What soapy thing have you done today?

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So I keep my file with all of my soapmaking notes on Google Drive because that's supposed to be safer, right?

WRONG.

Lost the 2 most recent soaps plus the whole new cosmetics tab from the file. :( Luckily I have handwritten notes that I can recreate it from, but it's so frustruating! And I don't normally have handwritten notes, so I really lucked out.
 
I totally proved that I really need to slow down and not rush full-steam ahead. lol

Made a soap today themed after a group of friends of mine... Hemp oil at 10% of the recipe, the rest of the 2.7x beer syrup I made a few weeks ago, NGC Cannabis Flower as the FO. My plan was to do a cocoa powder line paired with a drop swirl... Yeah, I rushed through and poured it at too light a trace. We'll see how it comes out, it's currently snug in its bed (and will be checked regularly to make sure it doesn't overheat!). I had the hemp oil reserved, split between two prep bowls. To one of them I added TD to get contrast for the swirl. I used oils that were just over RT (80F), and my lye-beer was still a bit chilly (66F). It still came to near-instantaneous trace (thanks to being lye-heavy at that point). Separated them out and hand-wisked in the hemp oil. I keep underestimating how much adding a bunch of oil will slow down trace!
 
I've just watched the total solar eclipse from my window but was very cloudy so could only see it for seconds when there was a break in the cloud

Today I'm making fresh cut grass scented soap
 
I made my fresh cut grass scented soap. I'm so excited for when this is ready to cut. It has a layer of white with a green mica pencil line then pale green - half way up i drizzled the rest of my mica oil in for some shimmer. Topped up with the rest of the pale green then drop swirled white and dark green

Here's the top

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I made this cream soap 2/26, whipped today, with no water - I am absolutely amazed at the consistency! It's silken. I put it back to rot more. I am very curious to see what I'm supposed to do with this stuff! This was made with tallow stearic and lard. I'm planning on leaving it be for a good six months to rot but I wanted to just see what happened if I whipped it now. When I first made it it was so hard I had to chunk it out of the crockpot! I think I'll make another batch and let it rot for a good long time also.

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I was kind of boring and just read about soap again all day. I soap only at my house. It's been Spring Break for my fella so I spent the week over here mostly. I did transfer all of my FO's into amber glass bottles and made his house smell like a Black Raspberry Vanilla Peach Egyptian Hemp Dragon. The pit bull covered his nose with his puppy pillow and shot me baleful looks. My fella eagerly donated a tiny funnel from his mechanic stash to make the process easier! :)
 
I made two batches today, one of love spell and the other is shave and a hair cut from Bramble Berry. I had been cranky that all the fragrances in my arsenal were bound to brown so I ordered these and a few others last Friday and got them Wednesday so I am a happy soaper this weekend playing with my nurture colors!
 
I made 1 year supply of homemade laundry detergent. I scent them with patchouli and lavender
 
Didn't make soap but made a bunch of emulsified sugar scrubs only to realize I don't have lids....how did I manage that one? Well, had seals so put those on to protect them until my lids arrive on Tuesday.
 
I made my first salt bar ... It's swirled with 1/2 charcoal and 1/2 no color scented with edens garden four thieves. ImageUploadedBySoap Making1427085263.211938.jpg

I really like how these turned out!!!
 
I made two batches, the first Black Amber & Lavender and the second Cranberry Fig. Both BB fragrances. They are very plain but look lovely and shiny as they set up. Can't wait to cut!
 
I played with making my liquid soap paste more neutral and set it aside to sequester for a week or so - I'm planning on using some of it to make some of the Egyptian Magic stuff Humblebee & Me has been posting on her blog. I have all of the bee products available from our own hives, made the propolis tincture a few weeks ago.

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I played with making my liquid soap paste more neutral and set it aside to sequester for a week or so - I'm planning on using some of it to make some of the Egyptian Magic stuff Humblebee & Me has been posting on her blog. I have all of the bee products available from our own hives, made the propolis tincture a few weeks ago.

Out of curiosity, where does one obtain bee propolis?

Cheers-
Dave
 
I cut my Cappuccino Delight Soap. Smells amazing with hints of hazel nut! Made with real grounded coffee for exfoliation :). Still trying to improve how to make curly soap out of Melt and Pour I need more practice. I also attempted to do a pencil line with this one and it didn't turn out as attractive as I thought it would. I would not be doing that again lol

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"...where does one obtain bee propolis?..."

From bees? :shifty:

Seriously, it's a kind of "glue" that bees use to seal up cracks in the hive and coat a large part of the hive interior. It is basically various resins produced by trees -- the bees collect it and bring it back home. It is a sticky yellowish substance with a resinous, pungent odor. Beekeepers sometimes collect it as they scrape propolis off various parts of the hive. You can dissolve the crude propolis in alcohol, strain and settle out the miscellaneous bits of bee parts, wood, dirt, etc., and either evaporate the tincture to a solid or use the tincture directly.

It not only is a building material for the bees, but it is thought to contribute to the health of the colony, since the resins have antimicrobial properties.

You can sometimes find it online. Also local beekeepers may have some for sale.
 
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Balm of Gilead is a healing infusion using the resin of certain types of trees. I make it from the resin on cottonwood buds that I collect about this time of year. It would be somewhat similar to propolis, just the resin from one type of tree.
 
I finally cut my unscented Oatmeal & Honey Soap! Came out beautifully! I was so terrified that it might overheat due to the honey but it behaved nicely thank goodness! I call this batch "The Queen Bee"

Out of curiosity, where does one obtain bee propolis?

Cheers-
Dave
DeeAnna explained it perfectly. We are beekeepers, we gather the propolis from the frames as we work them.

Balm of Gilead is a healing infusion using the resin of certain types of trees. I make it from the resin on cottonwood buds that I collect about this time of year. It would be somewhat similar to propolis, just the resin from one type of tree.
I have three big jugs of cottonwood buds infusing in the sun, a friend sent me some and I bought some freshly gathered. How do you process them, DeeAnna?
 
I just knocked together a Castile, no color, no scent, except 2 Tbsp honey per pound. It's currently a gold-orange as it slowly cures.
 
My order from BB with my Brick Red oxide pigment came in. I wasn't waiting impatiently for it or anything. I have a hot process soap I wanted to color brick/rust red. Unfortunately, the soap came out purple. Tomorrow we try again!

I also made more bath bombs! Bath bombs are my soul food after a 'soap fail'.

This batch was for myself and my daughter, with the NG Black Raspberry Vanilla. I also used the BB Brick Red in these and they came out a lovely shade of dark raspberry.

Now I'll have to make a batch of bombs in a 'masculine' scent for my son the Official Bath Bomb Addict and Tub Cleaner, because he will use ours if he runs out of his. :shock:
 
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