Recent content by ackosel

Thanks, that makes me feel better! I think I may have figured it out. I used 100% goat milk instead of water. I bet the little dots are milk fat globules that soponified before the lye solution was mixed with the oils. Also, I tried to force gel on a heating pad. I don't think it gelled, but...

I cut my soap this morning, and oh my land, it looks amazing to my beginner, untrained eye! But it fell victim to a terrible, uneven cutting job, and it has some mysterious little orange dots in it... I checked all the oils I used and none of them are even close to their expiration. It couldn't...

I guess I'm still new enough and addicted enough that the mistakes didn't dampen my enthusiasm one bit! I have too much outside work to get done today to have time to make another little batch, but maybe I'll have a chance to play tomorrow!

Oh dear, I am sorry! The soaps I've had to glob into the mold ended up looking a lot better than I thought they would. I'll bet yours smell wonderful! I'm using all natural colors and essential oils, too. That adds to the challenge of the challenge! Did you use beef tallow? I have only ever...

Have you cut your soaps yet?

Lots of learning happened today! Mostly I just made a bunch of dumb mistakes. First, I failed to remember that the lye solution would affect the total amount of soap, so when I divided the soap for colors very carefully by weight, I had a lot of batter left over. Had to scramble to find bigger...

Lovely fail! I still want to try another time or two before I decide which soap to enter. Lots going on this spring, but I should still be able to make time for a couple small hanger swirl batches before the deadline.

I hope we get to see all the non-entered attempts after the challenge ends. I think that would be fun and educational!

CLMP, I hope you're feeling all better now. I'm glad your soap turned out pretty!!!

Looking forward to hearing how your soap turned out, and hoping that you're feeling better soon!

Same here. My soap only had holes in the end pieces from being to stiff to pour. The swirl turned out almost exactly like I hoped it would! I want to try again to get more vibrant colors. Also, I made a pair of hanger tools with a coat hanger and silicone straws. The one I originally used was...

Did your soap ever harden? How did it turn out?

I don't think the fragrance sped up trace. I used lavender, sage & rosemary essential oils. I've made this blend before without a problem, but I also added extra water last time to slow it down. I'll try that again, and use a different recipe with lard instead of tallow. I'm almost positive my...

Some people are slow learners. I over-blended my batter *again*, and the soap set up too fast. By the time I "swirled" the soap it was so thick I had to hold the mold down while I pulled the hanger up. My guess is that it's full of holes inside. Should be able to cut it tomorrow morning. It'll...

Sign-up list: 1. Justsomeguy - it's gonna be nerve wrecking but I'm in. My first venture into multicolored soap😬 2. Ackosel - I need to get a hanger and learn how to use it. Expecting to enjoy the learning process, submit a very unimpressive entry, and have fun doing it!