New to soaping and need some help

[June beere]

I have bought some moulds with Xmas indents and want to colour them different to the soap ie leaves green, cones brown - what is the best method?

 

[Carly B]

Melt and pour or cold process?

 

[Kamahido]

Assuming you're talking about melt and pour, pipettes and a bit of patience.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I have done similar - split off a tiny bit of the soap batter and add your desired colour/s. Then spoon a little bit into the crevices of the pattern where you want it, and slick off the excess with a spatula. Pour the rest of your soap batter over the top (run it onto the top of the spatula so it doesn't drop into the pattern and force it out) and proceed as usual from there.

 

[Relle]

Welcome June , please go to the Intro forum and tell us a bit about yourself and your soaping.

 

[cmzaha]

After you fill the crevices and it sets enough to pour the next layer make sure you spritz well with alcohol. Every layer poured of m&p has to be spritzed well with alcohol or the layers will not stick

 

[June beere]

Thank you all so much - I am currently trying CP. - not tried melt and pour
In saying this I have made 4 batches and none have gone to plan - but still come out ok - I have been trying to do swirls but the batter always thickens and appears to be getting hotter - can anyone help.

 

[TheGecko]

Thank you all so much - I am currently trying CP. - not tried melt and pour
In saying this I have made 4 batches and none have gone to plan - but still come out ok - I have been trying to do swirls but the batter always thickens and appears to be getting hotter - can anyone help.

What is your recipe? Not overmixing, just to emulsion or light trace. Soaping cooler can help

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

You could be over mixing it. Try getting to emulsion or light trace. Soaping at a lower temp, under 100*F can help as well. The hotter the mixture and the more you mix it the faster it will set up.

As for decorations, I use a small squeeze bottle or pippettes. I mix up a small batch of soap and color it for the colors I want and then use the pipettes or squeeze bottle to fill in the sections I want first. Then I will mix up my main batch while those set up and then pour it carefully on top either over the back of a spoon if the batter is still soft on the colored portions.

 

[cmzaha]

Since you are not doing m&p forget my comment about the alcohol. The above suggestion is better about making up a small batch to fill in your decorative portions with pipettes or squeeze bottles then making up the main batch. By then your sections should be set up enough to hold your main batter.

 

[June beere]

This is my recipe - I think it might be too hot

 

[TheGecko]

This is my recipe - I think it might be too hot

A recipe itself cannot be too ‘hot’ per se. I would bump the water back up to 25%, might even go as high as 30%.

The key to successful swirls is a thin batter. Mix your oils and lye solution to just emulsion. Hand stir in your FO and dispersed colors, and then give them a couple of 5 sec bursts just before you pour them. And have the temps of your oils and lye solution around 100F.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Hi June,

I think you should familiarise yourself with a soap calculator if you haven't already. The usual line of thought is that you should not use the water as a percentage of oil setting, but rather the lye concentration setting. SMF have developed their own one: https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/soap-making-recipe-builder-lye-calculator/supplies . Click up the top where it says 'recipes' and from the drop down menu select 'new recipe' and start putting your ingredients in.

There is not really such thing as a 'hot' recipe unless you are referring to the temperature you are working at when you mix the lye water and oils together.