Hibiscus and lavender shaving soap

A few weeks ago I came up with this recipe and have been enjoying my very own herbal shaving soap ever since. As buying shaving cream can become quite expensive over time I wanted to come up with something to substitute it with. I am no expert in soap making and wanted to make an easy and quick soap which would be great to use under the shower and suitable for shaving. I didn't want to experiment with fancy scents and designs, but just come up with a rich soap with good lather and slip, which would not be drying for my skin.  After a few weeks of using my herbal soap I feel confident in sharing this recipe on my blog. 

As some of you probably know there are two ways to make soap: the hot and cold process. I chose the hot process as it does not take as long to cure as cold process soap (though it is still advised to leave the soap bars for several weeks before use). 

Below are a few very informative and helpful posts if you are new to soap making:

http://www.soap-making-resource.com/hot-process-soap-making.html

http://smallnotebook.org/tutorials/beginner-soapmaking/

http://allcrafts.tripod.com/

Equipment:

digital scale

large pot

1 liter jar or other large glass bowl for lye

plastic spoon with long handle

metal spoon

glass measuring cups

stick blender

pH papers

Ingredients:

280 g olive oil

200 g coconut oil

100 g cocoa butter

100 g shea butter

90 g castor oil

70 g jojoba oil

30 g beeswax

2 tbsp white kaolin clay

1 tbsp citric acid

1 glass (250 ml) herbal infusion

110 g lye (NaOH) 

Different oils make different soaps therefore it is best to mix a few in order to get a soap that will work best for you. For example coconut oil makes a highly cleansing bar of soap, but when used at high amounts it will be drying to the skin. On the other hand olive oil make gentle, lightly cleaning soap suitable for babies and sensitive skin. Yet a bar of soap made from 100% olive oil takes a very long time to cure (harden). To learn more about the different properties of oils in soap making read this: http://www.lovinsoap.com/oils-chart/. By using this oil chart you can also find alternative oils/butters if you do not have one of the ingredients at home and would like to find something to substitute it with. If you do make some changes make sure to run the recipe through a lye calculator so you know that you are using the right amount of lye:

https://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php. 

How to make hibiscus and lavender herbal infusion:

I prepare my herbal infusions by placing dried herbs in a jar, filling the jar with boiling water, screwing on a tight lid and leaving the herbs to steep for 12-24 h. To prepare 1 glass of hibiscus and lavender infusion place 2 tbsp of dried hibiscus flowers and 2 tbsp of dried lavender in a jar. Next add 250 ml of boiling water and screw on the lid. I leave it like this overnight. In the morning I strain the herbs out through a cheese cloth and squeeze it well. The herbal infusion should have a beautiful red color. 

I decided to use a hibiscus and lavender herbal infusion because of their nourishing benefits for skin, but also because of the rich red color of the infusion. As you can see though from my pictures my soap did not end up a nice red color. Instead it is brown. At first this was a big disappointment and surprise. Only afterwards did I do some online research to learn that this is a typical issue with hibiscus flowers in soap making....In the end though I came to like the brown color of my soap and wouldn't want it any other way. If you would prefer soap with a different color you can always experiment with different herbal infusions or just use distilled water (then the soap will be creamy yellow). 

Directions:

1. Measure all the oils, butters and beeswax in glass measuring cups. Place in a pot and warm them on low heat.

2.  Measure the right amount of lye in a glass measuring cup (make sure to wear long sleeves and gloves while handing lye!)  

3. Pour 250 ml of herbal infusion into a large glass jar (or glass bowl). Place the jar in a well ventilated area and slowly add the lye. The lye should be added to the herbal infusion not the other way around (this is very important). While adding the lye stir the mixture with a plastic spoon with a long handle. The mixture will become extremely hot so be careful not to touch the jar. It is also caustic so make sure not to spill or splash anything on yourself. Leave the mixture to cool down a bit up to the point where you can comfortably touch the jar.

If you are new to soap making be sure to learn the necessary lye precautions: http://www.certified-lye.com/safety.html

4. Slowly add the lye mixture to the melted oils and keep on low heating all the time. Mix every few minutes. Continue heating and mixing for the next 1 h. 

Once you notice the mixture become thicker (see picture below) blend it with a stick blender for about 3 minutes until it has the consistency of cake batter. This is so called 'trace'. Once you reach this step add citric acid and kaolin clay to your mixture. Citric acid lowers the pH of your soap while kaolin clay adds slip which is very useful when making shaving soap. 

5. Continue heating and mixing for an additional hour. With time the mixture will become semi-transparent. In the mean time prepare your soap molds. I used a glass loaf pan as I do not have any special soap molds at home. You can check if your soap is ready by using pH papers. The pH of your mixture should be below 10 (it is best if the pH is 8-9). If it is higher this means that there is left over lye and the soap is not ready. 

6. Turn off heating. If you would like to add some essential oils to your soap this is the time to do so. I did not add any to my soap, but it still has a subtle herbal scent. Next spoon your mixture into the mold/molds that you prepared. 

7. Place the mold in a well ventilated area and leave for 24 h to cool and harden. After 24 h remove the soap from the mold and cut into bars. Leave the bars of soap on a rack or tray in a place with good airflow for 2-3 weeks. The soap can be used right away, but only after a few weeks it will completely harden and have the right properties (earlier it will be rather slimy and dissolve very quickly when in contact with water).

This is how my soap looked after 2 weeks of aging:

 I use it both as a shower soap and shaving soap and I am very happy with it. It does not dry my skin the way regular store bought soap does. I love the fact that this is real soap, instead of a 'soap' bar made from harsh cleaning agents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, and that I am washing my body with all natural ingredients.