Tussah Silk 0.5 oz

Tussah Silk 0.5 oz
The perfect addition to handmade soaps. Just a pinch or two dissolved in lye will add a luxurious, silky feel.

Instructions for Cold Process Soap:

• Start with a Few Pinches: Take one or two small pinches of silk from the carded or combed fiber. Gently tease the threads apart with your fingers, pulling apart any strands that are stuck together. The fluffed out silk should be about the size of a cotton ball, maybe a little smaller. There's no need to add more; a little goes a long way. 

• Cut The Silk Into Bits: Hold the silk fibers in one hand and use scissors to cut them into smaller pieces. This step can be skipped if you're in a hurry, but it will help the silk dissolve more easily later. 

• Add Water and Soak: Scatter the cut up silk strands into whatever mixing bowl you will use to make your lye solution. Measure out the distilled water called for in your recipe, and pour it over the cut up silk. Let it soak for 5 or 10 minutes. This is another step that will help the silk dissolve more easily. 

• Add Lye and Dissolve: Add lye as called for in your soap recipe, and stir to dissolve*. The silk threads will break down into silk proteins as the lye reacts with the water. Now you can continue with your recipe. After the soap has set, it will have the wonderful silky feeling that wild-gathered tussah silk adds.