Lavender Honey Bastille Soap

Olive oil has been used both inside and outside the body for thousands of years, especially in Mediterranean cultures where the olive trees flourish. It is loaded with antioxidants, polyphenols and other components that nourish, condition and soften the skin when applied externally. It also has a long history of being used in soapmaking, and the olive oil soaps made in the Castile region of Spain are legendary.

This soap contains 70% olive oil, along with a small amount of coconut and castor oils plus some shea butter. The coconut oil helps to increase the lather and harden the soap, while the castor adds moisturizing qualities and makes for a creamy lather. Shea butter also hardens the bar plus it’s great for the skin.

The soap also has honey in it, which helps increase the lather. I like to add some lavender essential oil, but you can use your own favorite EO or leave it unscented. The honey is added to the lye water, which typically turns a reddish brown color when the lye reacts to the sugars in the honey. When the lye water is mixed in with the oils, the result is usually a yellow-gold color. It would be nice if the soap turned out to be this color, but it lightens up to a shade of tan as the soap cures.

Please refer to the cold process instructions here ^[1] if you are new to making soap. Always take the proper safety precautions (we wear rubber gloves and goggles when mixing and making the soap).