Lately it seems that I have traded (Don’t Eat It!) soap making for (I can’t wait to eat it!) sap/syrup cooking, so I didn’t make this, or any soap in the past week, but the Pumpkin Spice Soap that I made back in December is ready.

This is not a new recipe. In fact I think adding pumpkin to soap was one of my first experiments in soap making, probably 7 or 8 years ago. “You’re out of control! 🙂 ” was my husband’s response the first time I made this. He has laughingly repeated this phrase several times since – coconut soap, coffee soap, peanut butter soap. Nowadays, however, he is more likely to instigate a new recipe, than he is to be shocked but my creations.

I have made changes to the recipe over the years, but I am very pleased with the ingredients that I am now using.  The fats/oils that I use are olive oil, coconut oil and tallow. This combination makes a hard bar that lathers nicely and rinses off well.

The other ingredients I add to this soap are pumpkin (our home grown), cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. While pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg are all said to be beneficial in skincare, I really can’t say whether they retain their beneficial properties though the soap making process. They do however add color and a light, spicy fragrance to the soap. When sugar is added to a soap recipe it is said to intensify the lather.

When each batch of soap has been cured for at least six weeks my husband and I test the soap before anyone else gets to use it. Our test is simple – grab a bar and hop in the shower. “It’s a nice soap,” my husband said after showering with this batch of pumpkin spice. After my critical evaluation I think the word that best describes this soap is fun. In case you’re thinking, “this woman needs to get a life,” please remember that soap making is a big part of my life. I say “fun” because I enjoyed the light cinnamon/nutmeg scent of this soap, and the nutmeg which has a bit of a coarse texture felt like small sand particles embedded in the soap –  adding a bit of scrubbing power, but mostly it was fun to see the large bubbles magically appear as the soap was rubbed across wet skin. It does develop into a rich lather that feels really nice. This is a soap I am pleased to sell.

If you are interested in purchasing this or any “Don’t Eat It!” soap or skin care products found in my store email me at ruth20012001@yahoo.com and put soap in the subject line.