Experiments

Using Korean yellow ochre clay to colour soap

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I have been experimenting with a new ingredient, Korean yellow-ochre clay which I received as a present from a lovely, and generous, friend of mine. I have used different types of clay before (green, pink, orange) so I was very curious to see how the yellow clay will act in soap and I must say … Read more

How to colour your soap with green tea powder

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A lovely friend of mine from South Korea has brought me some ingredients to experiment with in my soaps. And there’s nothing I love more than experimenting! The first ingredient I have tried was the green tea powder. In it’s natural state it has a yellow-green colour but I was curious to see how it … Read more

Lavender and eucalyptus soap with almond milk

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How to marble the top of your soap

I made a new batch of soap which I will donate to Havens Hospices. Havens Hospices provides palliative nursing and supportive care to adults and children living with complex or incurable conditions and I think they deserve a lot of respect and love for the work they do. I hope some colourful natural soap will … Read more

Ylang ylang and bergamot soap formula

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One type of soap I always love to stock up on is my ylang-ylang and bergamot soap. This is a very simple and beautiful spring soap with an inviting flowery smell. Here is the formula and instructions on how to make it. First you should buy a flower silicone mould, unless you already have one … Read more

How to decorate soap with flowers and herbs

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Let’s be honest, soap decorated with dried herbs and flowers is gorgeous! Adding plants to your soap is tricky as most of them turn brown in contact with the lye and water, but there are some exceptions like herbs (mint, rosemary, thyme, etc), chamomile and marigold. The herbs will maintain their dark green colour and … Read more

Vegan milks soaps

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I have been experimenting with vegan milks lately, and I can only say I am hooked! I am still in the middle of the experiment but I can tell you what I found out till now.

The soaps in the picture are made with: almond milk (upper left corner), soy milk (upper right corner) and coconut milk (lower position). For each of them I have used the same soap formula, a simple Bastille of 30% Coconut oil and 70% Olive oil. I didn’t want the formula to be too complicated because I didn’t want it to interfere with how the soap looks. And I have used the same formula for each soap so I can properly compare the differences. When making the soap I have also paid attention so the milks didn’t scorch and I have used light coloured olive oil, again, so I can see the true colour of the soaps.

I didn’t fragrance them for the same reason, I didn’t want the fragrance to colour the soap.

Visually, the almond milk soap is the whitest, the soy milk has a light yellow tinge while the coconut milk soap has a light orange tinge. One thing they all have in common, they are all very creamy!

Only the soap made with almond milk is cured, it’s been very trying waiting for it to cure so I can use it. But I have enjoyed using it very much and I am hooked! They are creamy like soap made with animal milk, but they don’t have the slight smell of ammonia. The natural smell of the soap is not chemical, but very pleasant and fits perfectly with the pure look. Impressions for now, only for the soap made with almond milk which was properly tested:

  • It’s very creamy
  • A lovely opaque white which looks like the soap had titanium dioxide added, it didn’t. This will make any colours you will add pop!
  • It feels very smooth to the touch, a real pleasure
  • Smells very nice on it’s own
  • Very decent bubbles, even though I have used a formula with such a high percentage of unsaturated fats so I didn’t expect too much lather.

Next I will make the same formula but with oat milk and cashew milk and add the pictures. Also as soon as the other soaps are cured I will test them and let you know what I found out.