Lemongrass Hand and Foot Butter

Many of us use Lemongrass Herbs in our food or beverages. It is known for it refreshing and rejuvenating feel.

Lemongrass Essential oil is a fresh lemony- balm kind of scent. It is pale yellow in color, thin in consistency.

My love-affair with this herb started during my many visits to Bombay where lemongrass herbs were easily available and used by many in their daily cup of tea. I instantly fell in love with the aura.

This not only gives an amazing flavor in food and beverages but is supremely beneficial as an essential oil.

-Anti-septic
-Acne-prone skin
-Relieves Stress, Anxiety, Insomnia, drowsiness and irritability, Muscle-pain, Headaches, Stomachaches, Menstrual Cramps and Rheumatism
-Prevents athletes foot
-Anti-fungal
-Natural Deodorants

I find Lemongrass perfect for Hands and feet as these areas need much attention. With regular use one can combat bad odour from our hands and feet, Cuticles and Nail are well maintained and prevents fungus and Sore and feet.

I am a skincare Enthusiast, I love essential oils and soap making. A boring House-wife with an exciting hobby. The balance seems to be perfecto :P 

For those who would like to contact me please do so via www.facebook.com/puresuds or email me at puresudssoapery@gmail.com 

"Where is your peace of mind?"

Yes, maybe, probably, I guess so.., ummm lemme think?, are you kiddin' me?, did I loose something?, i'm too busy to think about it.

'LOOK FOR GOD!' -  really? can we look for God?

When in school my mom would say 'study hard', 'how are you gonna make it if u don't study?', 'it is a competitive world', 'With education u get respect as a bonus', 'If u don't make i'm gonna marry u off as soon as possible', 'u need to make it on ur own' etc.. Nope, nothing really worried me that much. I didn't care if I was a topper, I was not competitive and I loved being lazy.. College changed things for me. I wanted to be a topper, I wanted competition and I could not be lazy. I worked part time, I enjoyed the independence. After completion of Bachelors from Chennai, I lived my dream. Moving to Singapore was the best decision made. For a few months though, I did give up on my dream and looked for something else, something I didn't want from within. That didn't last long enough, such things never last and good things also don't.

Things happen for a reason. This what we tell ourselves in our lowest of times. Do u know the reason? Then how do u conclude? U don't, u just move and something else comes up, it always does.
I never knew what I could do to make my life more meaningful. I am  born in a Jain family. Every Jain says "we are lucky to be born a Jain". I never could or do understand this. "I am lucky to be born to such wonderful parents, who in their hardest times gave my brother and I more than what we could have wished for". I believe in karma? hear me out for my vague reasons 'I believe in Karma because as a kid  till date every time I spoke negative or thought bad about someone or something I would kick my finger or toe into the door, obviously not by choice'. Jainism is mostly about karma, live and let live. I totally agree with this. But as a Jain, I don't do Samaik(jain prayers).

I am married now, and women here do ask me why I don't do Samaik or visit their Jain camps.

Until I started involving and educating myself on the science of soap-making and skincare, I had no idea this even existed. Some people get what they're looking for or rather what they are good at, at an early stage in their lives. Its not the same with every one, it sure wasn't for me. A lot of things interested me but nothing was even close to my calling. I was never a very bright, outstanding person. As I started researching on soap-making, I realized I could grasp the concept, the chemistry behind turning oils into soap. The first time I made a small batch, I could see the phases practically and it excited every nerve in my body. It started with an addiction and now I love it. I have new plans and ideas and I enjoy working. I finally have 'my peace of mind'.

So what next? Nothing, 'I have found my Peace of mind'. Not until a few days ago, I realized what I was looking for. It was there in front me when I made a batch of Choco-fudge. I was on a philosophical mode that day. Wrote a note to myself 'I am peaceful'. I am peaceful every time I make soap. Yeah, u think I'm weird? I ask u 'Where is ur peace of mind?'. I take stress like nobody's business, being calm and finding my Peace of Mind was God Smiling at me.

So, I thank my mom for forcing me into Science in school. I hated her for this for a long time.
I thank my parents, husband and many other people in my life for encouraging me to move forward. A Big thanks to those who do not like what I do, I need them too, to balance out all the positive. I thank all my colleagues at K2B International, Singapore for that is where I started out my professional life which gave me ample room to grow as a person.

To those who have been asking me to do 'Samaik' or visit our Jain Guru's, I am Jain, its not going to change. Just that I see things differently, spending time making soap, developing skincare, practicing Yoga is my meditation. I am the calmest and most Peaceful at these times. This is my religion.

It's true 'One finds God in the weirdest of places' . GOD = PEACE OF MIND

Xoxo

"WITHOUT ME THERE'S NO COLD-PROCESS SOAP" - Sodium Hydroxide

Meet my buddy..Sodium Hydroxide aka Lye aka Caustic Soda.

Lye can be Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide. The former used to make a solid soap and latter in the preparation of liquid soap more popularly known as shower gel.

The Chemistry : Formula - NaOH ( Na- Sodium OH-Hydroxide)

Sodium Hydroxide aka Lye is an inorganic compound which is a highly caustic alkali salt available in the form of white flakes, pellets or granules. This alkali is soluble in H2O, Ethanol and Methanol.

Cold process soap makers reply solely on saponification ( I know, fancy name right?!). Saponification is a process wherein the oils and lye solution exchange romantic reactions to create a solid bar of soap. During this process there is a lot of heat generated, known as the gel phase ( to me its more like the soap underwent orgasm). Right after the gel phase the soap cools down, hardens up and releases fluffy bubbles, lather and the aftermath is usually happy skin.  These soaps take about 4-8 weeks to mature aka curing period, in this period excess water evaporates which makes the soap hard.The mature soap is now ready to cleanse, condition and protect your skin on a daily basis.

Please note hand made soaps will never argue with you and only pride on giving your skin  a wonderful cleanse without stripping off the natural oils.

Modern soap-making is indeed very clever. It involves a lot of mathematical calculations. Every oil has a particular SAP value. SAP is just a shorter fancier version for saponification. The amount of lye needed to make a particular batch of soap depends on the oils used. Therefore, as a modern soap-maker we calculate carefully and methodically the amount of lye needed to convert the various oils into soap. Excess lye can hurt the skin. The science of soap-making has expanded widely in the domestic front with information floating all over the internet. But a wise soapmaker must not only rely on the available soap calculators but also have knowledge and know-how on practically doing the math on paper. I may sound nerdy, ridiculous - DO NOT JUDGE ME, but I sort of have this angel over my right shoulder poking me every now and then reminding me of the nasties and dangers of surviving on soap calculators. I remind my self everyday "nothing lasts forever", not even a mere soap calculator.

I am a soap-maker who has done research with the internet as my tool. I am still a novice and always will be. There is a world of oils, butters and exotic natural ingredients yet to be explored by me and converted into soap by my buddy who I cant work without - Sodium Hydroxide.

Other uses of Lye:

The paper industry uses about 25% of the annually produced lye. Lye has many domestic and industrial uses too other than making soap. Its also used to straighten hair :)

The downside of working with lye - Be extremely safe with gloves and goggles. Do not work with bare hands or feet even if you are most professional of professionals. I highly recommend being safe than sorry. Lye in the raw form is hazardous. It is however totally safe once combined with the oils to make soap. Please do not be under the impression its caustic so bad for skin. It is a good chemical if used correctly in the right proportions. It boosts the soaping qualities of each drop of oil and brings out wonderful cold-process soap from Pure Suds to you :)

XOXO

Why I do What I do and Happy Republic Day

Making cold-process soap is what I do now past 1.5 years. Not for a living though! There were times in the past where I did a lot of things with a business point of view none of them gained any light. It was lack of determination and also short term interest in the various fields I chose as a playground. But as always, things change for better or for worse. Not until recently, I discovered the art of making hand made soap and skincare. 

I am not sure how this craze developed, but it is the greatest one. I like many women love make-up, high end skincare and in my free time ( a lot of free time) would look up reviews and blogs on the various products that I would end up hoarding. All of this led to terrible skin break outs and many visits to the dermatologist. It did not stop there, I stumbled upon a product 'Egyptian magic' and I was so sure to buy this product which claimed all sorts of good things, I actually had a dream that my skin improved and was barred from flaws. I believed in it so much that I looked into all the possible reviews available along with plenty of youtube videos. One of the many videos was the turning point wherein the host generously shared a tutorial on "how to make the Egyptian Magic Creme in your own kitchen". I was up in the air. I immediately looked up the ingredients and started my google search on suppliers for the raw materials. After days of research, I got my supplies and whipped up my first ever Creme. And to my surprise it did not hurt my skin. This led me to long hours of research into skincare and a world of blogs and tutorials popped up which gave me something to work on. 

While my focus was into lotions and creams, my mother pushed me into making soaps. I looked into videos, blogs and few websites who were pretty generous with information on soap-making. My first soap like many soap makers was a castile soap. I loved it to bits and very soon I had 350 soaps made in a months time with all the possible shoe boxes as moulds Hubby-dearest also was my major strength in venturing into making skincare. 

Though I enjoy formulating lotions and scrubs, soap making is something I love as it gives it gives room to create art. Personally I cannot use all the soap I make as I have a need to make it almost everyday so that led me to start a Facebook page and the hence the birth of Pure Suds Skin Treats.

Why I do what I do is because, I love my skin like everyone. I am not blessed with the most perfect skin and I guess its also due to the amount of pollution we expose our skin to everyday. I would love to use at least one product that would be free of harmful chemicals and preservatives and soap is my best bet to start my day with. Also, making soap has become a part of my daily routine, I cannot paint, sketch or do anything related to art, But soap making has changed that. It is an art as well as a science. There is math and chemistry involved. Perfect timing is the key in making soap. I love swirling, coloring and making intricate designs in my soaps along with fragrances which should make bathing a memorable experience each day. I enjoy working with the various oils and butters.

Today, for the first time I'm using Pomegranate Seed Oil which is under the 'Exotic' oils category. As this soap will be composed of Pomegranate Juice, Goats milk, Pomegranate Extract and Pomegranate Fragrance. Wish me luck and have a wonderful day ahead.