Day: June 3, 2011

Body-Safe Dried Herbs for Soaps

There are a large number of body-safe dried herbs that you can include in your soaps, although some of them such as chamomile, sage, and teas, will blend over time. This doesn’t hurt the soap but may make your soaps unsightly. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of vitamin E to each pound of your soap mixture will help to retard this process by preserving the herb. Although some individuals add rose petals to their soaps, others don’t recommend it because rose petals have a tendency to turn black over time. Her’s a list of herbs you can include in your magickal soaps!

  • Allspice

  • Almond

  • Barley

  • Basil

  • Bergamot

  • Bladderwrack (sea kelp)

  • Brown sugar

  • Calendula (marigold)

  • Cardamom

  • Chamomile

  • Chocolate

  • Cinnamon (just a bit!)

  • Coffee

  • Coriander

  • Cornmeal (for garden and deep grime removal soaps)

  • Dill

  • Eucalyptus

  • Ginger

  • Ginseng

  • Green tea

  • Juniper berries

  • Lemongrass

  • Lemon peel

  • Lemon verbena

  • Lime peel

  • Mints

  • Neem

  • Nutmeg

  • Oatmeal

  • Oregano

  • Patchouli

  • Rose hips (purchase only those sold for health and beauty products)

  • Rosemary (finely ground)

  • Safflower

  • Sage

  • Thyme

  • Note: Take special care when making soaps for allergy-sensitive individuals. Ingredients like almonds, cinnamon, and honey may have adverse effects on some individuals.

 

Basic Melt-and-Pour Making Instruction

In soap making, timing is essential. If you whisk too long, then your soap will begin to get in the measuring cup to the point where you won’t be able to pour it. If this occurs, it must be re-melted before pouring. Re-melting soap with fragrance can destroy the integrity of the aroma. Expect to make a few mistakes when first learning to make your own soaps; however, you will quickly get the feel of this super-simple process! Goat’s milk, coconut and shea butter bases do not have good suspension and require that you whisk your formulas until they thicken but are still warm enough to pour.

Basic Melt-and-Pour Soap-Making Instructions

  • Heat your soap base as indicated by manufacturer. (Be careful not to overheat or you will destroy the integrity of the soap based.)

  • Add color per manufacturer’s instruction.

  • Add fragrance or essential oils per manufacturer’s instructions. Hint: For every pound of soap use three teaspoons of fragrance (this does not apply for essential oils).

  • Add herbs.

  • Add any other inclusions-water for handmilled, jojoba carrier or other oils; vitamin E (a preservative), etc.

  • Whisk mixture until it begins to thicken.

  • Pour into molds.

  • Spritz each soap while still warm with alcohol to remove bubbles.

  • Allow to cool completely in mold.

  • Remove from mold.

  • Air-dry (length of time depends on what type of base you are using). Glycerin can be packaged after one hour.

Witchy Soap Making

Making your own soap with empowered herbs can be an extremely rewarding and magickal experience. The recipes that follow rely on melt-and-pour soap bases that can be purchased at your local craft store or online. This type of easy carrier allows you to make lots of fragrant soap in a single afternoon and can be a great magickal project practice with a circle of friends or your children (as long as you monitor the hot soap and you do the pouring). When shopping for a glycerin soap base, look for formulas that permit good suspension of herbs, as most herbs will sink to the bottom of the mold unless the soap is poured just at the moment of setting (which can be tricky). Here are the general supplies you will need for all of the recipes.

  • Soap cauldron (can be purchased at local craft store) or microwave (if soap directions say you can use this)

  • Desired fragrance (sweet scents help to instill good feelings and harmony within the body)

  • Small plastic baggies or shrink-wrap system for packaging after soap has cooled

  • Sharp, smooth-blade knife (for cutting soap base into small, 1-inch blocks)

  • Pyrex measuring cup (4-cup size)Wire whisk (only to be used for soap)

  • Droppers (for adding scent and color)

  • Rubbing alcohol in spritzer bottle (removes bubbles from the poured soap)

  • Ladle (if using a soap cauldron)

  • Mortar and pestle or spice grinder

  • Soap molds ( you can also use silicone muffin molds)

  • X-Acto knife ( for trimming soaps if you over-poured the mold)

  • Wire curing rack ( for handmilled soaps)