The blending of oils, herbs, silk, clays, caustic soda, balanced essential oils that deliver a fragrance or perfume that delights the senses is just one aspect of cold process soap making.
Most of my ingredients are organic, whilst not always certified, and often in their raw form. I try and prep a lot myself to ensure that what you get in your product is both fresh, pure and real.
THE INGREDIENTS
My Aloe Ferox is sourced from the Klein Karoo and sustainably harvested in the wild.
Once cut the whole leaves are shipped to me immediately in whereupon the process of stripping the precious gel begins. It may be time consuming, but worth it, despite the expletives that issue forth from my mouth as a result of sharp spines that puncture my skin with more regularity than I’d prefer.
- The spines are removed and the leaves cut into manageable sizes
- Each is peeled of the skin to reveal only the fleshy gel
- The inner flesh of the leaves is fed through a juicer, extracting pure Aloe Ferox Gel
SAUSAGE TREE EXTRACT and MARULA, we process ourselves. The royal we is Prof and myself.
It gives me a damn fine excuse to weasel a visit to the Kruger Park. Alternatively, friends collect for me. Yell if you can!
I never collect within the Kruger as that would be wrong and deprive some creature and regrowth potential. We do our collection within the camps and surrounds on the edge of Kruger, as most will rot and be swept up and disposed of.
Once Prof has ground the pods (I can’t – my hands are not as strong as they used to be), I gently infuse various oils for months on end. You will find Sausage Tree in my Soothing Magic Muthi Serum and also in the Circle of Life ELLIE Soap. Latter and Marula…. after all,…aren’t they an ellies favourite foods?
Photo: Sausage Tree Fruit Pods have scientifically been proven to possess phenomenal skin healing benefits. The fruit pods and the ground end result, which is dripping wet with extract.
MAKING SOAP MOULDS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF SACRED RITUALS OF OUDH SOAP
I can make a silicone mould out of anything you choose if I have a template object.
If you have something special, I can custom make a soap out of it for you and brand it with your Logo or Name……Safari Lodges, Guest houses, Weddings, Corporate events, Baby showers or for Resale in your Shop
Hippo Mama was born that way. I had 3 little hippo stone carvings that I’d bought on my travels in Zimbabwe. The Maasai figurines in Tranquillity Soap were the same. I made them.
It’s painstaking as I generally only have 1 or a couple of templates, so a small amount of silicone needs to be mixed and poured over.
Thereafter I make numerous soaps within those few silicone moulds using Melt and Pour Glycerine soap mix as it sets fast.
Once I have 20 or more soaps, Prof and I blend more silicone in a large batch and pour over all the soaps within a suitable container.
Voila……custom made and unique soap moulds.
In the photos you can see the Melt & Pour rose soap template as we pour silicone over to create 1.5kg loaf moulds. We made 5 of them to create your SACRED RITUALS OF OUDH soaps.
In the last picture the soap template has been removed from the cured silicone. The edges of the mould are later trimmed and neatened.
Prof makes all my large slab and loaf wooden soap moulds for me. He’s a carpentry craftsman extraordinaire.
THE SOAP PROCESS
~SACRED RITUALS OF OUDH~
Once the soap batter is poured into moulds and baked gently in the oven to induce an even saponification, ie turning the whole lot from liquid batter into hard soap with an even gel is the first step. Soap gets very hot during this process and if not controlled, you get rings in it that are not attractive at all.
It stands for 24 hours generally, some shorter, some like an olive oil soap can be a few days
The next day is the 2nd part of soapmaking. Cutting it up into something that resembles a bar of soap.
Many stop there. I don’t because I’m anal 😉😂
The 1st pic is a big 6.5kg solid slab mould filled with soap batter (much like making a cake) prior to oven processing to turn into soap.
Latter 2 pics are uncut whole Loaves of SOAP MADE IN THE SILICONE MOULDS covered EARLIER IN THE BLOG.
These are your SACRED RITUAL OF OUDH soaps made with real organic dark chocolate
After 24 hours, I cut the large batches into the soap bars that you receive.
Thereafter, each bar is stamped by hand with my logo at its Goldilocks moment…….when it is not too hard and not to soft either.
Some of you may not get a stamped bar….A few I left a bit long and a jack hammer would have been required
It takes me 2 full days to make most of my soaps. More intricate takes 3.
Made with lots of love in each bar for you to enjoy. I hope you do
