WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:07.679 Hello and welcome. I'm so glad you're here tonight. Before 2 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:11.720 we begin. If these stories bring you peace, I'd be 3 00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:14.839 grateful if you'd take a moment to like this video 4 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:19.079 and subscribe to the channel. It helps others find their 5 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:24.000 way to the workshop too. But for now, let everything 6 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:30.079 else fade away. Tonight we're going to a quiet soap 7 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:34.719 making workshop, a place where oils and herbs becomes something 8 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:39.520 useful and beautiful. We're sent and care combined to create 9 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:44.119 bars of gentle, handmade soap, where the work is slow 10 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:51.200 and intentional and deeply satisfying. You're the soap maker, and 11 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:57.960 evening is your favorite time to work. Let's prepare your 12 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:06.920 body for rest. Find your most comfortable position, adjust anything 13 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:12.359 you need. You're safe here. You're exactly where you need 14 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:17.719 to be. Take a gentle breath in through your nose, 15 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:25.879 hold it softly, and release it slowly through your mouth. 16 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:37.959 Good again, Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold for a moment, 17 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:45.400 and let it go, releasing any tension from your day. 18 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:54.599 Your shoulders drop away from your ears, your jaw relaxes, 19 00:01:56.120 --> 00:02:03.920 teeth slightly apart. Your tongue rests softly in your mouth. 20 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:09.879 Your eyes are gently closed. There's nothing you need to 21 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:16.759 see right now, just my voice, just the story, just 22 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:23.639 the peace, feel your body becoming heavy, sinking into comfort, 23 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:30.439 supported and safe. There's no hurry here, no rushing, just 24 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:35.840 the slow, careful work of making something gentle, something that cleanses, 25 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:40.439 something that cares for skin and brings comfort to daily rituals. 26 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:47.280 And now, when you're ready, come with me. We're going 27 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:52.879 to the soap workshop. It's early evening, the day's heat 28 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:57.919 is fading, the air is cooling, that peaceful transition time 29 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:04.039 between work and rest, between doing and being. You walk 30 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:08.759 down a stone path through a garden. Your garden, the 31 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:13.159 herb garden you planted specifically for soap making. The plants 32 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:16.280 you tend all season so you can harvest them for 33 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:22.599 your work, Your apothecary garden, your living ingredient list. The 34 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.840 path is made of flat stones set into the earth, 35 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:31.560 irregular shapes, fitted together like a puzzle. The stones are 36 00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:36.319 warm under your feet, still holding heat from the day's sun. 37 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:41.919 Small gaps between them allow creeping time to grow, releasing 38 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:48.120 its scent when you step on it. That clean herbal smell, 39 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:55.680 green and alive. Lavender grows here on both sides of 40 00:03:55.719 --> 00:04:00.560 the path, tall stalks heavy with purple flowers. The plants 41 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:03.479 are in full bloom now late summer. At their peak. 42 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.120 You brush your hand against them as you pass. The 43 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:11.680 flowers are rough, soft, if that makes sense, textured. The 44 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:20.680 scent releases immediately generously sweet floral calming, that unmistakable lavender 45 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:25.600 smell that needs no explanation, that everyone knows, that everyone 46 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:32.800 loves this lavender will go into tonight's soap. You harvested 47 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:38.199 some yesterday, hung it to dry, but some is already dried, 48 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:43.160 already waiting in the workshop, purple buds in a jar, 49 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:51.040 concentrated scent, preserved summer. The bees love the lavender. You 50 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:54.319 can hear them now working the flowers, even in the 51 00:04:54.319 --> 00:05:00.839 fading light. They're low hum peaceful, purposeful. They're collecting what 52 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:04.800 they need. You're collecting what you need, both of you 53 00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:10.160 working with the lavender, both of you transforming it. They 54 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:17.439 into honey, you into soap. Rosemary grows in neat bushes 55 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:22.240 along the next section of path, tall bushes well established 56 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:25.920 here for years. The stems are woody at the base. 57 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:30.639 Newer growth is green and pliable. The leaves are needlelike, 58 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:36.480 dark green on top silvery underneath. You run your hand 59 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:44.079 along a branch. The smell releases clean, sharp, slightly camphor like, invigorating. 60 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:47.759 This is the smell that wakes you up, that clears 61 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:54.000 your head, that says morning and fresh start and energy. 62 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:59.040 You've already harvested rosemary for infusing. Cut branches early in 63 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.959 the day, when the oils are strongest, stripped the leaves 64 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.360 infused them in olive oil. The oil sits in a 65 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:12.439 jar in the workshop. Golden green now full of rosemary essence. 66 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:21.040 That oil will become rosemary soap, cleansing, refreshing, perfect for 67 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:27.319 morning showers. Mint spreads enthusiastically in its contained bed. You 68 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.040 had to contain it. Mint takes over if you let it, 69 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:35.800 sends runners everywhere, colonizes so it lives in a raised 70 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:40.319 bed with barriers underground. A prison, but a comfortable one, 71 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:45.480 and the mint doesn't mind. Mint is happy wherever it grows. 72 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:50.480 Peppermint and spearmint both you can tell them apart by scent. 73 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:59.360 Peppermint is stronger, more medicinal, more intense. Spearmint is sweeter, gentler, softer. 74 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:03.519 Both are useful. Both make good soap. You pinch a 75 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:08.720 leaf of peppermint. The scent is immediate and powerful, fresh, cool, 76 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:13.560 the same smell as peppermint tea, as candy canes, as toothpaste, 77 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:17.839 that clean, tingling sensation. Even in the scent, some of 78 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:23.480 this will become soap too, refreshing morning soap, the kind 79 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:27.360 that wakes you gently, the kind that makes you feel 80 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:34.439 clean and ready and alert. Camomile grows in a sunny corner, 81 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:43.319 small white flowers with yellow scenters, daisy like, cheerful. These 82 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:49.240 flowers make gentle soap, soothing soap, soap for sensitive skin, 83 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:55.839 for babies, for anyone who needs extra gentleness. Colindola grows 84 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:01.800 in another bed, orange and yellow flowers, bright, happy. These 85 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:07.000 flowers are healing, anti inflammatory, good for soap, for troubled skin, 86 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:12.920 for irritation, for care. All these plants, all this growing, 87 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:18.279 all this tending and harvesting and caring, all for soap, 88 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:21.519 all to make something that will bring small moments of 89 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:26.439 pleasure to someone's daily routine, That will turn an ordinary 90 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:32.279 shower into a small ritual, a small luxury. You tend 91 00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:35.840 to this garden spring through fall, water it weat it, 92 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:42.559 harvest it, process the herbs, dry them, infuse them, use them, 93 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:46.600 the garden and the soap making are one thing, one practice, 94 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:50.960 one care, extended from seed to bar. At the end 95 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:56.799 of the garden path your work shop, a small stone 96 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:03.360 building with a red door, thick walls, small windows, cool 97 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:09.320 in summer, warm in winter, perfect for soap making, which 98 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:15.440 requires specific temperatures, careful conditions. You reach for the door handle, 99 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:20.480 smooth wood, worn by years of hands opening this door, 100 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:25.879 your hand, other hands before you, generations of soap makers, 101 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:31.000 perhaps working in the same space, continuing the same tradition. 102 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:39.000 You turn the handle, push the door open. Step inside 103 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:46.519 the workshop welcomes you with its particular atmosphere. The smell 104 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.679 is the first thing, of course, it is This is 105 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:56.240 where scent is made, where fragrance is crafted, where oils 106 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:00.240 and herbs becomes something that will fill bathrooms and bring 107 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:05.480 small moments of pleasure to ordinary days. The base scent 108 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:11.279 is olive oil, rich, slightly fruity, the foundation of good soap. 109 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:17.960 You can smell it underlying everything else, pure golden, honest, 110 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:26.720 and coconut oil, sweet tropical. This creates the lather, the bubbles, 111 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:34.240 the cleansing foam, and essential oils, many of them lavender strongest. 112 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:38.879 Right now, because you made lavender soap yesterday, but beneath 113 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:45.039 that traces of rosemary, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, all the 114 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:48.919 sense you work with, all the fragrances that make each 115 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:57.240 batch of soap unique, special, intentional, and lie. You can 116 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:03.200 smell that too, though faintly lye has a sharp, clean, 117 00:11:04.279 --> 00:11:12.759 almost metallic scent, not unpleasant in small amounts, just present, honest. 118 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:19.120 It's the transformer, the thing that turns oils into soap, 119 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:26.320 the chemical magic that makes everything work. And herbs. Dried 120 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:30.840 lavender hanging in bunches from the ceiling beams, dried rosemary, 121 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:36.480 dried camomeal flowers. Their scent fills the air, mingles with 122 00:11:36.519 --> 00:11:41.559 the oils, creates that particular workshop smell that exists nowhere else. 123 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:48.000 The workshop is one room, but it's organized into distinct areas. 124 00:11:49.039 --> 00:11:54.360 Each area has its purpose, its function, its place in 125 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:59.799 the process. The walls are whitewashed, stone, thick and old, 126 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:04.240 the kind of walls built to last, built to protect, 127 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:10.080 built to create stable temperature. The white reflects light, makes 128 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:14.080 the space brighter than it would otherwise be. The floor 129 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:19.320 is tile, terra cotta tile, sealed and easy to clean, 130 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:24.840 essential when working with oils and LYE spills happen, they 131 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:30.159 must be cleaned immediately, safely completely. Tile allows this. The 132 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:34.759 ceiling is beamed dark wooden beams, rough hewn and ancient. 133 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:39.639 From these beams hang your drying herbs, bunches of lavender 134 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:45.799 tied with string, rosemary branches, camomeal flowers. They hang upside down, 135 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:54.080 drying slowly, preserving their scent, waiting to be used. Along 136 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:59.279 one wall your workspace, A long wooden counter, scarred by 137 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.039 years of u use, but clean and well maintained. This 138 00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:07.440 is where the magic happens, where oils are measured, where 139 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:11.840 LYE is mixed, where soap is made. On the counter. 140 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.559 Your equipment weights A large stainless steel pot for heating oils, 141 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:21.000 not aluminum. Never aluminum. With LYE it reacts stainless steel, 142 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:28.480 only safe, reliable, necessary glass measuring jugs for measuring oils precisely. 143 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:34.279 Soap making is chemistry. Precision matters. Too much of one thing, 144 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:37.840 too little of another, and the soap won't turn out right, 145 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:42.159 won't supotify properly, won't be what it should be. A 146 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:48.360 digital scale essential. You measure by weight, not volume. Weight 147 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:55.399 is accurate. Volume can vary the scale sits there ready, reliable, 148 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:01.320 truthful wooden spoons for stirring, long handled st boons dedicated 149 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:05.200 to soap making, never used for food. The line between 150 00:14:05.240 --> 00:14:10.440 soap making tools and cooking tools must be absolute, clear respected. 151 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:15.519 A stick blender. This speeds the process, mixes the oils 152 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:21.120 and lie water quickly, efficiently, creates trace that magical moment 153 00:14:21.399 --> 00:14:25.000 when soap begins to thicken, when the mixture changes from 154 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:29.919 liquid to something else, something on its way to becoming soap. 155 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:34.799 Soap molds sit on a shelf wooden molds lined with 156 00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:39.960 parchment paper, Silicone molds in various shapes. Each mold creates 157 00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:46.679 different bars, different sizes, different forms, all beautiful, all useful. 158 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:54.480 Another wall holds ingredients, shelves lined with bottles and jars 159 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:59.919 and containers. Large bottles of olive oil. This is your 160 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:05.320 base oil, the foundation. Good quality olive oil, golden and pure. 161 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:09.879 Not extra virgin that's too expensive and its properties change 162 00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:17.279 in soap making. Just pure olive oil, simple, honest, perfect 163 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:23.679 coconut oil in big tubs, solid at room temperature, white creamy. 164 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:28.039 This will need to be melted. This creates lather bubbles, 165 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:34.720 the satisfying foam of good soap. Bottles of castor oil, thick, sticky. 166 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:41.440 Just a small amount goes into each batch. It adds conditioning, moisture, 167 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:49.519 care for skin. Containers of LYE sodium hydroxide in sealed containers, labeled, clearly, 168 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:56.200 stored safely. LYE is powerful, caustic, dangerous if mishandled, transformative. 169 00:15:56.240 --> 00:16:01.360 When used correctly, it must be respected, understood, never feared, 170 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:06.120 but never taken lightly. Bottles of essential oils lined up 171 00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:17.120 like soldiers, lavender, rosemary, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, orange, clary, sage, 172 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:21.679 each one carefully chosen, each one therapeutic, each one bringing 173 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:25.440 its own properties, its own gifts its own character to 174 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:31.200 the soap. Jars of dried herbs, lavender buds, rose petals, 175 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:37.080 camomeal flowers, colendula. These can be added to soap for texture, 176 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:42.320 for beauty, for gentle, exfoliation, for the simple pleasure of 177 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:47.480 seeing flowers embedded in a bar of soap. Natural colorants, 178 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:53.519 clay powders, spirillina for green, cocoa powder for brown, rose 179 00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:59.200 clay for pink, activated charcoal for black, All natural, all gentle, 180 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:05.079 all honest. The glazing area, no wrong craft This is soap, 181 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:11.200 not pottery. Your mind wandered. Crossed workshops happens sometimes when 182 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:14.720 you work in multiple crafts, when your hands know many skills. 183 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:19.519 The curing area, yes, that's what this space is called. 184 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:24.440 Along another wall, wooden shelves hold bars of soap in 185 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:29.119 various stages of curing. Soap must cure, must sit for 186 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:33.640 four to six weeks after being made. This pontification process 187 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.880 continues even after the soap is solid, even after it's 188 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:43.119 been cut into bars. It must cure, must dry, must 189 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:47.279 become fully itself before it's ready to use. The bars 190 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:54.200 sit in rows, some fresh, still soft, some weeks old hardening, 191 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:59.480 some ready fully cured, waiting to be wrapped and labeled 192 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:04.079 and sold or given as gifts. The colors are beautiful, 193 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:13.519 natural colors, cream and white and pale green and soft 194 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:19.799 pink and charcoal, gray, earth tones, honest colors, colors that 195 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:24.519 say I am made from real things, natural things, things 196 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:28.160 from the earth and from plants. You move through the 197 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:35.559 workshops slowly, preparing. This is ritual. This is the beginning 198 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:41.000 of the work, the work. Before the work. You tie 199 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:46.200 an apron around your waist, heavy canvas apron stained with oils, 200 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:50.960 and herbs marked by work, proof of making. You tie 201 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:56.519 it snugly, protection uniform signal that work is beginning. You 202 00:18:56.559 --> 00:19:05.279 put on safety glasses always every time when working with lye. 203 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:12.039 You protect your eyes. This is non negotiable. Lie can 204 00:19:12.119 --> 00:19:18.440 splash can cause harm. The glasses sit comfortably on your face, 205 00:19:19.559 --> 00:19:26.240 clear lenses, full protection. You pull on rubber gloves, thick 206 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:30.440 rubber gloves that come up to your elbows. Protection for 207 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.480 your hands, your skin when the lye water is mixed, 208 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:38.559 when it's hot and caustic, These gloves keep you safe. 209 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:42.839 They're slightly too large, but that's fine, better too large 210 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:49.519 than too small. You're almost ready to begin tonight. You're 211 00:19:49.599 --> 00:20:00.480 making lavender soap, simple, classic, beautiful, the kind of that 212 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:05.519 never goes out of fashion because it's simply right. Gentle lavender, 213 00:20:06.759 --> 00:20:12.680 caring for skin, bringing calm to morning showers and evening baths. 214 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:18.359 You've already measured your oils earlier. This is safer, better 215 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:25.079 when working would lie. You want everything else prepared, ready waiting. 216 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:28.440 You don't want to be measuring oils after the lye 217 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:32.960 is mixed. Everything must be ready first. The oils sit 218 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:37.759 in the large stainless steel pot olive oil, coconut oil, 219 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:43.279 castor oil already measured to the exact gram, already combined 220 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:47.880 solid coconut oil floating in liquid olive oil, waiting to 221 00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:52.119 be heated, waiting to be melted together. You place the 222 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:59.480 pot on the portable electric burner, turn it on low heat, 223 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:04.920 gentle heat, just enough to melt the coconut oil. To 224 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:07.880 bring all the oils to the same temperature, about one 225 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:13.279 hundred degrees fahrenheit. Warm, not hot, just warm. While the 226 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:25.440 oil's heat, you prepare the lye water. This step requires focus, attention, respect. 227 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:29.599 You take a glass jar to the sink, fill it 228 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:35.720 with distilled water, not tap water, distilled pure, no minerals 229 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:39.799 to interfere with the chemistry. You measure it carefully, exactly 230 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:44.119 the amount needed. Pour it into a heat safe plastic pitcher. 231 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:48.359 You take the lye container from its safe storage, open 232 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:53.079 it carefully. The lyes in small white pellets looks harmless, 233 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:59.640 looks like salt, but it's not. It's powerful, transformative caustic. 234 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:04.240 You measure the lye carefully on the scale, exactly the 235 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:08.920 amount needed for this recipe. For these oils, the ratio 236 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.839 must be right. Too much lie and the soap will 237 00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:16.720 be harsh, too little, and it won't spotify fully, won't 238 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:21.599 be soap at all. You carry the measured lie to 239 00:22:21.720 --> 00:22:26.799 the picture of water. And now the most important rule 240 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:32.359 in soap making, the rule you never break, never forget, 241 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:41.079 never ignore. Always add lie to water, never water to lie. 242 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:47.279 This matters, This is crucial. Lie added to water is controllable. 243 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:53.359 Water added to lie can cause violent reactions, dangerous reactions. 244 00:22:53.640 --> 00:22:57.640 You always add lie to water always. You pour the 245 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:04.720 lie pellets slowly into the water, carefully watching. The reaction 246 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:14.359 begins immediately, the water clouds turns white, opaque, the lye dissolving, 247 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:20.400 and heat, tremendous heat. The lye water becomes hot almost instantly. 248 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:25.039 The picture grows warm in your hands. Steam rises, not 249 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:31.680 quite boiling, but close. Chemical reaction, energy released, transformation beginning. 250 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:37.480 You stir gently with a dedicated spoon. The lye dissolves completely. 251 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:42.839 The liquid clears slightly, still cloudy, but less so. The 252 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:46.599 heat continues. The picture is almost too hot to hold, 253 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:52.079 and the smell, that sharp, clean, almost metallic smell of 254 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:58.000 lye strong now present. You're careful not to breathe directly 255 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:02.079 over the picture, not to inhale the fumes They're not 256 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:06.599 dangerous in this small amount, but they're not pleasant, not 257 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:10.759 something you seek. You set the pitcher aside to cool. 258 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:15.319 It needs to cool to about one hundred degrees, the 259 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:19.720 same temperature as the oils. Everything must be the same 260 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:24.799 temperature when you combine them. This is important. This affects 261 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:30.119 how the soap sets, how it behaves. While the lye 262 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:35.200 water cools. You check the oils. The coconut oil has melted. 263 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:43.279 The pot is full of liquid gold, beautiful, pure potential. 264 00:24:44.519 --> 00:24:48.559 You check the temperature with your thermometer. One hundred five 265 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:54.359 degrees close, a bit too warm. You let it cool 266 00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:58.319 a few more minutes. You check the lye water temperature 267 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:06.200 one hundred ten degrees also a bit too warm, cooling nicely, 268 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:11.440 though just a bit longer. You prepare your mold while 269 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:16.640 you wait. A wooden mold rectangular, long enough to make 270 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:20.599 about twelve bars of soap. You line it with parchment paper, 271 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:26.160 carefully smooth, no wrinkles. The paper will let you lift 272 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:29.279 the soap out easily once it's hard, will make the 273 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:35.240 soap release cleanly. You measure essential oils lavender. You'll add 274 00:25:35.240 --> 00:25:40.440 this at the end after trace. Essential oils are volatile 275 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:45.400 heat makes them evaporate, so they go in last when 276 00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:48.720 the mixture has cooled, when it's thick enough to hold them. 277 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:52.880 The bottle of lavender essential oil is dark blue glass. 278 00:25:53.519 --> 00:26:00.240 You open it, the scent blooms immediately, sweet, floral, perfect. 279 00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:05.799 This is good oil, pure oil, real lavender, not synthetic. 280 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:10.279 You can tell. You can always tell. You measure carefully, 281 00:26:11.400 --> 00:26:15.519 just the right amount, enough to scent the soap beautifully, 282 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:22.240 not so much that it's overpowering, just right. You add 283 00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:26.359 dried lavender buds to a small bowl. These will go 284 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:31.680 into the soap too, for texture, for beauty, for the 285 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:35.160 pleasure of seeing real lavender flowers embedded in the bars. 286 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:41.519 Everything is ready. The oils are one hundred degrees. The 287 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:48.039 lie water is one hundred degrees. Both perfect, both Waiting. 288 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:55.880 Now comes the magic, the transformation, the moment when oils 289 00:26:56.079 --> 00:27:00.599 and lie water becomes soap. You pour the lye water 290 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:06.880 slowly into the pot of oils, very slowly, carefully, watching 291 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:10.319 it go in, Watching the stream of cloudy liquid meat 292 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:15.240 the clear golden oils, watching the two liquids meat touch 293 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:21.200 become one. The mixture immediately begins to change. The color lightens, 294 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:27.799 the oils which were clear and golden, become opaque, milky, cloudy. 295 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:32.519 The lye water, which was cloudy white, disperses into the oils. 296 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:39.400 They're beginning to emulsify, beginning to combine, beginning their chemical dance, 297 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:47.319 their transformation. This is suponification beginning. This is the ancient 298 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:52.799 chemical reaction that turns fats and alkali into soap and glycerin, 299 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:58.359 the same reaction humans have been using for thousands of years, 300 00:27:58.440 --> 00:28:03.519 since the Babylonians, since the Romans discovered that animal fat 301 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:09.599 plus wood ash water equals something that cleans. The chemistry 302 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:14.319 is simple but magical, triglycerides in the oils meeting sodium 303 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:19.960 hydroxide in the lie water, molecular bonds, breaking new bonds, 304 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:25.480 forming something entirely new being created from the combination. Neither 305 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:32.160 oil anymore nor lie but soap, a new substance, a 306 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:38.160 new thing created by transformation. You begin to stir, just 307 00:28:38.200 --> 00:28:44.200 with a spoon, at first, slowly, gently, just incorporating, just 308 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:48.119 helping the oils and lie water meat, just introducing them 309 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:52.319 to each other, helping them combine. The spoon moves through 310 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:58.400 the mixture, around and around, scraping the bottom, reaching the edges, 311 00:28:59.240 --> 00:29:04.119 ensuring every is mixed, Everything is included, no pockets of 312 00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:08.880 pure oil, no pockets of pure lie water, everything together, 313 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:15.480 everything becoming one thing. You stir and stir. The motion 314 00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:20.200 is meditative. The sound is quiet, just the gentle swish 315 00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:23.440 of liquid, the tap of wood on steel when the 316 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:28.079 spoon hits the pot the rhythm of stirring around and around, 317 00:29:28.839 --> 00:29:34.119 circular motion like the wheel and the pottery studio, like 318 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:42.079 so much work done by human hands. Circular, repetitive, meditative. 319 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:49.400 The mixture stays liquid, thin like cream, like heavy milk, 320 00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:56.720 not ready yet, not transformed yet, just beginning. You could 321 00:29:56.759 --> 00:30:00.880 continue stirring by hand, could spend twenty or thirty or 322 00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:05.279 forty minutes stirring, could feel your arm tire, your shoulder 323 00:30:05.359 --> 00:30:09.440 begin to ache, your hand cramps slightly from gripping the spoon. 324 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:15.079 Could meditate on the motion, the repetition, the slow transformation 325 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:19.920 happening under your spoon could be present with every stir, 326 00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:26.839 every rotation, every moment of the becoming. Many soap makers 327 00:30:26.920 --> 00:30:32.119 do this, prefer this, prefer the slow hand stirred method, 328 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:36.880 the ancient method, the method that requires time and presence 329 00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:41.160 and patience, the method that makes you part of the process. 330 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:46.400 Rather than just an operator of equipment. But tonight you'll 331 00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:51.400 use the stick blender. The immersion blender speed the process, 332 00:30:52.279 --> 00:30:56.400 bring the soap to trace more quickly. This is acceptable, 333 00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:02.440 This is fine. Different methods for dif different times, different energies, 334 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:09.039 different needs. The stick blender sits on the counter, waiting, clean, 335 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:14.480 ready plugged in. It's a simple tool, just a motor, 336 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:19.200 a stick blades at the end, but it's powerful. It 337 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:23.440 emulsifies quickly efficiently. What would take thirty minutes by hand 338 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:26.960 takes five minutes with the blender. You lower the stick 339 00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:36.519 blender into the pot slowly, gently submerge it in the mixture. 340 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:41.920 Get it below the surface. Air bubbles in soap aren't desired. 341 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:46.759 They create weak spots, so you submerge the blender, get 342 00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:52.039 it deep in the mixture. You turn it on, press 343 00:31:52.119 --> 00:31:56.920 the button. The sound is sudden, loud in the quiet workshop, 344 00:31:57.480 --> 00:32:02.519 a mechanical whirr, a buzz, the blenders spinning, the blades 345 00:32:02.640 --> 00:32:08.960 rotating fast, very fast, mixing, emulsifying, forcing the oils and 346 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:13.680 lie water to combine at the molecular level. The mixture 347 00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:19.640 immediately begins to change. The blender creates movement, swirls. The 348 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:22.160 oils and lie water, mixing more thoroughly than any spoon 349 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:28.920 could manage, more completely, more quickly. You blend in short bursts. 350 00:32:29.880 --> 00:32:35.599 This is important. This is technique. Five seconds on, then off. 351 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:39.759 Then you stir by hand for ten seconds, moving the 352 00:32:39.799 --> 00:32:43.880 blender around the pot, ensuring all the mixture gets blended, 353 00:32:44.720 --> 00:32:54.559 not just one spot everywhere. Then five seconds on again, blend, off, stir, 354 00:32:55.839 --> 00:33:03.519 move around the pot, then blend and again. This prevents overheating. 355 00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:11.359 The blender creates friction. Friction creates heat. Too much heat 356 00:33:11.400 --> 00:33:15.359 too fast isn't good for soap, can cause problems. So 357 00:33:15.400 --> 00:33:20.079 you blend in bursts, let the mixture rest between, keep control, 358 00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:29.279 stay mindful, and slowly, slowly the mixture begins to change 359 00:33:29.559 --> 00:33:34.880 in a new way. It thickens, just slightly at first, 360 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:40.200 just barely noticeable, the consistency changing from thin liquid to 361 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:45.640 something more, something with more body, more substance, more presence. 362 00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:51.839 At first it looks the same milky white opaque. But 363 00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:54.359 when you pull the blender out and it drips back 364 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:58.279 into the pot, it drips a little slower, a little thicker, 365 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:04.039 not much, but noticeable. If you're paying attention, and you are, 366 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:11.559 you're always paying attention. You continue, blend five seconds off, 367 00:34:12.239 --> 00:34:18.280 stir ten seconds, blend five seconds off, stir. The rhythm 368 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:21.239 of soap making with a stick blender, the dance of 369 00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:25.679 modern soap making, the balance between speed and care, between 370 00:34:25.719 --> 00:34:30.920 efficiency and mindfulness. The mixture is definitely thickening. Now when 371 00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:34.079 you stir, you can feel more resistance. The spoon moves 372 00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:38.320 through something thicker, something more viscous, something on its way 373 00:34:38.360 --> 00:34:45.719 to becoming what it will be. You continue, blend, stir, blend, stir, 374 00:34:46.679 --> 00:34:50.440 the process that's been adapted from ancient hands. Stirring, still 375 00:34:50.440 --> 00:34:56.000 the same chemistry, still the same transformation, just faster, just 376 00:34:56.119 --> 00:35:01.440 aided by technology, but still fundamentally the same. Still soap 377 00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:07.480 being borne. And then you see it, feel it, know 378 00:35:07.639 --> 00:35:11.840 it in your hands and your experience and your intuition 379 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:18.159 that's been developed through many batches of soap. Trace, that's 380 00:35:18.199 --> 00:35:23.480 what it's called in soap making. Trace, that magical crucial 381 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:27.239 moment when the soap batter thickens enough that when you 382 00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:30.119 drizzle it from the spoon, it leaves a trace on 383 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:36.000 the surface, a line, a mark, a trail, visible for 384 00:35:36.039 --> 00:35:39.039 a second or two before it sinks back in and 385 00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:44.400 becomes part of the whole again. That's trace. That's the signal. 386 00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:50.400 That's when you know this pontification is well underway, is happening, 387 00:35:51.119 --> 00:35:54.239 is real. That's when you know the oils and lye 388 00:35:54.599 --> 00:35:59.960 have truly combined, have truly emulsified, have truly become soap bad, 389 00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:05.039 no longer just a mixture, but a new thing, a 390 00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:08.639 thing on its way to being soap. You turn off 391 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:12.559 the stick blender, lift it from the pot, set it aside, 392 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:17.480 Lift a wooden spoon, dip it into the batter, lift 393 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:21.199 it out, hold it above the pot, Drizzle the batter 394 00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:25.800 off the spoon. There you can see it. The batter 395 00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:30.159 falls in a thin stream, hits the surface, and for 396 00:36:30.360 --> 00:36:33.280 just a moment, just a second or two, you can 397 00:36:33.320 --> 00:36:37.480 see where it landed, a line on the surface, a 398 00:36:37.559 --> 00:36:42.119 trace before it merges back into the hole, before it 399 00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:49.840 becomes indistinguishable from the rest. Trace. Perfect. Ready, the moment 400 00:36:49.880 --> 00:36:53.199 you've been working toward. This is what you wait for 401 00:36:53.400 --> 00:36:59.599