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A blend that smells sexy! Directed to the tastes of a man, but women love it too.
Yield: 12 5-ounce bars of soap
Prep Time: 1 hour
Price Category: 3
Difficulty Level: 2
Shelf Life: Indefinite
Ingredients:
16 ounces unrefined help oil
16 ounces virgin coconut oil
6 ounces palm kernel oil
8 ounces unrefined shea butter
5 ounces plantain infused olive oil
4 tablespoon green clay
190 grams sodium hydroxide (lye)
520 grams lavender hydrosol
4 tablespoons palmarosa essential oil
2 tablespoons juniperberry essential oil
1 tablespoon vetiver essential oil
1tablespoon cedarwood essential oil Blending Procedure: - Add sodium hydroxide to cool lavender infusion. Set aside to cool to 110 degrees. This is your lye solution.
- As long as you do not come into contact with lye or lye solution, you may remove your protective gear until Step 5. Measure out the coconut oil, palm kernel oil and shea butter. Those oils that are solid at room temperature (such as coconut oil, lard, shea butter, cocoa butter, etc.) will need to be liquefied. Measure the appropriate amount of each oil into your soap pot and place the pot over a low flame to warm and melt the solid oils. After the oils have liquefied, remove them from the heat source and stir gently to ensure they are thoroughly mixed. Add the hemp oil and plantain oil and stir to combine. Set aside to cool to 100 degrees.
- While you are waiting for the oils and lye solution to cool, you can prepare your molds. You can use almost anything plastic or wooden for a soap mold. You can use a shoe or envelope box, but a thick wooden box is best because it insulates better than a thin cardboard box. You can also use Rubbermaid or Tupperware containers, plastic drawer utensil holders, plastic candy molds, Solo cups and plastic molds designed especially for soap making. If you use a plastic mold, you need not grease or line the mold. If you use a wooden or cardboard mold, you will need to line it with plastic.
- When both the lye solution and the oil mixture are at 110 degrees, wearing your rubber gloves and eye goggles, add the lye solution to the oils. Whatever you are using for your soap pot, you will want to secure it so it will remain steady. Carefully pour a slow and steady stream of lye solution into the oil mixture, stirring constantly. If you are using an electric mixer, be sure to do so on a very slow speed so you minimize any splashing. Be sure your work area is covered and protected. As you pour and stir, you will see the mixture begin to lighten in color and become opaque as the ingredients are incorporated. This is the beginning of the saponification process. When the mixture has reached the proper consistency ~ that is, when it has reached trace stage ~ add the clay and essential oils. A trace has been achieved when, as you drop a spoonful of your soap mixture across the surface, it leaves a readily apparent line before disappearing back into the soap mixture. The time needed to reach trace stage may vary depending on the oils used, the temperature in the room and other unidentifiable variables. It usually takes from 15 minutes to an hour to obtain a good trace.
- Set your spoon or mixing apparatus aside and pour your soap mixture into the prepared mold(s). Scrape the soap from the pot using the spatula. Cover the mold completely with a lid of some sort (cardboard or other heavy paper will do), and completely cover the top and sides of your mold with your towel to insulate your soap. A sudden drop in temperature at this time could inhibit saponification so you will want to make sure to cover the mold completely. Leave the soap along for at least 48 hours, and try not to peak to allow the temperature to drop slowly.
- Clean the soap pot and all utensils immediately before the soap hardens. Clean up all items that came into contact with lye solution and raw soap by washing them well with hot water and detergent. This includes counter tops, utensils and the floor. Set aside your utensils and use them for soap making only. Take up the newspaper carefully, ensuring that all spills are disposed of. After at least 48 hours, remove the coverings from the soap mold. You should now have a beautiful block of soap, firm and fresh. Allow it to sit uncovered for another day or so before removing it from the mold If your mold is a plastic-lined box, remove the soap by lifting the plastic from the box, and gently peel the plastic away from the soap. If your mold is a plastic container of some sort, you may have to place it in the freezer for a period of time in order to loosen the soap from the sides of the mold. The freezing process will cause the soap to pull away a bit from the sides of the mold. It can then easily be removed. The freezing process does not hurt the soap, but you should avoid leaving your soap in the freezer for a long time. Thirty minutes at the most should be sufficient. If after a few days, your creation has not hardened enough to remove from the mold, leave it alone for another day or so and check it again. If after 3 or 4 days, your soap remains a soft and greasy mass, it has probably separated into two layers. This probably means that the fast and lye solution were too cool to support the saponification process when they were originally mixed together. Allow your soap to cure for 2-3 weeks before using it in order to ensure that all free lye has been fully absorbed by the oils in the soap. After 2 or 3 weeks, wrap your soap in white tissue paper, fabric, wax paper, glassine wrap, or anything you please that you find attractive. You can label it if you like, tie raffia around it gift style, or add beads or bows for a decorative touch.
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