Heritage Soap Kitchen

I recently remade my Orange & Pink Grapefruit soap but wanted to change up the design. I increased the fragrance so it's really citrusy which I personally love and while the colours are the same, I intensified them a bit. The first soap design is called a 'drop swirl' - the colour is just dropped from a high position so it drops down into the plain batter. The second is called a 'one pot wonder' where all colours are added to the same pot one at a time and when poured make the feathery wave pattern.
Which one do you like best?

It's been a minute since I've posted anything on this page but I've got a couple new soaps for your enjoyment! 😁
The first I'm calling 'Spiced Amber'... this was meant to be a men's soap - scented with Ambered To***co Leaf but I think women who prefer more earthy scents would really like it.
The second soap is called 'Into The Vortex' - this is a masculine looking soap that is scented with Bamboo & Teak with a little Sanddalwood thrown in. Again, quite earth but very nice. Hope you like them!

Lesson for today - Soap when first made can be somewhat caustic, especially on sensitive skin! Not because of the lye as the process of 'saponification' eats up all the lye but like good wine, soap needs to age or 'cure' over time. The curing is really the process of water evaporation which makes the bar harder and once the weight of the bar stablizes, it is ready to use and depending on the recipe, that usually takes 4 to 6 weeks.
BUT even after that, more time sitting on the shelf will only improve soap further as it mellows... the soap will get harder increasing longevity, it becomes more gentle with better and more lathering and bubble capacity.
I just had a customer who tried a 'new' bar from her batch and said it was the best one yet! Turned out it was the 2nd batch I made last May!
There is no expiration on soap!
With this in mind, I wanted to feature the Lemon Barleygrass soap which was made last September. I just started using it this week and it's really a nice bar of soap. A bit of a misnomer since I forgot to add the Lemon scent 🙄 but a lovely bar none the less.
This was another one of those bars that did not attract much attention so it has been reduced to $5 - a great price for a great bar of soap! It's an all natural bar that's made with Activated Charcoal and Barleygrass powder for the colorants.

HELLO APRIL! -

HELLO APRIL!

"While the beauty may be in the butterfly, the growth happens in the cocoon." -Jim Kwik

Today I wanted to feature my 'Buried Treasure' soap. This soap is made with activated charcoal and has 'chunks' of Carrot Turmeric inside. This soap didn't get much notice by customers but I recently took one off my shelf to use for the first time and I was really quite surprised! The soap lathers up nicely and really left my skin feeling soft and smooth! Activated charcoal is a great cleanser - it unclogs pores, removes deeper impurities, and dead skin cells. But it isn't drying nor does it strip the skin of any beneficial properties. It's true that activated charcoal produces a 'gray' lather but I have to say it was minimal and any residue is easily washes away and does not stain permanently. This is my new favorite!

Why do I use 'LARD' in my soap?
When it comes to cellular makeup, pig fat (lard) is incredibly close to human skin. It has a similar pH and is made up of saturated and monounsaturated fats. One fact that skin-care experts know: Oil dissolves oil. Since lard is so similar to our own skin oils, it's a match made in heaven. As a cleaner, lard is a gentle and natural way to rid you face of that nasty sebum buildup and the daily dirt in your pores.
If that isn't enough, soap made with lard produces a hard bar that is creamy and lathers nicely making for a luxurious experience.

HAPPY ST PADDY'S DAY -

HAPPY ST PADDY'S DAY

I've been incognito the past little while as I work on a new software package to help organize this little business! Almost done but thought I'd take a break and show off the new soap I did a week ago specifically for Mother's Day. This is a soap with no colour added but is filled with shredded pink 'confetti' soap. The top is made with soap curls from a previous soap. I'm calling this Mom's Rose Garden and you guessed it - it's scented with a fragrance oil called Rose Garden. Rose scent is like Lavender - you either love it or not - this one is really fragrant and really does smell like you're in the middle of a rose garden.

Here is the cut of my newest soap. I'm quite happy with the colour and the design which I think is the best I've done. I'm calling this Easter Surprise. They've yet to be cleaned up and staged.

I've had a taxing past few days - literally with taxes & accounting (groan) 🙄 but today got back to what I love to do - make soap!
Here's a sneak peak of an Easter-themed (coloured anyway) soap. Scented with a blend of Cool Citrus Basil & Lemon fragrance oil. I'm hopeful - the colours look like I hoped and I'm optimistic about the design.