How I Got Into Soapmaking

I remember distinctly the day I read you could make soap from scratch.  I have always been the kind of person who enjoys doing things from scratch.  I enjoy canning, baking, sewing, crafting, anything from its raw material base.  So when I read in the newspaper an article on making soap from scratch, 25 years ago, I began collecting the ingredients.  Beef fat from the butcher at the grocery store.  Coconut oil from the health food store.  Lye from the grocery store.  The first batch was a success.  I knew I’d be making soap again!

I went to the local bookstore and bought the one and only book they had on soapmaking.  To this day it is my favorite book on the subject.  I then began making soap every 6 months or so, adding fragrances and herbs for variety.  I found a bar of handmade soap made an excellent gift. 

When my husbands business slowed during the recession of the early nineties, I was looking for someway to supplement our family’s income.  But the problem for me was I had 5 children.  Can you imagine what childcare for 5 children would be?  I had to find a job I could do partially at home and take my children with me to work.  My friend Cindy, who had been a recipient of my soap, solved my dilemma.  I was telling her my plight one day.  She responded “Karita, you ought to try selling your soaps”.  She had traveled extensively doing flea markets with her husband, and she observed people would buy cleaning supplies and food.

I thought about it and decided to give it a try.  That was 15 years ago.  It was a wonderful solution to my dilemma.  I made soap at home, and on the weekends my children and I would go to the farmers’ market to sell them.  I tell my customers I am one of those rare people who work at what they love.  I am at home during the week, which I love.  I leave home once or twice a week to sell my soaps, which I love. Can it get any better than that? 

Check out Karita's soaps at http://karitashandmade.com/soaps.htm

Patchouli

Pogostemon  Cablin

Ah patchouli – means different things to different people.  A love hate thing, there are generally no in betweens.

Two women in their mid fifties stopped by my booth one Saturday at the Farmers’ market.  One loved patchouli, while the other hated it!  The one hating it said she always thought it was the smell of marijuana.  The one loving it said it was what they wore to cover up the smell of marijuana.  They both laughed, and went their separate ways.  So it goes with the scent of patchouli!

Patchouli oil is steam distilled from the dried leaves and stems of the Pogostemon patchouli plant.  Indonesia is the leading producer of it's oil. 

Patchouli is an important essential oil in perfumery.   In aromatherapy, there are top, middle and base notes, like in music.  Top notes don’t hold very well and are fleeting.  Middle notes keep the scent together, while base notes or fixatives hold the overall scent together for a long time    giving it greater intensity.

For instance, I make a lemongrass soap.  The dominant essential oil is lemon, which is a top note.  I add to the lemon, lemongrass, geranium (which are middle notes) and patchouli.  Using patchouli in the blend keeps the lemon scent in the bar, so it doesn’t fade.

Externally patchouli is used in skin care products to promote healing, to rejuvenate old, wrinkled and tired skin. It is considered antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.

Internally inhaled it is calming, and some say it has aphrodisiac properties.

Karita’s Handmade uses patchouli in some soaps, skin cremes, and bath salts. Check them out at:
 www.karitashandmade.com/products.htm