Gardeners Scrubby Soap

I've been experimenting with a new soap recipe, and I have to say, this batch turned out perfectly...creamy soft lather with lots of bubbles, lovely scent that is not disappearing, just the right touch of scrubbiness...lovely!  You can see the finished bars below. 
Doesn't this just look like the beginning of dessert?

Don't eat it...it's all my oils and lye water mixed and soaponified via the Hot Process method (Crock Pot Soap!) and you can see bits of ground oats and traces of newly added shea butter to add a nice bit of unsaponified oil to condition your skin while cleaning. 

I used to be a bit of a stickler, something of a snob really, about 'cold process' soap.  But I've played around a bit and am loving the texture of the soap and really, the whole Hot Process process.  I still need to leave it to harden a week or two, but you can check it right away, you don't loose your expensive essential oils in the heating, and I get to play in the bubbles while washing up.  And I can easily picture myself in my little forest dwelling, stirring my kettle of soap and waiting for it to finish.  I really need to get these to market...and go harvest some more herbs for my next batch...

Ok, back to the present...I don't know if you've ever made soap, but the smell is so nice while it's cooking...I've now come to identify the 'fresh soap' smell with creativity and relaxation.  And yes, I sit there and sniff it a few times through the whole process just to get that 'I'm making soap' high.  Just remember if you do this, wait till the lye water is incorporated to sniff, don't sniff the lye fumes...not really pleasant.

I tried a new recipe that was supposed to give more lather, added a few of my own touches, and re-sized the recipe to give me a small batch (and I do mean small).  It worked perfectly, samples were given to strangers, thanks to my loving husband, and the sampler-people reported back very happy. Yep, as creamy soft as it looks, with a gentle scrub...not for your face though.

And as these things often go...more free samples were provided and my perfect soap is down to three bars, a little over 3oz each, and dwindling fast.  I hope that if I make a bigger batch, it turns out just as well.  Do I save them or sell them?  Oh the choices!

One last note, I just made another small batch last night, testing a baby soap this time, and I must say, it's coming out lovely!  Chamomile & Calendula, but I'll post that later. 

Go dream of bubbles...