Making and Packaging Honeycomb Soap

My best-selling soap to this day is a soap with beeswax and honey that I call Honeycomb.

- TINA MOENCK

The reason for this moniker is not only because of the ingredients but also because of the appearance. It resembles a honeycomb because I line my mold with bubble wrap. This soap may also be a great addition to a fall line of soaps due to the color and the essential oils. It is, however, a better project for experienced soapmakers, not for the beginner's first few batches.

Just a note: If you are new to soap making, please review lye safety before making soap. Search for Tina Moenck on YouTube to view my videos, including one on honeycomb soap.

I buy beeswax from local beekeepers. If you use beeswax, buy from local businesses, if possible. Locate beekeepers at local markets or ask around.

Working with beeswax in soap can be tricky. Beeswax is just that, a wax and very high in unsaponifiables. If you are new to soap making, unsaponifiables means not all the ingredients will saponify. Since some of the beeswaxes will saponify, add it as an oil to the lye calculator, but only at 1-3 percent of the recipe. At higher amounts, it can create drag and make for a softer soap. In addition, work quickly because this soap moves fast. Also, any form of sugar added to soap will create heat and cause full gel in just a few minutes, so the combination of beeswax and honey in this soap affords just a short window of time to mix and get it in the mold. I get the full gel in the mold within 5 to 10 minutes, but it depends on how hot the mix is to begin with. The temperature of the room affects gel time, as well.

Humidity can also throw a monkey wrench into the plan, and sometimes, those pesky soap gremlins show up and mess up a batch of soap, even when you think you did everything right. Soapmaking is a journey and a never-ending learning process. You will learn something new with every batch if you are observant. Do not get discouraged when you try something and it doesn't work out quite right; it is part of learning and growing.