The weather is getting colder in Colorado (most of the time). This means dry and cracked skin have returned. My boyfriend works outside year round so this is when his hands get banged up the most. I wanted something with a lot of healing and moisturizing properties to help his hands make it through the winter.
I infused the olive oil with healing herbs before making the soap. Using 1/8 cup of the following; calendula flowers, chickweed herb, comfrey root, echinacea, marshmallow root, plantain and St John's Wort. I placed all herbs in a small crock pot with 2 cups olive oil. Heated the mix on low temperature for about 36 hours then strained through a coffee filter.
Fixed oils=
avocado oil- 2 oz (rich in vitamins and moisturizing)
castor oil- 5 oz (humectant and bubble booster)
coconut oil-5 oz (for the lather)
infused olive oil-9 oz (moisturizer)
palm oil-9 oz (mild, hardens bar)
shae butter-2 oz (moisture and nutrients)
Lye=
4.45oz NaOH dissolved in 10 oz cold coffee (helps remove odors)
Trace Additions=
2 Tbsp aloe vera juice (soothing)
2 Tbsp borax (extra cleaning ability)
1 oz tea trea oil (healing properties, antiseptic)
2 oz emu oil (to draw the healing herbs into the skin)
sandlewood EO- 3 drops, vanilla EO- 4 drops, orange EO- 2 drops
Notes-
Even with a hand mixer the oil/lye solution took a long time to trace (~2hrs), but went from no trace to thick goop in less than 2 minutes. Not sure how this is going to turn out. I feel I didn't stir enough after trace and before I placed the goo in the mold. I will post an update soon.
