There’s something a bit dreamy about winter foraging. The charms of leaving the cozy indoors and braving the weather to seek a golden treasure from the barren landscape will be lost on some. And in truth, resin can be gathered year round. But if you’re eager to get started and up for an adventure, fill your thermos with something delicious, grab a small knife and a jar or some such, a buddy if you want, and head out to your favorite grove of pine, spruce or fir.
Evergreen resins are antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. They’ve been used medicinally and cosmetically for eons. They’re native to our area, and plentiful, so you can feel confident about harvesting without damaging the environment. They infuse nicely into extra virgin olive oil or any other carrier oil you like.
Collect clean resin that is dripping down the tree or on the ground, not from the wound from which it is pouring. The tree needs that to heal. Try to find softish, pliable resin. It will combine most easily with your oil when gently heated. Take only as much as you think you need. This recipe calls for about 8 oz of infused oil. Collect about 1 oz of resin to infuse this amount ofcarrier oil. (1:8) Note: Resin is sticky, so plan accordingly. A glove might come in handy. Rubbing alcohol or turpentine will clean up traces on your hands and knife.
To infuse resin in oil, I use my countertop dehydrator, set to 120. If it’s warm and sunny, you can also use a windowsill. First dry the resin in the container you collected it in for about an hour to remove any water that could spoil your finished product. Then cover the resin with the carrier oil. Warm, shaking frequently, until the resin is mostly absorbed (at least 12 hours). Chunks may remain at the bottom, which is fine because you’ll strain them out.
Finally, if you want to start off simple or branch off from here, you can absolutely make this soap recipe using plain extra virgin oilve oil or one that is infused with another herb. Or infused coconut oil. Go crazy. And do let me know how it goes!
The Soap
1 hour to make. 24 hours set time. (12 before cutting, 12 after)
Makes about 2.5 pounds of soap or 10ish bars.
Ingredients:
20 oz coconut oil
2.4 oz castor oil
7.6 oz strained, resin infused olive oil (Small resin particles are fine)
9 oz distilled water + 1/4 cup, separated
7.8 oz lye
3 tsp essential oils (I use pine, balsam fir and cedar) (Optional but the soap will not smell like trees without it.)
Tools: crock pot (Not your favorite one as lye will eventually eat away at the glaze.), kitchen scale, large heat proof measuring cup, stick blender, knife or blade, non metal spoon or spatula, soap mold (You can use anything from an ice cube tray to a milk carton. )
Step 1: Measure your oils with a scale and melt them on low in the crockpot.
Step 2. Do this next step outside or underneath the kitchen fan. It’s a chemical reaction that releases harmful vapors. Keep your face away, and clean up any spills. If you’re working with children, wear gloves and goggles when working with lye. If you’ve never worked with lye before, please consult this safety guide.
Measure water into your heatproof vessel and slowly add the lye while stirring to dissolve. I use my pyrex. When the lye is dissolved, stir the lye water into the oils in the crock pot.
Caution: DO NOT ADD WATER TO LYE. There’s and old saying, “Add water to lye and you may die!” While extreme, it’s a good way to remember that there’s only one way to do this.
Step 3: When the waters and oils are combined, use your stick blender to gently coax the soap to light to medium trace which means it’s thickened but not thick like pudding. Aim for the consistency of cake batter. This happens quickly, so I kind of stir and pulse it so as not to overdo it. Once you’ve achieved trace, tap the goop off the stick blender (rinse immediately) and put the lid on the crockpot and set the timer for 50 minutes. It’s ok if the mixture looks hard at this point. It will loosen up.
Check the pot from time to time and stir only if it threatens to overflow. Otherwise just leave it alone. (The only time I’ve ever had it overflow was when I was bold/foolish enough to try using tapwater instead of distilled.)
Step 4: After 50 minutes, remove the pot from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of distilled water. Then add essential oils and thoroughly mix, but quickly. Scoop or pour your soap into molds, tap lightly to help soap settle, and let it rest for 24 hours.
Step 5: Cut into bars if needed. Can be used immediately after it’s fully hardened.
That’s it! We most often felt our soaps with alpaca fiber, and so a standard bar shape is fine for our purposes. If you’re looking for a smoother soap to pour into a more intricate mold, try cold process soap. It takes longer to set up, but it makes a very professional looking molded soap.
All photos are by Mo Aristegui of Appleseed Media & High Desert Composting.
Interested in purchasing our alpaca felted soaps? Visit our shop! For larger orders,
email [email protected].
Want to host a one hour workshop on soapmaking , herbal tinctures, salves, or teas at
your home or business? We do that. Please let us know what you have in mind.
