How to make Cucumber Mint Soap

I love the smell of cucumber and it's a wonderful twist to the classic cucumber melon we are always seeing around.

Ingredients: Lye 110.3 grams Liquid (in this case cucumber puree liquid and mint tea) 271.31 grams Castor Oil 85.05 grams Coconut oil 170.10 grams Olive oil 453.60 grams Shea butter 113.40 grams Instructions The day before soap making, prepared my liquids so that they would be cold from the fridge when you are ready to use them. For the cucumber, peel a cucumber and place the peels in a food processor. Add 8 oz of water and puree. Strain this through cheese cloth or coffee filters and refrigerate. For the mint tea, chop up mint leaves and pour boiling water over it. Allow it to steep and then strain and refrigerate. Now for the soap making Start by lining your mold, if you're using wooden, with parchment paper. Or you can use a silicone mold. When combining the liquids, start with the cucumber in your heatproof plastic container on a kitchen scale like this, and add mint tea until you reach 271.31 grams. Weigh your lye in a container that will only be used for lye. Sprinkle the lye into your liquid. (Not the liquid into lye or you'll have a volcano!) Stir the lye mixture with a silicone spoon. Set this aside in a safe place to cool. It should take 30-45 minutes to reach 90-115°F. Weigh your solid oils and butters and then heat until melted. Weigh the liquids and then add them to your melted solids. When your lye and oil mixtures reach the same temperature, or close to, it's time to combine! Drizzle the lye solution into the oils. Use an immersion blender, like this, to blend the two mixtures. Make sure to tilt the blender to release any air trapped in it. Run the blender for 30 seconds and stir with the motor off for 30 seconds. Continue this process until you reach trace. If you'd like, add spearmint essential oil, once you've reached trace and then add it to your mold. Cover the soap with plastic wrap and cover the mold with a towel or old blanket. Check on your soap every hour for the next few hours to make sure it isn't over heating and cracking. If it is remove the blanket and move to a cooler place. Leave it in the mold for 24-48 hours. Remove it from the mold and slice into bars. Place the soap on wax paper and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks before using.

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