Today was an exciting day here at Happy Acres. We got to try out our first batch of soap! It had cured for 4 weeks, and was a basic, unscented soap recipe. We both tried it out in the shower and were very pleased with the way it cleaned and sudsed up.
our first soap
This recipe formed the base of our next experiments in soapmaking. For our second batch two weeks ago we added a few more ingredients, like shea butter, oatmeal and peppermint essential oil. It should be cured in another two weeks. Of course we are anxious to try it too.
But we’re not done experimenting yet – not by a long shot! Today we made our third batch of soap. This one will be strictly a hand soap. We’re calling it Happy Acres Citrus Coffee Hand Soap. We added some of our own recycled coffee grounds for scrubbing, some lanolin for an emollient, brewed coffee for color, and citrus essential oils for scent. I’m sure Lynda will be blogging about it over on Bloom, Bake & Create soon. She’s done an amazing job of researching for all things soap-related here.
getting ready to make soap
It takes a little over two hours from start to finish for one batch of soap, including prep time and cleanup. And we have found it to be a fun thing to do – so much fun in fact, we are already planning for our fourth batch of soap. I am thinking it will involve lavender, but I don’t know for sure.
So stay tuned for more adventures in soap-making!