[Sca-cooks] Re: OT: soap (was: Stinky hands)

[Kelsey]

At 05:02 PM 5/25/01 -0700, Anahita wrote:
>added "stuff" to our soaps, so we called them "salad soaps" - blended
>cucumber, blended apples, black poppy seeds...

Adding blended stuff to soap is great fun.  If the chosen fruit or veggie
is wet enough it can substitute for part of the water in the lye
solution.  Cucumbers and lemons both are very good.  Cukes are soothing to
skin and lemon tightens/tones (I probably wouldn't use them in the _same_
soap.  They would argue. *s*).  Lemon poppy seed soap will open your eyes
at 6 am!

Many herbs can be infused into the oil or the lye water (depending on the
effect wanted) and strained out or left in (again depending).  Different
herbs and spices impart different colors and sometimes benefits to skin as
well.  Alkanet root makes a gorgeous wine red oil that can be used to make
pink/mauve/purple soap depending on the ratio of infused/not infused oil
one uses in the soap.  Infuse it into the lye solution and the soap will be
blue.  Can you tell that my kitchen counter there's a row of mason
jars--each with a different herb/spice infused into olive oil?

>We used plastic juice bottles as molds.

Great mold.  My first mold was a big square rubbermaid container lined with
freezer paper (shiny side to the soap).   I'm still using it for small
batches.

>Anyway, so, what's "trace"?

Answered already, and oh so well by Meadh inghean Thaidg ui Domhnall.

Love and light and laughter
Kelsey





Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane
every night of our lives.
-- Charles William Dement