Beer in soap? Well that is different isn’t it? We were asked by a sweet friend to work on a few soap made with beer as the liquid, and essential oils to scent the soap. But why? We did a lot of reading and research to figure it out. Here are some things we discovered:
Beer cannot be added to the formula while carbonated. The beer liquid replaces water in the formula for soap. In order to prepare the beer we have to simmer it until the carbonation is gone, and it is still. The carbonation mixed with lye becomes a volcanic reaction that we did not want to witness.
Beer has been used in soaps and shampoo for centuries because it creates a rich and creamy lather due to the chemistry of the beer.
Hops in the beer contains skin softening amino acids that help soothe the skin, and is rich in vitamin B which moisturizes the skin.
Brewers yeast found in the beer has antibacterial properties, and is suggested to help with acne prone skin.
And here are the soap we make from beer:
Half and Half is made with Guinness. Well this soap is made with a small amount of Guinness beer that has been boiled down to remove the alcohol. Keep reading because we are sure you don’t want to smell like beer. We add several fragrant oils to brighten the soap. Oatmeal Stout fragrant oil is a blend of Creamy Oatmeal, Orange Peel, Butterscotch, Farm-fresh Milk, Nutty Almond and Rich Vanilla – it smells heavenly and almost edible. Wait, there is more. We add an almond essential oil and a touch of an almond biscotti fragrant oil that give hint to baked biscotti. The soap looks like it is a deep brown with a creamy froth layer. Lathers so well!!! Click to see the listing on our shop.
For our IPA Beer Soap we use Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA beer to add a richness to this soap that is scented with hints of citrus. Yes, We fruited the beer!!!
Killians Irish Red is boiled down, and then chilled before being blended into our gentle cold processed soap. We add red Moroccan clay and activated charcoal for a deep colored soap, and scent it with Cassia essential oil. Cassia is an essential oil extracted from the cinnamon plant.
Our PA Lager soap is fresh from Pennsylvania. We boil Yuengling lager until it is still, and free of alcohol so that the beer can be blended into a fabulous soap. . We use a delicious scented fragrant oil to make the soap smell clean and fresh!
