Olive Palm Soap

This was a quiet evening of soap-making --very necessary, too-- as our last bar is rapidly vanishing in the downstairs' toilet's "soap-shell".  

My friend Becky, inspired to make her own cold-process soap, came round to watch the entire procedure.  

I tried a new recipe: "Olive Palm Soap" from Anne Watson's inimitable book Smart Soapmaking.

I used patchouli, sweet orange, clove, cinnamon, and sage essential oils to scent this soap.  It's deliciously spicy, with an olive bite.  I'm guessing that the tang will soften in time, as this is one of those soaps that needs to ripen for a while before being used. My two favourite recipes so far from Smart Soapmaking, "Anne's Longer-Lasting Soap" [cocoa butter, avocado butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and shea butter] and "Anne's Shea Butter Supreme" [coconut oil, olive oil, and shea butter] have been ready to use right away and I've never left them to dry out for a few weeks before trying.

Becky and I discussed the possibility of making milk soaps.  I looked up Anne Watson again, and sure enough, she's been there already!  Her book, Milk Soapmaking, is now on my Amazon wish list.

"Mummy, take a picture of me with the soap!"