I hope that everyone had a lovely Memorial day weekend! I apologize for not having a post the past few days, once again the auto-settings did not work, I guess I will give up on that feature! So what is happening this Wednesday? Well......business wise I only managed to get 3 batches of soap made this long weekend, and one of those really was a failed batch. It smells great, but it looks......well it looks like my Grandson played with his finger paints and ended up with soap. No, actually that is not quite true either, because I would love whatever his painting looked like, but this soap, well it is the ugliest thing I've ever made!
You may think that I am exaggerating, but I promise you, I am not! I was trying to "paint" a scenery picture by pouring various colors over a layer of uncolored soap. I had this lovely gardenesque type painting in mind, some grass on the bottom with splashes of color for flowers, a setting sky with several colors blue, pink, red, maybe some mountains in the background. Sounds lovely, right? Well it certainly didnt turn out that way! The colors began setting the soap faster than I could work for one thing, and the "glops" just didnt make a nice painted effect. Then, the coloring wasnt correct either, AND, on top of that, it never dawned on me [before I began making it that is], that it would never look right when cut into bars, even if it did turn out pretty!
In my defense, I think the 90 degree heat here was boiling my brains or something, as the cabin doesnt have central air, and the window air conditioner wasnt in yet! So the question now becomes, what on earth do I do with this ugly, smell good soap? LOL. My lovely friend who spurred me on with this experiment, thank you Cathy!, has come up with a few ideas to salvage it, but I don't know that anyone would even want this as a sample. It is not really a soap I would feel comfortable offering to a charitable organization, nor can I imagine them accepting it! Lol. So here is my question.....I have participated in a "pay it forward" deal in one of my Etsy shops before. For those unfamiliar, this is basically am inexpensive deal. Usually the product is listed with the price being the cost of the listing fee (20 cents), and some people have the buyer also pay for postage, others do not.At any rate, I am wondering if this would be a good way to get rid of this failed batch. What do you think? Would you mind a truly ugly bar of soap if all it cost you was postage (actual postage not "and handling"!) and 20 cents? Please, please make a comment of yea or nea, and any thoughts or ideas you have on the subject. I really need help here. I could just rebatch the whole deal, but I think it would still be ugly, because all of the colors would just be mixed together then.
Now, since I didnt get the Teaching Tuesday post up, I want to go ahead and share that with you now.
many have heard of the Dead Sea and its famous Salts and Mud, but many dont know WHY these products are good to use. So lets look at it, shall we?
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First of all, some background.
To begin with, as the name suggests, the Dead Sea is devoid of life, due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals.
It lies some 400 m below sea level at the lowest point on the earth's surface, and is a part of the Syrian - East Africa Rift Valley, flanked by the Judean Mountains to the west and the Moab mountains to the east... Having no outlet, the Dead sea is a "terminal lake" which loses huge amounts of water by evaporation into the hot dry air. This results in high concentrations of salts and minerals, and in a quite unique composition too. The Dead Sea has up to a 33% concentration of salts and minerals, compared to only 3% in the ocean. It contains 10 times more salts and minerals than the Mediterranean Sea.
While sodium chloride, common table salt, makes up about 80% of the total salt in sea water, the Dead Sea contains a considerably smaller amount of sodium chloride. This low percentage of sodium makes Dead Sea Salt gentle and less irritating to the skin. Dead Sea Salts are mostly made of magnesium, potassium, and calcium chlorides, as well as a high concentration of bromides. The water of the Dead Sea contains 21 minerals, twelve of which are not found in any other ocean or sea. Some of these minerals are recognized for imparting a feeling of relaxation, nourishing the skin, activating the circulatory system, and for easing rheumatic discomfort as well as metabolic disorders. In fact, it has been clinically proven that Dead Sea Salt baths provide relief from Psoriasis when utilized in a recommended six week regimen of 3 baths per week for 20 minute per bath, for 6 weeks. It has also been studied and used (and shown) to improve various skin ailments, such as; acne, eczema, skin rashes, and even dandruff. The salts and the mud have been shown to tighten the skin, improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, hydrate and moisturize the skin. They exfoliate dead skin cells and leave a more youthful complexion. They also improve the cell metabolism, thereby helping the body to absorb nourishment, as well as eliminate toxins. Health wise, bathing in the Dead Sea salts has been reputed to improve arthritis, bone and cartilage inflammation, rheumatism, reduce stress, fatigue and even sleeplessness.
It is believed that the therapeutic properties of the Dead Sea are due, in large extent, to the presence of the other salts it contains, mainly those of magnesium, potassium and bromide. It is these natural elements which give the Dead Sea waters their curative powers. Dead Sea Salts, as well as Dead Sea Muds, have been recognized by millions of people as a single source of health and beauty since the days of Herod the Great, more than 2,000 years ago. Even the process by which they are obtained, fractional evaporation and crystallization, actually serves to enrich the therapeutically valuable potassium and magnesium salts, while retaining all the other mineral elements of the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea brine's chemical composition reflects erosion, as well as the recycling of older deposits. Leaching of minerals from the geological strata also contributes to the Dead Sea brine and to a number of thermomineral springs along its shores. In addition, alluvial deposits form the much valued Dead Sea mineral mud, which is also known as Dead Sea therapeutic black mud.
Products made with Dead Sea Salts and Minerals leave no oiliness on the surface of the skin, and they are equally effective in dry or moist atmospheres. They increase the moisture level and the permeability of the skin, which allows the minerals to penetrate into the deepest layers of the skin, replacing essential minerals which are necessary for retention of moisture and healthy cell growth. Dead Sea Salts mineral composition improves cell metabolism and contributes to its restoration and regeneration. It also acts as a disinfectant and helps in removing harmful substances from the skin. While the Dead Sea is an ideal destination for people seeking relief from rheumatic and skin disorders, as well as vacationers seeking relaxation, if you can't get there, you certainly can bring the Dead Sea's properties into your home bathtub, for relief or just for relaxation!
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