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That would be like trying to have one in Oz, FO's etc in a bag and one expensive plane flight later, unless I organized it close to home.
What soapy thing have you done today?
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Oh yes, let's definitely have it in Oz! We could bring you all kinds of FOs that you can't get there.That would be like trying to have one in Oz, FO's etc in a bag and one expensive plane flight later, unless I organized it close to home.
If you have or know some one with garden rhubarb, you can also use those roots, rinse well and chop them up while fresh. The oil turns a darker color but not pink till the lye contacts it.Last week, I ordered Himalayan rhubarb because I’d had success with infusing my olive oil in alkanet root and paprika. Silly me, I didn’t realise I was ordering whole roots instead of powder. They were too hard to grind, so I was really quite disappointed. Then, I had a brainwave… use the Thermomix for low heat and stirring the roots about in the oil. Nothing happened…. No red colour … oil ended up looking somewhat cloudy-olive after straining. I was SO peeved. My soap forays are always madness and mayhem.
ANYWAY, today, I trotted out that oil and decided to use it and will wonders never cease! The cheeky oil turned a pale red after the lye was added! My son was the one who spotted it — “Look at the bottom of the jug!!! It’s going red!!!” He was thrilled! I guess it isn’t too bad to be ignorant
I’d go to Oz! It’s on my bucket list!That would be like trying to have one in Oz, FO's etc in a bag and one expensive plane flight later, unless I organized it close to home.
HIYA!
I wasn’t up to more mayhem so I poured the soap into individual moulds rather than a loaf mould. I didn’t gel the soap so it was a pale orange colour in the end!
I made the 5 lb swirly soap of doom this morning. I should know better than to mess with a recipe that already works. I decided that instead of making 4 separate batches of oils and lyes, I'd make things easier and make one batch and split it before coloring. Bad idea! The TD didn't lighten up the batter enough, the cocoa powder didn't darken enough, and the charcoal went a nasty looking yellow gray. Then everything turned to pudding before I could begin pouring. My oldest son came down the stairs to say good morning just in time for me to ask him to glove up and help me. Pretty sure I heard him first pump and say, "yes!" I had him hold the dividers in place as I pulled one of them out of the mold. I plopped the charcoal and TD portions into the outsides and mixed the browns and put them in the middle, then lifted the whole mold and dropped it on the counter to try to level the batter a bit and pulled out the dividers and swirled. I managed to scrape enough batter off the dividers and out of the pouring cups to make 4 ugly bars in individual cavity molds. Guess I'll see what it looks like tomorrow and possibly try again, repeating my original method for the sake of my sanity.
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I made two batches of soap today, oatmeal, milk and honey and balsam. OMH sized up to use the last of that bottle and balsam sized down to use the last of that bottle. Both are primarily for friends who love those fragrances.
Also prepped a slurry to make a soap I made last year which uses orange EO, a spicy chai tea ground and strained to remove the bigger chunks, kaolin clay and castor oil.
Also prepped a slurry to make a soap I made last year which uses orange EO, a spicy chai tea ground and strained to remove the bigger chunks, kaolin clay and castor oil.
I think (desperately hope) I have managed a two color soap. No swirling designs or anything, just two layers of color one on top of the other. I’ll find out how that went when I cut in ~48 hours and I’ll know if I need to change anything for an attempt at swirling next Saturday!
@Servant4Christ The soap top looks good in the photo. I look forward to seeing the cut soap.
I know you were struggling and it didn't turn out as expected but I like the muted colors that I see in the mold ~ can't wait to see it cut!
I have tried but I never got my (natural) colors) different enough to notice them ~ but it sure is fun experimenting!
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My husband and I stopped in at a Buff City Soap in the next town over, yesterday. I had never seen one and I'm curious about the franchise.
The store was really big, I'd say close to 2400sf, for the part you can see. (I can't imagine the rent, it was in shopping plaza anchored by Kroger.) It was beautifully done. I'd consider it too big vs the amount of product. But maybe that was their intention. The counter space with stools was gorgeous. One of the girls was packaging soap right there on the counter, which was fun. ( I need an extra arm when I am)
You could tell you were in a soap shop by the scent, but my husband commented that the soap itself, didn't seem to have much scent and seemed kind of grainy. (his words) They did seem to be slightly like a salt bar to me and too soft to sell.
Their bath bombs, OMG, they were super hard, well scented, and well packaged. I wish mine would come out that way. They offer "bath bomb parties", so I may take them up on one.
Laundry soap, etc, which would be interesting to try, but my mother lives with us and she would freak. (a little OCD) Liquid soap, which I may buy as we go through a bunch of that anyway. I think I'll buy some body butter next time I'm over there. I am surprised that they named something "Pink Sugar" as it's trademarked by Aquolina.
There weren't a lot of people, just us and a mother/daughter couple. I asked how business was going, he said they opened last year and it was slow at first, but has been picking up.
I gather they get oils pre-mixed from the franchise. I actually asked if they make soap or get pre-made logs and the answer was that they make soap there. While I appreciate the business model (you have to be able to go to any store and get the same thing), I like being able to experiment.
So, my overall impression was somethings I thought they did really well, but I think they soap bars left me "meh". I've requested that the franchise information be sent to me, so we'll see.
The store was really big, I'd say close to 2400sf, for the part you can see. (I can't imagine the rent, it was in shopping plaza anchored by Kroger.) It was beautifully done. I'd consider it too big vs the amount of product. But maybe that was their intention. The counter space with stools was gorgeous. One of the girls was packaging soap right there on the counter, which was fun. ( I need an extra arm when I am)
You could tell you were in a soap shop by the scent, but my husband commented that the soap itself, didn't seem to have much scent and seemed kind of grainy. (his words) They did seem to be slightly like a salt bar to me and too soft to sell.
Their bath bombs, OMG, they were super hard, well scented, and well packaged. I wish mine would come out that way. They offer "bath bomb parties", so I may take them up on one.
Laundry soap, etc, which would be interesting to try, but my mother lives with us and she would freak. (a little OCD) Liquid soap, which I may buy as we go through a bunch of that anyway. I think I'll buy some body butter next time I'm over there. I am surprised that they named something "Pink Sugar" as it's trademarked by Aquolina.
There weren't a lot of people, just us and a mother/daughter couple. I asked how business was going, he said they opened last year and it was slow at first, but has been picking up.
I gather they get oils pre-mixed from the franchise. I actually asked if they make soap or get pre-made logs and the answer was that they make soap there. While I appreciate the business model (you have to be able to go to any store and get the same thing), I like being able to experiment.
So, my overall impression was somethings I thought they did really well, but I think they soap bars left me "meh". I've requested that the franchise information be sent to me, so we'll see.
And you will of course come to NZ afterwards - it's only another 3 - 4 hour flight and it's well worth a look.
I knew it would be awesome!
We are our own worst critics. Not sure what you were hoping for but I would call that good looking soap. Do you have a palette knife? If so it’s pretty easy to patch the holes. Use trimmings or sacrifice one of the bars.
I don't have a pallette knife, but I do have trimmings. I wonder if I could market these as Wholey Holey Sugar & Spice.
If you have an offset stainless icing spatula, that will work. You could probably use a paring knife, but a flexible blade is better.
I made some small soap cupcakes today, and picked the wrong piping tip for what I hoped my frosting would be like. Tossed it so I don’t make that mistake again. Used neons for colorant and some heart top embeds for the toppers. Scented with NS Smell the Rainbow.
So many soapy things. Is everyone sitting down? I. Made. Soap. Today! Terrderr! In this past year, a number of factors have conspired against me for making soap, and from perusing this beloved Forum. I made my Gardener's/Mechanic's soap. The advanced part was the beeswax and borax. But the easy part was no dividing and no colorants (other than using brewed coffee in my lye solution). Oh what a simple joy to feel up under the towels and touch the warm soap gelling. It has been awhile!
It's scented with several essential oils and smells earthy. Two new essential oils are petitgrain and clary sage. I also added rosemary, lemon, and bergamot.
It took me a minute to get organized. I discovered that my stick blender had fallen victim to the Great Beeswax Lava EXPLOSION of 2024 (lookin' at you, @Sting !) So now that stick blender is in the pile of Sting's new possessions -- along with my favorite trusty hot plate that got me through some tough times. So I ordered a new stick blender.
I also wanted to get one of those new fangled infrared thermometers. I was gonna post a question here on recommended brands. But then I thought to do a search first. And whadayaknow, the first result was MY post from months ago with that very same question! I went with a product recommended by both @AliOop and @Mobjack Bay .
It's scented with several essential oils and smells earthy. Two new essential oils are petitgrain and clary sage. I also added rosemary, lemon, and bergamot.
It took me a minute to get organized. I discovered that my stick blender had fallen victim to the Great Beeswax Lava EXPLOSION of 2024 (lookin' at you, @Sting !) So now that stick blender is in the pile of Sting's new possessions -- along with my favorite trusty hot plate that got me through some tough times. So I ordered a new stick blender.
I also wanted to get one of those new fangled infrared thermometers. I was gonna post a question here on recommended brands. But then I thought to do a search first. And whadayaknow, the first result was MY post from months ago with that very same question! I went with a product recommended by both @AliOop and @Mobjack Bay .
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