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Citronella Soap recipe

May 20, 2009 by jessica neaves

Try this citronella soap recipe for a great summer soap.  Citronella is a fantastic insect repellent now that warm weather is arriving and  crushed pennyroyal leaves smell very minty, creating a fresh soap for hot weather!  This soap is not recommended for small children, as citronella oil can cause skin irritation on sensitive skin.

Citronella Soap Recipe – (Melt and Pour)
From Pure and Natural Soaps

1 cup grated Castile soap
1/2 cup water
10 drops citronella essential oil
5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
1 T. dried, crushed pennyroyal leaves

Mix the ingredients into the melted soap/water mixture. With an electric mixer, whip the soap until it has doubled in volume. Spoon the soap into the prepared molds, pushing it into the molds as best you can (the beating action cools the mix, so work quickly). If the mixture has cooled off and thickened so much you can’t put it into the molds, hand mold the soap into large balls.

With the arrival of the Japanese Encephalitis Mosquito, it has become important to make sure those pesky mosquitos are not snacking on you.  Japanese encephalitis symptoms include Headache, neck pain, and Nausea. .  Japanese encephalitis does have a vaccine and you should contact your local medical professional for information on obtaining this vaccination.

But how else can you protect yourself against mosquitos? Keep mosquitoes away from exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks, you can even wear a mosquito net hat.  Tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks to cover gaps in your clothing where mosquitoes can get to your skin.  For a natural repellent use essential oils for making your own Mosquito bug spray repellent. Add oils to water and spray into the air or add small drops to your clothing.  Use a Necklace or Bracelet oil diffuser to help repel mosquitoes naturally.  Insect bracelets and necklaces are great for children too.

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Designer Spotlight: ArsOnirika

It’s not really that close to Halloween as I write this, but as crafters we’re always looking ahead and spooky season is one of my favorites. If it’s yours, too, or you just like things on the Gothic side, you should enjoy browsing and stitching projects from Ars Onirika on Etsy. 

There’s a lot of pop culture inspired designs with a dark twist, from Harry Potter to Beetlejuice, Lord of the Rings to Edgar Allan Poe. 

The biggest section of the shop is just called Easy Cross Stitch, but it covers a lot of ground, from text-only designs to stained glass windows, tarot card-inspired designs (I was going to share this one called The Stitcher as it’s relevant to our interests) and a green absinthe fairy. 

I decided to talk more about that one instead just because I wanted to call out that while it’s in the easy section, it is labeled more accurately as being an intermediate design, so check those skill levels if you’re a newer stitcher. This one measures 122 to 169 stitches, which comes out to 8.7 by 12.12 inches or 22.2 by 30.8 cm on 14 count fabric. The pattern notes don’t say how many colors it uses, but it looks like a lot. This would be a great one to make for lovers of Art Nouveau or who have a fancy bar.

You’ll also find a large section of medieval and gothic designs, which includes lots of designs inspired by medieval artwork; a fantasy and magic section, filled with Harry Potter designs, fairies, Outlander and more; and classic art patterns, which is pretty much what it sounds like. 

There are also alphabets and samplers you can use to make your own projects, a few literary samplers, and a set of Victorian cat designs you can personalize with your cat’s name. 

If any of that piques your interest, you should definitely head over to Ars Onirika at Etsy and browse through their designs. Let me know if you see something you like!

[Photo: Ars Onirika]

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