Another batch of ZNSC complete

[LynetteO]

My most recent 22oz oils batch of ZNSC in silicone cavity molds made 7/9 are still too soft for successful removal so I’ve only removed the “extras” bar & one other. Normally these bars, this recipe produces HARD bars super quick. This is 1st time I have ever had a soft ZNSC loaf or cavity. So I just double checked & ran recipe thru soapcalc again assuming I’d made a mistake along the way. Everything looks good.
I used a combination of two lavender FO & a lavender EO. I knew one of the FO to accelerate so left it at just a few grams. Still had THICK trace in a flash once the FO was added to batter & when pouring the last few it more plop & smooth time! They smell wonderful but Im just so surprised they are still a bit soft. Since they are a special request I’m not going to remove the remaining until much harder. I don’t want to muck up the flower design.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Still had THICK trace in a flash once the FO was added to batter & when pouring the last few it more plop & smooth time!

My guess is there wasn't enough time to stir to fully incorporate the fragrance.

TIPS: I would add the EOs & FO together and add them to the warm oils before adding the lye solution. If the batter seizes, it's best to walk away for 5 minutes to give the batch time to go into gel (what usually happens) then it's easier to stir and pour into your mold.

 

[LynetteO]

My guess is there wasn't enough time to stir to fully incorporate the fragrance.

TIPS: I would add the EOs & FO together and add them to the warm oils before adding the lye solution.

Gr8 tip! I’d read & then forgot about that very useful nugget of advice! I did get just over 30 swirls “one thousand one, one thousand two” (me counting in my head after adding the FO ) with a whisk after adding the FO before I knew I absolutely had to start pouring. I’ll use the warm oil method for any naughty FO/EO in the future! Thanks.

 

[LynetteO]

Finally popped this lavender batch out off the silicone molds. As mentioned batter was THICK so they are by no means perfect. In a week or so Im going to “paint” leaves with a little sparkly purple mica, as requested.

 

[LynetteO]

This batch was hard enough to cut less than 12 hours after pouring thanks to no naughty FO.
Thrilled with how dark the soap is after adding just a bit of activated charcoal to half the batter.

 

[KiwiMoose]

This batch was hard enough to cut less than 12 hours after pouring thanks to no naughty FO.
Thrilled with how dark the soap is after adding just a bit of activated charcoal to half the batter.
View attachment 67788

Nice work!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Thrilled with how dark the soap is after adding just a bit of activated charcoal to half the batter.

You should be thrilled. Well done!

I think it may be the faux sea water that causes natural colorants to fade. I'm wondering how well the color holds a month from now.

 

[LynetteO]

You should be thrilled. Well done!

I think it may be the faux sea water that causes natural colorants to fade. I'm wondering how well the color holds a month from now.

You may have figured out by now that I love to “test” soaps. Thanks to you & your words of wisdom in a thread somewhere, I now keep a bar from every single batch in a kind of “soap museum” so I can watch & smell (I’m a big SNIFFER) how time changes the bars.
My brother has requested some grey soap with black bees (inside joke soap). So if the color does fade, then I’ve found the additive for his soaps, no Mica required.

 

[LynetteO]

I finished painting my lavender batch of ZNSC that accelerated on me so the FO didn’t get incorporated. The batch was a bit soft but has since hardened. My friend wanted them painted to have a more “lavender” vibe.

 

[LynetteO]

I made whipped sugar soap for the 1st time ever using shreds of a ZNSC batch that was soft due to FO not getting fully incorporated. The recipe was from Abra Evans “Surfactant Free Whipped Soap”booklet that calls for shredded CP soap.

 

[earlene]

I made whipped sugar soap for the 1st time ever using shreds of a ZNSC batch that was soft due to FO not getting fully incorporated. The recipe was from Abra Evans “Surfactant Free Whipped Soap”booklet that calls for shredded CP soap.
View attachment 68264

Very Cool! How do you use whipped soap? I've never made it and don't really know how it is normally used. Is it for shaving (I guess I can envision shaving my legs with this) or as a body wash or something else in particular?

 

[LynetteO]

@earlene It could definitely be used as a shave soap. It’s nice and creamy. As mentioned, this was 1st time making a whipped soap. The main reason I decided to venture this direction was out of curiosity. My DD’s are not huge bar soap fans but they do like body wash & scrubs. The “whipped soap” was supposed be a whipped sugar scrub but it needs more sugar. That being said the pro for one child was that they could “pinch” off a desired amount of soap to use. The added glycerin does leave skin feeling soft. I am definitely going to play around with this a bit more. Fun!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

The main reason I decided to venture this direction was out of curiosity.

Good for you!

 

[LynetteO]

My most recent 22oz oils batch of ZNSC in silicone cavity molds made 7/9 are still too soft for successful removal so I’ve only removed the “extras” bar & one other. Normally these bars, this recipe produces HARD bars super quick. This is 1st time I have ever had a soft ZNSC loaf or cavity. So I just double checked & ran recipe thru soapcalc again assuming I’d made a mistake along the way. Everything looks good.
I used a combination of two lavender FO & a lavender EO. I knew one of the FO to accelerate so left it at just a few grams. Still had THICK trace in a flash once the FO was added to batter & when pouring the last few it more plop & smooth time! They smell wonderful but Im just so surprised they are still a bit soft. Since they are a special request I’m not going to remove the remaining until much harder. I don’t want to muck up the flower design.

Update: Two years later these bars still smell amazing, are still slightly tacky, definitely not no slime but since I refuse to gift one, we have plenty left. I never did figure out if it was the FO or I messed up in lye calc or oil calc.