The Benefits of Adding Honey to Your Soap Recipes
Incorporating honey into your soap recipes not only boosts the lather quality but also brings the moisturizing benefits of a natural humectant, which helps attract moisture to the skin. This makes honey soap particularly nourishing. However, it's important to use honey judiciously in cold process (CP) soap making. About a teaspoon per pound of soap base is ideal to avoid overheating or scorching your batch, which could lead to issues like cracking or even a volcanic reaction in the soap. Honey is versatile and can also be used in melt-and-pour soap recipes, though the amount should be reduced to between 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon per pound to prevent issues like glycerin dew or a spongy texture.
Best Practices for Mixing Honey into Soap
When adding honey to your soap, whether it's a honey soap recipe for cold process or melt and pour, the method is key. For CP soap, integrate the honey once you have reached light trace to ensure even distribution without overheating. In melt and pour, the honey should be stirred in gently after the base is fully melted. If using beeswax to harden your CP soap bars — a common practice in honey soap making — remember to melt the beeswax with your hard oils, but keep the usage rate between 2-5% to maintain good lather production.
Finishing Touches for Honey Soaps
Creating visually appealing honey soaps, such as those with a honeycomb effect, can be done without specialized equipment. One creative method involves using bubble wrap. Place a piece of small-sized bubble wrap either at the bottom of your mold or on top of the poured soap in a slab or log mold. Once the soap has cooled and set, this will leave a beautiful honeycomb pattern on the surface of the bars, enhancing the artisanal appeal of your honey soap.
As you explore the rewarding process of making honey soap, you may find yourself interested in expanding your repertoire. Check out our
soap-making recipes or dive deeper into
natural soap additives for additional benefits. These resources are designed to help you refine your craft and discover new techniques and ingredients to enhance your homemade soaps.
Crafter's Choice
Elements Bath and Body
Just Scent
Rustic Escentuals
