Options About Adding Earl Grey Tea to CP Liquid & Bar Soap

[dibbles]

I made a batch of salt bars today (which usually have low lather no matter how much CO)

I haven't found that to be true at all. With a long enough cure (7 months is the sweet spot for me), the lather is amazing.
Here are some pictures I posted awhile back Cure time Doubters? A Visual

 

[Zany_in_CO]

How about adding used tea leaves instead of dry ?

Used is okay... but still likely to be scratchy. Just something to keep in mind. For example, I color one of my soaps with infused paprika and tumeric. I found out the hard way that it's best to strain those little lovelies out before adding to the soap. (Unless you're going for a little exfoliation)

 

[DesertRose]

Used is okay... but still likely to be scratchy. Just something to keep in mind. For example, I color one of my soaps with infused paprika and tumeric. I found out the hard way that it's best to strain those little lovelies out before adding to the soap. (Unless you're going for a little exfoliation)

So i made my first CP soap bar attempt. Colour is good, smell is wonderfull, overall appearance is wonderful for me but... I got late to pour the soap paste to the mold unfortunately. I expect good quality but bad shapes with jagged edges.

Bottom of the mould

I don't know why the center has dark greenish colour.

Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Bergamot combination smells wonderful.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Oopsie. It looks like you might need this:

Free 26-Page Guide to Making Cold Processed Soap.

Go to the Recipe Feedback Forum for help with this batch. Post a printout of your recipe along with the picture above and any other details for help with this batch. It can be saved.

 

[DesertRose]

Oopsie. It looks like you might need this:

Free 26-Page Guide to Making Cold Processed Soap.

Go to the Recipe Feedback Forum for help with this batch. Post a printout of your recipe along with the picture above and any other details for help with this batch. It can be saved.

Before asking help, do you think will it be a problem other than appearance ? Because i believe that i did all the steps correct except being late to pour it to the mold and let it become thicker.

 

[artemis]

I don't know why the center has dark greenish colour.
View attachment 72012

It just went through gel phase. It's fine.

 

[AliOop]

Before asking help, do you think will it be a problem other than appearance ? Because i believe that i did all the steps correct except being late to pour it to the mold and let it become thicker.

Good job making a small batch! It should be fine. We’ve all had chunky soap like that. Next time, try mixing much less with the stick blender, and pouring immediately at light trace. You got this!

 

[DesertRose]

Good job making a small batch! It should be fine. We’ve all had chunky soap like that. Next time, try mixing much less with the stick blender, and pouring immediately at light trace. You got this!

Yeah, it was a good lesson for me, thank you Except bad shape and jagged edges, the texture actually seems good to me, i added 10 gr of grinded (powder) earl grey. And the smell is so yummy.

What would be the correct time to unmold, 48 hours ?
%30 coconut oil (300 gr)
%35 palm oil (350 gr)
%30 olive oil (300 gr)
%5 castor oil (50 gr)
%3 fragrance oil (30 gr)

Water %33 (330 GR)
LYE 144 GR

 

[AliOop]

Yeah, it was a good lesson for me, thank you Except bad shape and jagged edges, the texture actually seems good to me, i added 10 gr of grinded (powder) earl grey. And the smell is so yummy.

What would be the correct time to unmold, 48 hours ?
%30 coconut oil (300 gr)
%35 palm oil (350 gr)
%30 olive oil (300 gr)
%5 castor oil (50 gr)
%3 fragrance oil (30 gr)

Water %33 (330 GR)
LYE 144 GR

The best time to unmold is when the soap is ready to unmold. Since each batch is going to vary a bit with batter temperature, room temperature, mixing time, etc., it's important to judge by the feel and appearance of the soap, not a specific amount of time. It should be like firm cheddar cheese out of the fridge: a bit of give when lightly pressed, but it would take more pressure to actually dent it. If you are using a silicone mold, the soap should pull away easily from the silicone. After some time of using the same recipe over and over, you will know the general amount of time to expect.

I would also line your plastic container with parchment paper, or else lightly coat it with mineral oil. That will make unmolding much easier. If your soap sticks to the plastic, put the entire thing in the freezer for an hour, then let it sit on the counter for about five minutes. The condensation from the defrosting process helps the soap separate from the plastic. Then wait to cut it until the soap has fully defrosted.

FYI, your listed amounts of water and lye come to approximately 30.5% lye concentration, not 33%. When creating your recipe, be sure you have selected "lye concentration" and not "water as percent of oils." That's typically the cause of this type of error. You still have good soap, but a 30% lyle concentration means that your soap will take longer to firm up for unmolding and cutting, and longer to cure as the extra water evaporates. Too much water can also cause the bars to warp.

But hey, you still have soap - great job! Now comes the hardest part: waiting for it to cure.

 

[DesertRose]

It should be like firm cheddar cheese out of the fridge: a bit of give when lightly pressed, but it would take more pressure to actually dent it.

That's exactly how it is now after 20 hours.

I would also line your plastic container with parchment paper, or else lightly coat it with mineral oil.

Can i use baby vaseline also for coating ?

 

[AliOop]

Can i use baby vaseline also for coating ?

Yup

 

[DesertRose]

The result is fine for my first try; I'm satisfied with colour, texture, design and scent. The only problem for me is the jagged edges and bad shapes, but i don't care I'm happy with the result.

So, how should i keep those bar soaps while curing ? Can i use this plastic box ?

They seem darker in the photo but the colour is near to cream in reality.
And the lather;

 

[dibbles]

Congratulations on your first soap! The lather looks lovely already, and will only get better with time. You can store the soaps in the plastic container, just not tightly covered. Spread them out as much as you can and rotate them every few days at first and after a couple of weeks rotate once a week until they are cured. Alternately, you can line a shelf with paper of some sort or a cotton towel and set the soaps on that to cure. You will still want to turn them so all sides get exposure to air.

 

[DesertRose]

Congratulations on your first soap! The lather looks lovely already, and will only get better with time. You can store the soaps in the plastic container, just not tightly covered. Spread them out as much as you can and rotate them every few days at first and after a couple of weeks rotate once a week until they are cured. Alternately, you can line a shelf with paper of some sort or a cotton towel and set the soaps on that to cure. You will still want to turn them so all sides get exposure to air.

Thank you

I placed them on a baking paper and put into a plastic container, sticked a label showing production date and recipe I'll put the cover but won't lock it so a little air will be entering into the container.

 

[AliOop]

I agree, those look very nice! But they aren't going to cure well when they are stacked together like that in the pail. Can you set them on a rack or shelf that is lined with paper, and spread them out from one another? Here is a sample (although they put the soap right on the wood, which I don't recommend):

 

[DesertRose]

@AliOop Oh, really ? I'll think about it. Our balcony catches the sun so i can use it. May be i should put them to the basement ?

 

[AliOop]

You definitely don't want to cure them in the sun; that will cause rancidity. A dark basement can be great, as long as there is air circulation and it's not too damp. Lots of air circulation is the key to a good cure, so you don't want the soaps to touch each other, and to have the maximum amount of surface area exposed to the air.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

May be i should put them to the basement ?

You could plan ahead... This is what 2,187 bars of soap looks like! LOL

 

[Ford]

Place in a shallow box, spaced enough for air flow between each bar. Slide under the bed. Just an idea.

 

[DesertRose]

How about placing them like this without covering ? Unfortunately i don't have any shelf for them. Is it safe to put them inside home ? They're giving off good smell to the house May be i can take them out to the balcony in the night and take back to inside tomorrow.