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| Soapmaking |
| Soaps are very important. Everyday, or close to everyday, we use them on our bodies in the bath or shower. Some people who practice magick have a special soap used for rituals or rituals baths, or other special soaps. Soaps are not very hard to make either and can be a fun activity. You can add herbs and "special ingredients" to many soaps. Lye soaps and glycerine soaps can be made at home. Aside from the fact that you can personalise your soaps, infuse them with energy directed at a certain purpose (prosperity soap, love soap, etc.) but you can save money while you're doing it! For the extra crafty you can make your own lye using animal fat and ashes. Easy Lye Soap Start with 6 cups of lard, tallow, vegetable oil, or olive oil, however lard is best. Melt the lard over a low flame. In another stoneware/ceramic bowl mix 3/4 cup of lye with 1-1/4 cups of water. Be careful, the mixture is very caustic and hot. Lye and lard must be cooled to body temperature, you know where you can touch the containers comfortably, before mixing the two together. When they are cooled to body temperature slowly pour the lye into the lard. Do not use Draino, use lye. The mixture should take on a milkly colour. Slowly stir the mixture until you have a lotion-like texture. Then, if you are adding powdered herbs, crushed flowers, lanolin, oils, cocoa, or aloe do it now. You can add one, or many things to your soap for desired physical and magickal effects. Most baking herbs are wonderful in soaps and give off rich scents; some of my favourite herbs to use are anise, franckincense, pine, cloves, citrus, roses, and lavender. If you want a more abrasive soap a few suggestions are add oatmeal, pumice, or sandalwood powder. Carrot juice, spinach juice, and beet root make good dyes for your soap (yellow, pale green, and red). Next, you need a 9" x 6" x 2" wooden box, or stoneware or ceramic baking dish. If you are using the wooden box soak it in water. Place a damp piece of linen, big enough to cover the entire inside of the box, inside the box. If you want to improve the scent of your soap put a few drops of essential oil on the cloth. It will soak into the soap during the setting process. After that pour the soap into the box. Cut cardboard that will fit tightly to the box edges and gently lay it on top of the soap. Last cover the box and cardboard with a heavy cloth and let it sit overnight. Don't peak, because letting heat out damages your soap. In the morning remove the cardboard and you should find your soap solidified and ready for cutting. Leave the pieces in the open air for two weeks before you wrap your soap. If you feel the soap has an "unfinished" look and you do not like then then you can steam the edges and rub them with alcohol and wool cloth for a pretty shine. If you want to test the qulaity of your soap then slice a little off the top, if it curls it is of good quality. Should your soap crack you have added too much lye. If your soap separates out then it was poured at the wrong temperature or if it was softs and greasy then you didn't add enough lye. If you have any of these problems simply cut up what you do have and put it back in the pot (lye and all) and bring to a boil with water. Now, if you need to add more lye dissolve some in water and add it now. If you had the problem of not enough lard do the same and add it now. As it boils it should have a ropey consistancy, this signals it is ready for pouring. Boiling soap makes a harder soap that lasts a long time even in the shower. This should make about two dozen bars of soap and aging it will noly make it better. However due to lack of chemicals it will not bubble, only produce a foam. Lady's Favourite Soap For this soap you will need: 4 lbs. lard 13 oz. lye (or 1 can) 5 cups cold water 1 tbsp lavender oil 1 tbsp patchouli oil 1 cup fresh strawberry juice 1/4 cup dired soap bark herb (optional) In a large kettle (I use iron but you could also use enamel; do not use metal), melt the lard over very low heat. In a separate pot stir together the lye and water. Heat the lard until small bubbles being to appear, you do not want it to boil. When this happens to the lard remove it from heat and slowly pour the lye solution into the lard. Stir in the lavender and patchouli oils, strawberry juice, and soap bark herb with a large wooden spoon. Simmer this for around 30 mintues, stirring frequently. After simmering pour the mixture into a 2-inch deep greased pan and allow to cool overnight. The next morning cut the soap into squares and leave it in the pan for at least 3 days before removing. Put your bars of soap on waxed paper and let them age in a draft-free open air area four to six weeks before using. Beeswax Soap 4 oz wt. apricot kernal oil 4 oz. wt. beeswax 9.5 oz wt. lard 7 fl oz. water 2 oz wt lye Now, melt the oil, lard, and wax together in an enamle pot. Then, pour the lye solution into distilled water. Pour the lye solution into melted fats when the temperatures of both are around 100-125 degrees F. This will saponifies imediately so be sure you have molds ready BEFORE you begin to make the soap. Keep the soaps in the mold for roughtly three days. After turning them out they will need to cure for six weeks. Produces an exteremly hard soap. Water Sprite's Soap 16 oz. canola oil 8 oz coconut oil 4 oz olive oil 4 oz sunflower oil 4 oz lye 12 fl. water Melt the oild together until warm and then add lye to cold water. Next, add lye/water and oils together carefully when both are warm to the touch on the outside of the containers. Sir until trace, add fragrance and colour then and pour into molds. Serious Skin Pampering Soap 16 oz avocado oil 8 oz olive oil (not pomace) 6 oz coconut oil 2 oz cocoa butter 2 oz shea butter 1 oz emu oil Essential oils of choice 16 oz water 5.75 oz flake lye Follow usual soap-making procedures. Melt the oils except for emu oil and essential oils in a large non-aluminum pot, mix ly with water in a large, stainless steel bowl. Using part ice cubes for the 16 oz of water and in a well ventilated area and be sure not to walk off and leave it alone. Once the fats are MELTED (not just hot) and lye is cool enough to hold a hand on the outside of the bowl, pour lye solution carefully into the oils and stir. Keep this on low heat, stirring frequently and be sure not to splash. YOu May pour when you first reach trace and after adding emu oil and essential oils, personally I've always kept it heating for awhile. Once it begines bubbling, pull it off and the heat and add the essential oils and emu oil. Stir well and then pour into molds. This will cure faster with extra cooking. Pepperming and lavender and rosemary and lavender are two lovely combinations for this soap! Rosemary Scrubby Soap 14 oz coconut oil 14 oz palm oil 7 oz olive oil 7 oz avocado oil 7 oz jojoba oil 19 oz distilled water 6.7 oz NaOH At trace add: 2 tsp rosemary oil, 2 tsp tea tree oil, 4 tsp lemongrass oil, 1/4 cup powdered rosemary. |