What soapy thing have you done today?

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I finally made dual-lye soap! I've been wanting to do it for so long but was irrationally frightened. I followed the directions of @DeeAnna 's Classic Bells dual-lye directions, and it was so helpful!

I used a new FO (Champagne Pear by Fragrance Buddy), so I kept it simple and did an uncolored, no swirl soap. I think the creamy color goes really well with the FO.
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Looks beautiful- something magical about an uncolored soap, and FB Champagne Pear is a favorite of mine! 🌸
 
My 3 month old is developing eczema and I've debated doing this or just make a small batch of lotion with breastmilk.
Im making both today. I know my daughter put some breast milk on a rash at the waist diaper line and it helped so it may be beneficial. We will see.

I love this place. I was able to search the forum and finf=d the answers I need to make breast milk soap.
 
Im making both today. I know my daughter put some breast milk on a rash at the waist diaper line and it helped so it may be beneficial. We will see.

I love this place. I was able to search the forum and finf=d the answers I need to make breast milk soap.
It’s great to hear how things are going - you have been missed!
 
I sometimes feel like soapmaking has been pushed to the background and I hate that. I intend to concentrate on soap more in the future, rather than the bath & body side of things. To that end, last weekend I made two batches of wine soap, red and white, with local wines. I've made them in the past for a local winery and I still had some of the wine left so I used those up. Today, I made a batch of new to me soap. I'm calling it Farmyard Soap; it's made with beef tallow, egg yolks, lanolin, beeswax, and milk (among other ingredients). I scented it with a combination of Fresh Linen and Rain and topped it with calendula petals from our own garden. After I had it in the mold, I decided that next time I make it, I'll use goat's milk, rather than cow's milk. Surprisingly, it behaved very well. I don't think it would work for elaborate swirls but I was afraid it would trace really fast because of the beeswax. I'm really looking forward to trying this one.

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I finally made dual-lye soap! I've been wanting to do it for so long but was irrationally frightened. I followed the directions of @DeeAnna 's Classic Bells dual-lye directions, and it was so helpful!

I used a new FO (Champagne Pear by Fragrance Buddy), so I kept it simple and did an uncolored, no swirl soap. I think the creamy color goes really well with the FO.
View attachment 78393
Love the top!! I can never get mine to come out like that 😢
 
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Missed the deadline for this months contest, but thought I’d show my efforts here. Everything was a little too thick, but I’m kind of pleased with the results.
Oh, and I also made two versions of an oatmeal soap. One with colloidal oatmeal and one with homemade ground up oats. I had a question, a while back, about the difference between these two types of oatmeals. There were all kinds of opinions! Finally got my hands on some colloidal oatmeal and I’ll let everyone know what I think of the two soaps in about four weeks.
 
Your soap looks lovely, @Misschief - so creamy dreamy!

Today we went to the Pear Fair which celebrates the Bartlett Pear harvest. 2 booths had handmade soap, but I didn’t get to chat with either of the makers as they had stepped away and left their DHs to run their booths - LOL.
Brought home a bag of pears and a pear pie - yum!

Then when we got home I made a double batch of Watermelon Soap. I feel like this is all I post, but I’m still on the quest to find the colors I’m trying for in the main part. This time, I used NS Trial by Fire for most of it, and some BB Rose Pearl. Fingers crossed….
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So here are my attempts. The one on the right I added some red mica trying to make the soap look more tomatoie. I took a little bit of the soap and washed my hands with it and the suds are pink, but not excessive. There is some salt but not enough to call it assault soap. I kind of like the one on the right.
I love the color I get in soaps made with paprika infused olive oil, but I don't like that the color disappears over time. I made a soap with paprika infused olive oil that turned out a surprising shade of pink that quickly turned the same orange shade as your soap pictured on the left. The color is now turning white, though I think it's about a year old now.
 
After neglecting the soap making for a while (busy building at our cottage with the hope to move before Christmas), I suddenly realised that stocks are running low.
So, went on a making spree for 3 weekends. Have Boerseep, Stain Stick, Lavender, Peppermint, Vanilla, Turmeric and Winter soap curing.
Super impressed with the 2 loaf moulds I bought from Temu. I have previously been working with wooden moulds a patient made for me and lining it with baking paper - it is such a time saver not to have to line moulds!
Then, as I was about to throw out the shavings of the stain sticks, my wife suggested we try it in the washing machine. Remembering the previous white pieces of soap on the clothing (we wash with cold water), I was extremely hesitant. Then I remembered a video on youtube that uses Fels-Naphta soap with borax and washing soda. Since we don't get Fels-Naphta ín our country, I replaced it with 226g of the stain stick shavings and made what the lady called "Washing Whip". We tried it today and it worked wonderful with cold water. I am just wondering if there are other additives some of you that are more experienced could suggest?
This weekend I will attending a small local market again for the first time since 2022 (fingers crossed that it grew some since then, last time there were about 10 visitors). I will also be making 60 small soaps for a woman's day function and 200 bigger ones for a local guest house - so glad for the orders.
 
Forgot to ask in previous post: I ordered some Moringa powder. Does anyone here have any feedback on adding moringa powder to soap. I found some info that suggests that it is added to the oils before adding the lye?
 
Forgot to ask in previous post: I ordered some Moringa powder. Does anyone here have any feedback on adding moringa powder to soap. I found some info that suggests that it is added to the oils before adding the lye?
I can't speak for the moringa powder but I did try adding some of my organic greens powder to a soap for a deeper green color. It colored ok, it seemed a bit gritty, but not in a bad way, it just didn't dissolve completely, but I couldn't feel it at all in the soap. The greens mix has spirulina, moringa, spinach, even broccoli and a bunch of other "green" things. If you're just after the color or label appeal, it should be fine. If you're after therapeutic effects, I cannot say.
 
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Just ordered alkanet root and indigo powder. I was very disappointed to realise I couldn't color my soap with the indigo I bought previously (which is just powdered leaves, with no treatment). So I chose carefully this time. My mother wants me to make lavender soaps for her, and I want to make them purple. I can't wait for my order to arrive.
 
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