Lavender & Chamomile Soap

This is the last of Deb Schmittel's lavender flowers from her garden.  I also finished up the olive oil that was infused with Deb's Russian Sage.  The addition of the chamomile flowers just makes this a wonderful remembrance of last summer's flower garden.  This soap set up well and is a beautiful creamy color in the mold.  I poured the extra into the rabbit molds so there are also 6 bunnies in this batch!

18 oz.  Olive Oil (some infused with Russian Sage!)
18 oz.  Coconut Oil
18 oz.  Palm Oil
6.3 oz. Castor Oil
3.8 oz. Safflower Oil

24 oz.  Water
  9 oz.  Sodium Hydroxide

 2 oz. Lavender Essential Oil
  .5 oz. Vitamin E Oil
1/4 C. Dried Lavender Flowers
1/4 C. Dried Chamomile Flowers

Honey Oatmeal Goat Milk Soap

My notes on this recipe indicate that I started making this one in May of 2000.  It's called Rhonda's Goat Milk Recipe and the comments say that it "works every time!"  I believe it.  I've never had this one NOT turn out great.  Now that I have a big pot, I made the full version instead of the half recipe and I also added a new scent.  With the combination of honey, cinnamon and apples with the oatmeal, it smells like breakfast!

42 oz. Olive Oil
28 oz. Coconut Oil
18 oz. Palm Oil

12.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
33 oz. Goat Milk

1 C. Ground Oatmeal
4 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
Vitamin E Oil
Apple Jack Fragrance Oil Blend (from Brambleberry)

Hops & Honey Beer Soap

I wanted to experiment with adding real hops to my soap so I used some Coors Light for this project.  I added dried, ground hops and honey with the Spicy Citrus essential oil blend.  For added interest, I lined the mold with bubble wrap, giving the exterior of the soap a "honeycomb" appearance.  It's awesome!

17.5 oz Coors Light Beer
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

17.5 oz. Olive Oil
12.5 oz. Palm Oil
10 oz. Coconut Oil

Honey
Hops
Vitamin E Oil
Essential Oil (Lemon, Lime, Ginger)

Comfrey & Tea Tree Loofah - 6 lbs.

I got a new pot for Christmas!  Now I can make larger batches of soap.  So tonight I'm making my popular Loofah soap.  I'm using the recipe I call my "butter blend" because of the cocoa butter and shea butter ingredients.  I'm adding ground comfrey leaves for a minty green natural colorant along with an essential oil blend that includes tea tree for it's anti-bacterial property.

27 oz. Olive Oil
27 oz. Palm Oil
27 oz. Coconut Oil
7.5 oz. Castor Oil
4.8 oz. Safflower Oil
1.8 oz. Shea Butter
.9 oz. Cocoa Butter

36 oz. Water
13.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

Comfrey Leaves (dried and powdered)
Vitamin E Oil
Essential Oils (tea tree, fir needle, lavender)

Mad Elf & JavaHead Soaps

Wow!  The soap is really selling at Troegs Brewery.  Made two more batches since Christmas just trying to keep up.  Mad Elf - 4 pounds - 3" rounds.  JavaHead - 3 pounds - rectangle mold.  I need to buy more beer!

Kitchen Coffee Soap

I made another batch of this popular soap.  Three pounds filled the wood mold and nearly filled one of the 2" PVC pipes.  I used the sample bottle of Christmas Spice from Brambleberry and enhanced it with Fir Needle.

Setting the timer for 30 minutes was perfect to come back and add a swirl to the surface.

Great soap.

Epiphany Soap

I ordered a sample kit of essential and fragrance oils that reflect the Christmas season.  I've been using them in small batches of soap or in combination with other oils.  However, I've been anxious to use the Frankincense & Myrrh oils and finally made that soap today.  This formula uses both cocoa butter and shea butter for a rich, luxurious soap that seems to pair well with the essential oils that were brought by the Wise Men.


 9 oz.  Olive Oil
  9 oz.  Coconut Oil
  9 oz.  Palm Oil
2.6 oz. Castor Oil
1.6 oz. Safflower Oil
  .6 oz. Shea Butter
  .3 oz. Cocoa Butter

12 oz.  Water
4.5 oz.  Sodium Hydroxide

  1 oz.  Essential Oil (Frankincense and Myrrh)
   .5 oz. Vitamin E Oil

Peppermint Tea Soap

Triple Peppermint!  Starting with Peppermint Tea, I added peppermint essential oil for fragrance and also real peppermint leaves as an additive for this festive holiday soap.  I used the soap calculator to make a 3 pound formula for my wooden loaf mold.  Smells like a candy cane!

13.4 oz Olive Oil (infused with peppermint) (28%)
13.4 oz. Palm Oil (28%)
13.4 oz. Coconut Oil (28%)
4.3 oz. Castor Oil (9%)
2.0 oz. Safflower Oil (4%)
1.0 oz. Cocoa Butter (2%)
0.5 oz. Shea Butter (1%)

18.2 oz. Peppermint Tea
6.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

1.5 oz. Peppermint Essential Oil
1/4 C. Peppermint Leaves

Mad Elf & JavaHead Soaps

Tröegs is selling my soaps faster than I can make them!  I dropped off 50 bars on Friday afternoon so I made more Mad Elf and JavaHead today.  It's working out well to make 4 pounds of Mad Elf and 3 pound of JavaHead.  That's the quantity that fits well into the molds that I use.

Same formula!  Of course, now I'm nearly out of Palm Oil and Coconut Oil so I might need to run to Lancaster County for oils this week.

Holiday Goat Milk Soap

The Arts Barn in Schuylkill County is interested in my soaps!  I'm taking 30 bars there tomorrow.  I sold 20 today and have already sold 160 to Troegs.  This little project is working quite well.  Time to make more of my basic goat milk recipe.  I've added a holiday twist!


Goat Milk Soap

25 oz. Olive Oil
25 oz. Palm Oil
20 oz. Coconut Oil
5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
5 oz. Avocado Oil


35 oz. Goat Milk
11 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

2 T. Essential Oil (Pine Needle)
1 T. Vitamin E Oil

Samuel Adams Beer Soap

Sam Adams East West Kolsh is what's on tap so that's today's beer soap base.  Using the popular Pumpkin Ale Soap recipe, I have full sized bars in the mold with just enough time to have them ready as Christmas gifts.


3 pound recipe.




18.2 oz. Sam Adams beer
 6.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

15.4 oz. Olive Oil
15.4 oz. Palm Oil
12.0 oz. Coconut Oil
 5.2 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

1.5 oz. Essential Oils (Spicy Blend: Allspice, Anise, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orange, Cinnamon Leaf)
1/3 C. Spent Grain
2 Tbsp. Ground Cloves

Comfrey Loofah - 4 lbs.

Only three little chunks left of this popular soap so I'm doubling the recipe and making many more.  Tom says that the pieces are too small so I'm cutting the loofah into larger pieces and the price will now be $5.  I'm sure they'll sell quickly.

18 oz.  Olive Oil
18 oz.  Coconut Oil
18 oz.  Palm Oil
5.2 oz. Castor Oil
3.2 oz. Safflower Oil
1.2 oz. Shea Butter
 .6 oz. Cocoa Butter

24 oz.  Water
9 oz.  Sodium Hydroxide

2 oz.  Essential Oil (Fir Needle)
 .5 oz. Vitamin E Oil
1/3  C.  Dried Comfrey Leaves (ground finely)

JavaHead Soap - 3 pounds

The wood block mold that Tom made for me is designed to hold 3 pounds of soap that create nice rectangular bars.  Since JavaHead Soap will be one of my regular bars for Tröegs, I'm reformulating that recipe to also fit into the mold I'm using.


18.2 oz. JavaHead beer
 6.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide


15.4 oz. Olive Oil
15.4 oz. Palm Oil
12.0 oz. Coconut Oil
 5.2 oz. Sweet Almond Oil


1.5 oz. Essential Oils (Spicy Blend: Allspice, Anise, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Orange)
1/4 C. Coffee Beans (finely ground)

Mad Elf - 4 pounds

My Mad Elf Soap is very popular this holiday season.  Tröegs is drawing large crowds to their new location in Hershey and the soap has become quite a popular gift item.  I've been making a 3 pound batch but have used the soap calculator to reformulate it for a 4 pound batch as that's what my mixing bowl can hold and also what my molds will hold.  However, we are nearing the end of Mad Elf season so these last few batches will be the end until next year!


24.3 oz. Tröegs Mad Elf Beer
 8.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

20.5 oz. Olive Oil
20.5 oz. Palm Oil
18.5 oz. Coconut Oil
 4.5 oz. Jojoba Oil


2 oz. Essential Oils (Christmas Forest blend)
1/2 C. Spent Grain

Comfrey Loofah Soap

The loofah idea is quite a hit.  I've decided to use the butter blend formula but add powdered comfrey from our garden.  What a lovely shade of minty green!


  9 oz.  Olive Oil
  9 oz.  Coconut Oil
  9 oz.  Palm Oil
2.6 oz. Castor Oil
1.6 oz. Safflower Oil
  .6 oz. Shea Butter
  .3 oz. Cocoa Butter

12 oz.  Water
4.5 oz.  Sodium Hydroxide

  1 oz.  Essential Oil (Tea Tree, Sweet Basil, Laurel Leaf, Peppermint, Rosemary, Ginger, Eucalyptus, Ravensara, Lemon)
   .5 oz. Vitamin E Oil
1/4  C.  Dried Comfrey Leaves (ground finely)