Learning to Love Lavender

Okay, I have a confession to make. When I first started making my own personal care products, I did not like lavender. My exposure to lavender was fairly limited as a child and it smell medicinal and like old grandmas to me. This was long before that I learned that lavender can smell widely different just based on the location it is grown, the growing conditions and even how it is harvested. I was surprised as I gained more familiarity with lavender.

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes with lavender that will have even non-lavender fans asking for a bar! How do I manage that you ask? Just add our Chai Latte Essential Oil blend. The result is an intriguing scent that keeps people coming back to pick up the bar and give it a good sniff! Now before you say that lavender and spice just don’t mix well, I implore you to try this just once. I think you will be surprised with how much you like it.

Ready to give it a try? Let’s get started!

Collect needed items:

Recipe:

Finished 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. Safety first!

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. I also measure out my essential oils and color during this time. When your oils are around 100°F-110°F, add your lye solution to your oils. (Using these lower temperatures results in a smoother textured soap.) Using your immersion blender, mix your soap until you reach a light trace.

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 or pudding. That is pretty fluid! This fluidity is desired, particularly when making those beautiful swirls. Check out this post to see a great example of swirls achieved by a very fluid soap.

Mixing Lye Solution

Once your soap has reached trace, add the essential oils and the lavender fields color. If you add the color at this point, it is imperative that it is premixed so you don’t get clumps of unmixed color in your finished soap. If you don’t want to premix your colors, add the powder to your warm oils and blend well. Allow it to sit during the cooling process before adding your lye.

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! Let our order desk know if you want a pack. I highly recommend them.

Enjoy your lovely soap!

Adding Lye Solution to Oils

Mixing Soap

Mixing Soap

Adding Essential Oil Blend at Trace

Mixing Color into Soap

Mixing Soap

Pouring Soap into Mold. See how fluid it is?