Beer Soap Great for Father's Day

[Guest]

Last year I made a batch of soap with a dark beer and added yummy scents like cinnamon, ginger and a few others. It was a great hit. This year I made two batches one like last years but I used a light beer and the second batch was with light beer again, but I added local organic honey. They are both big hits and have almost sold out and another week to go before father's day!

 

[NancyRogers]

Yes, beer soap is very popular with the men. I have to make it on a regular basis because I think Hubby eats in in the shower. He goes through it like crazy.

 

[lovelysuds]

Do you add the beer like you would milk? Could i dissolve the lye with minimal water and add the flat beer into your warm oils or at trace? Does it matter what kind of beer it is? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[NancyRogers]

Do you add the beer like you would milk? Could i dissolve the lye with minimal water and add the flat beer into your warm oils or at trace? Does it matter what kind of beer it is? Sorry for all the questions!

I'm sure there are other ways of doing it, but this is my method. I boil the alcohol off the beer, let it cool off and then measure it into containers based on the recipe (I use beer in place of the water). Then I freeze the containers. When I'm ready to soap, I just put the frozen beer in my lye pitcher and very slowly add the lye to the frozen beer. I've never experienced a volcano this way, but you do have to be careful. Add slowly, stir, stir, stir and I'd recommend either doing it outside or in your sink in case it does volcano. It will smell pretty yucky, but none of the yucky scent remains in the cured soap.

I've mostly been using the cheapest beer I can find to soap with. I do plan to experiment with a stout soon. I'm not sure if it will make a difference besides maybe the color in the finished soap.

 

[ChristinaB]

How long do you need to boil the beer to boil off the alcohol?

 

[NancyRogers]

I don't really pay attention to the time. I just let it boil until it reduces a bit. Some people don't boil off the alcohol at all. They just let it go flat, but boiling helps to get the beer flat as well. I'd say 15 minutes? Next time I'll try to time it and see.

 

[ChristinaB]

okay, thank you! I did make a wine soap and boiled enough to get rid of the alcohol but it also reduced the wine some so had to add some water back to equal the right amount. But doing it this way I had no issue with vocano-ing at all; just a ton of stink!! Like very, VERY smelly feet! LOL thankfully that went away within a day or so! I've been curious to try to the beer but there's so much more carbonation than wine that I've been a little nervous about it.

 

[paillo]

agree, beer soap is a big hit with the guys

my favorite is corona beer with lime and litsea eos. i tried using cornstarch in my weekend batch, anxious to see how the scent holds. i used half beer, half buttermilk.

i let the beer go flat in the refrig for a few days, then let it sit on the counter another day. then i freeze it and add my lye to the frozen beer. in the sink in case it volcanoes, but i've never had it do that using this method.

your dark beer with the wonderful eos sounds fabulous!

 

[adoptapitbull]

I wonder if you can use flavored beers. I've used a black and tan with great success...do you think flavored beers would work the same? Will the high sugar content affect it?

 

[starrfeef]

Yes, beer soap is very popular with the men. I have to make it on a regular basis because I think Hubby eats in in the shower. He goes through it like crazy.

LMAO!!

 

[saltydog]

I made my first beer soap this morning! I'm so excited to see how it comes out. I found a recipe that added honey and was scented with 4 different citrus fo's.

I let my beer sit out on the counter since last Wednesday, added the lye to it, no prob at all. I used my husbands Bud Light, didn't want to waste my Heinekin, hehe.
Everything went smoothly, just hope the scent lasts! I just checked on it, nice and warm. I didn't insulate all that much because of the honey, just a loose dish towel over it. I took a pic, mostly cause I love soap porn..



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Relle]

Very nice looking beer soap, I'll have to pinch some beer and use it, shouldn't be to hard as dh doesn't drink.

 

[Guest]

I pour my beer into a pot and warm it on the stove for 10 to 15 minutes. When I take if off of the stove I pour it back and forth between two containers until it no longer fizz'z. I then use it at full strength replacing the water. This new batch I made with a light beer made a nice green bar.

 

[panpaste]

Beer qualities in soap

Has anyone noticed or found any literature on what properties beer adds to soap? Someone asked me why I made a soap with Corona Beer in it and I didn't have an answer other than "It's cool" and "I like beer".

Soooo here is the challenge question: What does the beer do? Why do we put it in soap?

 

[Kleine Teufel]

Personally I add double the beer to my sauce pan, then boil it down to a "concentrate". I add water and lye, then after it starts to trace, I stir my "beer concentrate" in it.

I guess the sugar in the beer is what gives it nicer qualities (more bubble and whatever else it does, lol)

 

[Hazel]

I agree with bettacreek. I think the sugar makes the lather more bubbly. Otherwise, it's more for label appeal. Just tell people it makes great lather.

 

[Relle]

I asked some men the other day, would they use beer soap - the answer -why would you waste it :roll: .