentAgency #permit #environment #supply #ingredient #material #member #privilege #convenient #creativity #DIY #class

In cold process soap, butters can contribute to the firmness of the bar. Here are 3 exotic butter recipes specially curated for your next soap project. 1. Bacuri Virgin Butter Bacuri Butter is very popular in the north of Brazil and comes from the seeds of a local fruit with a rich pulp, deep colour and smell. It is rich in methionine, an essential amino acid, the bodys primary source of sulphur. The body uses sulphur to promote healthy hair & skin and it can be used to reduce the appearance of blemishes and scarring.  It has anti-aging properties since it helps stabilise collagen and elastin production and also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Try this recipe: EV Olive (40%): 140g Coconut (30%): 105g Castor (10%): 35g Bacuri Butter (15%): 53g Grapeseed (5%): 18g Lye: 53g Water: 111ml Peppermint essential oil: 10ml Note: May stain clothing when making soap. Fast trace. 2. Cupuacu Virgin Butter Cupuacu Virgin Butter Cupuacu Butter is an excellent substitute for cocoa butter, the difference being the white pulp of the Cupuacu is uniquely fragrant and it contains theacrine instead of the xanthines, found in cocao. High in essential fatty acids, it is a very creamy and emollient butter that will offer exceptional moisturizing properties when added to soap or other skin care formulations. Because of its hardness it will also help to produce and nice hard bar of soap. Try this recipe: EV Olive (35%): 123g Coconut (30%): 105g Castor (10%): 35g Cupuacu Butter (15%): 53g Camellia Tea Oil (10%): 35g Lye: 53g Water: 113ml Geranium essential oil: 10ml Rose Clay: 1 tbsp 3. Illipe Butter Illipe Butter is very similar in nature to cocoa butter but has a higher melting point which makes it suitable for making hard bars of soap. It has a mild characteristic odour and is creamy white in colour.  Illipe Butter helps protects against UV-A and UV-B rays and as such can be found in products promoting sun protection and sunburn relief, while its skin softening and long-lasting moisturising properties make Illipe Butter a good choice to help repair chronically dry, cracked skin. Try this recipe: EV Olive (35%): 123g Coconut (35%): 123g Castor (10%): 35g Illipe (15%): 53g Jojoba (5%): 18g Lye: 53g Water:110ml Lime essential oil: 10ml Calendula powder: 1 tbsp Note: Fast trace. Other butters that you can add to your soap recipes includes Mango Butter, Shea Butter & Cocoa Butter. Mango Butter Mango butter won’t produce a very hard bar of soap and don’t expect too much lathering qualities. However, this exotic butter provides good moisturizing and conditioning properties to the final bar of soap. Shea Butter Shea Butter is extracted from the shea nut and has a yellow, buttery colour with a rich, creamy aroma. Shea Butter is hailed for its healing, protecting and moisturising properties. Rich in cinnamon acid, it also protects the skin from UV rays and therefore can be included in skin care products for after sun care. The first choice in natural skin care and fine body care products, this butter forms a breathable, water-resistant film and is the leading natural product for moisturising. Cocoa Butter This butter is rock hard at room temperature and will melt at body temperature. It smells just like hot cocoa! It creates a hard bar of soap and is very moisturizing. The lather will have very low but stable bubbles. Get your butters from Sugar & Spice! All butters including exotic butters are now available at attractive prices & discounted rates for Members. Not a member yet? Check out our cost-saving packages! Psst....we do have some exotic butter sample soaps for Giveaway. Do check them out at our studio. While stocks last!

Encountered a fail batch? Well, you are not alone! Here are 15 common problems encountered by soap makers and how you can avoid them. Does not matter if you are a beginner or experienced soap maker - your soaps can go wrong sometimes but here are some tips to help minimize the risk. Preparation is key when coming for our DIY Workshop. - Always prepare your recipe and try to stick to it. (I know some soap makers tend to change last minute and things can get chaotic after that. Yikes! Yup, it happens.) - Ensure that you have enough ingredients - you can always purchase ingredients from us so that you don't have to carry too much stuff to the studio. Our ingredients are charged per gram - so you only buy what you use! - Buy ingredients from a reliable seller to get a good and consistent result. (We always undergo a quality check of our ingredients before releasing it to our soap makers.) - Set-up your work-table so that you have all the items you need within reach (So that you will not miss any ingredients such as essential oils for your scents - happens many many times with our DIY participants.) Now that you are well-prepped, here are some of the common problems for you to know and try to avoid: 1. My soap has orange or brown spots and smells weird. Reason: These are called DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots) which indicates the oils in the soap are going rancid. Always check your expiry and use fresh oils from reliable vendors and use distilled water instead of tap water (to avoid any contaminant). 2. There is a white layer (soda ash) forming at the top of my soap. Reason: Due to exposure to air or uneven temperature. Cover your soap to minimize the amount of air that the raw soap is exposed to or lightly spritz the top with some rubbing alcohol before covering to cure. If soda ash is formed, don't worry, you can remove the soda ash by carefully using a garment steamer to steam the ash from the soap. 3. There is a ring on the outer layer of my soap. Reason: The soap has a partial gel. This means it started getting hot and going through gel phase but cooled down too quickly before it could reach the edges. Once you cut your soaps, allow your bars to cure further. This is a temporary look and it should even out eventually. 4. My soap is crumbly and hard. Reason: Salt bars and hard oils such as coconut can set up pretty quickly and if you cut them too late, it can become crumbly. Incorrect amount of lye and too much sodium lactate may also cause your soap to crumble. 5. My soap feels soft or slimy Reason: You may need an extra curing time if you are using a high amount of soft oils in your recipe (eg: 100% olive oil needs a longer time to cure). Always ensure that your bar is fully cured before using - otherwise, your soap will turn mushy and melt pretty fast. The longer you cure, your bar will be harder and long-lasting. Use a well-draining soap dish to hold your soap and avoid direct sunlight when using it. 6. Water droplets are pooling at the top of my soap. Reason: The natural glycerin in soap making can attract moisture due to humidity. Some fragrance oil may separate from the soap batter and form beads or pools of fragrant oil on the surface of the soap. Also, check ingredients used are from reliable sources. If water droplets are formed, wipe it off and allow it to cure further. 7. My soap batter turns lumpy or has rice-like pieces in it. Reasons: This is primarily a problem with fragrance oils. Some just don’t do well when combined with raw soap and will bind with bits of hard fats in the recipe causing those lumps. Also, ensure that your utensils are cleaned thoroughly and free from any batter from previous soap sessions. 8. My soap is too hard. Reason: You have a high percentage of hard oils such as coconut and the use of salt in your recipe can make the soap harden pretty fast. Keep a lookout and check your soap especially during the first 6 hours. If they are starting to harden, cut your soaps quickly before it gets too hard to cut. 9. My soap trace very fast. Reason: Using a high percentage of hard oil and adding in essential oils earlier can sometimes cause your soap batter to trace faster. Ensure that the temperature of the oil and lye solution is level accordingly before mixing and do short pulses from the stick blender. Add essential oils last as it can potentially accelerate tracing. 10. My soap has uneven colour streaks or spots in it. Reason: This is usually caused by colorants that are not completely mixed into the soap batter. Blend your colourants well with oil to avoid lumps before adding it in your soap batter. 11. Crack on top of the soap. Reason: The soap is getting too hot or overheating. This can happen if you add in additives that can heat up such as beer, milk, sugar/honey. Some spice essential or fragrance oil can cause overheating too. If you have insulated or covered your mold, remove the layers and allow it to cure in a cooler room. Too much clay or oxides can also cause a chalky texture that cracks on the top. 12. Soap batter thickens up quickly when making design soaps. Reason: Timing is key when doing designs. This could be caused by high temperature and/or over-mixing. Mix your oil and lye solution at a lower temperature if you have a high percentage of hard oils and do short pulses when using the stick blender for mixing. 13. My lye solution turned a really weird and unexpected colour. Reason: If you are using other liquid aside from water eg: milk or herbal teas, this may happen. The temperature of the lye solution will go up when lye is mixed with liquid. To prevent the lye from burning your liquid, put an ice tray under your liquid before mixing the lye. Alternatively, freeze your liquid unto cubes before making the lye solution. See video: Lavender Coconut Milk Soap. 14. Soap has grooves or drag lines. Reason: This usually happens when you are cutting your soap bars with decorations. Ensure that you position the top soap decorations well so that it will not get stuck on your wire-cut and get dragged down when cutting. 15. Soap has weird lines or veins. Reason: These are called glycerin rivers, which are formed when the natural glycerin in soap overheats and forms clear veins of marbling throughout the soap. Sometimes the veins may have a translucent white look to them. Glycerin rivers are more visible with pigments, especially Titanium Dioxide. They aren’t harmful and don't affect the quality of soap. Sometimes it even lends an interesting appearance to soap. Work at lower temperatures and reduce the amount of water in your recipe. We hope the above will help you prevent (or minimise) any mishaps during your soap making experiments. If you encounter any soap with problems but are not listed above, just approach our instructors on duty to advise you further. Coming for DIY Workshop? See our Soap Recipes for Inspiration via our Sugar & Spice Singapore YouTube channel.

Gifting is a joy for some, and a dread for others. What is it for you? MEANINGFUL gifting takes both emotions up an extra notch for both groups, or perhaps the latter wouldn’t care. I’ve always taken gifting quite seriously, as I’m in the camp who believes in finding THAT gift my recipient will love and use. The last thing I want is for my recipient to fret over what to do with the gift, or worse, chuck it away. I comb through my (somewhat limited and over the years, diminishing) memory bank or subtly engage in casual conversations to suss out his or her latest interests, so that I can zoom in to THE category to start my shopping endeavour. And like all true-blue shopaholic, I would then embark on a mission, darting from shop to shop to find THE gift. For some reason, my gifts are always bought in store, so I can be sure of its quality by sight, and there are no surprises in a late or delayed delivery. In recent years, gifting has taken on a slightly different turn for me, ever since I started to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle, to preserve a liveable planet for my children in the future. The main consideration for my recipient to love and use the gift hasn’t changed, but now I have an additional higher order criterion to fulfill – that is to make sure my choice has less impact on the planet as far as I can help, use minimum wrapping or packaging that’s needed, and best of all, can send a sustainable message where appropriate. And that somewhat kicked off my journey in soap making, when I made my first big batch of soaps to gift teachers, to appreciate their hard work for the year. Teaching is not an easy profession, just try volunteering a day at a school and you will understand what we mean by the end of that day. So, having the opportunity to show a little gratitude once a year is something I don’t want to miss for sure. Why soaps, you may ask. The answer is simple. Cos everybody can use soap! Granted majority of the people are more accustomed to body wash out of a pump, the good old bar soap is something everybody can use. Most people associate bar soaps with the complimentary ones in a hotel or the $2 bars they buy in bulk from the supermarket. The awareness around handmade cold process soaps and their benefits are almost non-existent, unless they have a friend who is a crazy soap maker like me (who cannot stop churning out new soaps) or they are active in the low waste eco groups. For some reasons, we’ve seen high incidence of not just adults, but children with skin conditions like eczema. In almost every conversation with a parent who has a school-going child, we no doubt hear of more cases the moment this topic is brought up. An all-natural cold process soap is a good option for people with sensitive skin as it doesn’t contain any SLS which potentially dries the skin over time. Not only that, the natural oils in the soap work as emollients or humectants to help keep the skin moisturized naturally, thus hopefully minimising flare-ups of any conditions. So, a good bar of soap can be a great gift for any age, gender, and what’s more they are even good for our planet as they are often available in minimum packaging vs. a bottle of body wash. If the bar soaps are kept dry between uses, each bar can potentially outlast a standard bottle of body wash, keeping more single-use plastic waste out of the landfill. And you ask, what’s better than gifting a good bar of soap? Our answer, hand make it yourself! Learn how to make a bar of soap from scratch with your own hands and consider formulating your customized recipe to address the exact skin needs of your family and loved ones! Nothing beats that, in our opinion, as a gift from the heart to show you truly care. Of course, handmade soap is one great option as a gift with love. Many other gifts can be meaningful too. If sustainability is a topic that speaks to you, include that at the back of your mind as you make any gift selection for any occasion. Besides a physical gift, considering gifting an experience, like an art jam, a staycation, an outdoor adrenaline-rushing one or therapeutic indoor sessions such as a soap or candle making workshops for a friend game to try something new. Better still, do it together as a bonding session. In the past, I used to be against gifting a gift voucher – a gift option that my hubby simply adores for its convenience, but I was not fond of as I felt was a no-effort kind of gift. However, with the additional criterion of caring for our planet, I’ve started to open up to this idea. For one, the voucher can be digital…and the recipient chooses what he or she likes, so it can’t go too wrong. Being able to share and gift is a blessing and we always believe the thought counts more than any monetary value. To us, a gift needs no occasion. Even if it’s not Valentine’s, Christmas, a birthday or an anniversary, try surprising that special someone to show that he or she is always in your heart. Li Ting is a free-lance instructor at Sugar & Spice and an avid soap maker behind my.naked.bar – a label she created in hope to encourage more people to consider swapping from a bottled body wash to a good bar of soap – her little attempt to extend the lifespan of our landfill at Semakau. Link to my.naked.bar - https://www.earthdefender.co/my-naked-bar

Surprise your better half with fun activities this Valentine's Day. Having a last minute panic because you do not know what to do for Valentine's Day? Move away from the usual movie crowd and long queues. Instead, enjoy quality time with fun activities together in a cozy environment. Here are our 3 top picks for Valentine's Day activities: 1. Melt & Pour Soap Making class A simple yet full of fun soap making workshop. Learn how to make your own natural soap in the easiest way. What you'll make: 2 bars (70g-80g per bar) of natural soap with choice of scent/colour/design from a wide range of 100% pure essential oils, natural colourants and mold designs. Bundle special: $80 per couple Duration: 2 hours Seats are limited! Click here for more information. 2. Cold Process Soap Making class Learn how to make natural soap from scratch! What you'll make: 500g of handcrafted soap worth $100! (Upgrade to 1kg soap @ $35 only!) Through this class, you will gain the basic skills required to venture beyond creating more beautiful and personalised soaps on your own. Bundle special: $180 per couple Duration: 2 hours Seats are limited! Click here for more information. 3. Cold Process Liquid soap making class Learn how to make your own body wash, shampoo, laundry and dish washing liquid soap from natural ingredients in less than 2 hours! What you'll make : 2 litres of natural liquid Castile soap. Complete in less than 2 hours! No more long-hours process like other liquid soap making classes in the market. Bundle special: $340 per couple Duration: 2 hours Seats are limited! Click here for more information. Our cozy studio Sugar & Spice Studio: 81 Ubi Avenue 4, #10-19 UB. ONE, Singapore 408830. For special requests, please drop us an email at info@sugarandspice.com.sg

Featuring Real Stories from soap makers in Singapore: Soap Maker Jin will be sharing her soap making journey and soap recipe. In London, eco-friendly and affordable bar soaps were readily available off the shelf and online. Back in Singapore, I could not find such options easily. The desire to continue living more sustainably and ethically sparked the idea of making my own soaps. Based on what I read on the Internet, soapmaking seemed quite straight forward. I was attracted to the idea of making soaps as a start to making more environmentally friendly alternatives to readily available commercial products. As a part of living a conscious lifestyle and making better decisions for my health and the environment, I felt that the DIY process is a good way to go. One, I could learn more about the origin and effects of different ingredients in the soap and choose ingredients that are better for different skin types and conditions. Two, by understanding the process of making soap and the by-products, I can try to remove unnecessary additives that are harmful to the natural environment. By taking my body (skin) and the environment into consideration, I make decisions in the DIY process and this allows me to have more control over what I use daily. Furthermore, the thinking was that I could craft soaps that are suitable for myself, my family and friends – in Singapore, everyone knows at least two more people with eczema. As a person suffering from eczema myself, sometimes the commercially available options and medication are neither sustainable for the environment nor suitable for our skin conditions. In being able to design natural soaps with the user in mind, I could potentially tailor a soap that is better than commercially available options. For the first few DIY sessions, the Internet was a great resource for recipes, and I found some to try. However, I realised after that the Internet did not tell me everything that I wanted to know. While the instructions were straight forward, I did not know the reasons behind what I was witnessing as I was making and what to expect after each step in the recipe. What I thought was a straightforward process turns out to be activity of infinite possibilities with extremely varied results. How much water is too much? What does reducing the amount of lye (superfatting) do to each bar of soap and each recipe? What is the chemistry behind superfatting? Why are there cracks in my soap? As much as I would like to have more control in my life by making more eco-friendly choices and doing more DIY activities, I do not seem to have any control over how well my soaps turn out. I thought that soap making is a relaxing activity, but it was becoming an emotional activity. The more bars of soap I made, the more varied the bar soaps are, the more questions I had. This generated much doubt and anxiety. Not to mention, it was a little stressful. For example, having to get the oil mixture and lye solution to the appropriate temperature requires multi-tasking and good time control. I am not very good at multi-tasking. During these months, when I had doubts during a DIY session, Karene, Terri and Nora were always very willing to share and to help diagnose what might have gone wrong. With their guidance and reassurance, I navigated through much uncertainty and self-doubt. In addition to picking up a new skill, I found myself a community of soap makers. I have met many people at the studio who are trying different recipes and techniques for the first time. They sometimes do not know what to expect either. Being stressed or doubtful is quite common too! But, soap makers seem to always walk away with a sense of accomplishment. It is the effort that counts here. There is always another opportunity to improve. In three months, I found the answers to my initial questions after making more than 20 batches of bars soaps. They are currently sitting a cupboard at home, with aromas emanating along the corridor. My family have to put up with my many soap experiments and friends have been receiving lots of bar soaps from me. I now introduce myself as a soap maker when I meet new people. I think the bar soaps are more resilient than I am. Natural bar soaps mixture can withstand quite a few extra millilitres of oils, overmixing, burnt milk mixtures and more. Upon reflection, I recognise two important factors that contributed to my sustained interest in making soaps. First, it is the existing community of soap makers. The instructors at the DIY sessions facilitate a supportive environment where concerns and questions are addressed. I am always curious to know what the soap maker at the next table is making, and it is always something different and that is another idea I could try next time. Secondly, my fear of failing diminished over time. I realised that demon soaps will always appear and when it does happen, I can always make another batch! Thankfully, the stakes aren’t high and it is always a learning experience. It is crazy to wish for absolute certainty over a process such as soapmaking. Managing uncertainty as a part of managing expectations is and should always be part of the process. Join our Community of Soap Makers! If you have always wanted to give soap making a shot, come say hello to us! Seasoned soap makers are also welcomed! We just love to gather soap makers together and form a little community! Our studio is conveniently located at 81 Ubi Avenue 4 #10-19 UB.ONE Singapore 408830 (We are just 5 mins walk from Tai Seng MRT). See Class Schedule here. Try Jin's Soap Recipe! Lavender Coconut Milk Soap (1.75kg) Coconut Oil (35%) - 245g Apricot KernelOil (25%) - 175g Grapeseed Oil (25%) - 175g Castor Oil (10%) - 70g Jojoba Oil (5%) - 35g Lye - 99g Coconut Cream - 160g Water - 20g Lavender Essential Oil - 30ml Ground Lavender Flowers - 1/8 cup Watch a fun step-by-step video on How To Make Lavender Coconut Milk soap Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @Sugar & Spice Singapore Available Classes (Suitable for Beginners!) Basic CP soap making class Learn how to make natural bar soaps from scratch! (Suitable for Beginners!) CP Liquid soap making class Learn how to make natural liquid soap from scratch! (Suitable for children and adults!) Melt & Pour soap making class Learn how to make your own handmade soap in the easiest way! (Rent our workshop for soap making!) Cold Process Soap DIY Workshop FREE to use our available equipment and facility in studio! Prior CP knowledge is required.

Featuring Real Stories from soap makers in Singapore. I make soaps every week, sometimes consecutive days in a week, and I can’t stop… I’ve never been one who produces amazing craft work. The closest art I could manage was a decent sketch of a still object with a reference. So, the “draw” of soap making is a surprising one even to me. After producing loaves and loaves of soaps, I started reflecting what the attraction of soap making really is. My first soap making experience was quite nerve wrecking - trying to remember all the safety precautions, measure all the oils accurately and getting the oils and lye solution to the right temperature at the same time. A thousand things were racing through my mind to mentally sequence steps correctly and to make sure I have all the necessary equipment at an arm’s length. That first time was mentally exhausting, yet the process was immensely therapeutic and strangely exhilarating, especially when the soaps were unmoulded to reveal beautiful loaves handmade with love. After that first time, the basic steps became a no brainer, but that’s when the addiction really kicks in. Not because it became easier, but because I was enticed into challenging myself to do better - to become more efficient in my process, to seek the right combination of oils and additives to formulate better soaps for the skin and to design soaps that look attractive to the eyes. I became curious about the benefits of different botanicals, herbs, natural minerals, carrier and essential oils to understand what they can potentially do for our skin. I pored over videos, blogs, articles to analyse the best methods to add these ingredients during the process to best preserve their natural goodness. Moroccan red clay pairs seamlessly with rice bran oil and geranium essential oil to help fight the signs of aging while aloe vera, rice bran, sweet almond oils and shea butter make a green clay soap usually used for oily skin a balanced bar suitable even for dry skin. The amount of consideration to make the ‘best’ soap is endless and the only limit is our own creativity. The challenge steps up even more when we choose not to include palm oil due to deforestation concerns even though it is the most common oil used to make soaps due to its high affordability as compared to other hard oils such as cocoa butter and shea butter. Refusing to use fragrance oils pose yet another challenge. A simple word of fragrance sounds appealing, but it potentially contains hundreds of synthetic ingredients we will never know exist, many of which we would probably prefer not to put in contact with our skin if we had known better. Good essential oil on the other hand is derived naturally from plants, the downside though is that they are really expensive, resource intensive and there’s no way to get a natural scent for strawberry or beer for example. In these instances, the soap makers will need to use their creativity to blend different essential oils to best match the additives in their soap so that the design is seamless. Sounds like hard work? Perhaps. But the entire process from designing, experimenting to the actual making of the soap is totally intriguing for a soap maker. Due to the saponification process, one can never quite predict how the colour of the soap might turn out in the final soap except from experience. Once a new ingredient is added, the whole equation potentially changes again. The interaction between the oils, lye and additives at different temperature and their subsequent exposure to light all play a part as the soaps continue to evolve through the curing process. Without the use of synthetic mica or oxide, soaps can never be as brilliantly coloured, hence soap makers need to test different natural ingredients to achieve the colours that they envision. In some cases, it’s an ongoing quest! Every soap making session is a different experience. With new oil formulation or new ingredients, soap makers have to be prepared for surprises even if they had researched on what to expect beforehand. The soaps may go into accelerated trace due to the ingredients used or process adopted, unexpected textures may result if the wrong proportion of liquid is applied at the wrong time for the wrong ingredients, design projects may fail because the temperatures were not well controlled. There are so many parameters to it that keeps the soap makers on their toes every session. The excitement of unmoulding and cutting the soap is what drives the soap makers. The moment of truth in seeing the fruit of your own design and creation materialize is bliss. If it’s not to expectation, tweak the formulae or process and try again! It’s a journey. Soap making requires curiosity, perseverance, meticulousness and a passion to always wanting to do better. It’s a hobby that is interesting to watch, but even more intriguing to do, hands-on. And the best part, it produces soaps that are kind not only to our skin, but also to our planet. If you are looking to try something new to take your mind away from the stresses of daily life, give soap making a try. Be forewarned how addictive soap making can be. I can’t wait to try out my next recipe. Join our Community of Soap Makers! If you have always wanted to give soap making a shot, come say hello to us! Seasoned soap makers are also welcomed! We just love to gather soap makers together and form a little community! Our studio is conveniently located at 81 Ubi Avenue 4 #10-19 UB.ONE Singapore 408830 (We are just 5 mins walk from Tai Seng MRT). See Class Schedule here. Try Li Ting's Soap Recipe! Choco O'Mint: Olive Oil: 245g Coconut Oil: 210g Canola Oil: 140g Cocoa Butter: 70g Castor Oil: 35g Water: 206g Lye: 101g Water: 206g Peppermint EO: 21ml Cocoa Powder - 1 teaspoon cocoa powder diluted in olive oil Watch a full step-by-step video on How To Make Choco O'Mint Soap. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @Sugar & Spice Singapore Li Ting is a regular soap maker at Sugar & Spice behind my.naked.bar – a label she created in hope to encourage more people to consider swapping from a bottled body wash to a good bar of soap, an attempt to extend the lifespan of our landfill at Semakau. Link to my.naked.bar - https://www.earthdefender.co/my-naked-bar Available Classes (Suitable for Beginners!) Basic CP soap making class Learn how to make natural bar soaps from scratch! (Suitable for Beginners!) CP Liquid soap making class Learn how to make natural liquid soap from scratch! (Suitable for children and adults!) Melt & Pour soap making class Learn how to make your own handmade soap in the easiest way! (Rent our workshop for soap making!) Cold Process Soap DIY Workshop FREE to use our available equipment and facility in studio!Prior CP knowledge is required.

LIVE Demo conducted at Sugar & Spice during our Soap Makers's Weekend. Event: Soap Makers Weekend We had a little get-together tea party & soap demo with our soap makers during the Soap Makers Weekend. Cold Process Soap Recipe: Christmas Soap We did a demo on the layering technique for the Christmas soap while our guests had fun designing the top soap with Christmas elements using soap clays. Learn how to make soap clay flower confetti. Want more soap recipes? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @Sugar & Spice Singapore Terri's Soap Recipe! Christmas Soap: (500g) Ev Coconut (35%): 123g Olive (55%): 193g Castor (10%): 35g Lye: 53g Water: 112ml Peppermint: 5ml Rosemary: 5ml Wheatgrass (Green): 0.5tsp Rose Clay (Pink): 0.5tsp Titanium Dioxide (White): 0.5tsp Join our Community of Soap Makers! If you have always wanted to give soap making a shot, come say hello to us! Seasoned soap makers are also welcomed! We just love to gather soap makers together and form a little community! Our studio is conveniently located at 81 Ubi Avenue 4 #10-19 UB.ONE Singapore 408830 (We are just 5 mins walk from Tai Seng MRT). See Class Schedule here. Available Classes (Suitable for Beginners!) Basic CP soap making class Learn how to make natural bar soaps from scratch! (Suitable for Beginners!) CP Liquid soap making class Learn how to make natural liquid soap from scratch! (Suitable for children and adults!) Melt & Pour soap making class Learn how to make your own handmade soap in the easiest way! (Rent our workshop for soap making!) Cold Process Soap DIY Workshop FREE to use our available equipment and facility in studio! Prior CP knowledge is required.