Posts
Showing posts with label soap making. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soap making. Show all posts
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Over 200 cheap, easy and amazingly healthy recipes
For those of you who know me, you know I'm a health nut and always have been. Luckily to my mom who taught me young to eat well and be healthy. I'm currently doing a health cleanse and I'm always looking for quick easy healthy recipes so I thought I'd share this with all of my readers.
Here are 246 amazingly healthy and yummy recipes that won't break the bank. All require eight or fewer ingredients and take less than 20 minutes to prep. http://greatist.com/health/cheap-healthy-recipe-collection
Also for those of you who don't know already I've got an amazing new soap line coming out. Stop by and "like" my facebook page to see the sneak preview of the new soap line. http://facebook.com/deshawnmariesoap
DeShawnMarie.com
DeShawn Marie Etsy Shop
Also for those of you who don't know already I've got an amazing new soap line coming out. Stop by and "like" my facebook page to see the sneak preview of the new soap line. http://facebook.com/deshawnmariesoap
Thursday, August 02, 2012
My new blog and FB series "A Day in the Life"
Today I am preparing shipping boxes for the busy Fall and Holiday season. Not everyone realizes what goes in to a small handcrafted business like mine so I've decided to start a new series of Blog and FB posts called "A Day in the Life"
Yesterday I started making soaps for the season and today I've started assembling boxes for the season. It takes months of preparation to be ready for the busy season. Some crafters including myself make as much as 70% of their yearly income in the last several months of the year.
This series of posts will feature pictures of soap making, gift wrapping, packaging, shipping and more. I hope you all enjoy a peek into my world over the next few months.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Around the soap studio.
Good morning and happy Friday. I just wanted to share a little bit of the soap studio with all of you that haven't "liked" my facebook page which is where I normally post most studio photos and updates. I'm currently working on more organic soaps and have recently added some to my Etsy shop. Here are a few photos around the studio and of the soap making.
Soon I will post some videos featuring me making the soap and a few other fun things that I like around the workshop so hope you all stay tuned and follow as I begin to unveil some of the things that go on around this joint :-) Also be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel where I will also have a lot of videos. Hope you all have a great weekend. xo, DeShawn
DeShawnMarie.com
DeShawn Marie Etsy Shop
 |
| Ginger Snap soap loaf |
 |
| Pure Lavender Soap Curing |
 |
| Some new organic soaps curing |
 |
| Gardenia Chamomile Soap Loaf |
 |
| View out of the window in the studio |
 |
| My relaxation spot (mostly where I drink my coffee & wine LOL) |
 |
| Some of the tools and ingredients in the work area |
 |
| A loaf of the Perfect Rose soap being made |
 |
| Some of the ingredients..not much different than a kitchen |
 |
| Some flowers and herbs used in the soaps |
 | ||
| Some clay and teas used in the soap |
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Packaging DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap
Just a fun little video demonstrating my packaging. I will be posting more instructional and silly videos in the near future. Please subscribe to my channel http://youtube.com/deshawnmarie if you are interested in learning how my business runs or how to make soap, candles and more.
Please note the videos following my packaging video are another soapers youtube channel. My instructional videos have not yet been posted. Thanks, DeShawn
Monday, June 29, 2009
What is Soap and how does it work?
Ever wonder what soap is made of and why it works?
Soap is simply made, though the chemical reaction is complex. Chemically, an acid (the fats and oils) and a base (a solution of sodium hydroxide and water, also called lye) react to produce soap and glycerin. The process is called saponification, and as the fats, oils and lye solution come into contact with one another, they react and are saponifying, or making soap. The mixture gradually changes from a separated mixture of watery lye and lighter fats and oils to a thicker more uniform mixture. The soap mixture is ready to be poured (for most recipes) when it has thickened to the point in which a bit of the mixture is drizzled on the surface and it leaves a trail (a pattern) for a moment before disappearing. This stage is called a "trace" since only a trace of the pattern remains when the soap is ready.
A variety of acids, bases and several types of processes produce soap, but homemade soap is made using easily accessible materials and a simple process called cold process. Once the sodium hydroxide (lye) solution is added to the fats and oils, no external heat is required as the chemical reaction produces enough heat to keep the soap making going. "Cold" does not mean cold; it was only called this when comparing it to the more common hot soap making temperatures produced when heat is applied.
The two most critical chemical components of the soap making process are contact and heat. The acid and the base must first come together before they can react. The heat keeps the movement and fluidity, while stirring ensures it. Soap is ready to pour once the ingredients have been evenly dispersed in a thick, stable emulsion.
How does soap clean?
Soap cleans in two ways: it helps wet the surface to be cleaned by permitting water to reach more of the surface; and it connects the dirt to the water, permitting the dirt to rinse away.
A soap molecule consists of a chain of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms that are arranged with a distinct head and tail. The head is attracted to water and the tail is attracted to dirt and oil. Soap cleans because these opposing parts connect dirt to water, permitting it to be washed away.
Soap also helps water to wet better. Water beads up on fabric and skin because it's molecules are tightly bonded and resist being broken apart. The molecules cling to one another in droplets and do not soak the surface. This is where soap intervenes by breaking apart these droplets and help them wet the skin or fabric. When soap molecules are combined with water, their hydrophobic tails squeeze together in a small space, in an effort to get as far away as possible from the water and as close as possible to one another. The heads of the soap molecules are attracted to the water and form a spherical wall around their fleeing tails. The soap forms a film on the surface of the water that holds the heads and tails in position. The action of these heads and tails on the water's surface breaks the surface tension and forces the water into the fabric or skin allowing the soap's lather to develop.
Once the soap molecule has helped water do it's job, it then removes dirt and grease. The oil loving tail of the soap molecule is attracted to oil and grease. It first embeds it's tail into the dirt. As the water loving head of the soap molecule pulls toward the water, the dirt is dislodged as it remains attached to the tail of the molecule. The tail of the soap molecule then holds the dirt in suspension, away from the skin or fabric, until a rinse washes the dirt and the soap away.
You can visit my website for more information on soap.
DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap, What is Soap and how does it work?
DeShawnMarie.com
Soap is simply made, though the chemical reaction is complex. Chemically, an acid (the fats and oils) and a base (a solution of sodium hydroxide and water, also called lye) react to produce soap and glycerin. The process is called saponification, and as the fats, oils and lye solution come into contact with one another, they react and are saponifying, or making soap. The mixture gradually changes from a separated mixture of watery lye and lighter fats and oils to a thicker more uniform mixture. The soap mixture is ready to be poured (for most recipes) when it has thickened to the point in which a bit of the mixture is drizzled on the surface and it leaves a trail (a pattern) for a moment before disappearing. This stage is called a "trace" since only a trace of the pattern remains when the soap is ready.
A variety of acids, bases and several types of processes produce soap, but homemade soap is made using easily accessible materials and a simple process called cold process. Once the sodium hydroxide (lye) solution is added to the fats and oils, no external heat is required as the chemical reaction produces enough heat to keep the soap making going. "Cold" does not mean cold; it was only called this when comparing it to the more common hot soap making temperatures produced when heat is applied.
The two most critical chemical components of the soap making process are contact and heat. The acid and the base must first come together before they can react. The heat keeps the movement and fluidity, while stirring ensures it. Soap is ready to pour once the ingredients have been evenly dispersed in a thick, stable emulsion.
How does soap clean?
Soap cleans in two ways: it helps wet the surface to be cleaned by permitting water to reach more of the surface; and it connects the dirt to the water, permitting the dirt to rinse away.
A soap molecule consists of a chain of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms that are arranged with a distinct head and tail. The head is attracted to water and the tail is attracted to dirt and oil. Soap cleans because these opposing parts connect dirt to water, permitting it to be washed away.
Soap also helps water to wet better. Water beads up on fabric and skin because it's molecules are tightly bonded and resist being broken apart. The molecules cling to one another in droplets and do not soak the surface. This is where soap intervenes by breaking apart these droplets and help them wet the skin or fabric. When soap molecules are combined with water, their hydrophobic tails squeeze together in a small space, in an effort to get as far away as possible from the water and as close as possible to one another. The heads of the soap molecules are attracted to the water and form a spherical wall around their fleeing tails. The soap forms a film on the surface of the water that holds the heads and tails in position. The action of these heads and tails on the water's surface breaks the surface tension and forces the water into the fabric or skin allowing the soap's lather to develop.
Once the soap molecule has helped water do it's job, it then removes dirt and grease. The oil loving tail of the soap molecule is attracted to oil and grease. It first embeds it's tail into the dirt. As the water loving head of the soap molecule pulls toward the water, the dirt is dislodged as it remains attached to the tail of the molecule. The tail of the soap molecule then holds the dirt in suspension, away from the skin or fabric, until a rinse washes the dirt and the soap away.
You can visit my website for more information on soap.
DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap, What is Soap and how does it work?
Handmade Soap, The history of soap making
Ever wonder how soap was discovered? or how it came to be what it is today?
The origins of personal cleanliness date back to prehistoric times. Since water is essential for life, the earliest people lived near water and knew something about its cleansing properties - at least that it rinsed mud off their hands. A soap-like material found in clay cylinders during the excavation of ancient Babylon is evidence that soap making was known as early as 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on the cylinders say that fats were boiled with ashes, which is a method of making soap, but do not refer to the purpose of the "soap." Such materials were later used as hair styling aids.
Records show that ancient Egyptians bathed regularly. The Ebers Papyrus, a medical document from about 1500 B.C., describes combining animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like material used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing. At about the same time, Moses gave the Israelites detailed laws governing personal cleanliness. He also related cleanliness to health and religious purification. Biblical accounts suggest that the Israelites knew that mixing ashes and oil produced a kind of hair gel.
The early Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons and apparently did not use soap. Instead, they cleaned their bodies with blocks of clay, sand, pumice and ashes, then anointed themselves with oil, and scraped off the oil and dirt with a metal instrument known as a strigil. They also used oil with ashes. Clothes were washed without soap in streams.
Soap got its name, according to an ancient Roman legend, from Mount Sapo, where animals were sacrificed. Rain washed a mixture of melted animal fat, or tallow, and wood ashes down into the clay soil along the Tiber River. Women found that this clay mixture made their wash cleaner with much less effort. The ancient Germans and Gauls are also credited with discovering a substance called soap, made of tallow and ashes, that they used to tint their hair red.
As Roman civilization advanced, so did bathing. The first of the famous Roman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts, was built about 312 B.C. The baths were luxurious, and bathing became very popular. By the second century A.D., the Greek physician, Galen, recommended soap for both medicinal and cleansing purposes.
After the fall of Rome in 467 A.D. and the resulting decline in bathing habits, much of Europe felt the impact of filth upon public health. This lack of personal cleanliness and related unsanitary living conditions contributed heavily to the great plagues of the Middle Ages, and especially to the Black Death of the 14th century. It wasn't until the 17th century that cleanliness and bathing started to come back into fashion in much of Europe. Still there were areas of the medieval world where personal cleanliness remained important. Daily bathing was a common custom in Japan during the Middle Ages. And in Iceland, pools warmed with water from hot springs were popular gathering places on Saturday evenings.
Soap making was an established craft in Europe by the seventh century. Soap maker guilds guarded their trade secrets closely. Vegetable and animal oils were used with ashes of plants, along with fragrance. Gradually more varieties of soap became available for shaving and shampooing, as well as bathing and laundering.
Italy, Spain and France were early centers of soap manufacturing, due to their ready supply of raw materials such as oil from olive trees. The English began making soap during the 12th century. The soap business was so good that in 1622, King James I granted a monopoly to a soap maker for $100,000 a year. Well into the 19th century, soap was heavily taxed as a luxury item in several countries. When the high tax was removed, soap became available to ordinary people, and cleanliness standards improved.
To read more about the history of soap and how it came to be what we know it as today visit the link below.
DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap, The history of soap making
DeShawnMarie.com
The origins of personal cleanliness date back to prehistoric times. Since water is essential for life, the earliest people lived near water and knew something about its cleansing properties - at least that it rinsed mud off their hands. A soap-like material found in clay cylinders during the excavation of ancient Babylon is evidence that soap making was known as early as 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on the cylinders say that fats were boiled with ashes, which is a method of making soap, but do not refer to the purpose of the "soap." Such materials were later used as hair styling aids.
Records show that ancient Egyptians bathed regularly. The Ebers Papyrus, a medical document from about 1500 B.C., describes combining animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like material used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing. At about the same time, Moses gave the Israelites detailed laws governing personal cleanliness. He also related cleanliness to health and religious purification. Biblical accounts suggest that the Israelites knew that mixing ashes and oil produced a kind of hair gel.
The early Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons and apparently did not use soap. Instead, they cleaned their bodies with blocks of clay, sand, pumice and ashes, then anointed themselves with oil, and scraped off the oil and dirt with a metal instrument known as a strigil. They also used oil with ashes. Clothes were washed without soap in streams.
Soap got its name, according to an ancient Roman legend, from Mount Sapo, where animals were sacrificed. Rain washed a mixture of melted animal fat, or tallow, and wood ashes down into the clay soil along the Tiber River. Women found that this clay mixture made their wash cleaner with much less effort. The ancient Germans and Gauls are also credited with discovering a substance called soap, made of tallow and ashes, that they used to tint their hair red.
As Roman civilization advanced, so did bathing. The first of the famous Roman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts, was built about 312 B.C. The baths were luxurious, and bathing became very popular. By the second century A.D., the Greek physician, Galen, recommended soap for both medicinal and cleansing purposes.
After the fall of Rome in 467 A.D. and the resulting decline in bathing habits, much of Europe felt the impact of filth upon public health. This lack of personal cleanliness and related unsanitary living conditions contributed heavily to the great plagues of the Middle Ages, and especially to the Black Death of the 14th century. It wasn't until the 17th century that cleanliness and bathing started to come back into fashion in much of Europe. Still there were areas of the medieval world where personal cleanliness remained important. Daily bathing was a common custom in Japan during the Middle Ages. And in Iceland, pools warmed with water from hot springs were popular gathering places on Saturday evenings.
Soap making was an established craft in Europe by the seventh century. Soap maker guilds guarded their trade secrets closely. Vegetable and animal oils were used with ashes of plants, along with fragrance. Gradually more varieties of soap became available for shaving and shampooing, as well as bathing and laundering.
Italy, Spain and France were early centers of soap manufacturing, due to their ready supply of raw materials such as oil from olive trees. The English began making soap during the 12th century. The soap business was so good that in 1622, King James I granted a monopoly to a soap maker for $100,000 a year. Well into the 19th century, soap was heavily taxed as a luxury item in several countries. When the high tax was removed, soap became available to ordinary people, and cleanliness standards improved.
To read more about the history of soap and how it came to be what we know it as today visit the link below.
DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap, The history of soap making
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
