I just love the smell of this soap. I whipped up an experimental batch yesterday using kelp powder and tiny pieces of dried bladderwrack then scented it with rosemary, tea-tree and ginger essential oils. When breathed in it really clears the lungs and invigorates the mind and I can tell that this is going to be wonderful to use in the dark days of winter.
Bladderwrack is a type of seaweed often found growing on northern seasides and has anti-aging properties when used on the skin. Studies have shown that those using bladderwrack gel on the face noticed increased elasticity and decreased skin thickness in just over a month.
Sea kelp is another type of seaweed and if it grows in your area you’ll be familiar with its long whip-like form lying washed up on the beach. Containing incredible amounts of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids it is often used in facials and other spa treatments. Like bladderwrack, sea kelp has been attributed with increasing skin elasticity and even helping subdue the signs of aging and wrinkles.
Rosemary is a scent that not only stimulates your energy levels, but also helps to tone your skin and increase moisture levels. When used in hair products it also stimulates your follicles and can encourage hair growth.
Ginger essential oil can be beneficial to the skin, especially in the healing of wounds and bruises. It is quite intense though so those with sensitive skin should be more careful when using it.
Tea Tree essential oil has a deep, almost menthol, smell which is probably one of clues that it is used to treat sore throats and chests. It’s also used on the skin for its powerful fungicidal, anti-biotic and anti-bacterial properties. Though again, those with sensitive skin should be cautious when using tea tree oil.
Rosemary and Tea Tree essential oils are used on the skin and hair for their anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and stimulating properties. While Rosemary is wonderful for aches, pains and mental fatigue, Tea Tree helps to heal acne, cold sores and fungal infections of the skin. The scents of both are also an excellent therapy against migraines and tension.
Hello! It would be really great if you could publish the recipe.
Every recipe of yours I’ve tried is just amazing.
Thanks so much!
Hi Tanya,
First I love your website it’s full out wonderful ideas and everyday helpful hints. I just read your article on “Rosemary, Kelp & Tea Tree Oil Soap “. I never knew that Bladderwrack & Sea Kelp had such wonderful qualities. My question is will you be sharing that soap recipe with your readers?
Another comment is, I love that your soap recipes make smaller batches. Most of the recipes I find make huge amounts which take so long to use up. I prefer the smaller batch so I can experiment with more different recipes.
Thank you again for your wonderful webpage.
Hi Kit, this is one of my truly ancient blog posts that I’ve yet to update. I plan to very soon though and with a small batch recipe too 🙂
Hi Tanya, would you be so generous to share the amounts of rosemary, ginger & tea tree essential oils/weight of base oils for this soap?? It sounds so wonderful…thanks for your help!!
This piece needs some serious updating — I’ll look into it 🙂
Thank you for any help!
Hi Pat – I think your story is acted out at least once by everyone who grows Calendula – me included 🙂 I understand that hoverflies love them, and they love eating green fly as well. But maybe it's just that the calendula grow so big that the beasties just don't see the veg! haha
Hi Jo – thank you and I'm glad you're interested in all the ingredients! I'm fascinated with the variety of wonderful oils, essential oils and botanicals available for soap making. It makes it such a creative craft.
Hi Sunnybrook – It sounds like you had a bit of a mishap with your first batch of soap but that's great that you want to give it another go! There are LOADS of recipes and instructions online but often the information is structured for someone who understands the basics of soap-making. It can be really confusing at first so I'd recommend that you invest in a good beginner's soap making book to use as a reference.
Sounds wonderful Tanya. I do agree about calendula. I made the mistake this year of sowing mine too near to the row of Swiss chard. The poor old chard got almost swamped and I know already that I shall not have to sow any calendula next year – it will be all over the garden. But it does help to keep the green fly away I am told.
Do you recommend some simple directions for making soap that I could look at on the internet? I tried once and I think I made weed killer instead of soap, duh.
My great grandmother used to save her grease from cooking and make unscented soap that they used for laundry and about everything back then.
The soap looks so pretty. I was interested to read about the ingredients.
Thanks Elaine! I look forward to the day of 'scratch-and-sniff' internet, don't you? 😉
That pic of the soap is beautiful bet it smells as good as it looks.
I love making soap…it's so addictive! And tell me about it with the difference in oven temps. I had no clue when I first started using a fan assisted oven – I'll bet you can imagine how dry some of my cakes were 😉
Oooh! That does sound good! I've not had time to play with soaps since my first foray 🙁
I'm so pleased you mentioned fan ovens, usually i have to recalculate as I have found they differ from conventional ovens quite drastically sometimes 😉