Tonights Coffee soap~

[RocknRoll]

It looks lovely anyway. You coulda pushed the top back down, but oh well. homemade soap SHOULD have character! I love your acrylic mold, do you find it holds up well? I have heard they crack easy.

ha, you shoulda seen it before! the whole right side was caved in and i had to push on the other side to mush it back level. That clump wouldnt budge without me ruining it worse. All and all it looks good for what it went through!

I find the mold to be holding up good. I baby it so i cant foresee it cracking unless im careless with it. But then again, ya never know. I'll keep ya posted!

 

[melstan775]

Thanks. Do you spray or oil it in lieu of a liner?

 

[RocknRoll]

Thanks. Do you spray or oil it in lieu of a liner?

no i dont do anything except for line the very bottom. its just easier to get the soap off that way. The bottom piece comes right off then i just have to peel the wax paper.

 

[SpiralTouch]

Awesome! So the bottom layer is that dark brown from only coffee grounds/fragrance? No brewed coffee? Mine didn't turn out so dark, I really want to get that nice deep brown. Great job

 

[RocknRoll]

Awesome! So the bottom layer is that dark brown from only coffee grounds/fragrance? No brewed coffee? Mine didn't turn out so dark, I really want to get that nice deep brown. Great job

Thanks! I added fragrance to the bottom layer. I didnt actually use brewed coffee but I did add 1 table spoon of coffee grounds. I also gelled the soap and watched it turn this rich brown right before my eyes. I believe gelling it is what made it this color.

 

[SpiralTouch]

Thanks! I added fragrance to the bottom layer. I didnt actually use brewed coffee but I did add 1 table spoon of coffee grounds. I also gelled the soap and watched it turn this rich brown right before my eyes. I believe gelling it is what made it this color.

Ah that makes sense then because I don't gel my soaps! What did you do special to gel it

I'm always afraid to lose the creamy white color if I gel.. But yours looks perfect

 

[RocknRoll]

Ah that makes sense then because I don't gel my soaps! What did you do special to gel it

I'm always afraid to lose the creamy white color if I gel.. But yours looks perfect

I added TD to the top layer so thats the reason why it stayed white plus i omitted any fragrance from it too to keep it a creamy color.

All I do is keep it on a small portable oil radiator for a couple hours on low and it gells that way. I have used a heat pad on low for about an hour and a half to two hours and that works too Some people put it in the oven on a low temp but i havent tried that.

 

[SpiralTouch]

I added TD to the top layer so thats the reason why it stayed white plus i omitted any fragrance from it too to keep it a creamy color.

All I do is keep it on a small portable oil radiator for a couple hours on low and it gells that way. I have used a heat pad on low for about an hour and a half to two hours and that works too Some people put it in the oven on a low temp but i havent tried that.

Can I ask how much TD ? Added at trace?

 

[RocknRoll]

Can I ask how much TD ? Added at trace?

At trace I set aside 12 ounces of soap batter. To that I added 1 teaspoon of TD (premixed with a smidget of water) and mixed well

 

[SpiralTouch]

At trace I set aside 12 ounces of soap batter. To that I added 1 teaspoon of TD (premixed with a smidget of water) and mixed well

Thanks so much for answering everything. I just read through all the previous comments and read you soap at room temp. I have never done this before but really want to try now since this soap looks perfect.

Does it take a long time to trace? I feel like trace happens almost immediately when I soap at 100-110 degrees

 

[RocknRoll]

Thanks so much for answering everything. I just read through all the previous comments and read you soap at room temp. I have never done this before but really want to try now since this soap looks perfect.

Does it take a long time to trace? I feel like trace happens almost immediately when I soap at 100-110 degrees

It takes me about a minute of intermintent stick blending to come to trace. Thats fine for me. If I want to slow it down all I do is omitt the stick blender. I love, love, LOVE soaping at room temp and no one could ever convince me to use thermometers again! Not that doing it any other way is wrong by any means, I just by nature always take the path of least resistance. Room temp gives me more leeway in my opinion. If im in the middle of soaping and something comes up... I can simply walk away and pick up where I left off ( unless the lye has been added ). None of my additives, whether it be beer, honey, milks, ROOT BEER have ever given me any scortching problems what so ever. Theres really nothing to it. I just googled it one day and found all the info i needed.

 

[SpiralTouch]

It takes me about a minute of intermintent stick blending to come to trace. Thats fine for me. If I want to slow it down all I do is omitt the stick blender. I love, love, LOVE soaping at room temp and no one could ever convince me to use thermometers again! Not that doing it any other way is wrong by any means, I just by nature always take the path of least resistance. Room temp gives me more leeway in my opinion. If im in the middle of soaping and something comes up... I can simply walk away and pick up where I left off ( unless the lye has been added ). None of my additives, whether it be beer, honey, milks, ROOT BEER have ever given me any scortching problems what so ever. Theres really nothing to it. I just googled it one day and found all the info i needed.

Hmm it makes me wonder why anyone would do it any other way. I'm converted! Can't wait to make my first room temp batch and ditch the thermometer

 

[melstan775]

I've only made two cp batches and I went with Room Temp for lack of a thermometer. It was so easy, I don't see any reason to have the added expense of the thermometer.

 

[RocknRoll]

Hmm it makes me wonder why anyone would do it any other way. I'm converted! Can't wait to make my first room temp batch and ditch the thermometer

I was nervous at first because I didnt know what to expect and i didnt want to waste my ingredients if it didnt go right. I made my first batch and have been doing it the same ever since! There ARE a couple methods of doing it however...Some say to just use the freshly mixed HOT lye solution to melt the harder oils first but i found this doesnt work for me because i use cocoa butter a lot and it didnt produce enough heat to melt completely. So i pre melt my cocoa butter first (in a small crock pot) , then add my coconut, shea, palm. once warmed i add in olive and castor etc... add room temp lye last and presto! You can even make your lye solution the night before, set aside (in a safe place) and premelt and mix all your oils/butters (they will stay at room temp but wont resolidify unless its in a super cold location). The next morning you just add your lye to your oils and your making soap within a matter of minutes!

 

[RocknRoll]

I've only made two cp batches and I went with Room Temp for lack of a thermometer. It was so easy, I don't see any reason to have the added expense of the thermometer.

I remember always having anxiety about making sure the temps were matching and whether or not my thermometer was working correctly :crazy: or wondering if i was soaping too hot for my recipe...

I also remember hoping no one would call me so i wouldnt be distracted and lose my window of oportune timimg of matching temps. lol, i worried way too much looking back.

 

[dianne70]

Question about coffee soap.....if you used brewed coffee as the liquid, do you think it would have a coffee scent once cured, if ground coffee beans were also added? Just wondering as I would love to make a coffee soap, but don't have a coffee FO, and probably won't be buying any new FO's for a while.....

 

[2lilboots]

Question about coffee soap.....if you used brewed coffee as the liquid, do you think it would have a coffee scent once cured, if ground coffee beans were also added? Just wondering as I would love to make a coffee soap, but don't have a coffee FO, and probably won't be buying any new FO's for a while.....

I don't get a coffee scent from using brewed coffee in my soaps. The ground coffee beans add just a tad bit of scent but nothing strong enough to really notice. Add a vanilla or chocolate FO, that always goes great in a coffee soap.

 

[Trxflyer]

I was nervous at first because I didnt know what to expect and i didnt want to waste my ingredients if it didnt go right. I made my first batch and have been doing it the same ever since! There ARE a couple methods of doing it however...Some say to just use the freshly mixed HOT lye solution to melt the harder oils first but i found this doesnt work for me because i use cocoa butter a lot and it didnt produce enough heat to melt completely. So i pre melt my cocoa butter first (in a small crock pot) , then add my coconut, shea, palm. once warmed i add in olive and castor etc... add room temp lye last and presto! You can even make your lye solution the night before, set aside (in a safe place) and premelt and mix all your oils/butters (they will stay at room temp but wont resolidify unless its in a super cold location). The next morning you just add your lye to your oils and your making soap within a matter of minutes!

So if I'm understanding your description properly, your oils are actually warmer than room temp, its just your lye water is room temp? I've noticed that every batch of soap I make, I seem to go lower and lower with the temps liking the handling of the mixture and the outcomes better each time. I may just give the room temp method a try.........................

 

[houseofwool]

R&R - The two times I have tried soaping at cool temps (under 90*) I have had issues with stearic acid streaks in the soap from the palm.

How are you preventing that from happening? (In both cases palm was roughly 30% of the total oil volume.)

 

[lizflowers42]

I've said it before, but I want to live in your bathroom. I bet your entire house smells incredible!