Wild Violet Soap

Step 1

Add a handful of violet petals, and leaves if desired, to a pint sized mason jar.

Step 2

Cover the violets with about 8 ounces of sweet almond oil.

Step 3

Set the jar in a cool and dark place for a few weeks to infuse OR place it in a saucepan of water and place it on warmer burner or in a slow cooker filled part way with water on the warm setting.

Step 4

After a few hours to overnight, strain the violets from the oil.

Step 5

Bring 2 1/2-3 cups of water to a boil.

Step 6

Add the violets and remove from heat.

Step 7

After it has cooled to room temperature, strain the herbs from the tea.

Step 8

Freeze the tea into ice cubes, if desired.

Step 9

Weigh out the solid fats (purified tallow and coconut oil) into a large glass bowl that can fit over a small saucepan to create a double boiler.

Step 10

Fill the saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Set the bowl with the tallow & coconut oil over the saucepan until they are melted.

Step 11

Meanwhile, weigh the violet tea ice cubes into a large glass bowl or plastic container.

Step 12

Weigh the lye into a small glass bowl.

Step 13

Wearing your safety glasses, slowly stir the lye into the ice cubes until they are fully melted and all of the lye is dissolved.

Step 14

Weigh out the Violet Infused Sweet Almond Oil and stir it into the melted tallow and coconut oil blend.

Step 15

Measure out your essential oils and colorants into separate containers and set them aside.

Step 16

Check the temperature of the oil mixture and the lye solution to make sure they’ve cooled enough so that when mixed together the temperatures will average about 90-110 degrees F.

Step 17

Slowly stir the mixed oils into the lye solution and stir with a silicone spatula until the oils are incorporated and not streaky on top.

Step 18

While you are stirring, take a reading of the temperature so you can get a baseline. (See notes above.)

Step 19

With an immersion blender, blend the mixture thoroughly until you reach a thin trace and the temperature begins to rise. Set the thermometer aside.

Step 20

Stir essential oils with the spatula until they are fully incorporated and then give it another pulse for about 30 seconds with the immersion blender.

Step 21

To color the soap divide the batter.

Step 22

Measure 6 ounces soap batter into a bowl (reusing one of the oil bowls is ok.)

Step 23

Add the annatto oil (or sea buckthorn oil) and blend well.

Step 24

Measure the remaining batter, about 20 ounces, into a separate bowl.

Step 25

Add the purple Brazilian clay and alkanet oil and blend well.

Step 26

Fill the mold about 3/4 of the way with most of the violet colored batter.

Step 27

From high, pour the yellow batter down the center. Gravity from the high pouring technique will drop the color towards the center.

Step 28

Use a chopstick or the thermometer probe to swirl if you’d like.

Step 29

Fill the mold the rest of the way with remaining violet batter.

Step 30

If desired, wait until the batter has thickened enough to swirl the top with the back of a spoon.

Step 31

Cover with plastic wrap and set the mold aside in a cool place until the soap has hardened enough to remove it from the mold.

Step 32

Cut the soap into bars and allow them to sit for at least 4 weeks to cure. The longer the soap cures the harder the bars will become.