What soapy thing have you done today?

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I got the big bottle of Gain Scent for the laundry detergent but then I got
Cranberry Woods
Black Ginger Bamboo
Sun and Earth
Peace (Oilive Branch Dup) One of my favs
and a Jungle by Lush Dup

There are actually scents of name brands you can buy??
 
I took a break from landscapes and made minimalist soaps today. So fast, so easy, so satisfying :)

This one *might* have a light swirl inside. I was inspired by TAS’s seeds the other day, so I gave it a try. I also included some lichens from a tree in the yard, so maybe this is a landscape soap :)

3DFF2BBB-E226-4F71-B15C-49D2D48E1FE3.jpeg
 
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I took a break from landscapes and made minimalist soaps today. So fast, so easy, so satisfying :)

This one *might* have a light swirl inside. I was inspired by TAS’s seeds the other day, so I gave it a try. I also included some lichens from a tree in the yard, so maybe this is a landscape soap :)

View attachment 40275
I love it! Is that lichen I see in there? I once made a tallow bar, infused with desert balsam resin and used small bits of lichen in it. It was well-received.
 
Thank you! Yes! Lichens from a tree in my yard! I was thinking about trying to extract dye from them, but I did this instead.
You can use lichen to dye wool fiber. Not sure about soap tho'. If I recall the lichen can produce anywhere from a yellow-chartreuse to a deep orange, as well as beautiful shades of pinks-purples (depending on what lichen and/or mordant you use). I never had enough lichen to use it in a dye bath. Here's an article on lichen and wool dyeing.
https://www.fungimag.com/summer-2014-articles/LR2 V7I2 66-69 Dies.pdf

At some point I read an article that Native Americans used wolf lichen in a spiritual cleansing ritual - that also intrigued me.

Anyway - your soap is lovely - lichen lovely! What did you scent it with?
 
I took a break from landscapes and made minimalist soaps today. So fast, so easy, so satisfying :)

This one *might* have a light swirl inside. I was inspired by TAS’s seeds the other day, so I gave it a try. I also included some lichens from a tree in the yard, so maybe this is a landscape soap :)

View attachment 40275
Cool top! Excited to see inside :)
 
You can use lichen to dye wool fiber. Not sure about soap tho'. If I recall the lichen can produce anywhere from a yellow-chartreuse to a deep orange, as well as beautiful shades of pinks-purples (depending on what lichen and/or mordant you use). I never had enough lichen to use it in a dye bath. Here's an article on lichen and wool dyeing.
https://www.fungimag.com/summer-2014-articles/LR2 V7I2 66-69 Dies.pdf

At some point I read an article that Native Americans used wolf lichen in a spiritual cleansing ritual - that also intrigued me.

Anyway - your soap is lovely - lichen lovely! What did you scent it with?

Thanks for that link. I have a lot of lichens in my yard so I thought I would learn more about them, because I vaguely remembered that they can be used in dyeing. I haven’t read all that deeply, but I also noticed that lichens show up as medicinally important for many cultures and have been used as food as well as for use in dyeing. I *think* the species of lichen I have is Usnea, which produces a yellowish/brown dye so probably not worth the effort right now to figure it out.

I used an EO blend that is going to fade, but this particular “calming” blend from the drugstore is always going to remind me of learning to make soap :).

You can use lichen to dye wool fiber. Not sure about soap tho'. If I recall the lichen can produce anywhere from a yellow-chartreuse to a deep orange, as well as beautiful shades of pinks-purples (depending on what lichen and/or mordant you use). I never had enough lichen to use it in a dye bath. Here's an article on lichen and wool dyeing.
https://www.fungimag.com/summer-2014-articles/LR2 V7I2 66-69 Dies.pdf

At some point I read an article that Native Americans used wolf lichen in a spiritual cleansing ritual - that also intrigued me.

Anyway - your soap is lovely - lichen lovely! What did you scent it with?

P.S. I’m thinking that if a dye can be extracted from a plant or animal and is safe to ingest, it should be perfectly safe to use in soap.
 
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Hi, I did a test batch of French mailed lavender soap a couple days ago. Unmoulded it today. It is pretty soft right now. Instead of a little oil I added some glycerin when rebatching it. Also, I think the lavender buds smell great but they aren’t a color. That’s OK I guess. Any suggestions on French milled soap are most welcome!
 

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Cut some soap the other day. Always happy when a swirls turns out better then I thought.
Sorry they are turned on their side.
View attachment 40278

Ohhhh Pretty!

Me, Ive gone over to the dark side. Bar full of Packer fans right next door and I was asked to make some green and gold soap.. I caved.. Im still trying to wash the green off my hands. Vikings Forgive me. Skol!
 
P.S. I’m thinking that if a dye can be extracted from a plant or animal and is safe to ingest, it should be perfectly safe to use in soap.
I am not sure about all plants (some humans might be allergic to certain things) but the article I read so many years ago talked about Native Americans using wolf lichen in a ritual to cleanse. As I understood it they did not ingest it but did use it on their body. It was something that intrigued me because I love rituals. Wish I knew more, and I really wish I had saved that article.
 
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