Rosemary Herb Soap

Tomorrow night, I will be sharing little *Treats* with some of the fellow witches I will see in passing. One treat that is often requested every year is the Rosemary Herb Soap that I make. It is most often used for ritual cleansing, as well as infusing a little witchiness into my every day life after tackling a very messy job.

The soap pictured here is made from a basic lye soap recipe, but for simplicity's sake I'll give instructions for pour and melt soap. (Which turns out very nicely!)

 

To Make Pour and Melt Soap: 

• 1lb. pour and melt base. (I use goat's milk base, but any white base will work) 
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. EACH: finely ground dried rosemary and mint 
• 4-6 Tbsp. Oatmeal (pulse in a blender once or twice to slightly reduce size, but don't powder it!)
• Rosemary Essential Oil
• Mint Essential Oil (Peppermint, spearmint, or combination)
• Optional: Soap coloring - green 
• Soap Mold

Depending on the size of your mold, 1lb. should make 4 - 4oz bars.  

Cut the pour and melt into small chunks, or grate with a grater.
Gently melt in the microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring frequently. (Or use a double boiler)
When soap is thoroughly melted, remove from heat and stir in herbs, oatmeal and coloring.
Add fragrances/essential oils LAST. I start with 4-6 drops EACH, but it is dependent upon your preference.
Stir one last time - pour into mold quickly.

Accept that the oatmeal may or may not float to the top of the bar (as it did in this batch, but I kind of liked it - the photo above shows one right-side up, and one upside down.). Much of it will depend upon the temperature at which the soap is poured into the mold. As the soap base cools it becomes more difficult for any additives to float upward.

A word about rosemary essential oil and this soap: 
Rosemary Oil is a very stringent oil - a very desirable property for fighting infections and for cleansing in general.

The combination of mints, rosemary and oatmeal in this soap lends itself to be a very *drying* soap - perfect for cleaning hands after gardening and other dirty jobs. I do not, however, recommend this for use as a face soap!