What soapy thing have you done today?

[DWinMadison]

Last night I shrink-wrapped (or is it shrank-wrapped...hmmm) and labeled about 100 2.5" x 1.75" travel soaps for swag bags at a conference I'm attending next week (basically announcing and promoting my new soap business to an audience of mostly friends). I'll deliver those this afternoon. Then tonight, there is a charity auction which will include the soap basket we provided to raise funds for a nutrition center in Haiti.

 

[Nanette]

Bahahaha! Soapmaking is my "third" job - I have a full-time and a part-time job. Fortunately the part-time job is mostly work from home and I only have to go in one day a week. Mostly I procrastinate the behind the scenes soap biz stuff until I HAVE to do it and then I don't have time to dilly-dally. I always have time to make soap Fortunately I have a hubby who is really a partner, he jumps in and makes dinner, does housecleaning (he does ALL the laundry), runs kids around when needed. He likes to tell me I'm his trophy wife so he's quite happy if the only thing I do is "look pretty" bahaha! He really does get the short end of the stick on that deal.


I really don't know - having a car around here is a way of life, so I can't imagine someone NOT having one. We don't have reliable public transportation (unless you're going somewhere 8-5) and our weather is craptastic 80% of the year, so it's really hindering to not have your own vehicle. But to the point... car insurance is a ridiculous requirement! Business insurance I can understand needing, but why specifically my car insurance. This lady is ridiculously slow to answer email, so if I don't have an answer I'll have to call tomorrow. I just don't know how staffed the place is, we're still in the office season for tourist trade.

Sometimes folks want proof of insurance as a way of credit checking you. Silly for a craft show...

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

This
View attachment 38790
Interesting eh? Let's see what color it results in...

waiting on the pics!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Deborah Long]

Hooky day from work - no, I didn't get in trouble (yet...)!

 

[DWinMadison]

Tried to steal @Terri E ’s incredible AC soap. I threw the kitchen sink at this one:

1. Replaced the water above L/W master batch w/ coconut milk
2. Super-fatted @ 5% with shea butter
3. Used pumpkin seed oil at 6% (mostly because I had it and it’s really too dark to use for most soaps)
4. 1/2 T. AC / lb of soap
5. Used kaolin rose clay for the swirl...with a bit of TD to lighten the color from all the dark oils
6. Tried sodium lactate for the first time.

Expecting to hear an explosion in the back room at any minute

Scented with 65% tea tree and 35% lavender EOs.

Everything behaved rather nicely. I was expecting some major acceleration based on all the YouTube videos on AC soap.

Photo 1: Oils-hoping to get a start on “black”

Photo 2: Thin trace

Photo 3: Ready to pour

Photo 4: I muffed the top swirl a little trying to clean up the sides with a paper towel...nothing I can’t trim away

I hope you guys have an incredible weekend.

 

[Deborah Long]

Expecting to hear an explosion in the back room at any minute

You are too funny! It looks gorgeous!

 

[Terri E]

Tried to steel @Terri E ’s incredible AC soap. I threw the kitchen sink at this one:

1. Replaced the water above L/W master batch w/ coconut milk
2. Super-fatted @ 5% with shea butter
3. Used pumpkin seed oil at 6% (mostly because I had it and it’s really too dark to use for most soaps)
4. 1/2 T. AC / lb of soap
5. Used kaolin rose clay for the swirl...with a bit of TD to lighten the color from all the dark oils
6. Tried sodium lactate for the first time.

Expecting to hear an explosion in the back room at any minute

Scented with 65% tea tree and 35% lavender EOs.

Everything behaved rather nicely. I was expecting some major acceleration based on all the YouTube videos on AC soap.

Oils-hoping to get a start on “black”

Thin trace

Ready to pour

I muffed the top swirl a little trying to clean up the sides with a paper towel...nothing I can’t trim away

I hope you guys have an incredible weekend.

WOW! Beautiful! I have to say I am impressed Can't wait to see the cut!

 

[DWinMadison]

WOW! Beautiful! I have to say I am impressed Can't wait to see the cut!

If it works, I owe it all to you, my friend. If it bombs, I’ll take all the blame. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Terri E]

If it works, I owe it all to you, my friend. If it bombs, I’ll take all the blame. Thanks for sharing your experience.

You are so kind I am sure it will be perfect and the next will be even more perfect. We learn as we go right? I am always happy to share. Have a wonderful weekend!

 

[Dawni]

waiting on the pics!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the long wait. Pics and info posted here

 

[Deborah Long]

...and the cut of the wet soap from yesterday! It was my first attempt at the sink strainer swirl. I didn't have the same type that I've seen pictures/videos of online, but I think it turned out pretty cute!

Those round bars are HUGE! lol 6.5 oz

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

like your color combos!!! did you use a 4" tube? I have been wanting my rounds to weigh more--I figured I either need to go bigger tube or make a cutter that cuts 1.25. yours look huge compared to your squares did you have any issues with acceleration towards the end of the pour?

 

[DWinMadison]

...and the cut of the wet soap from yesterday! It was my first attempt at the sink strainer swirl. I didn't have the same type that I've seen pictures/videos of online, but I think it turned out pretty cute!
View attachment 38835

Those round bars are HUGE! lol 6.5 oz

Save these color combos and make Mardi Gras soap for next February!!

 

[jcandleattic]

The only thing I've done today is cleaned about 3 weeks worth of soaping dishes. It needed to be done. I'm really bad about cleaning up after myself. LOL

 

[earlene]

I am trying to figure out which Castile recipe I used for the soap at my kitchen sink that is cracking. I know when I made it, but from my notes, I can't figure out if was dual lye with or without vinegar. It is almost 2.5 years old; you know, I think I can go upstairs and look at one of the labeled soaps and figure this out. I'd like to know which one it is because it's my first soap I have ever had crack. It's cracking longitudinally, rather than along the layers (it was a gradient layer soap), so not exactly where I would expect separation to occur in this soap.

So I figured it out. It is a dual lye (95%NaOH:5%KOH) with salt added, but it was only 9 grams of salt (dissolved in water) in a 750 grams of oil batch. No vinegar in this batch. It was a 'full water' or to be precise [28.2% Lye] Concentration batch. I believe I will update the thread in which I discussed making this particular soap from 2017 to give an update after I upload the photos. But I'm in the process of putting together video footage, and don't want to mess with the flow of those clips. So I'll do that later.

 

[Deborah Long]

did you use a 4" tube

Yes, it was something that originally held coffee. It did thicken up a little towards the end, but I believe that was because of titanium dioxide that I added.

@DWinMadison - Great idea! Love Mardi Gras themes!

 

[DWinMadison]

Yes, it was something that originally held coffee. It did thicken up a little towards the end, but I believe that was because of titanium dioxide that I added.

@DWinMadison - Great idea! Love Mardi Gras themes!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

[DWinMadison]

Tried to steal @Terri E ’s incredible AC soap. I threw the kitchen sink at this one:

1. Replaced the water above L/W master batch w/ coconut milk
2. Super-fatted @ 5% with shea butter
3. Used pumpkin seed oil at 6% (mostly because I had it and it’s really too dark to use for most soaps)
4. 1/2 T. AC / lb of soap
5. Used kaolin rose clay for the swirl...with a bit of TD to lighten the color from all the dark oils
6. Tried sodium lactate for the first time.

Expecting to hear an explosion in the back room at any minute

Scented with 65% tea tree and 35% lavender EOs.

Everything behaved rather nicely. I was expecting some major acceleration based on all the YouTube videos on AC soap.

Photo 1: Oils-hoping to get a start on “black”

Photo 2: Thin trace

Photo 3: Ready to pour

Photo 4: I muffed the top swirl a little trying to clean up the sides with a paper towel...nothing I can’t trim away

I hope you guys have an incredible weekend.

Charcoal - Tea Tree Soap

Cut pics!
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/index.php?posts/767765/

 

[Carolyne Thrasher]

that is cool!!!! sounds yummy--does it smell true? hope your migraines settle down for you

The rootbeer float fo from wsp does smell very true to me. I used an end piece in the shower this morning. The bonus to this fo is the usage rate is super small so you get tons of bang for your buck. Making shave soap with it next.

Tried making cupcake soap just for fun. Still need loads of practice...but, not bad for my first try. Also made them using Homemade Oat Milk, the llama embed is a little pitiful, but it works with these mini cupcakes. Just gotta keep trying to master piping skills. View attachment 38599

”Not bad” she says . That’s gorgeous!

 

[KiwiMoose]

...and the cut of the wet soap from yesterday! It was my first attempt at the sink strainer swirl. I didn't have the same type that I've seen pictures/videos of online, but I think it turned out pretty cute!
View attachment 38835

Those round bars are HUGE! lol 6.5 oz

I have a sink strainer at the ready to try this with a PVC pipe. I can't get a sink strainer small enough to go inside my pipe ( I didn't want to get a bigger pipe for fear of the bars being too big), but the strainer sits on the top perfectly. You reckon I could just pour from the top in alternating colours and I would get a nice effect like yours?