Tea Tree Soap/ BayArts Fest
We love to listen to our customers… they often tell us of products they are looking for, or that have been difficult to find. One such request has been a frequent one – Tea Tree Soap. Tea Tree is an essential oil extracted from a plant grown only in Australia. The essential oil has amazing claims of being an antimicrobial, great for healing skin.
Steve went into research and development mode, and researched until he found a recipe that had great ingredients, wonderful essential oils, and of all things, silk fibers. The recipe begins with a blend of olive, palm and coconut oil. To the lye/ oil mix are added almond milk, shea butter, oatmeal, silk fibers, and essential oils. Essential oils include a blend of eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree and star anise. Soft, gentle, with that hint of spice.
The soap batch came together quickly, and after a day in the mold it was cut and is on the curing racks. We just tested it last night and the soap is actually cured, and ready for sale. (Because this is a chemistry process, we need to be certain that the lye has fully neutralized in the soap, otherwise the soap might be harmful because of the caustic nature of lye. The saponification process – blending oils with lye using a liquid carrier, such as almond milk creates this blend that is not usable for upwards of 4-6 weeks until the process neutralizes all ingredients.)
So the plan is to make labels, wrap the soap, and have it available for sale this saturday at BayArts Art & Music Festival.
BayArts is located on Lake Road in Bay Village, across the street from the Huntington Beach. The event runs 10a-4p with live music, great art and lots of good things to eat… come out and play with us on the front lawn of BayArts.