Around Christmas time, I saw a Meme or quote that said something along the lines: “This Christmas I will hand make gifts for all my loved ones.” and then this followed: “I only love two people”
I thought it was funny because it rings true, I start out with the best intentions and then realize my intentions were bigger than my abilities, especially under time constrains. When I thought about making this soap, my original plan was to make a family of polar bears: mom, dad and cubs (not exactly nature accurate, I know). However, after making one polar bear, I realized I would not have the room or energy to make them all. So I decided to only make one cub, and here we are.
Here is the video of the making and below is the recipe and supply list. Some of the links provided are affiliate links, which means I will get a small percentage if you purchase anything using the link and will help support this blog.
Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes
Note: I am using a lye blend that includes Koh (Potassium hydroxide), mainly because I bought some for a project, did the project, now I have a lot leftover and want to use it up. Also because I have read that it helps increase bubbles, and my husband loves a bubbly soap. You can run the recipe through a soap calculator to get the amounts for just Naoh.
| Oil | % | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 30 | 17.4 | 493.28 |
| Tallow Beef | 30 | 17.4 | 493.28 |
| Coconut Oil, 76 deg | 25 | 14.5 | 411.07 |
| Castor Oil | 8 | 4.64 | 131.54 |
| Shea Butter | 7 | 4.06 | 115.1 |
| Total | 100 | 58 | 1644.27 |
Recipe Totals
| Liquid Required | 13.71 oz | 388.74 g |
| NaOH Weight | 7.77 oz | 220.19 g |
| KOH Weight | 0.64 oz | 18.07 g at 90% Purity |
| Lye Weight | 8.4 oz | 238.26 g |
| Oil Weight | 58 oz | 1644.27 g |
| Fragrance Oil Weight | 3.63 oz | 102.77 g |
| Superfat | 5% | |
| Total Batch Weight | 83.77 oz | 2374.86 g |
| Lye Concentration | 38% | |
| NaOH / KOH Ratio | 95% / 5% |
Fragrances
| 3.6 oz of Apple Cinnamon from Bulk Apothecary | 0.3% vanillin |
Embeds
- Igloos: Made with Crystal Clear MP I cut thick slices from the block, and then cut partial circles with a circular cookie cutter. I brushed blue mica on the back and scored the front to make “blocks”.
- Bears: I made them with soap dough. But there are Bear molds that could work. While I did not record how I made them (if interested, comment below though), here is a video of how I made teddy bears last year.
Custom Additives
| Add with the Fats | |
|---|---|
| Rosemary oleoresin | 0.03 ounce (You would need a jeweler’s scale to measure) or add it to your oils as you get them. It helps prevent oxidation but adding too much works the opposite. |
| Add at trace | |
| Tetrasodium EDTA | 0.41 oz (optional) I use is a chelator in my hard water area, it needs to be mixed with same amount of water prior. |
For more information on these additives you can click on their name above to visit the link.
Equipment
- List of regular equipment
- circular cookie cutter for igloos.
Molds
11 lb slab liner (only filled this halfway)
Soaps by Glenda 