What is in your soap pot this holiday weekend?

[Soapmaker Man]

Well group, what is everyone planning for this holiday weekend? Soaping, lotions? Relaxing with friends and family? Whatever you guys are doing, have a super fun time doing it!

Paul

 

[kwahlne]

Hi Paul!

My plans....lot's of cooking on the grill....and an avocado soap scented chamomile and oatmeal exfoliant!

New recipe for me and first time using an additive. Wish me luck!

 

[Tabitha]

Lip balm today, maybe some whipped shea, maybe some deo.

 

[Guest]

Good topic!!!

It's raining here in Los Angeles today but I've been diligent in getting a fair backlog of soap supplies and I have two home made molds I want to try out, so I've been spending the morning trying to figure out what recipe to make. Suggestions appreciated.

I've been thinking of maybe making a shampoo bar, and also salt bars are intriguing me, but I'm still open to something else. I've got EVOO, palm, coconut, castor, avocado, jojoba, shea butter, and a small assortment of EOs and FOs.

I wanted to try the thing of adding stuff like jojoba and shea at trace, but we've already covered why that won't help all that much, so I'm thinking of saving the more expensive stuff and trying HP.

BTW, anybody who is interested in HP crock potting, there's a sale at Sears this weekend, an Euro-Pro 7 qt. slow cooker (and 16 oz mini-cooker included) regularly $34.99 on sale through Tuesday 5/27 for $19.99!!! Consider that to be a 7 qt. HP cooker and a 16 oz M&P cooker! All for $20, is that a deal or what?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Ohhh, sounds like a bunch of fun stuff happening. Good luck Kristin! Need pics of your beautiful soaps when finished. I just poured a batch of salt bars. I scented with WSP's Calli Lillies. It's hardening as I type this. I'm so in love using a slab mold with dividers for salt bars since they set up so fast. I plan on unmolding later this afternoon. I did manage a 3 colour swirl in the pot...we'll see. :roll:

Thanks for the info on the sale, Greg. I just started HPing few months ago. I use my Presto Pot.

Best of luck on whatever you guys are doing. Thinking of our soldiers oversees who would love some of our soap. Humm..side note on getting info on sending soap to Iraq. Has anyone done this?

Paul

 

[IanT]

in my soap pot??..... cobwebs!.... for now at least .....

cant wait to have some cash for ingredients!

 

[Soapmaker Man]

in my soap pot??..... cobwebs!.... for now at least .....

cant wait to have some cash for ingredients!

Hey Ian, ever try a 100% coconut oil bar? It is a great bar if you take a 20% lye discount. I'll send you one, and a salt bar. I'll send an avocado bar using pureed avocado, and scented Oatmeal, Milk & Honey too.

Paul

 

[Guest]

Well I've got my batch in the mold, my first shampoo bar and also my first attempt at a swirl! I was startled to find it tracing in the first minute, and custard by the time I was trying to pour half, mix in the colorant, pour the rest, then swirl it. I heard that castor oil can accelerate it. I switched from EO to FO and I think it will work out better. BTW the trace was accelerated way before I added the FO.

I ran into needing more colorant and my damned gloves were too thick so I had to rip them off to open the little baggie of colorant, didn't have time to stop and put the gloves back on so I finished up quick, then maybe had need for a dab or two of vinegar. Maybe not, would you believe that?

At least finally I think I got some soap with scent in it, and my house smells kind of orangy nice! I used 1 oz. ppo. Is it okay if I weigh the FO instead of measuring it in fl. oz. or teaspoons/tablespoons?

Now I'm thinking about an afternoon performance, maybe tackle making a salt bar. The morning's batch was 3# and I'm thinking of doing less than a pound if I do the salt bar. Does anybody have any idea what the smallest practical batch is? My scale reads only to 0.1 oz.

Greg

 

[Chay]

Yesterday we went to the Lima Co. Memorial at the statehouse. It is kicking off its national tour here in Columbus. If you get a chance to view it when when it travels the country I would highly recommend it. The paintings are amazing.

I'm ordering supplies this weekend, so hopefully I'll get to make some soap next weekend.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

I unmolded my salt bars a while ago. I beveled the edges. The shavings I used to wash my hands with, nice lather and dime size bubbles.
I even like the scent. Colour...another story. I did a 3 colour ITPS (In The Pot Swirl) and poured into my slab mold. It released easily today from the dividers, actually falling out.

Paul

 

[Guest]

Nothing worth doing isn't worth overdoing...

I just made my second batch of the day! All this talk about salt bars got me interested in doing my own. I had been researching salt recipes the past few days so I already had a good idea what to do. I decided on a simple recipe of coconut oil with a small portion of olive. I made just a pound (oils) and added about 12 oz fine sea salt at trace, yellow mineral colorant and papaya FO, then poured it into an orange juice carton.

One thing I'm a bit uncertain about, how long should I let this cure? I hear they harden quickly so should I break them out of the mold later tonight or wait until tomorrow morning?

I can't wait to try them. Salt is a really odd thing to add to soap and I never would have thought of it on my own, particularly that much salt. Those bars must be about a full third solid salt!

Wow, Mr. Newbie LH, batches #6 and #7 in the same day!

 

[Soapmaker Man]

If you don't cut your soap within about 2 hours after pouring, break out a jack-hammer. In a log, the salt log will be, should be quite warm when cutting. If it is past the very warm stage, at least your bars may crumble a bit on the edges when you cut it. That is why I like a slab with dividers.

Paul

 

[Guest]

It's good that I asked! I'll plan on breaking out the mold in about 90 minutes. Fast cure! Happily I don't have to worry about saving the mold, an orange juice container.

 

[Guest]

Well I got my salt bars out after about 2-1/2 hours, and they were pretty warm, it seemed very odd to pull them out at this stage, but I quarried them into individual bars. The soap was a bit crumbly but not so much that I had any problem making bars, although the bars aren't exactly right angles. I too took a potato peeler to them and beveled the edges. Actually they're not bad looking bars although a bit irregular. I washed my hands in the scraps, and tongue tested too, no zap and my hands didn't feel irritated. I stacked them up for drying, 6 bars average 5.2 oz each, about 30 oz soap from 16 oz oils and 10 oz salt, plus water and lye.

When will the "salt bar" qualities start coming out? How long should I cure them before I can appreciate the salt bar experience?

Boy this is fun!

 

[Guest]

Trying to figure out my salt bars, using the scraps and cuttings. Lots of lather! I think that's the coconut. (?)

The bars seem so crumbly but I hear they turn out really hard, like last forever. On SoapCalc I get 63 hardness which is the highest I've ever seen, and that doesn't even include the salt.

Pretty amazing this soap stuff.

 

[Guest]

Uh, what's this weekend?.... Oh!! Its a holiday! Any other Memorial Day weekend I would be at the dairy goat show, but the North Carolina Dairy Goat Breeders Assoc. are a bunch of spineless sheep, so I've become more to myself lately. Actually, I've been making things out of t-shirts. I've made a skirt and some other stuff. I so need to make soap, though. I've been out of Patchouli for weeks. Not for a lack of materials, I hoard the stuff.

LH: I've been wanting to try salt soap. I've been on the lookout for jello molds at good will that would be ideal for soap, but so far all I've found are Power Rangers Season 1 (GO GO POWER RANGERS!!!) I should have bought it... If not to sell the soaps, for old times sake. I want to make it in a small batch w/ goat milk to try out.

 

[Guest]

LH: I've been wanting to try salt soap. I've been on the lookout for jello molds at good will that would be ideal for soap, but so far all I've found are Power Rangers Season 1 (GO GO POWER RANGERS!!!) I should have bought it... If not to sell the soaps, for old times sake. I want to make it in a small batch w/ goat milk to try out.

Well I made just a 1# batch and used an orange juice carton for the mold. I cut it into bars about 3-3/4" x 1-7/8" by 1" and got 6 bars. Honestly I don't understand the raves which is why I wanted to make some.

BTW I have some goat milk powder on order, gonna try that GM soap.

 

[Tabitha]

OK, today I made lip balms in 8 flavors & deodorants in 6 . The deos were:

Lemon Lavender
Shy Violet
Fresh Pear
Flowering Herb
Calm Water
Lime Margarita

 

[Guest]

OK, today I made lip balms...

I'm curious about you lip balmer people ... do you ever put PABA in your lip balms? I have a sun sensitivity problem and I frequently use lip balm as a sun protector and I always buy stuff with PABA and the high SPF. Do you know your SPF?

 

[Chay]

Thinking of our soldiers oversees who would love some of our soap.

Paul

Paul, check out the website anysoldier.com It would be a great place to start. Many soldiers are indeed requesting soap, shampoo, deodorant, and lotion.