Now THAT is a lot of soap!
Twelve pounds, to be exact, cut into 72 bars.
The sales conference for fall books is coming up, and my publisher asked if I would send “swag” for the marketing team to hand out to promote my book. I’m excited that they’re excited about my book, so I agreed to send along a box of homemade soap. They wanted something homemade that would represent something I did in the book. The sales reps at the conference would probably rather get pies, but that won’t ship well, so soap it is.
The recipe I chose is a simple one, and likely to appeal to most people. This soap smells delicious–and is so pretty with swirls of brown sugar.
If you’ve never made soap, you can! Check out my Hot Process Soap in a Crock Pot tutorial. You can do it!
Here’s the recipe.
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Crisco — 9.6 ounces or 272.155 grams
olive oil — 9.6 ounces or 272.155 grams
lard — 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
coconut oil (76-degree melt point) — 6.4 ounces or 181.437 grams
distilled water — 12.16 ounces or 344.73 grams
lye — 4.463 ounces or 126.524 grams
1/3 cup ground oatmeal
1 ounce fragrance oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
This yields a 2 pound batch of soap. I usually add the fragrance oil as the very last thing, but because the brown sugar won’t be completely incorporated–just gently turned through the mixture to leave swirls, add the brown sugar last.
Pretty! I hope they like it!
GA_in_GA says:
How can they not love this soap?
On February 15, 2013 at 8:11 am
Louise says:
This looks so good. I think I see my weekend project. I have made the soap from the November workshop several times and I love it but it is time to branch out. :yes: :yes:
Love the new babies Suzanne. I wish I could be there to see them in person. So sorry about your losses. You are such an inspiration to us all.
Can’t wait for the book.
On February 15, 2013 at 9:19 am
Cindy H says:
What essential oil would work best with this recipe?
On February 15, 2013 at 9:23 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Cindy, I used a spice scent, but anything you like would work!
On February 15, 2013 at 9:28 am
Luv2Quilt says:
The soap looks wonderful. I’ve been going back in your archives and reading about the hot process method you use. I am planning on trying some with this recipe this weekend. Can’t wait.
The reps should love the gift. More and more people are valuing the handmade soaps.
Rhonda
On February 15, 2013 at 11:15 am
Luv2Quilt says:
Sorry…forgot to ask. How do you cut your soap?? They look so even. Will you put labels on them with cute Sassafras Farm logos on them?? 😀
Rhonda
On February 15, 2013 at 11:24 am
bonita says:
Oh! Suzanne, you clever marketer, you! Sales reps peruse the floor looking for good swag. With luck, yo9ur pub’s sales reps will see the advantage of having these at the booth at Book Expo (end of May). Even if your pub’s booth is crowded, reps still stop because the scent of the few unwrapped bars will lure them in closer…and closer…and closer still.
Of course you’ll have not only your ‘regular’ label but a tag line …’from the author of {insert title here]. If you’re lucky, or have an author friend in the crowd, someone may even post a tweet about you, your soap, and your book. You know, like the current rage of tweeting pix of dinner.
On February 15, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Marigene says:
There is nothing nicer than pampering yourself with handmade soap. I can just smell that soap…my sister is a soapmaker and her house smells wonderful!
On February 15, 2013 at 3:18 pm
MissyinWV says:
They will love it!!
On February 15, 2013 at 4:54 pm
ticka1 says:
suzanne what type of scale do you use to measure your ingredients?
On February 16, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Llama Gramma says:
Suzanne…I try to make only goatsmilk soap. Do you think this beautiful soap could be modified to use milk, or would it be too dark for the gorgeous brown sugar swirls to show up? As always, thank you for all you share with us.
On February 17, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Llama Gramma, make your milk really cold so you keep the brown color to a tan and the swirls will still show up.
On February 18, 2013 at 10:30 am
Butterbean says:
I made soap for the first time, thanks to your directions!!! Couldn’t have been more pleased, it turned out perfectly. Was afraid that I would somehow miss seeing the trace, now I understand better. The lye was a bit scary, but I know to be careful. This was one of those “even though I did it, it still came out like it was supposed to” moments!!!
Now I want to make more! I need laundry soap, and spa soap and, well you get the idea. This may be some kind of addiction! LOL!!
On February 19, 2013 at 7:00 am
Louise says:
I made this soap this past weekend and it turned out great. I love it. Thank you Suzanne for all of the inspiration. Wish I was there to hold a goat baby. :wave:
On February 19, 2013 at 9:40 am
togochick says:
Thank you for the amount of fragrance per batch. Ive been looking at fragrances and recipes but none have stated the amount. 🙂
On March 11, 2013 at 12:24 am
frankcluck says:
Are there any rules to adding sugar to hot process soaps? Could I use them with a different recipe that uses the same amount of oils? Any resources for finding more about this? My nieces both wanted brown sugar vanilla soaps!
On November 9, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
In a two-pound soap recipe, you can add up to 1/2 cup sugar or brown sugar.
On November 10, 2014 at 11:03 am
AmyK says:
I love this soap! It has quickly become one of my favorites. I would say though your post reads this is a 2 pound loaf but my calculations come up with a 3 pound loaf. Just an FYI and all the better for me…more soap! I am newer to hot process, do you need to keep hot process covered and insulated during the first day like CP? Or should I be letting the loaf be more exposed to hasten the time until I can cut it?
On May 29, 2015 at 11:44 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
You don’t need to insulate the soap when doing hot process, one of the beauties of hot process!
On May 29, 2015 at 12:01 pm
NanaGeg says:
I am a new soap maker, but you wouldn’t know it by all the soaps in my house in various stages of curing and drying. My first and favorite soap to date has been this Brown Sugar Swirl soap of yours. I’ve given most of it away and just left the last sliver of it in the shower. It’s awesome soap. I intend to make another batch today before I go outside with your book downloaded on my Kindle. Thank you for my new obsession. 70 year old grandmothers love and need new compulsions and passions to keep them motivated and you’ve been my guide. I’m very grateful!
On July 19, 2015 at 10:57 am
Critter1305 says:
I am going to try this soap this weekend and am wondering if the brown sugar has to be mixed with an essential oil or fragrance oil before adding it to the soap mixture. I have never added sugar to a soap before. Thanks…
On September 11, 2015 at 2:31 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
No, you don’t have to mix it with the fragrance oil or anything, just directly to the soap.
On September 14, 2015 at 7:51 am
Debiegch says:
I made this recipe and I’m sorry to say it was a waste of my time and money. It was probably my fault. I am not brave enough to come up with my own recipes yet, and I have made a couple other hot process recipes that turned out just fine, I thought I would try this one. I read the recipe and read through the link on you hot process soap recipe with the pictures, however, neither mentioned when to add the oatmeal. Since you specifically stated that the fragrance oil needed to be added at the end of the cook time and then stir in the brown sugar last, I added the ground oatmeal with the oils as that is where it was in the line up of ingredients. Your directions also said to turn the crockpot back on low after trace. Other recipes that I have used directed that the crockpot should be placed on high at this point. I’m comfortable with the lye and trace and all looked okay until the cook time of an hour was up and the soap, when stirred, was not ready. It’s hard to assume when to include ingredients when direction is not given for it. I’m just disappointed. Can you explain when to add the oatmeal so others don’t mess up their soap?
On July 17, 2018 at 3:04 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
I’m sorry you had a hard time. Additions should always be added at the end, just before the fragrance. I prefer a low heat rather than high so that the soap doesn’t burn on the edges.
On July 18, 2018 at 7:21 pm