How To: Herbal Pyramid Soaps

Earlier this month, I showed you how to make some single use soaps using a sulfate free, Ecocert surfactant called Disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate. We're going to make a few more soaps today with the same surfacant, but switching things up just a little bit.


These little pyramids were pressed into a mold, but don't worry, you don't need a press or anything fancy like that. I used a chocolate candy silicone mold to make these but you could use any mold you like.

If you want single-use soaps, look for a mold that is specifically for making filled chocolates.

Shall we get started?

This amount makes 100 grams / 3.5 ounces

LisaLise’s Herbal Pyramid Soaps

Ingredient	Grams	Ounces
Foam ‘Paste’	19.5	0.69
Cucumber Glycerite	19.5	0.69
Green Clay	2.0	0.071
Peppermint Powder	2.5	0.088
Demineralised Water	3.5	0.12
Cornstarch	53.0	1.87

Method

Sift the herb powder and clay together (make extra if you want to use some for decorating)
Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl
Add cornstarch and work together to form a dough
Press into mold of choice - chill for about 15-20 minutes
Optional: dust soaps with leftover herb and clay mixture
Unmold carefully and allow to set and air dry

About the Ingredients

Glycerite

If you make your own glycerites, this is a great opportunity to get creative. For these soaps, I used a handcrafted fresh cucumber glycerite. If you don't make glycerites, don't worry, you can easily replace with glycerine.

Clay and Herbs

Use any clay and powdered herb you like. I chose to combine green illite clay with powdered peppermint to add a bit of freshness to these soaps and complement the cucumber glycerite.

Shaping Your Soaps

You can shape your soaps by hand if you prefer. The dough is pretty easy to work with, but be aware that it sets up pretty fast. Here's the silicone mold I used to make these pyramids. I bought it in the baking section of a home supplies store.

It's a little tricky to unmold these soaps if they haven't been chilled enough so be sure to give them enough time before attempting to unmold them. Pictured below is the first one I unmolded. It's a bit rough around the edges because the mixture hadn't quite set yet.

More

Check this previous post for links to a few suppliers of the surfactant and a little lather demo of how creamy and lovely these soaps are.

If you're interested in learning how to make your own glycerites, this book might be just what you're looking for.

Do Tell

Have you worked with this surfactant? What did you make?