By Deborah Baker
Magnolia Cove Luxury Soaps
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The first cold day of winter was always deemed by my South Arkansas grandmother as hog-butchering day. Even though it was a gruesome process, the yield of pork chops, hams, and bacon were worth the mess. Nothing was wasted—even the fats were rendered in the cast-iron washpot. A portion of the rendered lard was mixed with lye to make lye soap. It was strong and smelly and would clean anything, especially dirty laundry.
By definition, soap is made from an acid/alkaline reaction, combining the oil acids with alkaline sodium hydroxide (lye) in a process called saponification. It creates glycerin, which is typically absent from grocery brand soaps. Today’s lye soap is luxurious, moisturizing, and beneficial to skin.
My soaps are made using a complex formula of shea butter, palm oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and castor oil. These oils are balanced to ensure long-lasting lather, creaminess, and moisturizing properties. I use the cold process method for my soap making. The oils are heated to 100 degrees F and mixed with dissolved lye cooled to the same temperature. Lye is caustic and dangerous, so safety precautions such as gloves, goggles, and long sleeves are essential. Remember, it’s the same stuff you use to dissolve nasty clogs in the sink lines!
The mixture is stirred with an immersion blender until it reaches “trace” and is like pudding. At this point, additives such as essential or fragrance oils, color, or tea leaves are added to the soap mixture. The fragrance oil volume is calculated based on the amount of carrier oils that are used. The fragrance develops completely as the soap dries. Fragrances can be combined to create similar characteristics as perfumes with top, middle, and bottom notes. This is the fun and unique part of soap making!
Once the additives are in the soap, the thick mixture is poured into a mold and allowed to harden overnight. By the next day, I cut it into bars and let it dry for thirty days. It is now ready to use for a relaxing bath.
For those of you who would like to make soap, I recommend researching the process thoroughly before attempting it. The use of lye is very dangerous, and care must be used when handling it. Brief yourself on safety precautions. Purchase the right equipment. Find a recipe that is tried-and-true. Books and online sources are rich with information on soap making. Once you’ve mastered the process, it is fun and rewarding to experiment with different oils, colors, and fragrances.
Real soap. Really luxurious!
Happy Soap Making!
Deb
By Nancy Haddock
I don’t remember when I learned to make sprays with essential oils, and I wish I could remember who taught me about them, but I was using various essential oils decades before aromatherapy became a discipline.
Aromas and our responses to them are unique and personal. Lavender is primarily touted to be a calming scent, which is why it’s added to so many products. But not everyone will be calmed by lavender, and some individuals are allergic to it. So, if you make your own essential oil sprays, chose the scents you like, whether they calm you, energize you, lift your mood, or help you focus. Oh, and be cautious about how much you use, especially if you’ll be out and about. Triggering someone’s allergy does not win a friend!
You will need a small spray bottle, a bottle of essential oil, and any kind of plain water. (I’ve never tried the fizzy kind, so l can’t speak to how it would work.) I generally use tap water and plastic bottles from a drugstore or dollar store.
Fill your bottle as much as you like, but probably not more than three-quarters full so the mixture will blend well when you shake it. To the water, add drops of essential oil until you’re happy with the strength of the scent. I add 15 to 25 drops, depending on the size of the bottle. Cap the spray bottle, shake, and spritz. If you want to increase the scent’s intensity, add oil. If you want to cut it, add water.
Although oil and water aren’t supposed to mix, this method of making sprays has always worked fine for me. I do shake the bottle before each use. Do NOT use essential oils or oil sprays in your mouth or on an open wound, or allow contact with any mucous membranes without having specific, expert information on such use. For instance, I dilute clove oil in a carrier oil (virgin olive oil) and apply the mixture to my gums with a cotton swab. If not properly diluted, clove and other oils will burn like crazy, and possibly cause tissue damage!
In addition, the purity and quality of oils will vary, so educate yourself about the companies bottling essential oils. I buy therapeutic grade always, and buy the less expensive oils for some applications.
What are my favorite oil scents? Rosemary, mint, and lavender are my top three at the moment, but I also find uses for coconut and pear scents. Tea tree oil has antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, and antiviral properties. It also helps when I have a sinus headache, and so does tei-fu oil. Citrus scents are great for boosting mood. (I wonder if that’s why so many cleaning products are lemon scented!) My friend Deb Baker created a soap for me to give as swag, and the scent is lavender and lily of the valley. It is divine!
Have fun experimenting with the scents you enjoy! And remember to spritz responsibly!