SpiderFarmer

Earlier I posted a formula for a quickie hand sanitizer, but a couple of folks have mentioned that they’re not too hip on the smell, or they would prefer a “spicier” or “fruity” note rather than a minty note.  So, here’s a couple more formulas to keep you safe and sanitized during the cold and flu season.

*Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together. Shake and use.

This type of formula dates back to the 15th century. Reportedly, thieves covered themselves in something similar so they could steal from plague victims and dead bodies without catching the disease. Independent lab tests of this oil blend shows a %90 kill rate on micrococcus luteus within 12 minute diffusion and a %99.3 reduction after 20 minutes. Pseudomonas aeruginosa – a major agent of nosocomial infection, showed %99.96 kill rate after 12 minutes of diffusion.

With this formula, you’ll need to shake the bottle each and every time you use it because essential oils and water don’t naturally mix. Cinnamon Essential Oil can be irritating to skin. If any irritation occurs, double the water (use 6 Tablespoons) to decrease irritation. If irritation continues, you can try switching  out the Cinnamon Leaf EO with Tea Tree Essential Oil, or try using a carrier oil instead of a water blend.

I generally make this formula using a light oil carrier, such as sunflower or evening primrose, instead of water/alcohol.  It blends better, but is a much heavier recipe and cannot be easily used in a spray bottle.

*Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together. Shake and use. Since Alcohol is a natural emulsifier, this recipe will turn white and not require shaking each and every time before use. Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil can be irritating to skin. If any irritation occurs, double the liquid (use 6 Tablespoons) to decrease irritation. If irritation continues, switch out the Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil with Tea Tree Essential Oil. This blend is based on the research in the Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery (2009) available online at www.sciencedirect.com

*Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together. Shake and use. Can also be used on places like doorknobs, telephones and other common germ vector locations.

*Directions: Combine the lecithin and the essential oils together in a small container. Slowly pour the essential oil mixture into the aloe vera while stick blending the mixture. This will naturally help emulsify the mixture (think salad dressing). Lecithin is typically found in health food stores and is a natural emulsifier. This blend will be thick like lotion. Spray bottles won’t work with this formula.

Here are some great research links:  Fungus Killed by Essential Oils, Antimicrobial Essential Oils {PDF}, Antibacterial Soaps, Tea Tree oil antimicrobial, Tea Tree Oil & Fungus, Tea Tree Oil.

I’ve just posted a new Instructables: Chocolate Bath Melts – The chocolate that’s good for your thighs.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to make your own decadent chocolate bath melts, here’s step by step directions on how to do it!

Everybody loves bath bombs. It’s like taking a bath in champagne, only without the show tunes and chorus boys. They are fairly simple to make, keeping in mind that the strangest things can make a batch go weird; humidity, room temperature, oil viscosity, the moon rising in the seventh house of Aquarius…they are a mysterious wonder.

Read more…

Sometimes, you may have a soap idea, but can’t find a commercial mould that fits your need, or you just want to create something silly or personal.  For those times, making your own mould is your best option.  Mind you, this method does not create professional grade silicon moulds that will hold up to hundreds and hundreds of pours, but they are pretty amazingly durable and all of the materials are easily available almost anywhere.

For this lesson, we decided to try and make crystal soap and rock soap.  As it turns out, I made too much silicon, so we also made a shell soap.

For this, we’re using Amazing Mold Putty from the Alumilite Corporation of Kalamazoo.  (I just love typing Kalamazoo.)  The product is by and far the easiest mold product to use for the novice, plus it’s food grade silicon and made in the US.  Because it’s food grade, you can use it to mould ice cubes and chocolate and other nummies. The company sells it in bulk quantities, but you can get small containers of it at the craft store for a fairly low price point. (Sub $15.00)

Here is a tablespoon of each of the mixes, and the objects we’re going to mold: (Please note that all pictures can be clicked on to see a larger size, or you may go to flickr and see the entire set.)

You mix equal parts of each component together until they are a uniform yellow color with no streaks.  It’s a bit like playing with slightly oily play dough. But it’s so easy, even a child can do it.  See, here’s a child doing it.

Once the mix is ready, you have about 15 minutes to get it around the object you’re going to use.  The best method is to roll a ball of it up, so you don’t have any seams, then press the object into the ball.  Remember to leave enough room on one side to get your object out.  I also recommend that you have enough of the mix at the bottom of your object that you can press the moulding ball against a flat surface to create a flat bottom.  A flat bottom makes pouring things into the mould once you’re finished considerably easier.

Here are three things we have molded; the two rocks are opening side down, so as to expose as much of the mould to the air as possible, and the shell is open side up, to create as steady a flat bottom as possible.

Let the moulds dry for at least 30 minutes, then peel them (carefully) off the object.  Rinse them out, and they’re ready to use. Here’s what we made with ours:

Amethyst and soap simulacra.

Pyrite and a soap rock.

Seashell and soapshell.

Originals, soaps and moulds.