Title: Some Variations to Try in Soap Making
Categories: Soap *
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Make it float: Almost andy soap can be made to float. When the sopa mixture is thick enough, use and electric mixer and "whip" the mixture to add air to it.

Perfumed soap: If you want your soap to have a scent, mix in your favorite perfume oil or essential oil (after the mixture has cooled a bit and before you pour it into molds). Never use perfume that contains alcohol - the scent will not last as long and it may cause separation in your soap mixture. Soap absorbs odors, and you can scent your soaps inexpensively by placing them in a box with petals and leaves from your favorite flowers.

Colored soap: You can purchase dyes to use in soap making, or make your own using vegetables and spices. For example, a red color can be had by pounding the tops of beet roots to extract a few drops of the juice. Yellow can be obtained from saffron or tumeric, and green from liquid chlorophyll. The color can be added to the lye-water solution before it is poured into the fat or oil mixture.

Liquid soap: Any soap can be made into a liquid simply by dissolving it in water. Use a ration of one part water to one part soap. For a thicker liquid, add less water or more soap; for a thinner liquid add more water. You may also want to add a tablespoon of glycerine for every cup of liquid soap - it acts as a humectant, keeping water in the soap mixture.

Flowers and herbs: Mixing in dried flowers and herbs, such as rose petals, lavender, chamomile, mint or basil, cna make your soap look and smell even prettier. Just add one or two tablespoons to the soap mixture before pouring it into the molds, and stir well.

Source: "Natural Beauty at Home" by Janice Cox

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