Infusing maroon-colored hollyhock flower petals in olive oil. I hope the color will persist in soap, as calendula did.
What soapy thing have you done today?
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SunRiseArts
Well-Known Member
Maybe practice? I am sure they have their flops too, but only share the good ones.
I have been doing many soaping things, and I do not post .... need to do it more often.
But today I had to share that I found the cutest soap charms ever!!
I am going to make me a necklace with one.
SunRiseArts, a soap necklace sounds fun. I found a bracelet mold and thought, "soap bracelet - what fun for the great-granddaughters!', but I think they are too old for it now. Well my eldest granddaughter is pregnant, so if she doesn't have a boy, I could still make Soap Bracelets!
SunRiseArts
Well-Known Member
Earlene Sounds like a cool baby shower favor! Congrats! Is awesome to have little one around. I only have boys, and they do not want to settle down....
Yeah, mine are boys/men also, just to two of them. One is married & 'settled down', the other is not and probably never will be. But both are fathers so I have 4 grandkids and now a second great grandchild on the way.
Okay, having had a super long nap today, I'll probably be awake most of the night. The potential for a vicious circle is imminent. Oh, well, I am working on soapy stuff to fill the time.
In my ongoing evaluation of 2 single oil soaps, in the early stages, I have this to say:
RBO with 2% Sodium Acetate at [31.3% Lye Concentration] is best planed and beveled on day 3. On day 3, it seems to be in just the right condition for smooth planing and beveling.
Hemp Oil with 2% SA at [32% Lye Concentration] is still soft on top (an interesting phenomena it has in common with non-vinegar Hemp sister) so it's still not ready for a smooth drag-free planing.
The softness on the top (pouring) surface of pure Hemp Oil soap is interesting. It is as though gravity had some effect on the saponification process, or rather the drying out process, since there is no zap and has not been since day #1 (counting the made on date as day #0.) In spite of the softness on top, I still cut the bars on Day #1, being careful not to dent the surfaces.
Yes, to those asking, I will compile a report in a separate thread, but am not yet ready to do so.
ETA: P.S. I wasn't awake all night. I kept falling asleep during Wallander, and because having to rewind 3 times to catch what I missed, I decided it was time to turn off the TV and go to sleep. So vicious circle avoided
In my ongoing evaluation of 2 single oil soaps, in the early stages, I have this to say:
RBO with 2% Sodium Acetate at [31.3% Lye Concentration] is best planed and beveled on day 3. On day 3, it seems to be in just the right condition for smooth planing and beveling.
Hemp Oil with 2% SA at [32% Lye Concentration] is still soft on top (an interesting phenomena it has in common with non-vinegar Hemp sister) so it's still not ready for a smooth drag-free planing.
The softness on the top (pouring) surface of pure Hemp Oil soap is interesting. It is as though gravity had some effect on the saponification process, or rather the drying out process, since there is no zap and has not been since day #1 (counting the made on date as day #0.) In spite of the softness on top, I still cut the bars on Day #1, being careful not to dent the surfaces.
Yes, to those asking, I will compile a report in a separate thread, but am not yet ready to do so.
ETA: P.S. I wasn't awake all night. I kept falling asleep during Wallander, and because having to rewind 3 times to catch what I missed, I decided it was time to turn off the TV and go to sleep. So vicious circle avoided
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Kittish
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Got my ROE today, and I'll be adding it to all of my open containers of oil from here on out. Tonight I should be able to try making blue lace agate soap (was waiting for the ROE before I made any more batches).
Now to decide on an EO blend for the soap. Thinking ylang and patchouli would be great, with maybe a touch of lavender.
Now to decide on an EO blend for the soap. Thinking ylang and patchouli would be great, with maybe a touch of lavender.
Yesterday I finally got around to making my new roll-on bottle of deodorant, this time with a bit of beeswax to help it stay solid better in the intense heat I sometimes get when I travel. And I used Dragon's Blood FO at less than 1%. My last experience with sensitivity to too much FO, made me quite cautious. This less than 1% might be going overboard on the cautious side, but it still smells nice. The beeswax sure made it set up fast, which is good. The proof is in the pudding, though, so we shall see how hard it works out over time. I just made one bottle of it, though because I had not added the beeswax in the last one. (See the Defunct de Pits thread for more detail on this deodorant.)
Today I am going to work on a formula for a soap for my brother. Probably taking one of my favorites and do a little tweaking. That's my #1 soaping goal for today. Second, I may do a old & new soap to use up some scraps from trimmings.
Today I am going to work on a formula for a soap for my brother. Probably taking one of my favorites and do a little tweaking. That's my #1 soaping goal for today. Second, I may do a old & new soap to use up some scraps from trimmings.
I've found that a very small amount of Dragon's Blood goes a very long way -- two drops in 125gr of shaving soap is as much I as I would ever want -- been giving that away.
I made another batch of soap today -- it's great being able to walk around all day (broken ankle in December last year, long painful recovery!). Also made a quick cutting jig for soap bars, I'm not very good at getting the cuts straight, although I can get them pretty even thickness. This is just for me, so I don't need exactly even bars, but it is nice for them to have parallel sides.
Fast hot process is fun -- oils at 190F, lye freshly made, got trace in about 10 min, fully cooked in 30. From weighing oils to molded soap maybe an hour and a half. Gotta stand there though, it'll volcano for sure if you turn your back! Got it cut and on the curing rack 3 hours later.
I made another batch of soap today -- it's great being able to walk around all day (broken ankle in December last year, long painful recovery!). Also made a quick cutting jig for soap bars, I'm not very good at getting the cuts straight, although I can get them pretty even thickness. This is just for me, so I don't need exactly even bars, but it is nice for them to have parallel sides.
Fast hot process is fun -- oils at 190F, lye freshly made, got trace in about 10 min, fully cooked in 30. From weighing oils to molded soap maybe an hour and a half. Gotta stand there though, it'll volcano for sure if you turn your back! Got it cut and on the curing rack 3 hours later.
A
amd
Thanks everyone for the congrats and wishes. We are ecstatic about being married - we met 21 years ago at work, discovered we grew up 13 miles from each other and knew a lot of the same people. We became good friends (we were both in other relationships at the time) and kept in touch off and on after he left the company. I always thought whoever had him was the luckiest girl in the world. Two years ago I took a trip to India and he sent me a random "WTH are you doing in India??" message, discovered we were both single and available... turns out we matched! I couldn't ask for a better man for a husband, step-dad to my son, and soon to be legally a dad to my little girl. Life is good 
On the soapy side of life... all is good too! I made another batch of the OMH honey bee cupcakes. Exact same recipe but this time it took forever to get thick enough to pipe! The first time I made them I had acceleration, then ricing. This time, neither happened. Soap can be a particular child, can't it. I had a two-day show over the weekend. The second year in a row I've done this show, so several repeat customers who were excited to see me! Always a good feeling when someone comes back for more. It was good sales even though the weather was colder (low 70's - usually this time of year we are pushing upper 90's) and always a fun event. I did spend quite a bit of time at other booths helping vendors with their Square POS, lol. Kind of thought I should charge a tech support fee - although two of the vendors did give me generous discounts on stuff I was going to buy anyways
I have a lot of restock batches I'll need to make this week before I start any new projects. I picked up a natural soap making book from Soap Queen last week (or maybe two weeks ago) and will make some tweaks to the potato soap recipe in there. I've had a few requests for the cannabis scented soap I made last summer, so I was thinking a soap named "Baked Potato" Soap would be hysterical if I combined the cannabis FO and the potato recipe. I amuse myself even if no one else finds me funny I've also been reading Business Boutique by Christy Wright. A very good and personal read for any woman who wants to do her own business. I'm learning tons, and will be keeping this as a reference book for a long time.
On the soapy side of life... all is good too! I made another batch of the OMH honey bee cupcakes. Exact same recipe but this time it took forever to get thick enough to pipe! The first time I made them I had acceleration, then ricing. This time, neither happened. Soap can be a particular child, can't it. I had a two-day show over the weekend. The second year in a row I've done this show, so several repeat customers who were excited to see me! Always a good feeling when someone comes back for more. It was good sales even though the weather was colder (low 70's - usually this time of year we are pushing upper 90's) and always a fun event. I did spend quite a bit of time at other booths helping vendors with their Square POS, lol. Kind of thought I should charge a tech support fee - although two of the vendors did give me generous discounts on stuff I was going to buy anyways
I have a lot of restock batches I'll need to make this week before I start any new projects. I picked up a natural soap making book from Soap Queen last week (or maybe two weeks ago) and will make some tweaks to the potato soap recipe in there. I've had a few requests for the cannabis scented soap I made last summer, so I was thinking a soap named "Baked Potato" Soap would be hysterical if I combined the cannabis FO and the potato recipe. I amuse myself even if no one else finds me funny
I've also been reading Business Boutique by Christy Wright. A very good and personal read for any woman who wants to do her own business. I'm learning tons, and will be keeping this as a reference book for a long time.
Thank you, Soapstars. That is a high honor! No, I do not sell. Mostly I give soap away to family, friends, and some acquaintances of ours, husbands co-workers, staff at MIL's nursing home, etc. Besides, this was just an experiment to see if I could do it and in preparation for future projects. I may make more for my SIL as she would find it reminiscent of her wedding to my brother (a very long time ago, indeed.)
What a beautiful love story!
Potato soap recipe... hmmm Now I am intrigued.
~ ~ ~ ~
Doing some planning on my challenge soaps. So many gems, so little time!
It took 10 days for my [40% Lye Concentration] RBO single oil soap to get firm enough on the tops to plane smoothly without any drag. The 2% SA (vinegar added) RBO soap is not there yet; it is 7 days old and the tops still too soft to plane
(Keeping notes & will compile findings into one thread when I have enough data.)
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divinegoddessoaps17
Well-Known Member
Merlot Wine Soap
So..this is what I made today - first time ever! Merlot Wine soap with Merlot wine instead of water. I'm excited to see the finished product.
So..this is what I made today - first time ever! Merlot Wine soap with Merlot wine instead of water. I'm excited to see the finished product.
A
amd
I did a wine soap a few weeks ago. For the life of me I couldn't get a white batter - did you make separate batters for the white and reds? It's stunning. For my next wine soap I may do two separate batters using red wine and white wine and layer them.
Dahila
Well-Known Member
at least 150 embeds for Bath bombs and finished labeling Serum The day is still young
The day is still young
divinegoddessoaps17
Well-Known Member
Yes - I separated the batters equally and added titanium oxide to one container and a mix of colors to get the deep burgundy (yellow, purple, brick micas) to the other container. My original batter was on the burgundy/brown side so I wanted to brighten it up with more color. Poured my burgundy base about 3/4 full and and the tan colors down both the sides. (from up high and then lower ) Used a hanger tool to swirl. Can't wait to pop out - says to wait 3 days because of the sugars for it to set up properly. I soaped everything at room temp. Instructions told me to put mold in refrig afterwards for 3-4 hours because it will get too hot. That didn't happen to me (didn't get too hot). So I hope I didn't make a boo-boo on that! LOL
A
amd
So you got the white color from the same batter as the burgundy? How much TD did you have to use? Sorry for all the questions, I am just a curious little cat today. I love your burgundy too. I have a huge admiration for people who understand colors enough to know what to mix for the desired affect. I didn't refrigerate mine either, and no problems with overheating. I did use a wine reduction (boiled 750ml down to about 400ml) which may have changed things. I popped mine out of mold at 12 hours, but really should have waited at least another 12 hours. The corners were quite mushy yet so I had to do some minor patch work. My recipe is 65% hard oils and I use 1 tsp salt/ppo in my lye water, which helps me unmold faster. Keep us (me) posted on the results!
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