accident to idea -> kentucky bourbon soap

[noctilux]

too much hurry prompted some clumsiness in the kitchen and i spilled a bit of knob creek bourbon on my counter. in an inexplicable act of savagery, despite my OCD, i simply wiped the liquid off with my hand. as i sat down to resume the film i was watching (i dare not say what in fear of violating B&B political discourse restrictions), the wonderful scent that lingered triggered the idea in question.

we have bay rum, which i have seen fairly accurately described as a combination of elderly man (peepaw) + medicine cabinet. it's also a relatively vulgar spirit in the grand scheme of things and i actually place kentucky bourbon (that which is above entry-level) quite ahead of scotch in a dollar-for-dollar (or pound-for-pound) comparison, perhaps even outright as a concept.

now to the the matter at hand. if i simply remill some unscented tallow-based soap, soaked in the liquid, will it preserve the smell? i somehow doubt this. if not, what needs to be done? what are these cunning bay rum pirates doing? i am glad to invest time and effort into the project if someone with expertise can assist.


v.

[CaptainK]

Hmm ... interesting idea. Could work. I've never done anything like it (though I have made my own soap before), but I think you could do it like this:

Mill the tallow soap into a double boiler (preferred) or saucepan
Add the bourbon
Slowly and gently heat the mixture while stirring often (the goal here is to gently melt the soap)
Mix thoroughly
Pour into some sort of mold and let cool

You might have to wait a few days to a few weeks for the excess water to evaporate and allow the soap to harden. You can use it before then, but I suspect that the soap will be much softer.

Search the net using the terms "rebatching soap," and you'll likely find tons more information.

[Gray Wolf]

I can think of many situations where it would not be advantageous to smell like you have been drinking!

[noctilux]

captain.

i may well try this out. perhaps a small quantity --enough to have something usable in the end. is there an unscented starter soap (or something with very mild fragrance) people would suggest as base?

v.

[inspiringK]

Hmm ... interesting idea. Could work. I've never done anything like it (though I have made my own soap before), but I think you could do it like this:

Mill the tallow soap into a double boiler (preferred) or saucepan
Add the bourbon
Slowly and gently heat the mixture while stirring often (the goal here is to gently melt the soap)
Mix thoroughly
Pour into some sort of mold and let cool

I don't think you should try to melt Tallow, it won't liquify, just burn

[CaptainK]

i may well try this out. perhaps a small quantity --enough to have something usable in the end. is there an unscented starter soap (or something with very mild fragrance) people would suggest as base?

Hmm ... I don't recall any unscented tallow soaps - anyone?

You could start your experiments with a melt & pour soap. Van der Hagen is a popular soap for folks to melt and play with (it melts easily in a microwave) - and, it's cheap, so it's not a big deal to lose a puck or two. People have added all sorts of things to it: aftershaves/colognes, essential/fragrance oils, butters, etc. Just search threads here for "VDH experiments" and similar terms.

I don't think you should try to melt Tallow, it won't liquify, just burn

Yes, tallow will just burn if you try to melt in in a microwave. But, it will liquefy (and not burn) if you mill it into a double boiler, mix in some liquid and gently heat it (as I described above). Again, Google "rebatching soap," and you'll get lots of information on how to do just that.

[Acmemfg]

"How's about letting me see your license and registration Boy??"

"Now you're gonna tell me what I'm smelling is something you SHAVE with??"

"Step to the back of the car please......"

[Price]

Your bottle of whiskey has but one intended purpose, and that ain't it.

Drink the whiskey, and buy some of this instead.

[noctilux]

Drink the whiskey, and buy some of this instead.

dude, it's out of stock!


v.

[franz]

Nominally 'unscented' tallowate soaps include AoS unscented, Valobra stick, MWF... I'm sure there are others.

I'd rather drink Knob Creek than pour it over soap. It could also have the unintended consequences mentioned above. Proceed with caution.

[Price]

dude, it's out of stock!

Yeah, I saw that. I will say this: if the "Whiskey" smells as much like whiskey as the "Tobacco" smells like tobacco, it's what you're looking for.

[CaptainK]

I agree: drink the whiskey. If you still want to try and roll your own, you can try this.