These soaps have just finished curing now.  I’ve only used it for a couple of days and find the lather to be nicer than the ginger citrus bar. It is also a soft bar (due to the high amount of Castor oil and not enough fixed oils).

Cambree’s Aloe Vera & Green Tea Recipe:

10 oz Rice bran oil, 10 oz Olive oil, 8 oz Safflower oil, 4 oz Castor oil.  Distilled water 12 oz.  Sodium hydroxide 4 oz.  Plus 1 packet of green tea powder, aloe vera gel from 1 aloe leaf.

I also decided to scent with melon (honeydew) fragrance. But it is very light smell and I don’t think I used enough of it. The common rule is 1/2 oz for 1 lb batch.

The gel-like swirls is caused by the aloe vera (1 cup of aloe). The aloe I used was from a big leaf variety, not the freckled one pictured with the soaps.  But more like the one from the porch in the terra cotta pot. I have two varieties growing, the small ones that give off lots of “pups” (new shoots) and the larger variety. But both are considered to be medicinal aloe vera.

Aloe Vera has such good qualities for the skin, so it would be natural to use them in soapmaking. My mom also has a larger collection of aloe vera plants in her garden too. We use to have many little aloe “pups” but not this year. At least the leaves are fleshy this time of year.

I am thinking of freezing some aloe to make more soap. Since they will probably not look so good in the winter (much less plump). I am thinking of making a drink with aloe vera gel and honey too. Not tea, but a cooler summertime drink. I’ve realized the green or yellow sap near the leaf causes it to be bitter. So it’s best to just take out the inside gel for making drinks.