100% Laurel Soap

[PYPY]

hello, I am new to the group but have been making soap for sometime though it has been 3 yrs since I made my last batch. I have soaps coming out of my ears, hence the 3 yrs gap.

I got some Cold pressed laurel oil and what better to get back to soaping by making Aleppo Soap. Not sure when I will get started. I need to check to see if my lye is still OK. I only intend to make 1 bar and will post when I get around to doing it

PY

 

[boyago]

Cool, where did you find the bay oil?

 

[PYPY]

I got/bought it abroad. Still haven't made it yet. Soon I hope BTW, I heard that laurel oil (not to be confused with Bay laurel essential oil) is also good for thinning hair, ie add to some sweet almond carrier oil with a bit of honey and massage into your scalp, then rinse off

 

[neeners]

i'm curious to see what your bay laurel oil looks like. I live in the tropics, and there's a Bay oil that is sold in one of the islands. i'm wondering if it's the same as the other stuff...... the leaves look a bit different

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

The whole Bay Leaf/Bay Laurel naming thing is very annoying! The Latin names make it clearer, though.

Is it in the soap calcs? Does it have a particular colour or scent at all?

 

[neeners]

it is annoying, but I don't know the latin name of the ones we have here! i'll have to do some digging....

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Here are some good tips -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_leaf

I bought some Bay EO for my Bay Rum aftershave and needed the Pimenta racemosa or West Indian Bay

 

[neeners]

ok nm....thanks for the info! it's the west indian bay oil that I can get.... I think i'm going to try a soap with it and see what it does. hopefully I can find it on a lye calculator somewhere.....

 

[Lion Of Judah]

i'm curious to see what your bay laurel oil looks like. I live in the tropics, and there's a Bay oil that is sold in one of the islands. i'm wondering if it's the same as the other stuff...... the leaves look a bit different

which island is that ..... because caribbean bay is different/ its what they use to make bay rum products from and that is a different thing

 

[PYPY]

I finally made my aleppo soap. Only made a 4oz bar. My lye is a little effy. It is very old. Water did warm up. If the water had heated up, I would have cool it down and make the soap from room temperature because I like to ensure that the properties of the laurel is not damaged by the lye and heat. anyway, will see how it goes in a few days.

The latin name is Laurel Nobilis. the oil is pressed from the berries (NOT the steamed distilled EO) The colour is greenish brown. Smells pungent, grassy and peppery? but in a nice way, and a little pulpy. I left it unscented. Here are a few pictures. The 3rd picture is of the saponified aleppo soap. Trace was quick, no stick blender required. I simply stir with a spatula.

 

[songwind]

Is Aleppo soap sometimes made w/ a mix of laurel and olive? Or is it always 100% laurel?

 

[PYPY]

Yes but, It can be made either way. Some make is 20/80. I decided to make it 100% and prefer to eat my OO

 

[Lion Of Judah]

that is some beautiful laurel !, nice lush green color. be sure to show it again when its cured .

 

[PYPY]

I sure will, Lion of Judah. BTW, I just cut up the block (got 2 bars) I will post pictures soon, in a few days time It smells just like the oil After I washed up the container I made the soap in, my hands smell of laurel nobilis for several hours

 

[PYPY]

Here is a picture of my 100% laurel soap. I made it 2 days ago.

I will make 40/60(OO) ratio next wk when I get fresh lye next week and also make another 100% with new lye.

ps: this soap is glorious!

 

[seven]

^^^
very nice color, indeed. can i pls ask, what makes aleppo soap so special? how does it feels on the skin? i am not fortunate enough to try this soap, nor can i have some laurel oil to make some aleppo soap myself. so yeah, am very curious about this soap.

the pics i saw from google were very tempting. those big cubes of aleppo soap all neatly stacked. i wonder how the syrians made them. is it cp or hp?

 

[PYPY]

Seven, Aleppo soap is reputed to be beneficial for the skin. True aleppo soap is HP in prob 40/60 blend and then cured for well over 9months. I prefer to CP mine to retain as much as the oil properties as possible. Though i heard that some may be allergic to laurel nobilis??? The strange thing is in the past after my soap hardened up for cutting, I would try washing my hands with a small sliver and usually my skin feels a little dry. This didnt happen with this soap, which is why I said that this soap is glorious. Not sure why.

I will provide feedback once soap is properly cured on how it is on my skin with use

 

[Obsidian]

Very pretty. I would love to try making laurel soap but I'll have to settle for buying a bar to try on my face.

 

[seven]

Seven, Aleppo soap is reputed to be beneficial for the skin. True aleppo soap is HP in prob 40/60 blend and then cured for well over 9months. I prefer to CP mine to retain as much as the oil properties as possible. Though i heard that some may be allergic to laurel nobilis??? The strange thing is in the past after my soap hardened up for cutting, I would try washing my hands with a small sliver and usually my skin feels a little dry. This didnt happen with this soap, which is why I said that this soap is glorious. Not sure why.

I will provide feedback once soap is properly cured on how it is on my skin with use

HP and cured for 9 months?? WOW. yes please, do give us some feedback after it's cured. how long are you gonna cure yours?

 

[PYPY]

Seven, I intend to cure mine for 1mth and then use on my face. For anyone who is interested, I used 15% lye and soap at room temp. For my next 4oz with new lye, I may use an ice bath. I want to retain the properties of the laurel oil as much as possible, even though I have 100% laurel.