To continue with my latest hot process soap post, I used an empty juice container for my soap mold. Now I have little bars cut out of my hot process soaps. I imprinted them lightly with a leaf, it’s suppose to be an “olive leaf”. I call this my “Olive Leaf Luxury” bar since I used a combination of 5 very moisturizing vegetable oils (and no palm oil). I am trying to experiment without palm oil and see how the bars hold up. The basic recipe usually calls for 3 combination of oils. This bar also has goat milk powder and olive leaf extract.
Total amount of oils is 32 oz for my 4 quart crock pot. This was recommended as you do not want it to boil over if it’s too much for the pot. Or burn the pot if the batch is too small. I cooked my soap in the crock pot for 1 hr. You can tell it’s ready when it starts to look like Vaseline. Take a tiny bit between your fingers and rub it together, if it’s grainy then it’s not done cooking. But if it’s smooth, then you are finish. Start washing you hands and you will find tiny little bubbles.
Healthy looking green olives are used to make olive oil and the leaves have many health benefits. Photo by Gaia Herbs.
This bar has a very silky lather with lots of bubbles and slightly nutty aroma, plus my hint of peppermint essential oil. It’s still very soft now, but it should harden up by a week.
Percentage used:
Avocado Oil 15.38
Grapeseed Oil 15.38
Rice Bran Oil 23.08
Soybean Oil 30.77
Sunflower Oil 15.38
Sorry I won’t be adding any instructions here as I think there are many resources available in print and online. Some great soapmaking books are listed under my Resources page. Great pictures and tutorial from Zen Soaps here. Thanks.
Olive Leaf Luxury Hot Process Soap Recipe by Cambree:
6 oz Olive oil - Olive Oil prevents the loss of your skin’s natural moisture, softens skin and attracts external moisture to your skin.
6 Rice Bran oil - Give very silky feel to the lather. Natural Vitamin E.
8 oz Soybean oil - Add hardness to bar.
4 oz Sunflower oil - Natural Vitamin E.
4 oz Avocado oil - Natural vitamins A, D, and E. Healing and moisturizing.
4 oz Grape seed oil - Good for treating acne and other skin problems. Very moisturizing as well.
Additives: 2 capsules of Olive Leaf Extract, 2 teaspoon of Goat Milk Powder. Add this after the cooking is done. Mix the powders with a little bit of water or oil.
11.5 oz Distilled water and 4.10 oz of lye. Remember to add the lye to the water and stand free and clear of the toxic fumes. Lye water is caustic and extremely dangerous! It’s best to do this outdoor. Also wear gloves and goggles for safety reasons.
Update: Handmade soaps are suppose to get harder over time (as it dries out). This soap is very much on the soft side, it almost gets sticky when you get towards the middle of it. But once I remove it from the bathroom (less humidity) and let in dry out on it’s own, the bar is back to normal again.
Based on my soap research, I found out that it’s best to use at least 40% hard oil. This recipe was all liquid vegetable oils. I think it’s best to add some coconut or palm oil next time.
Updated 8/6/09: It’s 6 months later and this bar is still very soft after it’s wet. I don’t like this recipe. Nothing wrong with the soaps ability to leaving my skin nice and soft. But the fact that it gets gooey is a big turn off. I am almost embarrassed about giving them away now. Sorry folks! A better bar next time.
I am beginning to think HOT process is not my kind of soaping!
6:05 pm on February 24th, 2009
Thank you!
1:58 am on February 27th, 2009
Where do you buy your ingredients to make your soap? I didn’t realize that there are so many types of oil that go into a soap bar.
I’m still on the first small sample bar that you gave me, I like the texture of it, it’s very rich.
3:25 am on February 28th, 2009
Hi Gina,
I get the basic vegetable oils at the grocery store. But the difficult to find oils I get online at Majestic Mountain Sage. They have many selections but the shipping is expensive. But I don’t order too often.
I’m glad you like the sample bars. I have 3 different bars in my soap dish now. Too much really!
3:06 am on March 3rd, 2009
Do you use all 3 at the same time? I was afraid to try more than 1 at a time.
One thing that I noticed right away about your handmade soap is that it removed the makeup a lot better than my dove and leaving my skin a lot cleaner.
10:49 pm on March 3rd, 2009
I have used several different soaps at once to test the levels of lather (bubbles). But I usually alternative between soaps to test which ones my skin like best. Before it was the rice bran bar, but now it’s this olive leaf bar. Btw, remember to let all the handmade soap dry after use so it will last longer and not turn mushy!
2:29 pm on March 5th, 2009
I’ve my bar in a glass soap dish, so it stays dried most of the time. I like to try your the Tamarind & Aloe Vera Gel handmade bar, I might try this tonight. My sister uses the Tamarind to clean her body, I thought it was kind of odd, but she said that it leaves her skin very clean, but she washes off with soap afterward, I think it would be better if she were to use the tamarind soap bar instead.
6:23 pm on March 5th, 2009
When I got home, it’s the Tamarind & Aloe Vera Gel that I’ve been using, somehow I thought I started with the Rice Bran & Rice Bran Powder handmade soap first. So, now I decided to try the Ginger & Cranberry bar, so far it feels very good.
10:56 pm on March 5th, 2009
Yes, it’s easy to get confused. I have to label them and keep it together. I think the rice bran is darker in color. The tamarind bar has sprinkles of tamarind powder too. Let me know how it goes for you. Any feedback is good for me - the good & bad stuff I really like to know. Thanks.
Your sister’s idea for a tamarind body scrub is neat. I used to make a face mask with tamarind, but it got so messy! My mom said she grew up washing her hair with kaffir lime skin & leaves. It helps keep hair shiny and healthy. I may want to try making a bar with kaffir leaves, since we have some leaves growing now. Too much ideas, too little time!
11:20 pm on March 21st, 2009
[...] to scrub gently then leave on my face as a mask. It’s not so messy. And then wash off with my Olive Leaf Luxury Handmade Soap. This way it’s less drying then just washing with regular soap. The face scrub really does [...]
12:17 am on May 1st, 2009
[...] Handmade Olive Leaf Luxury Bar (made with goat milk powder). [...]
5:58 am on May 12th, 2010
I agree olive oil is one the best moisturizers for dry skin!