Have you seen the soap in jars that looks like whipped cream? If you have, you know what I mean. They usually layer a couple of pretty colors together and pack it into a see through jar, and suggest that it makes a great shaving soap. Sometimes it is mixed with sugar or salt and sold as a body scrub, or even a face scrub. This whipped soap takes several months to make, as it needs months of what is called "rotting" time. Basically that just means that it need curing time. But, if you don't have the time, patience or inclination to wait that long, yet still want to try this great soap, you are in luck! Many vendors sell a whipped soap base. That means that you can make it yourself!
While the directions may vary slightly with your particular vendor, the basics are all the same. You need to put one pound of base, 1/4 to 1/2 ounce of skin safe fragrance (either essential oil(s) or fragrance oil), and 1 ounce of the oil of your choice (Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, and Olive Oil) into a bowl. Using your electric mixer, the kind with two beaters, slowly begin to mix the ingredients. Keep on low until the mixture is smooth. When you have it blended together, turn your beaters to high and mix until it is fluffy. Don't go overboard with the mixing though, or you will cause it to flop, much like when you are baking and someone slams the door, causing your cake to fall in. Generally speaking, you are looking to double the size of your batch. Once you are at the right fluffiness, you can split the batch into two if you want to do two different colors. Add in your colorant and gently stir it. Basically you are folding in this ingredient so that you don't collapse the fluff. Most people use mica to color, but your vendor will likely tell you what choices you have and what they feel is best. Food coloring is not appropriate. Now is also the time to add in the exfolliant, 1/2 to 1 pound of sugar or salt, whichever you like best. Again, you want to fold it in so that you don't collapse the fluff. When the sugar or salt is blended in, you are ready to package it. You can just use a spoon and layer it into jars, or you can get a little fancy and pipe it in with a pastry bag. To do this, just grab two plastic storage bags (freezer bags work best) and spoon each colored mixture into one bag. Seal the top of the bags and push all the whipped soap down into one corner. Cut the corner of the bag and use it just like a real pastry bag, alternating layers of the whipped colors until your jars are full. Make sure that you press the tip of the bag around the sides of the jar so that you get nice, clean layers. Since this can be so pretty, I suggest using clear jars. But if you don't really care about how it looks, only in its use and feel, then you can skip the coloring part of this and store it in any colored jar that you want. In order to make using it easy though, you probably will want to use a wide mouth jar.
This is really a very easy and very fun project for an afternoon. There are just a few things to remember in order to ensure that you are successful.
-Aside from not over whipping, you need to make sure that you do not add in too much oil or too much fragrance. The vendor should provide the maximum percentage of additives, as well as the ideal amount.
-Not every fragrance/essential oil is safe for use on the body. Be sure that what you want to use is appropriate for use on the body, and that you know/check the maximum skin safe amount for use in this type of soap. Understand that the maximum skin safe amount and the maximum amount of fragrance load that the base can accept, are likely different amounts. You must comply with both in order to be safe and to have a successful batch. If you are not sure about your fragrance choice, check with the vendor. They should be able to tell you if your choice is skin safe, and how much you can use in various types of products.
-Once you get the fluff, you need to stop and prepare to package. If you over-fluff and your batch collapses, you cannot re-fluff. So, while it may be fun watching it rise out of the bowl, don't get carried away with yourself! Lol Stopping and starting is not good either.
-You need to use an electric mixer to make this, a hand mixer just won't get enough air into the batch, and air is what "whips" it up. Once you start on the high setting it should only take a couple of minutes to incorporate enough air to double the batch size.
-If you don't want to make a scrub, you may want to add in (fold it in) about two tablespoons of kaolin clay to make some shaving soap. Shaving soap isn't just for men either, this feels great on the legs of women, and moisturizes the skin quite nicely!
-Of course you don't have to add clay either, whipped soap is wonderful to use in and of itself. Just remember that you don't want to get water into the jar, use wet fingers, or store where moisture may get into it, as this recipe doesn't contain a preservative. As long as there isn't any water in the product you don't need a preservative, but if water is introduced, it won't take long for microbes to begin growing nasty things. So use a scoop, store in an airtight container, and keep away from the tub/sink area.
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