Chamomile

I got a few things in the mail yesterday that got me ready to make a couple new batches. First I got a tub of coconut oil. It's much cheaper to order it online in larger quantities than to buy the little jar in the organic section. I like this soapmaking website. http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/ They have everything you would ever need for soapmaking and also lotion making. It's a dangerous place to visit if you are excited about making soap or lotion. They also have a lye calculator which is useful for checking recipes. To top it all off, they have recipes too.

Mr. Fedex man also brought some ph strips. My one batch is still questionable but the other ones are in the acceptable range for now and will continue to get milder over the next couple weeks. Today Mr. Fedex man should be bringing some shea butter and palm oil. I did not think I could get local palm oil but turns out I had some in my pantry. It is also known as organic shortening or vegan shortening sold in organic sections. I get mine at Whole Foods. Again it is cheaper to order a tub of it, than to buy organic shortening. Same product but marketed for consumption makes for expensive soap.

It is spring break in most of Atlanta schools. Since my kids are homeschooled, they still have school but at least all their activities are cancelled. I have been free to play with soap this week. Monday I made a batch of coffee soap. It has among other lesser oils, goat milk, hazelnut oil, cocoa butter, and coffee grounds. It smells fabulous and I'm sure has just enough caffeine to get you going in the morning.

On the to-do list today...chamomile soap. The chamomile is brewing. I picked up a cheap crock pot at Wal-Mart last night and want to experiment with hot-process soap. The steps are basically the same as cold-process but you cook it to neutrality in the crock pot. The added benefit of hot process is that it is useable much quicker than cold process. Technically it can be used as soon as it cools but in practice, it is allowed to cure for about a week to harden. A week is much less waiting than 4 weeks and I am impatient.