Mustache Soap

This soap is inspired in my husband’s mustache, I guess now it is a tribute to it, since it is gone!

Have you ever felt like you are the pretty one in your relationship? Not that your significant other one is not attractive, but because of the dresses, and make up, and hairdos, you are the one who feels ,”Pretty”. Well, when my husband grew his mustache, I no longer felt like I was the pretty one. And I was ok with it, since I usually don’t wear dresses or make up anyway, but it felt odd. Strangers were striking up conversations with him, and those who talked to me, just complimented me on his mustache!

It was odd, some people did not recognize him, and they thought I was going out with someone else? Like, seriously? But anyway, onto the soap. I used indigo powder to color it, but I was afraid of it, and ended up using too little.

The scent is good, it is a Touch type from Save on Scents. However, I bought the standard concentration, and I thought it was on the light side. I will use more next time I use this fragrance for sure. He likes it though, being that it smells like his favorite perfume, Burberry Touch, and thinks there is nothing wrong with it.

Here is a link to the recipe where you can see the weights in grams and can also copy to change the amount to your mold size if needed.

Oils

8.75 oz Coconut Oil, 76 deg

11.20 oz Rice Bran Oil

2.45 oz Ricinus Oil (Castor Oil)

8.75 oz Tallow, Beef

3.85 oz Karite Butter (Shea)

Water + Lye

9.37 oz Water

4.82 oz 100% Purity NaOH

Optional:

Tetrasodium EDTA

0.25 Ounce(s)

Colorants, Additives and Fragrance:

• Sodium lactate 0.70 oz (2%)
• 1/2 teaspoon of Indigo powder (this was a very low amount actually, and it resulted on the color you see in the pictures. Next time I will use more per guidelines of this book)
• 2 oz of Touch type fragrance (I bought it from Save on Scents), I would also use a bit more next time.
• Silver Mica (I used Pewter Mica from Brambleberry)

Embeds

I made the mustache embeds with soap dough, video is linked below. However, they can be easily made with melt and pour base, using a mold like this.

Equipment:

• Equipment and Supplies I use  
• A tea strainer mesh to disperse the mica or glitter
• Something to texture the first layer, I used an odd shape scraper I found at at 99 cent store, but something like this or even your spatula or spoon would work.
• 8″ Silicone Mold

Process:

1. If you can, rehydrate the indigo powder the day before. You would disperse it in 2 tablespoons of water. (I 1 teaspoon or less of indigo)
2. Before you start, remember that you need to wear your safety gear.  Lye burns! Plan to prepare the lye solution several hours ahead to allow it to come to room temperature or to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit , or freeze your distilled water into cubes.
3. In a well ventilated area (outside or by a window), add gradually the lye to the distilled water and stir it with a metal spoon. I use a drink stirrer spoon, it has a long handle.  Do not breathe the fumes (I use a respirator because I am sensitive to the fumes).   You can freeze your water ahead to avoid fumes, and weigh the ice cubes (they weigh the same as if the water was in liquid form). The water/lye solution should go from cloudy to clear once it is dissolved.  If you do not have a dedicated soap area/room and other people might come into contact with this, make sure you cover it, label it, tell everyone and keep it isolated, where it cannot be spilled or touched by accident.
4. Add the indigo powder to the water-lye solution. If you rehydrated it the day before, add that to the water-lye solution. You may need to use the stick blender to disperse it.
5. Wait for lye water to come to room temperature. Especially if your fragrance accelerates.  While you wait for the lye water to cool down, you can weigh and melt your oils, fragrance, and tilt your mold. This fragrance accelerated a little bit, but it was manageable, and probably because I also have a water discount.
6. Measure, blend and melt your oils and let them cool down a bit, ideally to room  temperature as the fragrance accelerates.  You want to work at room temperature if your fragrance accelerates.  Your oils should not be hotter than 100°F or 37.77°C
7. Measure your fragrance oil, divide in half (1 oz for each half)
8. Once your oils and lye water have come to above temperatures, add your lye solution to the oils slowly, to avoid splatters pour it on the blender shaft.
9. Stir with the blender on Off position initially, then blend for 15 second periods, alternating with stirring, until it is at emulsion (where you cannot see any oils floating around) or light trace, when lifting the spoon from the batter leaves a trace on the surface.  This should only take 1 minute with this recipe.
10. Split the batter in half.
11. Add the fragrance to one half. Stir and blend it to medium trace.
12. Pour it on the mold.
13. Once this is firm enough to add texture with whichever tool you found, do it. Then sprinkle the silver mica on top. If your mica line is too thick, the layers may separate, spray alcohol prior and make sure you can see the soap in some spots to insure against it.
14. Add the remaining fragrance to the other half of the soap batter, blend it and pour it on top of the first layer. Go slowly and use the spatula if needed to break the fall, so that it does not mess up your mica line.
15. If the top of your soap is firm enough, you can add the mustache embeds.
16. After 24-32 hours, try removing from the mold, and cut into bars.