Natural Homemade gifts for Yule- soap and candles!!

Merry meet all,

Chamomile, Lemon Balm and Woodruff Celtic Soap

This fragrant herbal soap is an easy DIY project that can be made with ingredients found in your own home. The soap makes a beautiful gift for loved ones. The gentle properties of the herbs chamomile, lemon balm and woodruff ease anxiety and stress.

You will need the following tools: a pot for herbs, the melting soap and oil, 1 cup of olive oil, 1 cup dried lemon balm, 1 teaspoon dried chamomile, 1 cup dried woodruff, ¼ cup of jojoba oil, 4 drops of lavender essential oil, cheesecloth, paper towels, glycerin soap base, Celtic soap molds, a wooden spoon, a strainer, rubbing alcohol (optional) and a glass jar for the herbal infused oil.
Add the chamomile, lemon balm and woodruff herbs to the olive oil and jojoba oil in a pot. Steep the herbs until the oil darkens in color. Add the lavender essential oil. Set the cheesecloth over a strainer and place the strainer over a stainless steel bowl. Extract as much of the essence from the herbs as you can. Add the herb infused oil from the bowl to a clean jar and let cool.

Cut 4 cubes of glycerine soap base and place them in a double boiler on gentle heat. Let the soap cubes melt completely. Add the herbal oil to the soap base. Stir until blended well. Discard the herbs and the cheesecloth. Prepare the Celtic soap molds and place paper towel beneath the molds to catch spills. Wear gloves to protect your hands. Remove the soap mixture from the heat and pour the soap into the molds. Leave the soap to set in the molds undisturbed for two to three hours. The rubbing alcohol removes air pockets from the soap but has a pungent scent. Wipe spills off the soap molds with paper towels. Remove the soap from the soap molds and enjoy your chamomile, lemon balm and woodruff Celtic soap. I have included a photo of the soap too!!

Homemade candles are a great gift idea too! If you want, you can melt old wax down again to make a new candle. This week I made a purple candle. I am proud of it. It turned out beautifully. I like the melt and pour method of making candles.

Paraffin wax has its benefits and its minuses. It is easy to melt and suited for a melt and pour method, but paraffin wax does burn black soot. The black soot is harmful to your health. Despite that, it is the most widely used wax. Soy and beeswax are better for our health and the environment.

I melted the paraffin wax in the double boiler and turned the heat down to a low temperature. I prepared the wick. I allowed it to blend and carefully poured the wax into the glass jar. I sprayed the jar with cooking spray prior to adding the wax.

I tied the excess wick to a pencil and rested the pencil across the glass jar to keep the wick centered in the candle. The wick was quite long. That is a useful tip if you want a nice neat centered wick when you are finished. The other option is to stick a wick pin in the center then later, add the wick. When the wax had cooled, I topped the top surface of the candle with more wax. 
The candle set in the jar overnight on the counter. I do encourage people who want to try this to let their candles set on the counter at room temperature. But you can put them in the fridge-Not the freezer! The glass can crack, thereby ruining the candle. 

When making candles, it is advised that you take your time to turn out a stunning candle, never leave melting wax unattended, and do not burn yourself from the hot wax. Do not pour wax down the kitchen sink. Let the wax cure for a few days. The same goes for the soap. You can add dyes, herbs, oils and fragrances to both soap and candles! You are limited by your imagination. Never add water to the wax. 

I am eager to learn more about making candles and creating many beautiful candles in the future. I hope you all are too! 

Enjoy the holidays!

Blessings Spiderwitch