I remember there was a thread a while ago for a hops based shaving soap or cream. I noticed Mama Bear makes a Hops soap if anyone is interested.
Hops!
- Thread starter bokaba
- Start date
It's not a bad idea. Hops are a natural antibiotic. Toms of Maine uses hops in their deodorant
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That is being taken off of the lineup.. too many complaints that folks couldn't smell it.. I can't say I blame them.
Maybe we will have something else down the road.. but this one wasn't a winner...
Maybe we will have something else down the road.. but this one wasn't a winner...
It has a scent. after three days of use I will stand by that. Unfortunately the scent is subtle and probably not what most are expecting. I do like it, but will say that I think there is room for experimentation and improvement.
I never even would have thought about using hops for a shaving creme or soap.
Hops is supposed to have soporific qualities. A nice idea for a night shave... 
Sue, I hope you don't include me in the complaint department. Although I didn't get the big nose full of hops I think we all wanted, I'm more than happy that I spent a few bucks to be a part of something as cool as "developing" a new soap. I have purchased, or received as gifts more than 10 different scents of your soap and have been very pleased with all of them! This test will have no impact in my wanting to continue to purchase from you.
The only "complaint" I might think of is that I only have a half tub left of "Smokin", and I can't bring myself to use it!
I have to admit, the more I use it, the more I smell... it is still very subtle, mind you, but there's definitely a nice scent. Not sure if with continued use, I'm "opening up" the puck a little more, or if I'm just getting more in tune with it.
All the same, it lathers beautifully... this is my first of your soaps, and I'll definitely be back for more.
Yeah Sue it was a disappointment, unfortunately. Hopefully we can find some way (eventually) that will produce a nicely fragrent soap. Thanks for being open to try it out though!
Sue, I hope you don't include me in the complaint department. Although I didn't get the big nose full of hops I think we all wanted, I'm more than happy that I spent a few bucks to be a part of something as cool as "developing" a new soap. I have purchased, or received as gifts more than 10 different scents of your soap and have been very pleased with all of them! This test will have no impact in my wanting to continue to purchase from you.
The only "complaint" I might think of is that I only have a half tub left of "Smokin", and I can't bring myself to use it!
OMG! No!
I think that since it was on the website a couple folks outside the family bought them and that was the cause.. You guys have all been awesome about this!
I am always open to try things.. just feel sad about this one.. for the life of me I can't figure out how to make the scent stronger.. I am really busy with the new store.. but hope to be brewing again down the road and this will be in the back of my mind for sure.. I suspect I will play with it again someday. Even tho the scent was subtle.. it is a great scent. Hugs you all!
- Thread starter
- #12
Hops just smell bitter and it is difficult to achieve a stronger scent without making the soap smell to bitter or causing irritation from too much essential oil. I think it would be a good idea to make a hops blend with other essential oils too..hint...hint
I think I found the answer to this mystery.
"There are two groups of oils found in most plant materials, differentiated by their volatility. The fixed oils, like liquid fats found in nuts, are relatively nonvolatile and do not contribute much to aroma. The volatile oils, also called the essential oils, are so easily vaporizable that we can deduce their presence or absence by simply using our noses. We are all familiar with perfumes and spices, both of which are loaded with either naturally occurring or synthesized essential oils. In hops, the essential oil makes up only about 0.5-3% (vol/wt) of the whole cone, but the contribution to beer is enormous. Think about it, if a typical beer uses hops at a rate of 0.5 ounces per gallon, and we assume that the oils are 10% utilized, then the hop oils end up being less than 0.001% wt/wt (10 ppm) of the finished beer. And yet what is the first thing that hits the nose in a Cascade dryhopped American pale ale? That's right, a big floral aroma that is impossible to miss. To examine just what it is in the hop essential oil that makes such big impressions let's talk chemistry."
http://www.realbeer.com/hops/aroma.html
So, we have to find a supplier of the "volatile" essential oil and not the "fixed" oil that was in the oil that was used in this soap. Really this makes perfect sense, because there was a mild smell of hops present in the soap it was just very faint. So, I think that what everyone was smelling was the trace amounts of volatile oil leftover in the fixed oil. Also, I remember reading in a brewing book one time that hop oils used in commercial brewing generally only contributed to bitterness. I keep forgetting to taste the soap Sue made to see if it is bitter. It should be incredibly bitter for the amount of oil she used.
So, what we have to research is a supplier of the volatile oil which I'm sure someone somewhere makes.
"There are two groups of oils found in most plant materials, differentiated by their volatility. The fixed oils, like liquid fats found in nuts, are relatively nonvolatile and do not contribute much to aroma. The volatile oils, also called the essential oils, are so easily vaporizable that we can deduce their presence or absence by simply using our noses. We are all familiar with perfumes and spices, both of which are loaded with either naturally occurring or synthesized essential oils. In hops, the essential oil makes up only about 0.5-3% (vol/wt) of the whole cone, but the contribution to beer is enormous. Think about it, if a typical beer uses hops at a rate of 0.5 ounces per gallon, and we assume that the oils are 10% utilized, then the hop oils end up being less than 0.001% wt/wt (10 ppm) of the finished beer. And yet what is the first thing that hits the nose in a Cascade dryhopped American pale ale? That's right, a big floral aroma that is impossible to miss. To examine just what it is in the hop essential oil that makes such big impressions let's talk chemistry."
http://www.realbeer.com/hops/aroma.html
So, we have to find a supplier of the "volatile" essential oil and not the "fixed" oil that was in the oil that was used in this soap. Really this makes perfect sense, because there was a mild smell of hops present in the soap it was just very faint. So, I think that what everyone was smelling was the trace amounts of volatile oil leftover in the fixed oil. Also, I remember reading in a brewing book one time that hop oils used in commercial brewing generally only contributed to bitterness. I keep forgetting to taste the soap Sue made to see if it is bitter. It should be incredibly bitter for the amount of oil she used.
So, what we have to research is a supplier of the volatile oil which I'm sure someone somewhere makes.
- Thread starter
- #14
I would enjoy perhaps a lavender/lemon soap with hops as an antibacterial agent.
In the process of lathering, I generally get a bunch on my lips, and invariably taste it. It is a bitter, soapy taste... but then, most soaps have a bit of a bitter taste, as far as I can tell.
I got some of MB's hop soap and yes the scent is too light, but a GREAT lathering soap as expected. I imagine with the price of hops skyrocketing in the last year it would be cost prohibitive to make a heavily scented hops EO soap. All good though, thanks for trying Sue, still ridiculously high on the performance scale!
