Savon de Marseille?

[DragonQueenHHP]

Hummm so my task nag the syrian members of my family to try and get more info and to smile big at my french friend to have him send me some plans plans plans hehe

 

[green soap]

It's in French (and with a southern accent to boot!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqF9AhLQ0s

The trimmings are re-batched, adding colorants, fragrance, etc. to make the smaller "toilet" soaps.

And lottery or not, most of us should not be going to Syria now! This is a short clip of how Aleppo soaps are made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTADF_FD ... re=related

Thanks for sharing these, I really enjoyed watching them, southern French accent and all!

It does not seem likely that we can reproduce these soaps with the tools we have available in our kitchens. The block shapes are so nice, but would they be hard to use as a bath soap? I would love to try one, either Aleppo or Marseille. I will not be going to Syria anytime soon, but my mom lives not too far from Marseille.

 

[Seifenblasen]

You can actually get both savon de Marseile and Aleppo "type" soap (made in France as well, using the same technique as in Syria) from Amazon. With all the unrest, I feel very bad for the soapers in Syria. They have problem harvesting olives to make oil. And when they do get around to do so and is able to make soup, they cannot sell them, especially with all the embargoes overseas.

http://www.amazon.com/Savon-de-Marseill ... +marseille
http://www.amazon.com/Aleppo-Soap-Mariu ... B0013EMBHM

Just be aware, some people think Aleppo soap stinks to high heaven. :twisted:

 

[Seifenblasen]

I am also wondering if we could at least approximate the results of savon de Marseille at home doing HP with a dash of sea salt and then give it a crazy long curing time? :roll:

 

[ClaraSuds]

I've never tried this soap although i've seen it for sale here ($15 a bar, hence why I've never tried it). Whats so wonderful about it?

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

I will not be going to Syria anytime soon

Yes not the place to go, my "aunts" are older so I am hoping they will have some insight as they did not come to America until they where married

 

[Seifenblasen]

I've never tried this soap although i've seen it for sale here ($15 a bar, hence why I've never tried it). Whats so wonderful about it?

Do you mean savon de Marseille or Aleppo soap? I have used both kinds of savon de Marseille - the original square blocks and the re-batched ones with fragrance and color, and still have a small stash in my closet (nice to have family in France). I think people rave about it because it is a commercially available product closest to "real" soap, with all the glycerine and no SLS, etc. On my skin it feels quite similar to my own 100% castile, but no slime. Probably due to the long curing and (perhaps) the salt?

I have no idea how Aleppo soap feel. I would very much like to make a small batch of HP using olive oil and bay laurel EO (happen to have a small bottle at home) and stick it in the basement for a year and see what happens.

@DragonQueen: I am now kicking myself because I was in Jordan a few years ago. My driver kept saying that we should go to Syria. I was very tempted but I did not have much time. Back then I was not into soap even though I wanted to go to Damascus and maybe buy some steel daggers. Wish I had gone. I also hope if you still have any family there, that they are safe.

 

[ClaraSuds]

I've never tried this soap although i've seen it for sale here ($15 a bar, hence why I've never tried it). Whats so wonderful about it?

Do you mean savon de Marseille or Aleppo soap? I have used both kinds of savon de Marseille - the original square blocks and the re-batched ones with fragrance and color, and still have a small stash in my closet (nice to have family in France). I think people rave about it because it is a commercially available product closest to "real" soap, with all the glycerine and no SLS, etc. On my skin it feels quite similar to my own 100% castile, but no slime. .

Oh! Thanks I thought it must have had some mystical property since so many people were interested in replicating it. :shock:

 

[soapandwine]

Well... I decided to give it a go and make some Marseille soap. I figured out the probable salinity of the Mediterranean around Marseille, found me some Mediterranean salt, and got me some olive oil from those parts of the world. I have now been cooking the soap for over 18 hours and plan to keep it going for another 6, or whenever I feel too tired [of stirring] and decide to stop adding water. I plan to give it a few days outside to simulate the Mistral effect. They say Marseille smells, so when I take it outside, I might place it near the garden --a nice combination of herbs and the trash bin.

I'll let you guys know if it turns out any good.

 

[Seifenblasen]

They say Marseille smells, so when I take it outside, I might place it near the garden --a nice combination of herbs and the trash bin.

What a poetic way to capture the essence of Marseille! All we need is a few drunken sailors. :twisted:

Cannot wait to see your results. Yes, please DO keep us posted!

 

[muttilili]

I followed SoapAddicts recipe today 74% OO, 18% CO, 8%Castor. I got it to a nice trace and poured into my molds and insulated them. It is now 6 hours later with no signs of gel stage. Should I be patient and give it a few days?

 

[Gryfonmoon]

Well... I decided to give it a go and make some Marseille soap. I figured out the probable salinity of the Mediterranean around Marseille, found me some Mediterranean salt, and got me some olive oil from those parts of the world. I have now been cooking the soap for over 18 hours and plan to keep it going for another 6, or whenever I feel too tired [of stirring] and decide to stop adding water. I plan to give it a few days outside to simulate the Mistral effect. They say Marseille smells, so when I take it outside, I might place it near the garden --a nice combination of herbs and the trash bin.

I'll let you guys know if it turns out any good.

I'm wondering something...I used to have a marine reef tank until very recently. I still have some marine salt mix (mix that mimics actual sea water). I might try to make Savon de Marseille with it to get as authentic as possible, although I'm not so sure I want to cook it for 3 days! LOL! I hope it works.

 

[Sapwn]

And according to this site, the ones made with coconut and palm oils are cream and with olive, coconut, and palm oils are green. (Note: The green color comes from the olive oil, not additives or clay or colorants. In fact, no additives are allowed other than a tiny drop of essential oil).

I 've read this in some web sites but I cannot understand it.

Olive oil does not give a green color. An olive oil soap is white color or light beige, but never green.

 

[Sapwn]

Another thing that excites me about this soap is the famous savon de Marseille scent.

I know that the original formula blablabla is unscented blablabla and that there is actually no specific savon de Marseille scent blablabla, but there is a particular perfume for soaps that is called savon de Marseille. I find this perfume in many soap bars in the market called “Marseille”, even in laundry soap, powder and liquid.
And I love it!
I have used it in many of my batches and it comes out great.
　
Do you recognize that particular savon de Marseille scent, or I am alone here?
Some Italian friends use to call it “profumo di buccato” which means “scent of laudry”.

 

[dagmar88]

I 've read this in some web sites but I cannot understand it.

Olive oil does not give a green color. An olive oil soap is white color or light beige, but never green.

It can, depending on the color of the olive oil used.

 

[Sapwn]

It can, depending on the color of the olive oil used.

Could you please show me, or anybody else, a bar of 100% olive oil soap that you made and it came out green ?

 

[aab1]

I've bought a HUGE cube (over 21 oz!) of Savon de Marseille at a health food store 1-2 years ago and while it cleaned very well and lasted forever it smelled horrible. It also doesn't make slime like 100% olive oil soaps I've made a long time ago. I noticed they have them again, though I'm quite sure the ones they have now are much smaller than 21oz, I might buy another.

 

[Sapwn]

...it smelled horrible.

"Horrible" is how some people describe this particular scent :razz:

 

[dimitris]

100% extra virgin OO. It remains green after 3 months, although it's more faint.

Sapwn, where did you get this FO from?

 

[Lion Of Judah]

Sounds awesome. I never knew they used sea salt until i read it. Sounds like it's a secret recipe

if i remember correctly from a documentary that i seen about the making of the soap that its seawater that is used . ( not doubting wgat you read , just sharing what i saw ) the link below is the making of the soap , not the exact documentary that i saw .
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqF9AhLQ0s&list=TL5vJ_JI5L24s[/ame]

Marseille is an elemental city. Painted in strong colors by the sun, it's full of Mediterranean smells and tastes, from the aroma of the Vieux Port fish market to the tang of bouillabaisse. Rosemary grows wild along the coast, as do olive trees, and the air along the cliffs is redolent with the fragrant maquis. One of Marseille's most famous products, soap, follows the same balance of basic beauty. For centuries, the city's famous soap makers used pure olive oil, alkali from sea plants and sea water to create savon de Marseille, treasured for its purity and quality. Most of the savonneries are gone but the famous cubes of soap can still be found in Marseille.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/travel/23foraging.html?pagewanted=print&position=&_r=0

hope it helps....... savon de syria and savon de Marseille are my dream to make when ever the day present itself.