Elderly aunts and Valentine's day soap

While most people are looking ahead to the holidays around the corner, I'm finally learning to think far beyond that in soap.

The day before yesterday, (Monday,) I blended the fats and made a batch of lye water for a five pound batch of soap. I calculated 3% super fat, which means that after the lye has reacted with as much fat as it's going to, there will still be a bit of free fat floating around, to make it nice for the skin.

However, there was a polymer clay guild meeting that night, and so I decided to wait until Tuesday to pour the two together. I wanted to be able to tend the mixture slowly, over several hours, so that it could take its time.

The next day, I began heating the fats in a crock pot. It was a blend of equal amounts of coconut oil and pomace olive oil, with a smaller amount of lard and caster oil added to help improve the quality of the lather. I heated the fats just enough to dissolve the coconut oil and lard, then poured in the lye water.

Almost immediately the magic began to happen. I remembered that the polymer clay guild was having a reception that evening for the opening of an exhibit at the local library, and I wanted to attend. So I set the crock pot to "high," to speed the process. I stirred with my new Cuisinart stick blender, (it's fantastic!) and in less than an hour, witnessed another batch of ingredients transform into soap. I squirted in some vegetable glycerin and almond oil to help improve the way the soap would eventually feel on the skin, and then brought it back up to trace. I didn't weigh the glycerin and almond oil, but I already knew it had "enough" fat to be a safe soap, and I'm getting to the point where I can "eyeball" some of the ingredients and make a successful batch.

Note: Never, never would I EVER "eyeball" the soap fats, lye, water, or essential oil! The ratio of fat to lye has to be precise. If not, the mixture may not ever turn into soap, or it might be so alkali that it will take your skin off. I don't think it's a good idea to be haphazard with the essential oils, either. For one thing, they are expensive. Too little, and you can't smell it at all, so it's wasted. Too much, and they might irritate the skin - and if more is used than needed, that's also a waste.

Finally, I added 2% Egyptian geranium essential oil. The scent filled the house. Just as the soap thickened so much that it would soon be difficult to pour, I started spooning it into the large wooden mold that my husband built.

That evening, after the reception, I checked on the soap. The box was warm to the touch, as the lye continued to react with the fats. I opened the mold, as the delicious scent poured out, I was transported back to a childhood visit at the home of an elderly aunt, secretly sniffing her bath products in the privacy of her bathroom. (Hey! I was a little kid, okay? If you invite me into your home, and I I need to visit your bathroom, I promise not to snoop!)

Concerned that the cooler evenings might slow the curing process, I wrapped the mold in old towels and stuffed the whole thing into the oven. This morning, I couldn't wait to check on it. Every so often I go open the oven door and check on it, lovingly wrapped like a baby. The loaf of soap has stuck to the lid of the mold, and when it finally cools down completely I'll have to place it in the freezer to unstick it. I pulled a little scrap of the soap from the crockpot. It lathers, but of course it's still harsh. But in time it will be a lovely soap. I might not be able to bring myself to share this one.

In the meantime, I've just made a lover's essential oil blend for Valentine's Day. It includes ylang-ylang, frankincense, myrrh, bergamot and rose, with a bit of lavender and the geranium. I hope to make it before the end of the month, so it will be well-cured by mid-February.

I have an idea for a recipe for a Candlemas soap. I'd like to make it with milk and honey, and call it Bridget's Soap. Maybe scent it with a bit of lavender, rose, and cedar.

Then of course, there is the licorice soap I promised my husband. Perhaps I should get started on that one next!