Making Homemade All Natural Sweet Orange Lemongrass Hot Process Olive Oil Soap

Last week, I realized we only had one bar left of our Sweet Orange Lemongrass soap.  It's been very popular at the Farmer's Market because once you smell it in person, you just want to have it.  It's so sweet and citrusy and I love making it because the kitchen smells so clean and amazing afterwards.  My kids love to help with anything they can, and this day it was our son Camden's turn to help.  He got to help pour and measure the oils and put them in the crockpot. 

 The mixture has been cooked and fully turned into soap now.  The left side has been colored naturally with annatto seed powder after the cook and scented with Sweet Orange essential oil.  The right side has been colored with neon yellow pigment and scented with Lemongrass essential oil. 

 The Sweet Orange side gets dried grated orange zest and the Lemongrass side gets dried grated lemon zest.

 I randomly plop the two halves into my molds.  I made a big batch this time, so it will make 18 bars and fills a 10 inch and 8 inch loaf mold.  This is the largest size I can fit in my 6 quart crockpot without having it overflow.  Even still I have to be careful or I'll have a soap volcano all over the counter.  Been there, done that!  Atleast my crockpot and counters were squeaky clean when I was done. : )

Now just waiting for it to cool.  If I make a batch early in the morning, I can slice into it by evening already.  If I make it later in the day, I just wait until morning to slice into it when it's firmer.

  This soap is ready to use right away, but benefits by drying out for a few days to get a harder bar.  It's still fairly hard right away though.  There is no lye left in the soap and it's mild and safe to use.  In fact, I scrape out my crockpot and scrape off my mixing bowls and utensils and I have enough scraps to make a decent size bar of soap once I squish it all together (see last picture).  I have so many different soaps by the kitchen sink and in our bathrooms from scraping out everything after each soap I make. I get too much though and pass them along to friends who are more than happy to get soap scraps off my hands and into theirs.  : )

Our hot process soaps are made primarily with olive oil, then we add palm oil and coconut oil.  After the cook, we add unrefined shea butter.  It hasn't gone through the saponification process and acts as a superfat above and beyond the typical 5% superfat in homemade soap. 

Our soaps feel so luxurious on your skin and when you wash up with them, they have a long-lasting fluffy lather like no other.  When you're done washing, you feel like you have just put lotion on and your skin is so soft and silky.  I suppose it's similar to the feeling of a Dove Beauty Bar, but without all the harmful chemicals.  That's stuff isn't real soap anyways, but this is the real deal.  No chemicals here, just all natural soapy goodness and it's such a treat for your skin.  Stop by and grab a bar for yourself or as a gift!

Melissa (soap maker)

Ginger Grey Soaps

www.gingergreysoaps.com