Our Contribution to the July/August issue of Spirituality & Health Magazine

In April of this year, I was selling my MeMe wares at the Vancouver Farmer's Market (April was actually a fairly decent month weather-wise, May & June, not so much). As I tidied up my booth (as I usually do when I'm bored), a man approached, looked at my products and shyly asked, "Do you make all of these?" as he gestured towards my tables and shelves that were well stocked with products. I replied, "I do. I make everything but the labels & packaging, all by hand, all from scratch, using my own recipes, formulas & essential oil scent blends."* This started our conversation. He introduced himself (Jason Albee), he and his wife work together as freelance writers and were recently given an assignment to write an article for Spirituality & Health Magazine. I had flipped through a few issues of said mag at a clients house a month or so before meeting Jason, so I was glad I had some frame of reference for this publication. Long story short, Jason asked if I'd be interested in collaborating with him on an article that appears in the July/August issue titled, "Harvesting Your garden of Skin Care Products". I was given a list of fruits and vegetables that are commonly grown by home gardeners (tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, okra, potatoes, green beans) and asked to formulate face/body/hair care recipes so home gardeners could use some of their harvest for skin care. I only have experience working with tomatoes, cukes & strawberries in skincare formulas, so those are the fruits/veg I decided to focus on. I have attached scanned copies of the magazine article for your enjoyment--I was not able to find access to the article on the Spirituality & Health Magazine website (otherwise, I would have just posted a link).

I was so flattered and honored to help author this article. Seeing my name, my business name & website in print, in a nationally circulated magazine, in a way that somehow lends some level of legitimacy to my skills as a formulator, herbalist, aromatherapist (other than the compliments & repeat customers I have) ... I cannot even describe how that feels. Tears welled up in my eyes as I dreamily, slowly walked through the bookstore, reading the article. Goosebumps riddled my arms as I handed the magazine to my husband. Perhaps I'm being a tad dramatic here, but honestly, these were the reactions I had. I suppose that's what being proud of yourself feels like.

* my usual introduction

Lye from Wood Ash, Day 1 & 2

C and I started our lye from wood ash experiment yesterday (20 July 2010). The here's a photo of the initial mixing...


After finishing a few tasks that needed to be done, we made a 2 1/2 lb. batch of soap with commercially made sodium hydroxide. We took a hydrometer reading of the water/sodium hydroxide mixture (after it cooled to 125 degrees F) & found that the lye water gave us a difficult reading (as in, no reading)


The lye water did not register its buoyancy on the hydrometer. The photo was taken just so we could get an idea of where the hydrometer reading should be when we measure the gravity of our homemade lye water. Here's what the hydrometer looked like when I measured the ash lye water this morning (24 hours after initial maceration of lye+water)--this home dripped lye water looks like we need to allow it to macerate another 12-24 hours before its ready to make soap. Just as well...I have to work at my 'day job' today. This will keep me distracted so I'm not taking a hydrometer reading every hour (like I would if I were working at home). More updates tomorrow ...

Dripping Lye From Wood Ash

I have a soapmaking book published in the early '90s (written by a chemistry professor) and the first book of the FoxFire book/magazine series (http://www.foxfire.org/) that both describe the process of making your own lye water. Lye or sodium hydroxide (NAOH) is the base that oil &/or fat is added to in order to make soap. In both books referenced above, there are no recipes, directions or ratios listed to make a successful batch of soap. Ever since I found out that I could essentially make my own lye, I've been intrigued. The only problem: its a hard task to do alone. That problem has been solved recently. I have two trusty sidekicks/assistants/apprentices (that I will refer to as C and R) that are horribly curious about the entire soapmaking process. That being said, we are starting our lye dripping experiment tomorrow. I have 5 gallon buckets and lots of wood ash from all the fires we lit to heat our house over the winter and oh-so-wet spring we had this year. The FoxFire book suggests using hardwood ash, which is what we have (we burn hard alder & birch and soft doug fir & cedar), so let's get to dripping. The other obstacle: how much oil should I use once we know our lye is useable? That question will have to be answered after the drip happens. The way we will go about answering this? I have a recipe for a 2 1/2 pound batch of soap (using coconut, palm & olive oils); I will make this batch as usual, but before I add the lye to the melted oils, I will measure its gravity using a hydrometer & also test the pH level using pH strips. These two measurements will help me to determine the correct gravity of the dripped lye (from ash) so we can, after the gravity is correct, make a batch via the traditional, colonial, true DIY method of making soap. If the gravity is off after 48 hours of wood ash marinating with rainwater, we'll have to start the dripping process all over again. I love experiments!