# Starting My Soaping Journey



## KiwiSoap (Feb 27, 2019)

Hallo All,
I've been lurking and scanning through the forums for a while and have picked out a few recipes I thought I'd like to try. _Where to start, where to start?_ I'm certainly overthinking things but seeing the helpful guidance given to others (before and after the soap flows) I thought I'd share my ideas and see what you think.

I am looking at making vegan palm-free soap and currently have (modest amounts of) OO, CO, castor, SAO, Shea butter, RBO, Canola, SO, and individual rectangular silicone soap moulds.

Here is my current plan:

 Zany's Castille
 Zany's Castille with 15% CO and 5% Castor
 100% Coconut, 20% SF
 Salt bar (80% CO, 15% OO, 5% castor)(split to try 0%, 20%, 40% salt)
 KiwiMoose's Poly-Oil bar (need to get Avocado Oil and Soy wax)
 My bar (_#under construction#_)
(Of course, when I buy Avocado Oil for KiwiMoose's bar, then I have it to try Genny's Shampoo Bar ...  Have I caught the addiction?)

This plan is over a number of weekends. Not as ambitious as some other beginner soapers out there (bless them!) but I think this should gently start me off and give some good comparisons.

Any thoughts, advice? When I get started photos will be sure to follow 

Kind regards,
    Paul


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## Dean (Feb 27, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> Hallo All,
> I've been lurking and scanning through the forums for a while and have picked out a few recipes I thought I'd like to try. _Where to start, where to start?_ I'm certainly overthinking things but seeing the helpful guidance given to others (before and after the soap flows) I thought I'd share my ideas and see what you think.
> 
> I am looking at making vegan palm-free soap and currently have (modest amounts of) OO, CO, castor, SAO, Shea butter, RBO, Canola, SO, and individual rectangular silicone soap moulds.
> ...



Hi Paul.

I started with 120 CO bar and found it horribly drying and stripping.  It was the worse thing my skin experienced since I fried it with presciption acne cream as a teen.  I’d strike that recipie...especially if ur doing the salt version which is suppose be milder.

I think its best to keep recipies simple at first.  After 1 and 4,  Id try a 4 oil bar: co, castor, HO, SW.  Once u discover ur desired cleansing and hardness levels, and preferred HO, then try adding adl. ingredients.

Unless u have lots of Kiwis to help u test, I’d make two bar test batches so u can experiment frequently.

Keep us posted on your journey.  Happy soaping!


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 27, 2019)

The bad news is Paul - is that list is only going to get longer.

You can sub the SAO for Avocado in my recipe - just run it through the soap calc.  Maybe try setting the lye conc to about 30 to start?  My earlier ones had a higher lye concentration which I think contributed to them seizing up - along with waaaaaay too much stick blending.

Also I was going to add - Pam's Coconut Oil is quite cheap in 1 litre - about $10.  If you don't want to order it online, or need it quickly it's a good option.  Either New World or Pak 'n' Save stock it.


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## Dawni (Feb 27, 2019)

Zany's is a nice easy recipe to try if you want to be able to test Castile in about 4-6wks instead of a year, and there's already a lot of info in that thread.

You can reduce or add the amounts of coconut oil and olive, too and add other oils. I've also tried it with a regular recipe with no hard oils and it works fine.

For the salt bar just make sure it's very fine salt as sometimes the others can be really scratchy. Otherwise try a brine soap, where the salt is dissolved in the water instead of added afterwards. You can use any recipe with this, just up the coconut a bit. I love brine soaps, so smooth and hard, but they take a long time to cure for max benefits also.

After doing some reading I started using 2:1 lye ratio and then experimented with different amounts. 

You just reminded me, I've been wanting to try that recipe by @KiwiMoose.....


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## KiwiSoap (Feb 27, 2019)

Dean said:


> Hi Paul.
> 
> I started with 120 CO bar and found it horribly drying and stripping.  It was the worse thing my skin experienced since I fried it with presciption acne cream as a teen.  I’d strike that recipie...especially if ur doing the salt version which is suppose be milder.
> 
> ...



Thank you @Dean, I thought the 100% CO bar was a rite of passage  But you're right, I am much more looking forward to trying out salt bars..

Batch size is an important consideration .. I've been mentioning to people that I am interested in making soap, I _was_ hoping I might find some other soapers. No luck there but a few have said they _love_ soap and would like to try some (I'll have to talk to them more about what they like in a soap, and manage their expectations!). And my partner chews through soap like I've never seen, so I will have a few testers, plus some keepers for observation. But will limit batch size so I don't drown in it!

Thanks for all you've shared of your soaping journey, it's helped us along, keep it up!


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## KiwiSoap (Feb 27, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> The bad news is Paul - is that list is only going to get longer.
> 
> You can sub the SAO for Avocado in my recipe - just run it through the soap calc.  Maybe try setting the lye conc to about 30 to start?  My earlier ones had a higher lye concentration which I think contributed to them seizing up - along with waaaaaay too much stick blending.
> 
> Also I was going to add - Pam's Coconut Oil is quite cheap in 1 litre - about $10.  If you don't want to order it online, or need it quickly it's a good option.  Either New World or Pak 'n' Save stock it.



Hallo @KiwiMoose, lol, I don't _think_ that's bad news, it's looking like a big adventure, we'll see what the reality is like soon when the lye hits the oil!

Good suggestion re. subbing SAO, but I'll be ordering SW anyway so may as well add to the order and feed into the addiction.. will use your advice on lye concentration, and keep stick blending to a minimum. And will keep watching Newbie's video to know what I'm looking for..

Thanks for the heads-up re. CO tubs, I did spot 1L Blue Coconut (brand) at Pak 'n' Save for that same price, good to know it is regularly available at that price!

Can't wait to see what soapy thing you do next!


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## KiwiSoap (Feb 27, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Zany's is a nice easy recipe to try if you want to be able to test Castile in about 4-6wks instead of a year, and there's already a lot of info in that thread.
> 
> You can reduce or add the amounts of coconut oil and olive, too and add other oils. I've also tried it with a regular recipe with no hard oils and it works fine.
> 
> ...



Kumusta @Dawni! That's exactly what I thought about Zany's castille, great to hear the technique will work with other recipes as well. Until @Dean and @KiwiMoose shared the wonders of soy wax (SW) I was looking light in hard oils, so this gives me even more options!

Thanks for the reminder about salt bars! I have fine table salt here, but was thinking about getting some fine sea salt, which salt do you use? I have been thinking about brine soaps as well, so much to do!

Salamat, have a great day!


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## Dawni (Feb 28, 2019)

Oye, ayos lng ako.. ikaw? 

I use the rock salt for my brine soap from the palengke sometimes, the one nobody is 100% sure where it's from lol I haven't actually done a salt bar..

I've struggled with hardness too.. shea and cocoa butters tend to be expensive but salt and vinegar are my current experiments. Soy wax is next when I buy supplies again.


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 28, 2019)

https://mrsrogers.co.nz/product/premium-fine-sea-salt-1kg-bag/

I think I got it from New World. Or maybe Countdown.

Make sure you make your salt bars in individual moulds (which it sounds like you have) because it gets hard very quickly and you won't be able to cut it if you make it in a loaf.


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## Dean (Feb 28, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Oye, ayos lng ako.. ikaw?
> 
> I use the rock salt for my brine soap from the palengke sometimes, the one nobody is 100% sure where it's from lol I haven't actually done a salt bar..
> 
> I've struggled with hardness too.. shea and cocoa butters tend to be expensive but salt and vinegar are my current experiments. Soy wax is next when I buy supplies again.



@Dawni is joining the soy wax club!


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## Dawni (Feb 28, 2019)

Dean said:


> @Dawni is joining the soy wax club!


Hehe let's see how it goes.. 

I'm wondering how similar, or not, the feel is to beeswax, which at 2% of one of my soaps, I didn't like so much. I have yet to try a lower percentage..


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## Dean (Feb 28, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Hehe let's see how it goes..
> 
> I'm wondering how similar, or not, the feel is to beeswax, which at 2% of one of my soaps, I didn't like so much. I have yet to try a lower percentage..



I don’t use BW but SW is not a wax so I think it will perform very differently.  You would certainly use a lot more than BW...bout 20-40% depending on ur desired lvl of hardness.  U have access to it in the Phillipenes or does ur fam have to source it for u when they r abroad?


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## Dawni (Feb 28, 2019)

Dean said:


> I don’t use BW but SW is not a wax so I think it will perform very differently.  You would certainly use a lot more than BW...bout 20-40% depending on ur desired lvl of hardness.  U have access to it in the Phillipenes or does ur fam have to source it for u when they r abroad?


A couple of places have _a soy wax_ but I still need to check if it's the same kind you guys are using or one with the additives for candles. Which reminds me, I have to email the supplier I found....


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## KiwiSoap (Feb 28, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> https://mrsrogers.co.nz/product/premium-fine-sea-salt-1kg-bag/
> 
> I think I got it from New World. Or maybe Countdown.
> 
> Make sure you make your salt bars in individual moulds (which it sounds like you have) because it gets hard very quickly and you won't be able to cut it if you make it in a loaf.


Great! I picked some up on the way to work this morning, though I probably won't get to try salt bars this weekend, depending how quickly Zany's Castille unmoulds. Or maybe I could _start_ with salt bars...

_#writing down recipes, checking them twice#_ (with SoapCalc of course!)


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## Zing (Mar 1, 2019)

Dude!  Stop thinking.  Stop researching.  Grab a recipe and a pot and start soaping!  It takes 3 weeks til test, 4-6 weeks to cure.  Time's awasting!  Go!  And take pics for us.


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 1, 2019)

Zing said:


> Dude!  Stop thinking.  Stop researching.  Grab a recipe and a pot and start soaping!  It takes 3 weeks til test, 4-6 weeks to cure.  Time's awasting!  Go!  And take pics for us.


Thanks Zing, onto it! Got the last of my equipment on Weds, and that lye is hitting the oil tomorrow! Have a good one!


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 1, 2019)

*The deed has been done.*

Zany's Castille is moulded, unsurprisingly there were no major disasters. The lye solution took _forever_ to cool down, and the soap batter was slow to come to trace (but that's why I chose it to start with!) I don't fool myself they will look anything as pretty as KiwiMoose's, but ya gotta start somewhere! Thanks all for your support and pushing me forward!


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 1, 2019)

Yay!!  Was gonna PM you to see how it was going.  Did you use colour or fragrance?


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## Dean (Mar 1, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *The deed has been done.*
> 
> Zany's Castille is moulded, unsurprisingly there were no major disasters. The lye solution took _forever_ to cool down, and the soap batter was slow to come to trace (but that's why I chose it to start with!) I don't fool myself they will look anything as pretty as KiwiMoose's, but ya gotta start somewhere! Thanks all for your support and pushing me forward!



Lye cooling tip...1/2 ice, 1/2 rm tmp


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 1, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> Yay!! Was gonna PM you to see how it was going. Did you use colour or fragrance?


Thanks! No colours or fragrance this time, how boring! Will go through your media again for inspiration! I need to put in that order for soy wax, avocado oil and ROE,  so will pick some colours and fragrance as well



Dean said:


> Lye cooling tip...1/2 ice, 1/2 rm tmp


Great tip, will def try this next time, speed the process along!


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 1, 2019)

I buy the distilled water from Countdown and keep it in the fridge.  Also freeze some into ice cubes and I use 50/50 cubes and water for my lye mixture.  Then while it's 'doing its thang' I put the jug inside another jug with cool water in it to hurry it along while i get the oils ready.


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 2, 2019)

Update: As per szaza's experience (pour at emulsion, left in cold) they are still fluid this morning, so I am CPOP-ing them (pre-heat oven to lowest setting, 50°C, put soap in oven, turn oven off). Am out for the morning so they will be left undisturbed until later.


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 3, 2019)

How's that CPOPing coming along?


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 3, 2019)

So .. I put it in the oven to this morning before I went out, and checked about 6 hours later: the tops had properly set this time and I got a bar out but, ooop -- the side collapsed and smeared away! Not too badly, but the oven wasn't available anymore so I left the lot in a warm spot in the garage (sunny day).
Was just checking when you messaged (how did you know? ) and _that_ bar has fully set now and the _other_ bars are getting close but as I tested the pulling the silicone mould away _on the last one_ I saw it wasn't quite ready, so I'm leaving them til I get back from work tomorrow when it should all be happy.

That bar I smeared was going to be cut into pieces anyway for testing over time, so I cut it before it was too hard. It looks and feels like _slightly_ warm white chocolate, I took a photo but it is just a white blob against the chopping board. Hopefully a proper reveal tomorrow!


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 3, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> but the oven wasn't available anymore so I left the lot in a warm spot in the garage (sunny day).
> Was just checking when you messaged (how did you know? )



1)  Yes - I complete understand the garage on a sunny day. Ours must get up to about 35 degrees I'm sure!

2)  I'm a soap-psychic


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 3, 2019)

*Update:*


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 3, 2019)

Sooo nice and creamy looking.  You must be well pleased with that Paul!


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## Steve85569 (Mar 3, 2019)

I would leave #3 on your list and just add an equal amount of fine grained salt to oil into the recipe. Salt Bars!
Just don't walk away for a few hours and come back to cut them. That recipe will set up hard in an hour or two.
Cure time is LONG but well worth it.

Congratulations on successfully obtaining the addiction of soaping too!


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## Dawni (Mar 4, 2019)

Steve85569 said:


> I would leave #3 on your list and just add an equal amount of fine grained salt to oil into the recipe. Salt Bars!
> Just don't walk away for a few hours and come back to cut them. That recipe will set up hard in an hour or two.
> Cure time is LONG but well worth it.
> 
> Congratulations on successfully obtaining the addiction of soaping too!


Or just use individual molds 

Again, love the soap Paul, congrats!


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 6, 2019)

Steve85569 said:


> I would leave #3 on your list and just add an equal amount of fine grained salt to oil into the recipe. Salt Bars!
> Just don't walk away for a few hours and come back to cut them. That recipe will set up hard in an hour or two.
> Cure time is LONG but well worth it.
> 
> Congratulations on successfully obtaining the addiction of soaping too!


Thanks Steve, I am still curious about how a 100% CO soap will treat my skin so your suggestion of testing that as a salt bar is a good idea! Are you suggesting 100% salt? In my reading I've seen 20% to 40% to 50%, but not as high as 100%. I'd ask what to expect, but that's what experimenting is about!
I think I'll make one batch of 100% CO with 20% SF, then divide into bars with 0%, 20%, 40%, and 100% salt. If pure 100%CO is too much then at least I can learn more about salt bars at the same time (I'm counting on at least one bar in there being a success!) I'll be using individual soap moulds as @KiwiMoose suggested so that avoids the cutting problem.

Thank you, on top of the addiction to soapmaking (or the enthusiasm for, available time and space being the limiting factors but the weekend is nearly here..) I've been encouraged into the addiction of soap mould owning, thanks again @KiwiMoose! I hope that your own soaping adventures are going well!


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 6, 2019)

We aim to please!


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## lenarenee (Mar 6, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *Update:*
> View attachment 37131


Beautiful simple bars, I love it!


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 6, 2019)

lenarenee said:


> Beautiful simple bars, I love it!


Thank you Lenarenee! I'd say, "just wait until you see what I do next" but I suspect they'll be simple bars for a while yet (I gotta focus on one thing at time, at the moment that's Recipe), hopefully still beautiful though!

Oh, I do have new moulds on the way, ("just wait until you see what I do next!"), but they're travelling snail mail so it'll be a while before I get to use those.


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 8, 2019)

*Update: Batch 2, 100% Coconut Oil 20%SF with sea salt*
I'm at it again! (Finally!). This recipe was 100% CO 20%SF and at @Steve85569's suggestion I made salt bars at different levels of salt. I also followed @Dean and @KiwiMoose's advice and used 50% of the liquid as ice, this worked a treat! It only leapt to half the temperature as last time and by the time I'd finished measuring out my salt and melted the coconut oil it was at the right temperature for soaping. I did find that some of the NaOH formed a hard disk at the bottom of the lye solution container, so I stir-stir-stirred it and it dissolved.

To make the most of this batch, and find out about different levels of salt, I used four different levels: 0% (pure CO soap), 25% salt, 50% salt, and 100% salt (relative to the oils weight). Note. that fine sea salt was used (H/T KiwiMoose again!). This time I took the soap batter to medium trace (I think, H/T @Dawni), which happened a lot faster than take Olive Oil to emulsion (as expected). Still no colours or fragrances -- boring, I know -- but interesting seeing the difference between the oils used. The soap batter was then distributed between the mould for the 0% salt, and separate containers for the different salt bars, salt folded through the batter using a spatula, and poured into their moulds. I need to not fill the moulds as much.

So, lots of lessons practiced and learnt, thanks for all your continued help!

*Pix as proof: 100% Coconut Oil, 20% Superfat with Fine Sea Salt*





Differing salt percentages: 0%, 25%, 50%, 100% (left to right)





Set in a smaller moulds, increasing salt percentage left to right

The smaller moulds yielded much cleaner results, probably because I left them longer than the bars which I unmoulded earlier to cut in half to be handsoap-sized. Apologies to my plant, it never asked to be involved in this.


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 8, 2019)

Gorgeous! So white!
I hope you got your plant's permission before posting


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 15, 2019)

*Third Batch in the Mould: KiwiMoose's Poly-Oil Bar*
This morning I made a batch of KiwiMoose's soy wax bar, a bit of a jump for me using not only _new_ ingredients, but _multiple_ ingredients! I carefully followed through my list of instructions, checking everything off the list. The soap batter may have been a bit cooler than optimal (49°C, where 52°C+ would be better) and, combined with my curiosity what the batter would look like if I took it _just a little bit further_, (I don't know why today of all days! A little distracted perhaps), the batter was a _little_ lumpy as I moulded it. No fragrance, no colour (I thought about doing a coloured portion, but it was lumpy already). It is currently sitting, un-insulated, in the garage.

Will check on it later, and photos in due course 

Update on earlier soaps:

Batch  1 (Zany's Seawater Castille, 14 days old) may have developed a _light_ soda ash
Batch 2 (100% CO 20%SF + salt, 7 days old) has a light ash over it. At a few days old, glistening beads appeared all over this batch, but appeared to be reabsorbed after a day or two.




Seawater Castille, 100%CO 20%SF + 0% salt, +25% salt, +50% salt


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## Meena (Mar 16, 2019)

I know you are trying to keep it simple right now, Paul (kudos!), but just want to throw this out:
I always color my batches, even if just one solid or a mix of 2, so I can tell the curing soaps apart.  If I had all white soaps, I would go nuts.  When 4 of them are in the shower and 2 or 3 at the sink, they will not have the benefit of your labeling system anymore, and you will have a hard time knowing for sure which soap is which as you test them. 

You don't have to go for high art or award-winning swirls, just pick 1 - 3 colors per batch that will look different than bars you already have made.  I log the colors (and pattern, if necessary, i.e., "angle pour") on the page I've written my recipe and other notes on so I can reference back to them easily.   Just my 2 cents.


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 16, 2019)

Meena said:


> I know you are trying to keep it simple right now, Paul (kudos!), but just want to throw this out:
> I always color my batches, even if just one solid or a mix of 2, so I can tell the curing soaps apart.  If I had all white soaps, I would go nuts.  When 4 of them are in the shower and 2 or 3 at the sink, they will not have the benefit of your labeling system anymore, and you will have a hard time knowing for sure which soap is which as you test them.
> 
> You don't have to go for high art or award-winning swirls, just pick 1 - 3 colors per batch that will look different than bars you already have made.  I log the colors (and pattern, if necessary, i.e., "angle pour") on the page I've written my recipe and other notes on so I can reference back to them easily.   Just my 2 cents.


I'd never thought of that - but you're right Meena - when they're in the soap dish, how would you know?  I've coloured from day one so it had never crossed my mind.


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 17, 2019)

Thank you Meena, good suggestion, I did have the intention of adding some colour to this but let the soap get away on me. Fortunately my first two soaps are quite distinct from one another, gorgeous cream vs stark white (and also distinct forms) but this third bar is an unknown exactly where in the spectrum it will land. I will approach my next soap with a colour plan, this time I just needed to soap!

*Update: KiwiMoose's Soy Wax Poly-Oil Bar



*
Unmoulded the next day, the bars came out really cleanly (I unmoulded two bars yesterday for cutting, 5 hours after moulding, crumbling the edges in places). The bars have a few air bubbles around the edges, I forgot to burp the stick-blender first, and possibly from pouring the batter too thick, or maybe I didn't tap the mould hard/long enough. The finish is otherwise smooth.
H/T to @Dawni for the photo layout suggestion (apologies for the scungy chopping board, the plants are on holiday), and @KiwiMoose for her recipe and advice; and many thanks to them both for their support!


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## amd (Mar 18, 2019)

^^^ I.love.these. I just love them. As much as I enjoy playing with colors... there is so much beauty in a white bar of soap. So, if I'm following this thread correctly, the soap above is a soy wax soap? Did you use this recipe?




Sorry if I'm being obtuse, I'm genuinely curious about the recipe, the soap looks delicious! *don't eat the soap*


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 18, 2019)

Hallo @amd, many thanks for your feedback, I've got some practice making white soaps now! Post #39 is a soy wax soap, the exact recipe I used is:

20% soy wax
20% coconut oil
20% olive oil
15% rice bran oil
10% Shea butter
10% apricot kernal oil
5% castor oil
with 4% superfat and
33% lye concentration
(You see how @KiwiMoose got the nickname Princess Poly-Oil?)

I brought the SW, CO, OO & Shea butter to 70°C (158°F), stirring, and then added the remainder of the oils (perhaps I should have heated one of the other oils as well because it cooled a little too low, I understand SW will work well around 52°C/125°F; this dropped a bit below that). My lye was still warm enough to lift the temperature a little.

With no colour or fragrance, the batter seemed to behave really well. Unfortunately I was distracted/curious about levels of trace and it turned into lumpy pudding but, as you can see, it moulded and set well, and a wee soap scrap I tested at three days old has made a nice lather and bubbles, can't wait to try the bar!


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## Meena (Mar 19, 2019)

[QUOTE="KiwiSoap, post: 758143
(You see how @KiwiMoose got the nickname Princess Poly-Oil?)
[/QUOTE]

My soaps routinely have 6 to 7 oils, or 5 when I feel lazy. Many of us soap "poly oil".  All the separate weighing can indeed be a pain, though.


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## Pat McGlothlin (Mar 19, 2019)

Pardon me for being the dunce in the schoolroom, but why salt? 

Whenever I think of putting salt in soap, I get all itchy and dry feeling. 

Since I only make goats milk soap now, I never gel and my soaps are always ready to pop out of the molds in 12 hours. Please enlighten me.


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## amd (Mar 19, 2019)

Steve85569 said:


> I would leave #3 on your list and just add an equal amount of fine grained salt to oil into the recipe. Salt Bars!
> Just don't walk away for a few hours and come back to cut them. That recipe will set up hard in an hour or two.





KiwiSoap said:


> *Update: Batch 2, 100% Coconut Oil 20%SF with sea salt*
> I'm at it again! (Finally!). This recipe was 100% CO 20%SF and at @Steve85569's suggestion I made salt bars at different levels of salt. I also followed @Dean and @KiwiMoose's advice and used 50% of the liquid as ice, this worked a treat! It only leapt to half the temperature as last time and by the time I'd finished measuring out my salt and melted the coconut oil it was at the right temperature for soaping. I did find that some of the NaOH formed a hard disk at the bottom of the lye solution container, so I stir-stir-stirred it and it dissolved.



@Pat McGlothlin are you referring to this? They're called salt bars or spa bars. Some with dry skin will get exactly the reaction you're referring to (I'm in that group, with slight exceptions), or some with skin that can tolerate a more drying soap - dare I say oily skinned? - love them. My husband is an oily skinned guy, and he loves his salt bars. They should have a proper 9 month or more cure, but if I can get him to wait 2 months, he'll use them that early. There's several threads on the forum regarding them, including various recipes that we have tried, so if you're really interested, a forum search is well worth your time as there are many tricks and donots within those threads.


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## Zing (Mar 20, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> Thank you Meena, good suggestion, I did have the intention of adding some colour to this but let the soap get away on me. Fortunately my first two soaps are quite distinct from one another, gorgeous cream vs stark white (and also distinct forms) but this third bar is an unknown exactly where in the spectrum it will land. I will approach my next soap with a colour plan, this time I just needed to soap!
> 
> *Update: KiwiMoose's Soy Wax Poly-Oil Bar
> View attachment 37563
> ...


These white bars are incredibly elegant.  And don't worry about the few air bubbles.  I think it was the wise @Misschief who says that air bubbles makes it look homemade and authentic.  I also love swirls _and_ lately enjoying the simplicity of a single color.  Keep up the good work!


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## Misschief (Mar 20, 2019)

I'm wise?? I'm humbled.


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 20, 2019)

Zing said:


> These white bars are incredibly elegant.  And don't worry about the few air bubbles.  I think it was the wise @Misschief who says that air bubbles makes it look homemade and authentic.  I also love swirls _and_ lately enjoying the simplicity of a single color.  Keep up the good work!


Thank you Zing, appreciate your continued support! This weekend's project will add some colour to my collection ..

_Unrelated_, this afternoon I harvested a small number of calendula flowers, now that those I collected a fortnight ago have been replenished. Wish I'd thought of it earlier when they were more abundant!


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## Dawni (Mar 20, 2019)

Meena said:


> My soaps routinely have 6 to 7 oils, or 5 when I feel lazy. Many of us soap "poly oil".  All the separate weighing can indeed be a pain, though.


And I'm striving for less lol I have done 6-7 (more since I use butters for hardness) several times, but I keep trying to formulate ones that use less but still feel great. So far the winner is anything with lard in it. Just lard, coconut and one or two conditioning soft oil/s. I've stopped using castor oil too, unless I'm making a soleseife. With sugar I get good bubbles and castor just seems like added expense.


KiwiSoap said:


> Thank you Zing, appreciate your continued support! This weekend's project will add some colour to my collection ..
> 
> _Unrelated_, this afternoon I harvested a small number of calendula flowers, now that those I collected a fortnight ago have been replenished. Wish I'd thought of it earlier when they were more abundant!
> View attachment 37640
> ...


I wish I had calendula to harvest. Need to see about planting some as buying them already dried isn't very cheap.

I'm looking forward to your colored soaps @KiwiSoap!


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 20, 2019)

You might remember the Great Castor Oil Depression of early January 2019 when I had to (horror!!) make soap without castor oil.  I did as you all suggested and used sugar instead.  I'm just now using the soap and it seems nice and bubbly to me - creamy and smooth.
However, I will still use castor oil as it is only $NZ12 ($US8.20, or PHP434) per litre so it's one of my cheaper oils anyway.


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## Clarice (Mar 20, 2019)

Pat McGlothlin said:


> Since I only make goats milk soap now, I never gel and my soaps are always ready to pop out of the molds in 12 hours. Please enlighten me.



May I ask (as I have yet to make a goat milk bar) is there something about GM that causes the soap to harden faster?

Thank you!


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 20, 2019)

Hallo All,
I am thankful to all the visitors to this thread and am pleased we're all discovering and sharing different ways of soaping and generating discussion, however could we keep it to the topic of vegan and palm-free soaps please. 
Thank you!


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 22, 2019)

*Fourth Batch in the Mould: KiwiMoose's Poly-Oil Bar ... with *Colour!**
As promised, this today's batch included *Colour*! (Fortunately made without colourful words). I did, however, discover that the colourant I bought, Lake Allura Red (FD&C Red 40), doesn't perform so well in CP soaping and that gelling is recommended (the online store I bought it from listed it as a Soap Colour and gave only brief detail on the page). I was also surprised by the small quantity of colourant used -- ¼ teaspoon per 500g soap.

So, an experiment with both colour _and_ gelling (I have not gelled up til now). I used the same recipe as last week (KiwiMoose's Soy Wax Soap), changing the lye concentration to 30% and using CPOP, both to encourage gel. I wanted to try four different shades of the colour, going for 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% colouration.

The soap batter process went much the same as last time, but I kept it warmer (around 50°C), only took it to light trace, and I reserved 1 Tablespoon OO for use with the colourant, and another Tablespoon OO to compensate/further dilute for the colour not added in the lighter blends.
i.e. 100% colour blend received 4 parts colour,
75% colour blend received 3 parts colour, 1 part oil,
50% colour blend received 2 parts colour, 2 parts oil, and
25% colour blend received 1 part colour, 3 parts oil. (Apologies for over-explaining!)

I moulded my soaps and put the oven on at the lowest temperature (50°C), put the moulds in, then turned the oven off. Now the waiting happens.

_More details and photos later, all going well!
_
ETA soap batter pics:


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 22, 2019)

Waiting with bated breath...


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 23, 2019)

*Update:*
I watched the soap sitting in the oven, unknowing whether anything was happening or not. All was revealed this morning... When I put the soap into the oven for CPOP, I didn't cover it with plastic wrap. This meant it developed a healthy coating of soda ash which hid all the activity from me.

I unmoulded the soap and -- gel! Colourful gel! The shades were not so distinct as I'd hoped and I suspect there was quite a bit of bleeding (more evident later). I added the colourant at light trace, but by the time I'd measured in the colourant and mixed it through, it was more pudding-like.

My rectangular bars, top and bottom:




_Note: I didn't smooth over the top of the bars because I didn't want to mix the shades. Perhaps it wouldn't matter._

To compare how the colourant (Lake Allura Red/FD&C Red 40) compared with gel and no gel ... I did one mould with gel and one with no gel:




_Note: I poured my 100% red into the mould first, then added a dollop of 25% red in the middle of that. Gelled left, ungelled right._ 
The gelled soap unmoulded much more cleanly than the ungelled soap, whose decorative sides crumbled, perhaps both could have benefited from further time in the mould. The ungelled soap was a lot softer in colour but sported small intense speckles.

What to do about that soda ash? I'd read reports of steaming soda ash off, so decided to give that a go. I used a steam iron, on steam mode at the highest temperature (cotton setting). I waved the iron over the soap, spurting steam over it, and the soda ash magically melted away (the soap seemed on the verge of melting away as well, but I suspect that was the gleam of the water on the soap surface):





My final mould, to use up the last of the soap batter:




The heart was pure 100% red; the woman and butterfly were painted in the lightest shade, then increasing shades on top of that (and the bottom left is repeated from before). Air bubbles were quite evident in this batch, they were the last poured so the batter would have been thickest, and it was an awkward mould to 'tap' the bubbles out of, so I'll need to be firmer next time. 

Today I learnt: how to use colourant, how to gel, and how to remove soda ash using steaming.  A jam-packed lesson! Any further hints and tips appreciated, thank you for reading!


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## KiwiMoose (Mar 23, 2019)

These look great!  A very interesting experiment to see with the variants of the colours, different percentages and gel versus no gel.  Thanks for sharing those.  

And iron..what's an iron?? LOL. Rarely use one these days.


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## Dawni (Mar 23, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> These look great!  A very interesting experiment to see with the variants of the colours, different percentages and gel versus no gel.  Thanks for sharing those.
> 
> And iron..what's an iron?? LOL. Rarely use one these days.


Me neither, I hate them lol

Love reading about your experiments KiwiSoap! It's like learning to CP through you hehehe.. What's next on the list?

Oh, I love your mold choices too, very pretty.


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## KiwiSoap (Mar 23, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> And iron..what's an iron?? LOL. Rarely use one these days.


LOL, it's not often I make use of the iron either, especially not in the weather at the moment!



Dawni said:


> Love reading about your experiments KiwiSoap! It's like learning to CP through you hehehe.. What's next on the list?


Thank you Dawn, I've learnt a lot from all the information you've shared as well! What's next? Funny you should ask, I smell another project coming up .. what does it smell like? _#FindOutNextInstallment#_


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## penelopejane (Mar 26, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *Update:*
> I watched the soap sitting in the oven, unknowing whether anything was happening or not. All was revealed this morning... When I put the soap into the oven for CPOP, I didn't cover it with plastic wrap. This meant it developed a healthy coating of soda ash which hid all the activity from me.
> 
> I unmoulded the soap and -- gel! Colourful gel! The shades were not so distinct as I'd hoped and I suspect there was quite a bit of bleeding (more evident later). I added the colourant at light trace, but by the time I'd measured in the colourant and mixed it through, it was more pudding-like.
> ...



Lovely soap!  
I was reading today (soapmakingresources-which has closed down but the site still has heaps of info) that SF will change some colours as well.  So a 5% SF compared to a 12% SF. 
It doesn't apply to all colour additives.  it didn't work with Annatto but it made a big difference to Madder root soap.  Madder root was darker at a lower SF. 
http://www.soap-making-resource.com/madder-root-soap-making.html


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 4, 2019)

*Batch 5, Genny's Not-Shampoo Facial/Body Bar, with Fragrance!*
It was time for me to try a different recipe, especially as I haven't really got to try using any of these soaps yet (I've done some two-week tests, more on that when I have time). This was a recipe that caused quite a stir, and also gave me another reason to order avocado oil (once it came back in stock). And I promised to add some fragrance: I used Very Vanilla FO in one bar and Antique Sandalwood in another. I also ordered some oxides, and today tried out the *Ultramarine*.

The recipe I used:

40% Olive Oil
30% Avocado Oil
10% Castor Oil
10% Shea Butter
10% Soy Wax 415 (replacing the Soybean oil in the original recipe).
Following a suggestion I read from *IrishLass*, I used superfat 7% and, by the recipe, used 35% water as percentage of oil weight (a lye concentration of 26%, my lowest so far).

I poured four ½-cups of batter and added:

2.5ml Very Vanilla FO to one,
2.5ml Antique Sandalwood to another
a fraction of a teaspoon Ultramarine blue in reserved olive oil
and kept one plain.
(The measuring vessel I have has marks for 2.5ml and 5ml, so used the first mark. I reserved 1 T of OO during measuring and used ¼T for the Ultramarine, and added the same amount to the other pottles).

I poured into matching moulds, clockwise from top left: plain, antique sandalwood, ultramarine, vanilla. Note how much darker the vanilla soap batter is already!




And as I have two matching sets: one is being gelled in the oven right now, the other is sitting in the garage, which is very cool on the miserable day it is here.

_More details and photos later!_


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 6, 2019)

*Report Back on My Earlier Soaps*
So, it is five weeks since my first soap, not long enough for any to be ready for full usage (patience seems a key virtue for the soaping game!) but each batch I cut some mini-bars for hand testing. Here is my report, _all mistakes are my own, please help me understand and correct them _

My first soap was *Zany*'s Faux Seawater Castille (100%OO, 0%SF, salt and baking soda in lye water). I took a piece at two weeks and put it at the bathroom sink. My notes at the time were that it was a hard bar but as soon as it got wet it became 'slimy' (not to the extent *IrishLass* has just shared, just slippery -- it is soap I guess). I also noted there was very little lather and that it seemed very gentle.
Later that day I went to use it again and was a bit alarmed, I think the base was turning mushy, and rather than leaving it in the soap dish I moved it to a flatter position on the vanity so it wasn't sitting in so much water, but to no avail, it's continued producing soap 'mush' since. I _feel_ it is a bit better now, at five weeks old, but I can't say how and it has 'smooshed' out a great deal.

The next soap to come to testing age was *KiwiMoose*'s Soy Wax soap (recipe & method), again at two weeks old. This was also hard and easily made a nice lather with lots of small bubbles and felt creamy, however I noticed that after rinsing there was a strange 'grippy' feeling. It seems to be holding up well, even sitting in water in the soap dish, although this is only one week old.

I thought I might be missing something, so to help me understand, I tested a small bar of a *100% Coconut Oil* soap today (with 20% super-fat and 25% fine sea salt). If I thought the previous bars were hard, this one was rock solid! It took a little more work but made a creamy white lather and, crucially, when I rinsed it away there was that same strange 'grippy' feeling, but stronger. Aha!

In my reading about using soy wax in soaps, someone had recommended a lower superfat as apparently it takes longer to saponify. What I hadn't taken into account was that coconut oil is very stripping, so it benefits from a _higher_ superfat. 
*Question:* is the feeling I am getting after rinsing from the coconut oil? How much this will the 'stripping' nature of the soap change with cure?

[I took some photos but removed them for decency's sake, no one wants to see used soap!]


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## lenarenee (Apr 6, 2019)

The soap bar on your skin has a grippy feeling?  Or your hand rubbing across the rinsed skin is grippy - perhaps "squeaky clean"?

Both times, the soaps were still young, correct?  (salt bars especially can be harsher when young)

Age/short cure time could explain the grippy feeling. Or hard water 

Castille soap is high in oleic which is "thirsty" and absorbs a lot of water....hence the mush.  Seems weird I know, because after a long cure castile is super hard!  But it loves to drink up the water and once it starts getting mushy - it take a long to to dry it out.  (one of the reasons I don't use olive oil in soap except in very small amounts)


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 6, 2019)

lenarenee said:


> The soap bar on your skin has a grippy feeling? Or your hand rubbing across the rinsed skin is grippy - perhaps "squeaky clean"?
> 
> Both times, the soaps were still young, correct? (salt bars especially can be harsher when young)
> 
> Age/short cure time could explain the grippy feeling. Or hard water


Ahh, yes, my hand rubbing across the rinsed skin is, as you say, "squeaky clean". Thank you for helping me describe it! And you are correct, the soaps are still young; KiwiMoose's soy wax soap is still nice to use (when I asked my partner about the soaps, he really liked it and didn't even mention the 'squeakiness'), good to know they will get even better!



lenarenee said:


> Castille soap is high in oleic which is "thirsty" and absorbs a lot of water....hence the mush. Seems weird I know, because after a long cure castile is super hard! But it loves to drink up the water and once it starts getting mushy - it take a long to to dry it out. (one of the reasons I don't use olive oil in soap except in very small amounts)


Also very helpful to know, thank you *Lenarenee*! Thank you for your help!


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 6, 2019)

*Unmoulding Batch 5: Gelled vs Ungelled, with Fragrance!*
So today I unmoulded my batch of soaps based on Genny's Not-Shampoo Facial/Body Bar, and I was keen to see the difference between the gelled and ungelled soaps, and also the effect of the FOs. And here they are:






_Gelled set left, Ungelled set right
Top: Plain, Sandalwood FO; Bottom: Vanilla FO, Ultramarine_

Surprisingly little difference between gelled/ungelled in the plain and ultramarine soaps, some discoloration of the Sandalwood FO, and that Vanilla FO .. true to form!
The scent of the Gelled Vanilla seemed stronger than the ungelled; the scent of the Ungelled Sandalwood seemed stronger than the gelled. All of the soaps were a little tacky.

I need to working on beating out those bubbles!


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## Dawni (Apr 6, 2019)

Awesomeness! Next time someone asks the difference between gelled and not I'll point them to this post of yours. Great tests Paul!

The vanilla one looks yummy haha

Lemme find that post regarding burping your SB to prevent bubbles..

Edit: Found it! It was a reply from earlene to one of my older posts


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 6, 2019)

Wow! That gelled vanilla is very brown.  Good to know.  I do like the non-gelled ones for their lovely creamy appearance.  Love these experiments thanks Paul - saves me having to them : )


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 6, 2019)

Thank you *Dawn*! Ahh yes, I did actually remember to burp the stick blender this time (I may have forgotten in a couple of recent times...), I wonder whether I folded some air in while mixing in the FOs (or whether it's the intricate moulds, but I think that's the workman blaming his tools...) Very good advice from you and * Earlene*, let's see if I can get it right next time!


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 6, 2019)

lenarenee said:


> The soap bar on your skin has a grippy feeling?  Or your hand rubbing across the rinsed skin is grippy - perhaps "squeaky clean"?
> 
> Both times, the soaps were still young, correct?  (salt bars especially can be harsher when young)
> 
> ...


So @lenarenee - 'slush' is not what they call slime?  Having never seen the slime pic until Paul (KiwiSoap) posted it back there ^ I assumed that my 'slush' was slime.  My no-slime castile has never had any slime, only slush.


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## Captivating (Apr 7, 2019)

Intricate molds tend to trap air in their corners. If there's nothing fancy otherwise happening in my soaps, then I just feel around in them with a toothpick to get the corners and dislodge those little bubbles. Very nice experiment, and a great way to test FO's, too.


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 7, 2019)

Captivating said:


> Intricate molds tend to trap air in their corners. If there's nothing fancy otherwise happening in my soaps, then I just feel around in them with a toothpick to get the corners and dislodge those little bubbles. Very nice experiment, and a great way to test FO's, too.


Thanks for sharing that, Sharon! That's a good tip, I will try that the next time I use moulds like these. 

And welcome to SoapMakingForum! We'd love to hear about what you're doing, perhaps drop a line in the *Introduction Forum *


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## Captivating (Apr 7, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> Thanks for sharing that, Sharon! That's a good tip, I will try that the next time I use moulds like these.
> 
> And welcome to SoapMakingForum! We'd love to hear about what you're doing, perhaps drop a line in the *Introduction Forum *



Thanks for the welcome, but I've been a member here already for quite a few years. Just finally starting to do a bit of chatting than just reading as I have the time to these days, lol.


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 8, 2019)

Captivating said:


> Thanks for the welcome, but I've been a member here already for quite a few years. Just finally starting to do a bit of chatting than just reading as I have the time to these days, lol.


Thank for joining in the conversation then, your experience will be really helpful!



KiwiMoose said:


> So @lenarenee - 'slush' is not what they call slime?  Having never seen the slime pic until Paul (KiwiSoap) posted it back there ^ I assumed that my 'slush' was slime.  My no-slime castile has never had any slime, only slush.


Yes, my partner described it as 'slimy' as well, and it _feels_ like slime, but it wasn't to the extent that *IrishLass* showed. We learn every day!


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 9, 2019)

*What A Difference A Day Makes - Vanilla FO Ungelled Gone Wild*

I'd heard that Vanilla FOs discolour and darken over time, but seeing is believing! Find photos below from Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (top-to-bottom). For comparison, the Gelled Vanilla is the first soap on the bottom row in each picture, and Ungelled Vanilla is the third soap on the bottom row. How dark will it go, nobody knows! It also looks to be 'freezing' in place there, I imagine I'll have some interesting soda ash to clean up from that later on.

*



*


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 9, 2019)

Wowsa! Check out that ungelled one, catching up to its gelled brother!


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## earlene (Apr 9, 2019)

And, the crystallizing ash formation on the ungelled one...  Shiny.  Nicely demonstrated advance of vanilla discoloration.


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 13, 2019)

*Further update on Batch 5*
I have continued watching the batch during the week, the discoloration of the Ungelled Vanilla has even overtaken it's gelled brother! The relative strengths of the scents seems to have remained the same: the scent of the Gelled Vanilla seemed stronger than the ungelled; the scent of the Ungelled Sandalwood seemed stronger than the gelled. I wonder what this will mean for the cured soap, whether the soap that is weaker-scented now will retain it's scent for longer?

_Batch 5, eight days from pouring_



I've also made another batch this evening, my partner assisted with moulding, more details on the soap tomorrow


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 13, 2019)

Interesting to follow these.  Looking back on your previous ones it seems that the gelled ones have changed in colour very little since unmolding.  The bigger changes have been noted more in the ungelled.


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## KiwiSoap (Apr 14, 2019)

*Batch 6: Dean's Palm-free Vegan Soap*
Dean may be on sabbatical at the moment but his recipe is still working hard! This recipe was timely because I was out of Shea Butter but had Sweet Almond Oil that I had no other plan to use, also I got to try Dean's recipe which uses _40%_ soy wax 415!

I coloured with Yellow Oxide at ½tsp ppo, and attempted to make some difference in the pours, but that hasn't come through all that well. I also CPOPed half the batch to gel and put the other half in the garage so it wouldn't gel.

_Gelled set: after moulding, after CPOP, unmoulded_





I wasn't quite sure if I'd achieved gel but the yellow is more intense in the gelled soaps, an understated gold in the ungelled (see top right soap below). The ungelled soaps are a bit more glossy.
_Left set: Gelled, vs Right: Ungelled_





Another recipe on the rack! 

In other soapy business, I weigh a sample bar from each batch weekly to monitor change in weight. The first bar to stop losing weight was Batch 3, KiwiMoose's Soy Wax Soap (plain), I will see whether that holds at the next weigh-in (which will come a day late because I'm away for Easter


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## earlene (Apr 14, 2019)

I love your results.  They are just gorgeous!

I notice that bar weight loss tends to slow down, falter, then usually there is another loss, then falter again, then a bit more, but it declines and becomes very minimal as it gets farther away from the date of cutting (or mold removal).  Even over a year, it tends to lose still more, but so gradually, it's more noticeable because the wrapper gets loose.


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## KiwiSoap (May 19, 2019)

So it's some weeks since I've made soap (some time away *yay*, some time sick #cough#). I also filled up all the space on the soap racks I currently have room for, but have now boxed my first two batches for storage until use, so I have some space again! Here's an update on my soaps so far, may not be so interesting but it is what it is 

How is the soap weight tracking? Here's a chart! Not all my sample bars were around the same weight, so I'm showing weight as a percentage of it's starting weight. Interesting to see how the different recipes behave, and also the difference when CPOP is used.





My first batch, Zany's Faux Seawater Castille, is now 11 weeks old. I've tried pieces at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks old -- it is improving, but not ready yet.

I understand that my second batch, 100% Coconut Oil 20% SF salt bars, will require a looong cure time, being salt bars. I did try a piece at 4 weeks old and found it very cleansing, the rest will continue waiting until next summer 
Still on that batch, last week I found that the salt bars were weeping and had actually slightly _gained_ in weight! The soap storage area is in the garage where we also dry our laundry so I guess, with that and wet weather, the humidity has increased and the salt, being hygroscopic, has pulled that water out of the air. I think that they had mostly dried out now so are also boxed.

My third batch, KiwiMoose's Poly-oil, which stalled in weight-loss, kicked off again! The mini-bars I have tried along the way have held up well, and a couple of bars are out with testers who are loving it!

My fourth batch, also KiwiMoose's recipe, lost weight at a faster rate than the previous batch. I guess the Oven Process I applied to this batch helped things move along. I am using a bar of this and am very happy with it, as is another tester.

Genny's Facial/Body Bar was the next along and is steadily losing weight. Interesting to note is that a couple of bars are warping (see below). These bars were made from one part of batter that was white and another part that was coloured blue. I'd dissolved the Ultramarine Blue colourant in 1 Tbsp olive oil, but forgot to compensate for that added oil in the white part. What a difference that 1 Tbsp of oil seems to have made (if that is the cause)!





Today was another batch of KiwiMoose's soy wax soap, it was intended to be my first loaf and using Tiger Stripe Pour for the Challenge, but gremlins got in the way and I had lumpy batter before I could pour. Nevermind, I did a *Plop 'n Glob* and fingers crossed they look alright.

*Thank you for reading, any advice and wisdom greatly appreciated!*


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## KiwiMoose (May 19, 2019)

Thanks for testing my soap for me KiwiSoap.  So it looks like mine will end up at about 90% of their unmoulded weight.  Good to know


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## KiwiSoap (May 19, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> Thanks for testing my soap for me KiwiSoap.  So it looks like mine will end up at about 90% of their unmoulded weight.  Good to know


It has definitely been my pleasure! Thank you for so generously sharing your recipe and for all your helpful advice!!


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## KiwiSoap (May 31, 2019)

Today, inspired by Natural Colourant Goddess, (@Dawni), and she who is in direct communication with the Goddess (@KiwiMoose)'s Green Colourant thread, I am experimenting with green colourants. 

I call it _The Battle of the Greens_ -- I coloured with ingredients I'd read elsewhere as being used which I also had on hand:

Chlorella
Spirulina
Matcha
Parsley flakes
Chromium Green
I made my usual soap batter (thanks @KiwiMoose!) and took half cups of soap batter to add the colourant to, added ⅛ tsp colourant (except for matcha and parsley flakes which I added ¼ tsp of), mixed and poured.

There are two sets: one for CPOP (sitting in the oven now) and one which went to the garage (which on this cold and wet day has no chance of gelling).

_Clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha_





_Whoops, getting messy: Chromium green_





The matcha seems to have changed colour already, and I should have infused the parsley flakes in oil beforehand ... let's see how it turns out


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## KiwiMoose (May 31, 2019)

So glad I didn’t use matcha!
Do you have a coffee grinder? You could grind the parsley into a powder.


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## earlene (May 31, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> Today, inspired by Natural Colourant Goddess, (@Dawni), and she who is in direct communication with the Goddess (@KiwiMoose)'s Green Colourant thread, I am experimenting with green colourants.
> 
> I call it _The Battle of the Greens_ -- I coloured with ingredients I'd read elsewhere as being used which I also had on hand:
> 
> ...




What is your Matcha like?  And how did you prepare it?  I just bought two bags of Macha Tea Powder, a bright green tea that looks exactly as pictured on the package:  https://ujido.com/collections/all/products/matcha-4oz
And a brown Roasted Matcha Tea which also looks exactly as pictured on the package: https://ujido.com/collections/all/products/roasted-matcha-2oz

I am just wondering how yours started out, if it was green and is turning brown in soap.  And of course, how you prepared it (infusion? water? oil? added to the lye solution? etc.)

I am drinking the Matha green tea right now, which turned an olive green in the hot water.  Of course, with my experience with green botanicals, I expect it would turn brown in soap, but I thought, why not give it a try using different methods to see what kinds of results I can get.


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 1, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> So glad I didn’t use matcha!
> Do you have a coffee grinder? You could grind the parsley into a powder.


Hallo *KiwiMoose*! It looks to be turning a really beautiful shade, just not of the colour intended (although I had an inkling that was going to happen). Our only small grinder is our Nutribullet, but I didn't have enough parsley flakes to process properly. We'll see what it does...



earlene said:


> What is your Matcha like?  And how did you prepare it?
> I am just wondering how yours started out, if it was green and is turning brown in soap.  And of course, how you prepared it (infusion? water? oil? added to the lye solution? etc.)


Hallo *Earlene*, this was pure green matcha (although it has been sitting in the cupboard for a while so not as fresh as the drink you're enjoying!) All of the samples I added straight to the batter, I did think about preparing them in oil first but was short on time so tried some _economies_... (although I think it is only truly 'economical' when wisely applied, but I'm learning!)

Here is a photo of the four samples (apologies for 'potato quality'), clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha:





I have read about a botanical that will stay green but couldn't have that ready in time for today. Another adventure!

Thank you for your questions and suggestions!


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 1, 2019)

*Update: Day 1*
_Left set: Gelled, clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha, bottom: chromium green; Right set: ungelled_


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 1, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *Update: Day 1*
> _Left set: Gelled, clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha, bottom: chromium green; Right set: ungelled_
> View attachment 39457


Well that IS interesting - I had heard the gelling actually precipitates the colour morphing and fading for  spirulina.  Not so it appears.  I guess we will have to wait...


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 1, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> Well that IS interesting - I had heard the gelling actually precipitates the colour morphing and fading for  spirulina.  Not so it appears.  I guess we will have to wait...


I'll keep you posted on how things go, interested to see how long things hold for and how they change, right now we're headed to Akaroa for the rest of the long weekend (Winter is making it's arrival known, tomorrow is forecast to be nice though). Enjoy your break!


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## Dawni (Jun 2, 2019)

Very interesting! I like how your spirulina turned out, such a nice, soft shade.

I haven't tried matcha but the powder I've seen in my sister's stash is loads more greener than yours, a lot like in earlene's first link. You've made me wanna steal some from my sis to try it out in HP lol

I'm glad my messes inspire you hihihi


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## melinda48 (Jun 2, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> Thanks! No colours or fragrance this time, how boring! Will go through your media again for inspiration! I need to put in that order for soy wax, avocado oil and ROE,  so will pick some colours and fragrance as well
> 
> 
> Great tip, will def try this next time, speed the process along!


Making a nice bar of soap is never boring! Enjoy that it came out well. Use some, save some and move to the next bar


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 2, 2019)

I like them all .  I really appreciate that you provided the detailed information so clearly!  That’s a big difference in appearance for the gelled vs. ungelled soaps and it’s nice to be able to see them side-by-side.  Your lighting is also really good.  Is it natural light?


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 3, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> I like them all .  I really appreciate that you provided the detailed information so clearly!  That’s a big difference in appearance for the gelled vs. ungelled soaps and it’s nice to be able to see them side-by-side.  Your lighting is also really good.  Is it natural light?


Thank you @Mobjack Bay, appreciate the feedback! Lovely colours so far, we'll see how they hold... And yes, the lighting for this set has been all natural so far (I'll have to remember to take photos at the right times now, as we near the Winter's Solstice we have less and less of it!)


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 10, 2019)

*Batch 9: Salt Bars*
I've made one batch of salt bars already, which are patiently waiting until summer returns for use, and I realised that if they are half as good as the talk around here says then I am going to need some more! Last time was an introduction to Coconut oil in soap, and I made 100% CO with 20% superfat and different levels of salt (0%, 25%, 50%, 100%).
This time I thought I would try 80% CO with 20% avocado oil and fine sea salt. Having not tried my first bars yet, I wasn't sure which percentage of salt was best so I made 25%, 50% and 100%. To help distinguish them I used increasing levels of Ultramarine Blue, added to the salt. Superfat at 20% again.

Here they are before unmoulding (see 'What Soapy Thing Have You Done Today?' for the glamour shot 





*Batch 8:  'Battle of the Greens' One week update*
So, last week I tried some natural green colourants to see how they would perform over time.

_Left set: Gelled, clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha, bottom: chromium green; Right set: ungelled_



One week later:




It looks like the gelled Chlorella and Spirulina have mellowed out a bit, and the ungelled have caught up in colour. Lots of soda ash on the ungelled set, which I largely removed with a steam bath. How long until the _Battle of the Greens_ turns Brown?


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## Dawni (Jun 10, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *Batch 8:  'Battle of the Greens' One week update*
> So, last week I tried some natural green colourants to see how they would perform over time.
> 
> _Left set: Gelled, clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha, bottom: chromium green; Right set: ungelled_
> ...


Nice greens! My soap that had both spirulina and chlorella, among other things, looked kinda like your spirulina after unmolding... But my high salt content faded it rather quickly into a tan at about 3ish months. Let's see how long yours take.

I really like the one with just chlorella, different than freshly made but still a nice green


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 10, 2019)

I still love all of the colors you got and gelled and ungelled.  Are you keeping them in the light during this test? I would love to know just how long anyone has had the natural green colors hold in the dark. Inspired by you and @szaza, yesterday I made soap with matcha tea powder soaked in olive oil (for 24 hours). The powder didn’t feel gritty or scratchy, so I went ahead and added it as a slurry with the oil.  My powder was bright green out of the bag and the color is still green. ( I also have major problems with ash when I use these individual bar molds although it’s not so bad for this batch. I covered the soap with plastic wrap after it firmed up enough).  I did not attempt to gel these, just left them sitting on the counter.


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## szaza (Jun 10, 2019)

This is such a wonderful thread! I can't believe I'm only seeing this now.. I'm very curious how your soaps will hold up @KiwiSoap! And I hope you have better luck with your matcha infusion than me @Mobjack Bay!


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 10, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Are you keeping them in the light during this test? I would love to know just how long anyone has had the natural green colors hold in the dark.


The soaps are stored in the garage between photos, so mostly living in the dark. Hopefully this may extend their life, but I think the biggest threat to the colours is the lye monster, and that chlorella and spirulina have lasted so long because their cell walls are (currently) intact; my matcha however wouldn't have that protection which is why it went brown so quickly.



Mobjack Bay said:


> Yesterday I made soap with matcha tea powder soaked in olive oil (for 24 hours). The powder didn’t feel gritty or scratchy, so I went ahead and added it as a slurry with the oil.  My powder was bright green out of the bag and the color is still green. ( I also have major problems with ash when I use these individual bar molds although it’s not so bad for this batch. I covered the soap with plastic wrap after it firmed up enough).  I did not attempt to gel these, just left them sitting on the counter.
> View attachment 39651


Wow, your soap colour is beautiful! I wonder what this means for my theory above, I hope that colour will last, keep us posted!!

Thank you both, @Mobjack Bay and @szaza for your kind words and all that you've shared that has in turn helped and inspired me!


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 10, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Nice greens! My soap that had both spirulina and chlorella, among other things, looked kinda like your spirulina after unmolding... But my high salt content faded it rather quickly into a tan at about 3ish months. Let's see how long yours take.
> 
> I really like the one with just chlorella, different than freshly made but still a nice green


Thank you always, @Dawni! Fortunately I didn't use salt in these, so that won't be a factor, though I know the tan will still come.. 

"3ish months?" Ooph -- I hadn't thought how long I might need to leave them on that board! I don't want them to move about too much, for consistency in the photos, but I'm out of curing space again. Maybe there are some other soaps I can box to make more room for more soap... #feed the addiction...#


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 10, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> I still love all of the colors you got and gelled and ungelled.  Are you keeping them in the light during this test? I would love to know just how long anyone has had the natural green colors hold in the dark. Inspired by you and @szaza, yesterday I made soap with matcha tea powder soaked in olive oil (for 24 hours). The powder didn’t feel gritty or scratchy, so I went ahead and added it as a slurry with the oil.  My powder was bright green out of the bag and the color is still green. ( I also have major problems with ash when I use these individual bar molds although it’s not so bad for this batch. I covered the soap with plastic wrap after it firmed up enough).  I did not attempt to gel these, just left them sitting on the counter.
> 
> View attachment 39651



I also should should have thanked @Zany_in_CO and @KiwiMoose and all of the other contributors to the threads for being a part of the inspiration for my soap


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 10, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> I also should should have thanked @Zany_in_CO and @KiwiMoose and all of the other contributors to the threads for being a part of the inspiration for my soap


I echo your thanks, and to all the other unnamed people who've contributed to this community. A true team effort behind each of our soaps!!


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## earlene (Jun 11, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> Thank you always, @Dawni! Fortunately I didn't use salt in these, so that won't be a factor, though I know the tan will still come..
> 
> "3ish months?" Ooph -- I hadn't thought how long I might need to leave them on that board! I don't want them to move about too much, for consistency in the photos, but I'm out of curing space again. Maybe there are some other soaps I can box to make more room for more soap... #feed the addiction...#



Boxing the soaps to keep them protected not only from light, but also from humidity has improved now my soaps look as well as preventing the damages of humidity on the soaps that can respond badly to high humidity.  I was comparing soaps from the same batch where some were left in an open tray, but the others had been shrink-wrapped, labeled and kept in box.  The boxed soaps still look great, with good color, and some fragrances last longer when kept in boxes rather than sitting out.  

Until I did that comparison, the boxing up of soaps to preserve all the desired attributes was just something other people said was beneficial.  Now I know positively, my soaps definitely benefit from this practice.


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 11, 2019)

earlene said:


> Boxing the soaps to keep them protected not only from light, but also from humidity has improved now my soaps look as well as preventing the damages of humidity on the soaps that can respond badly to high humidity.  I was comparing soaps from the same batch where some were left in an open tray, but the others had been shrink-wrapped, labeled and kept in box.  The boxed soaps still look great, with good color, and some fragrances last longer when kept in boxes rather than sitting out.
> 
> Until I did that comparison, the boxing up of soaps to preserve all the desired attributes was just something other people said was beneficial.  Now I know positively, my soaps definitely benefit from this practice.


Thanks for sharing *@earlene*, I like how you always share information in such a calm, considered and carefully evaluated manner, I know I can trust information coming from you. I've only boxed two batches but have others I should pack away now. They are currently stacked loosely into a closed box, my salt bars which had experienced a little humidity I packed with some silica sachets as well. Shrink-wrapping will be next level...


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## earlene (Jun 11, 2019)

You are welcome, *KiwiSoap*, and Thank _you_!  

I was just thinking this morning that I should eliminate the recipes that tend to be overly effected by humidity.  But then read your above comment where you mention salt soaps.  Well, I'm not ready to eliminate salt soaps from my repertoire, so I guess that will be one exception.  Perhaps I will find more.

Anyway, my thinking was that I can't expect people to whom I give soap to keep it stored in the dark and away from humidity, so why make soap that doesn't tolerate humidity?  I am already re-thinking this idea, though.  My eldest son comes to mind, his living situation is such that he has a very humid bathroom and some of the soaps I've given him don't survive well the way he stores them.  So maybe the solution should be, that I only give him soaps that are fine in high humidity.

I am still undecided how to go forward on that front.  At least for now, I'll keep the humidity intolerant soaps for myself and give myself time to further reflection.


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 14, 2019)

earlene said:


> You are welcome, *KiwiSoap*, and Thank _you_!
> 
> I was just thinking this morning that I should eliminate the recipes that tend to be overly effected by humidity.  But then read your above comment where you mention salt soaps.  Well, I'm not ready to eliminate salt soaps from my repertoire, so I guess that will be one exception.  Perhaps I will find more.
> 
> ...



Has anyone tried to educate consumers to understand that soap made with natural colorants is more sensitive to light/heat, etc.? Some segments of the cosmetics industry seem to have had some success with this approach.


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## earlene (Jun 14, 2019)

I know many soapers who educate their customers both in person and online about proper care and storage of the soaps they make.  I do, too.  But that doesn't mean it happens.  And once they give it away as gifts to someone else, well, people do what people do.  And some don't retain it anyway.


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 21, 2019)

@KiwiSoap Look at what just arrived at my house.  Despite all of my fails with individual cavity molds, I am in awe of your soaps!  Would you tell me what level of trace you used to get your beautiful green soaps?  I have not been terribly successful at judging what constitutes a stable emulsion, so I hope your answer turns out to be light trace...


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 21, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> @KiwiSoap Look at what just arrived at my house.  Despite all of my fails with individual cavity molds, I am in awe of your soaps!  Would you tell me what level of trace you used to get your beautiful green soaps?  I have not been terribly successful at judging what constitutes a stable emulsion, so I hope your answer turns out to be light trace...


What arrived???  Ya big tease!


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 21, 2019)

Silly me


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 21, 2019)

I've got those ones too ;-)


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 21, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> @KiwiSoapDespite all of my fails with individual cavity molds, I am in awe of your soaps!  Would you tell me what level of trace you used to get your beautiful green soaps?  I have not been terribly successful at judging what constitutes a stable emulsion, so I hope your answer turns out to be light trace...


Hallo *@Mobjack Bay*, thank you for your kind words though I cannot promise my greens will stay that way! (I think I see one of them turning, will keep you posted on that when I have enough evidence). And nice purchase! All my soaps so far have been in individual cavities, they don't allow the full creativity of loaf pans but that doesn't mean we can't make more of them! I am using a *round soap* I did a faux funnel pour with, which came through nicely.
As to your question -- your answer is also your wish -- it was at light trace that I separated it and added the colourants (you're right, that seems the easiest state to identify). Good luck with your new moulds and I look forward to seeing your creations!


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 23, 2019)

*Batch 8: 'Battle of the Greens' Three week update*
*




Batch 10: Adapting KiwiMoose's Soy Wax*
A while back I bought some raw cacao butter and I thought to see how it would perform in soap in place of Shea butter. I also used up the last of my castor oil in the batch above and after some reading decided to see how the recipe would perform without it (two changes at once? Hmm..)

Making this batch, the oils were a _little _cooler than usual when I added the lye, and immediately it wasn't behaving 'as normal' -- looking and feeling like it had thickened already, even before mixing. I mixed the batter until the oils were fully incorporated, and it was _thick_. There went my plans of creative pours! I am guessing I experienced False Trace, and will be sure to soap at my usual slightly higher temperature in future.

I separated half the batter, stirred in _White Tea & Berries_ FO (my first time using it, encouraged by @KiwiMoose's yummy soaps, does that make three changes in one batch?!). Now getting well versed in Pop 'n' Glob, I popped out a plain bar then a bar with the FO for comparison, poured the FO batter into the plain batter, did what I hope is an ITP (In The Pot) swirl, and popped out some embossed rectangular and oval soaps. KiwiMoose found this FO discoloured to yellow so I am hoping that will make an appearance here as well. All to be revealed in time! The scent is delightful, which probably means I didn't use enough. Now in the oven...


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 23, 2019)

Chlorella looks to be winning!


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 23, 2019)

The green pigment in Spirulina is phycocyanin rather than chlorophyll, which is the pigment in Chlorella.  It looks like the chlorophyll is holding up better in your test run. I still love them all.  They are perfect for a boxed set!


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## Dawni (Jun 23, 2019)

And to me the gelled and ungelled don't look different at all. 

Need to find me some chlorella now...


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## szaza (Jun 23, 2019)

Chlorella actually seems to be getting a deeper color! Thanks for the update[emoji5]


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 23, 2019)

It’s a little hard to tell from the photo, but it kind of looks like the differences between gelled and ungelled are diminishing.

ETA: didn’t see Dawni’s post...


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 23, 2019)

Thank you all for your kind feedback! And interesting to hear, *@Mobjack Bay *, I thought I'd previously read that "chlorophyll won't stay green", but the chlorella sure is putting up a good fight! Mind you, we're only half way through the cure...

Also, I had a look at my latest batch before rushing off to work this morning (it's Monday in the land of the Kiwis), and sure enough the _White Tea and Berries_ FO has discoloured to what looked to be a gorgeous gold, no sign yet whether the 'swirl' started, all going well there will be photos later


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 23, 2019)

Dawni said:


> And to me the gelled and ungelled don't look different at all.





Mobjack Bay said:


> It’s a little hard to tell from the photo, but it kind of looks like the differences between gelled and ungelled are diminishing.



That transformation mostly took place in the first week but continued to develop further, I took photos daily to try to capture that, and I was trying to come up with a clever way to show that but my photos weren't clean enough and I haven't been clever enough. 
The ungelled soaps developed ash terribly (I steamed it off at the end of the first week but more developed) and I _feel_ that they're a touch browner as well. Let's see where this goes... Soap, what a journey!


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## Mobjack Bay (Jun 23, 2019)

I need to go back and read this entire thread at some point.  It looks super interesting.  Did I catch it right that you are gelling by putting the molds into an oven that has been warmed to 50 C and then turned off?  Have you figured out a good way to cover the multiple cavity molds without using plastic wrap?


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 23, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Did I catch it right that you are gelling by putting the molds into an oven that has been warmed to 50 C and then turned off?  Have you figured out a good way to cover the multiple cavity molds without using plastic wrap?


That's right, I CPOP as you describe: preheating the oven to 50ºC, putting the moulds in and turning the oven off. I sit the moulds on wooden chopping boards, which make moving the moulds easier and will also retain some heat. And I usually 'top up' the oven temperature to 50ºC again a couple of times over the first few hours, I don't know if it's necessary but it's little effort to ensure gel. I leave them in the oven as long as possible, again I don't know what is truly necessary.

I've actually not been covering the moulds, I've only had soda ash on one of my CPOPed batches, and I suspect the colourant contributed to that (a Lake, sold as 'soap colourant' but I later found out doesn't perform well in CP).

Hope this helps!


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## Zany_in_CO (Jun 23, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> I also used up the last of my castor oil in the batch above and after some reading decided to see how the recipe would perform without it


Thanks for the update. Good work. I hafta say, tho, I was fascinated by the article on Castor Oil that you linked. Wowser! Who knew?! Thanks for keeping us updated on that as well.


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 24, 2019)

*Update on Batch 10: Adapting KiwiMoose's Soy Wax*
Here is yesterday's batch, smelling sweet! The middle-bottom bar is plain, the middle-top bar is (dis)coloured courtesy of _White Tea and Berries FO_. I like it! The ITP swirls are a bit mottled, I guess the (dis)coloured batter bled. The lines are so smooth and crisp, that must be thanks to the cacao butter. No scent of the cacao remains, but then again the plain bar seems to have taken on the FO as well. _Everything_ smells of White Tea and Berries, no complaints yet!


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 24, 2019)

I have covered mine before with a sheet of baking paper.
I hope your CPOPping 'recipe' is right @KiwiSoap - I've just put my ginger and lime in following your instructions. I've been doing all my soaping over the summer, but now that winter has arrived i need to actually encourage gel.


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 24, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *Update on Batch 10: Adapting KiwiMoose's Soy Wax*
> Here is yesterday's batch, smelling sweet! The middle-bottom bar is plain, the middle-top bar is (dis)coloured courtesy of _White Tea and Berries FO_. I like it! The ITP swirls are a bit mottled, I guess the (dis)coloured batter bled. The lines are so smooth and crisp, that must be thanks to the cacao butter. No scent of the cacao remains, but then again the plain bar seems to have taken on the FO as well. _Everything_ smells of White Tea and Berries, no complaints yet!
> 
> View attachment 39917


I want those moulds!  Where did you get them?


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## KiwiSoap (Jun 24, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> I have covered mine before with a sheet of baking paper.
> I hope your CPOPping 'recipe' is right @KiwiSoap - I've just put my ginger and lime in following your instructions. I've been doing all my soaping over the summer, but now that winter has arrived i need to actually encourage gel.


Thanks for the tip re. baking paper! And I'm sure you'll get a gorgeous gel, you seem to be able to make _anything_ work! Looking forward to seeing those...


KiwiMoose said:


> I want those moulds!  Where did you get them?


They are from a *Silikolove mould*, available from AliExpress who happen to have a Mid-Year Sale on now .. I did not need to see that!! There is a *second similar mould here*. Be sure to check AliExpress is showing prices in your local currency before shopping, check whether shipping is included!


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## KiwiMoose (Jun 24, 2019)

Ordered both your ones and the new ones


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## KiwiSoap (Jul 17, 2019)

*Batch #11: KiwiMoose's Soy Wax soap with Cacao butter and Calendula-infused Oil*

Yesterday I squeezed in a bit of time to bash out a batch of soap. I've had a jar with Calendula petals infusing in rice bran oil for a while now (7 weeks), sitting in a window that catches a lots of light, however being it is winter here our days have been shorter and temperatures have lower so the conditions for infusion have not been optimal.
I started by measuring out the rice bran oil required for the recipe from the infused oil then, using a fork, taking about a teaspoon of the soaked calendula petals which I let drain for a bit before adding to the oil and stickblending. This broke the petals up into lots of small pieces so they won't get caught in the drain.

I included the infused rice bran oil with calendula in the oils that I melted using the microwave, hopefully adding to the infusion. I again used cacao butter in place of shea butter, otherwise the recipe was followed as usual. Knowing the effect of cacao butter on the batter from last time, I soaped at a warmer temperature (about 55°C/131°F). When I added the lye to the oils, the batter still had a strange distortion on the top and it thickened quickly even without much stickblending. It still flowed nicely into the moulds, and I CPOPed the whole batch.

The result is subtle, it is perhaps a shade more yellow than shown below, comparing the same recipe with Calendula infused (left) and plain (right). The gold flecks of the petals add to the effect, and I swear the soap has a perfume to it which is very pleasant, perhaps this will dissipate quickly though. I can't wait until we have warmer weather again to try to create a stronger infusion (although I could try the microwave method for infusing oils).






Many more calendula flowers are popping open in the garden, but I have enough dried and the remainder of this infusion to keep me in good stock for now!


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## KiwiSoap (Aug 26, 2019)

*Batch 8: 'Battle of the Greens' Twelve week update*
Apologies for my absence, life is rather full on at the moment, and even when I've had plans to make soap those have had to be overridden  Also, the app isn't working for me currently and the website just overwrote the long linky message I wrote so this will be (relatively) brief..

The good news is that my soap continues curing, and I can now present to you ... Battle of the Greens - the Twelve Week mark! Three months is the magic number I've heard, how have these natural greens held up?

_Clockwise from top left: chlorella, spirulina, parsley flakes, matcha; left set is gelled, right set is ungelled_




Chlorella seems to have fared best, thought it has faded a little. My gelled set is free of soda ash, I steamed off the ash soon after taking that top image but some returned.

Lots of other SMFers have experimented and had (greater) success with natural greens: @Mobjack Bay has had brilliant results using matcha, @KiwiMoose has used spirulina to better effect than I... be sure to search and scour the forum, there is lots of great information and ideas out there!

Happy soaping, I hope to catch and and soap with y'all again soon!


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## Mobjack Bay (Nov 12, 2019)

Hey @KiwiSoap.  I don’t know where you’ve been but I’m missing you and your posts!  I’m wanting to make a brown soap, so I was popping in to remind myself which of the green colorants made the nicest brown and it looks like I missed your 12 week update altogether.  It’s interesting how the parsley soaps seem to have gotten greener by twelve weeks.


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## penelopejane (Nov 12, 2019)

KiwiSoap said:


> *Batch 8: 'Battle of the Greens' Twelve week update*
> Apologies for my absence, life is rather full on at the moment, and even when I've had plans to make soap those have had to be overridden  Also, the app isn't working for me currently and the website just overwrote the long linky message I wrote so this will be (relatively) brief..
> 
> The good news is that my soap continues curing, and I can now present to you ... Battle of the Greens - the Twelve Week mark! Three months is the magic number I've heard, how have these natural greens held up?
> ...



Hi Kiwisoap, 
Can you please clarify how you are labelling your soaps in the pictures?
Top Row left: Chorella (gelled), spirulina (gelled), Chorella (not gelled), spirulina (not gelled)
2nd Row left: parsley flakes, (gelled), matcha (gelled), parsley flakes (not gelled), matcha (not gelled)
Is that right?


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## Mobjack Bay (Nov 12, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> Hi Kiwisoap,
> Can you please clarify how you are labelling your soaps in the pictures?
> Top Row left: Chorella (gelled), spirulina (gelled), Chorella (not gelled), spirulina (not gelled)
> 2nd Row left: parsley flakes, (gelled), matcha (gelled), parsley flakes (not gelled), matcha (not gelled)
> Is that right?


He’s going clockwise, so you need to reverse parsley and matcha on the bottom row.  The matcha is in the lower left corner of each set.


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## penelopejane (Dec 2, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> He’s going clockwise, so you need to reverse parsley and matcha on the bottom row.  The matcha is in the lower left corner of each set.


Thanks


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