Winter Spice Pine Soap

Step 1

Pack a quart jar full of pine needles and cover it with at least 15 ounces olive oil.

Step 2

Set the jar in a sunny window 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 3

After a few hours to overnight, strain the pine needles from the olive oil.

Step 4

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil.

Step 5

Add the pine needles and remove from heat.

Step 6

After the tea has cooled to room temperature, strain out the pine needles.

Step 7

Freeze the tea into ice cubes, if desired.

Step 8

Measure out the coconut oil into a quart mason jar and place it in a small saucepan of water.

Step 9

Bring the water to a boil until the coconut oil melts then remove the jar from the heat.

Step 10

Meanwhile, weigh the avocado oil, castor oil, and pine needle infused olive oil and pour them into a bowl.

Step 11

Weigh out the sodium hydroxide (lye) into a small glass bowl or glass measuring cup. (Be sure to wear safety glasses and rubber gloves while working with lye!)

Step 12

Weigh out the pine needle tea ice cubes into it's own large glass bowl.

Step 13

Slowly sprinkle the sodium hydroxide (lye) over the ice cubes while stirring with a silicone spatula until the lye has fully dissolved. Set aside.

Step 14

Pour the melted coconut oil into the other liquid oils and give them a little stir.

Step 15

Weigh out the essential oils into a small container (not plastic.) Set aside.

Step 16

Measure out the chlorella. Set aside.

Step 17

Pour the oil mixture into the lye mixture and stir them together with the silicond spatula for a minute.

Step 18

Take the temperature of the mixture.

Step 19

Using an immersion blender mix the oils and lye together until they thicken and leave a raised, "trace" across the top of the mixture. If the temperature has risen about 3+ degrees, you can know for sure you've traced. You want this soap batter to be a little on the runnier side.

Step 20

Stir in the essential oil blend and mix it in well with the immersion blender for another minute.

Step 21

Pour about 10 ounces of the batter into another bowl. (I used the one the oils were in.)

Step 22

Mix in the chlorella powder.

Step 23

Pour about 4/5 of the white soap batter into your mold.

Step 24

Using drop large spoonfuls of green batter from high above the mold into the white batter.

Step 25

Use a chopstick or thermometer probe to swirl the soap a little. Insert it at about a 45-degree angle and simply draw circles moving towards the other side of the mold as you swirl.

Step 26

Spread a thin layer of white batter over the top, followed by the remainder of the green batter.

Step 27

After it sets up for about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the batter, embellish the top, if desired.

Step 28

Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit until the soap has hardened enough to remove it from the mold.

Step 29

Cut the soap into bars and allow them to sit for 4-8 weeks to cure.