What soapy thing have you done today?

[gww]

My wife does lots of this painting old stuff new. Some was cheap stuff and some was stuff we bought new 20 years ago and did not seem the least bit hurt to me. I always think she is nuts on times like that but then she proves to me that her work really made stuff unbelievably better.
I should feel bad, she did our propane tank just two days ago plus a table and four purple chairs that are now not purple. All in a three day warm spell around here.
Just goes to show that I married up. You go girls, your stuff looks great.
Cheers
gww

 

[Catscankim]

My soapy thing today...I am trying to recreate a soapy accident from a year or two ago when I was learning wall pours. I suck at them. I get soap everywhere. The last soap that I did was a perfect fit as far as soap batter to mold ratio goes. I ended up spilling so much while trying to do a wall pour, that I ended up with half sized bars of super neat soap LOL. Kinda made me mad. Still mad cause I don't know if I can ever make something like that again. Plus my cutting bars was less than par back then, so my soap really took a hit on size.

So here I am with the challenge looming, trying to recreate that last bar of soap that I have left.

I made extra batter because of my spilling tendencies while doing a wall pour. And wouldn't you know that I didn't spill a drop. So now I have 200grams of soap batter that I don't know what to do with.

I know you are thinking to just put it in molds, but I always get so much ash on individual mold "extra" pours even if I cpop with the rest of the loaf, that I usually throw them away. So I'm probably gonna skip the extra step of pouring into cavity molds and just throw away the extra batter...it's unscented anyway, except for a small bit.

 

[Grandma Sheep]

So I'm just wondering what stages everyone's at. I'm a curious little cat, I am.

For myself, I'm waiting for my most recent batch of bar soap to firm up (trying to give it 24 hours before I even touch it, since the soapcalc numbers put it just shy of the 'ideal' hardness range). In addition I fiddled around with the liquid soap I made yesterday (a good chunk of it didn't dissolved, and I was seeing if that was because there wasn't enough water to dilute it all... sure enough that was the problem so it was diluted and added to the bottle holding the rest of it).

And right now I have a tea going that will eventually be strained and frozen, to be used when I make my shampoo bar. Still need to get to my aunt's to pick her citrus trees... But at least I can have the liquid ready to go! I measured out 1/2 oz of dried marshmallow root, 1 1/2 cups water (both weighed to the gram), and then for kicks I tossed in one bag each of Bigelow's Chammomile Lemon and I Love Lemon teas. I'm going to be infusing both chamomile and lemon into the oils, and needed to use the teas anyways (and I don't drink tea). Win-win, right? I might not need all of the tea for the shampoo bar (I'll only be using about 500g oils after all), but at least I'll have it done.

I just poured 10 lb of bear grease lye soap. It traced nicely and can't wait to see how it is set in the morning. This will be given to our 19th Century reenactment group and living history friends.

 

[deighturp]

Not @linne1gi, but I put spent coffee into my Coffee Day soap. I used a generous 10% of the oil weight – but still wet from brewing. It came out very scratchy. The bad news is that when you use less, it isn't less scratchy, just fewer coffee particles that are scratchy. Incidentally I've asked how to get a speckled look without that much scratchiness not long ago.

Wow, thank you very much. My wife wanted me to make another batch and use less coffee grinds. Not going to now. I have a friend that told me she uses a coffee scrub on her face and she really likes it and has a very nice complexion.

Not @linne1gi, but I put spent coffee into my Coffee Day soap. I used a generous 10% of the oil weight – but still wet from brewing. It came out very scratchy. The bad news is that when you use less, it isn't less scratchy, just fewer coffee particles that are scratchy. Incidentally I've asked how to get a speckled look without that much scratchiness not long ago.

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

I made some fizzy bath salts and some sugar scrub cubes. The fizzy bath salts smell good and fizzed when I washed the dishes, so I think that one is going to work. The first sugar scrub batch was a fail, but I'm sure it will work as regular sugar scrub. The second one held together better. The recipe didn't say so, but I think the shredded soap was supposed to be melt and pour. I just used some shreds from beveling. I will give it and the fizzy bath salts a full trial tonight .

 

[Catscankim]

I will give it and the fizzy bath salts a full trial tonight .

It's a terrible job, but somebody's got to do it

 

[Misschief]

I didn't do anything soapy today but I did hear back from my contact at the winery. She's been off for the past two days and just got to see the soap this morning. She loves them!!

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/special-order-soaps.86235/

 

[Guspuppy]

Well, it seems I may have been a bit hasty in throwing out the half-can of Great Value shortening that I had decided was the root cause of my soft soap (then it turned out to be bad lye). I just tried a 5-week old bar of the GV soap and it's really nice! Actually cured the softness out. Yay!

 

[Zing]

Just goes to show that I married up. You go girls, your stuff looks great.
Cheers
gww

Me, too!

I know you are thinking to just put it in molds, but I always get so much ash on individual mold "extra" pours even if I cpop with the rest of the loaf, that I usually throw them away. So I'm probably gonna skip the extra step of pouring into cavity molds and just throw away the extra batter...it's unscented anyway, except for a small bit.

Blasphemy! What is this throwing away batter??!! Just kidding. I too long had problems with ash on my leftover single cavity molds. Thanks to a tip from guess where, I don't unmold for several days, sometimes a week, and have not had issues since. After pouring, I also spray alcohol, cover with plastic wrap, and cardboard.

 

[LynetteO]

So I read an old thread for a past challenge for travel soap. I LOVE all things small, so even though I have no time for anything other than Christmas preparation, I could NOT help but make a few single use soaps. Here is thread:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...ge-travel-soap-entry-thread.71898/post-724444
Took the soaps to work & gave most of them away, but they (slightly bigger than a quarter) are definitely way too big for single use! However it was a fun fast & easy project so I’m going to do some tiny ones!

 

[Dawni]

I posted this on my Instagram this afternoon:

And by night I was already sold out. Yey!

Granted, it was a small batch, which I said was "limited edition" lol but still... I was worried I was too late for gift sets.

I'm actually envious of whoever gets these as gifts. 9mos cured triple butter soap is yum.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I see a rose. Have I passed the Rorschach test?

 

[Dawni]

I see a rose. Have I passed the Rorschach test?

Haha that's so cool! Well it is scented with geranium, among other things lol

Thing is, it's not that pink in real haha must be my camera/screen. And some of the cuts look like ham - hence why I offered it this Christmas. Here, for Noche Buena (Christmas eve meal), a lot of people serve ham so I figured yeah let's go with that. A bit of levity y'know. People (here at least) got it immediately and so, I'm all out in just a few hours. Makes me happy haha

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I wasn't referring to the colour at all (IG filters ). I mean the actual pattern of the flesh bits:

Spoiler

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I see a rose.

I see it too! Lovely.

 

[Dawni]

I wasn't referring to the colour at all (IG filters ). I mean the actual pattern of the flesh bits:

Spoiler

View attachment 63105

No, I got that lol
I wish I had the skills to swirl a full rose in HP soap
Just thought to mention the pink-ness.... Haha

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Dawni
Your HP soap is beautiful' not to mention the triple butter skin loving goodness. Fantastic on a complete sale out though doesn't surprise me.
Can I ask you' @ what stage do you stop the cook? when I create HP soap mine is a plop in the mold as fast as I can' w/ no room or time to even add a color. I'll cook past the Vaseline stage' then test for a zap' which I thinking I should stop the cook right before V stage?. I love the benefits of selected butters HP gives.

 

[Dawni]

Dawni
Your HP soap is beautiful' not to mention the triple butter skin loving goodness. Fantastic on a complete sale out though doesn't surprise me.
Can I ask you' @ what stage do you stop the cook? when I create HP soap mine is a plop in the mold as fast as I can' w/ no room or time to even add a color. I'll cook past the Vaseline stage' then test for a zap' which I thinking I should stop the cook right before V stage?. I love the benefits of selected butters HP gives.

Thank you! That's very kind of you

I think I've done the zap test only 3-4x since I started soaping lol, and haven't for quite a while. I'd rather make sure all my ingredients and measurements are fine before I start so I know that my soap would not have excess lye by the time I remove it from the mold, bar other factors.

I also learned early on, c/o the lovely people in this forum, that saponification continues in the mold (I figure as long as that soap is hot, it's doing its thing lol) so yes, I do stop the cook as soon as I see a bit of translucency. I soap on high, so the heat just keeps cooking the soap even when the cooker is off and sometimes the transition from full vaseline to slightly overcooked takes just seconds and by then it's too late to pour, let alone attempt wispy swirls or proper layers or even multiple colors. That happened quite a lot when I was new lol

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Thank you! That's very kind of you

I think I've done the zap test only 3-4x since I started soaping lol, and haven't for quite a while. I'd rather make sure all my ingredients and measurements are fine before I start so I know that my soap would not have excess lye by the time I remove it from the mold, bar other factors.

I also learned early on, c/o the lovely people in this forum, that saponification continues in the mold (I figure as long as that soap is hot, it's doing its thing lol) so yes, I do stop the cook as soon as I see a bit of translucency. I soap on high, so the heat just keeps cooking the soap even when the cooker is off and sometimes the transition from full vaseline to slightly overcooked takes just seconds and by then it's too late to pour, let alone attempt wispy swirls or proper layers or even multiple colors. That happened quite a lot when I was new lol

Yes I cooked it tell no zap' ( over cooked ) lol, then i'll add my extra skin lovin butters' yogurt FO/EO or what ever' which helped loosen the soap somewhat so I could plop it in the mold asap & bang it down, ive come close to soap in the pot' many of times' tittering on the edge! .

Next time I make a HP soap i'm gonna stop right before the Vaseline Stage' thats the tricky part & key ( now I Know ) I also love the fast action in HP its exciting waiting for the volcano to erupt' then stirring it down quickly. knowing I can't walk away for even a second!

Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time & your help. .

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

The fizzy bath salt was a win, but the sugar scrub cubes were a fail and I threw them in the garbage. I made some lotion bars and they turned out well. Regular sugar scrub is next...