Good Bathing Day!
Volume 3 — The Northern n.o.bleman and the Raptor Wife’s Village, Great Renovation Plan!?
When I was alone, the only joy I had was dining and bathing.
Especially regarding bathing, I once had been very picky.
Shampoo, bathwater additive, body shampoo, etc..
Among those, I had been especially absorbed with making soap.
I learned how to make soap from the village ladies and made soap using various materials.
I partic.i.p.ated in exchanging soaps with the village ladies, but I had been busy for the past two years so I couldn’t go.
This year, I was rearing to partic.i.p.ate at the soap exchange in early spring, So I started making some with plenty of motivation.
Sieg also said that she will help.
“To think that we would even make soap.”
“I hadn’t been making them recently. For about two years?”
During the first polar nights with Sieg, there were many other things so I did not have time to make soap.
This would be a challenge after a long time.
This time, I decided to use somewhat high-quality oils that are considered to be good for the skin.
The first oil is ‘olive oil’.
The best olive oil is considered to be ‘extra virgin oil’, squeezed out the best, but it seems that ‘pure olive oil’, refined once or twice, is the best for making soap.
That contains the most moisturising substances (squalene), or so.
The second oil is ‘sweet almond oil’.
Slightly expensive oil.
From ancient times, it was used for washing hair of ladies.
This also contains plenty of moisturising substances.
The third oil is ‘jojoba oil’.
It gives elasticity and shine to the skin.
Other than that, it removes the dirt clogging the pores, or so.
It doesn’t irritate the skin either.
Above were the main ingredients.
Other than those, ‘palm oil’ is necessary to prevent soap from collapsing, and ‘coconut oil’ is added to improve the foaming.
Other than the oils, there are ‘pure water’ and ‘sodium hydroxide’.
Pure water is water distilled to remove impurities.
Sodium hydroxide is a chemical that reacts with oil to make soap.
They can be bought from merchants, but since they’re designated as toxic, I need to fill out a doc.u.ment when buying it.
I also have to be careful when using it.
With the above ingredients, I will be making soap.
“Be careful with sodium hydroxide.”
“Alright.”
“For your safety, you should place a cloth over your mouth.”
Direct contact with sodium hydroxide causes burns. We have to be careful.
The burns are different from normal as well. It’s called chemical burn.
While normal burns are caused by heat damaging the skin, chemical burns destroy the skin directly and can reach the depth of the body.
Since it’s very dangerous, the merchant warned me to be careful.
“Sieg, since it’s the first time you’re making soap, can you only watch when I’m handling sodium hydroxide?”
“Alright.”
First, to not breath in sodium hydroxide, I covered my mouth and nose with a cloth.
Since sodium hydroxide corrodes iron and aluminium, I’ll be using enamel bowls this time.
I put on gloves and spooned some sodium hydroxide into a bowl. I left that bowl in the snow for a while to cool it.
It was a little cold, but ventiliation was necessary so I opened the window.
I added the sodium hydroxide into water and stirred well.
The bowl was getting hot. I brought snow from outside and cooled the bowl so that it would be a little warmer than the human skin.
In another bowl, I mixed olive oil, sweet almond oil and jojoba oil and warmed them by using a double boiler, after which I added in palm oil and coconut oil. For this too, I boiled until it was slightly warmer than the human skin.
Once the two mixtures were at about the same temperature, I slowly added in the lye while stirring the oils.
Once everything was poured in, I mixed them using a whisk.
This stirring process is also important for making soap.
If the ingredients are not mixed in properly, lumps or layers can form, resulting in problems when finishing the soap.
While chatting about such things, I continued to mix while swapping with Sieg sometimes.
On that bowl, I put a cloth over it and left it for a while.
I checked it once a while, and if the water and oil separated I would mix them again.
As I leave them, chemical reactions occur, a fight to become soap happening.
Half a day later, it will become a creamy liquid.
In rectangular frames, I applied jojova oila and poured in the soap mixture.
If I don’t add oil here, the soap won’t come out.
Once they’re dried for about four days in a dark and warm place, they can be separated from the frames.
“It should be complete after a month, I think?”
“It takes that much time?”
“Surprising, eh?”
Good soap requires the ingredients to have been turned hard properly.
Poorly made soap worsens the skin.
Especially, I heard that olive oil is slow to turn into soap. So I need to properly leave them for a longer time.
The longer the period, the softer and smoother the soap, with delicate foams.
“I see.”
“You have to be patient with making soap.”
The maturing will be done in a wooden box.
When I brought out the box I used before, there were soap from two years ago.
“Ohh, two years old soap!”
There was a bar of soap made from reindeer milk. It was in a well-ventilated place, so there were no molds either. Just in case, I split it with a knife, but the inside was clean as well.
I tried washing my hands with it.
“Ah, this feels alright. I think we can use it for washing our bodies.”
“Indeed. It really does moisten our skins. My skin has been getting rough recently, so it might be nice.”
“Eh, really?”
I thought that it wasn’t different from usual, so when I leaned in to see her face, she got angry.
“But Sieg, your skin is beautiful…… mmf”
Before I could finish the sentence, she shut my mouth.
Sieg looked exasperated.
“Ritz, I was wondering from a while ago, but when do you observe those things……?”
“Every day, sometimes.”
“……”
When she let go, I let out a loud sigh.
“My eyes drift to pretty things, you see.”
“I get it.”
I was being honest, but she didn’t believe me.
The reindeer milk soap was well-received by the women.
Mother was happy that her skin became smooth.
Sieg said that she liked the foams.
“Ritchan, you’re making soap as well.”
“It’s to pa.s.s the time.”
“Mum too, will try making some after all this time!”
It seems like I lit a fire in mother.
Come to think of it, I have been using mother’s handmade soap a long time ago.
“Ritchan, why don’t you go in before the water cools?”
“Alright.”
I accepted mother’s offer and entered the bath.
Promptly, I decided to try using the soap from two years ago.
After dipping it in water, I created foams using my hands.
Soft, smooth and delicate foams were formed.
I could smell the nice scent of the soap.
I’m not sure about the changes to the skin though.
I wonder if women are more sensitive to that.
I washed by body more carefully than usual.
When I was about to wash my back, suddenly, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
It was Sieglinde-san.
“What it is?”
“Well, I was wondering if I should wash your back.”
“Eh, really!?”
Sieg washes my back like this sometimes.
She rolled her sleeves and trouser legs, and washed by back.
Her strength was just perfect, that it felt extremely good.
“Uwa~~ This is bliss~~……”
Finally she poured some warm water over me.
“Sieg, thank you.”
“……”
“Hm? Is something wrong?”
“Erm, I think I put a little too much strength, that your back is red now. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, it’s alright, it’s alright~ Thank you.”
Even though I said that, when I was in the bath my back stung a little.
This is also Sieg’s love.
I decided to think that.
Even after marrying, bathing remained a joy for me.
It’s refreshing and relieves fatigue.
Also, it makes me feel happy when Sieg washes my back like before.
As I dipped into the water, I thought yet again that bathing is great.