Soap Tops!

[TashaBird]

That ratio really does not mean anything when I say slow moving oils. If you do a search for slow moving or oils for doing swirls you will get a better idea of what oils I'm talking about. Here is the recipe that I use and depending on the FO that I use, I will get 5-10 minutes before the batter starts getting thick.

Lard, Pig Tallow (Manteca)
Coconut Oil,
Palm Oil
Safflower Oil,
Castor Oil
Sodium Lactate

Butters don't always behave like you think they will. Even if you force gell them they can remain soft for days. I gave up using them but other people have good luck using them @KiwiMoose is one of the people.

I wrap my soap in heating pads to force gell them and with the recipe above, I can unmold and cut the soap after 14-24 hours. I get my soap up to 150°F and when I reach that temperature I uncover the soap and set it aside to cool down. I can even go to 160°F without a problem but it depends on your recipe and I have used this recipe for a year and I know how it behaves and what it will do as it gets hot. I also use sodium lactate to help it harden in the mold.

How do you take the temperature of your gelling soap?

 

[Todd Ziegler]

How do you take the temperature of your gelling soap?

I use an IR thermometer. The one I use, uses multiple lasers to take the temperature for a more accurate reading. Some only have a single laser. If you want the link I can send it to you?

Also I have been using this recipe for over a year so I can set my timer and leave it alone for an hour or more before I have to check it.

There are a lot of people who gell their soap and don't need to or want to check the temperature. I am getting mine very hot, so I prefer to check it.

 

[TashaBird]

I use an IR thermometer. The one I use, uses multiple lasers to take the temperature for a more accurate reading. Some only have a single laser. If you want the link I can send it to you?

Also I have been using this recipe for over a year so I can set my timer and leave it alone for an hour or more before I have to check it.

There are a lot of people who gell their soap and don't need to or want to check the temperature. I am getting mine very hot, so I prefer to check it.

I’ve got a digital grill thermometer that I could put inside the blanket/heater set up and read that without unwrapping. I don’t actually know how hot mine get when they’re under there. And, now I think I should.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I’ve got a digital grill thermometer that I could put inside the blanket/heater set up and read that without unwrapping. I don’t actually know how hot mine get when they’re under there. And, now I think I should.

I tried it that way and the accuracy is very bad. The meat thermometer read 100°F and it was actually 135°F. Like I said a lot of people will say that it is a waste of time but for me it isn't and plus I enjoy doing it. I learned a lot about my recipe and how it behaved while it got hot.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I am one of those people who will occasionally embellish a soap. A pure white soap with a bit of calendula sprinkled on the top is a pretty thing to my eye, and to many others apparently. When I made soap with chicken fat and rosemary eo, the little bit of rosemary and juniper berries I put on the top complimented the soap. I‘ve only ever had one type of botanical turn brown (white hydrangea) and have not had anything bleed on the top.

Taking a shower or bath can be a relaxing, calming, invigorating or pampering experience, that might just help to make us feel better in stressful times. I’ve always consider handmade soap to be a little extra treat and for many decades before I began making my own soap, I sought out artisan soap at markets and fairs. Now that I make my own, I can fully indulge every mood. It’s easy enough to knock a few botanicals off the top of a soap before use, but not until I’ve fully admired how pretty the soap looks. I put embellishing with botanicals into the same category as wrapping the soap in an appealing way, finding just the right fragrance, or adding colors, swirls or other design elements in the soap itself.

 

[PapsSoaper]

Salt on top of soap attracts water from the open air and dissolves. You can't prevent this from happening except by moving to a super-dry desert. The practical solution is to not use salt to decorate your soap.

In addition to dissolving like this, some types of salt like Himalayan salt, can have crystals that are sharp enough to scratch the skin, assuming the crystals don't dissolve first. So there's another good reason to not use salt as decoration.

Hi DeeAnna,
Thank you for the helpful insight! I have put the Himalayan salt grains om top (just one side) and they are leaking salt water... Is it ok to remove them now? My soap is cut yesterday... Will never put them again....