Creative Candles
Part cooking, part chemistry and part alchemy is the secret to making your own soaps, candles and bath bombs. Norah Casey takes on the challenge and discovers she may not be a natural.
Let me just say up front that I won’t be putting The Handmade Soap company out of business any time soon. Bath bombs may not be my number one skill but the candle creation more than made up for it. I am of course smugly telling anyone that will listen how I made my own candle - I am just not sure I can bring myself to light it because it’s kind of a waste with only my olfactory senses getting the benefit. I might have to wait until restrictions are lifted a bit so I can have a few other noses to share the smell. And of course it will extend the bragging time...
Any week that involves learning something new is a good one. Donagh Quigley, founder of The Handmade Soap Company, is hosting a series of workshops to share his knowledge with enthusiastic amateurs like me. For a couple of hours myself, and my fellow students, were inhaling glorious aromas as we mixed blends of essential oil with handfuls of dried flowers (poppies and cornflowers in mine) to our bath bomb concoctions. The trick I can tell you in advance is to (stop yakking) and pay attention to the measurements of the ingredients as you weigh them out. To my shame my bath bombs bombed while my sister Carissa delivered four perfectly round and firm, scented moulds. The candle making was so much easier with Donagh talking us through the various properties and benefits of different wax (we used natural soy wax). By far the most satisfying moment in the process is adding your own essential oil blend. I love high notes - all those lovely citrus aromas - so I opted for Tangerine, Lemon Myrtle and Cardamon. I have been an aromatherapy fan for decades and all of the main rooms in my house have diffusers (some electronic and some natural). The most beautiful moment at the end of my work day is inhaling a waft of roses as I open the door to my bedroom. As I write this Red Mandarin aromas are drifting towards me in the office - uplifting and energising. My morning ritual involves a big pot of tea and choosing what scent will accompany me on my morning’s work. Lavender, I reserve for calmer interludes in the evening. For me the therapeutic benefits of fruit, flower and plant based oils lies in the beautiful scent and the impact it has on my mood, but I am rarely without tea tree oil (for tired feet and minor cuts) and lemon oil which I rub between my hands and inhale deeply for an instant lift.
What I have learned over the years is that the most important thing to consider when buying essential oils or aromatic beauty products is the quality of the company you are buying from. The Handmade Soap Company, based in Slane, Co Meath, has quality and sustainability at its core - it’s mantra is ‘kindness comes naturally’. Kindness to our skin, kindness to our planet and kindness to each other. The brand was founded by Donagh and his wife Gemma from their kitchen back in 2008. Now the company offers over seventy natural, handmade skin, hair and wellbeing products. Donagh has been hatching a plan to do workshops for many years and now finally they are launched.
It was lovely to experience these fragrant, immersive and unique workshops where he imparts nuggets of wisdom while sharing his exceptional knowledge.
“We believe that a lot of the benefit of self-care comes from the ritual of creation and in these workshops, you will learn how to create your own self-care products from simple, natural and accessible ingredients”, Donagh explains.
“Throughout the workshops you will learn by doing. You will learn the basics of natural perfumery, using a selection of the finest essential oils and unifying them to the perfect, well-balanced blend. You will master using ingredients that are readily available in nature and then learn how to customise them with dried seasonal flowers that grow locally. You will leave with your handmade products and the knowledge of how to create your own forever.”
Workshops cost €50 and cover candle making, bath bombs and lip balm and run through to August at The Handmade Soap Company’s new Wicklow Street store in Dublin 2. For details, visit thehandmadesoapcompany.ie