Living on this amazing coast means we have access to foraged ingredients with fantastic properties like Seaweed.   This time of year I love to wander along the beach at Clovelly or Bucks Mills and collect Kelp and Bladderwrack for our massively popular Seaweed soaps.  Kelp is in long flat strips often on a stalk and sometimes dried for cattle as a nutrient filled winter snack.  In terms of cosmetics it is high in antioxidents and anti-inflammatory as well as being high in minerals like Iodine which are great for the skin.  We only use a small amount in soap but it can be used as a face mask as well to really get the skin benefits

We air dry the seaweed and then oven dry on low to really remove the moisture, seaweed is a humectant that draws moisture from the air so it needs to be well dried before it can be used in skincare.  Once dry we break it up and pop in a coffee grinder to make a find exfoliating powder to use is soaps.

If you wanted to get the amazing skin benefits in a more direct way you can make powdered seaweed into a quick face mask:

• 2 Teaspoons of seaweed powder
• 2 teaspoons of  Pink, Green or White Clay
• 1 teaspoon of an oil of your choice like Castor oil, Almond oil or Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of distilled water
• 1 Teaspoon of Honey
• 6 drops of essential oils of your choice - We love 3 drops each of Rosemary & Lavender

Stir the dry ingredients together with a non metalic utensil (clay reacts with metal)

Add water and stir until lump free, add the oil, honey & essential oils to make a smooth paste and if needed add a bit more oil.

To use add a a thin layer to damp face and neck with a brush avoiding  your eye area, leave for 15-20 minutes and then remove with a damp cloth and add a rose water spritz and a moisturiser of choice

If irritation occurs discontinue use

Enjoy the amazing benefits of natures bounty and take a walk on a beach

Sarah

I have been making Handmade Cold Process soap since I was given a book my Tatyana Hill back in 2004 when I started developing allergies to skincare and other household products.

This book was visually spectacular and gave me a lot of inspiration in my early tries but I never quite got the results I expected.   There are different types of soap and for many people the hard smooth shiny bars from Imperial Leather or Cussons where all we knew of soap.  Commercial soap is made in huge vats using the continuous method which essentially means ingredients are added to the vat and sometimes by products of the chemical reaction are removed because they are more valuable.  A good example of this is Glycerin which is a product of the reaction between the oils and the sodium hydroxide (commonly known as Caustic Soda) glycerin is a naturally moisturising ingredient used in other cosmetics and is highly prized.   Extracting this can mean the soap is less moisturising which can give rise to the common refrain I hear in the shop that people cannot use bar soap because it dries their skin out.   

Handmade Cold Process Soap is a very different beast and I have spent years educating people on the vast difference in how works and what is does to your skin.  As you can imagine I am a passionate convert and nothing but my own soap has been on my skin or my families skin since 2004!   Handmade soap is made in small batches in a pan by melting the oils, adding water and caustic soda and blending until it thickens before adding essential oils, clays, herbs and other natural ingredients designed to enhance the soap.  Sometimes additional oils are added to make the soap more moisturising and sometimes you can add milk instead of water which has natural benefits.

I have always loved passing on my knowledge and have taught many people over the years how to make soap that can be tailored to each person using it and is a simple a cost effective way of saving money and plastic by making a large batch once or twice a year to last your family for washing, shampoo, cleaning and gifting throughout the year.      I am starting to teach soap, skincare and candle making again and am hoping to take my workshops on the road to a community hall or space near you in the next few months.  If you want to learn a usefull skill using your own herbs, goats milk and other natural ingredients please get in touch  for availability.   

Thanks Sarah