Lavender & Chamomile

Old-fashioned Tallow Soap

🪻🌼Lavender & Chamomile

🤍This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission — just enough to keep the soap kettle warm — at no extra cost to you.

Grandma’s Evening Porch Bar

📓Journal Entry #5

Some soaps are made for scrubbing.

Some are made for show.

And then there are the quiet ones…

the ones that feel like they were meant for the end of the day.

This is one of those.

I made this batch just as the sun was dipping low behind the trees, when the workshop light turns honey-gold and the whole shed feels softer somehow. The kettle was still warm on the stove, and the windows were cracked open enough to let the crickets start their singing.

This time, I let the chamomile steep right into the olive oil for a few weeks beforehand, like making sun tea on the porch.

Just dried blossoms and patience.

By the time I strained it, the oil held the softest honey color and the faintest apple-sweet scent. Nothing strong. Nothing fancy. Just gentle.

Grandma would’ve called it “letting the plants do the work.”

And she was right.

It makes the lather feel silkier somehow… calmer. Like the soap itself is taking a deep breath.

Lavender for the mind.

Chamomile for the spirit.

Tallow for the skin.

I stirred the oils slow and steady, the way Grandma used to, wooden spoon scraping the sides of that old enamel pot like it had a rhythm of its own. The tallow melted down smooth and creamy, carrying the clay and oats like silk through the mixture.

There’s something about adding the botanicals that feels almost like cooking supper.

A little pinch of this.

A sprinkle of that.

Nothing rushed.

Chamomile always floats like tiny sunshine petals, and the lavender buds tumble in like purple confetti. The whole batch smells like clean sheets drying on a line.

If peace had a scent, I think it would be this.

When the batter reached trace, thick and pudding-like, I poured it into the mold and tapped it twice on the counter, same as always. That sound echoes through the kitchen like a promise.

By morning, the whole soap shed carried that soft herbal sweetness.

Like soap ought to smell.

This is the bar I keep by the bedside sink.

The one I reach for after a long day of wrapping orders or tending the garden. The one that rinses away flour, dirt, and worries alike.

Simple things working together.

Grandma used to say,

“Good soap doesn’t need to shout. It just does its job kindly.”

I think she would’ve liked this one. A quiet evening in bar form.

Slice it thick.

Cure it patient.

Use it often.

And don’t forget to breathe deep while the lather blooms.

Some days, that’s medicine enough.

-Soapmaking Hobby 🍃🌼

Lavender & Chamomile

Old-fashioned Tallow Soap

🌼Recipe

🤍This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission — just enough to keep the soap kettle warm — at no extra cost to you.

Lavender & Chamomile – 50 oz Total Oils

Grandma’s Base Formula | 5% Superfat | No Sugar or Salt

🌼 Oils (50 oz total)

•   40% Tallow – 20 oz

•   25% Coconut Oil – 12.5 oz

• 25% Chamomile-Infused Olive Oil – 12.5 oz

• 10% Castor Oil – 5 oz

Lye & Liquid

• Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) – 7oz*

• Distilled Water – 14 oz

(*Always confirm with your soap calculator.) This is my favorite.

Additives (mixed into melted oils)

• 1 tbsp Kaolin Clay

• 1 tbsp Colloidal Oats

Botanicals (optional top)

• Dried Lavender Buds

• Dried Chamomile Flowers

Scent Options

(Use within IFRA guidelines)

• Lavender essential oil

• Lavender + chamomile EO blend

• Lavender Chamomile fragrance oil

🌼How to Make Chamomile-Infused Olive Oil

Slow Porch Method (my favorite)

1. Fill a clean jar ½ full with dried chamomile flowers

2. Cover completely with olive oil

3. Let sit 1–2 weeks in a warm sunny spot

4. Shake gently each day

5. Strain through cheesecloth

Quick Warm Method

Place jar in a warm water bath for 2–3 hours on very low heat, then strain.

Store like regular oil.

It keeps beautifully and smells like summer fields.

🫧 Method – The Old-Fashioned Way

1. Prepare lye solution first. Let cool.

2. Melt tallow and coconut oil.

3. Add chamomile-infused olive oil + castor.

4. Stir in kaolin clay and colloidal oats.

5. Blend oils and lye to lightly.

6. Add scent and dried flowers, blend to trace.

7.Pour, tap mold, and sprinkle botanicals.

8. Rest 24–48 hours.

9. Slice and cure 4–6 weeks.

🌿 Tips from Grandma’s Kitchen

• Infused oil adds a soft golden tint — no colorants needed

• Always strain herbs very well to avoid specks in finished bars

• Use fully dried chamomile only (fresh can spoil oil)

• This bar shines as a simple farmhouse cream color

• Perfect bedside or evening shower soap

And like always — don’t rush the cure. Calm soap takes its time.

🌼FAQ

🌼Does infused oil change the lye amount?

No — it’s still olive oil, just herbalized. Use the same olive oil values.

🌼Will the chamomile scent survive cure?

Very lightly. It’s more skin feel than fragrance. Pair with lavender for aroma.

🌼Can I infuse other herbs?

Calendula or rosemary are lovely

🌾 Final Thoughts

This isn’t a show-off soap.

It’s the one you save for quiet nights and clean pajamas.

The one that smells like peace.

Made slow.

Steeped with herbs.

Poured with love.

-Soapmaking Hobby🫧🤍

🤎 From Grandma’s Soap Shed

Every bar in this collection uses Grandma’s Rugged Tallow base formula, allowing soapmakers to explore scents, additives, and rustic designs while keeping a dependable recipe at the heart of each batch.

🤎Pick a bar from the shelf and start your next batch…

✨ Morning Brew – Rich coffee notes with a warm café-kitchen feel.

✨ Lemon & Orange Peel – Bright citrus sunshine with a cheerful farmhouse sparkle.

✨ Honeysuckle Blossom – Sweet floral air drifting through a summer garden.