Already in the winter times I have read, that in Jungholz there are seminars offered from the society of „Kräuterfrauen“ – herb women. Among the courses is also one about making soap.
First we visited the herb garden. Sometimes the participants of the seminar first go collect herbs while walking along the ways. Afterwards they use those herbs for the soaps.
Soap making needs some ingredients:
First you need different kind of fats.
But also lye. The natron for that you can get in the pharmacies. In Austria only with your signature though. So that you don’t use it for other or negative purposes.
The hard fats have to be melted.
And the lye has to be mixed. As we wanted to make lavender soap a lavender tea has been prepared before. The flowers had been filtered. While stirring the lye gets quickly quite hot. That is one of the reasons that you have to be very careful and work accurately while making soap.
Bees wax is added to the liquid fat.
Then you need a thermometer. All ingrediences are supposed to have a similar temperature. So the lye has to cool down.
The oil can meanwhile been added to the fats with the bees wax.
When it reached the right temperature the lye is mixed under the fats. You have to wear gloves and protective goggles by doing so. Imperative. If there is the slightest spill that won’t be fun.
Afterwards the lye has to be mixed under the liquid fats while constantly stirring. That can last up to half an hour. The mass will get more and more hard – nearly like cream and sticky.
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You can add lavender flowers which have dipped in oil to the mass and also some lavender flavour.
Finally the mass is poured into small molds.
We also got some soap with us – in a coffee mug. „Soap to go“ so to say. We had to let it set for 24 hours. After that we have to keep it in a dry place for another six weeks before we can use it …
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Stay tuned!!
All Photos © Waltzing Meurers
