David's Candles & Soap Blog

Now for those of you who read the previous post about aromatherapy in the workplace and said "I don't want my office smelling like fennel oil," or were reminded of the nice, but clueless coworker who comes to the office bathed in perfume, here's the other side of the debate. This article, Fragrance debate: A matter of scents and sensibility?, actually addresses the issue from the side of those who are sensitive or allergic to scents. And this blog post, Nice Perfume, must you bathe in it? talks more about the appropriateness of scents in the workplace.
What are we to take from this (the moral of the story):

• Fragrances and essential oils are powerful components that have real effects on our minds, moods and bodies...indeed, many of you were probably drawn to candle and soap making largely due to the array of wonderful scents.
• You can use fragrance and essential oils in soaps, candles, and even just a dab on a cotton ball easily and effectively.
• Some people do not share our enthusiasm for wild and wonderful scents, and may actually have physical sensitivities to them.

So, unless you have a really big office where no scents can waft from...or a lot of really like-minded co-workers...it's probably best that we keep our wild and wonderful fragrance and essential oils at home...in our soaps and candles...and only share them with our co-workers in gift baskets.

Aromatherapy is not a new science or a new fad. Humans have been using the essences of plant (and even a few animal) oils for thousands of years. But over the past few decades, there has been an increased interest in the use of aromatic herbs and oils - to improve your mood, to treat common ailments, and make your life better. And it's not just happening in the United States. Aromatherapy is gaining popularity all over the world - as is evidenced by the article "Combat Office Stress with Aromatherapy" from the Times of India. It talks about a "convenient and faster way of combating stress at the work place" - aromatherapy, and gives several really good suggestions of how to use essential oils at the office. The same basic suggestions can be used in your soap making or candles, or in other bath and body products, too. If you want more information about essential oils, check out Best Essential Oil Books for Soap and Candle Making, and also remember, that just because it's natural, doesn't mean it's safe. Be sure you understand the Basics of Essential Oil Safety.

Often times, soap makers (and candle makers for that matter) are trying to color their soaps (or candles) a color other than white. Whether it's adding a purple swirl, or a bright yellow tint, or green speckles, or layers of orange and red...we're starting with white and making it something different. But don't forget that white can be a really nice component to a soap design. Some people prefer good old fashioned plain white soap. But if you want to jazz it up a bit, this project uses white as a "color" in a two color swirl. (And the same technique applies for any two color swirl.)

Like choosing the ingredients in any recipe, choosing the oils in your soap recipes is a very important step in your soap making. Each oil imparts different qualities to the final soap - creating a soap recipe is the art of balancing them to create the perfect bar of soap. From apricot to wheat germ oil...with coconut, hemp and olive oil in between...there are dozens of oils you can use in your soap. Each one contributes its own unique fatty acid makeup, and hence, its own unique qualities to your soap. Here is a list of the most popular soap making oils and what they'll impart to your soap.
Photo Credit: C Squared Studios / Getty Images

I came across "Making Scented Soap" by Linda Hamblen one day at the library. What first caught my eye was that she uses the British spelling for "Bath Bombes." As I looked through the book, I was intrigued by the combination of recipes, the diversity of ingredients and the wonderful combinations of color and scents. While I have a few disagreements with a couple of her methods, it's a wonderful book full of gorgeous soaps, inspiring recipes, and really intriguing recipes. For some reason it's really expensive - it must be out of print. But look for a copy at your local library, it's well worth the read.

Today, I want to talk about Crisco.
Yes...Crisco...
It may be "better than butter for cooking," but what about for making soap? I've always considered Crisco (which is a hydrogenated blend of cottonseed and soybean oil) to be a "filler" soapmaking oil...inferior to our "core" soap oils of coconut, palm and olive. And my impression is that most soap makers do as well. However, I was preparing to do an article about Sandy Maine of SunFeather Natural Soap Company and her book The Soap Book, and found that the "basic" recipe that she uses for all the varieties of soap in her book is 44% Crisco, 28% Olive and 28% Coconut. That's her core, basic recipe. Just those three oils.
So I tried it...
It's good soap...!
It doesn't have quite the rich, heavy, creamy lather that castor oil in the recipe gives...it's a lighter lather...but quite plentiful. And I don't feel any more or less moisturized than I do with batches that have higher palm or olive amounts. So what do you think? The qualities that Crisco gives to soap are actually very similar to the qualities that would be imparted by cottonseed oil. They have nearly identical scores on the SoapCalc. But how many of us every use cottonseed oil in our soap...or are at all familiar with using it???
So that's my point...have we been missing out on a really good and cheap soap making oil - just because it comes in a can we get at the grocery store? What do you think? Oh...and did you know that Crisco was originally invented to be a replacement for tallow in candles!!?? Click on "comments" below to add your two cents...
Image Credit: Ladies Home Journal - 1912

Previously, I've featured Hurricane Candle Shells as a component in Photo Candles or even New Year's Candles.. Alas, New Years seems even further away than Autumn. But it is actually hurricane season in the U.S...so I guess I should be making some Hurricane Candle Shells. Most people use them inside on mantles or table tops, but they make really lovely outdoor candles too. (They can withstand hurricanes, remember, so a breezy summer evening should be no problem at all!) Drop in a plain or even a Citronella Votive Candle and you're good to go.

It's been over 100 degrees here in Texas nearly everyday for the past couple of weeks. While we are all yearning for cooler weather, it's still very odd to be thinking about Autumn already! But I was thinking today, it's less than three months until Halloween. Not only do we need to be making Autumn themed soap and candles - but it's almost time for Pumpkin soap and Ghost candles! Well, to get you started thinking about cooler days and delightful fall holidays, are some of my favorite "Autumn" themed Candle and Soap Making Fragrance Oils. Not all of them are pumpkin pie and pine trees...some are more complex...but still make me think of Autumn. Try them out in your candles and soaps. You may find you like them all year long.
Photo credit: LIsa Thornberg / Getty Images

There are many great recipes for making your own natural liquid soap. While most of the recipes differ in the mixture of oils they use, one thing seems pretty consistent - they all make a lot of soap! Even the small recipe I have for making basic liquid soap makes almost 6 pounds when diluted. Unless you use liquid soap every day for bathing, that's a lot of soap! If you fragrance and dilute the whole six pounds of paste, you're stuck with the same blend of oils and fragrance until you've used it all up. But there's actually an easy way to divide up the soap paste into more manageable batches.

Part of it was hearing Jeanne Rose speak about the healing qualities of herbs at the Texas Soapmakers convention. Part of it was testing out a new jojoba liquid soap recipe. Maybe it's just the warm herbal smells of oils and herbs heating slowly, but I really enjoyed making a herbal oil infusion especially to use in a new batch of liquid soap. Whether you infuse calendula petals or lavender...eucalyptus, patchouli, or sage, it's a lovely way to add some extra herbal goodness to your soaps (both liquid and bar), lotions, bath oils, massage bars and even bath bombs. It just takes some oil, some herbs and some heat.