One Autumn day, a few years ago, someone taught me how to make a hand cream. It seemed an innocent enough thing to do. But it wasn’t.
A year later, as the days shortened into Winter and the shops were full of “seasonal gifts”, I was looking for some alternative gifts. I remembered the hand cream and made some more. This time I added essential oils to give it a festive seasonal twist. Without realizing it, I’d added natural perfumery to my cosmetic production.
Over the following year I attempted to formulate seasonal cosmetics with seasonal essences. Then I started to research home-made cosmetic recipes and ingredients. This gave me an insight to the economics of the cosmetic industry, and I explored the framework of regulation that governs their sale. I started to explore some of the science, and I encountered good science, bad science, prejudice, and hysteria. Somewhere along the way I took a short course in natural perfumery.
Stir the Cauldron was conceived as a place to share and debate seasonal things. The only thing I will promise is that I’ll meander around the seasonal theme. There will be recipes for cosmetics, food recipes and left field ramblings. Please enjoy.
But if you don’t enjoy: please leave quietly.
I’ll leave it to a master storyteller to finish setting the scene:
Sir Terry Pratchett OBE – Wyrd Sisters
Channel 4 and Cosgrove House animation