Recipes for
- Your own old Cretan-Garden soap residue
- Soap residue from slicing Cretan-Garden soap loaves. The residue has the same aroma, properties and benefits as the related soap, that has been derived from the loaves:
- Cretan-Garden’s handmade liquid soap base – Read more here
Recipe for soap residue:
Making your own liquid soap by using up the residue of soap is simple and a great way to avoid wasting good soap.
- Use a water/soap ratio of 15:1 grams.
- It is always possible to add more water, step by step.
- Note: The room temperature is also related to the thickness of liquid soap after the process. Olive oil soaps and liquid soaps become softer or more liquid when in a warm or even hot environment. Olive oil soap melts at temperatures above 30°C.
- Note: Hot water evaporates. This means that water escapes from the soap mixture while cooling it down.
Recipe for circa 1 litre liquid soap from soap residue
- Ratio 1 : 15 (1 part soap residue, 15 parts of water)
- Collect ±67 grams (= 1 part) soap residue
- Grate the parts, or cut these in small parts.
- Heat 1 litre of demineralised water = 1000 grams (= 15 parts) on a stove. First, pour the water into a large casserole. Put the casserole on the stove, and warm it to medium-high heat, until it just starts to boil. Take the casserole from the stove. It is best to use distilled water. If you use filtered water, boil it first, then let it cool down until it is just hot.
- Stir the water and soap residue gently until the soap is dissolved. How long this takes depends on how large the flakes are. The smaller the flakes, the faster they will dissolve.
- Leave the soapy water off the heat for 12 to 24 hours, in a pot, with a lid. During this time, the soapy water will thicken. If possible, stir the soapy water occasionally. Don’t be alarmed if the soap starts to cloud up after a couple of hours. This is normal.
- Whip the soap the next morning, if necessary. Chances are, the soap will have thickened during those 12 to 24 hours, and is not liquid any more. You only need to stir the soap gently for a few seconds—just long enough to loosen it up again. If the liquid soap stays too thick, add a little more water and mix again.
- Stir in any desired essential oils. Start with a few drops, then add more if needed. If your soap was already scented to begin with, you may want to skip this step.