Dill
Eucalyptus
Ginger
Ginseng
Green tea
Juniper berries
Lavender (might bleed)
Lemongrass
Lemon peel
Lemon verbena
Lime peel
Mints
Neem
Nutmeg
Oatmeal
Oregano
Patchouli
Rose hips (purchase only those sold for health and beauty products)
Rosemary (finely ground)
Safflower
Sage
Thyme
Note: Take special care when making soaps for allergy-sensitive individuals. Ingredients like almonds, cinnamon, and honey may have adverse effects on some individuals.
How Much Soap Base to Melt?
If you don’t want to melt as much soap base as the recipe calls for, fill your soap mold with water. Pour the water into a measuring cup and mark the water line. That’s how much soap you’ll need! Pour out the water and dry the cup and the mold. Cut your soap base like cutting a block of cheese and place in Pyrex measuring cup. If you need only a small amount, cut a few pieces of base at a time and heat. If you are using a microwave product, wave first at fifteen seconds and then nine-second intervals. Once the soap is melted, adjust your other ingredients (dye, fragrance, botanicals, butters, oils) to match the amount of soap you are using.
Note: Do not overheat the soap base. If a base is cooked too long, it will smell funny and most likely crack when cooled.
Charming Soap and Other Beauty Products
Intoning prayers and charms during any project focuses the mind on a positive future and fills the item you are working on with clean, bright energy. How you empower these items is entirely up to you, as your good will is the primary catalyst. Here are a few magickal tips on project empowerment:
If the recipe calls for water, use empowered spring or distilled water.
Always stir herbs, sauces, waxes, etc., in a clockwise direction.
Choose chants, charms, and repetitive words that are positive in nature. Think about what you do want, not what you don’t want.
Work in a clean, orderly environment.
Pennsylvania Dutch Braucheries (magickal people) used similes in their conjurations. They chose something they knew to be true, and then equated what they desired to this truth as well. For example, if they believed that the sun rising in the morning was an absolute truth, then they might say: “As surely as the sun rises each day, so, too, shall I have great health, wealth, and beauty.” Try making your own magickal similes; just be careful what you say you believe! Choosing the words you speak aloud carefully is a wonderful magickal exercise for the mind and something we can continually endeavor to practice, no matter how long we’ve concentrated on our spirituality!
Use the highest-quality ingredients in your soaps and body-care products.
Bells and tuning forks work wonders during project formulation whether you are making soaps, beauty brews, candles, or knitting that afghan! The clear tonal sounds remove unwanted negativity and clear the mind.
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
4cups 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
4vitamin 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.
2cups goat’s milk soap base
2tablespoons brown sugar
2tablespoons toasted oatmeal, finely ground
Vanilla fragrance
1teaspoon jojoba oil
¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
8vitamin 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!
2cups goat’s milk or coconut soap base
1tablespoon cornmeal
½teaspoon chamomile
½teaspoon lemongrass
½teaspoon lemon peel
½teaspoon orange peel
¼teaspoon rosemary
Gardenia or chamomile fragrance
4aloe 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
2cups coconut soap base
½cup toasted oatmeal
½teaspoon honey
¼teaspoon cinnamon
¼teaspoon 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.
4cups glycerin soap base
2teaspoons dried basil
2teaspoons dried oregano
2teaspoons dried parsley
2teaspoons dried sage
10drops tea tree essential oil
4vitamin 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
2cups goat’s milk soap base
2teaspoons dried patchouli
¼teaspoon honey
½teaspoon 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
2cups goat’s milk soap base
1cup shea butter soap base
2tablespoons fine sea salt
1tablespoon powdered milk
Frankincense and jasmine fragrance
4drops 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.
2cups glycerin soap base
1tablespoon bergamot
2tablespoons fresh, finely ground coffee beans
1teaspoon 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
1cup goat’s milk or coconut soap base
1cup shea butter soap base
1teaspoon rosemary herb, ground fine
1teaspoon lime peel, ground fine
½teaspoon 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)
10drops 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
2cups goat’s milk or coconut soap base
1teaspoon honey
1teaspoon jojoba oil
½teaspoon patchouli, ground
¼teaspoon nutmeg, ground
¼teaspoon allspice, ground
⅛teaspoon 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.
4cups glycerin soap base
1teaspoon dried orange peel
½teaspoon nutmeg
¼teaspoon cinnamon
½teaspoon 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:
On first pour, fill mold only partway.
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.
Put one cinnamon stick in each mold.
Spray cinnamon stick and soap surface with alcohol.
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:
½cup soap base (coconut, goat’s milk, shea butter, or a mixture of the three)
2tablespoons distilled water
2tablespoons olive oil or jojoba carrier oil
Color, fragrance, and botanicals are added as desired. To make enough to pour into a loaf pan, increase:
4cups soap base
12tablespoons distilled water
12tablespoons 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:
¼teaspoon dried lemon grass (grind to release aroma)
¼teaspoon dried sage, ground
¼teaspoon powdered lime peel
4drops 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. S
hake. 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
10drops patchouli essential oil
10drops body-safe rose fragrance
10drops body-safe jasmine fragrance
2tablespoons 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
10drops ylang-ylang essential oil
5drops sandalwood essential oil
5drops clove essential oil
5drops nutmeg essential oil
5drops orange essential oil
2tablespoons cornstarch
Woodland Nymph Body Powder
15drops pine essential oil
5drops cypress essential oil
5drops patchouli essential oil
5drops sandalwood essential oil
2tablespoons cornstarch
Aura-Cleansing Body Powder
10drops lavender essential oil
10drops lime essential oil
5drops rosemary essential oil
5drops lemon essential oil
2tablespoons cornstarch
Sunrise Glow Body Powder
15drops grapefruit essential oil
10drops lime essential oil
5drops allspice essential oil
5drops tangerine essential oil
2tablespoons cornstarch
Healing Glow Body Powder
10drops eucalyptus essential oil
10drops lime essential oil
5drops myrtle essential oil
HedgeWitch Page 13