This is an

excerpt from

AVAILABLE
JANUARY 2016
ED I T E D BY

Lisa Hiley

A RT D I R ECT I O N A N D BOOK DE S I GN BY
IN D E X E D BY

Michaela Jebb

Nancy D. Wood

Lara Ferroni (author), Mars Vilaubi (back),

and Michaela Jebb (front and spine)

COV E R P HOTO G RA PH Y BY

Tara Donne, WI T H PH OTO ST YLING BY Raina Kattelson: 13, 58, 11, 18, 42, 54,
6870, 78, 82, 86, 100102, 108, 114, 118, 126, 130, 136, 140, 146148, 158, 162, 166, 178, 182, 186, 190, 198, 204, 210, 218,
224

STI LL- L I F E P HOTO GRAPH Y BY

Lara Ferroni: 15, 16, 2139, 4550, 58, 60, 64, 72, 73, 76, 77, 80, 81, 84, 85, 88, 89,
9294, 98, 99, 104107, 110112, 115117, 120, 121, 124, 125, 128, 129, 132134, 137139, 142145, 150152, 155, 157, 160, 161,
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H OW-TO P HOTO G RA PH Y BY

A D D I T I O N A L P HOTO GRAPH Y BY
COV E R L E T T E R I N G BY

Mars Vilaubi: 52, 74, 122, 136, 154, and Michaela Jebb: 90, 96, 172, 230

Nicolas Fredrickson

Be sure to read all the instructions thoroughly before undertaking any of the projects
in this book and follow all the safety guidelines provided.
2016 by Anne-Marie Faiola
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or
reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored
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means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or other without written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to
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made without guarantee on the part of the author or
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T he B eau T y of P u re , h an dm ade Soa P

8

INTR

O D U C TI O N

The Beauty of Pure,

Handmade Soap

CHAPTER 5

Using Herbs
Other Natural
Additives

P u re Soa Pm ak i n g

in body care products, long a

popular commercial trend, continues to increase. Adding herbs
and other natural additives can increase customer demand, label
appeal, and overall aesthetics. Additives such as herbs and flowers, coffee
and tea, nuts, chocolate, oatmeal, silk fibers, and even tobacco can be
added for many different reasons. For starters, many of them have excellent
antioxidant properties, which can help to increase the skin-loving traits
of your bar. Others make for great use as exfoliants. They can also help to
color your soap or add texture.
HE US E O F N AT U RA L I N GR E D I E NTS

Before You Start

When adding natural products to soap, there
are a few things to take into consideration:

if using any of these. (See Considering Nut

Allergies, page 41.)

Will it discolor?
While some herbal additives produce
beautifully colored soap, most others will
eventually turn brown and discolor the final
product. Some cause a halo effect where the
color spreads out from the herb particles in
the soap, eventually taking over most of the
bar. Youll want to plan for this when creating
your soap design. Or just use those soaps up
more quickly!

Should I use the herb itself or make an

infusion?
When using herbs to color your soap, youll
need to make an oil infusion to extract as
much colorant as possible. To use them as
an exfoliant, to add texture, or for aesthetic
purposes, adding the actual herb directly
at thin trace is fine. (See pages 4849 for
directions on making herbal infusions.)

How scratchy will it be?

If youre using additives as an exfoliant, youll
want to do some testing to find the correct
scratch factor. A product that is ground too
finely or used in very small amounts will be
unnoticeable; using larger chunks or adding
too much of it could potentially cause harm.
(Nobody wants to lose a layer of skin!)
Is this additive a possible allergen?
Additives like nutshells could cause an allergic
reaction in some sensitive people. Youll want
to make sure you add a warning to your label

How long will natural colors last in soap?

How long color lasts depends on the
ingredient. Natural green colors tend to fade
fairly quickly (within a couple of weeks) to
brown or gray or even become almost nonexistent. Shades of orange and red, such as
the tomato color in Layered Tomato Swirl Bars
(page 126) will fade, but not as drastically or as
quickly as the greens.
Keeping your soap out of direct sunlight
can help extend the life of the color. A good
alternative to natural colorants is to use natureidentical oxides, which are often called for in
this book. They hold their color much better.
43

A N ET
N ET

5-month

ORA
th

n
mo
5-

O INFUSI
T
T
A

INA

h
s
re

fresh

ARROW
Y
h

fr

5-mon

RIKA

SPIRUL

AN N
nth
o
m

TTO INFU
A
N
N

fresh

AP

ON

YARRO

COCOA

10X
AL

ORANGE
A

sh

f
re
sh

re

re

E ESSENTI
G
N

ESS
ENTIAL 10X
IS ON

sh

AL

LK

fresh

KA

OMFREY
C
h

fr

esh

R RO OT
5-

mon

DE

M ADDER

th

MAD

ROSE

Y
CLA

5-

PAPR
I

sh

KA

th
on

th
m

re

COA

RO

OT

5-mon

CO

5-m
on

o
-m

nth

SPIR

NA
ULI

th

e
fr

sh

NETTL
E

ROSE CLAY

5-m

on

COM
F

s
re

INDIGO

N ET T L E

5-month

GO
NDI

th
on

REY

5-

th

CHAPTER 9

All HAbout
P R 8
Simplicity
T
C A E

All about Simplicity

RECIPES

Comfrey &
Spirulina
Multicolored
Cubes

Comfrey Spirulina
MU

LT I C O

B
LO R E D C U

ES

Makes 9 bars

Spirulina is a dark-green algae that grows in lakes. It is rich in essential fatty acids, such
as Omega-3s, -6s, and -9s, that are great for the skin. Comfrey leaves contain allantoin,
which is said to protect the skin and promote new cell growth. The addition of refreshing
rosemary and peppermint essential oils cools the skin and awakens the mind.

Mold and Special Tools

Oil Amounts

9-bar silicone cube mold

8.5 ounces palm oil (23%)

Heating pad

9.2 ounces coconut oil (25%)

Colorant and
Additive Amounts

1.9 ounces avocado butter (5%)

Lye-Water Amounts
5.1 ounces lye (5% superfat)
11.5 ounces distilled water
2 teaspoons sodium lactate
(optional)

11.1 ounces olive oil pure (30%)

0.7 ounce castor oil (2%)
5.6 ounces rice bran oil (15%)

Essential Oil Blend

1.1 ounces rosemary essential oil
0.3 ounce peppermint essential
oil, 2nd distill

1 tablespoon comfrey powder

dispersed into 1 tablespoon
rice bran oil
1 teaspoon spirulina powder
dispersed into 1 tablespoon
rice bran oil
1 teaspoon rose clay dispersed
into 1 tablespoon distilled
water
1 teaspoon alkanet root powder dispersed into 1 tablespoon rice bran oil

Note:

This mold creates beautiful bars, but it can be tricky

to remove them if sodium lactate is not included.

Safe Soaping!
Wear proper safety gear the whole time.

No distractions (keep kids and pets away).

ativepro.com

Work in a well-ventilated space.

71

12 2
ga rden er S c ru B wi T h co f f ee g ro u n dS

Gardener Scrub
with Coffee
Grounds

Pale Ale with Cocoa

Powder

Goat Milk Sunset

Burst