What soapy thing have you done today?
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LizzardBlizzard
Active Member
Today I was brainstorming how to include my 5 year old who is very excited about soap, in the soap making process. He has so far been excluded from cold process soap making because of safety. Well, he asked if he could cut the soap that I'd made, and since it was for our own personal use I said yes as long as you wear your safety gear. Despite the one wedge shape and a couple of XXL bars, he actually did a pretty great job, and it was really sweet to see him so excited about a hobby I love.
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If anyone is interested, I posted a labelled version of my latest round of FO tests in a media album, here. I included the test recipe in the caption. Consider the info on acceleration to be a first cut, not definitive. Only OT's White Patchouli threatened to become soap on a stick using this testing approach.
Made my 10th batch today. First time masterbatching (although on a very small scale) - I doubled my recipe, used half the oils and lye solution right away, and have the other half of each waiting until later this evening when I've got time to do another loaf.
So I didn't make soap, but I I supervised Zing, Jr. aka Sting make soap. He gave bars from his first batch of soap made with his company's beeswax and honey to his coworkers recently so was highly motivated to make a second batch. I told Sting this time, you're on your own and I will just be around. This morning he came into the soap shop, looked at the soapcalc.net printout, and then left the house without a word.
This evening Sting said, Dad can you black out everything I don't need to see, this is too much. I also find soapcalc overwhelming so I knew what he was saying. I am glad I was around because he said he was going to weigh the water in a container, tare the scale, and then add the lye until the required grams!
So after my lecture on lye safety, he did alright. He's even more OCD about measuring and scraping than I. And, he's a bada-- for NOT using separate measuring cups and just weighed all ingredients all into one pot on the scale! Even the liquid oils! Who does that?!
Anyway, it was a fun evening with my son. He's curious and asked a lot of questions about ingredients, qualities of oils and butters, process, etc.
This evening Sting said, Dad can you black out everything I don't need to see, this is too much. I also find soapcalc overwhelming so I knew what he was saying. I am glad I was around because he said he was going to weigh the water in a container, tare the scale, and then add the lye until the required grams!
So after my lecture on lye safety, he did alright. He's even more OCD about measuring and scraping than I. And, he's a bada-- for NOT using separate measuring cups and just weighed all ingredients all into one pot on the scale! Even the liquid oils! Who does that?!
Anyway, it was a fun evening with my son. He's curious and asked a lot of questions about ingredients, qualities of oils and butters, process, etc.
I wonder if you could take a clear plastic sleeve and cut a piece of paper or 2 to cover all the parts not needed.
I usually end up taking an index card and moving it down the paper as I measure each oil.
How wonderful you had quality time with your son making soap!
I usually end up taking an index card and moving it down the paper as I measure each oil.
How wonderful you had quality time with your son making soap!
That's how I cut soap.
I think he did great!@Mobjack Bay, I can't believe that White Patchouli outcompeted Confederate Jasmine, Honeysuckle and Jasmine and Mediterranean Sea Salt on the SOS meter! Are there any FO's that you can think of off the top of your head that are both slow to trace and good stickers?
An "off the top of my head list" of some of my favorites that in that respect that are still affordable (part of the reason I remember them OTTOMH is that I use them over and over): WPS Pink Grapefruit, WPS(AHRE) Bamboo Sugarcane, WPS Nag Champa (fails affordability test though), OTS Mysore Sandalwood, OTS Bonsai (although both OTS scents are just under $40/lb), Fragrance Buddy Avobath, NG Cucumber Wasabi CIlantro, NG Perfect Man, NG Green Irish Tweed, NG Teakwood and Cardamom, California Candle Black Smoke.
Cool, apparently I'm a bada$$ now...
PS - I make no claims whatsoever that such measurements directly into my single pot are, how shall I say... exact?
AliensrReal
Well-Known Member
I wish someone did this for me when starting out. It took me weeks and a bottle of wine to understand soap calc.This evening Sting said, Dad can you black out everything I don't need to see, this is too much. I also find soapcalc overwhelming so I knew what he was saying. I am glad I was around because he said he was going to weigh the water in a container, tare the scale, and then add the lye until the required grams!
I have replaced everything that was destroyed in the 2024 Soap Gate. Gonna soap today. I keep smelling all my fragrance oils and can’t figure out which one to use.
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@AliensrReal I do that too. It was easy when I only had 5 bottles of FOs. Now I have 40+ and I really have to think about what I will create with each fo.
It's always a first cut on behavior in test soaps because what happens in 80 g of batter is only a hint of what could happen in 1500 g or more.
You hit on a couple of my reliably slow stickers. I can add these:
Majestic Mountain Sage Osmanthus
BeScented's Black Raspberry Vanilla (not a big favorite of mine, but lots of people seem to like it)
OTS Green Irish Tweed
Do you use Confederate Jasmine, Honeysuckle and Jasmine and Mediterranean Sea Salt? Do they misbehave? Do they stick?
I received an 8 oz bottle MSS by mistake and OTS told me to keep it. It smells nice, but the max usage rates are very low.
Just updated the album with another round. Very interesting results! Has anyone else tried Cafe Americano from Scent Memory? The soap got so hot that I was afraid it would volcano in the cavity mold. SM's Profumo di Giardino accelerated at lightening speed and three other SM FOs weeped out of the soaps. I don't think they're formulating for FO behavior in soap.
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Cinnamon Square
Member
First time joining this thread - forgive me for not reading it all from the beginning!
I have just made a batch of soap today, aiming to use up some of my oils/butters that I don’t plan on re-ordering, so my recipe was made up just for today. Used a familiar FO which I’ve used before with no issues (white tea). For some reason the acceleration was so heavy! Ended up with pretty much soap on a stick with the mica-coloured portions, which I’ve had to try to jam into the mould somehow
So, instead of a beautiful drop swirl with black and pink I’ve got this:
I think it looks a little bit like cookies and cream ice cream. But not quite what I was aiming for! It’s currently CPOPing in the oven, so we’ll see what happens!
I have just made a batch of soap today, aiming to use up some of my oils/butters that I don’t plan on re-ordering, so my recipe was made up just for today. Used a familiar FO which I’ve used before with no issues (white tea). For some reason the acceleration was so heavy! Ended up with pretty much soap on a stick with the mica-coloured portions, which I’ve had to try to jam into the mould somehow
So, instead of a beautiful drop swirl with black and pink I’ve got this:
I think it looks a little bit like cookies and cream ice cream. But not quite what I was aiming for! It’s currently CPOPing in the oven, so we’ll see what happens!
AliensrReal
Well-Known Member
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I haven't used them, my comment was based on the almost universal tendency of floral and seawater FOs to speed trace. I've found ones that stick (eg, both Sweetcakes and Midwest Fragrance Company have wonderful rose fragrances that stick very well, but both accelerate trace to varying degrees, the Sweetcakes one is impossible to use with more than one color/any kind of swirl.) So was just surprised that those were better than a patchouli based FO, those usually don't create issues for me.
Cinnamon Square
Member
I've unmoulded and cut the soap disaster from the weekend. It's not awful awful, just mildly awful Obviously the swirls are non-existant and there are a few holes from not being able to jam solid soap into the mould, but still a usable soap.
Total waste of FO oil though as it's a relatively high percentage of cocoa butter, so the cocoa butter scent is overwhelming the white tea loveliness. Probably should have thought of that
Edited to add - got to use my Hercules cutter for the first time and I'm in love!
Obviously the swirls are non-existant and there are a few holes from not being able to jam solid soap into the mould, but still a usable soap.Total waste of FO oil though as it's a relatively high percentage of cocoa butter, so the cocoa butter scent is overwhelming the white tea loveliness. Probably should have thought of that
Edited to add - got to use my Hercules cutter for the first time and I'm in love!
Annathie
Member
Hello,
I'm looking at trying to use duck fat this weekend in soap. I see in your ingredients above (and also in mine from SoapCalc), it states duck fat, flesh and skin. Surely we aren't putting in the flesh and skin??? Is there anything I need to be aware of when using duck fat?
Thanks heaps...
Anne.
Hi Zing, I’m just playing around with my base recipe in an attempt to increase longevity of my bars and have found on the calc that subbing some of my olive oil for RBO helps to hire the palmitic which is nice as I can also get RBO fairly reasonably priced here but just curious as to how it hardens in time….. would you say RBO is comparable to OO in terms of hardness and longevity? I intend to make several batches to play around with this, Including a full replacement of olive oil…… but just curious before my experiment begins!!
I should add that I have used RBO at 10% before and enjoyed it in my bars but have never gone higher than this and with my new recipes I would be looking at 15-45%…..
AliensrReal
Well-Known Member
I used a one pot pour followed by a hanger swirl using BB Orange Peel. The funny thing is that the colors compliment each other so much that you can’t differentiate them unless you use a black light. From afar it looks like a jumbled mess of colors, but up close you can see the hanger swirl and I just love that! Didn’t use enough red color but that’s okay. Next time I’ll use predominantly yellow and accent with red and orange instead of using equal parts of each color.
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My main reason for changing from olive oil to rice bran oil was that I find olive oil soap slimey. And Daddy needs his bubbles! I use RBO at 23% and according to soapcalc, the hardness # is 48 on a range of 29-54. People tell me my soap lasts a long time but I don't have any exact stats for you, sorry. I can't really compare it to olive oil anymore because it's been several years that I switched over.
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