What soapy thing have you done today?

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Maybe not exactly soapy (I have enough soap on hand to get me through my market season) but it is a soapy tangent. Between yesterday and today, I put together 20 IG posts using Chat GPT and Canva. One set of 10 posts is a "Did You Know" about handcrafted soaps and the benefits of using it. The other set of 10 is about ten of the more common oils used in soapmaking. I had a lot of fun putting it all together.

Here are a couple of samples, one from each series.

1.png 9.png
 
not_ally said:
The WSP Nag Champa is one of my favorite oils, but so expensive! Save-it-for-your-favorite-people or lotion/cream expensive. I wonder what people charge for a bar if they sell it. I mix it with OTS Sandalwood sometimes, it is a very nice blend.
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Luckily I don’t sell anymore. It’s all for me, family and friends. I like the new recipe as it easily pops out of the molds. I am going to have to play with it and see how it does with trace as I stick blended the soap more to get it to a thicker trace.
 
Bought some silicone molds from Temu. I used the popsicle mold for the new recipe I’m trying. The mold is a bit thinner than my WSP mold so there is some bowing out at the bottom of the popsicle. I tried to do an in the pot swirl but then realized I was doing it in the bowl I couldn’t easily pour with so I grabbed a funnel and the swirl disappeared as I poured. I also decided not to use a stick blender and it’s a hour later and I’m STILL waiting for the soap to get to medium trace in the mold. 🤣 I did use Scented Expressions Kumquat. I may decide not to stick blend anymore so I can do 6 color swirls.
 
AliensrReal said:
Made soap using a new recipe. It’s scented with WSP Nag Champa. I wanted an all black soap with gold mica lines throughout. Well, the soap turned gray when I added the lye and the mica lines aren’t noticeable. I’ll try again next time and make sure to use more mica for the lines. I also cut it too early and I think I got steric acid spots. Never had them before, but this recipe uses 25% Shea butter.

ETA: a better picture of the mica line.
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You didn't get what you planned but it is really nice looking soap there! For black I have luck with charcoal and a pinch of black oxide.
Also, not sure if I'm reading your post correctly but stearic spots are more about the solids solidifying quickly, and not related to cutting.
Good luck to you!
 
Zing said:
You didn't get what you planned but it is really nice looking soap there! For black I have luck with charcoal and a pinch of black oxide.
Also, not sure if I'm reading your post correctly but stearic spots are more about the solids solidifying quickly, and not related to cutting.
Good luck to you!
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Thanks! I think the spots are more cutting too early. I’ll go with that as I don’t see them on the outside of the soap. I did use black oxide, but not enough. I’ll add a little charcoal next time. It smells lovely and I can’t wait to try the soap once it’s cured.
 
AliensrReal said:
the mica lines aren’t noticeable. I’ll try again next time and make sure to use more mica for the lines. I also cut it too early and I think I got steric acid spots.
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When I make Dragon’s Blood soap, I color a portion of the batter with gold Enviro glitter to swirl into the main batter in the mold. It shows up well in the dark soap. Perhaps it would work to do something similar with black soap?

Were your oils clear when you added the lye, or were they hazy? The only time I had steric spots was when I let the oils cool down too much. The oils had already started clumping with the steric spots before the lye was added. My most recent favorite recipe has a healthy amount of Shea butter at 20%, so I am making sure that my oils are absolutely clear prior to adding lye. You might also try steaming the bar to see if any of those spots are actually air bubbles.

IMG_5184.jpeg
 
My oils were clear when I added the lye water. And temp was 120F. I’ve never had stearic spots so I have no clue what they look like in soap. I was just guessing, but it’s most likely bubbles from cutting too soon. I’ll steam the soap in a few weeks and see what happens. Thanks for the advice!

I also most likely did not add enough black oxide as I have a habit of doing that. I will try the gold enviro glitter and do a swirl next time. That’s an excellent idea!

I’m trying to broaden my creativity with soap making as I only ever did drop swirls or layers when I was selling. So, I’m pretty excited about branching out from that and I’m having fun.
 
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I’ve been spending all week photographing my soap, etc and adding new products to my website. The photography part is such a struggle for me. I spent the last hour trying to get this photographed. I’m not very happy with it but it will have to do. It’s the first time I made actual Christmas soaps. Usually I just do some Christmas packaging. I hope they sell. I only made nine sets though, so if all else fails, they will be gifts for my family and friends.
 

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So when should you cut your soap - how soon after unmolding? Relative newby here who watches all those videos where it appears they cut the soap immediately.
I call those white spots ‘lumpy bumpies’ and always suspected they were tiny air bubbles as they could be planed off.
 
jeanemarie said:
So when should you cut your soap - how soon after unmolding? Relative newby here who watches all those videos where it appears they cut the soap immediately.
I call those white spots ‘lumpy bumpies’ and always suspected they were tiny air bubbles as they could be planed off.
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It honestly depends on your recipe. My regular recipe takes about a week before it’s ready to unmold. I want it to feel kinda firm without being spongy.
I am also the person who will unmold knowing that it’s not ready all because I’m impatient. Then I get upset that I unmolded it too early and promise not to do it again but I still do it.
 
jeanemarie said:
So when should you cut your soap - how soon after unmolding? Relative newby here who watches all those videos where it appears they cut the soap immediately.
I call those white spots ‘lumpy bumpies’ and always suspected they were tiny air bubbles as they could be planed off.
Click to expand...
I usually cut mine between 10 - 18 hours in the mold. The soap should feel a bit like edam cheese to the touch. Like @AliensrReal says, it is recipe dependent. A recipe high in OO might take longer.

@Zany_in_CO - sorry, no cut bars! It went on my salmon and asparagus 😋
 
Jersey Girl said:
I’ve been spending all week photographing my soap, etc and adding new products to my website. The photography part is such a struggle for me. I spent the last hour trying to get this photographed. I’m not very happy with it but it will have to do. It’s the first time I made actual Christmas soaps. Usually I just do some Christmas packaging. I hope they sell. I only made nine sets though, so if all else fails, they will be gifts for my family and friends.
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You're upping your game, there! Looks great!
AliensrReal said:
It honestly depends on your recipe. My regular recipe takes about a week before it’s ready to unmold. I want it to feel kinda firm without being spongy.
I am also the person who will unmold knowing that it’s not ready all because I’m impatient. Then I get upset that I unmolded it too early and promise not to do it again but I still do it.
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I almost always unmold at 24 hours. I also use sodium lactate which makes a difference.

And @KiwiMoose Stop makin me hongry already!!
 
AliOop said:
Yesterday my husband installed some shelving above the washer and dryer in our laundry room - the perfect location for storage tubs filled with empty product containers. 😍
View attachment 75051
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Relle said:
Nice tub of marshmallows you have there, fooood 😋.
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Those are great shelving units. I immediately thought they were marshmallows too. Or big cotton balls. Nice to have the space for organizing.
 

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