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Brazilian Triple Butter Soap Recipe for Dry Skin & Eczema

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September 16, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This post is sponsored by Soap Bar Lounge. All opinions are my own.

Create the perfect pairing for seasonal gift giving by combining a bar of homemade soap with a soap dish from Soap Bar Lounge! Keep reading to learn how to craft your own skin conditioning triple butter soap recipe. Plus discover what makes Soap Bar Lounge ceramic soap dishes the best option for your homemade soaps!

Regardless of the season, if you have dry skin, then you probably avoid using products that irritate your condition. For me, that means using a homemade soap bar in the shower. I also keep homemade soaps by the sink, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, where they get used most often. Not only is washing my hands important for sanitary reasons (no one wants to accidentally ingest salmonella) but it can also prevent the spread of cold and flu germs.

Of course, washing your hands on a regular basis can leave them feeling tight and dry – especially as cold weather hits. So I formulated a Brazilian triple butter soap recipe to counteract the drying effects of hand washing. It’s also great as we move into the cold, dry air that’s common throughout fall and winter.

To help my homemade soap bars last longer, I’ve started using soap dishes from Soap Bar Lounge. As you may know, when homemade soaps sit in a pool of water, or are unable to dry out between uses, they can become soft and mushy. When this happens, soap starts to disappear a lot faster with each use. The soap dishes from Soap Bar Lounge, however, prevent this from happening.

Their patented soap dish design allows for air flow around your homemade soaps as well as a way for your soap to drain. Even better, because there are no holes in the bottom of these dishes, you don’t have to worry about water draining onto your clean countertop. As a result, your soaps not only last longer, your countertop stays clean!

I really love that Soap Bar Lounge soap dishes are made right here in the USA using high quality, glazed ceramic. This means they not only look great, but they’re also easy to clean. The modern design and range of colors ensures that your new soap dish not only functions as intended, but it also looks great wherever you decide to use it. The colors are also easy to incorporate into your seasonal or holiday decor.

For seasonal gift giving, simply pair a Soap Bar Lounge soap dish with a bar of homemade soap. This creates a simple, yet beautiful gift idea that’s perfect for housewarming gifts, hostess gifts and holiday gifts. And, to save you money, the soap dishes from Soap Bar Lounge ship free anywhere within the United States. You can also purchase Soap Bar Lounge products wholesale to create instant gift options this holiday season for your small business or online shop.

My Brazilian triple butter soap recipe yields six bars of homemade soap. This means you’ll have extras to give as seasonal or holiday gifts. I paired my Brazilian triple butter soaps with soap dishes in carousel red and roca beige, then accented them with leather cord and journaling embellishments for a pretty, gift worthy presentation.

Brazilian Triple Butter Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1.6 oz. Andiroba oil (10%)
1.6 oz. Castor oil (10%)
2.4 oz. Refined coconut oil (15%)
1.6 oz. Cupuaca butter (10%)
5.6 oz. Pomace olive oil (35%)
1.6 oz. Tucuma seed butter (10%)
1.6 oz. Ucuuba butter (10%)

4.8 fl. oz. distilled water
2.1 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide

1 oz. fragrance oil, optional

Instructions:

You’ll need to follow the basic cold process soapmaking method to craft these ultra conditioning, Brazilian triple butter soaps. You can find a refresher course on making homemade soap from scratch here. This means ZERO aluminum and heat safe containers and utensils. You’ll also need an immersion blender and a digital scale to weigh out ingredients. Additionally, you should also take safety measures to protect your eyes and skin when working with lye.

To make my Brazilian triple butter soap recipe, begin by measuring out 4.8 fluid oz. of distilled water into a heat safe container or pitcher. Then, use a digital scale to weigh out the lye, called for in the recipe, into a separate container. In a well, ventilated area, slowly pour the lye (granules or flakes) into the water. Then mix until all of the lye has dissolved and set aside.

Now weigh out the soapmaking oils and butters into a large heat safe container or stainless steel pot. (I like to weigh out the solid and semi-solid butters first, then follow with the liquid carrier oils.)

Heat the soapmaking butters and oils called for in my Brazilian triple butter soap recipe until they have melted. You can do this by heating the ingredients in a non-metal container at 30% power in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat in a stainless steel container.

Once the butters and oils have melted, set them aside to cool. When your soapmaking fats and lye-water have cooled to around 95°-100°F, you can start making the actual soap.

To do this, slowly pour the lye-water into the liquid oils and butters. Then use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients until you reach a light trace. At this point, you can weigh out and add your choice of fragrance oil, if desired, to the soap batter. As my boyfriend really wanted a more masculine scented soap, I scented my triple butter soap recipe with a sandalwood fragrance oil. Alternately, you can also use essential oils for a natural fragrance at a usage rate of up to .8 oz. by weight.

Mix the soap batter again to incorporate your fragrance into the soap. Then, once your soap reaches a medium trace, pour it into your mold. (I used this 6-cavity rectangle silicone mold.)

Cover your soap with parchment paper or plastic wrap, then set aside overnight. You should be able to unmold your soap bars the next day. Once unmolded, set your soaps aside in a cool, dry location to cure for four to six weeks. (My soaps did a crazy partial gel so some of my ends are lighter than the rest of the bar.)

Now wrap your homemade triple butter soaps as desired for personal use or gifting. You can wrap your soaps in fabric, burlap or paper to make them easy to gift. Then simply tie on cording or a ribbon.

Finally, pair one or two bars of soap with a ceramic soap dish from Soap Bar Lounge as a finishing touch! Buy your favorite colors now! And don’t forget to come back and let me know how much you love your new soap dishes!

Filed Under: Homemade Gift Ideas, Shopping, Soapmaking Tagged With: christmas, Christmas gift, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, fall, gift idea, holiday gift, holiday gift giving, holidays, soap dish, soap tutorial, soapmaking, winter

Homemade Apple Pie Soap Tutorial for Fall Gifts

August 30, 2018 By Amy Turner

Learn how to craft your own melt and pour soaps for seasonal fall gifts with this instructional homemade apple pie soap tutorial from guest blogger, Amy Turner, of Just Soapin Around.

Both homemade apple pie and pumpkin pie have long been contenders for the most popular of fall pies. While both taste phenomenal, you may prefer to opt for pumpkin pie over apple as it’s the healthier choice. Luckily for you, with this homemade apple pie soap tutorial, you don’t have to choose. There aren’t any nutritional concerns where this homemade apple pie soap is concerned. So you can indulge in all the apple pie your heart desires, without worrying about sugar or calories.

Every Thanksgiving my grandmother would bake a fresh homemade apple pie. It’s one of my fondest memories of her. So I created this homemade apple pie soap in order to honor my grandmother and her memory.

Picture this. Running around kicking up leaves that have fallen from the trees after the colors have changed. Feeling the cool air against your face and suddenly you smell the aroma of your grandma’s baked apple pie. The scents of cinnamon, apple and a touch of vanilla with that warm flakey crust. Sounds amazing, right?

That is how I envisioned my homemade apple pie soap when I was in the process of creating it. What I ended up with is an amazing oatmeal glycerin soap that really looks like apple pie. Scented using an apple pie fragrance oil, this homemade melt and pour soap tutorial is perfect for fall. And it makes wonderful homemade holiday gifts too!

Homemade Apple Pie Soap Tutorial

Supplies & Materials:

2 lb. clear glycerin melt and pour soap base
additional clear melt & pour soap, as needed
2 lb. melt and pour oatmeal soap base
apple pie fragrance oil
8-cavity round silicone mold
6-cavity rectangle silicone mold
liquid soap colorants
crinkle cutter
containers & utensils for mixing

Instructions:

Step #1

Using a sharp knife, cut a 2lb. brick of melt and pour oatmeal soap base in half. Cut one pound of the oatmeal soap base halves into small squares. Then place eight soap squares into eight cavities of a silicone cupcake mold.

Step #2

Now cut the 2 lb. brick of the clear glycerin melt and pour soap base into chunks. Combine in a large glass Pyrex measuring cup.

Then heat the soap base in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted. (Alternately you can also use a double boiler.)

Step #3

Add 1 oz. of the apple pie fragrance oil and stir to combine. (Because apple pie fragrance oil contains vanilla, your soap will likely darken over time. To avoid this, you can add an equal amount of vanilla color stabilizer to your melted soap base when you add the fragrance.) Now separate the melted soap base into three containers.

Step #4

Add a few drops of yellow soap colorant to the first container of soap. Next, add a few drops of red to the second container of soap. This is then followed by a few drops each of both red and yellow soap colorant added to the third bowl. Stir the melted soap base in each of the containers to thoroughly incorporate the colorant throughout the melted soap base.

Step #5

Now slowly pour the first color of your melted soap over the oatmeal squares in your cupcake mold. (Take care to ensure the temperature of your soap is between 115°-120°F to avoid unintentionally melting the oatmeal soap squares.)

Spritz the top of the poured soap with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle or mister to remove any air bubbles. Then pop your mold in the refrigerator.

Once hardened, repeat with the remaining two colors, spraying each layer with rubbing alcohol before pouring the next layer.

Step #6

While the base of your homemade apple pie soaps are hardening, you can start working on the pie crust for your homemade apple pie soap. For this step you will use a rectangle silicone mold.

Cut the remaining half of the oatmeal soap base into chunks and heat until melted.

Next, pour a thin layer of the oatmeal melt and pour soap base into each cavity. Spritz the top of the melted soap with rubbing alcohol to remove any air bubbles, then allow to cool.

Step #7

Once the oatmeal soap has hardened, remove it from the mold. Then cut each section of soap into four strips using a crinkle soap cutter. Set aside.

Step #8

Once your scented apple pie soaps have fully hardened in the mold, you can apply your oatmeal soap pie crust. Start by unmolding the apple pie soaps.

Step #9

Melt a small amount of clear melt and pour soap base in a heat safe container.

Then spread a thin layer of melted clear base onto your oatmeal soap strips. Apply four strips of soap to the tops of each homemade apple pie soap in a lattice pattern.

After you have applied all four soap strips to your apple pie soaps, cut off any excess.

Step #10

Put each of the homemade apple pie soaps back into the silicone mold.

Then spray the tops of each homemade apple pie soap with rubbing alcohol.

Next, pour a thin layer of the melted clear glycerin soap base on top of each pie. This gives your apple pie soaps a glazed look. (You may have to reheat or melt more of the clear soap base for this step.) Follow with rubbing alcohol to remove any air bubbles, if needed.

Allow the soap to harden. Then take each homemade apple pie soap out of mold. Cut off any excess soap and smooth the edges as needed.

Your homemade apple pie soaps are now ready for gifting!

I recommend wrapping each bar of homemade apple pie soap tightly in foodservice film to store when not in use or prior to gifting. This will keep the soap from attracting moisture from the air.

I hope you enjoyed my homemade apple pie soap tutorial. If you have any questions about the process, please feel free to ask them in the comments. In the meantime be sure to follow me on Facebook for sneak peeks at new products and sales notifications.

Filed Under: Homemade Gift Ideas, Soapmaking Tagged With: apple pie, autumn, crafts, diy, fall, gift idea, melt and pour soap, melt and pour soap recipe, melt and pour soapmaking, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Exotic Natural Bacuri Butter & Murumuru Soap Recipe

August 23, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This natural bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe is the perfect soapmaking project for exploring new ways to use exotic ingredients in natural skin care recipes. Left unscented to allow the warm, natural earthy scent of bacuri butter to shine through, this handmade soap recipe is another must for your recipe file!

My (Ever Growing) Soap Addiction

I am a soap addict. It’s true. Ever since I tried my first Zum soap bar back in college I’ve been hooked on handmade cold process soaps. In fact, that’s kind of the reason I started making my own. Later down the road, when Etsy first arrived as a marketplace for handmade and vintage items way back in 1995, it was like a whole new world had opened up to me. Not only was I able to purchase handmade soaps from emerging artisans, it also led to me to eventually sell my own handmade soaps.

I no longer sell any of the handmade soaps or skin care products I create. Mostly because I love crafting, formulating, writing, wizardry and magic SO much more than retail sales. That doesn’t stop me from making my own handmade soaps though. It’s just that these days I never have to make the same soap twice. And all of my soapmaking formulations are completely different from the one prior.

Of course, I still shop on Etsy to this day. (Wait? That’s how many years later?) And, as is the way of a self confessed soap addict’s life, I still buy other people’s handmade soap.

Luckily my soap addiction stops at the production, purchase and use of handmade soaps. I’ve read, that apparently, some people are actually addicted to eating soap. That is an entirely other bag of tricks that I (thankfully) know nothing about. (And ew. Gross.)

Anyhow, I’m pretty excited about sharing my latest handmade soap recipe with you. My handmade bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe is made using one of my newest favorite ingredients, bacuri butter. (As the name implies.) However, it also contains a new butter that I’ve recently started experimenting with called murumuru butter.

An Introduction to Murumuru Butter

Like bacuri butter, murumuru butter is a sustainable product from the Brazilian Amazon Forest. It is cold pressed from the reddish-orange fruits of the Astrocaryum murumuru tree, a tall palm tree native to Brazil.

Murumuru butter has a similar melting point when compared to cocoa butter. It melts at 91.4°F, while cocoa butter melts at a slightly higher temperature between 93°F and 101°F. So an easy way to start experimenting with this natural butter, would be by replacing it for the cocoa butter in your existing recipes. In addition, murumuru can also be used in the place of some of the cocoa butter in chocolate recipes to give it a firmer consistency.

Most similar in composition to coconut oil, murumuru butter contains the same amount of lauric acid. However, unlike coconut oil, murumuru butter won’t clog your pores. A highly nourishing emollient and moisturizer, murumuru butter is also rich in vitamins A and C as well as Omega 3 & 6. Additionally, it also contains high percentages of lauric, myristic and oleic acid. These physical properties make murumuru butter particularly suited for skin care recipes that promote skin health or are used to remedy dry skin.

Due to murumuru butter’s unique composition of essential fatty acids and Pro-Vitamin A, it makes a lovely natural option for your anti-aging skin care recipes and products. These components have been shown to help restore elasticity to damaged and aging skin as well as promote healing. As such, murumuru butter makes a wonderful addition to homemade moisturizers meant to soothe eczema, psoriasis or dry and cracked skin as well as anti-aging creams and butters.

Murumuru butter is an incredibly versatile ingredient. Therefore it’s no surprise that it’s found in such a wide range of skin care and beauty products. The most common applications for murumuru butter are as part of the formulations for lotions, soaps, hair conditioners, facial masks, shampoo, oils and emulsions, skin moisturizers, depilatory waxes, lipsticks and deodorants. Also, like bacuri butter, murumuru butter can be an effective remedy against acne due to its antiseptic, anti-allergenic, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory skin care properties.

About My Bacuri Butter & Murumuru Soap Recipe

My bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe creates a hard, long lasting soap bar with a stable lather. It’s formulated to cleanse and balance skin without overdrying, as is the case with many commercial soaps, as well as lend some skin conditioning properties. Left unscented, this natural handmade soap recipe reflects the natural, warm and earthy fragrance of bacuri butter with a milder aroma.

Bacuri Butter & Murumuru Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1.6 oz. bacuri butter (10%)
1.6 oz. murumuru butter (10%)
1.6 oz. avocado oil (10%)
1.6 oz. castor oil (10%)
2.4 oz. coconut oil (15%)
7.2 oz. pomace olive oil (45%)

4.8 fl. oz. distilled water (30.5% discount)
2.2 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide (6% superfat)

1 Tablespoon red Rhassoul clay
1 Tablespoon pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt)

Getting Started:

You will need a digital scale and a silicone soap mold for my bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe. As I make a lot of soap, I use this heavy duty Baker’s Math scale. I also used this rectangle silicone soap mold for this particular handmade soap recipe. In addition you’ll also need all other required supplies for making cold process soap from scratch. These materials include a digital thermometer and an immersion blender as well as aluminum free, heat safe containers and utensils.

If you have never made cold process soap before, you should read my cold process soapmaking tutorial before you begin. I also recommend starting with a simpler, beginner’s soap recipe with less expensive ingredients for your first try as soapmaking mistakes do happen.

Instructions:

Begin by preparing the lye solution for my natural bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe. To do this, measure out the distilled water into a heat safe container. In a separate container, weigh out the lye called for in the recipe. Now pour the lye into the water – I recommend a well ventilated area – and mix until the lye has completely dissolved. Set the lye-water solution aside in a safe location to cool.

While the lye solution cools, weigh out the carrier oils, bacuri and murumuru butters called for in my bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe. Combine your soapmaking fats in a stainless steel pot. Then gently heat the soapmaking oils on the stove over low heat just until the solids have melted.

Remove the soapmaking oils from heat and allow to cool.

Once the oils and the lye-water have reached 90°-95°F you are ready to make soap.

Check the temperature of both the soapmaking oils and the lye solution before you begin. Both of these ingredients should be within ten degrees of one another.

Using a measuring spoon, measure out one Tablespoon spoon each of both the Rhassoul clay and the salt. (You do NOT want to use Dead Sea salt.) Mix into the melted soapmaking oils and butters using an immersion blender. Once the clay and salt are fully incorporated throughout the soapmaking fats, you can add the lye-water.

Carefully pour the lye-water solution into the soapmaking oils and mix with the immersion blender until you reach trace. You’ll know you’ve reached trace when you drag the blender through the soap batter and it leaves a visible trail behind. It’s a little like pudding.

Now pour the soap evenly into the cavities of your silicone soap mold. Gently cover the soap with plastic wrap or parchment paper and set aside in a safe location where it won’t be disturbed.

You should be able to unmold your natural bacuri butter & murumuru soaps the next day. Simply turn them out of the mold cavities, then allow your soap to cure for four to six weeks in a cool, dry location. After that, your handmade soaps are ready to use.

If you like my natural bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe, then be sure to try my other bacuri butter skin care recipes. These recipes include my 3-ingredient bacuri butter body butter recipe and my anti-aging bacuri butter body balm recipe. Alternately, you can find a complete listing of all of my cold process soap recipes from over the years here.

For more great projects like my bacuri butter & murumuru soap recipe, be sure to follow Soap Deli News on Pinterest, G+, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alternately, you can subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: bacuri butter, cold process soap, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, exotic, murumuru butter, natural skin care, sensitive skin, soap tutorial, soapmaking, unscented soap

Homemade Honeysuckle Soap Recipe for Savoring The Last of Summer

August 16, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This seasonally inspired homemade honeysuckle soap recipe is the perfect way to savor the scent of honeysuckle year round! Plus discover 34 more homemade melt and pour soap recipes that you DIY as your next weekend craft project!

Honeysuckle, A Childhood Favorite.

One of my favorite childhood memories is the smell – and taste! – of fresh honeysuckle. When I was growing up we had huge bushes of honeysuckle and boysenberries that grew alongside our property line. I would always pluck the flowers from those honeysuckle bushes when the blooms turned from white to yellow and suck out the nectar hidden inside. How wonderful it would be if we could simply bottle this amazing, sweet liquid to enjoy year round!

Here in Southwestern Virginia I’m accustomed to seeing Japanese honeysuckles throughout our region. It’s easy to find honeysuckle both in backyards as well as along the Blue Ridge Mountains that surround the valley I reside in. While honeysuckles aren’t currently blooming in my neck of the woods, most honeysuckles will bloom not only in the spring, but also continue to bloom through summer into early fall.

However, you don’t have to wait for spring to come back around to get a taste of honeysuckle as we slip into fall. You can enjoy the sweet scent of honeysuckle year round by making your own homemade honeysuckle soap! My homemade honeysuckle soap recipe is crafted using a detergent free baby buttermilk soap base. Not only is this base gentle on skin, it’s one of the few melt and pour soap bases that I actually like. (Cold process soap is still my all time fave!)

To make this soap a little more interesting than just melting a base then adding color and fragrance, I created scrubby exfoliating embeds to bring in the colors of the honeysuckle leaves and vines. So, this melt and pour soap tutorial takes a little bit longer to make. However, it’s the perfect weekend project to craft with the kids. It also makes a great back to school gift for your child’s teacher.

Homemade Honeysuckle Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

30 oz. detergent free baby buttermilk melt & pour soap base
.75 oz. wild honeysuckle fragrance oil
.2 oz. sea kelp powder (natural colorant)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder (natural colorant)
1 teaspoon pumice powder
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon walnut shell powder
.1 oz. vitamin E oil, optional

Soap Notes:

I chose to create my homemade honeysuckle soap recipe using natural colorants. However, for brighter colors you can use liquid soap dye instead. Simply start with 1-2 drops of liquid colorant and mix, slowly adding more until you reach the desired color. (It is important to note that using too much of a soap colorant can stain your skin or tub.)

Alternately, you can also tint your honeysuckle soaps using cosmetic mica powders. Or try a combination of natural colorants with a pinch of similarly colored cosmetic micas to boost the natural color without going overboard.

In addition to the soapmaking ingredients called for in my homemade honeysuckle soap recipe, you’ll also need a rectangular silicone soap mold and a digital scale to weigh out the soap base, fragrance and sea kelp powder. You’ll also need heat safe containers for melting and mixing your soap base, along with utensils for stirring. Further, a cutting board to transport your soap is recommended but not required.

If you are a self confessed soapmaking addict, it’s possible you already have many of the materials required for my homemade honeysuckle soap recipe on hand. However, if you haven’t caught the soapmaking bug quite yet, you can easily make substitutions for this project to save money on supplies.

While I love my baker’s math scale for cold process soapmaking and beauty DIY’s, you can simply use a less expensive digital kitchen scale to save money. You can also substitute out the exfoliants in this recipe – the pumice, poppy seeds and walnut shell powder – for scrubby ingredients you already have on hand. Alternately, you can choose just one exfoliating option and triple the quantity called for.

Soapmaking Instructions:

You’ll begin by making what will be the soap embeds for my homemade honeysuckle soap recipe. To do this, start by weighing out 12 oz. of the baby buttermilk melt and pour soap base. Cut the soap base into chunks, then place in a heat safe container. I recommend using a glass Pyrex measuring cup for this.

Heat the soap base in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until melted. You’ll want to stir your soap base between heatings.

Now weigh out the sea kelp powder and stir into the melted base. Mix well, until all of the powder is evenly distributed throughout the soap.

Now use a measuring spoon to measure out the pumice powder, poppy seeds and walnut shell powder. Stir these ingredients into the melted soap base. Follow with .05 oz. of vitamin E oil and .25 oz. of the wild honeysuckle fragrance oil.

Now allow the soap base to cool somewhat. As the melt and pour soap base used for this project isn’t a suspending soap base, your additives are going to want to sink to the bottom of the soap. Therefore, by cooling the soap until a thin film starts to form on top, then mixing again, you keep them better mixed throughout the soap. (Alternately, you can use a suspension soap base for this step.)

Place your soap mold onto a small cutting board. Once the soap has cooled down, but not solidified, remix then pour evenly into each of the six cavities of your silicone soap mold. Spritz the tops of the soap with rubbing alcohol, if desired, to remove any air bubbles.

Now, using the cutting board to transport your soap, place the mold in the refrigerator until the soap has fully solidified.

Once your soap has hardened, remove the soap from the mold. Then cut the soap into square chunks and set aside.

Now weigh out 18 oz. more of the baby buttermilk soap base. Cut into chunks then combine in a heat safe container. Heat in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until melted.

Weigh out .05 oz. of the vitamin E oil and .5 oz. of the wild honeysuckle fragrance oil. Stir into the melted soap.

Now, using a measuring spoon, measure out the turmeric powder. Mix into the melted soap base until it is thoroughly incorporated and their are no clumps. Set aside.

Add an even amount of the green, exfoliating soap embeds to each of the mold’s cavities. Then, pour the yellow turmeric tinted soap base evenly into each of the mold’s cavities, over the green soap embeds.

Spritz the top of the soap with rubbing alcohol, if needed, to remove any air bubbles. Then transfer your homemade honeysuckle soaps to the refrigerator to cool.

Once the soap has cooled completely and hardened, remove your soaps from the mold. Then wrap your soaps tightly in foodservice film. Your homemade honeysuckle soaps are now ready for personal use or gifting!

More Melt and Pour Soap Recipes

If you like my homemade honeysuckle soap recipe, then you may also want to try some of these other fun melt and pour recipes from Soap Deli News!

For more great projects like my homemade honeysuckle soap recipe, be sure to follow Soap Deli News on Pinterest, G+, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alternately, you can subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: crafts, diy, easy, gift idea, honeysuckle soap, kids project, melt and pour soap recipe, melt and pour soapmaking, soap recipe, soap tutorial, soapmaking, summer, summer honeysuckle

All Natural Pine Tar Soap Recipe for Not So Imaginary Creatures

June 18, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This all natural pine tar soap recipe tackles tough skin conditions caused by bacteria, fungus and yes – parasites! Keep reading to learn how to prevent bites from parasitic chiggers as well as how to craft your own all natural pine tar soap recipe with neem oil to soothe insect bites, calm itching and promote healing.

Imaginary creatures.

When I was eight I went on my very first (and only) snipe hunt with my Brownie troop. It was just one part of an adventure filled summer in which I also learned how shoot a bow and arrow. Our group leader had, of course, planned out the snipe hunting trip in advance.

Having grown up with family who went on yearly hunting trips for venison (in addition to the occasional squirrel or rabbit) a snipe hunt seemed like a completely plausible scenario to teach us a new life skill. As our snipe hunt took place prior to the existence of the internet, we had no way of knowing one way or the other what a snipe hunt was other than what we were told. Naturally everyone in my Brownie troop was excited about the idea of catching our very first rabbit-sized snipe.

The day of the snipe hunt we were given a rather vague description of what snipes looked like. One girl was given a large fishing net. Another Brownie was given a bag. The rest of us found sticks that we could use to scare a timid snipe out of the brush. So off we went, huddled in a group half skipping with excitement, down a forest trail with sticks in hand.

Our group leader would occasionally travel ahead only to rush back claiming from time to time that she’d just seen a snipe – what was a wonderful yet entirely imaginary creature. This fueled our excitement and kept us going despite never actually seeing said snipe for ourselves.

I don’t really recall how long we spent hunting this poor (completely fabricated) creature through the woods. However, I do remember the disappointment in learning that we’d been duped.

A tradition that dates as far back as the 1840’s in America, snipe hunting is a practical joke in which an unsuspecting newbie is duped into trying to catch a non-existent animal called a snipe. Many of us who grew up prior to social media (Hello all you lovely baby boomers and Gen-exers!) have at one time been a victim of this prank. So it was no wonder that when my Northern bred boss first moved to Virginia, he thought he was also a victim in a somewhat similar scenario.

Not so imaginary creatures.

Before I dove into self-employment full time I worked for a small family owned business. The owner and his family were originally from New Jersey. As new transplants to Southwestern Virginia, there are quite a few “cultural” differences between the North and South. My boss at the time, Bill, quickly discovered many of these differences through working with clients. However, one instance in particular was somewhat similar to my own snipe hunting excursion many years back. But this time, in reverse.

While out scouting a potential job site, Bill found himself knee high in a field of tall grasses and wildflowers. Bill’s client immediately warned him of the possibility of chiggers in the weeds. Assuming that chiggers were an imaginary creature – something like that long ago snipe we’d both been tricked into hunting – Bill dismissed the warning. He was absolutely convinced that his client, who was born and raised in the South, was pulling his leg. Unfortunately, he was not.

What are chiggers?

Chiggers are quite real. It’s also quite possible that they are spawned from Satan. Not visible to the naked eye, these tiny white mites are parasites in their larval stage and live on or UNDER the skin of warm blooded animals. Commonly found in forests and grasslands, chiggers, or trombiculidae mites as they are referred to by scientists, are a relative of ticks.

In addition to red, pimple like bumps and hives chiggers leave behind, they also cause the most horrendous itching EVER. It is not a pleasant experience. So in fact, in Bill’s case, a Northerner had not been duped by a Southerner. Rather Bill’s client had given him fair warning and Bill paid the price for his disbelief.

Chigger bites are most common in late spring, summer and early fall when the temperatures are between 77°F and 86°F. As the parasitic larvae don’t fly, they tend to stick together in large clumps on low lying grass and leaves. As a person or animal walks by, chiggers then attach themselves to their next warm blooded meal. Chiggers then use their claws to make tiny holes in skin. Then they inject their saliva into the hole they create in order to liquify and feed off of skin cells.

The resulting itching and dermatitis from chiggers lasts for several days. And it’s extreme enough that it can keep you from sleeping. Healing then occurs within one to two weeks.

How to prevent chiggers.

There has been some success in repelling chiggers using essential oils. Just as citronella repels mosquitoes and lemon eucalyptus essential oil repels deer ticks, studies suggest essential oils can also be used to repel chiggers.

The top essential oils for a chigger repellent spray include citronella, tea tree, geranium and lemongrass essential oils blended in jojoba oil. I recommend using three drops of each of these essentials oils per ounce of jojoba oil if you’d like to craft your own chigger repellent. Simply combine each of these ingredients together combined in a large roller ball bottle. Alternately, you may also want to try to my natural insect repellent body butter recipe which also contains anti-parasitic neem oil.

All natural pine tar soap for chigger “bites.”

Should you one day, like Bill, find yourself knee deep in not so imaginary creatures there is a simple and natural solution. My favorite natural remedy for chiggers is pine tar soap with neem oil.

If you own horses you’re likely already familiar with pine tar. A natural, antiseptic germicidal product for horse hooves, pine tar is an effective treatment for quarter cracks, split hooves, corns and hard frogs. It’s also used on animals to treat scrapes, burns, abrasions, sores, cuts and thrush.

When used in soapmaking, pine tar works to treat a variety of problematic skin conditions. Pine tar soap is shown to be effective at fighting psoriasis, eczema and dandruff as well as skin inflammation. Additionally, all natural pine tar soap can also be used to soothe and treat the symptoms of poison ivy, oak, and sumac. It also relieves the itching caused by bug bites – and chiggers.

Discover more natural neem oil skin care recipes here.

As I wanted to formulate an all natural pine tar soap specifically for skin issues that dealt with parasites, I also used neem oil in my recipe. Neem oil, which research shows has natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain killing) properties, has also been used as an anti-parasitic treatment for thousands of years in India. As a natural skin care remedy, it is used topically to reduce the symptoms of common skin conditions such as eczema, ringworm, athlete’s foot, cold sores, psoriasis, warts, scabies, candida, infected burn wounds, slow-healing skin ulcers and even acne.

Combined, pine tar and neem oil create a powerful natural remedy that’s a must for any home apothecary. Not only does my all natural pine tar soap recipe soothe itching and promote healing caused by general skin care concerns, it’s also effective at fighting those not so imaginary creatures that we can’t see, but still exist.

This handmade artisan soap is a must for anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors in the summer!

All Natural Pine Tar Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1.6 oz. sweet almond oil (10%)
.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
4.8 oz. refined coconut oil (30%)
1.6 oz. mango butter (10%)
2.4 oz. 100% neem oil (15%)
3.2 oz. pomace olive oil (20%)
1.6 oz. sal butter (10%)

2.25 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide (6% superfat)
4 fl. oz. distilled (or filtered) water

1.6 oz. (creosote free) pine tar (10%)
.15 oz. lemon eucalyptus (or tea tree) essential oil
.25 oz. peppermint essential oil
.1 oz. lemongrass essential oil

Soap Notes:

The water percentage for my all natural pine tar soap recipe was calculated at 35% of the oil weight for 5.6 oz. I then reduced that amount by the amount of pine tar called for in my all natural pine tar soap recipe. For a harder bar of soap, you can add one Tablespoon of (60% solution) sodium lactate to your lye/water once it has cooled.

Instructions:

My all natural pine tar soap recipe is a cold process soap recipe – meaning it is made from scratch using lye. To duplicate my pine tar soap, you’ll need to follow my basic cold process soapmaking instructions. You should also take proper safety precautions when working with lye. Gloves and eye protection are recommended.

You will start by mixing the lye/water. To do this, measure out the distilled water called for in the recipe into a non-aluminum, heat proof container.

Then, using a digital scale, weigh out the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water in a well ventilated area. Now stir the lye and water together until the lye dissolves completely.

Once the lye has dissolved, set the lye/water mixture aside to cool.

Next, weigh out the sweet almond, castor, coconut, olive and neem oils. Combine in a non-aluminum pot. Follow with the mango butter, sal butter and pine tar, first weighing out each ingredient, then combining in the pot with the liquid carrier oils.

Heat the soapmaking fats (your carrier oils, butters and pine tar) over low to medium-low heat on the stove until all of the ingredients have completely melted. Then set aside to cool.

While the lye/water and soapmaking oils cool, weigh out the essential oils into a separate glass container.

To avoid having your all natural pine tar soap seize from the additional heat generated during the saponification process from the pine tar, allow both the lye/water and the soapmaking oils to cool to around 80°F.

Once the temperatures of the lye/water and soapmaking oils have come down and are within 10°F of one another, you are ready to make my all natural pine tar soap.

Add the essentials oils to the pot of soapmaking oils. Then mix with a stick blender to combine.

Now pour the lye/water into the soapmaking oils. Mix either on low with a stick blender or by hand (recommended) as the soap will quickly reach trace. (If your soap seizes, don’t worry. Mix it by hand until the soap gels, then mix again and spoon into your mold.)

Once the all natural pine tar soap traces, pour the pine tar soap batter into your mold. (I used this round silicone mold and was able to make six bars.)

Set the soap aside. After 24-48 hours, unmold your all natural pine tar soap. Then allow your soap bars to cure in a cool, dry location for four to six weeks.

More natural remedies.

If you aren’t read to make my all natural pine tar soap recipe, you can buy handmade artisan pine tar soap online. I’m partial to this pine tar cleansing bar soap from AJ’s Elixirs.

Alternately, you may also like this natural bug repellent spray from Arrow Essentials. Crafted using a combination of lemongrass, French lavender, peppermint & eucalyptus essential oils, this all-natural bug repellent repels ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, lice, beetles, flies, chiggers, ants and spiders. Completely chemical and DEET free, this product has a crisp, refreshing aroma that you won’t mind putting on!

Or to soothe and calm itching from insect bites you already have, try this natural anti-itch ointment from Tunetti Natural Soap. Formulated with bentonite clay, baking soda, non-nano zinc oxide and Dead sea salt, this effectively stops itching caused by chigger and mosquito bites as well as poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. Simply mix the dry ingredients with water or witch hazel for a simple, natural home remedy.

For more natural home remedies that you can buy, check out my collection of natural home remedies on Etsy. You can also discover more natural home remedies that you can make yourself via my Natural Home Remedies & Herbal Health Care Pinterest board.

Be sure to follow Soap Deli News blog to discover more natural beauty and skin care recipes. You can find me on G+, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram. Or simply subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Soapmaking Tagged With: cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, health and wellness, home remedies, home remedy, natural remedy, neem oil, pine tar soap, soap tutorial, soapmaking