Worker Bee Soap

Do you see those bee hives w-a-a-y over there?  Those bee hives are situated on our ranch.  I really didn't want to trek over there and possibly get stung. 

All summer long the bees will work the clover and alfalfa in the surrounding fields. 

We don't manage the hives ourselves, but the honey producer generously gives us a good supply of honey and beeswax every year.  

alfalfa

We love the fact that this honey is literally a local product, made in Montana, made by bees working the clover and alfalfa fields on our ranch.  Not only do we enjoy the honey on just about everything, it also makes great soap!

Honey is a humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture) so it helps retain moisture on the skin in much the same way as glycerin. Although the active properties in honey do not survive the soapmaking process, the residual benefits of honey in soapmaking are richness of lather, moisturizing quality, and color of the final soap bar.

Beeswax obtained from the honeycomb of honeybees has many different uses.  Over the years I have played with the beeswax by making some lip balms and body bars.  Recently, a local mechanic needed some beeswax for his work (don't ask me what). 

Worker Bee Soap

There is a multitude of uses for beeswax and one of them is as an ingredient in soapmaking.

Beeswax retains the sweet fragrance of the honey and also contributes to the hardness of the soap bar.  Beeswax has a higher melting point than other fats and oils used in soapmaking.  Therefore, visible unsaponified flecks of beeswax remain in the finished bar of Worker Bee Soap.  

Fragrance oil was added to Worker Bee Soap, but in hindsight I don’t think any additional fragrance was necessary.  The honey and the beeswax alone impart a lovely, earthy, sweet fragrance.  Worker Bee Soap smells like one big chunk of raw beeswax with a touch of vanilla, lily, and peach … and that ain’t bad! 

Worker Bee Soap

Ingredient List

saponified

tallow

soybean oil

coconut oil

olive oil

honey

shea butter

beeswax

fragrance oil

I can't identify these birds, but they seem to be communicating with each other.  I thought I heard something about where is the nearest waterhole and when is it going to rain next?

There was a day long ago when this windmill on the ranch harnessed the power of the wind to pump water.   Now, its only job is to greet the wind daily across the rural landscape.   

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Sweet Yellow Pear Soap

    

  

Egg yolks (24 of them to be exact) account for the sunny yellow color of this soap.  The egg yolks not only add color, but they add a rich, moisturizing quality to the soap.   The sweet yellow pear fragrance is tangy and complex … and irresistible.  Palm oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and olive oil combine with the egg yolks to make a gorgeous soap with lather that is truly silky and sensuous. 



Sweet Yellow Pear Soap







Ingredient List

saponified

palm oil

soybean oil

coconut oil

shea butter

olive oil

egg yolk
fragrance oil





No doubt,

Sweet Yellow Pear Soap

is one of my personal favorites.



sonia@pureprairiesoap.com

 

Spring Thaw Soap



Spring Thaw Soap

At the time of this writing it looks like spring has come and gone and summer is here!  We've had an unusually dry spring here in Montana.  Nevertheless, the crops are being sowed and the gardens planted all around our ranching community.  

Although Spring Thaw Soap is reminiscent (to me) of the passage from winter to spring it really is an all-season soap.  

Whether you have been shoveling feed in the winter, mucking through a muddy spring day, weeding the garden in the summer, or raking leaves in the fall, Spring Thaw Soap will leave you feeling clean and refreshed.    

Wintergreen (Gaultheria Procumbens)



Wintergreen is a groundcover plant typically growing to about five inches in height.  It is an ornamental, medicinal, and flavoring herb.  The name wintergreen derives from the fact that the plant remains green throughout the winter.  The glossy green foliage is aromatic and its essential oil is used in teas, toothpastes, candies, gums, and, of course, soaps. 

Wintergreen essential oil has a woodsy, refreshing aroma.  Some may even detect a mint candy scent.  The bright fragrance of wintergreen has been known to clear the sinuses, invigorate the mind, and lift up the spirit. 

Spring Thaw Soap

 

Ingredient List

saponified

tallow

coconut oil

shea butter
sweet almond oil
wintergreen essential oil
cosmetic-grade pigment

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Plain Oatmeal Soap



Plain
Oatmeal

hard-working soap
for
hard workers



Plain Oatmeal Soap





Ingredient List

saponified

tallow

soybean oil

coconut oil

olive oil

shea butter

ground oatmeal

~no fragrance added~

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Pine Tar Soap



Pine Tar Soap



Back in Grandpa and Grandma’s day, the use of pine tar in soap was pretty much a common thing. It was touted for soothing such skin problems as rashes, dry and itchy skin, and a variety of skin disorders. 

Today, pine tar is commonly used as a wood preservative, a topical ointment for livestock, and in medicinal soaps and shampoos for humans. 

Pine tar is a sticky substance produced by rapid decomposition of pine wood (usually stumps and roots) in a process of applying heat and pressure in a closed container.  Pine tar does not smell pleasant.  However, the reason pine tar is used in soap is not for its scent.  The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of pine tar are claimed to be very beneficial for a variety of skin ailments.  No cure is guaranteed, of course, and one often must experiment to find what works for a particular condition. 

Pine Tar Soap lathers up beautifully

and the pine tar scent does not linger for (too) long!  

Some may find the scent pleasurable or intriguing

whereas others may think it is medicinal smelling or too strong.  

You either love it or you don’t. 

That is a call only you can make! 

  



Pine Tar Soap



Ingredient List

tallow

soybean oil

coconut oil
olive oil

sweet almond oil

shea butter

pine tar





  

Whether or not Pine Tar Soap appeals to you,

what appeals to me is that it is

reminiscent of a day gone by when

homesteaders made their own necessities

instead of going to a store to buy them.  

Today, we are all busy and the "chores" are different.  

Some chores (such as soapmaking) that were considered

a necessity for life on the prairie 

are now considered a craft.

The pioneers went through much hardship

to establish life here on the prairie. 

Life was very difficult back then

...

and it is still difficult today,

but let's not forget to appreciate the advances

we have made in meeting our most basic needs. 



Drawing by my son, Ryan
Medicine Rocks Park
between Baker and Ekalaka, Montana

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Oatmeal Scrub Soap

Oatmeal Scrub Soap



I have lost track of the number of times I have made this particular soap.  It's one of my personal favorites!  I simply love lathering up with the yummy fragrance and the ground oatmeal texture.  Rather than repeat previous posts, I will just post updated photos.  Enjoy! 



Oatmeal Scrub Soap



Ingredient List

tallow

soybean oil

coconut oil

olive oil

sweet almond oil

shea butter

milk

fragrance oil

ground oatmeal



Oatmeal Scrub Soap
Works For Cowboys!



“Been workin' like a dawg slavin' on the fence line stretchin' those wires tight, diggin' and tappin' and sweatin' in the sunshine, but I get off tonight. 

I got a date with a girl, a perdy rancher’s daughter, green as her golden hair.  Gonna pick her up at eight after some soap and water and we're headin' to the county fair.

Well, there's a full moon in the western sky and there's magic in the air.  Ain't nothin' I know of can make you fall in love like a night at the county fair ..."  Chris LeDoux

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Lemongrass Soap

 

Lemongrass Soap





Although lemongrass is not a native species to Montana’s prairie we can still appreciate its lemony, yet earthy, aroma.  Not only is lemongrass valued for its fragrant properties in perfumery or soapmaking, it is valued for its use in oriental cooking, teas, and medicinal purposes. 



 

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)



In fact, citronellol is an essential oil constituent of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) and the high citral content makes it an effective insect repellent.  



dried Lemongrass



The ground lemongrass herb perfectly complements the lemongrass essential oil in this soap.  The herb provides visual and textural appeal long after the soap has fully cured. 





Lemongrass Soap



Ingredient List
saponified

palm oil

soybean oil

coconut oil

olive oil

sweet almond oil

shea butter

lemongrass essential oil

ground lemongrass





Lemongrass Soap

 

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Happy Bathing!



Lavender Soap



In order to properly write this post

I have transported myself to a lovely hillside scattered with lavender. 

The luscious fragrance of lavender wafts through the gentle breeze. 

I feel myself drifting off to sleep, completely relaxed.  Ahh ...  

(It helps to have a bar of Lavender Soap in my hand to sniff on
while I am transporting myself around!) 



Lavender Soap





Back to reality, I could tell you of my disappointment that the blend of two parts ultramarine violet and one part ultramarine blue cosmetic-grade pigment didn't quite make a lavender color. 

Or I could tell you I am worried that the dried lavender buds are too much texture. 

But I won’t.  In my humble opinion, it’s all good! 



 

 

Lavender 40/42 is actually a blend of various lavenders. With its somewhat camphorous, crisp aroma, it is the most widely recognized lavender in the world. This is probably due to the fact that the perfume industry uses this blend as a base for lavender scented products. This oil is obtained from the flowering parts of the plant.   

The dried lavender buds with their beautiful bluish-gray color were added for both texture and a decorative flair.  In addition to the lavender essential oil, the dried lavender buds enhance the lovely lavender scent.



Lavender Soap







 

 

saponified

tallow

soybean oil

coconut oil

olive oil

shea butter

sweet almond oil

lavender 40/42 essential oil

lavender buds

cosmetic-grade pigment







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