Scented Essentials
(Page 2 of 3)
October/November 1995
By Sandy Maine
In Colonial America, women made soap at home just as they made most other home products. Commercial production of soap did not begin until 1608, when several enterprising soapmakers from England arrived in the New World. Technological advances such as the development of a process for extracting inexpensive soda ash from common salt helped the soapmaking industry flourish in America by the mid-1800s.
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Home soapmaking experienced a resurgence in popularity beginning in the mid-1980s. The United States currently has at least 6000 home hobbyists and 150 small commercial soapmakers. The interest in using herbs has grown as well in the past decade, and many soapmakers, both at home and in the marketplace, now incorporate herbs and herbal scents into their products.
A selection of sensuous soaps
The recipes below make some of my favorite herbal soaps. Feel free to experiment with scents that please you, essential oils that you have on hand, and plants that grow in your garden. Using the ingredients in the recipes, follow the soapmaking instructions here.
Choose spring water, rainwater, or tap water. Soaps made with herbal oils (either essential oils or fragrance oils) are more fragrant than those made with crushed dried leaves of herbs, although I sometimes add these to the soap mixture for texture. All quantities are given by weight, not volume, because I’ve found that using a scale rather than a measuring cup is far more accurate and results in better soap. All the ingredients are readily available at natural food stores and grocery stores. Choose a solid vegetable shortening such as Crisco. Look for lye (sodium hydroxide) on the aisle with household cleaners.
Each recipe makes 71/2 pounds of soap, or about sixty 2-ounce bars. Some ideas for finishing, decorating, and packaging your handmade soaps begin on page 54. They are wonderful both to use and to give as gifts.
Soap Recipes
Calendula Unscented Baby Soap
Comfrey and Aloe Vera Soap
Garden Mint Soap
Lavender Soap
Lemon Verbena Soap
Chamomile and Lavender Baby Soap
Rosemary Morning Soap
Gentleman Farmer Soap
Mr. Spicy Shaving Soap