Pass Me the Lemongrass, Please

Hi there.  Today was lemongrass day.  I opted for that scent instead of lavender because I had fresh lemongrass botanicals to give it color.  As a reminder, I do not use synthetic colors (or any other synthetics for that matter) in my soaps but may use natural colorants once I have a few more batches under my belt.

This was the second time I used my new mold.  Last time I lined it with a white-plastic-kitchen trash bag (as taught in class) and it came out okay.  This time I used heavy duty freezer paper.  I watched a tutorial to learn how to line the mold and it turned out great.  If you ever need anything soapmaking-wise I highly recommend soapmaking-resource.com.  Steve the owner sells some great products, includes tutorials so you can know what the heck you are doing, publishes a newsletter, and responds to emails within a reasonable period of time.  Wish I would have known about him sooner!

I was a little concerned that the lye mixture was half a teaspoon shy since I was transferring it to another container when some slipped down the outside.  I immediately poured it back into the first container and added just a splash of distilled water to compensate.  I had bought a second thermometer because it was inefficient to wait until the thermometer cooled down between testing the oils and the lye.  Please note that the thermometers differed by one degree.

Once I added the lye to the oils (100 degrees each) I stirred briskly by hand until a light trace at minute 62.  I added the ground lemongrass botanicals which was mostly powder with a few bigger pieces.  Smelled just like fresh cut lemons!  Since the scent was so strong I only added 1.5 ounces of lemongrass pure essential oils instead of two.  It just felt right.  The troubling thing is that I was unable to smell the oils after pouring into the mold like I did with the Victorian Rose.  Perhaps the botanicals absorbed some of the scent?  Not sure but I will find out at 7:00 pm on Wednesday when I uncover the mold. 

I will report my findings then.

Soapmaker's Notes
Today's Recipe
Coconut, olive, and palm oils (5 pounds combined)
12 ounces of Sodium Hydroxide
32 ounces of distilled water
1.5 ounces of lemongrass pure essential oils
2 tablespoons ground lemongrass botanicals