Hmmm... Quite some time has passed since my last post, and while I had good intentions to keep my blog fresh, I see that once again time simply slips away. Good intentions give way to either mad dashes of creativity or the need to fulfill other mundane, yet necessary, tasks such as cooking and cleaning.
This week I have taken some time off for myself. Having recently cleaned and reorganized my soap and candle kitchen, and having taken careful stock of all the fragrances and essential oils I have, I am freshly motivated to finally put on my apron and make all the creations that have been rumbling around in my head.
Today I made a castille soap I had been thinking about making for a while: A mild baby soap made with olive oil that has been infused with chamomile blossoms. Chamomile has wonderful skin healing properties and is very mild - perfect for baby's tender skin! The soap is currently curing - it already has a wonderful mild chamomile fragrance and a delicate yellow color. I am excited to see how it turns out.
For those of you who are not quite into soap as I am, a castile soap traditionally is made with only olive oil. The problem with this is that while the soap is very mild, it does not suds much, is very soft, and has a tendency to develop the "dreaded orange spots". It's really only a cosmetic blemish, but I know that most people would not want to risk bathing their babies with an "orange spotted soap". One of the ways to combat a purely olive oil soap's deficiencies is to add coconut oil. Coconut oil adds hardness and suds - but add too much and you can't call it "Castile" any more.
Much time was spent agonizing over the correct balance of olive oil and coconut oil, when I stumbled upon the holy grail of soap calculators. I have used various soap calculators in the past, checking results from one calculator to another to ensure my results were accurate. This soap calculator provided me with instant feedback on the properties of my newly formulated recipe. I am truly impressed! I feel confident my new recipe will be wonderful!
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