My latest batch of handmade soaps include many natural ingredients.
The first bar is my favorite, made with Sea Buckthorn oil. The oil of this berry is full of vitamins A (derived from -carotene), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (-tocopherol). So a perfect ingredient for soaps and skin creams.
There’s also turmeric powder in this batch too. Turmeric is commonly used for natural skincare in parts of Asia. Many of it’s benefits include getting rid of blemishes to dark spots.
Turmeric root is anti-bacterial and has been used in herbal medicine to treat skin infections and burns.
When using turmeric powder you have to be careful not to stain your clothing. As it’s very yellow and won’t come off easily. So adding some of the turmeric root powder to this batch of soap is a better idea.
For a natural scent, I’ve added grapefruit essential oil. It has a light and uplifting scent to it.
The soaps are still curing in my crate. So it won’t be ready to use for another three to four weeks. I put the soap crate on the top shelf of the coat closet. Allowing it to cure in peace. It makes the closet smell very nice too.
This is a special request exfoliating soap. It’s made with poppy seeds, colloidal oatmeal and scented with peppermint essential oils.
1:29 pm on April 16th, 2012
They look beautiful! I love using all-natural soaps, they are so good for your body.
10:46 pm on April 17th, 2012
Thank you.
I agree these soaps are good for the body & environment too. All bio-degradable stuff.
6:00 am on April 22nd, 2012
Hi CN,
Do you know anything about the ‘Bamboo active carbon fine quality soap’ from http://www.borimkorea.com? Was just wondering. Figure I ask the soap making expert. Thanks.
9:36 pm on April 23rd, 2012
Hi PaNoy,
Nice to see you around.
No I haven’t heard about this company from Korea. It looks pretty neat. Seems charcoal products are very popular in Japan and Korea. They are raving about the detox factor.
I’ve got a few bars of charcoal soap from Japan that my brother loves. He actually prefers it over my handmade version. I just don’t like the scent and not as moisturizing as my handmade version. Anyway this reminds me to make more charcoal soap, especially since I’ve got loads of rosemary to add to it.
11:36 am on April 25th, 2012
Hi CN,
Was wondering if you had done a post on step-by-step soap making process, with recipe & pictures. What fragrance to add, when to add, combination(s), how long it takes, & what to expect…from start to finish. I’m curious to see how you make your elegant soap. I look forward to reading this post. But take your time…and lots of pictures. Thanks:))
10:27 pm on April 29th, 2012
Hi PaNoy,
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve been wanting to make such a post. I am actually working on a recipe that doesn’t require Palm Oil since the harvesting of palm is harmful to orangutan’s natural habitat (Indonesia). Although there are some sustainable (grown in Latin America) palm oil as well.
When I get the chance I will make a post on palm free soap. So stay tuned.