The Joy of Soap Making

If you had told me a year ago that I'd be completely addicted to soap making, that my kitchen would be a hub of soapy activity, my home replete with competing aromas, my quiet street bustling with courier deliveries, I probably would have giggled.  And yet here I am, one year (almost to the day) on, absolutely loving the process, the meditative nature of soap making, the contemplation over scent, colour, form.  And it's all thanks to a chance meeting in San Francisco with soap making professional Shona O'Connor.

Prior to that meeting, soap was merely a necessity, something I'd given nary a thought to. But then my eyes were opened to a whole new world - the Pinterest Boards! the Etsy shops! the recipes!  And oh my goodness, the Soap Kitchen!

For me, soap making has become a calming process, far-removed from the usual stresses of running my business, driving here there and everywhere, tackling bozos on the autobahn or aggressive nutbags on narrow b-roads.  When I start soap making, it's a small ceremony.  In a way, it reminds me of tea ceremonies we learned about in Asian Studies class at Ginninderra High School.

I clear up the kitchen and wipe down all the benches, then bit by bit I bring my gear out, laying the plastic sheet down, pulling out the oils and scents I'll need, plugging in the immersion blender, lining up my mixing bowls, whisks and spatulas.  I make a stack of 15 paper towls, torn from the roll, ready for cleaning action. Then I open my Soap Recipe Book, flip through the pages until I find what I need, double-check I've got everything out, and then start measuring, mixing, making.

What started as a hobby, inspired by Shona and her course, has become an obsession. I've given away samples for feedback, received great responses, and now have reached this heady moment of starting, ever so tentatively, a new business venture. Yikes!

Na ja (as we say over here) - let's see what happens!  But certainly, the making, creating, experimenting, enjoying - that's not going away.

Contact me if you'd like to know more, and maybe I can make something especially for you!
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