This is the batch I made for presents this year.  It’s a little fancier than the soaps I usually do–never swirled before.  I think I like it, though.

It’s peppermint-rosemary with green clay and a smidge of ground rosemary on top.  I used my standard olive, coconut, and castor oil blend for conditioning, hardness, and good lather. The scent is awesome.

Here’s the recipe:

Peppermint-Rosemary Soap with Green Clay

72 oz. olive oil

12 oz. coconut oil

6 oz. castor oil

24-28 oz. water

12 oz. lye

4 T. green clay powder

2 oz. rosemary essential oil

2 oz. peppermint essential oil

1 tsp. ground dried rosemary

Use standard soap making procedures, including safety measures.  Upon trace, take out a small bit to a separate bowl, mixing the clay and the ground rosemary in with this small portion of the soap.  Pour the bulk of the soap in the mold and then swirl in the clay portion.

Note:  To make the ground rosemary, I whirled some dried rosemary leaves in a coffee grinder.  A mortar and pestle or the like would also do the trick.