Castile Bubbles

I have already crossed a project off that I had on my '2014 To-Do List'! I had planned to try out a new soap-making recipe in the New Year but had the chance to make some soap this week so used a new recipe for Castile Bubbles. When making soap I usually use an assortment of oils but this recipe only called for Olive Oil and Castor Oil plus caustic soda and water of course and I was very pleased with the result.



    It took a little longer to reach trace than the other soaps I have made...

...but it was only an extra minute or so...

...and, with a stick blender, the beating process only took under five minutes.

Then the soap was poured into twelve silicone moulds...

...and wrapped up in a few towels until the following morning.

This soap felt very smooth when it came out of the moulds and I am looking forward to using it and finding out if it lathers up any more than the other soaps I have made. I usually use a combination of Copha, Olive Oil and Rice Bran Oil. If you are new to soap making and want to give the soap as a gift, you could pretty it up by smoothing the edges and trimming the bottom to make it look more appealing.

 

However, as we are the only ones using the soap I just trim the edges... 

...and put the bits cut off into a bowl which I add water to later on and use it for hand washing. The edges can get a bit sharp when the soap is dry so I always smooth them off while they are still soft.

If you would like to have a go at making this simple soap, here are the ingredients I used:

CASTILE BUBBLES

• 950g olive oil
• 50g castor oil
• 124g caustic soda
• 250g water

With this soap the temperature needs to be brought to 40 degrees Celsius.

I had some dried calendula petals on hand so added them to the mixture in the rose moulds. If you haven't made soap before, why not put it on your 2014 'To-Do List'. I am sure you will become addicted before long. I am no expert at soap making but enjoy it and it is always interesting to see how the soap turns out. I think Goat's Milk Soap will be next on the list.

Now, who is going to have a go at making soap who hasn't tried before? There are some more recipes here and my first soap making post on this blog is here. I am sure you will have a lot of fun!