What soapy thing have you done today?

[melonpan]

LOVING that improvised divider!! So much better than the hot glue fiasco I use.

I've been using it and loving it for half a year now, but the moment I took that picture I realised that I forgot to cover the divider with some baking paper as usual... Trying to clean it from the soap now

I've cut my soap since then and it's now resting under a piece of cotton to protect the spirulina from the light. Does anyone have any experience if this helps with botanical colorants?
Realised I soaped a bit too cold (I can see some spots there) and not to impressed with my first swirl ever, but definitely going to try this again!

 

[Jersey Girl]

I have three friends I went to Girl Scout camp with when I was a teenager - we have stayed in touch and have seen each other through marriages, divorces, births, deaths, life in general. I get to see them this weekend as we are all vaxed. I made camp-themed soaps as gifts for them - L-> R these are S’mores, a carousel that we were able to ride our bikes to (called the “Flying Horses”), a campfire, a landscape with a tent, “bug juice”, and the ocean. Thanks @DeeAnna for the excellent pine tar soap tutorial on your website, the campfire soap is half pine tar and your guidance was a huge help. The ocean is an OPW, tried to copy @The_Phoenix - it’s not exactly the same but I really like it. And thanks @Todd Ziegler and @AliOop for the ZVS recipe, the s’mores has vanilla in it and it would not have looked as good without out that addition! Oh and thanks @glendam for the Christmas tree inspiration. I’d didn’t really work, but the tiny yellow thing is a tent, I tried to emulate your tree idea with the tent.
I have learned a ton in the last six months. This is a supportive and generous community!

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I love these! So very creative. What a thoughtful gift for your friends.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@melonpan green botanicals seem to fade the fastest, but you can slow the fading down by keeping the soap in the dark. I made a soap almost two years ago using matcha tea, annatto, and indigo indigo infused oils and madder and spirulina powders. The matcha layer, which was a beautiful grass green to start with, has faded away to a very pale grey green. The indigo was light blue initially and is now almost white. The annatto is lighter, but still yellow. The madder and spirulina have barely changed. I just looked at it the other day, but then tucked the bin of testing soaps it was in away somewhere mysterious (apparently since I can’t seem to locate it). I will post a photo when I find it.

 

[KimW]

and not to impressed with my first swirl ever,

hmmmm...really? Well, I'm impressed. Just sayin'! It's a beautiful swirl. Understated elegance. Seriously, that was my first though when I saw the pic before I saw your write-up. Plus, I'm wowed by how consistent your swirl appears to be throughout the loaf. Nicely done!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@Peachy Clean Soap Definitely pre-slice the loofah. If you search old threads, you will read sad stories about those who put whole loofahs into soap loaves and then could not slice them with anything less than a chain saw.

I was researching yesterday & now have a change of plans' lol . I'm gonna pre- cut the loofah to fit a small soap mold' then use the rest of my melt & pour soap. I think it would be a better applaction regarding soap & performance. Also I want them small cause of the "exfoliation factor foot scrub" it's something yah don't want to use longer then a week @ best is my guess. could get yucky.
Thx AliOop .

@Vicki C these are amazing, down to the dots on the S'mores!! Enjoy your time with these precious friends.

 

[earlene]

I've been using it and loving it for half a year now, but the moment I took that picture I realised that I forgot to cover the divider with some baking paper as usual... Trying to clean it from the soap now

This might work for you (it does for me). Permanantly wrap in baking paper & tape that on, then follow with a very tight wrap of plastic wrap, taped on the side the doesn't face the soap. It's easier to clean off after the soap firms up & doesn't need replacing as often as the baking paper.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@KimW
I too feel the same way towards Keven Dunn's Book' The math in the beginning stumped me' I'm like Whaaat? though basic level math' I'm confused. However lots of info' & if someone likes controlled study & applied application' this book is perfect.

 

[Zing]

I have three friends I went to Girl Scout camp with when I was a teenager - we have stayed in touch and have seen each other through marriages, divorces, births, deaths, life in general. I get to see them this weekend as we are all vaxed. I made camp-themed soaps as gifts for them - L-> R these are S’mores, a carousel that we were able to ride our bikes to (called the “Flying Horses”), a campfire, a landscape with a tent, “bug juice”, and the ocean. Thanks @DeeAnna for the excellent pine tar soap tutorial on your website, the campfire soap is half pine tar and your guidance was a huge help. The ocean is an OPW, tried to copy @The_Phoenix - it’s not exactly the same but I really like it. And thanks @Todd Ziegler and @AliOop for the ZVS recipe, the s’mores has vanilla in it and it would not have looked as good without out that addition! Oh and thanks @glendam for the Christmas tree inspiration. I’d didn’t really work, but the tiny yellow thing is a tent, I tried to emulate your tree idea with the tent.
I have learned a ton in the last six months. This is a supportive and generous community!

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This is just beyond all get all! I couldn't believe it when I saw these last night. All on their own, they are stunning. But the stories/symbolism behind them make them even more special.

Then this morning I took another look. For the 'smores, you even made perfect perforations in the graham crackers!!!! Wicky wicky what?!

Mrs. Zing is an uber-camper and former girls camp counselor for many summers. I showed her these soaps. And she -- ahem -- told me the recipe for 'bug juice.'

 

[Tara_H]

Between needing to 'heat and hold' for my new found interest in lotions, wanting to see if 'pasteurizing' helps prolong the life of fresh plant infusions in oil, and making lots of plant-based colouring quickly for this month's challenge, I decided it was a good time to dust off the old sous vide (what, gadget-obsessed, moi?!?).


Processing these jars at 70C for 2 hours - fresh and dried versions of dock root and comfrey leaves.

 

[AliOop]

Mrs. Zing is an uber-camper and former girls camp counselor for many summers. I showed her these soaps. And she -- ahem -- told me the recipe for 'bug juice.'

OK, so now I had to look up "bug juice." There is the Navy drink (apparently just a spin-off from Koolaid) that could also be used to clean brass on the ships. There is the paint additive that kills bugs that land on wet paint, And then there is the Disney show by that name, the commercial soft drink by that name, and the Digester Sludge Reduction by that name (used in sewage treatment plants).

Context suggestst that the "bug juice" referenced by Vicki C and Mrs. Zing is something entirely different than any of the definitions that I found. Anyone care to elaborate, or is sharing this secret something that will get you banned from SMF?

 

[earlene]

OK, so now I had to look up "bug juice." There is the Navy drink (apparently just a spin-off from Koolaid) that could also be used to clean brass on the ships. There is the paint additive that kills bugs that land on wet paint, And then there is the Disney show by that name, the commercial soft drink by that name, and the Digester Sludge Reduction by that name (used in sewage treatment plants).

Context suggestst that the "bug juice" referenced by Vicki C and Mrs. Zing is something entirely different than any of the definitions that I found. Anyone care to elaborate, or is sharing this secret something that will get you banned from SMF?

Vicki addressed that here:

Thank you! Bug juice is melt and pour - red & purple mica, acai berry fragrance - super artificial just like the drink

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

I think this is appropriate to share here.

Sale Sale Sale @ WSP on many M & P & other items.

I ordered a "Detergent Free M & P base for a "exfoliant loofah foot scrub soap" & other items. I think I may implement the M & P for our June Challenge.

Happy Shopping & Soaping .

 

[Zing]

OK, so now I had to look up "bug juice." There is the Navy drink (apparently just a spin-off from Koolaid) that could also be used to clean brass on the ships. There is the paint additive that kills bugs that land on wet paint, And then there is the Disney show by that name, the commercial soft drink by that name, and the Digester Sludge Reduction by that name (used in sewage treatment plants).

Context suggestst that the "bug juice" referenced by Vicki C and Mrs. Zing is something entirely different than any of the definitions that I found. Anyone care to elaborate, or is sharing this secret something that will get you banned from SMF?

So I won't speak for @Vicki C . All I'll say is Mrs. Zing knew how to have a good time during her college years....

 

[Vicki C]

This is just beyond all get all! I couldn't believe it when I saw these last night. All on their own, they are stunning. But the stories/symbolism behind them make them even more special.

Then this morning I took another look. For the 'smores, you even made perfect perforations in the graham crackers!!!! Wicky wicky what?!

Mrs. Zing is an uber-camper and former girls camp counselor for many summers. I showed her these soaps. And she -- ahem -- told me the recipe for 'bug juice.'

Thank you Zing! We are all turning 60 and believe it or not we still sing camp songs together. The camp was wonderful - sailing camp on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts which sounds posh but was not. Very rustic platform tents, central latrines with cold water, typical Girl Scout camp. Sadly it closed in the early 90s (I think).
And wait hang on, there’s a recipe for bug juice? I just thought it was cheap powdered sugar drink? Ah I see your reply, when I was a camper there was no booze involved. I think it was just the generic term for sugar drink.

 

[AliOop]

Vicki addressed that here:

Thanks, but I was asking how they make real bug juice, not the soap representation of bug juice.

 

[maryloucb]

I've cut my soap since then and it's now resting under a piece of cotton to protect the spirulina from the light. Does anyone have any experience if this helps with botanical colorants?
Realised I soaped a bit too cold (I can see some spots there) and not to impressed with my first swirl ever, but definitely going to try this again!

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I LOVE your swirl! I have a couple of soaps I colored with spirulina and green sea clay, and I'm anxious to see how the color holds up. I just made them last week, so only time will tell! I have found that matcha colored soaps turn from a pretty bright green to olive green once they are cut, but so far the spirulina hasn't changed at all.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@melonpan green botanicals seem to fade the fastest, but you can slow the fading down by keeping the soap in the dark. I made a soap almost two years ago using matcha tea, annatto, and indigo indigo infused oils and madder and spirulina powders. The matcha layer, which was a beautiful grass green to start with, has faded away to a very pale grey green. The indigo was light blue initially and is now almost white. The annatto is lighter, but still yellow. The madder and spirulina have barely changed. I just looked at it the other day, but then tucked the bin of testing soaps it was in away somewhere mysterious (apparently since I can’t seem to locate it). I will post a photo when I find it.

Here’s the soap! The very pale middle layer is straight matcha infusion, the greener layers above and below had some spirulina or possibly green clay added (my notes are not perfect). The madder powder was a flower hedge type element, but the madder migrated over time. The mountains are colored with spirulina powder. The cloud had a little TD and makes a nice reference white.

p.s. nice swirls in your soap!

 

[melonpan]

hmmmm...really? Well, I'm impressed. Just sayin'! It's a beautiful swirl. Understated elegance. Seriously, that was my first though when I saw the pic before I saw your write-up. Plus, I'm wowed by how consistent your swirl appears to be throughout the loaf. Nicely done!

Thank you for the encouraging words! I think I imagined it turning out differently (more spaced out across the length), but I'm putting on my rose-soap-tinted glasses now. I do like that it is consistent!

This might work for you (it does for me). Permanantly wrap in baking paper & tape that on, then follow with a very tight wrap of plastic wrap, taped on the side the doesn't face the soap. It's easier to clean off after the soap firms up & doesn't need replacing as often as the baking paper.

Thank you earlene, I never thought to cover it twice so that I don't need to replace it every time, it makes much more sense! I'll do so from the next time.

I LOVE your swirl! I have a couple of soaps I colored with spirulina and green sea clay, and I'm anxious to see how the color holds up. I just made them last week, so only time will tell! I have found that matcha colored soaps turn from a pretty bright green to olive green once they are cut, but so far the spirulina hasn't changed at all.

Thank you! We can wait together then as I also soaped last week and really curious to see how the green holds up! Actually I meant to ask when I saw one of your previous posts but didn't get the chance to, it's the first time I read about green sea clay, is it different from French green clay?

 

[violets2217]

And wait hang on, there’s a recipe for bug juice? I just thought it was cheap powdered sugar drink? Ah I see your reply, when I was a camper there was no booze involved. I think it was just the generic term for sugar drink.

My kids loved these.... and when you first mentioned them, I thought of the "Little Hug" drinks in plastic barrel with the foil top! But yes, a camp staple!

 

[melonpan]

@melonpan green botanicals seem to fade the fastest, but you can slow the fading down by keeping the soap in the dark. I made a soap almost two years ago using matcha tea, annatto, and indigo indigo infused oils and madder and spirulina powders. The matcha layer, which was a beautiful grass green to start with, has faded away to a very pale grey green. The indigo was light blue initially and is now almost white. The annatto is lighter, but still yellow. The madder and spirulina have barely changed. I just looked at it the other day, but then tucked the bin of testing soaps it was in away somewhere mysterious (apparently since I can’t seem to locate it). I will post a photo when I find it.

Here’s the soap! The very pale middle layer is straight matcha infusion, the greener layers above and below had some spirulina or possibly green clay added (my notes are not perfect). The madder powder was a flower hedge type element, but the madder migrated over time. The mountains are colored with spirulina powder. The cloud had a little TD and makes a nice reference white.
View attachment 58138
p.s. nice swirls in your soap!

This is so beautiful, I'm really loving it. It looks like a watercolour painting. All the botanical colour goals!

I've been wondering how effective the light blocking should be to preserve the colours best. Is a light cotton enough? Or should it be totally in the dark, like under a cardboard box?
I don't have a dark room to store the curing soaps, so I've covered half batch with a thick cloth and tucked the other half under a cardboard box.