Basti's Adventures in Soap (2024)

[basti]

Better late than never?

CS Sparkling Grapefruit - CS High Tide
NG Onyx Frost - Unscented

1. Wanted to make a solid color soap with a really rich, vibrant hue. This is neon red mixed with neon orange 1.5:2. I bought the salt sprinkled on top in Iceland last year
2. Line-esque pour that I lightly swirled with the handle of a paintbrush
3. Simple layers. I picked the colors based on the photo on the bottle lol
4. Unscented charcoal Taiwan swirl! I originally wanted the bars to be my normal dimensions, but I messed up the cuts : D no worries

WSP Vanilla Chai Latte w/ DOOP Ube Cake - NS Awaken
NG Honey Almond - NG Green Tea

1. A very accidental entry for the monthly cake challenge a few months ago. I had a bunch of brown-ish soap scraps I wanted to make, so decided to make a ciaglia cake. My middle frosting layer got a bit messed up but it's no big deal. This was my first time piping frosting
2. Gradient + drop swirl. This soap was made with avocado puree.
3. My first ever hanger swirl. This is also ciaglia
4. I've made this soap like 4 times now haha. It's green tea + nori + sea clay. I usually use Nurture's Emerald Green but subbed Green Vibrance because I'd run out and well, I'll stick to the Emerald Green next time

NG Mermaids at Midnight - NG Rainbow Sherbet - NG White Tea & Ginger
NS Devil's Door - NG Moon Dust - NG Sweet Orange Chili Pepper

1. ITPS. I added in some kelp (also bought in Iceland last year) into the black for a subtle exfoliant
2. I want to call this a 'spoon plop' because that's what I did to make this soap but google images says otherwise
3. Made with chamomile tea. for the fun of it.
4. My first confetti. The scraps inside of this soap came from different ciaglia soaps. Maximum scrap usage methinks
5. Poured while the triangular mold was vertical. Red is a subtle ITPS.
6. OPW. Speckles are turmeric.

NS Butterfly Garden/NS Avalon/NS 8th & Ocean - WSP Mango Papaya
CS Sel de Mer - CS Moonflower Nectar

1. My entries for last month's unchallenge. You can read my write-up here, cause no one needs to hear me yap about it AGAIN.
2. MP. Simple layers~
3. MP. This fragrance supposedly accelerates, so I opted for MP instead. Really subtle colors and a faint sparkle.
4. MP. Last year I used this fragrance in CP soap and it was a miserable, nasty experience. Acceleration. Green-tinged brown discoloration, even in the unscented white batter. No thank you. Thankfully it works beautifully in MP (+ added some stabilizer just in case), since it's a great scent.

That's all for now!

 

[basti]

Howdy

WSP Mystical Woods - WSP Harvest Moonlight - Blend of 3 Fragrances (main notes are strawberry, tangerine, and pineapple)
Midwest Black Cherry Merlot - Midwest Cosmic Berry - WSP Fresh Lemonade

1. Shaped bottom layer with several ITPS. Flecks of white are soap scraps I blitzed in my spice grinder. I used glow in the dark powder on the lightest blue, but I'll admit I never checked to see if it actually glows
2. Simple layered soap with a moon embed. There's supposed to be a mica line but it's really faint. This FO smells great.
3. Layered soap with a custom blend! Strawberry is MP and the tangerine slice is a ciaglia soap dough embed. I poured clear MP over the fruit to simulate a candy-like finish
4. This video popped up on my youtube one day and begged me to make a soap. My second time doing frosting. MP drizzle.
5. Strawberry is MP and the other berries are ciaglia soap dough Simple ITPS
6. This one discolored a bit more than intended and has glycerin rivers, but thankfully it still smells incredible. Specks are poppyseeds.

WSP Caribbean Coconut - WSP Pumpkin Apple Streusel
MP soaps! These ones discolored a bit more than batches I've made with the exact same FOs, colors, and designs in the past. I even used stabilizer. Funny how things work sometimes.

Just made a bunch of soap this weekend so hopefully I have more to share soon (taking photos is such a hassle)

 

[bookworm42]

I love them all!

 

[Zing]

I can't believe what you're able to accomplish!! I'm hoping that you posting today is a good sign that you handled Milton. Take care, man,

 

[basti]

I can't believe what you're able to accomplish!! I'm hoping that you posting today is a good sign that you handled Milton. Take care, man,

Thank you brother! Just hoping that was the last one this year. Flooding three times in one summer... sheesh.

View attachment 79405

I love them all!

Haha thank you!

 

[akseattle]

Just made a bunch of soap this weekend so hopefully I have more to share soon (taking photos is such a hassle)

@basti , your soaps are all amazing! I aspire to copy every single one some day if I live long enough and soap long enough to acquire your skills!
Your soaps are so detailed. Can I ask, how long did it take you to make all these soaps? Actually, pick ONE. How long would it take you to make a loaf from beginning to end, include your time to come up with your design and to select fragrance, etc. ?

 

[Shirley-D]

@basti I'm floored!!! Amazingly beautiful soaps. You are definitely an artist. I'm so inspired that I'm running over to my laundry room to start making some soaps right now!

Next day: There, I made soap. Plain old soap but I am inspired to get fancy in 2025.

 

[Shelley D]

Howdy

View attachment 79402
WSP Mystical Woods - WSP Harvest Moonlight - Blend of 3 Fragrances (main notes are strawberry, tangerine, and pineapple)
Midwest Black Cherry Merlot - Midwest Cosmic Berry - WSP Fresh Lemonade

1. Shaped bottom layer with several ITPS. Flecks of white are soap scraps I blitzed in my spice grinder. I used glow in the dark powder on the lightest blue, but I'll admit I never checked to see if it actually glows
2. Simple layered soap with a moon embed. There's supposed to be a mica line but it's really faint. This FO smells great.
3. Layered soap with a custom blend! Strawberry is MP and the tangerine slice is a ciaglia soap dough embed. I poured clear MP over the fruit to simulate a candy-like finish
4. This video popped up on my youtube one day and begged me to make a soap. My second time doing frosting. MP drizzle.
5. Strawberry is MP and the other berries are ciaglia soap dough Simple ITPS
6. This one discolored a bit more than intended and has glycerin rivers, but thankfully it still smells incredible. Specks are poppyseeds.

View attachment 79403
WSP Caribbean Coconut - WSP Pumpkin Apple Streusel
MP soaps! These ones discolored a bit more than batches I've made with the exact same FOs, colors, and designs in the past. I even used stabilizer. Funny how things work sometimes.

Just made a bunch of soap this weekend so hopefully I have more to share soon (taking photos is such a hassle)

You know I'm a forever fan of your soaps
So let's start with blues are my favorite colors so the first one is high on my list
I have always loved the moon so
Fruits, berries and sweets?! Yes please!
Now that lemon poppy seed treat ~ omg! I didn't even notice the glycerin rivers, I thought it looked perfectly like a pastry with all the delicate layers I love lemon pastries!
The other 2 are awesome with their colorful swirls I am never disappointed!
Great work! Thank you for the eye candy

 

[Mobjack Bay]

OMG. Swoon...

 

[dibbles]

Beautiful @basti!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Lovely soap Basti - you are a true artist x

 

[basti]

Thank you for the kind words everyone!

@basti , your soaps are all amazing! I aspire to copy every single one some day if I live long enough and soap long enough to acquire your skills!
Your soaps are so detailed. Can I ask, how long did it take you to make all these soaps? Actually, pick ONE. How long would it take you to make a loaf from beginning to end, include your time to come up with your design and to select fragrance, etc. ?

Thank you!

I have a notebook where I draw squares and use colored pencils to plot out my designs/ideas, including fragrance and specific colors or color blends I plan to use. I don't always stick to that design when I actually sit down to make it and usually keep an alternative in my mind just in case things don't go the way I plan. I try to keep my FO collection small and try to only buy when I have ideas (yes, some unplanned FOs still walk home with me...), so actually picking out FOs is pretty quick.

I masterbatch 50/50 lye, which cuts back on 'sit and cool down' time and usually pour all my oils for a given session at once, so I can spend less time weighing oils. I make any embeds whether they're soap dough or poured soap the night before. Mix colors right before making each batch (don't have enough little containers to do it all at once for all batches hehe)

Active working time (adding lye to oils -> finished and in the mold)
Lemon soap - 17 minutes
Berry soap - 33 minutes (lot of time on embeds)
Colorful layer soap - 30 minutes
Cake soap - 29 minutes (but with a lot of down time waiting for layers to set up + waiting for frosting to thicken enough)

And MP soap? It takes me all day. Sometimes you'll catch me in my office microwaving soap at 2 AM to desperately finish the last layer before going to bed. There's a reason I don't make many MP soaps anymore : D

 

[akseattle]

@basti, I'm impressed how you have streamlined some of the more time consuming parts of the process. But still, some of your layers are so intricate, it looks like you would have labored all day... you're clearly a natural!

 

[basti]

@basti, I'm impressed how you have streamlined some of the more time consuming parts of the process. But still, some of your layers are so intricate, it looks like you would have labored all day... you're clearly a natural!

My cold process life hack is to blend to emulsion and not a single pulse further. And mix in fragrance and color by hand instead of with a stick blender. It gives me so much more working time.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Just made a bunch of soap this weekend so hopefully I have more to share soon (taking photos is such a hassle)

Thank you for sharing, particularly since it takes a extra time. Your soaps are so inspiring.

 

[basti]

[Next day: There, I made soap. Plain old soap but I am inspired to get fancy in 2025.

what an awesome shade of pink

 

[Shirley-D]

what an awesome shade of pink

Thanks @basti. Yes, I love it. It is a neon from Mad Micas called "Tickled Pink." I used half a teaspoon to 2000 grams of oils. It is a powerful pink for sure.