Soap Makers Help!

[Sooner]

I am so glad you posted what you use, I may have over done it when I used them!!! Would you mind telling me how you mix yours & at what stage?

 

[Morgaine]

If I am coloring the whole batch one color, I just throw the color in with the oils before I add the lye.
If I am swirling I add a little bit of my oils to the oxide so I don't get clumps. Then at thin thin trace I pour the raw soap into the oxide and stick blend just a second or two and then mix with a spoon the rest of the way. Then swirl as normal. You really need the soap to be at thin trace when you mix. IT can be at thicker trace to swirl, but if you wait till even medium trace to mix it will get to thick tace when you SB the colors and it will be harder to swirl.

 

[Sooner]

Ok I think I have it. I want to swirl but not sure I am ready to try that. I figure I will continue to learn about making it & single colors before I move on to swirls because I want to have my timing down. Thank you for the information.

 

[Morgaine]

You're Welcome!

Swirling takes a little bit of practice to get the technique down, but don't be scared of it. Worse comes to worse, you just some unsightly soap. I prefer to use an In The Pot Swirl but that is because of my molds. If you are using a slab mold you only pour 1-1.5 inches deep, I do better with in the mold swirling, like what you would do with fudge.

 

[Sooner]

When I get brave enough to try it I will post a picture. I let a friend have some of my just plain soap & he was asking for more last night, said he really liked it & felt really clean! Makes you feel good when someone likes what you do.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I discovered swirling with a plastic whisk in a twirl and lift motion...gives me a really cool pattern. See my chocolate mint swirl batch...which I'll try out in the shower for the first time tomorrow Anyway, that was my 2nd attempt at swirling. My 1st was just blah.

 

[Morgaine]

Here is a great site for in the pot swirl.
http://www.addictedtosoap.com/2009/03/six-color-swirl-soap-tutorial.html

 

[Sooner]

I have read that several times & it sounds so easy but I know that it isn't!!! I am hoping to get time to make another batch this weekend or early next week & might give it a try.

Rocky can you explain the lift & swirl alittle more? I didn't even know they made a plastic wisk! LOL.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I bought a poly whisk at the dollar store. I use loaf molds. I poured most of my soap into the molds at light trace, then added my cocoa and EO's to the remaining soap in the pot, stick blended and stirred it just until mixed, poured back and forth into the soap in the molds in long lines. Then I took my whisk, stuck it into the soap and keeping it in that one spot, twirled the whisk and lifted straight out. It made some really cool flowery designs. I also swirled back and forth in another batch using the whisk. I haven't attempted swirling in more that one color yet:/

 

[Sooner]

It looks like I won't get to make soap this weekend unless I do it on Friday night. Quick question on EO, I have a lemon grass that doesn't smell that great, is it something that I need to put a couple of drops on something instead of smelling out of the bottle?