Beer Soap

Ah, the wonders of beer. ("Mmmmmm. Beer." -- Homer Simpson.)

Ahem, well, Captain Obvious and all, but my Irish kin are certainly reputed to enjoy the stuff, exporting some of the most popular of beers, such as the widely known Guinness.

How long humans have been making beer is uncertain, but what is known is that beer has been fermented since ancient cultures, at least since the time of Sumer, and his people, the Sumerians. The Sumerians celebrated their fermented libations with documented hymns, such as the following, as translated by Miguel Civil of The Oriental Institute of the University of Chigago):

In the reed buckets there is sweet beer,
I will make cupbearers, boys, and brewers stand by,
While I circle around the abundance of beer,
While I feel wonderful, I feel wonderful,
Drinking beer, in a blissful mood,
Drinking liquor, feeling exhilarated, 
With joy in the heart and and a happy liver,
While my heart full of joy,
And my happy liver I cover with a garment fit for a queen!
The heart of Inanna is happy again,
The heart of the queen of heaven is happy again!


The ancient Sumerians sound like a bunch of dancing hobbits in the above song. But, mad props to the Sumerians here: the stuff is indeed great, not only because it's, uh, beer, but also because of its beauty benefits! Yes, indeed: Cleopatra took beer baths, just as many in Eastern Europe today take beer baths. It's said to be great for the hair as a rinse; others claim it's great for beautifying the skin. I have used it as a toner for the skin and I'm a fan, hands down. But what's also great about beer, is that it makes an incredible soap. No harsh, unneeded chemicals such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate -- put simply -- beer, used in making soap, means bubbles..

When my Etsy site is launched (sooooooon) such wonderful beer soaps will be available for your bathing pleasure.

My Dragon's Blood Beer soap. 

(No dragons were harmed in the making of this soap.)

Mica and Cold Process Soap

I'm pretty strict when it comes to making soap. I only make soap the traditional, Tyler Durden way (cold process, although I'm open to hot process, as well). Since I first began making soap, I've only used natural ingredients: this means plant-based colorants and essential oils in scenting. I'm still all about the natural (um, hello, hippie blog and all), but I've relaxed a little and expanded my horizons to using mica colorants (micas are derived from natural Earth minerals, and I use mica cosmetics, so really, why the heck not). Now, the thing is, micas are known to work especially well  in transparent "melt and pour" soap, but... "melt and pour" soapmaking kinda defeats the purpose of why I make soap. I have nothing against "melt and pour" soaps, which are lovely and kudos to those who enjoy it. But... Tyler Durden is basically my hero, and honestly, do ya think Tyler Durden would make foofy "melt and pour" soaps? Considering that an enlightening moment in the film Fight Club involves NaOH, I wouldn't think so.

"What is this?"

"This... is a chemical burn."

Anyway, where was my point in this? Oh: Since Cold Process soap is opaque, not all micas will work, but some will. One idea: if you're interested in stamping your soap with an image, you can dip a stamp in a little mica and press onto soft, freshly unmolded soap - I've tried this myself and the effects are pretty nice. Another idea is to layer and sprinkle cold process soap with a little mica. Also, as an alternative to Titanium Dioxide, I personally like to use pearlescent mica in lightening my soap. Now, you may be wondering where to get great micas to work with in your soapmaking. I order my mica colorants from Oregon Trail Soapers Supply. They carry awesome mica colorants, among other much-needed soap-making supplies.

Pearlizer mica from Oregon Trail Soapers Supply. 

You can add this to cold process soap to lighten it. 

Even with opaque cold process soap,

the sparkle will reflect in the light.

I recently made a batch of beer soap, made with Guinness and scented with an essential oil blend of Frankincense, Myrrh, Clove, with touches of Vetiver and Vanilla. I lightened some of the soap with the pearlizer mica, and swirled it up. It's a very smoky, spicy scent... perfect for guys and gals alike, and soon to be available via my shop.

Soooooooap.