In the Beginning There Was Water!

Water & Soapmaking

 

 

Good Day My Soapy Fam! So we live on a water planet, we are water beings, and what do you know we need water to survive! Just about everything that we put on our bodies, lotion, soap, shampoo, etc. is to keep ourselves moisturized and supple so that we don't get dry and brittle. So water is a very important component when making soaps and natural body products. Why? you say, Water is used to dilute lye crystals, and acts as a carrier for the lye. So what's to it, get some tap water and make it do what it do, right?! Not quite. We all know tap water has an immense amount of chemicals present as well as being considered hard water (water that contains mineral salts (as calcium and magnesium ions) that limit the formation of lather with soap). Distilled water is water that has been purified by distillation, and essentially all of the good minerals that makes water, water is missing, but it takes out all of the unknown variables and minerals that would affect the outcome of your soap. So let's learn about the forms of water to use for creating soaps and natural body products?

1. Rain Water~ Rain water is beautifully natural in it's own way and contains all that it needs to moisturize and heal our skin as well as keeping it balanced between oily & dry. We come from this Earth so using water that has fallen from the skies purely will be ideal for creating products. There is a big debate on whether to use rainwater at all in soaps, filter it with a water filter, or just use it pure as it is. I prefer the later, pure as it is. It is very simple to catch water when it rains. If you wish you can invest in a rain water barrel, you can designate a clean trash can or barrel to leave outdoors covered and when it rains remove the covering, or as I do I simply wait for the rains & run out with a pot to catch it. It's so much fun for me and awesome for my soaps!
2. Spring Water~ Using Spring Water in soaps is very popular, yet you don't know what components your getting in the water. Sometimes if there is a heavy mineral or metal content in the water it can create dos (dreaded orange spots) in your soaps. Preferably I would used filtered tap water or filtered water from the store before using Spring water. Spring water is better for drinking!
3. Distilled Water~ The process of making distilled water is very simple. The water is boiled and the steam is collected in a clean container. The theory behind distilled water is very basic - Regular water which is denser, is boiled - the lighter steam rises and is free of contaminants, and is then collected. The collected steam is distilled water. When regular un-distilled water is used in soap making, the soap will readily bond to some of the minerals, which will decrease its cleaning action.
4. Herb Tea~ I love using herb tea in my soap and natural product making. It not only enhances the color but also the medicinal components when making a healing soap. You can simply start with distilled or rain water and boil it, add herbs and simmer about 5 min for leaves, 15-20 minutes for roots and barks. Allow to sit overnight, or cool enough before use and mix as normal with lye. Awesome!!
5. Aloe Juice~ Aloe Juice is one of my favorites for soap and natural product making. I usually would mix 50 aloe juice/50 water for the amount of liquid required in the recipe. We all know aloe is very beneficial in healing skins with burns, rashes, scars, and wrinkled dry skin. It's an excellent moisturizer.

Okay, so these are some basics uses for water in making soap and other natural body products, I hope this has been helpful!

Peace and Happy Suds!