Caramel Apple Cold Process Soap

I remember being a teen and having braces. While they were uncomfortable to wear, I remember helping my mom make batches of soft, melt-in-your-mouth caramel that I could eat without damaging my braces. One time, we made a mistake and ended up with a fantastic caramel sauce that was delicious drizzled over apple slices. We still make the caramel sauce to this day and it is always enjoyed!

The release of our new Green Apple and Caramel Toffee flavors had me thinking about the caramels that we used to make and how I loved to pair the caramel sauce with apples. Since I’ve made a Caramel Apple Lip balm, I have to make a soap that is complementary. Come with me and we’ll make a great batch of Caramel Apple Soap!

Adding the Sodium Hydroxide to the water.

Melted oils, premixed lye solution and fragrance blend.

Ingredients Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Coconut Oil Olive Oil Shea Butter Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Water Enchanted Apple Fragrance Oil Frosted Cupcakes Fragrance Oil

Equipment Scale Microwave Safe Container Spoons Pipettes Immersion Blender Soap Mold

Mixing the the oils and lye solution together.

Ready to pour the raw soap into the mold.

Recipe:

Recipe in Grams 170 grams Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 142 grams Coconut Oil 113 grams Olive Oil 29 grams Shea Butter 64 grams Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 177 mL Water 6.8 grams Enchanted Apple Fragrance Oil 4.5 grams Frosted Cupcakes Fragrance Oil

Recipe in Ounces 6 oz Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 5 oz Coconut Oil 4 oz Olive Oil 1 oz Shea Butter 2.26 oz Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 6 fl oz Water 0.24 oz Enchanted Apple Fragrance Oil 0.16 oz Frosted Cupcakes Fragrance Oil

Recipe in Percentages 37.5% Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 31.25% Coconut Oil 25% Olive Oil 6.25% Shea Butter Q.S. Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Q.S. Water Q.S. Enchanted Apple Fragrance Oil Q.S. Frosted Cupcakes Fragrance Oil

Soap after 24 hours and ready to cut.

Finished bars of soap after being cut.

I began by weighing my Sodium Hydroxide and water separately. I slowly added the lye to the container of water. DO NOT add water to your container of lye.

Next, I started by weighing the oils into a microwave safe container. Then I placed into the microwave and gently heated. Once my lye solution and oils were within an ideal temperature range*, I slowly poured the lye solution into the oils. I used an immersion blender to mix the oils and lye solution together until I reached light trace when I added the fragrance blend. After adding the fragrance, I used the blender to ensure the fragrance was completely mixed into the raw soap. I poured the soap into the mold and allowed the soap to sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

I came back after 24 hours and cut the soap into bars. Then I placed the cut bars of soap on a piece of cardboard and arranged them to allow for good air flow between bars. I placed the bars on my curing shelf and made a note of their starting weight. As the curing process is the time that allows for any excess water to evaporate, soap cures fairly quickly in our dry climate.

Fragrance Blend Notes: The finished soap smells like caramel with a touch of apple, just as I wanted. I had been concerned that there was too much apple scent, but it was perfect! According to the Fragrance Calculator, the maximum recommended usage rate for each fragrance component was 2.5%. This became the percentage of the fragrance blend that I used in the batch of soap. This is a strongly scented soap. The finished soap has minimal tan discoloration and the final bar had a nice creamy color. Easily colored or left alone! I did not experience any problems after adding the fragrance to the raw soap. This does not preclude testing that is done with your recipe and unique ingredients.

*Temperature Note: For most soaps, you will want to mix your oils and lye solution when both are somewhere between 110°F to 130°F. In the winter when your soaping area is cooler, you will want to soap at higher temperatures. In the summer when your soaping area is warmer, you will want to soap at cooler temperatures. This particular batch had temperatures around 120°F.

I had so much fun making this soap! What do you think? Would you want to try this soap?