|
Simple Fancy Soap
Ingredients:
Petroleum jelly for greasing the soap molds
1 bar of pure white soap (such as Ivory or Pure and Natural; glycerin
and Castile soaps work well too) grated - - approximately 1 1/4 cups
1 tablespoon of water *
Lightly grease the inside of your soap mold using a small amount of
petroleum jelly. Place the soap and water into the top part of a double
boiler or in an oven proof dish in a saucepan of water and heat
gently over medium heat.
Stir occasionally until all the soap is melted and resembles and smooth,
fluffy white pudding. This may take up to 30 minutes. The soap will
start out looking very dry and grainy, then turn thick and smooth. Do
not allow the mixture to boil. When all the soap is melted, carefully
spoon it into your prepared molds. Overfill the molds just a bit; the
soap may settle, and you can always trim away any excess after it has
cooled. You need to work quickly because the soap cools quickly. Tap the
edge of your molds gently to remove any air bubbles. Allow the molds to
sit until the soap is completely cool. Tap the soap shapes from the
bottom of the molds and place on a wire rack to dry. Let the soap sit
for at least 24 hours on the rack. If your shapes seem a bit rough
around the edges, you can smooth them out with a sharp knife. For
gift-giving, wrap your soaps in pretty boxes, paper, fabric, or netting
tied with ribbon. Don not use airtight containers because it's important
to let the soap breathe.
Variations:
Scented Soaps: Add a few drops of your favorite perfumed oil or
essential oil after the soap mixture is melted and before you spoon it
into your molds. You need to use oil based scents because alcohol based
scents may cause your soap to separate.
Colored: You can purchase dyes for soap making, or use food coloring.
You can also make your own natural dyes using vegetables, herbs, and
spices. Green is made using liquid chlorophyll, bed from beetroot powder
mixed with water or by using strong red herbal tease such as those made
with hibiscus flowers. Brown or cream colors can be made from using teas
such as chamomile and orange pekoe. For yellow you can use saffron or
turmeric.
Texture: Add a tablespoon or two of grainy substance such as cornmeal,
ground nuts, or chopped up loophah sponges to your melted soap before
spooning mixture
into molds Make sure you stir the mixture well before spooning into
molds. Adding texture to the soap can also color it a bit.
* AS A RULE OF THUMB, YOU WANT TO USE 10% OF THE AMOUNT OF WATER TO
SOAP. AN EXAMPLE:
IF YOUR BAR WEIGHS 20 OUNCES, YOU WANT TO USE 2 OUNCES OF WATER. MOST
BARS ARE ABOUT 1/2 OUNCE, SO YOU WILL USE 1 TABLESPOON (1/2 OUNCE) OF
WATER.
|
|
