Don't tell a soul. I'm making Christmas presents! But you don't think I'm actually planning ahead, do you? I think you all know me a lot better than that by now!
Since soap, at least cold process soap, needs 4-6 weeks to cure, I'm actually a little bit behind on this project.
Some months ago, a kind soul posted to the local Freecycle group that she had purchased a bottle of hemp oil as a healthy additive to her diet, but couldn't stand the stuff. It was too expensive to just toss, she said, so she wondered if anyone had a use for it. Bingo!
Who cares if she spit in the open bottle, if it was left uncapped on the counter for a week, or if she had put a razor blade in it....I would put it in soap and nobody would have to worry about germs or blades!
Hemp oil is a gorgeous green color, and smells a bit nutty. I guess the nutty smell is apropos considering the source! I keed! I keed! It's also very expensive and prone to the bane of all soapmakers, dreaded orange spot.
That's a real term, people. Look it up!
Anywho, I used the handy-dandy soap calc website, and came up with the following recipe:
185 grams each of hemp and castor oil
740 grams each of coconut (76 deg) and olive oil
703 grams water
271 grams lye
I knew I wanted to make a five pound batch, and I knew I had 185 grams of hemp oil. So, while I kind of used the back door to create the recipe and ended up with odd numbers for measurements, I was able to use up the exact amount of oil I was given.
I hope the pretty green color (which shows up a lot better in person than in these photos) stays in the soap. I expect the color will fade some, however.
Green soap for Christmas. How cool will that be?!!
the oils
after the addition of lye
in the fancy shoebox molds
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