As much as I like micas...

[Mobjack Bay]

The only experience I have with using cucumber is from Anne Watson's book Cool Soapmaking--she says you can use juice or puree. I think you might try both to see which you like. The Cool Soapmaking book soaps these cold, freezing the puree or juice and sprinkling the lye slowly over the frozen cubes to keep the cucumber from "scorching" with the heat of the lye.

Following on from what I mentioned this above, one way to avoid having to use frozen anything is to use the “split water” technique. If you use water that is at least equal to the wt of the lye to dissolve the lye you can then use another liquid as a replacement for the remaining water.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I used an English cucumber, as differentiated from a Persian cucumber, here. They have thin skin and no seeds to speak of. I puréed it in a blender until is was more or less a liquid and used it for the balance of the liquid I needed with my masterbatched lye water.

LOL - now we call that one a Telegraph cucumber ( the English one). It's relatively 'new' here in NZ - having only been around for about 20 years. Our standard cucumber is thick-skinned and the seeds are tougher.
https://www.vegetables.co.nz/vegetables-a-z/cucumber/

 

[Mobjack Bay]

LOL - now we call that one a Telegraph cucumber ( the English one). It's relatively 'new' here in NZ - having only been around for about 20 years. Our standard cucumber is thick-skinned and the seeds are tougher.
https://www.vegetables.co.nz/vegetables-a-z/cucumber/

Apparently, the English Telegraph Cucumber gots its name because it looks like telegraph cable. (I just had to know ) Soap making is truly an enriching pastime.

 

[Nanette]

Following on from what I mentioned this above, one way to avoid having to use frozen anything is to use the “split water” technique. If you use water that is at least equal to the wt of the lye to dissolve the lye you can then use another liquid as a replacement for the remaining water.

Watson used %100 pureed cucumber....no water. I tried it and did not care for it, but it was just once.

 

[runnerchicki]

My “crunchy” self is still drawn to simple soaps. To satisfy the need, I made two batches of oils for a base recipe, split each into three portions, added the portioned lye water and different additives to produce the following:

View attachment 41554

From left to right in the top row, the additives are:
1. Calendula (finely chopped), lavender (finely chopped), aloe (liquid), spirulina (just a little straight powder) and green clay with a lavender and citrus EO blend - in other words, all of my favorite things!
2. Orange wax, coconut cream and grated ginger with orange and ginger EOs
3. Cucumber purée and peppermint tea with BB’s Moroccan Mint FO

On the bottom, the additives are:
Left - reduced IPA beer, baby oatmeal and a tiny bit of ground oatmeal, with a blend of FOs including Juniper Breeze (MMS), Birchwood Oud (BB) and patchouli (BB)
Right - carrot purée, orange wax and cardamom powder with Orange Peel FO (BB)


View attachment 41555

These soaps are just gorgeous, and the scent descriptions sound delightful. I am curious about the orange wax - I have read that it has a strong orange scent ... does it add to the fragrance or is it mostly for color?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

These soaps are just gorgeous, and the scent descriptions sound delightful. I am curious about the orange wax - I have read that it has a strong orange scent ... does it add to the fragrance or is it mostly for color?

Thank you!

Almost everything I know about orange (peel) wax is in this thread:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/orange-peel-wax.75139/

The wax I have adds a true orange scent that has stuck around for 4 months in a cp soap and 5 months in an hp soap where it was added as a superfat post cook. The intensity of the scent is not all that different in the two soaps. It’s not strong, but it’s there as distinctly orange. My wax produces yellow shades in the soap depending on how much I use.

 

[runnerchicki]

Thank you!

Almost everything I know about orange (peel) wax is in this thread:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/orange-peel-wax.75139/

The wax I have adds a true orange scent that has stuck around for 4 months in a cp soap and 5 months in an hp soap where it was added as a superfat post cook. The intensity of the scent is not all that different in the two soaps. It’s not strong, but it’s there as distinctly orange. My wax produces yellow shades in the soap depending on how much I use.

Thanks for the link! I've got some reading to do...

 

[beckster51]

My “crunchy” self is still drawn to simple soaps. To satisfy the need, I made two batches of oils for a base recipe, split each into three portions, added the portioned lye water and different additives to produce the following:

View attachment 41554

From left to right in the top row, the additives are:
1. Calendula (finely chopped), lavender (finely chopped), aloe (liquid), spirulina (just a little straight powder) and green clay with a lavender and citrus EO blend - in other words, all of my favorite things!
2. Orange wax, coconut cream and grated ginger with orange and ginger EOs
3. Cucumber purée and peppermint tea with BB’s Moroccan Mint FO

On the bottom, the additives are:
Left - reduced IPA beer, baby oatmeal and a tiny bit of ground oatmeal, with a blend of FOs including Juniper Breeze (MMS), Birchwood Oud (BB) and patchouli (BB)
Right - carrot purée, orange wax and cardamom powder with Orange Peel FO (BB)

I am super happy with these soaps and will be even if the colors fade. They all smell wonderful! This is the first time I tried the Orange Peel FO and I hope it lasts. It smells a lot more orangey than the orange EO, which is not of the “x” variety.

So, where is soap number 6, you ask...

Perhaps the oils/fats cooled off too much? The recipe is high in Shea (39%). I used a new FO called Chai Tea from Nature’s Fragrance, which smells just like Chai tea. I haven’t dug into the soap in an attempt to figure out what’s up with the white clumps. The soap itself does not zap.

View attachment 41555

These soaps are beautiful! I am very partial to these kind of simple soaps as well. What kind of mold do you use to get these square? I love everything about them, color, shape, additives, and they are beveled perfection.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

These soaps are beautiful! I am very partial to these kind of simple soaps as well. What kind of mold do you use to get these square? I love everything about them, color, shape, additives, and they are beveled perfection.

Thanks Beckster! It took me quite a bit of searching to find this mold on Amazon. The mold incorporates a beveled edge. I am hoping to at some point find a square cavity mold that produces a beveled edge on the top and bottom. I’ve seen them for ovals, I think. If you ever come across one, let me know.

WARMBUY Square Silicone Mold for Soap Bar Making, Set of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZ7SBPG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_CNpIDbH75355V

ETA: The mold produces bars that are 2.5” square and up to 1.25” deep. Fresh bars I made this past weekend weigh 4.75 - 4.9 oz.

 

[beckster51]

Thanks Beckster! It took me quite a bit of searching to find this mold on Amazon. The mold incorporates a beveled edge. I am hoping to at some point find a square cavity mold that produces a beveled edge on the top and bottom. I’ve seen them for ovals, I think. If you ever come across one, let me know.

WARMBUY Square Silicone Mold for Soap Bar Making, Set of 2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZ7SBPG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_CNpIDbH75355V

ETA: The mold produces bars that are 2.5” square and up to 1.25” deep. Fresh bars I made this past weekend weigh 4.75 - 4.9 oz.

Thanks, MB! We should commission someone to make a loaf mold that does this. I generally don't worry much about beveling, but I do love the way they look.

 

[Sisters Pride]

My “crunchy” self is still drawn to simple soaps. To satisfy the need, I made two batches of oils for a base recipe, split each into three portions, added the portioned lye water and different additives to produce the following:

View attachment 41554

From left to right in the top row, the additives are:
1. Calendula (finely chopped), lavender (finely chopped), aloe (liquid), spirulina (just a little straight powder) and green clay with a lavender and citrus EO blend - in other words, all of my favorite things!
2. Orange wax, coconut cream and grated ginger with orange and ginger EOs
3. Cucumber purée and peppermint tea with BB’s Moroccan Mint FO

On the bottom, the additives are:
Left - reduced IPA beer, baby oatmeal and a tiny bit of ground oatmeal, with a blend of FOs including Juniper Breeze (MMS), Birchwood Oud (BB) and patchouli (BB)
Right - carrot purée, orange wax and cardamom powder with Orange Peel FO (BB)

I am super happy with these soaps and will be even if the colors fade. They all smell wonderful! This is the first time I tried the Orange Peel FO and I hope it lasts. It smells a lot more orangey than the orange EO, which is not of the “x” variety.

So, where is soap number 6, you ask...

Perhaps the oils/fats cooled off too much? The recipe is high in Shea (39%). I used a new FO called Chai Tea from Nature’s Fragrance, which smells just like Chai tea. I haven’t dug into the soap in an attempt to figure out what’s up with the white clumps. The soap itself does not zap.

View attachment 41555

 

[Sisters Pride]

My “crunchy” self is still drawn to simple soaps. To satisfy the need, I made two batches of oils for a base recipe, split each into three portions, added the portioned lye water and different additives to produce the following:

View attachment 41554

From left to right in the top row, the additives are:
1. Calendula (finely chopped), lavender (finely chopped), aloe (liquid), spirulina (just a little straight powder) and green clay with a lavender and citrus EO blend - in other words, all of my favorite things!
2. Orange wax, coconut cream and grated ginger with orange and ginger EOs
3. Cucumber purée and peppermint tea with BB’s Moroccan Mint FO

On the bottom, the additives are:
Left - reduced IPA beer, baby oatmeal and a tiny bit of ground oatmeal, with a blend of FOs including Juniper Breeze (MMS), Birchwood Oud (BB) and patchouli (BB)
Right - carrot purée, orange wax and cardamom powder with Orange Peel FO (BB)

I am super happy with these soaps and will be even if the colors fade. They all smell wonderful! This is the first time I tried the Orange Peel FO and I hope it lasts. It smells a lot more orangey than the orange EO, which is not of the “x” variety.

So, where is soap number 6, you ask...

Perhaps the oils/fats cooled off too much? The recipe is high in Shea (39%). I used a new FO called Chai Tea from Nature’s Fragrance, which smells just like Chai tea. I haven’t dug into the soap in an attempt to figure out what’s up with the white clumps. The soap itself does not zap.

View attachment 41555

I love the earthy natural looks of them all, they sound delicious