Great Cakes Soap Works Challenge #8

Last week for Amy's Challenge was Salt Bars. I usually make a salt bar, with my basic soap recipe, table salt, grated plain castile soap (just for looks) and scented with spearmint, peppermint and eucalyptus. This is a popular soap, but as I make it regularly it wasn't much of a challenge, so I went to soapcalc.com and worked out a different recipe.

As a part of trying to rid our diet of processed foods, I had bought a packet of Murray River salt flakes, which are harvested/mined and packaged down stream of the Murray River at Mildura. We live at the head of the Murray River, not sure how far it is in km's but it is about a days drive. This got me thinking, what else is Mildura famous for? The first thing that came to mind is oranges, and then olive oil. So I thought I would make an orange salt soap.

I used 40% each coconut and olive oil, then 10% each of beef render and castor oil. Salt ended up being about 50% of the fats and oils, I left the superfat at 0% as after researching using orange juice as the liquid it came out that the acid in the juice would negate some of the alkaline of the lye.

Salt Flakes, I love the colour of them. Pity the pink doesn't stay in the soap.

I finely grated the orange zest and then juiced about 4 oranges, All this was added to the lye. About 50% of the liquid was orange juice, the rest was water.

Mildura may be famous for olive oil, but the Upper Murray has the best, so why use any thing but the best. Especially when it is grown right here.

The soap took ages to come to a trace. So long that my stick blender overheated. Finally it became thick enough to add the salt. I scented it with a mix of Orange EO, Lemongrass EO and Benzoin Oleoresin. I am hoping that the Orange zest and the Oleoresin will hold the citrus in place. But it was such a small batch that it probably wont matter too much. I poured the mix into my trusty HD individual molds so I wouldn't have to cut it. One thing I hate about the salt bars is cutting them. Extra batter went into the silicone ice cube trays for guest soaps.

I am very late in getting this post up, but due to driving the 7 hours to Sydney to visit our eldest daughter for her 21st birthday was worth it. I hope all the Mums out there had a lovely Mothers Day. 

I can't wait to sit in front of the computer for a few hours and check out what all the other challenge participants did.But I think I need to be thinking about this weeks challenge, Peaked Tops......