Honey, Yogurt Bee Bars are the focus of the Tuesday Spotlight. The Honey, Yogurt Bee Bar is new to our collection. The Bibbed Wonder actually found the molds and purchased them without consultation…that is somewhat of a big deal in these parts. He really liked them and thought they would make a pretty addition to our milk and honey collection. Sometimes, even after almost 20 years of marriage, he still surprises me. I was surprised and impressed by his decision and purchase. Once the molds arrived, we needed to decide on a soap specific to this mold. I felt it was imperative to have something unique and completely different than what we offer in any other bar. So, the creative process began.
It went without saying that the new recipe would have to include honey. Not just any honey but local raw honey with all it’s powerful nutrients and goodness still in place. We considered silk but we were already using the silk in the seasonal line. I felt like that wasn’t special enough for these lovely molds. I then took inspiration from one of our local family owned farm markets, Lone Oak Farms. Lone Oak offers a honey yogurt that they make themselves at their beautiful farm, it is hands down, my favorite yogurt. These young farmers have really got it going on. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend it. Their chocolate milk is made with homemade chocolate syrup and it is the best chocolate milk I have ever had. They offer, produce, dairy products, farm raised meats, and baked goods. All of it is simply amazing. However, I digress…again. When I thought about the honey yogurt from Lone Oak, the idea for the Honey, Yogurt Bee Bar was born.
We use fresh raw honey from Back to Nature’s, Nathan Williams. Nathan has the “health food store” in Indiana and has been in business and working with bees for decades. He is a wonderful resource for all things honey or honey bee related. Nathan’s bees are free foraging, well taken care of, and the honey is humanely resourced. These are all things that are important to me and the moral compass for my products. As a consumer, you are able to go to any store and purchase products filled with chemicals, detergents, subpar ingredients, and ingredients and products that have been tested on innocent creatures. It is my goal to offer you an alternative to such practices. The only creatures my products are tested on are my friends and family…they have not contacted PETA yet.
Obviously, the next major component is the yogurt. If you have seen my posts on Facebook, you know, I have struggled with the whole yogurt making process. My girls give lovely, creamy milk and I am able to produce lovely creamy yogurt from their lovely milk…just not on a consistent basis. I want the yogurt I make and add to the soaps to be thick, rich, and creamy. Sometimes I hit the bullseye, sometimes I get watery soup. I have found that the longer I incubate the yogurt, the thicker it is. It is very sour and pungent when it is incubated for 13 hours or more but it doesn’t have to taste good. It just has to produce that thick, rich, creamy lather I am looking for in my soaps.
Of course, we have incorporated olive oil for moisturizing qualities, canola oil for lathering properties, castor oil for bubbles, coconut oil for hardness and nutrient rich properties, as well as salt for extra firmness and sudsing. The yogurt makes this an exceptionally moisturizing bar and the honey offers vitamins and nutrients that are wonderful for the skin. I opted for a natural, plant-based fragrance oil for the soft, mild milk and honey scent. It truly is a lovely bar made with much thought and care…and sweat…and maybe a little colorful language…yogurt making is really frustrating for me.
My hope is that when you use our products, you notice the difference and the level of care we put into them. As always, the Tuesday Spotlight is half off on the website. I am also offering our Milk and Honey Moisturizer at half off, because you know as well as I do, matching your soaps to your lotion is a very real thing. You will find this as well as our masculine scented soaps on sale for the week. Please continue to stay safe, stay smart, research your products, their content, and where their ingredients are sourced, and wash your hands.