Natural Handmade Soaps
by Master Herbalist and Reiki Master Karen Marie Zajac
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Karen, a Master
Herbalist and Reiki Master, has been making herbal soap
in her kitchen for over six years using her herbal craft as well as
sacred symbols in her soapmaking, together with the harmonizing
properties of pure essential oils. Handmade soap is a living thing, the
product of folk alchemy that has been lost to all but a small number of
individuals and craftspeople in our society. Soap, loosely defined, is
any substance that can be utilized with water to decrease surface
tension in an effort to attract away some other unwanted substance.
Before soap became an intentionally produced product, it was extracted
from plants like yucca, soapwort and horsetail by our ancient
ancestors.
The past decade
has seen a small but definite movement away from
consumerism. Going back to the land has been a metaphorical as well as
a physical drive, reviving an interest in doing for oneself. As much as
soapmaking was an integral part of the pioneer homestead, turning waste
products to good use, it now becomes one more element of the conserver
society and the renaissance of the fine craft of soapmaking.
Ancient Roman legend
gives soap its name. From Mount Sapo, a hilly
area near Rome, the populace sacrificed burnt offerings in the form of
animals to their gods. The animal fat and wood ash accumulated at the
base of the altars, washing down the hillside with the rain down into
the Tiber River below. There the soapy mixture was discovered to be
useful for washing clothing, fur and skin.
Karen also incorporates
her skills of Aromacrafting to each batch of
homemade herbal soap (a term for the amateur engaging in what is known
as perfumery in the professional world). Her impromptu aromacrafting
occurs when she sits with many scent materials and lets the creative
blending process occur. It is almost as if the oils themselves become
her inspiration and she becomes their creative channel for blending.
Aromatherapy has
been in existence for thousands of years. It is a
practice by which true plant essences are administered to the receiver
through the senses of smell, feel and taste. The nose, skin and mouth
become gateways to the body and soul of the aroma recipient. Plant oils
have unique vibrations capable of affecting the physiological, mental
and spiritual well-being of individuals. The theory that body, mind and
spirit are a unified whole and that the mental state of an individual
affects his or her entire health has been proven. The goal, therefore,
of aromatherapy is to harmonize the inner life forces that may be out of
balance. Applying the principles of aromatherapy to soapmaking works
well. Soap is a stable place to store scent.
Each bar of Karen's
homemade herbal soap incorporates the cleaning
properties of soap with only pure and natural ingredients, together with
sacred healing symbols and a creative blend of harmonizing pure
essential oils.
"Wash me and
I will be whiter than snow."
- Psalms 51:7
"Above all
things, keep clean. It is not necessary to be a pig in
order to raise one."
-- Ingersoll
Different
types of soaps on hand are subject to availability.
There may be other soaps available that may not be listed.
email for more information