Handcrafted gifts can be a fun way to show your love to family and friends – and you can use a few cheats to make it simple and easy. Cedar and Rosemary Soap has a deep woodsy scent, that works for both men and women. If you dislike floral, this is the one for you. Its pale green color comes naturally from the rosemary and the color of the essential oils. No need to add in coloring, let nature do it for you. I have included a link to a favorite glycerine soap base, but as always…read the labels before buying to check on ingredients.
Rosemary, air-dried, is mixed into the soap for scrubbing. We harvest all year, and tuck branches into paper bags, and set aside till dry. Once dried, strip the branches and store the needles in glass jars.
I used in the soap blend some of best essential oils I have had the pleasure of using: Whidbey Herbal, which are made just a few miles from our farm. Being able to support other local farms is important for us! But more than that, Whidbey Herbal’s oils just smell fantastic.
Cedar and Rosemary Soap
Ingredients:
- 1 pound glycerin soap base
- 2 Tbsp air-dried rosemary
- 10 drops cedar essential oil
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
- Silicone molds*
Directions:
Grind rosemary in a high-speed blender or herb grinder, and set aside.
Unwrap and cube the soap, place into a microwave safe glass mixing bowl or measuring cup.
Microwave for a minute, check to see if melted. If not, heat for 30 second intervals.
Take out carefully, and stir in rosemary. Stir gently until the rosemary is fully mixed in, this will take about a minute.
Add in essential oils, stir gently to mix.
Place molds on a cookie sheet. Divide soap between molds evenly, a metal ¼ cup measuring cup works well.
Let sit on counter till cooled and firm. Give it a few hours.
Gently pop out, seal in soap bags (or plastic bags/film) and store in a cool/dry area. Glycerin soap needs to be kept covered as it can weep when it pulls moisture out of the air.
*My mold holds about 3 ounces or so per cavity (see link above), the recipe makes about 5 soaps per pound of base. Most molds will tell you how much they hold.
