Soap Making

I know I know! don't look at me like that .. i'm trying to get the next skirt tutorial together but in the meantime, i've had to make some soap.

When you use handmade cold pressed soap, made with natural oils and without the goodness taken out, it is very very very hard to go back to using shop bought commercial soap.  

Infact, it's impossible. 

Not least because it's almost impossible to find soap which hasn't been made with palm oil in the supermarket but also because commercial soap is so drying and so harsh.  One's skin notices the difference immediately.

I've been making my own for about 2 years and after successfully keeping myself in soap for all that time, I ran out  a few weeks ago and haven't had time to make more in months.  I had to buy 'handwash'! Oh how dry my skin is!  How my hands hurt :(

So today, I am making soap.   And LOTS of it!

Next week, I shall make more.  

If you want to know how to make soap - and other natural bodycare products, then read this new fantastic blog called

 THE SOAP TEACHER.

It is written by a lady who is a very big noise in the soap world.  Last year, she went on a soaping mission to Nigeria to teach women how to make soap in order that they could make a living.  This year, she is doing something similar in Spain.

She is my friend, and she taught me how to do it!  I'm just about to try the Castille Soap recipe, using nothing but olive oil (from Sainsburys), water, and caustic soda (from the local hardware shop).

Honestly, it's easy when you know how, why don't you give it a whirl?

Testing testing..

After all that frenzied corset sewing of last week, I've been wanting to do something simpler, easier, and less intense this week! So I've been prototyping xmas presents again (oh don't look at me like that!! I want to be prepared this year ok?).

And I've been experimenting with wrappings and accessories for my soap, along with 'packs' and bags and accessories. I haven't got many of the ideas out of my head and onto the worktable yet but I have plans!

This Calendula soap is pictured with a boxy pouch which I made from this tutorial ... and inside the pouch is also a little bag of bath salts and some calendula bath sachets.

I'm entering this pouch and it's contents into the Sew Mama Sew "Giveaway Day" which is on 27 May. I like the idea of lots of little giveaways happening on the same day all around the world! So stay tuned for your chance to win it, or go to Sew Mama Sew for a list of participating blogs, and enter into as many draws as you can shake a keyboard at!

Preparations

My nasal passages have been working overtime this week as I have raided the contents of my essential oil stash and made a few toiletries, mostly in preparation - research you understand - for Christmas. I know it's not even summer yet, but I am determined not only to be prepared, but also to make all my presents again this year. For boys and girls this time (boys presents are soooo difficult to hand make don't you think?)

First up, some bath salts. I have already given a salt scrub recipe on this blog, last summer, it was one of my most popular posts. There is a link over there (eyes left) which will take you to it. This time I thought i'd make just bath salts so that I can put them in pretty drawstring bags.

I used food grade sea salt, whizzed it up in the food processor just to make the grains a little smaller, and added a blend of essential oils which included lavender, vanilla, patchouli and geranium. It sounds an odd mix but it smells absolutely gorgeous!

Second, some more chocolate soap. I was disappointed with my last batch because it didn't smell so this time I added a lovely blend of vanilla, ylang and patchouli to scent the soap with and it smells very creamy and lovely mingled in with a faint chocolaty smell. As it cures over the next few weeks, the colour will intensify as a result of the vanilla extract in it and the smell will develop. I used an empty Pringles tin for the mould and am very pleased with the resulting round 'rolls' of soap.

Next on my soap project list is shaving soap in mugs. A bit like candles in cups (which I am also going to try).

I started studying aromatherapy and investigating the possibility of applying this to the production of my own creams and lotions a long time ago, before the internet existed and therefore at a time when quality ingredients were not easy to come by or readily available in small quantities. Armed with my first book on the subject by Tisserand, all I managed to come up with then were some rather greasy ointments which weren't much good to me and so I gave up and surrendered to a skin which was prone to allergic reactions and break outs. My interest in the subject never waned though and I continued to research herbal properties and collect books on the subject of home skincare preparations. With little or no practice and life getting in the way of life as it does, I got no further in practice until this week when a wonderful help was at hand as BillieJane who is an expert on skincare and ingredients, offered to show me how to make some really good lotions and potions using pure and natural quality oils, waxes and essences. We spent the morning making pineapple body butter, sandalwood moisturising lotion and a healing balm made from calendula oil and beeswax. Everything we made was better and more luxurious than anything you can buy in shops and much less expensive. It was a revelation! And so with huge thanks to Jane, my many books have been dusted down once again, now that I finally have time to get stuck into some proper experimentation.

If you think it sounds difficult, Jane also showed me a very simple way of making a nourishing balm from just two ingredients; shea butter and essential oil. All you do is use a spoon to mash a little pure shea butter with a few drops of essential oil. Good for patches of really dry skin and cuticles.

Beauty tip: Moisturising your cuticles with a rich oil or butter will help your fingernails grow strong and long. It works by nourishing the nail plate which is formed just under your cuticle, making it more flexible and therefore lessening the threat of dry splitty nails prone to breaking. If you don't have shea butter, you can use olive oil or almond oil. Do it while you watch the tv of an evening. Talking of things to watch ...

this book makes interesting and shocking reading!

There are many reasons why I don't buy or use commercial beauty products, save for essentials like shampoo which I get from Lush. I haven't for a very long time, infact since the days of "Cosmetics to Go" (does anyone remember them?). After using those products I could never quite get used to synthetic smells and textures and even though the original CtG soon morphed into Lush and B Never to Busy to be Beautiful, the products are different, harsher, stronger, not as nice, so I mostly went without and spent alot of time wondering just how much we actually 'need' all these so called beauty 'necessities' which apart from anything else, had sent my weekly shopping bill somewhere up into the stratosphere.

A splash of almond oil in the bath, scented with essential oils is much nicer and better for you than a slug of Radox which is nothing more than expensive Fairy Liquid and which, despite claims on the label of "moisturising" properties, will still have you reaching for the body lotion afterwards to replenish the natural oils which have been stripped out by the detergent! It's the same with shampoo and conditioner. A vicious circle where the need for one product is created by the use of another. I have a long held belief therefore, that most cosmetics are the result of cynical marketing plans and campaigns devised only to dupe the consumer into lining the pockets of large conglomerates, and in many cases despite UK law dictating otherwise, many of these products and ingredients are still tested on animals.

Now just when I thought there was no more room for a rant on this blog, one happens! I could write a whole essay on this, and infact did quite a few years ago. There is a link to it on the left.

So making my own preparations is a real treat for me. Not only do I get to use top quality ingredients, I can tailor them exactly to my own requirements and needs. There will be no waste, no unnecessary packaging, no weird ingredients, no adverse reactions, no bald rabbits, or blind kittens, and no false promises.

If you want to try some yourself, here is a list of helpful resources where you will find ingredients, recipes and inspiration. Thank goodness for the internet!

Aromantic - Ethically sourced supplies for lotions, balms, and glycerine soaps. A host of hints, tips and articles.

The Soap Kitchen - A range of raw materials for making soap, bath bombs, lotions and other potions, candles. Lots of recipes and advice.

Soap Centre - More bathtime recipes than you can shake a sponge at including bath salts, bath bombs, scrubs and bubbles

Soap Naturally - A UK online resource for all manner of natural skin care including soap. Lots of interesting links and articles to explore.

Aromatherapy Decoder - A useful tool if you want to experiment with different blends of essential oils. Similar to the one pictured at the top of this post.

BrambleBerry Soap Supplies - A US based website which sells everything you need to make soap and cosmetics, including mineral makeup

Soap and the Finer Things - The Brambleberry Soap blog.  Lots of tips and ideas.

Because it's Worth It

I'm still nervous when I make soap!  But the results are getting better.

This batch smells divine!  A mixture of oranges and lemons with bright and sunny calendula petals.

Holy Soap!

My soap is at last cured after 3 weeks, and i've been trying and testing it all weekend.

The white soap is from a "starter" recipie and contains olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil. I scented it with patchouli, ylang ylang and sweet orange, and the smell now is quite delicate and fresh. It lathers up very nicely and feels 'soft' to the skin. I like it alot.

The chocolate soap lathers well too but doesn't really smell of anything. Maybe a very faint trace of chocolate. I like this recipe which includes olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, caster oil and 70% chocolate, but next time I might add a bit of vanilla scent.

It's all wrapped and ready to go now - for some 'unofficial' swaps. The Italian Connection, who sampled my previous batch in January, has promised to send me some salami and parmesan in return for a few blocks of this!

I' also managed to post my "Time for Tea" swap on time!

Here's Some I Made Earlier

24 hours on, and my soap - which turned out ok for a first (lone) attempt - is cut and now curing. I will definitely continue making it as despite the frayed nerves, it is a very very enjoyable and satisfying hobby, with an end result which is far superior to shop bought soap.

While I was cutting and paring, a tiny fragment got into my gloves and settled at the top of my palm. It feels a bit like a splinter, but no lasting damage!

The smell of the soap will develop over the next few weeks while it is curing. They both smell nice now, but the chocolate soap smells particularly lovely and quite 'nutty'.

Losing my Head!

Today I am suffering from Nervous Exhaustion!

I have mostly been making soap. Or at least, trying to make soap! The stress of it!! By 4o'clock, my kitchen smelled like an explosion in Lush, and looked like a bomb had hit it!

My main cause of concern (hysteria might be a better word) was the caustic soda element. You have to mix this into water, then it heats up to 200 degrees. The trouble is, one tiny bead of the raw material, or one TINY splash of the lye solution on your skin or anywhere else upon your person - despite extensive protective wear, and it's burn baby burn!!! I was imagining all sorts of "hot spots" - "is that an itch or does it feel hot?.. no it's just a twinge .. but it might be a hot itch ... no it's fine.. what's that rash?.. nerves.. is it hot? .. no it's fine ..." .. argh!! It was an operation and a half!

My first batch seized - which is to say that I over stirred after adding my essential oils and the mixture set in the pan, causing a gloopy porridgy sludge which after referring to several sources I deemed "unfit" and had to throw away ... but where to throw it??? Freshly made soap is not only caustic, but it heats up while curing, so the kitchen bin was out of the question ... the wheely bin? a plastic bag might melt, you can see my train of thought .. in the end, I wrapped it in paper, put it in a bag, then another bag, then an insulated box, then in the dustbin outside. I am still fearing for the bin/dustbin man/eventual destination, and i have guilt!!

Second batch, I learned from my mistakes, didn't stir too much after essential oil addition at the end, and poured into my mould just in the nick of time. Wrapped in a towel and a blanket, I think it's safe. For now.

Thought I might as well try a third batch as my with my state of nerves I thought that if I don't get ontop of this now, I might never try again. So I dug out Jane's chocolate soap recipe and started again. I think it was ok. I had palpitations by the end of the stirring. It's wrapped in two towels now and is hot. That's a good sign.

But I might not sleep tonight.

Lining the moulds was also a challenge as you have to do it in one piece. One set of instructions I found cited "hospital corners" ... WHAT???? I decided to go with my own "cornering a table cloth" theory which worked. Unless you work in catering, that might mean as much to you as "hospital corners" ....

I'm still wondering if there is an escaped bead of caustic soda lurking somewhere about my person or my worktop! But I must get over this fear as I have visions of lovely lemon scented castille soap with dried lemon slices on the top. Oh how I am craving summer.

And then I found this blog which has demonstrations of much safer to use "melt and pour" soap. Now while it's safer, it's not nearly as nice as it's packed with chemicals - the sort of stuff you might buy in Lush infact. It would save alot of hysteria, and I just love the creative possibilities.

Soap and Glory

I have been quite busy with a few WIPs over the last couple of weeks. I've been trying to get them out of the way before I start Miss A's dress and a new corsetty outfit for me.

First of all there's this bag which I have been mending for a friend. This is the "before" shot where you can see that the handle has become detached ...

We both thought this would look better with a black lining. Et voila!

Why has it got snaps on the handles I hear you ask? ....

Decidedly less glamorous than the bag, and a bit less "Time Team" than my last knitted effort, I have completed another knitted cotton washcloth.

This time I think i've figured out tension and got to grips with my yarn, needle, finger positional ratios. As you can see from the vague "triangular" shape that is trying to occur here.. (the picture is upside down I think).

And from washcloths, to my new favourite obsession.

Remember I said I had lots of parcels and boxes lying around .. well this is the first one. Just before Bath (ha ha), this enormous box arrived, causing much hysterical excitement and almost making me want to forgoe my long awaited weekend treat!

It contained lovely raw soap making supplies from The Soap Kitchen. Lots of butters, waxes, oils and essential oils, plus caustic soda and thermometers. Now all I need to find is a large saucepan, and a blending stick. Having made my own soap with Jane (who is a bit of a soapy guru in the UK) a few months ago, I'm telling you, I never ever want to buy the commercial stuff ever again! Here are some soapy links for you:

The Soap Kitchen - for supplies, recipies, hints and tips
Armomantic - organic supplies and scents
Soap Basics - more supplies
TeachSoap.com - recipies, techniques, hints and tips
Technobillies - Natural recipies including chocolate soap, Jane is a genius expert soapmaker
Soap Tutorial - from the Down to Earth Blog
The Naked Soap Company - this is where you can buy natural soap if you don't want to make it, or they offer soap making courses, taught by Jane.