Soap Makers Help!

[Morgaine]

Do you mean a pencil line or a layer? I plan on doing a layer. Here is how I'm planning it. I mix my soap to the just emulsified stage. Seperate, one for the middle cocoa powder colored and one for the top pink layer. I keep 1/2 of soap mix in the pot. Color the pot, add 1/2 of my scent and pour. Since it is a fast mover, it should harden up fast enough that by the time I scent and color the cocoa powder layer, I can pour it right over the pink layer and not have it sink in. Then I will do the same thing again with the last layer. I'm doing it this way because the clove moving fast will actually work for me, you just can't add all the scent at once. It also helps to not bring your soap mix to trace before you seperate and color. I bring it to trace when I work the color in and if it was already there by the time I got the color in it would be at a thick trace, not thin like I want.

Here is my layered pumpkin spice with a cocoa powder line. After I poured the first layer, I dusted cocoa powder and then poured the other layer.

here is my coconut lime verbena soap that I layered. It will look more like this one, but I'm hoping that the lines will be straigh. I had to bring this one to heavy trace to support the next layer and couldn't get it really smooth.

 

[BirdBrain]

Thanks for the explanation. By emulsified state you mean just barely mixed? You don't have any trouble with the two layers separating when you dust the first layer with powder? The pencil line is really pretty.

Edited to add: I was ready over past posts... is your real name Morgaine or Amber. By the way, my real name is Carmen.

 

[Morgaine]

My real name is Amber, but almost all forums have that user name taken already so I've just always used Morgaine on line.

The key to the pencil line is that you use a *very* light dusting of powder. It doesn't take much and you need to gel so the layers stick together.

What I mean by emulsified is where you mix the lye and oils just enough that they don't separated. The mix usually turns opaque instead of clearish and you don't see that film of oil on the top. You have to be really careful not to over use the stick blender or else you will bring it to a trace (at least with my recipe which I can bring to heavy trace in 2 minutes).

 

[Morgaine]

Ugg, I just had to clean up a huge mess! I guess my trace was too thin and after I poured the soap my mold leaked all over the place! I had to dump the soap back into the pot, then used my round molds and pour what was left into those, but I had a good 2 pounds of soap on my table.

So now I'll have to make more rosemary and mint tommorow.

Anyone else soaping lately? I'm doing all restocks this week and one wholesale order, though it is small.

I also thought I would share this recipe that I came across,

Herbal Body Wash
3 Tbsp. Ground Oatmeal
3 Tbsp. Ground Raw Sunflower Seeds or Ground Oatmeal
1 Tbsp. Buttermilk or Milk Power
1 Tbsp. Dried Lavender and/or Dried Chamomile
6 Tbsp. Ground Soap
Mix ingredients and store in airtight container until use. To use, fill muslin bag, wet thoroughly and use like a bar of soap as it exfoliates, cleans and tones.

 

[TammyTX]

Quote:
I BET you had a mess!

I haven't had that happen....y-e-t.

That recipe idea has all sort of possibilities! Thanks.

No soaping going on here for the last couple of weeks. Have any good recipes for warm refrigerator food???? JK My fridge went out.

 

[Morgaine]

Aww, Tammy that bites! I bet your girls are happy, mine always are when I clean out thr fridge. Hope you get that fixed or replaced soon.

I did more orange patchouli, but I forgot that the last order of eo's I got 5 fold kind so now you can't smell the patch and the orange swirls are lost because the whole bar is orange from the eo. Smells good though. I also did some more cucumer melon.

 

[TammyTX]

Do you sell soap full time? You are very knowledgble and you are always brewing a batch, so I wondered.

Please don’t tell me you work full-time too, because then I’ll just feel like less of a woman!!

 

[Morgaine]

No i'm a SAHM. I just opened the biz in March of this year. Most of what I make goes back into it. I'm paying some of our small bills but no way could we live on it. And I spend way too much money on fo's and eo's. I know I have over 50 different ones right now.

Some I have never even soaped yet.

 

[TammyTX]

Well, still, taking care of a child, is time consuming in itself! I admire your time management.

I don't have children and I still find it hard to make time.

After your success at Hogeye my husband is finally taking an interest. Bastrop has a monthly street vendor thing that I might do to cut my teeth on the whole display booth thing.

oops, it's after 7, I think House is on tonight.

.....hey, I think I know why I don't have time...!

 

[Morgaine]

That sounds like it could be fun! Bastrop is so pretty. I just keep playing around with it at every show, it keeps changing because I haven't found one way that I'm really set on yet. Glad to hear that hubby is getting behind you in this. You have a great soap!