Pride and Prejudice Soap

If you are here just for the soap details, scroll down below. First I want to write a bit about my experience with Jane Austen’s books.

The very first time I held a book by Jane Austen in my hands, I did not feel anything special. It was a gift by a friend (Hi Sara!) and I am very grateful to her for it. The book was Mansfield Park and I must confess I found it boring (gasp!) at first. Let me give you a bit of background so you don’t grill me right away (if you are a Jane Austen fan). English is my second language, and I was in my early twenties when this happened. I had moved to the States only a few years prior and I was not used to reading Old English back then. (Not that I am exceptionally good at it now either). The book has a lot of characters, and I found it very difficult to keep track of each one of them (people’s names are not my forte either). I had not read Regency books prior, so I also lacked the context for the social customs of that era. In short, I am surprised I finished it at all!

After the first few chapters though, as I understood it better, I started to like it and to relate to the feelings experienced by the characters. In a way I suppose the language reminded of Spanish. With its long words and long sentences; which is a contrast to life in the States, where speed is the name of the game: words are shortened, phrases are reduced to acronyms and nicknames are preferred if your given name has more than two syllables. For example, when you are introduced to someone today, you usually say: “Nice to meet you” (4 words, 13 characters). In her books, the characters will say something like this instead “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance” (8 words, 35 characters)

Shortly after that, or maybe around that time, a Jane Austen inspired film came to the theaters: Pride and Prejudice. The 2005 version. Had I read the book prior, perhaps I would not have liked the movie as much. Had I known what I know now about Jane Austen’s time and her novels, perhaps I would be like many Janeites, who dislike that particular movie. Until recently, I did not understand why; however after reading this in its entirety, I can see why all the changes and creative licenses taken were not well received.

I liked that movie though, it is one of the few movies I have been able to watch more than once. (The other being Forrest Gump). I have a hard time watching a movie more than once because I have a good memory for movie dialogue and scenes, which makes it boring watching anything a second time. Anyway, it is the scene of Elizabeth going to Pemberley in this movie that inspired the soap colors (or lack thereof, if we consider that black and white are not real “colors” but rather the absence or fullness of them), I wanted to create a marble like effect to denote the luxury of Pemberley, and did the book embeds to represent Elizabeth, who loves to read; and a top hat to represent Mr. Darcy. (I was thinking of the scene in the 2005 film when he is riding his horse and meets Elizabeth and her sisters on the street, and then realizing Mr. Wickham is with them and leaving abruptly.)

Before moving on to the soap recipe and video, if you are a Jane Austen fan: I found this video about her life very interesting. Especially the shots of the places where she lived and the actual items that she owned.

Pride and Prejudice Soap

The recipe

Recipe Totals

Liquid Required	9.59 oz	271.99 g
NaOH Weight	4.73 oz	133.97 g
Oil Weight	33.58 oz	952.01 g
Fragrance Oil Weight	2.1 oz	59.5 g
Superfat		5%
Total Batch Weight	50 oz	1417.48 g
Lye Concentration		33%
Liquid : Lye Ratio		2.03 :1

Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes

Oil	%	Ounces	Grams
Tallow Beef	30	10.07	285.6
Coconut Oil, 76 deg	25	8.4	238
Olive Oil	21	7.05	199.92
Canola Oil	9	3.02	85.68
Castor Oil	8	2.69	76.16
Shea Butter	7	2.35	66.64
Total	100	33.58	952.01