Saturday Fun in the Soap Kitchen

Logs of Kitchen Soap

I have the day to play around in the soap room.  First off I needed to cut bars out of the logs of Kitchen soap that were made the other night to make room for more soapy creations in the works for today.  This batch turned out much darker this time because I increased the amount of coffee used and it was a darker roast than I have used in the past.  To achieve that dark coffee color in the soap I mix the fresh coffee grounds into the lye water when I mix it together which in turn "brews" the coffee and turns the lye water a very dark brown, almost black color.  When the coffee/lye water is mixed with the oils the color becomes a more muted brown color.   

In the lot of soap making supplies that I purchased last weekend, there was a soap cutter  guide which I was delighted to put to use.  The old method of cutting soap was to pull out the tape measure, mark, then cut the bars.  Often the bars were uneven in size, and harder to keep my cutter from going down straight. With this nifty gadget I ended up with a bit more even size bars, and it was so much easier to cut the bars.  I would have never considered purchasing a cutting guide had it not been included in the purchase, but now I wouldn't cut the bars without it.  I ended up with less waste and one more bar of soap compared to cutting them by hand. 

Cut bars of Kitchen Soap

The bars are now cut and on the rack curing.  Now that I have made room for more molds to be put to use, it's time to head back into the soap kitchen and be creative!

Goat Milk Soap Success

This morning I was in a hurry to get out the door and trudge the icy roads to work.  I only had a few minutes to look at the soap before I dashed out the door and noticed the soap was quite warm in the mold.  The soap was already hardened, so I quickly pulled it out of the mold and noticed it had changed to a medium tan color.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the soap had returned to the nice creamy color like it was when I put it in the mold by the time I returned from work.  After the soap was cut into bars I am super delighted with how the soap turned out!



Orange Patchouli Goat Milk Soap



Tonight I made the must have soap in my house at all times ~ Kitchen Soap.  It has coffee and orange essential oil in the soap, making it a great bar to have by the kitchen sink to use for general handwashing but in particular after cutting onions and garlic.  This soap neutralizes the odors on your hands and is nourishing for your skin. 

Kitchen Soap



I also use this soap after I have been gardening as it cuts the grime and has just enough abrasive qualities from the coffee to remove the ground in dirt that I seem to always get on my hands despite the fact that I use garden gloves. I have mechanics that swear by this soap, and have even had one person buy it when they are making Christmas wreaths as it cuts through the pitch.

Shop Update ~ I hope to have my soap supply built up enough to reopen my shop mid to late March.  :)  Keep watch for news of our Grand Re-Opening.