What soapy thing have you done today?

[Meena]

Last night, Milo had a bath and I dumped the 2 fallen-apart bath bombs in with him. There was one huge fizz and he immediately became covered in dirt-coloured oil. Looked like he'd been playing in black sand. And the tub was a disaster. I kind of don't get the appeal of bath bombs at the best of times, but these really bombed.

Oh that's hysterical!! Sorry to seem non-compassionate, and i'm SURE it wasn't funny at the time, nor the clean-up, but the "one huge fizz and he immediately became covered in dirt-coloured oil" image really was a blast in my sick brain. <hugs>

 

[Chris_S]

Heh heh, looks like bacon just a bit. (Who cares, as long as the recipe is good and it's right for your hair?)

No clue never tried a cp shampoo bar i keep getting looks like bacon think im gunna start having a third colour in to make it less like bacon i knew it wasnt going to plan i took it to a too thick trace top looks nice though. the red is called fiery red maybe it the colour of the batter changing it lol

 

[Meena]

ohhhh bless his heart @Meena
order online, have him swing by and pick it up LOL you too @Marilyn Norgart !
https://www.homedepot.com/p/VPC-3-in-x-2-ft-Plastic-ABS-Pipe-1203/202300520

two mold sets for $10 or so, i really do like them. i generally line them with the flexible cutting board from the dollar store. and i use the end cap on the top too just to help insulate it a bit.
they hold my batch with 32oz oils pretty perfectly

Heh heh, thanks!! Great idea!

Re: the flexi cutting 'board' from dollar store -- I bought these 2 weeks ago!!! aaaargghhhh
I think that's what i bought them for, based on a tip i learned here on SMF, and FORGOT.

 

[SaltedFig]

Has anyone ever tried doing stripes by doing a layer at a time and letting it harden then adding another layer and so on? or would this not adhere properly?

What experience has taught me is that if you let the soap harden a little between layers, and then gel at the end, the soap fuses together and it doesn't come apart after the cure, so yes, your idea does work.

There was a stripes challenge in 2017 (before I became a challenge host) that I entered.
For my soap, the smaller layers towards the top of my design helped minimize the weight of each layer ... it got a bit nerve-wracking when I neared the top - this soap took a long time to make
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/april-2017-challenge-entry-thread.63324/#post-644154

These days, it's common to add an accelerating FO, but for my challenge soap I needed it to be unscented (the recipe was designed for a person with severe allergies)

White milk soap and candles (NZ) did an amazing 20 layer soap, using accelerating FO's to harden each layer, in this video:


Soapy thing for today - finished the design work on a concept soap

 

[Dawni]

Milo isnt a name you hear very often in England infact iv never known anyone called Milo
I cut my shampoo bars earlier the tops are lovely insides not so much lol

I know people named Milo!
And Spaghetti.. And I know twins named after fruits.. I know several men with girl's names and several girls with boy names.. Tons of people have names where the first syllable is from dad's name and the last from mom's. I know a Denmark, a Louisiana, a Venice and some local places also. Don't get me started on names here in the Philippines, you wouldn't believe what people come up with!

Has anyone ever tried doing stripes by doing a layer at a time and letting it harden then adding another layer and so on? or would this not adhere properly?

It will adhere if the soap hasn't dried up too much.. If you ladle the batter in gently, or pour it over a spatula, you can make stripes with raw soap batter. The challenge is how to make them neat.

last night i was hoping to get a batch made up quick and dirty

**snickers**

 

[Meena]

There was a stripes challenge in 2017 (before I became a challenge host) that I entered.
For my soap, the smaller layers towards the top of my design helped minimize the weight of each layer ... it got a bit nerve-wracking when I neared the top - this soap took a long time to make
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/april-2017-challenge-entry-thread.63324/#post-644154

Soapy thing for today - finished the design work on a concept soap

Love your challenge soap!

Best wishes for manifesting your 'concept soap", looking forward to seeing it.

 

[buttonsHT]

let me know if you find 2 1/2" and where I could only find the 3" but it really isn't too big. I got a 2' piece of sewer pie with end caps for under $5 and cut it in half. I saw someone on here tapes a bottom of what looked like plastic which I might try. I found the cap came off kinda hard but my hands are kinda arthritic so that might have been the problem

The caps are made to fit very snug. What you can do is take some sand paper to the outside of the pipe part and smooth it down enough that a cap will slide on and off much easier.
Also if you check most hardware stores should have PVC and ABS. They'll be offered in different sizes and 2.5" should be available.

 

[Dawni]

Made soap.

Lol

It's nothing like what I had in mind but it is soap.

Can you see the red sandalwood powder I used? No? Great.. Neither can I lol Bottom layer is dead sea mud n charcoal.

I'm gonna have to try another way of incorporating the sandalwood, coz clearly, adding powder to semi-cooked soap didn't do it.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

The caps are made to fit very snug. What you can do is take some sand paper to the outside of the pipe part and smooth it down enough that a cap will slide on and off much easier.
Also if you check most hardware stores should have PVC and ABS. They'll be offered in different sizes and 2.5" should be available.

thanks for the sanding tip I will try that. am just trying to unmold two of them--the one cap just came right off and the other is being a pain. I am wondering if I am just shoving them on too hard or maybe the one soap dried a little more?? I got mine at Menards--maybe I just didn't see the 2 1/2 (I am really good at looking right at something and not seeing it--our menards aren't the greatest at helping so I didn't ask)

 

[Marc Gaspard]

Tried to make soaps with natural colours. Tried with Alkanet for lavendar colour- the colour was too dark to bring out the lavendar colour out. Tried with indigo.. it was also too dark like black. Yesterday tried with Madder root, it was nice yesterday, but today it has also become dark (kinda dark brown) - am I missing anything?

 

[amd]

one.soap. That's what I did last night. I made a coconut soap with NG's The Perfect Man (o.m.g. soooo good!). Yeah yeah, I'll post pics after the cut tonight. I had intentions to do my challenge soap at the very least, but daughter's church class had been cancelled for the night so we played cards for an hour. (I can't say no to that face. Prom in a few years should be VERY expensive!) When I got back to the dungeon I had kind of lost my motivation, so I did EO/FO inventory and did some reorganization. It was a good thing to do... I had some empty bottles that I had stuck back into the drawer for whatever reason, I had some EO's in the list that I had used up, I had some FO's that I still had some of that were on the OOS (out of stock) list. The only thing left to do inventory on is my misc herbs and additives and containers/packaging.

 

[Dawni]

Tried to make soaps with natural colours. Tried with Alkanet for lavendar colour- the colour was too dark to bring out the lavendar colour out. Tried with indigo.. it was also too dark like black. Yesterday tried with Madder root, it was nice yesterday, but today it has also become dark (kinda dark brown) - am I missing anything?

All I can say is.... Pictures!!! Haha

Natural colorants are known to be very finicky.. I've read even the experienced soapers don't always get what they intented but a lot depends on the amount you used, the color of oils/batter to begin with, and when you add the colorant - in the lye solution, at trace, after cook, etc.

At least, that's what I found out from research and what little experience I've had lol

Speaking of natural colorants.. I tried to make the earlier soap again, but added the sandalwood powder to my water and let it soak while I did other stuff. Strained it and then added my lye... And look!

Finally a soap that's not beige, brown, green or grey lol but knowing me it'll probably again end up looking like stone haha

 

[Marc Gaspard]

@Dawni

1. Alkanet (dark purple) and Wheat grass powder (green?!)

2. Day 1 and Day 3 : madder root addition.

 

[Dawni]

Oh yes that is dark.. Maybe you used too much? Maybe it'll change again? I have yet to try the madder root I have but I think the first one is nice. That shade of purple you got is so pretty! Most green plant colors turn to brown btw and that looks like it's on its way hehe

I don't think many things can beat having sandalwood and getting no color at all lol see below

Made soap.

Lol

It's nothing like what I had in mind but it is soap.
View attachment 35404
Can you see the red sandalwood powder I used? No? Great.. Neither can I lol Bottom layer is dead sea mud n charcoal.

I'm gonna have to try another way of incorporating the sandalwood, coz clearly, adding powder to semi-cooked soap didn't do it.

 

[Marc Gaspard]

Oh yes that is dark.. Maybe you used too much? Maybe it'll change again? I have yet to try the madder root I have but I think the first one is nice. That shade of purple you got is so pretty! Most green plant colors turn to brown btw and that looks like it's on its way hehe

I don't think many things can beat having sandalwood and getting no color at all lol see below

I was aiming for a Rose Soap with Geranium and Rose EOs and, if only my imagination turned into reality! Finally ended up at this. BTW the colour is so dark that I think it wont change again. But the soap has come out really very nice.

 

[Misschief]

I've been dreaming about soap... literally. I went to bed thinking about grapefruit FO and woke up pretty much knowing what I'll do with it. There will be no soaping today, though. Today is the day my daughter, her SO, and the grands pack up and leave town. We'll be heading over there once we're fully awake to see what we can help with (or hinder with, as the case may be).

 

[KiwiMoose]

Remember the Rose soap I made for my sister?https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/rosey.72903/
Well - I tested it today and it is LOVELY! Very creamy lather. It was the first time I had tried using a teaspoon of rice flour - I wonder if that helped? Also I patched together a recipe because our suppliers are all closed over the holiday period in NZ, and I had to make do with what I had or what I could get from the supermarket.
So this is what I came up with:
Avocado Oil 5%
Babassu Oil 15%
Castor Oil 10%
Cocoa Butter 15%
Coconut Oil 10%
OO 20%
Rice Bran Oil 15%
Shea 10%
So just 3 weeks into the cure and it's already fabulous.

 

[Dawni]

@KiwiMoose how's the price of babasu compared to coconut where you are? Here it's considered a luxury oil, waaaaay more expensive than coconut which is dirt cheap. So, keeping in mind that coconut and babasu are also very similar (I read that here in this forum), I'd not have used babasu especially since I already had coconut in there.

Maybe something to think about for next time? Dunno if you factor in costs this way..

But I like that recipe. Looks like something I'd come up with.. No palm, no animal fats hehe. Your sister will be very happy with it, and it's only going to get better

 

[Donee']

Trying to get a photo through of the "beginning" of the 10 month work year.
Today is just not my day for anything technological. Going to give up and watch Outback Truckers on Netflix until I realise that there are worse days to be had.

 

[Lin19687]

I am writing things down to get ready for soaping this weekend.
I have 3 pails of oils that I had measured out but didn't soap. 2 I need to change the recipe which will not be too hard as the oil I need to take some out is Liquid The other pail I think is my original recipe and was covered and got pushed behind a box last month. I have to see if I put all the oils in or not.


@amd is that not THE BEST scent ???!!! Bet you are glad you got that... muhahahahahaha