Gingerbread soap

So I sprained my ankle, and am sort of stuck around the house on a few fine fall days.  I sent the kids and bri out for a Mushroom hunt, and am trying to squeeze in a batch of soap.  After spending the bulk of the morning hunting for my favorite Shea butter recipe that only currently exists as a print out mom sent me a few years ago, I ended up trying a new recipe (and swearing that if I ever find my trusty recipe,  I will transcribe it here so as not to completely loose it again!)...

A Palm oil free (Recipe)! So that's exciting, I do like the idea of moving away from palm-oil.  I doubled it, didn't have any silk, and unsuccessfully tried for a swirl.  Mess-city by the way....will I never learn?   I had a third of the batch colored with red clay, a third with turmeric ... which looked a lot like red clay... and a third natural.  The batch was setting up too fast by the time everything was blended so really, I ended up with lumpy messes sort of dashed into the molds.  I gave them a quick stir and will hope for the best, though am worried there will be air bubbles and ugliness, and I am pretty sure just uneven odd color chunks throughout.  I got the scent with two tsp of cinnamon leaf, two of ginger, one of clove and one of vanilla, and a half spoon of lemon.  I think it was a pretty good gingerbread smell, not perfect but nice.


Trying deodorant, and with the cooler weather, that last batch ended up okay  and firm enough.This time I mixed 1 tsp each of cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, a half tsp avocado oil and a half tsp of beezwax. I added 1.5 tsp each of baking soda and arrowroot powder as well as 10 drops lime, 10 drops grapefruit, 5 drops lemon ('cause it was out) and 10 drops hops.  It is more yellow, and sets soft still (more beezwax I suppose, but soft isn't too bad really).

When holed up at home, I was actually pretty productive but not in the most directed fashion.  I have put aside all sorts of practical and lovely sewing project to tackle another basil fox and now a maggie bunny!  These guys are so much fun and I sort of love them when I am done (I keep them out, admire how cute they are in their wee outfits).  I have plans for at least one more of each, and then really will tackle that dress that has scared me a bit.