Coffee soap made with strong fresh brewed coffee and coffee grounds for exfoliation.
Making soap is a precise art. One slip in weighing and the whole batch could be ruined. Or an ingredient that is not soap worthy, such as a scent, can cause separation. But all is not lost. The ingredients to make soap are expensive. Essential oils and exotic oils and butters cost too much to be tossed. There are two techniques that can save a botched batch most of the time. One is to melt the soap over a double boiler, then cook it until it is thick like mashed potatoes and stuff it into the molds. The second is to mill it. That means adding water to the soap and delicate fragrances that are usually lost with the saponification process. Since the soap has already gone through the chemical process and the lye is changed, milled soap can be more delightful than cold process, which must go through a curing stage so the lye is processed.
Milling soap can be done by grating the soap, or breaking it into pieces, adding a little water and melting it together. The mixture will go through the gel stage a second time, thicken like pudding and can be poured into molds. It is softer when it is first released and must cure for several weeks, 2 for sure, so it can harden. French milled soap is made with olive and coconut oils usually, or just olive and grated after curing then melted with a little water and fine ingredients, set to mold and set to cure again. The result is a gentler longer lasting harder bar. It is double the work and costs more to buy. The rose soaps are usually milled because of the expense of rose oil. In milled soap, a much smaller quantity is necessary and the true essence is not lost.
These soaps are milled. The spotted one is a coffee soap designed to help remove odors from the hands. It is especially good for garlic and onion oils on the hands and for fishermen who want to take the human scent from their hands before baiting the hook. The molded soaps are a vanilla based super mild recipe. Vanilla is especially unstable in soap, but in milled soap, it does last longer. Most soap that actually smells strongly is made with artificial fragrances, not natural essential oils, which are much subtler, except Ylang Ylang and Patchouli. Most citrus oils are lost in soap, as is vanilla and floral scents, except lavender.
The soap will be for sale at the Farmer's Market in St. Paul on Tuesday June 4 and every Tuesday thereafter until the fall. The hours of the Centennial Market are 2:30 to 5:30 and an occasional Saturday crafts market will be held this year too. The location is the Giant Tiger/Liquidation World mall, that was the old Co op mall. See you there!
Milling soap can be done by grating the soap, or breaking it into pieces, adding a little water and melting it together. The mixture will go through the gel stage a second time, thicken like pudding and can be poured into molds. It is softer when it is first released and must cure for several weeks, 2 for sure, so it can harden. French milled soap is made with olive and coconut oils usually, or just olive and grated after curing then melted with a little water and fine ingredients, set to mold and set to cure again. The result is a gentler longer lasting harder bar. It is double the work and costs more to buy. The rose soaps are usually milled because of the expense of rose oil. In milled soap, a much smaller quantity is necessary and the true essence is not lost.
These soaps are milled. The spotted one is a coffee soap designed to help remove odors from the hands. It is especially good for garlic and onion oils on the hands and for fishermen who want to take the human scent from their hands before baiting the hook. The molded soaps are a vanilla based super mild recipe. Vanilla is especially unstable in soap, but in milled soap, it does last longer. Most soap that actually smells strongly is made with artificial fragrances, not natural essential oils, which are much subtler, except Ylang Ylang and Patchouli. Most citrus oils are lost in soap, as is vanilla and floral scents, except lavender.
The soap will be for sale at the Farmer's Market in St. Paul on Tuesday June 4 and every Tuesday thereafter until the fall. The hours of the Centennial Market are 2:30 to 5:30 and an occasional Saturday crafts market will be held this year too. The location is the Giant Tiger/Liquidation World mall, that was the old Co op mall. See you there!
Coffee soap "muffins" and Vanilla stable soap
Molded bars of super luscious gentle Vanilla soap.
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