Finished Soap
When I came back from China, I brought back a wealth of knowledge and experiences really have changed my perspective on life, lifestyles, culture and food. People ask about my adventures abroad but there is so much to tell, I hardly know where to begin!
I often start with the food. Grocery shopping in China is a very different experience. Certainly there are markets similar to ours however those are only large chains like Walmart. Your small local markets are an entirely different undertaking.
Weighing Oils
Eggs, spices and fruit are piled in high, precarious mounds for close inspection. The butcher processes your meat right in front of you so as to prove or guarantee freshness. Down the way is a stall for all types of soy and tofu products. It is common to have warm tofu right out of the press.
As you choose your groceries for the day, you can hear the rhythmic slap, slap of fresh noodles being stretched. Steamers hiss as lids are lifted to reveal dumplings and filled buns. Shopping for groceries is a mouth-watering adventure.
Lye Solution
I was particularly fond of shopping for spices. Vendors will scoop up Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese star anise, peppers, cumin and more for you to smell or even taste. For me the chore of shopping for spices was like I had died and gone to heaven. One thing that did surprise me was ginger. It was fresh, firm and fragrant. It also seemed to be in almost every dish. The bold flavor has stuck with me. Today I wanted to make a soap using two items that very important to the Chinese. Silk and ginger. Come join me as we visit China by way of our soap pots!
Measuring Silk Powder
Difficulty Rating: Intermediate
Start to finish: Less than 45 minutes*
| Ingredients Coconut Oil Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Olive Oil Water Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Ginger Powder, Dry Silk Powder |
Equipment Scale Microwave Safe Container Spoons Pipettes |
Recipe:
| Recipe in Grams 170 grams Coconut Oil 170 grams Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 113 grams Olive Oil 177 mL Water 65 grams Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 1 tsp Ginger Powder, Dry 1 tsp Silk Powder |
Recipe in Ounces 6 oz Coconut Oil 6 oz Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 4 oz Olive Oil 6 fl oz Water 2.31 oz Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 1 tsp Ginger Powder, Dry 1 tsp Silk Powder |
Recipe in Percentages 37.5% Coconut Oil 37.5% Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 25% Olive Oil Q.S. Water Q.S. Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Q.S. Ginger Powder, Dry Q.S. Silk Powder |
Adding Silk Powder to Lye Solution
Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. While the oils are heating, measure and add the lye to the water to for a lye solution. Never add your water to your lye. This can cause a dangerous volcano. Safety first! Allow the oil and lye solutions to cool to about 115ºF. This recipe has some materials that can accelerate trace. Lower temperatures help prevent this batch from running away on you.
Oil and Lye Solution
Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until a light trace is achieved. Add the clay and essential oil and mix well. Pour into a molds and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. If you need help keeping track of your cure times, try our fabulous cure cards. We can even include them into qualifying orders for free! Enjoy your soap!
Adding Lye Solution to Oils
Mixing Soap
Adding Ginger Powder to Soap
Pouring Soap into Mold
Soap in Mold
Looks good… when do you add the powdered ginger?
I add the ginger powder halfway through mixing.