Swirl Buttermilk Castile Soap Project
This gentle recipe is from Bramble Berry CEO and Founder Anne-Marie's new book, Milk Soaps. It's made with 100% olive oil, making it a true castile bar (made famous in Spain and prized for its kindness to sensitive skin. Homemade buttermilk is best; if you buy it, use a brand with as few additives as possible.
The colorant comes from dried madder root, a climbing plant with pale yellow flowers. The lavender-and-peppermint essential oil blend smells amazing. The soap is designed with an in-the-pot swirl and finished with beveled edges.
This mold is large and flexible, so a cutting board placed under it will be handy if you need to move the soaps after pouring. The bars need extra cure and hardening time thanks to the large amount of olive oil in the recipe.
Photos by © Charity Burggraaf. Excerpted from Milk Soaps © by Anne-Marie Faiola. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
What You Need:
12 Bar Square Silicone Mold - 1 mold
Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil - 3.5 oz
Peppermint Essential Oil - 2nd Distill - 1.75 oz
Madder Root - 3 oz
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
- Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil - 3.5 oz
- Peppermint Essential Oil - 2nd Distill - 1.75 oz
- Madder Root - 3 oz
EQUIPMENT:
- 12 Bar Square Silicone Mold - 1 mold
Instructions
You will need:
- 12 Bar Square Silicone Mold
- 40 oz. Pure Olive Oil
- 5.2 oz. Lye
- 1 Tbsp. Sodium Lactate
- 1.9 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
- 1 oz. Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distill
- 1 Tbsp. Madder Root
- 6.6 oz. Liquid Buttermilk
- 6.6 oz. Distilled Water
Follow these steps:
1
Measure 40 ounces of olive oil into a glass bowl large enough to hold the full recipe with room to mix. Heat the oil to 105° F and set aside.
2
Measure 6.6 ounces of distilled water and 5.2 ounces of lye into separate heat-proof containers. Add the lye to the water a tablespoon at a time (never add the liquid to the lye). Stir continuously until the lye fully dissolves and the water becomes clear. Stir 1 Tbsp. of sodium lactate into the lye water.
3
When the oil and the lye water have cooled to about 105° F, add the lye water to the oils, pouring it over the shaft of the stick blender to minimize air bubbles.
4
Insert the stick blender into the batter, tilting it so that trapped air can escape. Do not turn on the stick blender until the blades are fully immersed. Alternate pulsing and stirring with the stick blender until a very thin trace is achieved.
5
Add 6.6 ounces of buttermilk, 1.9 ounces of lavender essential oil, and 1 ounce of peppermint essential oil. Stir in with a whisk.
6
Pour 20 ounces of uncolored batter into the second bowl and add 1 Tbsp. of madder root. Mix well with a whisk.
7
Pour the colored batter back into the first bowl. Pour from serveral inches above the bowl, using a circular motion so that the two batters swirl together.
8
Stir the swirled batter one time with a spatula. Do not overmix the swirl.
8
Fill the mold by pouring into a corner of each cavity. Pour into the same spot until the entire cavity is full; do not move the bowl around as you pour.
10
Spray thoroughly with 99% rubbing alcohol several times over 90 minutes to prevent soda ash. Let the soap sit at room temperature for at least 48 hours before unmolding. Once the soaps are unmolded, let them sit another 24 hours before beveling the top four edges of the bars. Let the bars cure in a well-ventilated area for at least 6 weeks before using, turning them every few days to ensure they cure evenly. Note: The madder root will lighten as the soap cures.
Tutorial credits
Photos by © Charity Burggraaf. Excerpted from Milk Soaps © by Anne-Marie Faiola. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
Swirl Buttermilk Castile Soap Project
- LEVEL Beginner
- TIME 1 hour
- YIELD 12 bars of Soap
Project Description
This gentle recipe is from Bramble Berry CEO and Founder Anne-Marie's new book, Milk Soaps. It's made with 100% olive oil, making it a true castile bar (made famous in Spain and prized for its kindness to sensitive skin. Homemade buttermilk is best; if you buy it, use a brand with as few additives as possible.
The colorant comes from dried madder root, a climbing plant with pale yellow flowers. The lavender-and-peppermint essential oil blend smells amazing. The soap is designed with an in-the-pot swirl and finished with beveled edges.
This mold is large and flexible, so a cutting board placed under it will be handy if you need to move the soaps after pouring. The bars need extra cure and hardening time thanks to the large amount of olive oil in the recipe.
Photos by © Charity Burggraaf. Excerpted from Milk Soaps © by Anne-Marie Faiola. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
You will need:
- 12 Bar Square Silicone Mold
- 40 oz. Pure Olive Oil
- 5.2 oz. Lye
- 1 Tbsp. Sodium Lactate
- 1.9 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
- 1 oz. Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distill
- 1 Tbsp. Madder Root
- 6.6 oz. Liquid Buttermilk
- 6.6 oz. Distilled Water
Follow these steps:
1
Measure 40 ounces of olive oil into a glass bowl large enough to hold the full recipe with room to mix. Heat the oil to 105° F and set aside.
2
Measure 6.6 ounces of distilled water and 5.2 ounces of lye into separate heat-proof containers. Add the lye to the water a tablespoon at a time (never add the liquid to the lye). Stir continuously until the lye fully dissolves and the water becomes clear. Stir 1 Tbsp. of sodium lactate into the lye water.
3
When the oil and the lye water have cooled to about 105° F, add the lye water to the oils, pouring it over the shaft of the stick blender to minimize air bubbles.
4
Insert the stick blender into the batter, tilting it so that trapped air can escape. Do not turn on the stick blender until the blades are fully immersed. Alternate pulsing and stirring with the stick blender until a very thin trace is achieved.
5
Add 6.6 ounces of buttermilk, 1.9 ounces of lavender essential oil, and 1 ounce of peppermint essential oil. Stir in with a whisk.
6
Pour 20 ounces of uncolored batter into the second bowl and add 1 Tbsp. of madder root. Mix well with a whisk.
7
Pour the colored batter back into the first bowl. Pour from serveral inches above the bowl, using a circular motion so that the two batters swirl together.
8
Stir the swirled batter one time with a spatula. Do not overmix the swirl.
8
Fill the mold by pouring into a corner of each cavity. Pour into the same spot until the entire cavity is full; do not move the bowl around as you pour.
10
Spray thoroughly with 99% rubbing alcohol several times over 90 minutes to prevent soda ash. Let the soap sit at room temperature for at least 48 hours before unmolding. Once the soaps are unmolded, let them sit another 24 hours before beveling the top four edges of the bars. Let the bars cure in a well-ventilated area for at least 6 weeks before using, turning them every few days to ensure they cure evenly. Note: The madder root will lighten as the soap cures.
Tutorial credits
Photos by © Charity Burggraaf. Excerpted from Milk Soaps © by Anne-Marie Faiola. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.