Soap Makers Help!

[cockadoodlemom]

 

[NanaKat]

This week I've made about 250 bars inseeveral recipes.
Tried some new molds and some new coloring techniques.

Red white and blue swirl, Green Tea and chlorella algae swirl, Lemon Verbena,

green teaand chlorella algae swirl, Lavendar with lavendar buds

The red is really purple soap dye...looks pink and would be good with a rose FO

Lavendar with loofa molded in a 3 inch PVC pipe
The others were a chocolate bar, my Citrus Honey Oatmeal, Citrus Honey Almond, Fall Medley, and the Tropical Cooler
All are cut and put in trays under the bed to cure.

The green tea with the chlorella algae swirl was scented with Forest Delight and sweetgrass, cedar and sage. It's a really nice earthy woodsy scent men like.
This recipe gets rock hard overnight and I had to cut with a band saw. I wonder if this was due to the Green Tea. Any body else have this experience when using green tea?

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
I was real excited when I first heard of RBO since it's linoleic is much higher than other pricey oils like avocado or apricot kernel, but unless I reduce the lard in my bars, the palmitic is just too much for me.

Since I render out most of my own lard from our hogs (and it's one of the selling features), I kept the lard.

Nice, Nana! What technique are you using to swirl?? Some look like a top swirl, while others look as it you poured the base, then some color, repeat.

They're very nice!!! I've always had a difficult time gettin nice swirls using log molds. I pour the color too thin (sinks to the bottom) or too thick (stays on top). The only log mold I use now is a vertical one and you can just forget about swirling in that!!!

 

[ametauss]

If using an upright mold, you might try putting color in a straw and then with your finger over one end so it won't run out, place in the mold and slowly remove your finger as you swirl bringing the straw out of the mold.... repeat if necessary

I was given this tip but haven't tried it yet....

 

[NanaKat]

Cyndi asked
What technique are you using to swirl?? Some look like a top swirl, while others look as if you poured the base, then some color, repeat.

Yes, both. Then to get the color deeper into the mold, I used a thin one inch wide icing blade to push the color down and then pulled the side of the blade thru the length of the mold. I made S-shaped curves also.

Another method that swirls: drop dollops of colored soap back into the pot. Stir with a spatula ONE time and the pour into the mold starting at one end and go to the other end and then back. Scrape the pot and distribute over the top of the mold.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

ametauss - I couldn't even imagine trying to use a straw in my vertical log mold! How would I get the soap into the straw!! Each chamber of my vertical mold easily holds a soap batch using 3# of oil.

NanaKat - years ago when I was using a horizontal mold, I would do an in-the-pot swirl, but I never stirred, then poured back and forth into the mold.

The technique went something like this:

With your colored soap, stand on a stool so you could get some height. Close one of your eyes so you can more accurately pour the soap in the spot you want. Hold the tip of your tongue at the corner of your mouth for balance. Now, moving your colored soap around and around and up and down from various heights, pour your colored soap into your pot. Pour your swirled soap into your mold back and forth.

I now use slab molds.

I just took some pictures of my latest swirled soaps. I'll upload them later.

Pepper Zest

Citrus Basil

Lavender & Lace

Mint Eucalyptus

A couple of these have shrink on the soap .....

 

[NanaKat]

Cyndi,
I can just picture you standing on a stool, pouring your swirled soap with one eye closed

Then...trying to picture me at my age....

Very pretty soaps!!!!!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Don't forget about having your tongue in the side of your mouth! That helps you keep your balance.

And it was a step-stool, so I was safe ...


(and I was only in my early 40's)

 

[Morgaine]

Oh My! everyones soap looks awesome!

I haven't soap in a couple of days, but plan on doing a bunch this weekend. The healthfood store in brenham was really interested in some salt bars so I'm going to do two or three batches of those and then Cucumber Melon, OMH, Lavender and Goat's milk, Lavender and Peppermint and Castile. Now that dh finished my molds and I picked up two more pots and thermometers I'll be able to put soap out faster.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Morgaine,

If you use the same soap recipe, you really speed up your soap making by making a master batch of oils.

or did we talk about this already???