Starting with Soap - Day 11

Finished Neem Soap

One thing I have learned by cooking for others is that we each have our own tastes and preferences. Personal care products are much the same way. What I like will be different from what you like. Many factors include humidity, body chemistry, mineral content of water and so on. Ack! How does one know what to make? Unfortunately there is only one thing you can do. Test.

Weighing Fixed Oils

We can make it much easier for you by suggest oils that we consider amazing and worth the time and effort. One such oil is Neem Oil. Now, Neem does have a pungent odor that can seem a little overwhelming but the intensity of the scent diminishes once in soap. I am very fond of how it makes my skin feel. After scrubbing my hands and arms with one of these bars, one coworker commented on how baby soft my skin was. It was amazing!

Recipe:

Weighing Neem Oil

Now to make soap. Weigh your oils into a microwave safe container. While the oils are heating in the microwave, weigh out your lye and mix with your water. Remember to add your lye to your water, not the other way around. It is best to create good habits now than to try to break bad ones later.

Ready to make soap

Allow your two mixtures to cool. I like to put away my oils and set up my mold during this period. This helps keep my counters clean and my distractions to a minimum. When your oils are around 100°F-110°F, add your lye solution to your oils. Using your immersion blender, mix your soap until you reach a light trace. Just a fair warning, during the mixing phase, the scent of the Neem Oil seems to get more intense. Not to worry. This is only temporary.

Ready to mix soap

Remember, trace doesn’t denote a viscosity, it just means that we aren’t seeing the oils float to the top and separate out. Often we pour our soap into the mold when it is the viscosity of whole milk not cooked custard. That is pretty fluid!

Mixing Soap

Allow your soap to sit in the mold undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then cut into bars and place out on a shelf where they can dry. I like to use cardboard boxes under my soap so I don’t damage my shelves. You can use your soap immediately but it will last longer if you allow it to dry completely. A great aid in determining if your soap has fully dried are our Cure Cards. The best part is you can have them included in qualifying order for free! Isn’t that awesome?

Mixed Soap

Soap in Mold