Silk Soap – Cold Process Soap Recipe by Leila Gaines
GOAL: To create a hard bar with a silky sheen, that is both moisturizing and with great lather. Silk proteins added for added skin pampering. Very faint coloring.
Silk CP Soap
Gather your ingredients:
Sweet Almond Oil – – 5 oz. (6.25%)
Castor Oil – – 3 oz. (3.75%)
Coconut Oil – – 16 oz. (20.00%)
Olive Oil – – 28 oz. (35.00%)
Palm Oil – – 8 oz. (10.00%)
Palm Kernel Oil – – 4 oz. (5.00%)
Shea Butter – – 8 oz. (10.00%)
Pistachio Oil – – 5 oz. (6.25%)
Emu Oil – – 3 oz.(3.75%)
10.76 oz. Lye (I use 305 g as individual grams are easier to measure and control on the scale)
8% Superfat
24 oz. Distilled Water
Pinch of silk fibers (a little less than 2 grams) or 1/2 tsp. of Liquid Silk
Mix at 100 degrees
2 oz Fragrance, mixed with 1 oz. of the reserved Almond Oil
1/2 tsp. Mica Color
How to Mix ’em up
1. Line wooden mold or prepare plastic molds. Don goggles & gloves. Mix lye with water. Stir until clear. Add silk fibers (or Liquid Silk). Stir until dissolved. Let rest while preparing oils.
2. Melt Palm Kernel, Palm & Coconut Oil together. Add Castor Oil. In separate container, measure out Olive Oil, Pistachio Oil, 4 oz. of Almond Oil together. In third container, melt Shea Butter, add Emu Oil.
3. Add lye to Coconut/Palm Kernel Oil/Palm/Castor Oil mixture. Zap with stick blender until liquid is well mixed and lighter in color. Add Olive Oil & nut oil mixtures. Zap with stick blender for a 10 second burst. Add Shea Butter mixture. HANDSTIR. (Shea Butter sets trace very quickly). Keep stirring until light trace is achieved. Add Almond Oil/Fragrance mixture. Stir.
4. Take out 1 c. of mixture. Add mica color. Whisk until mica is completely dissolved and there are no dots of color. Mixture should be creamy smooth. Add to rest of soap, and stir until completely mixed, or swirl into soap for effect, as you prefer.
5. For CP Method: Pour into mold. Cover mold, wrap in a blanket, paying attention to all the corners, and do not peek for 24 hours. Unmold, cut, and cure for a minimum of 6 weeks.
6. CPOP Method: Pour into mold (untreated wood, lined with freezer paper). Add freezer paper shiny side to soap on top of soap. Cover mold. Pop into preheated 170 degree oven for 90 minutes. NO PEEKING. Turn off oven, and let soap sit in oven for at least 12 hours. I recommend 18. Take soap out, slice and cure for 1 to 2 weeks.
Notes: I’ve made this soap with Violet FO, and used violet pearl mica to swirl the soap. I have very subtle veins of lavender throughout a creamy, shiny soap with a scent that is marvelously complex. Floral, old-fashioned, almost fruity. Very feminine.
