Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
from olive oil is called “Castile” soap. For extra indulgence, cocoa butter, Shea butter, mango butter,
and other luxury ingredients can be added into your ratios.
Dyes and Embellishments
Particularly if you are marketing or gifting your soap, which will likely be the case if you make
many batches, dyes and added ingredients can add to the visual appeal. Because you are doing this
to use natural ingredients, preferably from your own backyard, and avoid synthetics, try remaining
natural all the way through. Don't give up on your natural ingredients just for aesthetics.
Fortunately, you don't have to. Just about anything in your garden can be boiled down into a dye
bath. (I talk more about plant-based dyes in Chapter 25.) You can add subtle and even deep color
to your soap by including a homemade dye. Infuse your natural dye with one of your oils, or pur-
chase a powdered version online or from a supply store. Natural dyes have a bit of variance to their
results. It might fade a bit as it cures, but the general color should remain. If you are not happy
with the color, you can always grate it down, melt it, and redye and set it.
Dyed or not, most will agree that fragrance is pretty much a must. Everyone loves a nice-smelling
soap. Even though your soap will probably smell fresh and lovely anyway, essential oils are an easy
way to infuse a customized scent, and making the combinations can be a lot of fun. Especially
considering essential oils can provide more than just an aroma, but also health properties.
And that brings me to the next addition: herbs and flowers! Sprinkle some fresh herbs and flower
petals into the soap for fragrance, health, and visual appeal. (Chapter 9 covers herbs in greater
detail.) This is a great place to extend and exercise that knowledge, as well as use up some of that
extra harvest.
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Use caution when including essential oils and herbs, particularly when the soap will be used by children
or pregnant women. For example, peppermint, jasmine, and rose, to name a few, are unsafe for use during
pregnancy. Others, like cinnamon, orange, and wintergreen, might irritate the skin. The safest oils for
pregnancy or sensitive skin are lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, and lemon. One half ounce is usually
enough for a pound of soap. You can experiment with more or less, but too much might seep out of the
soap as it sets.
Let your creative side shine when you make soap. Did you dye with a blueberry dye bath? Add
some dried blueberries into the soap. Maybe it is a citrus theme, so consider grating orange peel
into it. Just be careful not to go overboard and cram all of your ideas into one bar. Adding a lot of
solids can make an abrasive bar, which can be good for exfoliation or smoothing rough skin, but
not suitable for sensitive skin or facial use. After you get a couple of batches under your belt and
build your confidence and know-how, you can make all your ideas a reality.