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How To Make Nutmeg, Cinnamon & Cranberry Soap
Our white Nutmeg, Cinnamon & Cranberry Soap is a beautiful, wintery and warm bar. Perfect for the approaching season and wonderfully fragrant!
Why not try soap making for Christmas gifts this year or treat yourself? Soap and toiletry making is an up and coming craft, creating amazing artisan products from scratch. We pride ourselves in providing sustainably sourced ingredients, so you know where and what your creations are made from. We sell everything you need to make soaps, toiletries and candles, with free recipes and more.
About the ingredients...
This soap bar alone contains five of our remarkable ingredients. Each one has its own characteristics to make this soap a unique and delightful Christmas make!
• Tallow, is a wonderful product that doesn’t get enough credit. Tallow contains an abundance of naturally occurring fat soluble vitamins, it is anti-inflammatory and has regenerative properties. As this recipe is mainly tallow, it is the perfect ingredient, one that helps skin hold moisture by creating a protective layer and boosts immune response on the skin.
• Cinnamon is known for its benefits for the skin. It has a cleansing nature, often used as a gentle exfoliant to nourish the skin, it is known to provide relief for eczema and help plump skin to improve fine lines.
• Nutmeg similar to cinnamon is great for skincare. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and astringent properties, meaning it is known to help heal scars, reduce the likely hood of infections and help to control your natural oils.
• Cranberry although used in this recipe as a fragrance, is also known for its beneficial properties. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as being a yummy snack. In this instant it is a perfect addition to our winter soap, creating a beautiful and warm aroma.
These ingredients combine to create a perfect Christmas blend and in a wonderful cold process soap to!
We have a basic cold process soap recipe which can be adapted to suit your own makes.
Ingredients
• 907g Tallow (Best White) Refined
• 119g Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda) Premium Quality
• 345g Cold, Clean Water
• 20ml Cranberry Fragrance
• Cinnamon (Ground)
• Nutmeg (Ground)
• Eco Sparks Reflections
Equipment
• Two Saucepans (good sized stainless steel or enamel)
• Glass or Plastic Measuring Jug (heat proof and able to withstand boiling water)
• Accurate Kitchen Scales
• Balloon Whisk
• Rubber/Wooden Spatula
• Soap Mould
• Eye & Hand Protection (safety glasses and rubber gloves)
• Blanket or Large Towel
• Small Sieve
• Measuring Spoon
Method
Step 1
Make the Lye
Firstly measure out 345g of cold clean water into a jug. Weigh (accurately) 119g of sodium hydroxide beads (or pearls) into a suitable container. Carefully add the sodium hydroxide to the water, and whisk, stirring all the time.
Be careful not to breathe the vapour that is initially given off, so hold your breath and stir until all the sodium hydroxide has dissolved and there are no lumps stuck to the bottom of the jug.
The solution (now known as Lye) will heat up to nearly 200°F (95°C) and will need to be left to cool. Place the jug in a large bowl of cold water, being careful not to ‘float’ it. Hang the jug handle over the side of the bowl for balance and to ensure it doesn’t tip over.
Step 2
Meanwhile, measure out exactly 907g of tallow and put into one of the saucepans (the smaller if there is one) and gently melt it on the stove. Don’t overheat it, just melt it. When there are tiny pieces of solid oil still left to melt, turn off the heat and leave until completely liquid. If adding grapefruit seed extract, add it to the saucepan now.
Slowly and carefully pour the lye in with the oil, and start stirring with a balloon whisk to ensure the mixture all starts to chemically react and combine.
You should stir the mixture fairly briskly. You will notice the solution start to turn more opaque and as the minutes pass it will start to thicken.
Step 3
Finding your trace, this is when you can drizzle the mixture from the whisk onto the surface of the solution and it leaves a visible trace before sinking back into the rest of the mixture.
As you stir the mixture you will notice the solution start to turn more opaque. As soon as you have a very light trace, you can add your fragrance and blend slowly.
Step 4
Next pour approximately three quarters of the mixture into your mould.
Using a small sieve dust a fine layer of nutmeg onto the surface of your soap in the mould to create a pencil line. Keep the layer relatively thin to prevent the soap breaking at unmoulding and cutting.
Step 5
Next slowly pour a half of your remaining mixture, over the back of your spatula, into your mould to create a thin layer.
Using a small sifter dust a fine layer of cinnamon onto the surface of your soap in the mould to create a pencil line. As above keep the layer relatively thin to prevent the soap breaking at unmoulding and cutting.
Step 6
Slowly pour the remainder of your mixture into the mould. To create a peaked/shaped top allow the soap to set until it will hold a peak and create your design using the back of a spoon or your spatula.
We have gently decorated the top of our soap with a small dusting of glitter.
Step 7
Cover the mould with something like a cardboard sheet to prevent anything touching the surface of the soap whilst it’s setting.
Insulate with old towels or a blanket and leave at room temperature until the soap has solidified. With a small batch like this example, this should be no more than 24 hours. Larger batches can take longer.
Once set and cool, remove the soap from the mould and remove any lining paper from the soap. At this stage it should be a soft solid which can easily be cut into bars or smaller blocks if desired. If it appears too soft to handle, leave it for 2-3 days and try again.
We recommend leaving your soap ‘to cure’ at room temperature for at least 3-4 weeks, preferably on a sheet of uncoloured absorbent paper to help allow air to circulate around each bar or block. Curing will allow the soap to lose excess moisture and become harder.
Step 8
Finally, as soon as your soap has cured you can enjoy your Cranberry, Cinnamon & Nutmeg Soap!
For added detail, use some lace ties or string to create a wrap around for that extra touch
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