On August 25, I made a bath soap packed with lavender and other beneficial herbs. My original idea was to make a very tranquil, lavender soap with herbs and flower petals to enhance a peaceful state of mind. Well this soap turned out to be pretty strong. So if you like lavender, this soap's for you! My ingredients are as follows:

extra virgin olive oil
palm oil
palm kernel oil
coconut oil
castor oil
essential oil
fragrance oil
lavender buds
calendula petals
chamomile petals
hibuscus petals
rose blossoms
orange blossoms
peppermint leaves
spearmint leaves
FDA approved colorant

Lots of ingredients. I started it all off with a lavender infusion, rather than the straight water that you mix with the lye. So basically, this soap has a quadruple lavender kick. I hot processed this soap, this time in a pot in the oven, not the mold. The weird layered look is partially due to the coloring and partially due to the consistency of the soap batter after it was taken out of the oven. It was very thick and didn't pour easily into the mold. I was able to unmold and cut into bars the next day and stamp soon after that. The cure weight averaged 3.5 ounces per bar.

The end result is a very strongly scented lavender soap with little 'scrubbies' due to the herbs. The consistency of the soap itself isn't as smooth as I would like. That being due to the thickness of the batter when poured into the mold. Pour isn't exactly the right term here... perhaps packed would be more appropriate. Lots of different colors in the soap. Green bits due to the herbs, and various shades of purple and white.

I, personally, don't mind the abrasiveness of the soap, but I'm sure that a lot of people would be a little sensitive to it. As is, it does make a really good foot soap! I think in retrospect the next time I do this soap, I'll decrease the amount of lavender scent and either remove some of the herbs or pulverize them. I also would either do this cold process or hot process in the mold.