Bees Development Journal 135with July The 2020 A selection of oils available forfor making natural soaps Robb Recipe. From left to right, bottom row: coconut oil and cocoa butter, top row- sunflower oil, corn oil and olive oil
Images © Sarah Robb
The Robb Recipe: A flexible formulation for natural soap Sara J Robb, Bath Potions and Verdigris Cosmetic Solutions, London, UK admin@drsararobb.info
Dr Sara Robb, a longstanding supporter of our work, offered to tell us how she makes some of the simple, beautiful soaps that she has perfected making over the years. We jumped at the chance! Sara explains the process in full in this blueprint for anyone to follow in crafting some lovely products.
the formulation of soap. Traditional cold-processed soap recipes outline the exact amounts of specific oils and fats, and substitutions are prohibited.
Natural Soap Soap is a natural cosmetic that beekeepers can make with just two ingredients: oil and hydroxide. Liquid and solid oils are transformed into soap by the chemical process called saponification. The specific oils in the formulation bestow different qualities to the finished product. Coconut oil makes soap with a good lather, while olive oil soap is emollient (moisturising), but does not lather well. These differences arise because each oil is chemically unique, a feature that also affects
Sara (centre) and her daughters Meggy Jayne (left) and Jasmine (right) busy wrapping some of Sara’s lovely soaps 3
