Willow Creek Pumpkin Ale Soap #2

This recipe is identical to the first Willow Creek Pumpkin Ale Soap except for the cooked pumpkin.  When I made the first batch, the addition of the pumpkin interfered with the saponification process.  I ended up rebatching it.  Since then, I've learned that rebatching is also called hand milling or French milling.  I thought I was just fixing a mess!  Ha!  Anyway, I've repeated this recipe without the pumpkin.  It still took a long time to saponify and, again, once I put the additives in the process seemed to reverse.  This time I put the blender back in and kept up the stirring.  Looked good when I poured it into the molds.


12.5 oz. Olive Oil
12.5 oz. Palm Oil
10 oz. Coconut Oil
5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

17.5 oz. Willow Creek Pumpkin Ale
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
1 Tbsp Essential Oils (Allspice, Anise, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orange, Cinnamon Leaf, Cloves)
1 Tbsp Coarse-Ground Whole Cloves
2 Tbsp Spent Grain
1 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Mr. Gibbons' Chemistry Class Soap Recipe

Ted Gibbons at John Harris High asked if I would make soap with his 3rd period Chemistry class.  The kids were great!  They were really engaged in the process and loved the chance to choose their own specialty mold for their personal bar of soap.  This is the recipe that I used with them.

11.2 oz. Olive Oil
11.2 oz. Coconut Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
1.6 oz. Cocoa Butter

12.1 oz. Water
4.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

1 Tbsp. Vitamin E Oil
1 Tbsp. Essential Oil (Allspice, Anise, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orange)


This small batch made about 12 bars of lovely white soap.

Tröegs Flying Mouflan

Flying Mouflan is ready to go!  Time to make some more beer soap.  I'll make this batch without the spent grain but with all of the wonderful essential oils that seem to be attracting people to my soaps!  I am sticking with squares for the beer soaps so I'm using the milk cartons as molds.


12.5 oz. Olive Oil
12.5 oz. Palm Oil
10 oz. Coconut Oil
5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

17.5 oz. Tröegs Flying Mouflan Beer
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

1 Tbsp Essential Oils (Lavender, Geranium, Rosewood, Ylang Ylang)
1 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil

Shampoo Bar for Light Hair (normal to oily hair)

We are enjoying our first batch of shampoo bars so I've decided to research this new product and start experimenting with various recipes for different types of hair.  This one is for normal to oily hair and uses green tea with lemon juice.

18 oz.    Twinings Green Tea with Camomile
  2 oz.    Lemon Juice
6.6 oz.   Sodium Hydroxide

16.8 oz.  Coconut Oil
 8.6 oz.   Castor Oil
 8.6 oz.   Safflower Oil
 7.2 oz.   Palm Oil
 4.3 oz.   Jojoba Oil
 2.4 oz.   Cocoa Butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. Essential Oil Breathe Green Blend (Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Laurel Leaf, Peppermint, Ginger, Eucalyptus, Ravensara, Lemon)
1 tsp.   Vitamin E Oil

I used the 3" PVC pipe as a mold for a substantial sized shampoo bar for using in the shower.  I'm excited for this new recipe and will use this basic formula for other variations next weekend!

Willow Creek Pumpkin Ale Soap

Willow Creek Brewery is our own homebrew moniker.  Tom has made four homebrews now and I used some of his latest one for this fall soap.  Pumpkin Ale, complementary essential oils, and real pumpkin make this soap a great fall choice.


12.5 oz. Olive Oil
12.5 oz. Palm Oil
10 oz. Coconut Oil
5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

17.5 oz. Willow Creek Pumpkin Ale
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

1/2 C. fresh cooked pumpkin
1 Tbsp Essential Oils (Allspice, Anise, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orange, Cinnamon Leaf, Cloves)
1 Tbsp coarse-ground Whole Cloves
2 Tbsp spent grain
1 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil
1 tsp ground Cinnamon

Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale Soap

Something old with something new.  I used my favorite goat milk recipe and made adjustments to create an autumn version.  This blend of oils is enhanced by essential oils of allspice, anise, cinnamon, patchouli and orange with actual coarse-ground whole cloves mixed with ground cinnamon and spent grain from Tom's homebrew.  Wow!

12.5 oz. Olive Oil
12.5 oz. Palm Oil
10 oz. Coconut Oil
5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

17.5 oz. Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

1 Tbsp Essential Oils (Allspice, Anise, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orange)
1 Tbsp coarse-ground whole Cloves
2 Tbsp spent grain
1 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil
1 tsp ground Cinnamon

Lavender Soap with real lavender flowers

Using water, I made a castile soap (predominately olive oil) with the following ingredients:

19.2 oz. Olive Oil
 6.7 oz. Coconut Oil
 5.1oz. Palm Oil
 1 oz. Safflower Oil (infused with Russian Sage)

 4.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
12.1 oz. Water
1/4 C. ground Lavender Flowers
1 Tbsp. E. O. (Lavender)

Additives and Infusions

Many people seem to like additives in soap so I spent some time preparing a few new ones today.

I have already used spent grain from homebrewing, ground coffee, and tea leaves.  I was fortunate to get fresh lavender from Deb Schmittel so that is now in the food dehydrator.  I will then put it through the food processor to grind it.  I bought whole cloves and coarse ground them today.  I think they will go well in a fall/spice combination.  I also have some herbs de provence to grind.

Deb also gave me some Russian Sage flowers.  I heated safflower oil in the double boiler and added the flowers.  After two hours, I strained them using cheesecloth.  The oil is quite fragrant.  Safflower Oil infused with Russian Sage will be a nice additive in a floral soap recipe.

I guess I'm now on the lookout for things to plant that I can use in soapmaking!

Wine Soap #2

Using some of Sand Castle Winery's Cuvee Blush, I made another batch of wine soap with an essential oil blend of Lavender, Geranium, Rosewood and Ylang Ylang.

11.5 oz. Olive Oil
11.5 oz. Palm Oil
11.5 oz. Coconut Oil
4.8 oz. Castor Oil
3.4 oz. Safflower Oil
2.4 oz. Grape Seed Oil
1.4 oz. Beeswax
1.4 oz. Shea Butter

18.2 oz. Sand Castle's Cuvee Blush Wine
6.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide


1 Tbsp. Essential Oils (Lavender, Geranium, Rosewood, Ylang Ylang)