What soapy thing have you done today?

[msunnerstood]

well, I thought I would try salt bars.. it soaped like it never has even before I added the salt (For HP it gets added at the end). I had trouble keeping the oils hot enough the entire time, struggling to keep it above 160 let alone 170 for fluidity. it never got to vaseline stage and took forever for a negative zap test. even at a lower temp, the soap started to burn. I managed to get 5 good sized bars out of the 40 ounce batch. Im not sure im willing to try that again.

 

[redhead1226]

I actually did not make anything today which is odd for me as I'm always cooking up something. But I did start to lay out my holiday plans for soap and other items. So I can order what I need. Ill start making those soaps next week. It isn't easy trying to decide what Ill make and I'm sure my list will change many times but I'm trying to start early. I always say the same thing every year and I end up getting done too late and having to scrap certain things.

 

[earlene]

I made soap again tonight, using the exact same recipe as yesterday. Stopping short just a bit earlier gave me the fluidity I needed for the Dancing Funnel. I'll see tomorrow or the next day if it was successful enough to satisfy.

 

[SoapAddict415]

I masterbatched enough lye and oils for 2 batches and washed all of my soaping dishes last night then made a batch of Butterscotch soap. This morning, I washed more soap dishes plus our regular dishes. Later today, I'll make my second soap and rebatch my butterscotch soap. I don't think I blended it well enough. It was late and it seems that our new neighbor's large dog hates the sound of my stickblender so it barked, loudly and nonstop. Not wanting to disturb others in our building, I rushed it into the mold.

 

[steffamarie]

The cut of sweet peony [emoji254] I love it!! BB Amethyst and a hint of Blueberry Thyme for sweetness.

 

[Susie]

I have been too busy to post much in the last week because I have finally been soaping! I have made 9 batches in the last 7 days. I have been testing FOs from Lone Star Candle Supply and I am almost through the first 10. I have made a 5 lb batch of lemongrass as it is a favorite of everyone. About to order more NaOH, FOs, and micas to gear up for The Great Soap Giveaway of 2018. I truly wish LSCS had soap making micas!

 

[Lesley Susan Madigan]

Not today but last night. I made a batch last week and when I put it in the moulds I realised I hadn't quite melted enough base so I added some tapwater.

Too much as it turned out the soap stayed gel like and wouldn't set enough to lift it out the mould so last night I scraped it all out and remelted it without adding water figuring that would cause the excess water to evaporate and okay I wouldn't get as many bars but I would salvage something so there I am carefully carry the boiling mixture over to the moulds when..

Enter Bonnie at high speed, she's been trying to kill me all week when she hasn't been purring on the lap. I go flying and somehow have the presence of mind to hurl the mix in the general direction of the mould rather than splashing myself or her with it.

I'd say about a third made the mould, another third when all over the washing machine and the last third ended up in the kitchen sink. So I ended up with a clean sink and washing machine and the kitchen smelt lovely!

And I got two soaps out of it that look pretty good alas due to the haphazard way the mix landed in the mould they're somewhat uneven on the base and of course as I tend to do I used too much colour so they shed colour when used but not as much as I expected they would and it just rinses off and they lather well and smell great and leave my skin lovely and soft so they're not for gifts but will for me in the bathroom

 

[Lin19687]

I still mix my Lye outside so when I walk in I say out loud,, Lye Lye Lye and walk with my feet still on the ground... shuffling.
Keeps the kitties away, but I usually soap when I know they just kind of fell asleep. OHHHH the things we do for our Fur babies.

Need to un-mold the Slat bars. Then figure out what FO to do the next 4 batches.
Also need to re-rack yesterdays soaps as I just kind of put them up but need to space a bit better and move over so there is more room for these batches today

 

[Lesley Susan Madigan]

I still mix my Lye outside so when I walk in I say out loud,, Lye Lye Lye and walk with my feet still on the ground... shuffling.

Alas I don't have an outside, which is a big reason I do melt and pour I don't have anywhere where I could safely handle lye

 

[msunnerstood]

Well, I switched from salt bars to brine soap and had much more success. It didnt turn out too bad considering I HP'd it.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

Alas I don't have an outside, which is a big reason I do melt and pour I don't have anywhere where I could safely handle lye

I do have an outside but i just mix the lye over the sink. Its really not that big of a deal.



No soaping today but i just made a new list of things i would like to order for soaps. Mostly fragrances and a couple of micas. Debating on getting some cocoa butter or not.

 

[Misschief]

I had a market day today.. my best one yet!

 

[shunt2011]

Had a fantastic weekend show. Glad it’s over though.

 

[Susie]

I have an outside also, and I mix lye in my sink or on my stove also. If it is a small batch, I mix on top of the stove with the vent running (it vents outside), if it is a big batch, I mix in the sink with my arm stretched out as far as possible and my breath held until I get it all poured in. Then I turn my head away and stir. I have never had any problem.

 

[BlueIris]

I have mixed lye inside, like Susie, holding my breath from a outstretched arm. But I do it outside now and have for a while. My lye was clumpy, cause it was old and almost gone, while pouring it into the water it splashed out and sprayed out on the table yesterday. After the cleanup I told my daughter, this is why I mix lye outside. I don’t want splashes on me, my sink or stove top.

 

[cmzaha]

Alas I don't have an outside, which is a big reason I do melt and pour I don't have anywhere where I could safely handle lye

Use your kitchen sink. I never mix my lye outside, because I find the more you handle it the higher the odds of an accident. The only time when I almost spilled my pitcher of lye is when I first started soaping and was under the impression it would be safer to mix outside, I tripped on my deck and almost spilled it. Just do not put your head over the container when you mix it. I mix at least a 50/50 gallon at a time and just step back a bit when I dump in the large amount of lye so I am not hit with the fumes.

 

[earlene]

I have always mixed my lye at/in my kitchen sink. Although the stove is not really very close to the sink, I also turn on the stove vent just as a precaution. My kitchen is large, so ventilation isn't such a concern as it would be in a tiny little apartment with a tiny little kitchen. To mix lye outside seems not only an invitation to possible accidents walking around up and down steps to go in and outside, but also an invitation to too much humidity to get into my lye bottle. We live in a very humid area.

I made soap last night and it is still quite soft, so it remains well covered and insulated. But I doubt it's ever going to gel unless I stick it in the microwave oven on a lower power setting. I have done that before and it did work, but I haven't decided if I want to do so this time. I'll decide later after my son & I get back from our outing.

 

[Lin19687]

When I mix lye outside I bring out a premeasured capped bottle of Lye out so no issue with the rest of the lye. Everything is already measured.
I have pets, tiny kitchen (my stove vents into the kitchen) and am not about to breathe in any fumes, either right in front of me or in the air around me. JMHO, each to do their own.
I find it Safer for me to do this. Lye solution is covered when entering the house.
When I make soap I do NOT rush or do it when I am foggy. It is a safety thing. Everyone is either sleeping or already gone for the day and cats are sleeping.

I still need to tweek my recipe to fit my salt bar mold to fill to the top. I added more salt last time but it stuck to the mold a bit and I am not sure if it was added salt or not enough mineral oil in the mold....or too much 1st batch came out fine and I didn't oil it so I think it must be the salt.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

I have mixed lye inside, like Susie, holding my breath from a outstretched arm. But I do it outside now and have for a while. My lye was clumpy, cause it was old and almost gone, while pouring it into the water it splashed out and sprayed out on the table yesterday. After the cleanup I told my daughter, this is why I mix lye outside. I don’t want splashes on me, my sink or stove top.

But I mean, if you splash it on the sink you just need to run the water and away it goes.
My mother used to use lye to deep clean the stove top, so splashes there mean a super clean stove! (Jk!)

 

[Dennis]

Today I brought my towel wrapped 56 oz loaf mold in from the hot garage, removed and sliced it. No fragrance, no colorant, just a little CO and a lot of OO. Looking at the number of bars made in the last few days I'm considering jumping into candle making for a while. My last soap binge had me not making any for a few years.