Tutorial: Lemon Zest + Blueberry Yogurt Soap Recipe
You know what happens when you accidentally buy twice the amount of yogurt you normally do? You make soap, of course. (Okay, I guess you could eat it, but bah!)
Inspired by a recent foray into lemon blueberry cake baking, this yogurt soap recipe features lemon zest and blueberry yogurt for a delightfully creamy soap. A little lemon zest, alkanet, and blueberry seeds thrown in add a little exfoliating action.
I don't tend to make soaps with animal by-products, so here's a rare treat for you - a non-vegan soap recipe right here on Modern Soapmaking. Don't worry, it's still palm-free. ;)
Lemon Peel + Blueberry Yogurt Soap Recipe
This formula is sized for the Brambleberry 10" silicone mold, like most of my formulas here on Modern Soapmaking.
You can resize it using a lye calculator for whichever mold works for you. As requested, the formula includes percentages for your convenience in doing so!
Yogurt Soap Recipe Used
- 12 ounces Coconut Oil (32.4% of the base oils)
- 10 ounces Apricot Kernel Oil (27% of the base oils)
- 7 ounces Shea Butter (18.9% of the base oils)
- 6 ounces Olive Oil (16.2% of the base oils)
- 2 ounces Castor Oil (5.4% of the base oils)
- 5 ounces Sodium Hydroxide (7% superfat)
- 6.3 ounces Distilled Water (33% lye solution with the yogurt below)
- 4 ounces Yogurt
I bought these soapmaking oils from Soaper’s Choice, but you are welcome to buy them from your favorite supplier!
Don’t have one of these oils? Find out how to make an accurate substitution properly, and don’t forget to recalculate your recipe with a lye calculator!
Essential Oil Blend Used
- 22 grams 5-Fold Lemon Essential Oil
- 12 grams Rosemary Essential Oil
- 6 grams Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil
- 4 grams Peru Balsam Essential Oil
These essential oils are from Lebermuth, but you can use any fragrances or essential oils your heart desires.
You could also check out our essential oil calculator to find a different blend to suit your fancy!
Colorants Used
These botanical ingredients are from a local grocer, but you can find them at Monterey Bay Spice Company and Lotioncrafter.
PREP WORK: Weigh out your soaping oils, including your essential oil blend. I like to add my essentials oils to my main soap pot so I can't possibly forget them later! Make up your lye solution, too!
Cut a piece of cardboard to fit the length of your mold.
Measure 1 teaspoon of alkanet root powder. Premix it with a small portion (about a tablespoon) of your soaping oils for addition later.
Weigh 4 ounces of yogurt. I used Noosa Blueberry Yogurt which has whole blueberries in it, but only because I bought too much and didn't want it to go bad. ;)
Add your yogurt to your soaping oils, and stick blend it in. Notice I discounted my water and am using the yogurt in place of that water. I often do this with water replacement additives. Water replacements don't have to go in your lye solution! Just make sure your lye has enough liquid to dissolve in for your lye solution.
Add the yogurt to the soaping oils
Stickblend the Yogurt into the Soaping Oils
GET STARTED: Add your lye solution to your soaping oils and yogurt mixture. Stick blend until emulsified.
Once you have reached an emulsified state, split your batch in half in two measuring cups.
Add the lye solution to the oil + yogurt slurry
Split the batch of yogurt soap in half
DESIGN IT: Add your lemon zest or lemon peel powder in one half of the batch, and add your alkanet in the other half. Make sure to mix thoroughly!
Place your cardboard divider in the mold so that the mold is split in half lengthwise. When I'm using one divider, I just hold it with my hand or cut it to wedge in my mold tightly.
Pour the alkanet soap on one side of the divider, and the lemon zest soap on the other side.
Add the lemon zest or lemon peel powder to one half of the batch
Add the premixed alkanet into the other half of the yogurt soap batch
Pour each half of the soap into the divided mold.
THE FINISH LINE: Remove the divider by pulling it straight up. Use a large dowel (or three un-sharpened pencils taped together!) to add a mantra swirl in the soap. This will swirl the top, and add a stripes in the solid portions.
Finish it up by texturing the top of the soap. Add a sprinkling of blueberry seeds. Put the yogurt soap to sleep (insulate lightly), and unmold in 12 to 24 hours.
If the soap is still too soft to unmold, wait another 24 hours. Slice it up, cure it out, & enjoy!
Use a larger dowel to place a top mantra swirl in the soap
Lemon Peel + Blueberry Yogurt Soap Recipe - Finished Up and Ready to Enjoy!
This lemon peel and blueberry yogurt soap recipe featured in this tutorial is a Modern Soapmaking original. It is palm-free formula (sorry, not a vegan formula this time!) It uses a 7% superfat and a 33% lye solution strength. Feel free to adjust as necessary!
Have you ever made yogurt soap? It's wonderfully creamy soap! Let me know if you give this yogurt soap recipe a try in the comments below!
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