The Teapot Loves Tea Soap!

The little plum teapot has had many adventures as it has traveled from host to host over the past year and more. It has now landed in a house where some unusual tea-related things are going on. The 20-something-year-old in the household is making soap! Tea soap! Most of the soaps are very masculine in appearance and scent. He loves to make soaps in dark colors with strong, earthy fragrances. The hostess of the house had to specially request lavender scented soap! The little plum teapot has mostly sat the process out, while supplying tea to the soap makers to sip on while they work! The little teapot has expressed some un-ease, as it remembers a spa day in the past when one hostess bathed it in bubbles! Might that happen again?

Like I said, the soaps are not the traditional rose, violet, or baby powder varieties. Instead they have unusual scents like mahogany, lettuce, myrrh, bay rum, cedar, saffron, white bamboo, and sweet tea.

The soap maker wears special gloves and goggles, making the scene look like a chemistry lab in the kitchen. Safety is very important when using materials that are very toxic before neutralizing. 

Natural scents and natural colors come from the products used. Exfoliating materials like bamboo extract, tea leaves, and ground pumice stone add texture and usefulness.

The oils are pleasant and exotic. Coconut oil. Rice Bran oil. Castor oil. Avocado butter. Coco butter. Olive oil. And hemp seed oil.

The experience is fun and interesting. The soap recipes created are carefully formulated and thought out by the soap-maker before he begins the first step. 

In a nutshell, soap-making involves some basic steps. Melt and combine the oils. Measure water into another container and add lye. Combine and allow to cool. Pour the oils and water/lye mixture together. Mix with hand blender until it reaches a light "trace". Add special effects like scent oils and additives like herbs, flowers, tea leaves. Pour into mold. Allow to cure. Insulate for 24 hours. Remove from mold. Allow for several more days of curing. Bevel and trim edges.

Beautiful natural soaps, some which involve the true tea leaf, are nestled here among fresh, green tea leaves. Lavender with Lavender Bud. Black Tea with Tea Leaves. Smoky Coffee. Rosemary. Citrus Mate'. Mahogany with Black Tea. Balsam Fir with Juniper Berries. The fragrance is heavenly! The experience is fun. 

The little plum teapot is happy. Now, it's time for a teapot spa experience. Turn the tea kettle on!