At It Again

I have been pondering soap again and perusing the world wide web for some ideas and ways to make a better product. Ever since making my first batch of goats milk soap last fall I am definitely hooked on not using any other kind of soap. My hands are thanking me, too. As much as I liked the lard based soap I really wanted to experiment with some oils and different scents to make a better bar of soap. The lard based soap has not aged well, as it forms a crystal over the whole bar during drying that is easily washed off, but not eye appealing. I used Borax for better cleaning and sudsing so I am guessing that is what is causing the crystals to form. So in my perusing I found this great soap calculator to play around with different oils. My first batch is so far mostly a success, and in 3 weeks when it has cured will really determine if the recipe is a keeper or not. At that time, if I still like it, I will do a little giveaway to get your opinion, too, lucky readers.

Lemon Poppy seed was one "flavor" I was excited to try. The poppy seeds are great exfoliates.

Being my mind has been on soap for a few months I have been noticing soap everywhere I go, and seeing some bars with flowers mixed in I knew I wanted to try some. I simply added some potpourri to a plain mold and the results are beautiful!

The honey oatmeal was also a success last time, so I made another oatmeal bar but this time with some hot apple pie scent and cinnamon. The colors are pretty, but so far the scent isn't too strong. Another great exfoliate for these farm girl hands.

Cole stayed up and helped me cut the big blocks and arrange them to dry.

I love standing back and looking at my creations:)) Beautiful if I do say so myself! The hopes are to have a stock for our home and maybe try some local farmers markets later this summer and try to sell some. We'll see how it all goes, for now I am having fun indulging in my little science experiments.