Destination: South Dakota Soap

Handmade in small batches in my Minnesota kitchen, this Destination: South Dakota soap contains Olive Oil, Locally Sourced Minnesota Goat’s Milk, Unrefined Organic Coconut Oil, RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, Food-Grade Sodium Hydroxide, Grass-Fed Ghee, Castor Oil, Dehydrated Local Corn Silk, Fragrance Oil (Paraben & Phthalate Free), Sunflower Oil, Mica, Annatto.

As someone who grew up in South Dakota, I knew a corn-themed soap was the way to go. I mean of course South Dakota has other things … but I saw the “corn husk” fragrance oil on one of my supplier’s websites, and also read about dissolving dehydrated corn silk into the soap for silkiness …. so I had to give it a try.

The fragrance has notes of warm, crisp, sundried corn husk with a gentle top note of citrus and apricot, a dried spicy/floral middle note of rose, wild orchid, fresh herbs, radish leaf, and an amber, earthy, oak wood base.

Also, I slightly reformulated my base recipe to include a little bit of ghee – because you can’t have fresh sweet corn without some butter.

Inspiration for the Soap

I grew up in South Dakota, and during high school, a friend of mine always threw a big summer bash called the “Corn Feed.” I also have plenty of memories of eating fresh corn on the cob as a kid.

Corn isn’t unique to South Dakota, but if you’re from the Midwest, you know what happens when sweet corn starts showing up on the side of the road. You stop. And you don’t just buy a couple because it’s sold by the dozen. You eat some, eat some more, freeze some, and then do it all over again the next time you see it.

So when I started thinking about inspiration for a South Dakota soap, sweet corn was an obvious choice.

I had read that dehydrated corn silk could be dissolved into the lye mixture, so naturally, I had to try it. Making soap with milk can make things behave a little differently, but with the help of my immersion blender, it came together into a super smooth, creamy soap with corn silk right in the bar.

Of course, it had to be yellow. And I found a fresh, slightly corny (hee hee) fragrance from one of my trusted suppliers to go with it.

Soap bars are approximately 1″ thick and 4.25 ounces each.

(Price listed is for one bar of Destination: South Dakota soap.)

If you’re a vacation rental owner or host, I’d love to help you create a custom soap inspired by what makes your location special—something your guests will remember long after their stay.