What soapy thing have you done today?

[TashaBird]

My friend messaged me and asked if she could buy some soap. She works for/at a safe sleep site set up for a youth homeless population. She said they brought in portable showers, but all they had was prison soaps. She said so many of the kids have PTSD and intense body issues, she wanted them to have nice soap. I was so happy to make the donation! Cried my eyes out when I left. I’m so grateful she asked me. And, I hope the love I put into making the soap brings some comfort to those struggling.

 

[MGM]

Really wanted to used it today but it's storming and for some reason I just don't like soaping in the rain.

That was quite the storm wasn't it?? I, on the other hand, could have made something , as my soaping kitchen is in the basement and my wife made us all stay down there until the tornado warning had passed. I did a grand tour of all my curing soaps, since the kids were a captive audience....

 

[SPowers]

That was quite the storm wasn't it?? I, on the other hand, could have made something , as my soaping kitchen is in the basement and my wife made us all stay down there until the tornado warning had passed. I did a grand tour of all my curing soaps, since the kids were a captive audience....

It sure was! The lightening seemed light it was right out our window!

 

[Misschief]

Can you keep us posted on the spirulina? I'm wondering if that beautiful green will hold.

It doesn't. I've tried it. It eventually turns brownish green.

 

[Adobehead]

It doesn't. I've tried it. It eventually turns brownish green.

Spirulina: brown soap, no problem, anything to keep from having to eat it!

 

[AliOop]

"You have time," my soap brain assured me. "Don't worry about the people coming over at 6:30pm! With your new master-batched lye, it will be so quick and easy," she said.

Well.

One big spill later, I asked my soap brain to remind me why it insisted that I should try a Pringles can. "Just once," she said. "It will be so fun," she said. Yeah, I'll be sticking with my nice PVC molds for rounds soaps from now on. At least I got most of the spilled, now-taupe batter into some cavity molds.

Used the rest of the batch to fill a small loaf mold and small slab mold. Left the hanger tool in the loaf mold till after I swirled the top - hence the one muddy side. At least the top of the slab mold turned out nice.

And I now understand the mica obsession. They are pretty darn fun! We shall see tomorrow how the hanger swirls went. Sorry for the poor lighting - these are actually really pretty colors that make me happy when I look at them.

ETA: My husband says these are his favorite of all the designs I've made. Almost eight years into soaping, that was a sweet compliment.

.

 

[Catscankim]

Made more blue tea soap

VERY pretty

 

[Angie Gail]

Here are some fall soaps I recently made. They are either Pumpkin Cider or Orange Clove scent. They are hot process soaps and the first batches I made using sodium lactate. It really helped make the batter smoother and go in to the molds better.

 

[AliOop]

@Angie Gail those are super smooth for hot process in cavity molds. Great job!

 

[sarahmarah]

Got around to setting up my single wire soap cutter—no more cheese cutter with a mind of its own for this lady. Test drove some kokum butter in the batch I made last night. Its scented with Caribbean Coconut and I’m just honestly not a fan—it sort of reminds me of allspice. Eh...

 

[MarinaB]

Hibiscus tea soap.

 

[Angie Gail]

@Angie Gail those are super smooth for hot process in cavity molds. Great job!

Thanks! I add about 2 ounces of goat's milk after the cook along with 1.5 ounces of FO and then the sodium lactate so it made it fluid enough to go in the molds fairly well. It's still nowhere near as good as CP would do but I only know how to do hot process. I'm happy with how it turned out.

 

[Jersey Girl]

"You have time," my soap brain assured me. "Don't worry about the people coming over at 6:30pm! With your new master-batched lye, it will be so quick and easy," she said.

Well.

One big spill later, I asked my soap brain to remind me why it insisted that I should try a Pringles can. "Just once," she said. "It will be so fun," she said. Yeah, I'll be sticking with my nice PVC molds for rounds soaps from now on. At least I got most of the spilled, now-taupe batter into some cavity molds.

Used the rest of the batch to fill a small loaf mold and small slab mold. Left the hanger tool in the loaf mold till after I swirled the top - hence the one muddy side. At least the top of the slab mold turned out nice.

And I now understand the mica obsession. They are pretty darn fun! We shall see tomorrow how the hanger swirls went. Sorry for the poor lighting - these are actually really pretty colors that make me happy when I look at them.
.View attachment 47986View attachment 47985

That top is beautiful! I have a Pringle’s can here as well as a PVC mold but haven’t gotten up the nerve to use either. I even bought a couple cool pull through tools. I have to be in the right mind set to try something new. Sorry to hear about your mishap. I feel your pain!

 

[AliOop]

That top is beautiful! I have a Pringle’s can here as well as a PVC mold but haven’t gotten up the nerve to use either. I even bought a couple cool pull through tools. I have to be in the right mind set to try something new. Sorry to hear about your mishap. I feel your pain!

Thank you! I made a pull-through tool from a sink strainer and some wired, but it went in the trash with the leaky Pringles can. You were smart to buy one because the homemade one was a pain.

Thanks! I add about 2 ounces of goat's milk after the cook along with 1.5 ounces of FO and then the sodium lactate so it made it fluid enough to go in the molds fairly well. It's still nowhere near as good as CP would do but I only know how to do hot process. I'm happy with how it turned out.

I love doing fluid hot process! The clean-up is so much nicer than greasy CP batter, isn't it? BTW, if you can do HP, you can do CP. Same recipes will work for both. You just pour everything in the molds before cooking.

Hibiscus tea soap.

Those tops are gorgeous! They look like abstract irises.

 

[Jillyb]

Been a busy week for me, did a final tweek to an ongoing recipe, this version I'm calling Ruby red. Nice and smooth for HP (finally)
Working on getting some of my imagery done for my Social media etc.
but alas I've come down with shingles and I think Ill just be taking it easy for a few days.. will give me more time to see what your all up to...

 

[Malleebird]

Just attempted my first Pine Tar soap tonight...now anxiously waiting till morning to see if it's turned out
Not at all confident though. I found DeeAnna's recipes and very detailed instructions on her website and thought I followed them to the letter.... but I obviously did something wrong ! I used the method where you halve the oils, add pine tar to one half and lye to the other. All was going well until I poured the pine tar batter into the other half....that was when things were supposed to happen quickly..... like less than a minute.....45 minutes later I'm still stirring and my arm is nearly dropping off
Was tempted to use the SB but thought that would be a quick way to wreck it, so kept stirring, waiting for batter to go dull and slightly grainy looking like it was supposed to.... I didn't happen... just continued to look like beautiful glossy melted chocolate.
Eventually it did thicken up a bit, what I'd call medium trace, and maybe slightly grainy but still very glossy..... so I poured it.
Any suggestions where I might have gone wrong anyone ?
My tweaked recipe was - 3% SF, 31% Lye concentration.
40% Lard
15% Tallow
15% OO
10% CO
10% Avocado
10% Pine Tar

 

[MarinaB]

Been a busy week for me, did a final tweek to an ongoing recipe, this version I'm calling Ruby red. Nice and smooth for HP (finally)
Working on getting some of my imagery done for my Social media etc.
but alas I've come down with shingles and I think Ill just be taking it easy for a few days.. will give me more time to see what your all up to...

I like your soap, could you please write a recipe?

Last 2 mornings I make hibiscus tea soap. It is one of my bestsellers.

 

[SPowers]

I haven't done it yet, but someone wants to buy 3 bars of my soap!

Last 2 mornings I make hibiscus tea soap. It is one of my bestsellers.

That's beautiful... would love to see the actual cut. Do you make the tea to use in your lye solution? Anyone ever try making it from real hibiscus flowers?

 

[MarinaB]

That's beautiful... would love to see the actual cut. Do you make the tea to use in your lye solution? Anyone ever try making it from real hibiscus flowers?

I use hibiscus Flowers powder only for the top of my soap. If I make a real tea and add lye, would be black color.

 

[Cosmo71]

I am waiting to take a simple one-color lavender soap out of the mold so I can use the lye and oils I have waiting to make a plain (hopefully white or light tan) natural lard soap. I also keep admiring my 1st batch of coconut milk with coconut lime verbena fragrance and unsweetened coconut on top..this soap really got warm and I am excited to see the color green so bright on top...I can't wait for the inside and now am intrigued about CPOP (cold process/ oven processed) soap. I also went thrift shopping and found a round ball mold for .99 SCORE!