The Zen of Making Soap

Have you ever found that sweet spot where everything seems to flow? When you don’t notice time passing? Some find it cooking (my husband wishes he were so lucky), some find it in music and others in a gazillion different activities. For me, it’s soap making. I call it the zen of making soap

From the beginning when creating the soap in my mind I’m hooked. Choosing the base oils to use, the color, the scent and the texture, consume my mind. What if I add some almond oil to this batch? How about a blend of lemongrass, anise and lavender essential oils for the scent?  What color mica should I use? Add some oatmeal? Poppy seeds? The possibilities are endless.

Once I get started I shut everything out. The phone goes to voicemail and the doorbell is unanswered. It might look like I’m on automatic pilot but I’m not. As I reach for my goggles and gloves I wonder if this blend will become a favorite. I reconstitute the lye and melt the base oils. Re-thinking my decision to add color to this soap, I change my mind. This one should be natural. Pour the clear lye-water into the clear oils and watch the magic happen. The mixture in the soap pot becomes opaque. I blend with my stick blender and it starts to get slightly thicker. I watch for trace, a term soap makers use when the oils and the lye have mixed and become soap. I look and (Yes!) the soap has reached the desired consistency and is ready for the essential oil blend. I pour it in, take a deep breath and enjoy the aroma. Yes, I think this will be a new favorite. When the scent in incorporated into the mixture, I pour the contents of my soap pot in the mold and cover it with towels. As I clean up I can still smell the aroma lingering in the air in my studio. I’m in my special place.

What do you do that brings you pleasure?

Yours in Gratitude,

Angela