Using Silk Fibers in Soap

Love learning?  Soap making is a life long learning process because there are so many ways that soap can be enhanced, and made more lovely.

One such process is to add silk fibers to the recipe.  The Tussah silk fibers are collected by wild grown silk worms.  Tussar silk is a lot more textured than cultivated silk but it has shorter fibers  which makes it less durable. It has a dull gold sheen.  What is not ideal for weaving into silk fabric is perfect for adding to soap.  A small amount of the fibers are added to the lye water mixture before the oils are blended in.  The silk instantly dissolves  and incorporates into the lye mixture which will later give the soap a quality of luxurious softness.

Our first use of the tussar silk is in the tea tree soap recipe.  We are eager to try the soap, to see how the silk softens and gives a smooth finish to the soap.  I will keep you posted.