I signed up for a business coaching group last year and in one of the video sessions they talked about Enneagram types. I decided to get a book from the library about it and I thought it was interesting. The book (The Road Back to you) describes each number of the Enneagram types so that the reader can identify him or herself with one of them. It is pretty much a personality type kind of book or concept. I think in the end, if I remember correctly, I identified myself with a number five. However, I did identify with the No.4 initially.
One of the characteristics of a No. 4 is their desire for being unique. I could see that in me, and realized that it is this desire for originality that keeps me from attempting a lot of things that are popular, or from following a lot of trends. For example, those hashtag photo challenges on Facebook or Instagram (i.e. when you post a picture of yourself in black and white, for example, or with your sibling, etc) I have even told my husband that if he ever sees me posting a picture of myself for one of these challenges, that he needs to sit me down and question me, because obviously something must be wrong with me.
ANYHOW, this was one of the reasons that kept me from attempting a succulent soap, which I saw often in the different Facebook groups I belong to. Then one day, at the hardware store, in the garden section, I saw some succulent plants and suddenly got inspired and thought…why not? Initially, I wanted to make something similar to some faux succulent decorations I had bought, which were inside a round glass container. But my initial attempts at that didn’t work (I wanted to use melt and pour soap instead of the glass but I could not manage to make it into an oval shape while keeping it very see-through) so I did a more traditional succulent soap instead.
The succulents were fairly easy to make with soap dough. And I prefer making them by hand because it is fun, and I do not need to buy a mold either. However, there are cute succulent molds out there.
I also included bentonite clay here, see, I bought 1 lb of it and I am trying to use it up. It turns out that there are benefits that bentonite clay can provide in the cosmetic industry. You can read this blog from Marie about it.
Personally, I had only known of bentonite clay when I worked at an oil and gas company, where it was used to make mud, also known as “drilling fluid”. There was a department or subcompany within the company that sold the materials we used to make the drilling fluid at wholesale prices. A lady who worked there and was in my vanpool told me that a woman had come to buy 50 lb worth of bentonite clay, and wanted to pay cash but because they usually do not sell to individuals, they did not even have a cash register. She said the woman walked away happily after writing a check. I bet it was someone who made cosmetic products, and I am sure she got a great deal on it compared to the retail price.
For the soap, I used the sweater weather fragrance from Bescented. I REAAAAALLY like how it smells. The name may not sound fit for succulent soap, but it smells so fresh and different I thought it did. If you would like to pre-order this soap, you can do that here.
If you would prefer to make this soap yourself instead, here are the supplies I used*
*Some of the links are affiliate links
Recipe Totals
| Liquid Required | 7.39 oz | 209.5 g |
| NaOH Weight | 4.55 oz | 129.08 g |
| KOH Weight | 0.37 oz | 10.59 g at 90% Purity |
| Lye Weight | 4.93 oz | 139.67 g |
| Oil Weight | 34 oz | 963.88 g |
| Fragrance Oil Weight | 2.04 oz | 57.83 g |
| Superfat | 5% | |
| Total Batch Weight | 48.6 oz | 1377.74 g |
| Lye Concentration | 40% | |
| NaOH / KOH Ratio | 95% / 5% |
Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes
| Oil | % | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 30 | 10.2 | 289.16 |
| Tallow Beef | 30 | 10.2 | 289.16 |
| Coconut Oil, 76 deg | 25 | 8.5 | 240.97 |
| Castor Oil | 8 | 2.72 | 77.11 |
| Shea Butter | 7 | 2.38 | 67.47 |
| Total | 100 | 34 | 963.88 |
Mold:
- I made the mold with a box and a plastic liner. However, a tall and skinny mold would work great.
- Oval cavity Molds from Nurture Soap* (I had extra soap batter, so I poured it in these molds too)
Additives
- 1 TBS Bentonite Clay dissolved in 5 oz of water
Custom Additives
| Add at trace | |
|---|---|
| Tetrasodium EDTA | 0.24 ounce (optional) dissolved in equal amount of water |
Fragrance
| 2 oz of Sweater Weather FO |
Embeds
Made with soap dough. However, they could be made with melt and pour and a succulent mold.
Soaps by Glenda 