Carrot is a favorite vegetable of mine and countless others owing to it sweet taste and wonderful qualities of huge amounts of beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A and huge amounts of roughage.

Carrot juice is wonderful used in soaps as a colorant. Similarly, dried carrot powder maybe reconstituted and substituted for fresh carrot juice. Carrot juice mixed with honey and oatmeal is soothing as a face treatment, and fresh carrot juice contains a slew of healthy chemicals including vitamin C, K, folate, manganese, B6, panothenic acid, potassium, iron and copper.

To use carrot juice in soap to give a beautiful pumpkin color, substitute carrot juice for water in 1:1 ratio. Carrot juice used in soaps somewhat dulls over time but nevertheless is charming and gives a fresh organic look to the finished soap.

When I think of carrot soap, I think of the gourmand delights with ginger playing a chief role. I have composed a blend of ginger/citrus/clovebud eo's for this recipe. However, just about any essential oil that is body safe may be used.

Essential oils that you may use in combination with the ones I have listed in my blend with ginger are - citrus, lemongrass, sandalwood, clove bud, cinnamon, cedar wood, frankincense and patchouli.



16 oz. Coconut oil
32 oz. Olive oil
16 oz. Carrot juice
6.84 oz. Lye
Essential oils – 1 Oz. ginger EO, 1 Oz. five fold orange EO, & ½ Oz. clove bud EO.
1.2 oz Avocado oil (5% super fatting oil – optional)
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Total soap batch = 64 Oz (4 pounds)


Directions:

1. Open windows to allow fresh air to come into room.

2. Put on chemical mask. Use the mask when weighing the lye and while combining the lye with the water. Don gloves and protective goggles.

3. Get the two pitchers, one to weigh the lye and the other to weigh the water. Weigh water in one pitcher and weigh lye in the next. Add lye to the water and stir. Note: Never add the water to the lye or it may erupt into a volcano-like mass that spills everywhere.

3. Mix lye and water(or carrot juice) gently but thoroughly to dissolve the lye particles in the liquid. A whisk makes dispersing the lye in the water easy. Dissolve all the lye particles which sometimes stubbornly refuses to break up and may clump. It is important to stir gently enough so it does not splash everywhere.

4. After mixing lye and juice, you will notice that the container is very hot; this is because the lye and juice are involved in a chemical process that produces heat. The temperature is too hot to immediately combine the lye with the oils, so remove it from your primary soap making area and leave it somewhere to cool down a bit (100 - 120 degrees Fahrenheit)- in an area that is inaccessible to children or pets.

5. Heat oils and melt any solid fats. The pot used should be large enough so that after adding the lye and water mixture, there is enough room to mix so that it does not easily splash out of the container.

6. Leave oils to cool to the same temperature as the lye 100 - 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Check temperature with thermometer, wiping off to check the next liquid or use two different thermometers. After both liquids have reached the desired temperature, add lye/juice liquid to the cooled oils.

7. Stir with the wire whisk briskly, or use a stick blender, which speeds up the whole process immensely. We are mixing to reach trace. Trace is the point when the mixture thickens, appears opaque and shiny and when the whisk or stick blender leaves an impression after it is stirred. This will look similar to a gravy or sauce of medium to thick consistency. It usually takes anywhere from 15 – 40 minutes of stirring to reach trace. If using the wire whisk, after mixing for 5 minutes or so, take a break of a couple minutes and continue stirring. I usually stir in between doing other things. After making soap several times, one learns to gauge how much time is actually needed to reach trace in a certain recipe. However, for the first time making soap, it is important to be vigilant and watch for discrete changes that occur in the mixture.

8. If using the stick blender, keep the blender blades immersed near the bottom of the pot stirring in a circular and figure eights. What we need is to make sure all of the mixture is stirred. It is especially important to have a pot that is deep enough with ample headroom when using the stick blender. The stick blender causes more turbulence in the mixture, therefore increasing the risk for accidental spillage. Turn the blender on after immersing it in the lye/oil mixture, so it does not splash out of the pot. Trace occurs quicker using the stick blender than mixing by hand with the wire whisk

9. After soap reaches trace combine additives, colorants, super fatting oils and fragrance or essential oils to traced soap and mix thoroughly, dispersing them throughout the mixture. Add the fragrance or essential oils last as some fragrances or essential oils cause the soap to seize or become very thick and unmanageable.

9. Pour mixture into prepared lined mold. I usually use thick utility type plastic that is cut into manageable pieces, to line the mold. Alternately, freezer paper maybe used as well as a kitchen garbage bag with the sides cut open so that it is flat. Cover mold with a lid (if it has one) or a piece of cardboard or a flat piece of lumber. Then insulate this with a blanket, by covering the top and sides with the blanket.

10. Leave covered soap in a safe place away from children or pets for 12-18 hours to saponify and set. After 18 hours, uncover and allow to sit in mold a couple more hours. If firm enough, unmold onto plastic, utility paper or a clean dishcloth. Don neoprene gloves and cut bars with a sturdy chef's knife or a soap cutter. Store soap on a platter or open box lined with absorbent paper and allow to cure for two to three weeks.



Suppliers
Columbus Foods is a reliable supplier of base oils for soapmaking. They are located in Chicago, Illinois.

Liberty Natural has an extensive product inventory. Bulk essential oils- attars, extracts, concretes, CO2 Extracts, SCO2 Extracts, fixed oils, packaging supplies, bath care bases and herbs. Located in Blodgett, Oregon. Fast Shipping and great customer service.