What soapy thing have you done today?

[Jennifer Horne]

Well, the author of their post used the words ‘is it my fault people are asking to buy soap from me?’

I felt necessary to be direct.

The original OP edited it to a much lesser snotty tone than originally posted.

Everything I responded to was in response to the tone of the original post. Fancyschmancy has edited it so I look b*tchy.

A soaper looking to sell soap needs a solid year of making and testing soap before selling, not two months with mostly M&P experience. I read all of her posts before posting, I felt I was addressing her from an informed position on her experience from the totality of what she has posted on this forum.

The excuse of ‘not my fault people want to buy from me’ is naive at best and arrogant at worst. I’ll give a M&P person a pass, because it’s M&P, but she’s confident in one lye recipe she just poured and hasn’t cured fully. That is one. Giant. Red. Flag.

Yes, she needs to be reprimanded. For her safety, her potential customers, and so she learns.

It would be mean to keep my mouth shut and read how she gets sued later on down the road.

If you think I’m mean because I’m direct and I care for her and her potential customers, you don’t know me well. Let’s have coffee and talk. Seriously.

I think it was well said and perfectly to the point.

Edit. I would love to sit and have coffee with you but NOT bc you seem mean.

I kicked off the new year a day early by making a batch of ZNSC and a batch of salt bars and will probably make more salt bars tomorrow. That will give them plenty of time to cure for Christmas next year . I also checked my 2019 soap archive for color retention, as well as DOS. The indigo and madder soaps are looking pretty good, with minimal fading at 4-6 months, while the annatto, orange wax and clay soaps all look as bright as the day I made them. The green plant colorants have faded or turned brown. I was unhappy to find a few early soaps that have 1-2 spots of DOS. The batches were made before I started using ROE and CA or EDTA and around the same time. The recipes varied, but they all had OO, so I’m hoping it was a bad bottle of oil. It makes me wish I could get some of that good Australia OO here in the US .

Ok am sorry and i probably shouldn't ask bc its a soaping sin but can you please share the recipe, i have greatly been wanting to try salt bars and i just cant seem to figure out how to formulate my own recipe

I found that rinsing under cold water straight after pouring works so much better than the next day.

I made a batch of Nag champa with coffee grounds soap and a sandalwood & vanilla.

What i do and what i have heard some people do is, put all the oily dishes in a bin or bucket of some sort and the next day when its soap and not raw soap clean all the soap off the dishes and then wash with HOT HOT HOT water and dawn dish liquid.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I received my new order of stuff to make my shave soaps. One of the doggies got hold of the courier pack while I was out but fortunately the bentonite clay didn't sustain any injuries.
Can I ask who uses calcium clay and who uses sodium? They were out the sodium so I ordered the other. I read online that calcium is less absorbant than sodium so perhaps it won't seize up as much when making?

I made a new confetti soap using 'Ocean Breeze' FO. It seems very nice! will cut tomorrow:

 

[Dawni]

@Marilyn Norgart oh no, not you too!

Took a peak at my Castiles... My test piece that I've forgotten, buried under stuff in the kitchen, is faring better than the full bars in the bedroom. No sign if DOS. Wonder why.....

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Ok am sorry and i probably shouldn't ask bc its a soaping sin but can you please share the recipe, i have greatly been wanting to try salt bars and i just cant seem to figure out how to formulate my own recipe

Hiya Jennifer!
Salt Bars have been discussed here many times. If you go to the top right of this page you will find a "Search" Box. Type in "Salt Bars" and check out all the links that come up. I usually look at the dates to find the most recent link. I've found that SMF members are very generous when it comes to sharing their recipes, tips, and techniques. You just have to do a little digging.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Ok am sorry and i probably shouldn't ask bc its a soaping sin but can you please share the recipe, i have greatly been wanting to try salt bars and i just cant seem to figure out how to formulate my own recipe

A link to the recipe I’ve made and like is below, but first I want to mention that the search feature is a good way to find recipes. I searched “salt bar recipe” and came up with 10 pages of results. It’s a good idea to read through the threads on salt bars before you make them. There are differing opinions on oils composition, how much salt to add, and how long to age the bars. I also found it useful to read about the techniques in advance, especially when it comes to gelling and cutting (or using individual molds, which is what I do). You can refine a search by using the “search again” feature and selecting “recent” to get the most recent recipes and opinions. See these threads, for example:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/irish-salt-soap.53371/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/what-do-you-like-about-salt-bars.72711/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/might-have-to-rethink-my-opinion-on-salt-bars.77473/

@shunt2011 recently posted her recipe, which is the one I’ve been using, here: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...nk-my-opinion-on-salt-bars.77473/#post-803721

Let us know how they turn out!

ETA: Zany beat me to the post...

 

[cmzaha]

NO! What was said was real life events and most newbies dont put in effort to understand what actually can and does happen, they think "today i make a soap" and before batch one has even cured they are going to sell the soap. One batch (or video) and they know everything. From what i have seen.

Yep, and any more people seem whine if they don't like what is mentioned.

 

[Jennifer Horne]

Thanks for the salt bar info i am still not exactly sure of the features on here so i really appreciate the info

 

[Zany_in_CO]

ETA: Zany beat me to the post...

True, but your post was waaay better!

 

[Lin19687]

Ok am sorry and i probably shouldn't ask bc its a soaping sin but can you please share the recipe, i have greatly been wanting to try salt bars and i just cant seem to figure out how to formulate my own recipe

Original salt bar -100% Coconut oil, what ever % Super fat you want, and 30-100% salt.
You have to figure out what works for you.
I don't like adding other Oils/butters as I just don't feel the difference and it seems a waste. ie: I added 20% CB and 3 years later is doesn't lather like it should. Not worth it for me

 

[SeaSuds]

Well, the author of their post used the words ‘is it my fault people are asking to buy soap from me?’

I felt necessary to be direct.

The original OP edited it to a much lesser snotty tone than originally posted.

Everything I responded to was in response to the tone of the original post. Fancyschmancy has edited it so I look b*tchy.

A soaper looking to sell soap needs a solid year of making and testing soap before selling, not two months with mostly M&P experience. I read all of her posts before posting, I felt I was addressing her from an informed position on her experience from the totality of what she has posted on this forum.

The excuse of ‘not my fault people want to buy from me’ is naive at best and arrogant at worst. I’ll give a M&P person a pass, because it’s M&P, but she’s confident in one lye recipe she just poured and hasn’t cured fully. That is one. Giant. Red. Flag.

Yes, she needs to be reprimanded. For her safety, her potential customers, and so she learns.

It would be mean to keep my mouth shut and read how she gets sued later on down the road.

If you think I’m mean because I’m direct and I care for her and her potential customers, you don’t know me well. Let’s have coffee and talk. Seriously.

It’s a beautiful sunny day here and I am just about to leave to meet my extended family on the beach. As we stroll along we shall nod and say hello to strangers and stop and chat to neighbours and every step of the way I shall be grateful that I live in a community where people have respect for each other and that kindness and good manners prevail. Have a nice day!!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I missed the December un-challenge by a day so I thought I would post here today. At 4:30 this afternoon my new batch (5) was just over 24 hours. My first time with a box mold and used cocoa powder too. At light trace I poured a 3rd of the batch in a plastic cup. Then I added cocoa powder to the remaining two thirds of the mix. I poured a 3rd chocolate colored in the mold then the "vanilla" 3rd then the last 3rd of chocolate. I was going for distinct layers but I poured it all while it was still a little too thin. However it has a good look to it. I named it cocoa swirl. You can almost smell the cocoa in it and I can't smell any of the plain soap smell that my first batch has. I'm glad that I found an "in the kitchen" colorant. It really does look good enough to eat!
ADDED-The wax carton didn't require a paper lining. The soap released from it quite easily.
View attachment 43226
View attachment 43222
I wish that the pictures were better. The 1st pic is suppose to show that the middle of the loaf is still in the "gel" stage? In the same pic the piece of soap above the loaf had been in the oven on warm for about 30 minutes. It looks dry and it is rigid. I put it in there after I had cut that piece from near center and the bottom corner chipped off. I may have been cutting on it too early, 24 hours after pouring. I'm still real new at this so any positive critiquing is accepted.

Congratulations on adding a colorant to your soaping toolbox. The soap looks great. It’s hard to tell for sure with the first photo, but it could be “partial gel” which shows up as a darker circle in the middle of the soap due to the outer edges not gelling (the loaf is cooler at the edges). I’m sure you will find photos if you put that term in the search box. The chipping happened to me one time, but it was an unusual recipe. Maybe someone else will jump in on that. If not, you can start a thread in the beginner forum and repost the photos there.

Well - I went from this lovely inspirational you tube video
To this: View attachment 43131
I'm so glad I know my recipe well enough to not use the squeeze bottles like she suggests - it would have been way too thick to squeeze. I had planned to pour the circles on top of each other but it was a scoop and plop and swirl in the end. It's the second time I've done a Fig and Rhubarb that has moved too fast and forced me to abort my intricate plans and go with Plan B. Naughty, naughty Fig and Rhubarb!

I’m going to try something like this to make my sisters some soap for Valentine’s Day. I was thinking I would use pipe dividers, but I will check out the TM video. I also want to try using my newish lard/tallow recipe. I will follow your plan B if it accelerates.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Cut my confetti - Ocean Breeze FO, not sure which American supplier it is from because my supplier here will not disclose.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Cut my confetti - Ocean Breeze FO, not sure which American supplier it is from because my supplier here will not disclose.
View attachment 43240 View attachment 43241

More great soap!

 

[KiwiMoose]

More great soap!

I'm on a roll!

Shave soap in a cup! Just poured - and will go out to testers once cured.

 

[Jennifer Horne]

Today i cut yesterday's batch, checked on the beer soap from Thursday, and tested a small crisco veggie shortening recipe. As well as read a sub reddit on soapmaking and omg those people are IDIOTS! the most recent example os one person used a METAL bread type pan. probably didnt learn the basics and figured it was all ok, what gets me is said person said they watched alot of YouTube videos and didnt see anywhere why her soap was oozing a yellow orange kind of fluid when she unmolded
(Play stupid games win stupid prizes)

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

Today I bought a UV sanitizer/sterilizer! I’m soooo tired of washing, boiling and spraying things with alcohol. I hope it makes all my dreams come true.

 

[AliOop]

Today I received a mold I'd ordered from AliExpress for *only* $8. Size wasn't listed, but the listing photo made it look like full-sized bars. Joke was on me - see pic for scale. They would make cute sample sizes, but I don't sell. And all the silicone edges need to be trimmed.

Next I tried to cancel the other pending mold that was ordered at the same time, but hadn't been shipped. They immediately changed the order status from "Canceled" to "Shipped." Am hoping that this one (which also didn't list measurements) will be full-sized. It's a cute wave pattern that I've been wanting to try. I guess I could try to make the world's smallest batch of soap to fill these two molds??

Let's just say that not only was this the first time that I've ordered from AliExpress, but also the last.

Hmmm, maybe this post belongs in the Post Your Gripe thread?

 

[Dawni]

That's too bad @AliOop.. I ordered several molds through there, even shipped free. It's difficult to weed through so many listings but most have proper descriptions including dimensions. Too bad the ones you saw didn't.

Still no soapy thing for me today.. But I received the tin cans for balms I ordered.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

@AliOop OUCH!

 

[Misschief]

Today I received a mold I'd ordered from AliExpress for *only* $8. Size wasn't listed, but the listing photo made it look like full-sized bars. Joke was on me - see pic for scale. They would make cute sample sizes, but I don't sell. And all the silicone edges need to be trimmed.

Next I tried to cancel the other pending mold that was ordered at the same time, but hadn't been shipped. They immediately changed the order status from "Canceled" to "Shipped." Am hoping that this one (which also didn't list measurements) will be full-sized. It's a cute wave pattern that I've been wanting to try. I guess I could try to make the world's smallest batch of soap to fill these two molds??

Let's just say that not only was this the first time that I've ordered from AliExpress, but also the last.

Hmmm, maybe this post belongs in the Post Your Gripe thread?

It is cute, though.