Soap Makers Help!

[chiknwhisperer]

Well I made the soap with that tea. It sure didn't turn out the color I was expecting as usual

I used the dried out tea stuff from the inside of the tea bags to stir some of it through the soap and then sprinkle the rest on the top.

 

[algopurple]

Chiknwhisperer, it looks blue. Is that just the cam? It is really pretty.

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Quote:
That was the camera and lighting. The lighting in the dinning room isn't very great.

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Well ladies, I just made another $72. My MIL always has little gifts for the ladies when they have a holiday party at her house. This fourth I am supplying 16 bars of soap. 15 bars are my Made In America soap that has the peppermint and warm vanilla EOs in it. And the other one is my rose petal castile. One of the Aunts has sensitive skin but never asks about any of the soaps

but I figure it would be a nice gesture that she would notice that someone remembered what she likes. And then 2 bars are going out to my BIL's IN New Jersey. They are getting the Made In America bar and a OMH scented bar.

 

[Morgaine]

Quote:

congrats on the sell! Thats such a nice thought to remember that the aunt has sensetive skin. I hope they all apreciate the great gifts.

I'm glad that the samples sized sold. It's not much but the .50 adds up at the end of the day. And I totally agree, no-no on the garage sale stickers. I get a lot of people buying as gifts and I think that would be a big turn off. I'm really glad you didn't cave in to her.

I really like the way you have your table set up! I think mine looks way to cluttered after seeing yous and now I'm going to streamline that.

What did your soap look like after you unmolded it?

I was going through my notes and recipe book this morning and got to wondering, how many recipes does everyone typically have? I love experimenting but am wondering if I need to have every soap be a different recipe - so far I have 4 or 5 recipes I really like the results from - or is scent/colour enough with a base recipe?

I have one basic recipe that I use. I just prefer it that way. I use others like the 80/20/20sf coconut/shea bar, but that's a specialty bar. I also do salt bars sometimes(not in this texas summer humidity, they sweat too much). And I have a few castiles. But 95% of my soaps are the same recipe, tweeked with different liquids, colorants, exfoliants and scents. I use a little drawer organizer to do 1# test batches. If I make one that think is better than what I have now, I will switch all batches over to that recipe.

Well sells have definately slowed down since the other soaper is there. We did 57.50 Saturday. Man it was Hot too. I bought a canopy and it woked great! a lot better than the umbrella. But the market manager is talking about making first friday a permenate thing. And gas just keeps getting higher.

I've got a whole lot of soap making planned for this week. I haven't made any in like a week cause I ran out of curing room! I had just over 250 bars, I let them cure int he open air for 1-2 weeks and then I move them to cardboard boxes to finish curing.

I should be getting my bramleberry order in the end of this week with my watermelon fo. I can't wait to see what sample I get.​

 

[chiknwhisperer]

I know I've been keeping my recipes down to like three main ones although I made one the other night with sun flower, OO, CO, sweet almond, lard and lanolin. First time with this one so I am hoping it turns out well. I can't un mold it yet because it is still a little to soft . I think by later tonight it should be ready.
Have you gotten a spy yet? I really hope it doesn't stay that way for you. Maybe its because ahe has been there before. One lady out here mistook me for someone that she bought soap from last year that had she had been very happy with lol. Well I hope I can live up to that.

 

[cockadoodlemom]

I attempted a shaving soap for my Dad but had a problem unmolding it. I used a 2" pvc pipe and we unmolded it 42 hrs later because we forgot about it and dh had to cut the pipe in half to get it out and then it would just split when we tried to cut it

I will post the recipe and pictures later so some of you more experienced soapers can help me

 

[Morgaine]

Did you try putting it in the freezer? What did you line it with?

 

[cockadoodlemom]

No on the freezer and I didn't line it cause I thought as slick as a pvc pipe is I wouldn't have too. Here is the recipe:
2 oz almond oil, 8 oz coconut oil, 10 oz olive oil & palm oil, 10 oz buttermilk, 4.20 oz lye, 2 tbls of bentontite clay, and some fragrance. I think now as I typed it in here that I used too much coconut oil and bentontite clay. Oh yeah, I forgot I didn't line it either but how do you line a 2" pipe?

 

[Morgaine]

Quote:
you can coat it with mineral oil or vasaline, or you can line it with parchment paper. make the ends overlap, tape and then place your end piece. Should come right out.