That does sound divine
What soapy thing have you done today?
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There might be! I love lavender but used to get sick if I smelled patchouli. I blend Lavender with Geranium and Himalayan Cedarwood. That cuts down on the medicinal smell and is quite nice.I'm not a fan of Lavender either but Holly Soap Making does an eo blend of Lavender and Peppermint. I tried to replicate it and almost made myself sick!! I wonder if there is a Lavender gene just like there's a Cilantro gene. You either love the smell or you hate it!
Oh and what soappy thing did I do today? Cut my 3rd attempt at a Ghost Swirl with a batter recipe of my own choosing. I'd made two on Tuesday, one 33%/50% lye concentration. The one I cut today was 30%/44%. This soap I had to put into the fridge before it was hard enough to cut. I live in Northern CA and it's in the triple digits here. Air is on but I think it's just to hot for that particular loaf. :-( I did some lurking on the forum, got an idea for another couple of soaps, and thought about ordering more scents (Like I don't have enough!) Anyone need new bottle of peppermint eo?
God, this is addiction!!
We live in SoCal but my husband is visiting family up in Northern Cal this week and he was floored by the heat! He can't wait to get back to LA to cool down!!
It is and it has a great shelf life too! The biggest thing to be careful about is not soaping too cold b/c it will start to solidify too soon. Mid 90's F seems to work well for me.That does sound divine
I don't do anything small! LOL!!Oh my! I was thinking a small bottle(not that I wouldn't use those sizes!), but I have about 37 grams of tussah silk I'm willing to part with since I never use it ~ but I seriously doubt it comes close in value to your two 4 oz bottles
Oh I LOVE Patchouli! LOL - there's got to be a gene! LOL!!
I made some CP soap - it didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked (glycerin rivers) but OMG the scent! I blended 50% tangerine EO, 25% litsea cubeba EO, and 25% sandalwood patchouli (a mix of fragrance and EO - I will mix my own EO blend in the future but didn’t have sandalwood EO at the time). It smelled great in the raw soap and just as good, if not better, when I cut it. I hope it stays after curing. I keep going into the curing area to sniff it. 
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I think it’s like the cilantro gene.
If you are wealthy enough to purchase real sandalwood EO for anything, we all want to be your friend. If you are wealthy enough to make soap with it, some of us may want to marry you.
If you are wealthy enough to purchase real sandalwood EO for anything, we all want to be your friend. If you are wealthy enough to make soap with it, some of us may want to marry you.
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Hilarious! I will admit to not checking out prices on sandalwood EO. Yikes! I’ll either keep using the FO/EO blend (I really do like it, was just trying for an all EO blend), or adjust the patchouli. I personally like patchouli, but it is definitely not everyone’s fave. Have you seen Eartherella’s YouTube videos on using patchouli?
Thanks for being a good sport - we do like the occasional gentle jest around here.
I haven't seen those videos, but I'll check them out. I confess to being a patch hater most of my life, until @cmzaha introduced me to aged dark patchouli. Apparently what I'd smelled before was cheap junk because this stuff was/is incredible. She did the same with her custom Dragon's Blood mix. Ruined for life now...
I get a sample of the sandalwood powder with most orders I make at Eden Botanicals. Not sure if it will stay in a soap but I'll probably start those experiments at some point. Facial masks, etc, could be a good use and it's an affordable gentle smelling option.
This is a Himalayan Pink Salt soap. I’ve made this once before and somehow I messed it up. I wanted to see if I could do it again without the mistake. Whether I corrected my mistake or not, the top sure looks pretty. 
Well, technically it was yesterday but we are on vacation in Hawaii and I saw this in a little Maui Museum. Had to take a picture for my soapy friends 1. because it’s cool, but mostly 2. because I recall some of y’all chatting about this Fels Naptha soap. 
I also picked up a lovely pineapple mango scented soap from a local soap maker today while on the Road to Hana.
I also picked up a lovely pineapple mango scented soap from a local soap maker today while on the Road to Hana.
I just made soap with a quite high amount of argan oil (23%). I know the common opinion on this is that it is to much of a luxury oil to waste in soap. And I might just agree with that statement when I'll try it, but sometimes I just need to test things out by myself ! Plus, someone gave me argan oil that they were not using and it is too much for me to use on skin and hair before it spoils.
I also tried a pull-through design upcycling the plastic thing you get in pickle jars sometimes. I'll have to wait for the cut to see but i know it won't be very good, it didn't stay horizontal when I lifted it.
I also tried a pull-through design upcycling the plastic thing you get in pickle jars sometimes. I'll have to wait for the cut to see but i know it won't be very good, it didn't stay horizontal when I lifted it.
Nah, I'm like you! I love putting nice stuff in soaps. I have such sensitive skin, I'll take every tiny amount of awesomeness! I put a small amount of argan oil in my recent vegan soap and every family member that's tried my still curing soap, loves it and finds it really silky.
I don't think it will matter if your pull-through soap design is straight or not. It's fun to try new things and you'll be cutting it into slices, so no-one will know (once you don't tell them!).
I made wet shaving soap. Using the fully hydrogenated soybean oil @Mobjack Bay pointed me to here.
Soaped really hot. The batter was 164°F. Stopped mixing at coats-the-back-of-a-spoon thickness. It was still to late
I get that even better lather that I'm after.
Soaped really hot. The batter was 164°F. Stopped mixing at coats-the-back-of-a-spoon thickness. It was still to late
I get that even better lather that I'm after.
It looks so creamyI made wet shaving soap. Using the fully hydrogenated soybean oil @Mobjack Bay pointed me to here.
Soaped really hot. The batter was 164°F. Stopped mixing at coats-the-back-of-a-spoon thickness. It was still to late
shannonavery24
New Member
The remaining soap baste will be used for upgrading my salty sugar scrubs to a whipped version.
shannonavery24
New Member
I don’t think my original post was entered. I made a liquid soap base with bergamot and lemon adding spearmint so for the men’s version and jasmine for the y. It took me 3 days and I am happy with the result. I’m going to post pictures if you’re interested.
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No soap stuff today (but I'm keeping my hopes up for Sunday), but it's mostly because I've taken a break from making soap to build myself a dedicated soap station. Yep, I know how lucky I am to have the skills/tools/cash/room* to do this (thank you, former self, for learning basic carpentry!).
Here's a snapshot of my current soap-making workstation. It's my old workbench and the only place in the house I have to make soap AND to do repairs and wood projects for the house. Every time I have to do something other than soapmaking I have to pack everything away, then clean up and get everything back out to make more soap. It finally reached the point on July 4 weekend that I decided to do something about it. I've moved my 'home office' desk over to the opposite wall and am building a new workbench for the soap:
I snapped this shot as I was trying to figure out how to get the shelves in after I foolishly put the sides on first! This is the kind of task that's a lot easier with a second person. I finally did get the main shelves in, and now I'm working on the upper shelves. I'm installing lighting over the new bench, too, and it will be very nice not to be working in murky lighting for once. I'm really looking forward to getting it set up, and also happy that I'll be able to set up my old workbench for what I build it for originally! It's been ages since I had my tools out where I can find them. I actually have been making soap, after the awful winter doldrums; according to my records I've made 10 small batches since mid May. Here's most of that production:
I'm running out of drying rack space, so I've gathered 6 milk crates we had lying around and I'm going to give them a good cleaning and use them as 'racks.' I think I can get 12 bars in each crate, and they stack so they shouldn't take up much floor space at all.
I promise to take a 'glamor shot' of the new bench once I get it set up & before Iwreck it start making soap on it.
My soap To Do list for the rest of the year includes making more soap for the farmers markets this autumn (can my nerves stand it?**), finally learning the online inventory system I've been paying for and not using, and perhaps studying for my HSCG basic certification (but I may wait for the winter to do that, and try to get the Basic and Advanced done in one big push... have any of you been through the certification process?). I've been making progress on my plan to standardize on a handful of suppliers (and alternates) for my core raw materials, though we're still trying to figure out which scent suppliers to go with.
I also need to buy a couple of tables, more display shelves, and an awning thingy for the markets. Now that I have my workbench back, maybe I can make my own display shelves! ***
-=-
*I don't really have enough room; I'm just cramming it in anyway.
**I'm stressed because I don't care for crowds and my introvert self will be exhausted after every event, I know that.
***Can you tell that I'm in an 'upswing' phase of my mood swings?
Here's a snapshot of my current soap-making workstation. It's my old workbench and the only place in the house I have to make soap AND to do repairs and wood projects for the house. Every time I have to do something other than soapmaking I have to pack everything away, then clean up and get everything back out to make more soap. It finally reached the point on July 4 weekend that I decided to do something about it. I've moved my 'home office' desk over to the opposite wall and am building a new workbench for the soap:
I snapped this shot as I was trying to figure out how to get the shelves in after I foolishly put the sides on first! This is the kind of task that's a lot easier with a second person. I finally did get the main shelves in, and now I'm working on the upper shelves. I'm installing lighting over the new bench, too, and it will be very nice not to be working in murky lighting for once. I'm really looking forward to getting it set up, and also happy that I'll be able to set up my old workbench for what I build it for originally! It's been ages since I had my tools out where I can find them. I actually have been making soap, after the awful winter doldrums; according to my records I've made 10 small batches since mid May. Here's most of that production:
I'm running out of drying rack space, so I've gathered 6 milk crates we had lying around and I'm going to give them a good cleaning and use them as 'racks.' I think I can get 12 bars in each crate, and they stack so they shouldn't take up much floor space at all.
I promise to take a 'glamor shot' of the new bench once I get it set up & before I
My soap To Do list for the rest of the year includes making more soap for the farmers markets this autumn (can my nerves stand it?**), finally learning the online inventory system I've been paying for and not using, and perhaps studying for my HSCG basic certification (but I may wait for the winter to do that, and try to get the Basic and Advanced done in one big push... have any of you been through the certification process?). I've been making progress on my plan to standardize on a handful of suppliers (and alternates) for my core raw materials, though we're still trying to figure out which scent suppliers to go with.
I also need to buy a couple of tables, more display shelves, and an awning thingy for the markets. Now that I have my workbench back, maybe I can make my own display shelves! ***
-=-
*I don't really have enough room; I'm just cramming it in anyway.
**I'm stressed because I don't care for crowds and my introvert self will be exhausted after every event, I know that.
***Can you tell that I'm in an 'upswing' phase of my mood swings?
Happy Steamed Soap Saturday!
I was getting these soaps ready to photograph. Maybe I will post some pics later.
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