June 05, 2024Bath Care

Ground Luffa Soap

Imagine a soap that marries utility with spa-like indulgence, and you'll find yourself holding Kolya’s Ground Luffa Soap. This robust exfoliator is crafted to rejuvenate tougher skin areas, such as tired legs and feet, offering a refreshing cleanse that prepares your skin for rich moisture and leaves you feeling incredibly silky smooth.

The melt & pour method simplifies soap-making and is designed to be customizable: adjust the amount of ground luffa in the soap to achieve your preferred exfoliation level. The high-quality soap base melts seamlessly, ready to blend with your chosen custom essential oil fragrances and natural colorants.

Whether you select the invigorating notes of Green Mint or the dreamy zest of Citrus Blossom, each variant enlivens the senses and pampers the skin.

To prolong the life of your soap, ensure it doesn’t sit in water and allow it to dry between uses. With repeated use, the soap becomes more exfoliating, perfect for prepping your feet for flip-flop season. With special occasions like Mother's Day or teacher appreciation days on the horizon, a simple upcycled ribbon or jute bow with a heartfelt note transforms our Ground Luffa Soap into a thoughtful gift.

Ingredients

Yields: approx. 100g / 1 bar (though this depends on size of mold)

100 g* (½ block) white opaque melt & pour soap
0.1-0.3 g* (⅛ -¼ tsp) ground luffa (depending on strength of exfoliation)

SPRING MINT

CITRUS BLOSSOM

0.7 g* ( ¼ tsp) french pink clay
10 drops la fleur essential oil blend
8 drops limoncello essential oil blend
6 drops litsea cubeba essential oil

Instructions

Decide if you would like a soap bar that is fully exfoliating, or a dual-textured bar, with one side plain soap and the other side exfoliating luffa.

Chop soap into small cubes for melting.

DUAL-TEXTURED SOAP

Melt 50 g (half the chopped soap base) over a double boiler.
Whisk clay and luffa into the melted soap** (tiny clumps are normal).
Remove from heat and wipe pot bottom to avoid water drops.
Cool to 150°F / 65°C, then add half the amount of stated essential oils.***
Pour mixture into molds immediately.
Allow to fully cool
Melt the remaining soap and follow steps c-f, pouring it over the solid luffa/clay soap.

FULL LUFFA SOAP

Melt all chopped soap base over a double boiler.
Add clay and luffa to melted soap.**
Remove from double boiler and wipe the bottom of the pot to prevent water drops dripping into the soap or mold.
Wait until the soap mixture starts to thicken slightly ( 150°F / 65°C) before adding essential oils.***
Once the essential oils are fully incorporated, immediately pour the soap mixture into molds.

To Finish (Both Types)

Allow them to cool and harden in the molds. This usually takes several hours or overnight, depending on the size of the molds and the ambient temperature.

Once the soap has fully hardened, carefully remove them from the molds.

Storage

Store in a cool dry place until ready to use.

Directions For Use

For areas you want to exfoliate, use the soap bars as you would any regular soap. As the soap wears down, the luffa becomes more concentrated, intensifying exfoliation. This intense exfoliation can be too strong for arms and legs but is particularly effective for feet in preparation for summer.

Use By: For freshness, use within 6 months

Notes

*We provide options for both weighing ingredients and measuring by volume for your home convenience. However, weight is the most precise method for ensuring accuracy, as relying on teaspoons and cups may lead to noticeable differences in the recipe.

**To prevent clumping of the clay, you can mix a small amount of melted soap with the clay separately in a small bowl until it forms a smooth paste. Then, incorporate this paste into the larger amount of melted soap and mix well to distribute the clay and luffa evenly.

***Technically, to preserve the quality of essential oils, we should wait until a recipe cools to 40°C / 104°F. However, if the M&P soap gets too much cooler it will be difficult to pour.