HedgeWitch (16 page)

General Soap and Beauty Product Charm

As surely as beauty fills the world with blue skies and sunlight

With vibrant colors and fragrant flowers

So, too, will this project be filled with love, good health, and beauty.
It always works. Always a blessing!

Remember to smile! Repeat this charm nine times as you are working, or as many times as you feel necessary.

Sunshine Brew Glycerin Body Soap

4 cups melt-and-pour glycerin soap base

2 tablespoons sunshine brew (p. 136)

Ground sunshine brew herbs (dried)

Yellow soap dye (optional, but if you do not use dye for this recipe,
your soap will appear a faint, murky yellow-green)

Soap molds or square Pyrex dish

4 vitamin E gel capsules

Grind sunshine herbs into a finer mixture—especially the ginger; this should be powdered. Follow soap-melting instructions as given on the package. Once soap has melted, with ladle, transfer soap to your Pyrex measuring cup. (If you melted the soap in the cup in the microwave, transfer won't be necessary.) Whisk in desired amount of color and scent by following instructions given with those products. Add the two tablespoons of sunshine brew, and whisk. Add desired amount of herbs. Some individuals like very few herbs in their soaps, where others like a more generous amount—just remember that herbals can clog your drain if they are too large or you use too much. Break vitamin E gel capsules and add the liquid to your soap mixture. Vitamin E will help to preserve the chamomile. Makes approximately ten 6-ounce soaps.

Brown Sugar Soap

A favorite harvest and Yuletide gift, this soap smells luxurious and encourages good fortune! Soap will be a country-prim brown color due to the brown sugar.

2 cups goat's milk soap base

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons toasted oatmeal, finely ground

Vanilla fragrance

1 teaspoon jojoba oil

¼
teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 vitamin E gel caps

Toast oatmeal on cookie sheet in your oven. Allow to cool. Grind fine. Melt soap base. Add all ingredients except gel caps. Cut gel caps and pour liquid into mixture. Whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Pour into molds. Cool. Remove from mold, and allow to air-dry for at least twenty-four hours. Package. Makes approximately five 6-ounce bars of soap.

Garden Soap

This excellent soap mixture is perfect for cleaning up after a day of gardening, messing with your favorite car, or playing a hard game of softball!

2 cups goat's milk or coconut soap base

1 tablespoon cornmeal

½
teaspoon chamomile

½
teaspoon lemongrass

½
teaspoon lemon peel

½
teaspoon orange peel

¼
teaspoon rosemary

Gardenia or chamomile fragrance

4 aloe vera gel caps

Grind ingredients as finely as possible. Melt soap base. Add herbal ingredients. Cut aloe vera gel caps and add liquid to mixture. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into soap molds. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry twenty-four hours. Wrap.

Honey Oatmeal Goddess Soap

2 cups coconut soap base

½
cup toasted oatmeal

½
teaspoon honey

¼
teaspoon cinnamon

¼
teaspoon nutmeg

Spiced apple fragrance

Toast oatmeal on cookie sheet in oven. Grind fine. Melt soap base. Add ingredients. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into soap molds. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry twenty-four hours. Wrap.

Kitchen Witch Hand Soap

This soap recipe is a great formula for kitchen cleanup! The mixture of tea tree oil and botanicals provides a wonderful, natural anti-bacterial formula.

4 cups glycerin soap base

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried sage

10 drops tea tree essential oil

4 vitamin E gel caps

Lemon, lime, or orange fragrance

Dye to match fragrance

Grind herbals together. Melt soap base. Add tea tree oil and desired fragrance. Add dye. Cut gel caps and pour liquid into mixture. Add herbs. Whisk until near gel. Pour. Cool. Remove from mold. Wrap after one hour.

Come to Me Love Soap

2 cups goat's milk soap base

2 teaspoons dried patchouli

¼
teaspoon honey

½
teaspoon jojoba carrier oil

Equal parts of jasmine and rose fragrance

Red or pink soap dye

Finely grind patchouli herb. Melt soap base. Add herb, honey, jojoba, fragrances, and dye. Whisk until near gel. Pour in love-themed mold. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry on rack for twenty-four hours. Store in Saran Wrap to help hold the scent.

Cleopatra Beauty Soap

2 cups goat's milk soap base

1 cup shea butter soap base

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 tablespoon powdered milk

Frankincense and jasmine fragrance

4 drops cypress essential oil

Melt soap base. Add ingredients. Whisk until near gel. Pour into heart-shaped molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for twenty-four hours on rack. Wrap.

Goddess Caffeina Glycerin Soap

The coffee and chocolate provide their own aroma and coloring to the soap. This makes a great kitchen hand soap.

2 cups glycerin soap base

1 tablespoon bergamot

2 tablespoons fresh, finely ground coffee beans

1 teaspoon powdered chocolate

Grind coffee just before making soap to capture the magnificent aroma! Melt soap base. Add coffee, chocolate and bergamot. Whisk until near gel. Pour into molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for one hour. Wrap.

Medicine Woman Formula

I created this formula for healing work of all kinds. A bit complicated, it employs nine herbs, two fragrances, and two essential oils. The formula can be used for soaps or healing sachets.

Herbs: Rosemary

Ginseng, powdered

Eucalyptus

Calendula

Lemongrass, shredded to release aroma

Chamomile

Thyme

White Sage

Neem

Fragrances: Body-safe nag champa and evergreen

Essential oils: Tea tree and lemongrass

Mix equal parts of dried herbs. Grind. For soaps, grind to a powder as much as possible. For sachets, grind just enough to release aroma. Add fragrances and oils, just enough to lightly scent. Toss. Store in air-tight container until used in soaps or sachets.

Lime & Roses Victorian Love Soap

1 cup goat's milk or coconut soap base

1 cup shea butter soap base

1 teaspoon rosemary herb, ground fine

1 teaspoon lime peel, ground fine

½
teaspoon body-safe rose hip powder (don't grind your own,
purchase specially formulated rose hip powder specifically for
the body, as some rose hips will cause severe itching when ground)

10 drops lime essential oil

Rose fragrance

Green and yellow dye (just enough to color the soap a lime green)

Rose petal sachet (for packaging)

Melt soap bases together. Add herbals, essential oil, fragrance, and dye. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into heart- or rose-shaped molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for twenty-four hours. Wrap with a sachet of dried rose petals.

Honey - Rum Prosperity Harvest Soap

2 cups goat's milk or coconut soap base

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon jojoba oil

½
teaspoon patchouli, ground

¼
teaspoon nutmeg, ground

¼
teaspoon allspice, ground

⅛
teaspoon cinnamon, powdered

Bay rum body-safe fragrance

Orange soap dye

Melt soap. Add ingredients. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into pumpkin-shaped molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry on rack for twenty-four hours. Wrap.

Yule Wassail Glycerin Soap

Wrapped in festive paper with ribbon, this makes a great Yule gift.

4 cups glycerin soap base

1 teaspoon dried orange peel

½
teaspoon nutmeg

¼
teaspoon cinnamon

½
teaspoon cloves

Red dye

Apple fragrance

Cinnamon sticks, whole (do not grind)

Rubbing alcohol in spritzer bottle

Grind herbs and spices into a fine powder. Melt soap base. Add herb mixture, red dye, and apple fragrance. Whisk. Put one cinnamon stick in each soap mold. Spray lightly with alcohol (this will allow the soap base to adhere to the cinnamon stick). When soap is just about to gel, pour into each mold. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for one hour.

If you want to suspend a cinnamon stick in the mold, try the following:

1. On first pour, fill mold only partway.
   
2. Let soap cool in mold until it is lukewarm but not cold. If the soap is too cold, your second pour will split off when you take it out of the mold.
   
3. Put one cinnamon stick in each mold.
   
4. Spray cinnamon stick and soap surface with alcohol.
   
5. Completely fill the mold with reheated soap base.
   

When the soap has cooled, the cinnamon stick will appear suspended inside the soap bar, making for a very pretty and unusual soap.

Basic Handmilled Soap

Handmilled soaps are often expensive due to the amount of curing time. They are called handmilled because you stir the mixture by hand with your whisk until the mixture gels slightly, which can take from ten to fifteen minutes. Some soap makers use a hand-held, battery-operated mixer to make the soap mixture fluffier. Handmilled soaps take at least two weeks (or more, depending on weather conditions) to dry. The soap mixture is usually poured in a loaf pan and then cut with a sharp knife after curing. The basic recipe is very simple:

½
cup soap base (coconut, goat's milk, shea butter, or a mixture of the three)

2 tablespoons distilled water

2 tablespoons olive oil or jojoba carrier oil

Color, fragrance, and botanicals are added as desired. To make enough to pour into a loaf pan, increase:

4 cups soap base

12 tablespoons distilled water

12 tablespoons olive oil or jojoba carrier

Handmilled soaps are harder, which means they last longer in the bath or shower. This is due to the inclusion of the water during the soap-making process. Unlike other soaps, they are not packaged in plastic, as this destroys the integrity of the soap. Instead, they are wrapped in paper or placed in a cardboard soap box for gift-giving.

Handmilled Zen Soap

Make the basic handmilled formula (smaller ½-cup size). Add:

¼
teaspoon dried lemon grass (grind to release aroma)

¼
teaspoon dried sage, ground

¼
teaspoon powdered lime peel

4 drops lime essential oil

Lavender fragrance

Whisk until just about to gel. Pour in soap mold. Allow to cool. Remove from mold and place on wire rack. Let cure for at least two weeks.

Note:
For a very unique gift, place a lucky Chinese coin in the mold before pouring in the soap base. Spray coin with rubbing alcohol before pouring the soap to help the coin adhere to the soap. When ready for gift-giving, tie decorative raffia or a green ribbon around the soap.

HedgeWitch Body Powders

Soothing body powder is super easy to make—all you need is cornstarch, essential oils, and maybe a body-safe fragrance or two! Body powders may also be used in magickal applications such as loading candles, sprinkled in conjuring bags or strewn on your doorstep to welcome health and good fortune. Simply fill a jar that can be tightly capped with one of the recipes below. Cap. Shake. Allow to sit for three days. Each day, repeat an affirmation or chosen prayer while holding your hands over the jar. Shake. By the third day, you'll have a delightfully scented body powder! Powdered herbs can also be added to the cornstarch base. Use the body-safe herbal soap list on pages 141–142 to whip up your own designer powders. What's great about HedgeWitch powders? You know exactly what's in it, because
you
made it! The recipes below can also be turned into matching magickal soaps by omitting the cornstarch and using one cup of melted soap base, or by factoring ten drops of essential oil to one four-ounce bar of soap. Blend essentials first and then add to melted soap in the desired quantity.

Haunting Witch Body Powder

10 drops patchouli essential oil

10 drops body-safe rose fragrance

10 drops body-safe jasmine fragrance

2 tablespoons cornstarch

To make this recipe more powerful, add an additional tablespoon of cornstarch and a body-safe pheromone oil blend that can be purchased over the Internet.

Summer Spice Body Powder

10 drops ylang-ylang essential oil

5 drops sandalwood essential oil

5 drops clove essential oil

5 drops nutmeg essential oil

5 drops orange essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Woodland Nymph Body Powder

15 drops pine essential oil

5 drops cypress essential oil

5 drops patchouli essential oil

5 drops sandalwood essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Aura-Cleansing Body Powder

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops lime essential oil

5 drops rosemary essential oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sunrise Glow Body Powder

15 drops grapefruit essential oil

10 drops lime essential oil