For three November weekends in a row Bushel and Peck's is sponsoring Terri and Dan Dodge's soap making classes. They are the brains behind Double D's B's, and have already graced us with their bees and honey. Now it's soap-expertise.
Our first class was last Saturday; students decided what "flavor" soap they wanted to make--rosemary/calendula, lemongrass/poppyseed, honey-oatmeal, or peppermint--and organized ingredients (lye, oils, scents). We learned proportions, how to measure and mix, secrets to choosing smells and herbs. I was sitting next to the rosemary-calendula group and, man, that cleared my sinuses. The ingredients are all vegetarian (although, old-schoolers can try a recipe with lard at home). The lye provides the cleansing action, the oils the moisturizing and the scents, well, provide the scents. Everything is mixed and the chemical reaction of the lye, water and oils creates a solution that cooks itself (the water and lye heat up to almost boiling, oil cools it back down). The mixture is poured into a mold, where it hardens for a day and then is removed to continue curing for another month. The lye combines with the oils during this 4-week long chemical reaction, after which is it officially soap. The recipe uses 5% more oil than will react with the lye; the final result--a beautiful, delicious smelling, moisturing (because of the extra oil) bar!
If you find yourself yearning to mix, there's still space on Nov. 15.
1 comment:
I think it's great that Terri and Dan are willing to share their recipes for soaps and bath fizzies. I took a soap class and the bath fizzy class yesterday and both items turned out great! It's really nice to make your own and to see exactly what ingredients are going into the products.
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