What soapy thing have you done today?

[MarinaB]

Vanilla soap

 

[AliOop]

And then I was sooo pleased with my slow stirring and conservative stick-blending in awe that my batter looked like all the YouTube videos. Then just one more 3-second burst.... It went to thin trace. Then even thicker with more stirring of the scents and colorants. So "zig zag" turned into a hanger swirl. Must. Master. Emulsion.

I always thought I had to get to emulsion before splitting my batch for coloring. However, I saw a good YT soaper (can't remember who) say that it's ok to split your batch before your emulsion is stable. The idea was that it is evenly mixed at that point, and the mixing that you do with the colorants will bring it to stable emulsion. I tried that this time, and it worked! My colorants were charcoal and TD, both of which thicken the batter quickly, so I figured this was the batch to try it. If you get to do another challenge batch, I'd encourage you to try it, too!

Planed and beveled my non-entry SMF August Challenge soaps. Same recipe, same colorants, just different molds. Can you guess which one gelled? I'll give you a hint: the ones on the right are way more muted than they look in the pic. No pop, just muted muddiness.

 

[SoapSisters]

I probably left it at least 24 hours; maybe more, and ground it when it felt really dry. I might have left it in some AFTER grinding too. I just aimed to get all the moisture out so I could store and use it as a powder. I'm sorry I don't remember better; I'll keep track next time!

Thanks! I appreciate this information!

 

[tommysgirl]

I tried my hand at CP soap frosting, on little soap cupcakes, today. I followed the advice in The Total Guide to Soap Frosting on Nurture Soap's site. I used the same recipe (one of my own) for the cupcakes and the frosting in two batches as suggested in the article. I made the best color combo I could with what I have on hand, and popped on some little MP soaps I had. Not beautiful but I think they are ok for a first try. I never was any good at piping! I sprinkled a little Cocoa Powder on top and a touch of Nurture's Silver Holo glitter mixed in. Once I covered my cupcakes, I piped the remainder frosting in an empty spot in the mold. The yellow color made me think of pineapple sherbet, so I topped with a little pineapple

Planed and beveled my non-entry SMF August Challenge soaps. Same recipe, same colorants, just different molds. Can you guess which one gelled? I'll give you a hint: the ones on the right are way more muted than they look in the pic. No pop, just muted muddiness.
View attachment 48865

These look really nice @AliOop. It's amazing how gell can change the colors so much. They look like completely different color palettes to me from the pics. I really like both of them. I do see some nice zigzags and curves in there too!

 

[goat soap rulz!]

Today I did a really small batch and piped some fliers for an upcoming soap and with the extra I made this beautiful soap cupcake! I’m definitely making more of them!! Too bad the batter isn’t scented!

 

[tommysgirl]

View attachment 48892View attachment 48893Today I did a really small batch and piped some fliers for an upcoming soap and with the extra I made this beautiful soap cupcake! I’m definitely making more of them!! Too bad the batter isn’t scented!

Piping goals!! Those are gorgeous!

 

[TashaBird]

Continuing with my pull through mania. My process is getting more streamlined. I have enough time after I put my column away to super squeeze out all the leftover batter and make cute little odd soaps. And I’m getting good at cleaning out my pipettes. It’s not too hard, just takes a few minutes. And I’ve used these same pipettes for 5 batches now, and they’re still good. Working to reduce my waste and water usage. It’s quite the production!!!

More waiting. Having to wait is probably good or I wouldn’t do much else.

 

[KimW]

Getting ready to make some melt and pour soap base to exchange for some cucumbers. So excited.

 

[GemstonePony]

Hey @TashaBird do you remember where you got those oval molds?

 

[amd]

Planning my next production schedule. I have Thurs & Fri off work and the kids will be back to school, so I'm going to be working on a custom soap that uses a lot of piping and embeds on the soap face. [I'll post pics if I'm successful]

Then I'll be working on more sugar scrubs, and taking my first stab at making lotion. Er, well, my first stab in a long time, I used to make a lotion for myself but it was a weird recipe that didn't use preservatives and it was long before I learned better and started selling soap. So I dug in and did some research, found a reputable starter recipe, and I'm going to give it a go. I hope the peeps living in my house aren't annoyed by the daily lotion slathering they're about to get while I test and create. I'm sure my lotion dramas will be ongoing for the next 6 months.

 

[uma Naik]

I love that you are using ingredients at hand! But... Does the onion smell come through in the soap? And what properties does the onion contribute to the bar? So curious!

Onions seems to be beneficial for sprouting new hair by opening up d follicles.

 

[TashaBird]

Hey @TashaBird do you remember where you got those oval molds?

BB I think they call the shape “organic”. I love them! So sturdy and a pleasant feel to use.

 

[GemstonePony]

BB I think they call the shape “organic”. I love them! So sturdy and a pleasant feel to use.

Thank you!

 

[TashaBird]

Hey @TashaBird do you remember where you got those oval molds?

I bought them specifically for this soap. But, now I use them often for my “odds and ends”.

 

[GemstonePony]

I bought them specifically for this soap. But, now I use them often for my “odds and ends”.

I've been looking for this mold ever since I saw that soap, and I'm 99% sure I've scrolled past these multiple times, thinking they were large oval molds with "Organic" embossed at the bottom.

 

[Dawni]

I made soap!
First time to double batch this one.. 45% butter soap.

Not sure what I did differently.. I've been making this soap for more than a year and this batch is the lightest so far.. Let's see inside tomorrow.

 

[LilianNoir]

I made soap!
First time to double batch this one.. 45% butter soap.
View attachment 48945
Not sure what I did differently.. I've been making this soap for more than a year and this batch is the lightest so far.. Let's see inside tomorrow.

I LOOOOOVE my high shea butter formula.
What butters did you use?

@goat soap rulz! and @tommysgirl ya'll are making me ALMOST want to try soap piping. Almost. I HATE frosting piping. I hated it when I did gourmet cupcakes/cakes, and I hate it now. XD I used to use ganache in a lot of my cuppy recipes b/c it was so easy.
I still have my old piping tips though so....

Planning my next production schedule. I have Thurs & Fri off work and the kids will be back to school, so I'm going to be working on a custom soap that uses a lot of piping and embeds on the soap face. [I'll post pics if I'm successful]

Then I'll be working on more sugar scrubs, and taking my first stab at making lotion. Er, well, my first stab in a long time, I used to make a lotion for myself but it was a weird recipe that didn't use preservatives and it was long before I learned better and started selling soap. So I dug in and did some research, found a reputable starter recipe, and I'm going to give it a go. I hope the peeps living in my house aren't annoyed by the daily lotion slathering they're about to get while I test and create. I'm sure my lotion dramas will be ongoing for the next 6 months.

@amd you on !

Me, I miiiight make a batch tonight. I've been having a lot of low energy evenings this week though, so we'll see. Hoping to make a marble soap.
I tested the fragrance blend last night, and have some tweaks to make to it today. So even if i don't get to the soap I will hopefully be closer to the scent I want.

 

[Dawni]

I LOOOOOVE my high shea butter formula.
What butters did you use?

Cocoa, Shea and Mango
My customers love this too.. I hope they don't mind a shade change lol don't think it'll be as pink as it usually is lol

 

[tommysgirl]

@goat soap rulz! and @tommysgirl ya'll are making me ALMOST want to try soap piping. Almost. I HATE frosting piping. I hated it when I did gourmet cupcakes/cakes, and I hate it now. XD I used to use ganache in a lot of my cuppy recipes b/c it was so easy.
I still have my old piping tips though so....

Lol! You are too funny! I honestly sTiNk at piping. I struuuuggle with the bag, get frosting (and now soap) ALL over everywhere! But..I love the little cupcake soaps and the high top soaps with embeds and a cute little straw stuck in them, lol! So I had to give it a try. Probably not something I will do a lot, but I will definite do it again The blog post that I mentioned was very helpful in terms of knowing when the soap batter was ready to pipe. Hardest part was waiting on it to set, lol! I honestly could have given it another 3 minutes or so and I think it would have built up nicer. But I did good to wait as long as I did, patience is not my strong suit, lol!

 

[Jersey Girl]

I cut two batches I made yesterday. I hadn’t made soap in 10 days *gasp*. Lol. I agreed to go tent camping last week for my husbands birthday so wasn’t able to do anything soapy. I told my husband if I was going to sleep in a tent for 4 nights, go fishing with him and all the prep that camping entails that we were going to stop at the candle and soap supply store that’s right on our route on our way home. . I got a few new fragrance oils so had to try at least one in a batch right away!