Tonight's soaping adventures have been something else. I decided to get brave and try a salt bar. I originally wanted to use my yummy-smelling new bottle of Salty Sailor FO, but some of the reviews on the scent forum said that it moves really fast. Hmm, since I'd read that salt bars aren't exactly pokey to begin with, I decided to skip the Salty Sailor and go with an EO blend that I've fallen in love with. It's 2 parts lavender 40/42, 1 part tangerine, and one part ylang ylang. The little sample bottle I mixed up a week or so ago smells divine, so I decided to use that.
Whee, fragrance picked, I got everything ready, then left my oils and lye solution to cool for a bit. Once they were ready, off I went. Salt bars, here I come! Did I mention that this was also to be my first time using the shiny new ultramarines and oxides? Mmmyyyeah, in hindsight, probably not the brightest idea, but anyway.... everything went fine, I added my EOs to the oils, and then started adding tiny bits and touches of the blue, pink, and plum pigments and mixing. Once I had what looked to be reasonably close the color I wanted, I put the pigments away and added my lye solution.
:shock: It turned the neatest shade of steely grey almost instantly. Okay, I can live with that, and it actually was kind of pretty. I'd been shooting for a calm, restful color, and it fit the bill, so fine. Once it traced, in went the salt. Oh boy, it got thick fast, and I mean thick! Oh crap. Then, to make matters even more interesting, it popped into my head that if a gargoyle came to life and took a crap in a plastic bucket, it would probably look a lot like my soap. Yes, I have a weird sense of humor, and it doesn't always serve me well. The notion that I'd just made a bucket full of gargoyle feces triggered a fit of the giggles. Not the best timing, this was my very first experience with having to really rush to the mold and try to cram an uncooperative soap in, and I was in the middle of a giggle fit. Oi.
Anyway, I managed to get the gargoyle poo slopped into the mold, and we shall see how it turns out, but I'm thinking it's going to be one homely soap, lol. I supposed I should be discouraged or frustrated, but right now it's just funny. I'll add pics once the poo's unmolded and cut.
Whee, fragrance picked, I got everything ready, then left my oils and lye solution to cool for a bit. Once they were ready, off I went. Salt bars, here I come! Did I mention that this was also to be my first time using the shiny new ultramarines and oxides? Mmmyyyeah, in hindsight, probably not the brightest idea, but anyway.... everything went fine, I added my EOs to the oils, and then started adding tiny bits and touches of the blue, pink, and plum pigments and mixing. Once I had what looked to be reasonably close the color I wanted, I put the pigments away and added my lye solution.
:shock: It turned the neatest shade of steely grey almost instantly. Okay, I can live with that, and it actually was kind of pretty. I'd been shooting for a calm, restful color, and it fit the bill, so fine. Once it traced, in went the salt. Oh boy, it got thick fast, and I mean thick! Oh crap. Then, to make matters even more interesting, it popped into my head that if a gargoyle came to life and took a crap in a plastic bucket, it would probably look a lot like my soap. Yes, I have a weird sense of humor, and it doesn't always serve me well. The notion that I'd just made a bucket full of gargoyle feces triggered a fit of the giggles. Not the best timing, this was my very first experience with having to really rush to the mold and try to cram an uncooperative soap in, and I was in the middle of a giggle fit. Oi.
Anyway, I managed to get the gargoyle poo slopped into the mold, and we shall see how it turns out, but I'm thinking it's going to be one homely soap, lol. I supposed I should be discouraged or frustrated, but right now it's just funny. I'll add pics once the poo's unmolded and cut.
