Handcrafted Soap Loaf 1.2kg - Vanilla

• The swirl runs all the way through, so each slice you cut reveals the same cream-and-white spiral pattern.
• The vanilla scent is direct and sweet, closer to baking vanilla than floral or woody, it fills the bathroom as the bar warms under the water.
• Glycerin soap lathers quickly and rinses clean, leaving no waxy film on the skin or the dish.
• The loaf format means you can cut thick slabs for the bath or thin guest bars, and store the uncut portion until you're ready for it.

This is a glycerin soap, made using the melt-and-pour method. The base is heated, coloured, scented, then poured into a mould to set. It produces a smooth, translucent bar that hardens quickly and lathers easily in any water temperature. Glycerin soap tends to sweat in humid conditions, a light moisture that forms on the surface, so wrapping any unused portion or keeping it in a dry spot between uses keeps it firm.

Slice the loaf into bars using a sharp knife on a cutting board. Work the bar into a lather with warm water on your hands or body, then rinse. Between uses, rest it on a draining dish so the water runs off and the bar stays dry. The loaf keeps best wrapped in paper or cling film in a cool, dry place until you need to cut more.

Soap-making has a long history in central Europe, where glycerin-based soaps became popular in the nineteenth century for their clarity and consistent texture. This loaf comes from a producer in the Czech Republic, part of a tradition of affordable, scented glycerin soap sold by weight and sliced at home rather than individually wrapped.

Vanilla is one of the oldest and most widely used scents in soap-making. The warm, sweet character comes from vanilla fragrance, a nature-identical synthetic that recreates the scent of cured vanilla pods. It sits in the middle of the scent spectrum, comforting without being cloying, sweet without being sharp, and familiar enough that most people recognise it immediately.

The loaf suits someone who likes to cut their own soap, prefers a simple sweet scent, or wants a larger quantity to divide among housemates or family. It also makes a practical present for someone setting up a home, bundled with a soap dish and a kitchen knife.