My soap supply is dwindling after gifting a great deal of it for Christmas so some new batches are long overdue. This week I made a batch of rose-scented soap. Part of that was used for a second loofah soap test, there were two sheep soaps and the rest went into my regular loaf mold. I’d read a tip that you can use heat-resistant mylar to permanently line your molds but when I Googled that I read it will sometimes stick to the soap. Instead of lining the entire mold with it I used it just on the top surface and although it did stick a little it was much easier than trying to wrap the lid with parchment paper. I think it won’t work well for me as a mold liner but I’ll definitely continue to use it as a lid liner.

I’ve been asked a few times if I would make lotion. A friend who used to do a lot of soaps, creams, lotions and tinctures told me that it was difficult to get a stable emulsion for lotion. Later I read that you must always use preservatives and those two things turned me off. Recently, I began reading about lotion bars and that seemed like a good fit. Here’s the result of my first lotion bar experiment. These are made with shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E and spearmint oil. So far the consensus has been positive. I think these are a keeper!