What soapy thing have you done today?
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Color testing again - orange peel, turmeric, alkanet, hydrated chrome oxide, ultramarine, astaxanthin, and lutein, in various combinations.
giulia
Well-Known Member
Had a rough week and a very lousy day so I decided to make soap. I made 2 small batches. First batch went well -looks and smells good. Second batch did not go so well. I had my first experience with ricing. I used a FO that had mixed reviews and I knew there was a chance of this happening. I got my batter to emulsion separated some out to a second container (wanted to do a swirl), stirred in my mica and added the FO at the last second. The moment I started to stir in the FO it started to rice. I tried to stick blend my main color but couldn’t get it smooth. I threw in the other color and poured quickly. Not my prettiest soap but I hope it is useable because it smells good.
I cried. My husband is a heart transplant recipient. Life has been paranoia and fear since this started. We should have bought stock in masks and Lysol since we had plenty of soap (see what I did there?). It was a step forward to being able to breathe again.
I sometimes dabble in molecular gastronomy... This vaccu pette is used for making lots of drops of something at once rather than a single one at a timeDo you pipette for a hobby?
On a separate note, would it be terrible of me to ask to move the vaccine chat to the Coronavirus thread? I'm very happy for you guys, but soaping is my safe space these days and having covid talk in the middle of it makes the coping harder.
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Sounds like fun!I sometimes dabble in molecular gastronomy... This vaccu pette is used for making lots of drops of something at once rather than a single one at a time
No soaping, but hoping my cast comes off on Tuesday. I think it does. I won't be able to make soap right wasy, but I will be able to start therapy of the thumb & finger soon, which should get me on the road to recovery and in the right direction.
As a nurse, let me share a few tips for future vaccinations recipients:
4 items for up-front (prior to/at time of)
Immediately afterward & for the next day or so:
Call your doctor if:
As a nurse, let me share a few tips for future vaccinations recipients:
4 items for up-front (prior to/at time of)
- Don't tense up. Rigid muscle during injection -> more pain. Take a few deep breaths ahead of time, meditate, whatever helps you relax, soft music, listen to/watch a comedian - aside from getting sloshed
- Bring an ice pack with you, and place it on your arm (deltoid area) for a few minutes prior to your turn for injection.
- Avoid taking prophylactic acetaminophen, aspirin or other NSAIDs, although they can prevent/diminish some uncomfortable effects of vaccination, per recent studies on effects of NSAIDs on antibody production, may be counter-productive (link) If in doubt, contact your personal physician.
- ASK the person who administers the vaccination if massaging the site of injection is advisable (sometimes, yes, sometime, no.)
Immediately afterward & for the next day or so:
- Move your arm around after injection (immobility of that arm can lead to more pain.)
- Avoid NSAIDs as indicated above until medical advice changes (contact your physician for advice as needed)
- Warm pack at injection site periodically can help reduce pain.
Call your doctor if:
- High fever,
- Signs of allergic reaction: difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, hives or rash, dizziness, sudden weakness, pallor.
It's great fun, but if you're hungry it's not what you need
We had a party a while back where the guests helped out with the cooking; this was the menu:
We had a lot of fun but we ended up also making quite a quantity of fondue to keep us going
I guess my fascination with chemistry-adjacent things and my fondness for things-that-look-like-other-things carried me through into soaping also!
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
I found energy to make soap today, fairly simple, no scent and just one colour inside - black. I couldn't resist sprinkling a little gold mica on top after doing a little spoon texture though!
It's a test of the recipe I've created with my combination facial skin in mind - very low cleansing for the dry areas, activated charcoal for the oily areas. That's the theory, anyway...
Recipe was 60% lard, 30% olive oil and 10% Shea... It took forever to trace! In oven to CPOP now, fingers crossed it'll be ready to cut in the morning! I'm going into hospital late morning for a gastroscopy, so if it's not ready by morning it's going to be late in the day or possibly the next day before I get to it. I'm sure it'll be fine!
It's a test of the recipe I've created with my combination facial skin in mind - very low cleansing for the dry areas, activated charcoal for the oily areas. That's the theory, anyway...
Recipe was 60% lard, 30% olive oil and 10% Shea... It took forever to trace! In oven to CPOP now, fingers crossed it'll be ready to cut in the morning! I'm going into hospital late morning for a gastroscopy, so if it's not ready by morning it's going to be late in the day or possibly the next day before I get to it. I'm sure it'll be fine!
I want an invite to the next party!It's great fun, but if you're hungry it's not what you need
We had a party a while back where the guests helped out with the cooking; this was the menu:
View attachment 56154
We had a lot of fun but we ended up also making quite a quantity of fondue to keep us going
I guess my fascination with chemistry-adjacent things and my fondness for things-that-look-like-other-things carried me through into soaping also!
I tried to unmold my latest soaps (from last week)... They are still mostly too soft, and I can't figure out exactly why. I started a thread with the recipe if you want to have a look... too soft soap.
Happy bubbles!
Stéphanie
Happy bubbles!
Stéphanie
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
@Nanna Yes - natural reds are so hard to come by - this is an astaxanthin supplement that has rosemary leaf extract and olive oil. I am trying to source some astaxanthin powder, but it’s so expensive! I’ve been trying to negotiate with vendors on Alibaba but I don’t think they have much interest in a grandmother fooling around with soap.
who is not ever going to buy a pallet of the stuff.
I did have some luck getting a much darker red than I expected from turkey rhubarb root. Photo below shows rhubarb root infused OO on left from February, astaxanthin / iron oxide in the middle, and that nice fire engine red from astaxanthin after 24 hours. (Still saponifying but as you see it’s more orangey.) The rhubarb root appears more maroon in the photo than IRL.
Don't forget the classic: AI Weirdness — Try these neural network-generated recipes at your...
And I promise that when I can hold molecular dinner parties again I will invite anyone who's interested, although you'll all have to pay for your own plane tickets
In soapy news today, I challenged my received belief that tallow can't be used for transparent soap, with positive results:
I also tried a one pot wonder for the first time, which... yeah...
How did you do that?!?
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
Who put you that idea in your head that meat juice couldn't produce clear soap? How did you make it transparent? Is this fully remeltable M&P base (glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol and friends), or mostly ethanol?
ETA: @VikingChick was faster than me
I can't remember where I came across the idea originally but so far I've been rationing my small supply of palm to make transparent soap for specific projects.Who put you that idea in your head that meat juice couldn't produce clear soap? How did you make it transparent? Is this fully remeltable M&P base (glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol and friends), or mostly ethanol?
ETA: @VikingChick was faster than me
This is made by getting the soap to mashed potatoes stage in HP, then dissolving with ethanol, glycerine, and simple syrup. It wasn't created for the purpose of being M&P specifically, but it seems to work as such.
The recipe originated from a frenzied couple of days research session and I don't think I have notes on sources unfortunately...
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
That's mostly the stuff of which M&P is made. Sugar can discolour the melt, when in doubt swap it for sorbitol (or more glycerol). And the ethanol can become troublesome on the long run when it slowly evaporates and makes remelting more difficult. IME proplyene glycol is really worth its money to make high-clarity, firm M&P base with a sharp melting point, good fluidity and a low skin formation.
But anyway, it's a nice clear brick! A few percent superfat would have ruined it. Is it 100% tallow, or did you add lauric oil too?
But anyway, it's a nice clear brick! A few percent superfat would have ruined it. Is it 100% tallow, or did you add lauric oil too?
It's part tallow and part coconut, with some castor as well.
This one is formulated purely for looks, I'm afraid! I actually do have M&P related plans for this particular batch, and it should be good enough for those purposes. I looked into getting the ingredients you mention, but the best prices I could get were still extortionate, and I don't make it often enough to justify it.
Time will tell as to whether I decide to take that route in future
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