Soapy McCoy

Clean your skin with a good lye based soap to remove the toxic oils initially then to help dry the pustules. I make some from tallow (and an alternative with veggie oils) plus crushed jewelweed. People love it and I sellout every spring.

ronie wrote:


If this is a genetically modified E. Coli it seems that this might be an intentional biological attack.

Conspiracy theory, anyone?

Be careful with things like lavender water as it will support the growth of mild and bacteria very quickly, tho it may not be evident to the naked eye.  So use immediately, refrigerate for up to a week or (gasp!) use a preservative.

Oh, and I can help with learning to make soap if people are interested. I've been soaping for at least 6 years now.

Burra Maluca wrote:
I've never actually done it, but I've often wondered about infusing lavender in oil, then straining it and using the oil to make soap. 

Unfortunately no significant scent comes through soap in my experience. Though one woman on my soaping forum insists it does for her, every other soaped I've asked agrees with me.

When I had lavender I made simple syrups simmered with lavender for gifts. Doesnt last that long, but its great in tea and even on ice cream. Oh and lavender ice cream is good.  Some make lavender wands which sell for quite a lot, but I just couldn't get the hang of them. And I saw some wonderful lavender bud and petal wedding potpourri that gets tossed instead of rice!

LOTS to do with lavender.

Orange EO is notoriously unstable.  Keep it refrigerated in amber glass and you have about 6 months.  It won't hold up in hot water or in the presence of strong bases.

Tea tree and eucalyptus do hold up well n laundry.  Thyme also, I believe.

If you choose to use essential oils, please please don't waste your money on Young Living!  Geez!  There are amazing suppliers that sell EOs for MUCH MUCH less - good quality EOs.  I like Essential Oils University (essentialoils.org) and New Directions Aromatics (newdirectionsaromatics.com) because I purchase in bulk.  For smaller amounts there are many suppliers you can order from - I can post those if anyone is interested.  Essential oils should be stored in glass and in the dark - and refrigerated.  In general, they are good for about a year, though some for less and some for more.  The exception is, oddly enough, patchouli oil which just gets better with age.

Soaps for detergents... well that's a tough one.  Commercial laundry detergents generally work better in cold water, and have ingredients called optical brighteners that make whites look whiter.  Plus in hard water, real soap forms soap scum which is close to impossible to remove. 

To help with the hard water, you can use vinegar in the rinse cycle - put it in one of those Downy balls for best results - but you can still have problems.  Be ESPECIALLY cautious if you have a high efficiency washing machine, as soap scum can really gunk up your machine - and not using a commercial detergent can void the warranty.