Despite the cold weather, afternoon sun feels brighter and warmer on my face every day and I could feel that spring is definitely around the corner.
As a Japanese person myself, my brain automatically visualizes the pale pink Sakura (cherry blossoms) as soon as I hear the word "spring". If you have been to Japan in springtime, you may know that Japanese people truly love cherry blossoms. Cherry trees are pretty much everywhere in Japan and those gentle pastel shades of pink fill parks, city streets, residential gardens, historic sights like temples and shrines, or even mountains far away. I think pink is a colour that makes people happy and I just love that warm uplifting feeling in springtime in Japan.
I wanted to make a soap that looks and smells like Sakura, ready for this spring.
A small amount of French pink clay is used to create the perfect pale pink and swirled into soft white. I added diamond shaped pink soap confetti as flower petals.
For the scent, since there is no cherry blossom essential oil available, I tested some blends with essential oils and a few fragrance oils I have. For the final product, I used lemon, pink grapefruit, rosewood essential oils and a very very small amount of rose fragrance oil to create a fresh, bright and earthy yet definitely floral note, perfect for this soap.
For the soap recipe, I have been testing a formula slightly different from my original line and Sakura soap is the first product with the new recipe. Started from my original recipe, a blend of olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, ricebran oil, and castor oil that has a perfect balance of lather, cleanse, and skin care properties, I reformulated and added a small amount of organic cocoa butter that gives creamy stable lather and a bit of protection on the skin from the dry cold weather. It also makes the soap slightly harder and longer-lasting. I am very happy with the result. Now you give it a try and let me know what you think.
I will be making a few more batches of Sakura soap but its quantity is limited and only available for the spring season.
Get it from here: Sakura: Lightly Perfumed Soap