My sister has a cold so I tried to make some shower steamers in a mooncake press. I thought if they were easy enough I could make them for the craft sale I have this weekend. I think I had it too wet because it kept sticking to the press. They're now in a somewhat mooncake shape with an ugly top drying on the counter. On the plus side they sound amazing!
What soapy thing have you done today?
- Thread starter FlybyStardancer
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I have one customer who swears by my shower steamers. She buys them 8-10 at a time and uses them when she can't sleep because of her allergies. She's loves them!
May I ask if you just use menthol crystals, or do you add any EOs to them as well?
I like these!
My soapy thing: I packed my soap up on Sunday (moving soon) and it took me forever because 1) I had to wrap it and label it and 2) I honestly did not realize how much soap I'd been making the last few months. Every time I thought I was finished I found more hiding in closets and cubbies. So I boxed up a ton of it to mail to my sister. She said she'd distribute it out to the rest of the family and some of her friends. I still have enough to keep myself in suds for a couple years. What is wrong with me lol.
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I use menthol in all my shower steamers. Usually, I have 3 varieties - Menthol Eucalyptus, Menthol Lemon, and Menthol Orange. Last market, I sold out.
Beautiful! I had thought about doing a 'Turkish Delight' scented soap with Rose FO and Vanilla Buttercream FO. Similar colours.
Ladka
Well-Known Member
I'm rendering leaf lard again. Just bought from the butcher's in the farmers market and immediately placed it in a pot and on low heat to render. I must admit I don't like the smell but the prospect of making lovely soap and playing with FO's makes it easier to put up with it.
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sirtim100
Well-Known Member
Hope you're not putting too much of that BS into your bombs!Took me a few secs to figure out what you were talking about, lol!
And @sirtim100 and @GML I am happy to send it - did I send the whole recipe or just the link for the oat milk? You can tag someone in your post by putting @ in front of their name : )
The whole shebang. The soap recipe in percentages and the link to the oatmilk recipe. Worked very well
Measured my homemade giant soap mold and did some calculating.
Geez.
15x21.5x4 - that 4 is if it’s filled to the tippy top. When I first used it, I ended up doing 15ish lbs of oil, and it covered the bottom decently for a slab top down cut. That made about 50ish bars of soap and some small travel sizes, all cut with a steak knife. Poured my oil and lye solution too hot, had a hot mess, yet somehow, I was able to get it into the mold and have a slab. I have never soaped so fast in my life. 15lbs of potential soap on a stick in the shape of a bucket will do that. Those bars are fantastic, even a year later, and now I want to tackle my beast again, but with some major changes.
Now I have a soap slab cutter, no more angled cuts. It is marvelous engineering and works well. It is 17” wide and will accommodate my slab mold I want to make use of these fancy soap tools of mine. It took me a while to find a slab cutter that would accommodate my mold size.
If I fill the beast, at 3.5”, it is roughly 100+ 4 oz bars of soap. I know this recipe, it’s been tested several times and I know the possible issues with it. I’m still not selling soap. I know, I’m crazy. Although I am collecting testers and people who will gladly take my soap. I don’t give it away unless I am convinced it is excellent on the skin and no DOS and it holds up for months and months and I feel confident in the soap.
I master batch my lye solution, especially since lye solution at greater quantities takes forever to cool down.
I’ve been doing small batches of experimental scents, and I am realizing that FO discoloration is a real thing, and not all suppliers disclose that information. But I want a white vanilla!!!! I want a white sandalwood!!!!! Let me mourn in peace. I know it can’t be done, intellectually, but emotionally I feel it’s possible because I want it.
I have watched probably a few weeks worth of videos of people mixing and pouring all kinds of fancy pours and layers. The design I have picked includes a pencil line, an in the pot pour, maybe two, and a solid white top, or maybe a color. That’s a lot of colorant. Like a lot of colorant. Ooooh. I may have to rethink it. Or change the colors to be reasonable.
Do I even have enough FO for the darn thing? Enough that won’t discolor white creamy soap? It is about a pound of FO.
When I made this mold, I was like, yeah, a big one about this wide and this long out of these wood scraps I have laying around and some hinges. Woot! Almost free giant soap mold, the guy who helped me I have promised him free soap for life.
Now I’m like, did I really think this out fully before I just grabbed materials and made it?
Tomorrow will probably be D day.
Geez.
15x21.5x4 - that 4 is if it’s filled to the tippy top. When I first used it, I ended up doing 15ish lbs of oil, and it covered the bottom decently for a slab top down cut. That made about 50ish bars of soap and some small travel sizes, all cut with a steak knife. Poured my oil and lye solution too hot, had a hot mess, yet somehow, I was able to get it into the mold and have a slab. I have never soaped so fast in my life. 15lbs of potential soap on a stick in the shape of a bucket will do that. Those bars are fantastic, even a year later, and now I want to tackle my beast again, but with some major changes.
Now I have a soap slab cutter, no more angled cuts. It is marvelous engineering and works well. It is 17” wide and will accommodate my slab mold I want to make use of these fancy soap tools of mine. It took me a while to find a slab cutter that would accommodate my mold size.
If I fill the beast, at 3.5”, it is roughly 100+ 4 oz bars of soap. I know this recipe, it’s been tested several times and I know the possible issues with it. I’m still not selling soap. I know, I’m crazy. Although I am collecting testers and people who will gladly take my soap. I don’t give it away unless I am convinced it is excellent on the skin and no DOS and it holds up for months and months and I feel confident in the soap.
I master batch my lye solution, especially since lye solution at greater quantities takes forever to cool down.
I’ve been doing small batches of experimental scents, and I am realizing that FO discoloration is a real thing, and not all suppliers disclose that information. But I want a white vanilla!!!! I want a white sandalwood!!!!! Let me mourn in peace. I know it can’t be done, intellectually, but emotionally I feel it’s possible because I want it.
I have watched probably a few weeks worth of videos of people mixing and pouring all kinds of fancy pours and layers. The design I have picked includes a pencil line, an in the pot pour, maybe two, and a solid white top, or maybe a color. That’s a lot of colorant. Like a lot of colorant. Ooooh. I may have to rethink it. Or change the colors to be reasonable.
Do I even have enough FO for the darn thing? Enough that won’t discolor white creamy soap? It is about a pound of FO.
When I made this mold, I was like, yeah, a big one about this wide and this long out of these wood scraps I have laying around and some hinges. Woot! Almost free giant soap mold, the guy who helped me I have promised him free soap for life.
Now I’m like, did I really think this out fully before I just grabbed materials and made it?
Tomorrow will probably be D day.
It's one of my pet peeves. So many of them go yellow/brown and then i can't do the colours I want.
I did it! I made my very first soap this evening.
I made a teeny tiny batch of Castile soap with lavender EO. It was enough to make 6 cubes, that’s all, but I wanted to just get the hang of it with a little batch.
Everything went to plan but I was surprised that the lye didn’t get as hot as I thought it would.
I used 100% olive oil which heated up really quickly despite it being on a low heat!
The proof of course will be in the finished product; only 4 weeks to wait!
I made a teeny tiny batch of Castile soap with lavender EO. It was enough to make 6 cubes, that’s all, but I wanted to just get the hang of it with a little batch.
Everything went to plan but I was surprised that the lye didn’t get as hot as I thought it would.
I used 100% olive oil which heated up really quickly despite it being on a low heat!
The proof of course will be in the finished product; only 4 weeks to wait!
You go girl!
Thank you! I was shaking like a big gurl and my heart rate is still up in the 70s (normally 54!)
Ladka
Well-Known Member
I completed rendering my leaf lard and strained it into three vessels. Two contain 400 g lard each and the small one 90 g. Looking forward to new batches of soap that are to be cured in mid-Decembre.
attempted a 'ghost swirl'.
Ugh. It's more like glops of LW swimming in HW instead of a Taiwan swirl. Popped it in the oven anyway. Now it's just weird and looks unappetizing.
I can't even.
Ugh. It's more like glops of LW swimming in HW instead of a Taiwan swirl. Popped it in the oven anyway. Now it's just weird and looks unappetizing.
I can't even.
A
amd
I haven't spent much time in the soapy dungeon lately, but here's what I have managed to get done.
Made the Fudge Brownie soap. Gremlins have been successfully cleared out because this soap went beautifully. I'm beyond ecstatic! Will share pic tomorrow.
Made Zany's castile soap. It's rubbish. Debating if I should bin it and start over or rebatch into an ugly mess.
Made a test bar of pine tar (syndet) shampoo bar. So far it is nice and firm, but a bit sticky. It's aged a few days and isn't as sticky as it was, so I'm hoping it just needs more drying time.
Made a spin swirl that wasn't.
Made one long list of things that need to get done. I need minions or to give up sleep to get it done before the end of the year.
Made the Fudge Brownie soap. Gremlins have been successfully cleared out because this soap went beautifully. I'm beyond ecstatic! Will share pic tomorrow.
Made Zany's castile soap. It's rubbish. Debating if I should bin it and start over or rebatch into an ugly mess.
Made a test bar of pine tar (syndet) shampoo bar. So far it is nice and firm, but a bit sticky. It's aged a few days and isn't as sticky as it was, so I'm hoping it just needs more drying time.
Made a spin swirl that wasn't.
Made one long list of things that need to get done. I need minions or to give up sleep to get it done before the end of the year.
Where do you get that emoji?? It’s me to a tee!!!attempted a 'ghost swirl'.
Ugh. It's more like glops of LW swimming in HW instead of a Taiwan swirl. Popped it in the oven anyway. Now it's just weird and looks unappetizing.
I can't even.
Carly B
Well-Known Member
I bought MORE fragrance oil. That's one head-bang for each of the three companies I ordered from.
That's one head-bang for each of the three companies I ordered from.Similar threads
