How to Make Natural Soap with Beer - Nova Scotia Beer Bar

 

Beer and soap.. Two items you normally wouldn't pair (on purpose). Typically, soap might follow beer, and involve a spill.

Turns out that beer actually contains many nourishing elements, beneficial for maintaining balanced, clear skin. Go figure. 

 

 

Here's What You Need to Know About Why Beer is Great in Soap:

 

The value for our skin is found in the break down of the hops. Essentially, beer has two major benefits for our skin: 

1) Amino Acids / Vitamins / Mineral support 

2) Yeast

Hops contain lots of skin softening amino acids, which can soothe irritated and inflamed skin (ex: during a shave, change of weather temperature, after sports / physical activity). So, these skin softening amino acids help reduce inflammation and red spots you may typically get from shower gels or other products.

Beer also contains vitamin B and other essential minerals that support collagen production and skin health. Collagen protein keeps our skin looking strong, resilient, and healthy. Any opportunity we have to nourish the skin with natural vitamin and mineral content is worthwhile. It's the foundation of what our skin craves to stay young and healthy.

 

 

The brewer’s yeast in beer acts as an antibacterial agent, great for combating acne, psoriasis, or other skin conditions brought on by build up of oils. Similar to apple cider, the slight acidity and reaction with the skin helps remove dirt, clean the skin, and prevent build up of bacteria. 

Beer creates a rich lather that is perfect for cleansing, shaving, and shampooing. One bar with no plastic containers, and is safe for all skin types. Beer bar lather is foamy, fast, and captures natural aroma beautifully. 

Beer soap itself, without added natural oils, smells spicy, herbal, and grassy. It's a great base of which to add natural ingredients and create a strong scent that lasts on the skin for hours. 

Beer is a local ingredient, that yields close to home for most of us in North America. Most communities have craft options of import from Hops across the country, and support organic farming practices through certification and badging. So it's a way to support our local economy, support a local product, our farmers, brewers, and families. 

 

Our Beer Bar 

We love beer in Nova Scotia. It's no secret. And although we have some strong brands that have been alive and well within the province for centuries, a fresh agricultural scene has more recently brought microbreweries and hop growers to our cities and towns. 

 

 

 

We partnered with a small brewery doing just that. Brewing their own beer just minutes drive from our headquarters in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia (Port Williams), Sea Level Brewing make small batch brews with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. 

 

 

In our beer bar, we started with our best selling bar recipe - our simple sea salt sea kelp soap bar. Everything your skin needs, all natural. 

We then infused Sea Level Pale Ale into our natural oil base, by hand and without added heat. This base is then infused with our sea kelp extract and natural scent of spearmint oil, grapefruit oil and black peppercorn. 

Each bar is then cut by hand and cured for 4-8 weeks. This process ensures a solid, long lasting bar with very rich lather, sealing in a subtle natural scent.

 

Of our tests, Beer Soap is amazing for 3 use cases: 

1) Shaving - Wether it's your face, legs, or body, this bar lathers quickly, lasts long, and cleanses while providing moisture relief.

2) Cleansing and acne prevention - Face, hands, and body. One bar to clean it all and helps to prevent dirt build up that leads to breakouts.

3) Shampoo - If you're looking for a natural alternative to detergent shampoos, Beer Soap leaves your hair feeling soft, smelling clean, and looking shiny. Cost effective and all natural.

 

 

 

Our Beer Bar is available online right now and in stores beginning this August. For a full list of stores click here 

 

Why Should You Try Beer Soap?

 

1) Great Gift for Beer Lovers - Sure, it's a great gift for just about anyone who enjoys a good beer. But it's also a great gift for those who enjoy new scents, artisan goods, locally-crafted Canadian goods, and supporting their beer loving friends. 

2) Natural, powerful, quality ingredient - Hops are a natural, powerful ingredient that can be grown locally, with skin benefits! Why wouldn't we try to utilize it's benefits? 

3) Smells great - Beer naturally has a spicy, earthy, grassy scent to it. Perfect for laying citrus fruits, spices, and herb oils. It also lasts, unlike most synthetic fragrances. 

4) Multi-use (Shower, Shampoo, Shave) -  Beer infuses well with other natural oils, offering soaps an additional layer of lather and foam. Perfect as an all body bar, or a shave bar, the added lather makes this a long-lasting bar that can do it all. Can replace your shampoo, body wash, hand soap and shaving cream.  

5) Made in Canada - A true Canadian ingredient. We use Canadian hops and Canadian beer from right here in Nova Scotia. 

 

 

 

 

Our Beer Bar is available online right now and in stores beginning this August. For a full list of stores click here 

 

What Should We Make Soap with Next?

 

Comment below and let us know what ingredient you'd like to see us use next in our sea kelp soap bars.