I started doing research in January 2013 about distilling my own essential oils. This makes sense for me since I'm a horticulturist and (theoretically) should have an awesome garden to draw from for materials. I have no plans to sell any, but as I'm finishing graduate school and getting a real job, I figured a hobby other than studying would do me some good. I found a deal or two on amazon for some lab equipment and got a nice little setup going. I liberated a bunch of rosemary from someone's yard and tried to get it going. Sadly, my first attempt wasn't a success since I didn't have a Bunsen burner. I tried to double boil the flask to get steam and all in all it just didn't work.
Around the same time, I was trying to figure out what a poor student like me could do. My brother is marrying one of my good friends in the fall, and I thought someone with a chemistry minor should be able to make some homemade soaps with the oils that I would later be distilling. I thought it would be a nice gesture with a lot of meaning for not a lot of money, as well as serving the dual purpose of giving me another hobby. So I got the necessary protective gear, bought some oils for a test run, and had a go at it this weekend. Aside from the cold process soap, I also made some fizzy bath bombs, and menthol shower tablets for my brother. It was a lot of fun!
I'll be posting the recipes that I use here and progress both for anyone who's interested and as a journal for myself to refer back to. Later this week I'll talk about my first stab at these three smelly things. The house smelled like a hippie died, but I think I like it!
I'll be posting the recipes that I use here and progress both for anyone who's interested and as a journal for myself to refer back to. Later this week I'll talk about my first stab at these three smelly things. The house smelled like a hippie died, but I think I like it!
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