Starting with Soap - Day 10

Finished Tamanu Oil Soap

The next luxury oil that I wanted to feature is Tamanu Oil. Tamanu Oil is amazing to work with in lotions and creams. It has been used in many formulations designed to soothe and hydrate irritated skin. I am also partial to the butter pecan ice cream scent Tamanu Oil has. It has a phenomenal odor that is just scrumptious! If you haven’t tried Tamanu Oil, I highly recommend it.

Weighing Oils

In past experiments I have conducted, many naturally scented fixed oils loose their scent when converted into soap. Virgin Coconut Oil is one such oil. You can imagine my worry as I made this soap. While the butter pecan scent in not as intense as it is in the oil, it is still in the finished soap and I think it makes the soap smell wonderful and clean! Want to know the best part? No fragrance or essential oil required!

Recipe:

Weighing Oils

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. Safety first!

Waiting for materials to cool.

Allow your two mixtures to cool. I like to put away my oils and prepare my mold during this time. (Some days I might even have time to make myself a cup of tea and listen to the radio.) 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. (Your mixture will morph from the beautiful green color to this alarming brown-orange color. This is normal. The color will return to a soft green in about 12 hours.)

Mixing 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!

Ready to pour into the mold

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 that I have cut up 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 us know if you want a pack.

Finished Soap in Mold