Here’s another great idea that I gleaned from scanning the BackpackingLight Forums: using the plastic container from an old bike tube patch kit as a soap bar container.
Whole soap bars tend to be far too large and heavy for any but the longest of travels. Cutting up a bar of soap to make it smaller is easier enough, but prior to this I had never come across a correctly sized container to package it in.
This container is perfect. It measures in at 3.25” x 1.75” x 0.9”, weighs 2.5 oz when full, and holds about 1/3rd of a bar of Dr. Bronner’s Bar Soap. I wrap a rubber band around it for added security.
I’ve been wet shaving now for 6 months. Earlier today, I decided to clean my badger hair brush.
The brush is soaked with soap and water during every use, and there doesn’t seem to much of a consensus online whether that is enough or if a dedicated cleaning is warranted. For those who say the badger hair brush should be occasionally cleaned, the period I most often see is 2-3 months. Performing my first cleaning at 6 months, then, is a little off.
To clean, I mixed a solution of baking soda and lukewarm water into a thick paste. Covering the brush with the paste, I attempted to rub it into the hairs as best I could. This, I let sit for about 3 hours. Then, I thoroughly rinsed the brush with water, drying it as usual.
No animal funk is radiating from the bristles (I actually liked the smell of it new) and the hairs appear to the eye as both fluffy and dark. During the rinse, the brush held as much water as usual.
It seems to have worked.
3-6-08 Update:
I hadn’t really noticed anything to warrant the cleaning – no caked soap, and the brush seemed to hold as much water as ever. Was I ever wrong. During my first use after cleaning, there was a very noticeable difference. The brush held much more water, providing for a better lather. It’s one of those things where the degradation is so slow and gradual that you don’t notice it.
(Did you know 60% of anything you put in your skin will go into your bloodstream?)
Today was my Soap Alchemy class. We made cold process soap with palm oil, coconut oil, and olive pomace oil. One batch we put in lavender, the other peppermint. Right now, the soap looks like this:
In 48 hours it will harden and I’ll take it out of the mold (paper cup). Then, in 30 days, the lye will have completed mixing with the oils and I’ll have soap.
Cold Process SoapMaterials:
-Stainless steel pot (8-12 qt, no aluminum)
-Scale (measuring in ounces preferred)
-Glass jar (gallon size -- check for cracks before use) or 4-8qt stainless steel pot
-Wooden spoon (used for soap only)
-Soap molds - no aluminum, cast iron, or teflon
-Soap base oils, lye, water, herbs, spices, essential oils.
Directions
-Measure lye and place into glass jar or small stainless steel pot. Add cold water and stir until lye is dissolved. You may choose to wear eye protection and rubber gloves. The water will get very hot (180F). Be careful of the rising steam, as it is caustic and irritating to the throat and lungs. Set aside to cool to room temperature (may put container in tub of cold water).
-Melt oils together on high heat in stainless steel pot. Remove from heat (do not let smoke), set aside to cool to room temperature (may put pot in tub of cold water).
-Pour lye solution slowly into oils when the lye solution and fats are room temperature.
-Stir constantly until mixture is thick and creamy with a "pea soup" consistency: approx 15-20 minutes
-Stir in essential oils (1/2~1 1/2 oz) and dried herbs and spices with the amounts to your preference.
-Pour into molds.
-Cover and keep warm. Place in a draft free warm area for 48 hours.
-Remove the soap from the molds. If there is any difficulty removing the soap from the molds, place them in your freezer for 24 hours. Run warm water over the bottom of the molds, the soap will slide out easily.
-Cut and let cure in the open air for 30 days.
2 Basic Soap RecipesRecipe #1
40 oz. Palm Oil
25 oz. Coconut Oil
20 oz. Olive Pomace Oil
32 oz. Cold Water
10 1/2 oz. Lye
Recipe #2
40 oz. Coconut Oil
45 oz. Olive Pomace Oil
32 oz. Cold Water
10 1/2 oz. Lye
The above is for cold process soap. Hot process soap – which we didn’t make in my class today – takes a little more effort up front, but is usable in a few hours, instead of 30 days.
The recipes will make about 25 bars of soap.
It’s important that you acquire Olive Pomace Oil – not just Olive Oil or Pomace Oil. This is the third pressing of the olive.
Suzanne, my instructor, uses an oak mold which she first lines with parchment paper.
Lye, contrary to Fight Club, will not burn you. It dries your skin, which will cause itching. Simply rinse it off with water and pat dry.
