What soapy thing have you done today?

[xavalyss]

Ordered my last few fragrances and 2# of lye from WSP to finish up my soaping for Christmas. When those are made I'm going on hiatus for awhile.

 

[Wooddy]

Hi Wooddy - just use your favourite recipe, but use (flat) beer instead of water.

Good Evening, easy thank you

 

[earlene]

I'm the same way! Aloe Vera Juice is my go to, and I freeze it into cubes. I've recently been playing with half hard apple cider half AVJ, and it turns out if you let hard cider simmer for forever and get all the alcohol out of it, it doesn't accelerate your trace much. So I want to see if the same is true of beer. I should caution that the higher the sugar or acid in the liquid, the more important it is to add the lye to it very slowly and stir as you go to avoid a lye volcano.

And use a tall container with a lot of head-room so that if & when it does start to rise, which it can unexpectedly even when slowly adding the dry lye, the extra headroom in the vessel gives it a safe place to go, rather than spilling over the sides. As an added precaution, always mix lye solution in a vessel securely seated in another vessel such as a kitchen sink or plastsic dishpan or secondary bucket to catch any spillage.

Used oxides this time... I'm still putting them in the "natural" category coz I want to. Lol

I though that, too, but apparently it is not always true. It depends on where the oxides were sourced. Some are lab created. Even oxides mined and used straight from the earth, although natural, doesn't mean skin safe. In the US oxides sold by cosmetic & soap supply companies are lab produced to ensure color purity. So the coloring agents include man-made dyes.

But then in the US 'Natural' is not regulated, so it can mean whatever the consumer wants it to mean, which boils down to it doesn't mean much here. Maybe it has a clearer meaning in the Philippines. It would be nice if it did.

 

[Soapnado]

I'm the same way! Aloe Vera Juice is my go to, and I freeze it into cubes. I've recently been playing with half hard apple cider half AVJ, and it turns out if you let hard cider simmer for forever and get all the alcohol out of it, it doesn't accelerate your trace much. So I want to see if the same is true of beer. I should caution that the higher the sugar or acid in the liquid, the more important it is to add the lye to it very slowly and stir as you go to avoid a lye volcano.

Thank you so much for that information! Lol!! That would be real bad!

 

[Dawni]

But then in the US 'Natural' is not regulated, so it can mean whatever the consumer wants it to mean, which boils down to it doesn't mean much here. Maybe it has a clearer meaning in the Philippines. It would be nice if it did.

It does not. And I'm taking advantage of that lol. I'm almost certain it's even less clear here than there.....

 

[TashaBird]

REALLY hoping my green did not turn blue. My EO blend was colorless, but sometimes I get this yellow oil on top anyway. Any ideas? It’s never through the loaf. I know I reached gel because my left overs are nice and green. Fingers crossed!

 

[Catscankim]

REALLY hoping my green did not turn blue. My EO blend was colorless, but sometimes I get this yellow oil on top anyway. Any ideas? It’s never through the loaf. I know I reached gel because my left overs are nice and green. Fingers crossed!

I love the hearts

But OMG, I wasn't really paying attention at first and I saw the first photo and thought Holy crap. What tenacity to pour into a pringle mold to get nice straight layers like that LOL LOL. Sorry, it was the first thing I saw and my brain ran with it.

 

[TashaBird]

I love the hearts

But OMG, I wasn't really paying attention at first and I saw the first photo and thought Holy crap. What tenacity to pour into a pringle mold to get nice straight layers like that LOL LOL. Sorry, it was the first thing I saw and my brain ran with it.

PVC mold.

 

[Catscankim]

Well, since I can't go anywhere atm (see my gripe post). I started trolling Etsy to see their home made soaps for sale.

I must say, some of them soaps that I saw just made me angry. I would never sell anything that looked like that LOL. DOS spots, bubbles, partial gel.

I dunno, maybe its me. But I don't think, that no matter how much I want to get rid of a batch of ugly soap, that I would SELL a bar at full price with a big ring of partial gel in the middle. Maybe say that it is "imperfect but usable" at a lower price?? I might do that. If I already had a good name for myself with really pretty soaps, I guess I might do that. And some of these ppl have hundreds of good reviews about their soap. So I suppose the soap is good, just ugly.

One girl has a listing about salt bars that is "rustic"...I'm thinking noooo. I have 12 bars that look like that. You had to plop plop in the molds cause it got away from you LOL. She is selling for like $12.95.

I recently gave a bunch of bars out at work...purposely not giving them anything that was imperfect because I didn't want anybody to be like "well mine was a little wonky but it smells good". I don't think that I would be able to sell her a bar in the future. One girl wanted nothing more than pumpkin spice. I only have one bar left, but it was a really weird looking end cut. So she didn't get a pumpkin spice. But she took a couple of my more pretty soaps.

I admire a bunch of soapmakers online. I will be buying a few of their soaps (mostly out of curiosity). If I got a soap from one of the more reputable soapmakers with big bubbles or partial gel, I'd be really disappointed LOL.

I am not selling yet. I guess a little knowledge is dangerous LOL. I feel like buying their soaps on etsy with a ring in the middle and posting at them.

So my real soapy thing today, I am waiting for lye to cool to make some salt bars. I am undecided as to colorants. So far all the ones I have made are uncolored because I was afraid of acceleration. I might get brave today. I kind of like the natural look though. I was thinking green because I want to use up the rest of my cucumber melon FO.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

Just placed my first order from Nurture Soaps for a few different micas and some fragrance oil. Bought a FO that was named Smell the Rainbow. Supposed to smell like Skittles. Hoping to make my second batch of soap this weekend with some Hemp Oil in it and will color it with some clays I bought off Amazon that got really good reviews.

 

[TashaBird]

I’m super bummed that my beautiful green from NS turned blue. It stayed green in the individual molds that I put the left over batter from my pull through in. Exact same recipe. What happened?! Not very Christmas-y.
Edit: sorry. I should e started a thread probably.

 

[Catscankim]

I’m super bummed that my beautiful green from NS turned blue. It stayed green in the individual molds that I put the left over batter from my pull through in. Exact same recipe. What happened?! Not very Christmas-y.

They are beautiful. It might not be what YOU wanted, but the are super pretty nonetheless. You have a knack for these pull throughs.

 

[TashaBird]

They are beautiful. It might not be what YOU wanted, but the are super pretty nonetheless. You have a knack for these pull throughs.

This happened before but I forgot. Usually it’s just colorful and pretty so it doesn’t matter. But this time I actually wanted green. It’s Christmas, not 4th of July.
Thank you! I think they’re pretty too. But they’re blue and red, not green and red.
I’d like to figure out what happened in the individual cavity mold Ba the column.

 

[DKing]

This happened before but I forgot. Usually it’s just colorful and pretty so it doesn’t matter. But this time I actually wanted green. It’s Christmas, not 4th of July.
Thank you! I think they’re pretty too. But they’re blue and red, not green and red.
I’d like to figure out what happened in the individual cavity mold Ba the column.

I have heard sometimes colours will do a temporary morph. It still may turn back to green. Give it a few days. If not, it is pretty still, but I understand the disappointment since you were going for Christmas colours. Just call it Blue Christmas?

 

[TashaBird]

I have heard sometimes colours will do a temporary morph. It still may turn back to green. Give it a few days. If not, it is pretty still, but I understand the disappointment since you were going for Christmas colours. Just call it Blue Christmas?

I just dug out another that’s two weeks old. It’s blue.
I’ll probably borrow that name Blue Christmas though, if that’s ok. It kinda makes me feel a little better.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I just dug out another that’s two weeks old. It’s blue.
I’ll probably borrow that name Blue Christmas though, if that’s ok. It kinda makes me feel a little better.

It may have to do with how hot it got in the Pringle’s can as opposed to the single mold. Maybe try putting it in the fridge to avoid gel and see what happens.

 

[Dawni]

It may have to do with how hot it got in the Pringle’s can as opposed to the single mold. Maybe try putting it in the fridge to avoid gel and see what happens.

Was just gonna say this. Only difference between them is the mold.

Edited the FB shop.. That count? Lol

 

[buttonsHT]

I received an order I made recently for some M&P base... I ordered 24lbs. I didn't realize they would send one HUGE 24lb block. I figured it would be smaller size blocks. LOL

 

[amd]

The cut of my super accelerating soap.

 

[TashaBird]

@Jersey Girl @Dawni I thought that may be it, but when I cut into the individual mold, it was blue inside, only green on the surface. So weird. I’m in a NS Facebook group and it’s been recommended to add some yellow, and/or another green to the Savage Garden. I shouldn’t have to do that though. Very unfortunate. I love the color so much when it’s mixed and the way it turned out on top. I mean, I like the blue it turns too, but not in this case. I’ll experiment with it and see what I get.