Ginger

I've started using ginger essential oil for the first time for scenting my soaps. Interesting scent! I'm not crazy about it by itself, but used in blends can be very nice!

I started with 2 blends. One called Floral Ginger, the other called Spiced Woods (which I call Sweet Orange Ginger). Here's the Floral Ginger



And the Spiced Woods/Sweet Orange Ginger



I used the same recipe for both of them, because it is a nice, easy recipe, slow to trace so I can make my layers or swirl without speeding along .... because anyone that knows me, knows I don't speed along! :-D The recipe calls for olive oil and coconut oil (of course, that is the start of all my soap recipes), canola oil, rice bran oil, and avocado oil. Not only is this a nice recipe for soap playing, but it makes a wonderful mild soap!

The scent blend for the Floral Ginger called for Ginger, Lemon Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Rosemary. I did not have Lemon Eucalyptus, but I did have Globulus Eucalyptus, and Lemon. So, my blend was Ginger, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Lavender, and Rosemary. AND, I added a touch of Ylang Ylang, just because.

The blend is nice, but my nose doesn't like so much Eucalyptus. So I am slightly unsatisfied with this blend. More about this later.

This soap was the first in my series of layered soaps with a middle line, in my attempt to liven up the soap room. I used Rose Clay to color the bottom layer. Once I poured the bottom layer, I sprinkled Rose Clay on the top of it. I just used a tea spoon, and sprinkled it like I was sprinkling sugar on cereal, trying not to make it too thick or clumpy but covering the entire log. I let it set for a few minutes. Then, for the top layer, I used my ladle, and poured the soap from the ladle to my spatula which was hovering as close to the soap in the mold as I could hold it without disturbing either the pink soap already there or the layer of clay. This soap was at a thin to medium trace so it would be easy to pour. For the top swirl, I just used the scrapings from the bottom layer that was left in the soap pot, took a wooden skewer and swirled that little bit of pink soap down the top.

The second soap, Spiced Woods/Sweet Orange Ginger, is a blend of Ginger, Orange, Patchouli, Peppermint, and Lime. It's nice! Mostly the Ginger and Orange comes through. I didn't add anything colorwise to this soap.

I'll talk more about ginger blends in my next post. :)