Do-it-yourself recipes

Here is the procedure for making your own homemade mint soap using the cold process. Always remember to work with gloves, goggles and an FFP3 filtering face mask. Enjoy the whole process!

We offer you another recipe that Laura has experimented for us: calendula and chamomile soap, emollient and anti-inflammatory, suitable for delicate skin!

But let's hear what our self-producing friend tells us:

”I would like to share with you one of my first recipes for home-made natural soaps. Driven by the desire to create a soap to use in the shower, that would avoid me buying shower gel and above all that would respond to the needs of my skin, I formulated this recipe thinking of one of my favorite flowers and which is best suited to my needs: the calendula. In fact, the main ingredient of this recipe is the marigold oil, very easy to self-produce at home, which embodies the anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and emollient properties of this beautiful flower; combined with the Chamomile infusion, it makes this soap suitable for those like me who have delicate skin, which tends to dry out and get irritated very easily. "

Some of you have "tasted" a small piece of it and were enthusiastic about it, others have asked us for more information on the soap cake that we created for the inauguration of the new website www.lasaponaria.it.

Given the great curiosity aroused, we decided to share the recipe with you!

In this recipe we will tell you step by step how to make a soap cake, an original idea as a gift to celebrate your anniversaries with relatives and friends instead of the classic dessert!

Our recipe for the "vegan lemon cream, almonds and coffee" cake

Recipe submitted to the "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" self-production contest. Why does it represent the proverb "saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi?" I created this soap inspired by the enchanted forests and meadows of the Monti Sibillini that I have the joy of admiring from my windows every day. It's as white as the silent snow that soothes the souls of those who wander through the sleeping woods during the winter season. A yellow band runs through the middle, where some dried petals of calendula, chamomile, violet... are concentrated to remind us both of the sun's rays that penetrate the dense foliage of the woods, creating the fantastic sensation of being able to spot a fairy at any moment, and of the flowers that flood these mountains' meadows with shapes and colors in spring and summer. It's a gentle, refreshing soap that leaves the skin as soft as the waters of the countless streams that gush happily from those rocks. In honor of the "fairy" who has dwelled among these magical places for centuries and still fascinates even the most incredulous, I named it the Sibilla soap.

Recipe submitted for the "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" self-production contest. Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" (Soaps and oxen from your own country)? When asked about my hometown, I was taken aback.

Then I thought that we are what we eat, and immediately, Pizzocheri and Papina came to my mind, two dishes linked to my childhood (I believe I tasted the former when I was just a few months old). When I hear them mentioned, I feel a sense of belonging to these Lombard places... The flour I used for the soap dough is the same one used to make the famous Valtellina Pizzoccheri, made from buckwheat. The Valtellina has adopted me since I was a few months old, and I spent all my summer and winter vacations there until I was 20 (nowadays, I only return for special occasions or in the summer when Milan is way too hot!). Then there's Papina, the traditional cake of Brianza tradition, which my mom often cooked (and still does, I believe). But not just my mom: in fact, a vegan version, super energizing but light (and also sugar-free), came to life in my kitchen a few days ago... And that's how it all comes together. The cocoa is a clear reference to the cake, just like the dates and prunes that replace the raisins, which I don't like (besides, they are my favorite fruits: prunes in the summer and dates during this season – even now as I write :)). To give it the shape of a "cake slice," I put the dough in a small plastic container with a cubic shape: at local fairs, Papina is cut and served in little cubes. I placed the resulting soap dough on a bed of Erba Livia: the same fields where, as a child, I used to lie down to catch my breath after running around (it's a type of grass that grows in the high mountains). I can almost smell it... In fact, as I take photos, I can! It somewhat resembles the scent of sage and lavender. Erba Livia is a typical herb from the valley, used as an infusion to soothe the stomach. I suggest putting it in the container along with the soap dough to relax the senses before the shower.

When in the 60s I went with friends for a picnic "out of town" to the Roman Castles, we played in the meadows and chestnut woods, falling and rolling among the mint plants that grow there wherever there was a little sun and then we stopped in some trattoria where in the warmth of the fireplace we all ate together at a wooden table the pecorino romano and the porchetta from Ariccia with wild cicely. The mint and cicely soap is made with extra virgin olive oil from our region with the addition of Roman mint leaves and wild cicely flowers collected by me during the summer and dried. The soap mold recalls the shapes of pecorino romano and from this derives the name sapo-rino. Table salt causes the soap to dry very quickly. Even if the soap can be used immediately, it is best to let it dry for at least 15 days. Coconut oil is used to create foam. The yellow / green dotted color is given by the added dried plants.

Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? Resia is a valley located in the easternmost corner of Friuli, nestled between Austria and Slovenia. It is home to a unique population in terms of language and culture, expressed through music, dances, traditions, and truly special folk festivals! In our language (Resian), "Val Resia" means Valley of Flowers. The valley is indeed an explosion of colors and scents from over 1200 plants (species and subspecies) found in the area, some of which are endemic.

To represent it, I chose a combination of colors and ingredients:

Brown to celebrate the land: rich and generous.

The central yellow flower to symbolize some of these flowers: St. John's wort, arnica, primroses, dandelion, goldenrod, calendula...

Honey, castor wax, lavender, and almonds: precious gifts from my beloved land.

This soap is inspired by the scent that invades our garden every summer, that of lemon beerbrush! At home we have always used lemon beerbrush in the kitchen, to make excellent herbal teas and a fantastic digestive liqueur .. And I thought: why not experiment with it in soap too? !! I then made this recipe with the hot method, using both the lemon beerbrush infusion and the leaves in the dough to create a light exfoliating effect. (this year, incredible but true, the lemon beerbrush is still in bloom in November !!)

Recipe candidate for the "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" (Soaps and Oxen from Your Own Country) self-production competition. Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"?

A small village nestled on a hill at 650 meters above sea level, adjacent to the Pollino National Park, with fewer than a thousand inhabitants, far from other urban centers, 70 minutes from the sea, distant from train stations, airports, universities, and so on. This humble soap was created to highlight the naturalness, richness, and sweetness in the poverty of our region.

The naturalness of our APPLES: small, ugly, and nameless apples, but naturally flavorful and beneficial.

The richness of the POMEGRANATE: those stolen from the orchard at the end of the village to be sold at the fair on the third Saturday of October, gathering 50 lire for each fruit. "What richness?" But the wealth is in the fruit, rich in minerals, vitamins, beneficial substances for the body (flavonoids, antioxidants, and various types of active acids).

The sweetness of HONEY: the one we all have in the pantry and in the drawer of our memory, the one that grandma obtained from a beehive found on a tree in the countryside.

OLIVE OIL: the best defense against allergies or other skin irritations that can occur from using industrial soap.

Jam like marmelade, like a mix of cultures that meet and mix. This soap is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who lives in Ammam (Jordan) who this summer brought me a wonderful extract of a local incense, of myrrh if I remember correctly. An extract with a magical, intense and enchanting scent. It is a resin obtained from the incisions on the trunk of the plant, from which a sort of latex begins to exude. This extract is obtained with antiseptic and antibacterial properties. To this exotic ingredient I added something from my home, our olive oil that we produce every year here in the Tuscan hills. An excellent oil (even in the kitchen) that makes this soap very delicate and emollient!

Faenza is considered by all to be the "city of ceramics" par excellence. Since ancient times Faenza has been famous for its ceramics and even today the Faenza workshops are among the most renowned. I wanted to dedicate this soap to my city, using clay as a characterizing ingredient!

The clay is malleable to make ceramics but (the green one) is also a real cure-all for the skin. For example, it can be used to make masks with clay and water. It can be applied to the skin of the face and body .. after about ten minutes the clay dries completely, becoming a rigid film that adheres perfectly to any roughness. The mask helps exfoliate the skin by eliminating surface dead cells making the skin smoother and softer!

ace represented by the soap: Trento and the tradition of Vin Brulé (Mulled Wine) consumed in the streets.

Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? Vin Brulé is a sweetened wine cooked with orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg. It's delicious, but above all, it's THE winter drink of Trento! In the city center, at every corner, there's a stall selling it in small cups that warm your hands. Its aroma fills Piazza Fiera, which during the winter is adorned with Christmas markets, and it's a must-have during the holiday season in the villages. If in the summer, after work, people meet in the square for a "Spritz," in the winter, they gather for a Brulè at the Christmas market! It may seem a bit too warm and too spicy to be an aperitif, but it's incredibly tasty and is said to work wonders against colds. So, if you have a sore throat or a stuffy nose, instead of recommending aspirin, they'll tell you to "have a Brulè!" which, with cinnamon and the essential oils of lemon and orange, is truly a remedy. And the beautiful thing is that you can drink it in the street. Despite the early darkness, the snow, and the fact that Trentini are known for their reserve, by the time the shops close, the streets are bustling! Okay, it's true that by nine o'clock, there's no one left... but hey, we're still in Trento, and you can't expect too much when it's minus ten degrees outside! In Trento, Brulè is made with red wine, and there are as many recipes as there are pots it's cooked in, but the base is always the same: citrus fruits and spices. A scent that immediately brings Christmas to mind and warms not only the stomach but also the heart.