What soapy thing have you done today?

[FlybyStardancer]

That's weird, not_ally! Everything I've read says they stick better! Are you adding them to the oils or batter? Maybe try adding them to the salt if you do a salt bar.

 

[MorpheusPA]

I posted my own thread, but more will see it here. My first lard soap, and I'm in love (and already itching for the four week cure to be over). The color is caused by the sandalwood-vanilla scent, and turning brown doesn't bother me.

 

[powderpink]

I like science, so might have to look up that thread about ~*the science of saltbars*~

Well, I can conclude the spinning method works okay for tubs.


Annnnnd THIS is exactly why you do not make a soleseife 1 hour before bed.



I've never experienced the crumbliness people talk about though and never really got it, so it was a good experience Crumbliness makes the whole cutting process so unpredictable. So yeah all in all, good experiment. And once cured, I'll put the brittle, broken pieces into a muslin baggie.

 

[not_ally]

Stardancer, generally add the FO to the oils unless I know it is an accelerator, and then I will do it at trace. I must be doing something wrong, will try again later. Hm, was really thinking it was the salt.

 

[shunt2011]

I do add the highest possible % to my salt bars as I do find it takes more for the scent to come through. Once they have the scent it does stick. I add my scent to the oils before the lye mixture.

 

[cmzaha]

I still use the Mrs Stewart's laundry blue actually. Works great on my whites.

Did not know it is still available. Will have to look. I love bluing

 

[cmzaha]

That's weird, not_ally! Everything I've read says they stick better! Are you adding them to the oils or batter? Maybe try adding them to the salt if you do a salt bar.

Not in my experience with salt bars. Soleseife soaps only take around 25% salt so it does not affect the fo as much as a full salt bar. Dendritic salt is the one recommended to hold onto fragrance, but I have never tried it in salt bars. I stick to fine sea salt or sea and table salt mix. I always fragrance full salt bars 6-7% some even higher

 

[DeeAnna]

"...How much washing soda and oxy do you use to soap?..."

Well my last recipe was:
80 oz (2.3 kg) grated soap
110 oz (3.2 kg, 2 each 55 ounce boxes) washing soda
80 oz (2.3 kg) oxiclean-type oxygen bleach powder

It was a bit of a learning curve. I originally wanted to use just 1 box (55 oz) of washing soda in this laundry mix, but I ran into problems while pulverizing the soap into a powder in my food processor. I ended up doubling the washing soda just so I could use it as a processing aid to keep the soap cool enough so it turns into powder. If there isn't enough washing soda or other powder mixed with the soap when I pulverize it, the soap gets too warm and clumps up, rather than breaks down into fine particles. I decided to add the oxiclean to the mix this time, although I haven't done that before -- I had been adding it as a separate ingredient as needed.

Before this last batch, I used equal weights of soap and washing soda and I don't think that was too much washing soda. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I realize I could have used these same proportions -- equal weights of soap and washing soda -- again in this last recipe. I just got flustered with the clumping problem and I used both boxes of washing soda (110 oz) without really thinking it through. Oh, well -- live and learn!

 

[Thistleberryhill]

I got a loaf of Lenongrass & Litsea (touch of Cedarwood) w/organic cucumber, VT Goats Milk and spirulina swirls made and cleaned up before I left for my 19 hour work shift. I could have made soap all afternoon darnit. Iput a loaf of cut Spiced Orfanic Carrot and VT Honey bars on my drying rack also. Tomorrow I have plans to cut two loaves and put out to dry as well as make a loaf of Cinnamon VT Goats Milk & Honey and juice and freeze some cucumbers and carrots for Thursday's Soaps.

 

[Luv2Soap]

I ordered a bunch of FO's from WSP along with their hard butter sampler and some rose kaolin clay. Here are the FO's I ordered:

Apple Jack N' Peel
Drakkar Noir
Perfect Pumpkin
Rose Garden
Sweet Pea

Can't wait for these to arrive!

 

[not_ally]

Be careful, Julie, you might end up becoming a FO ho! Expensive habit, sadly I speak from experience.

 

[Luv2Soap]

Be careful, Julie, you might end up becoming a FO ho! Expensive habit, sadly I speak from experience.

LOL - yeah....but there's a method to my madness with this purchase.

Apple Jack N' Peel is for my youngest son
Drakkar Noir is the fragrance my husband wears
Perfect Pumpkin is the fragrance my oldest requested
Rose Garden is for a soap I'm making in honor of my mother, Rosemary
Sweet Pea is because this is my favorite scent

I'm sure once I get the bug again I'll find some "reason" that I have to have it

 

[not_ally]

Those are some good reasons. But yes, I'm afraid you will find a reason for the next irresistible one. They always *sound* so good.

 

[powderpink]

LOL - yeah....but there's a method to my madness with this purchase.

Apple Jack N' Peel is for my youngest son
Drakkar Noir is the fragrance my husband wears
Perfect Pumpkin is the fragrance my oldest requested
Rose Garden is for a soap I'm making in honor of my mother, Rosemary
Sweet Pea is because this is my favorite scent

I'm sure once I get the bug again I'll find some "reason" that I have to have it

Oh that's how all my FO splurges start out too :mrgreen:
And then they grow, because I like pairing scented goodies in themes (e.g. cherry blossom bath bomb + yuzu bath salt; cedar, mahogany and sandalwood soap bar set; etc.)

Sweet Pea is a lovely scent though...oh..no, there you go, now I have to add it to my wishlist

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Finished the Easter baskets and got them sent off! I'm excited for it to get there. I had a lot of extra lotion, so most of that went into a half-pint mason jar for f-SIL.

 

[Luv2Soap]

As part of my "which liquid do I like the most" quest - today I made the goat milk version of my test recipe. My recipe called for 4.56 oz of water and 1.67 oz of lye. So, I used 3.5 oz of distilled water and 1.06 oz of evaporated canned goat milk.

Here's the goat milk I used - I'm not sure if this is the kind of goat milk I'm supposed to be using, but it's what I tried.

I put the 1.06 oz of goat milk into my oils. When I first did this, I saw little bubbles of goat milk suspended inside the oil. Looked a little like rice in oil So, I stick blended this for about 15 seconds and bamn...no more riced goat milk - just smooth, creamy oil.

Good news is I didn't notice any acceleration - then again I only mixed the batter until I no longer saw any oils on the surface (fully mixed). Pouring was like pouring water. So, I cleaned up and about 5 minutes after pouring them into the molds, I saw it begin to firm up.

I split the batch in two and used some green apple mica from Nurture Soaps so I can distinguish between my experiments. I have 2 test subjects left: coconut milk and heavy whipping cream. Once I do those, I'll post them here too.

 

[Luv2Soap]

Oh that's how all my FO splurges start out too :mrgreen:
And then they grow, because I like pairing scented goodies in themes (e.g. cherry blossom bath bomb + yuzu bath salt; cedar, mahogany and sandalwood soap bar set; etc.)

Sweet Pea is a lovely scent though...oh..no, there you go, now I have to add it to my wishlist

Haha! So glad I could fuel your addiction - I'm officially an ENABLER! You and I sound like we think alike - I also like doing things in 'themes'.

 

[jules92207]

Did not know it is still available. Will have to look. I love bluing

I know! My husband bought it initially to brine his bait for fishing! I stole it though.

 

[handavaka]

I made my third 3 lb batch of Avocado Soap for the week. The popularity of this soap is going to push me into purchasing a grove!

 

[not_ally]

Jules, it is amazing what you can coopt/adapt for soaping, right? I was at the drug store today and found a weird little ice cube tray on the discount rack with perfect rounds for bar embeds. God knows if I will ever use it, but I have it now!