Little brings me as much joy as imaging a scent and then creating it with Essential Oils. Today we created a version of our Nighttime Essential Oil Blend for use in our Cause Soap for memory loss research. All oils came from Mountain Rose Herbs. We started with Organic Lavender and Organic Bergamot as recommended in on study out of Japan on Essential Oils and Alzheimers. Other studies show Organic Ylang Ylang and Lemon Balm also provide a calming and relaxing effect. I didn’t have Lemon Balm so I reached for our Organic Geranium and of course, delicious Ylang Ylang. So heady!
Because this isn’t our actual Cause Scent, we decided to wait for the Lemon Balm to arrive and make something different than a ribbon soap. Sand dollars are a big deal for Mike and I. On our honeymoon we went to the Oregon Coast (in January) and found so many whole sand dollars. For years I kept one on the bathroom sink and Mike kept one in his car. Moving and time have lost those to us. But … Sand Dollar Soap will save the day
First off, the molds hold roughly two ounces of soap each. We melted down eight ounces of white, palm-free soap base over a double boiler. Once melted, Mike added the Essential Oil Blend (1.5 gm) and a tsp of Lettuce Entertain You from Mad Mica dissolved in a tbsp of rubbing alcohol. We add some Kosher salt for texture and poured into prepared molds. Mike had dusted them with dry King Tut mica.
Oops! Our first lesson learned: a lighter hand with the dry mica. We’ve ordered paint brushes.
The soap set up well, smells grand, and leaves a golden trail of mica in her wake.
2nd lesson? Salt cools soap down very fast. So we have soap curls from the pan and only 2 full bars and a partial! Our motto? It’s just soap! 