Soap Makers Help!

[chiknwhisperer]

Congrats Breconbcs!!! You tell your DS he did a great job on that table.

I did a little better today. Just cleared $60 today. So the first FM was $100, then the next 2 were $50 and now this one was $60. Things might be on the way up? Oh and a lady that works the European market out here took a business card and a picture! She is going to post the picture she took on her market web site to spread the word

The next FM is on the 11th back at the spot we started at. The city had their taste festival going on today but we still did better then last week. Thank goodness DH was there

I hurt my lower back yesterday and it got a lot worse today. I can't even stand straight up and it hurts no matter what I do.

I'm thinking I may have to skip church tomorrow and get a sub for my Sunday school class. It even hurts to drive

How is everyone else doing today?

 

[JewellFarm]

Hi all, I just ordered some lye this morning. I have been wanting to make soap for a long time, but never got around to it. Do you guys have any easy tried and true recipes and tips for a beginner? TIA

 

[chiknwhisperer]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=155832

Here is the recipe swap thread. And congrats on your order

We will all be here rooting you on

Welcome to the thread

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Congrats on your first market, breconbcs! Sounds like it went well and that you had fun! Your son sure is taking his job seriously and doing great at it!

chiknwhisperer - I'm glad to hear you had a good day today as well! I'm sorry to hear that you hurt your back, tho. I hope you rest up and feel better soon!

Featherfoot2 - Welcome to the thread! Most of us started with The Soapmaker's Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch. She has a basic 3-oil recipe that is a good one to start with. From there, you can start experimenting with additional oils, percentages, and such to customize the soap to your liking.

I went to the So. Cal Chickenstock today at CarriBrown's house and got to talking with Potterwatch who may be joining us soon!

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Another one?

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=151046&p=2

Here is the thread with the recipes included

 

[Morgaine]

Hey everyone, glad to see y'all had good weekends at the market. Ours was alright, it was just so hot! Low 100's.

I had a horrible soaping weekend though.

I popped out three batches Friday night, cut them before we left for the market. Turned out well. I'll get some pictures of the dragon's blood. I swirled it with some gold mica and also dusted it on top. Gotta wait a couple of days for it to darken.

So Saturday night I decide to do my spiced mahogany from BB. I had read on the scent review board that you had to be careful, it tended to sieze, so I did full water and cool temps. I get ready to soap, 8 pounds, scent added to 95ish oils, lye close to that too. As soon as the lye started to hit the oils, I knew this wasn't going to go well. It just looked weird. With in 30 seconds it was already at light tace and I didn't even have all the lye added. Wih in one minute and once all the lye was added, I had the thick pudding stage. It was also very clumpy. I assumed it starting to rice, so I use my stick blender to try to beat it back in. By now it is like peanut butter, still very clumpy. I knew the lye couldn't be mixed in all the way, but I wasn't set up to hot process and if I waited much longer I was going to have soap in a pot, so I went a head and glopped it into the molds. By the time I was getting it into the second mold, it was already holding the shape of the pot and had to mushed in with my spoon.

I cross my fingers and pray. Well after dinner, about 2 hours later, I look and there is a reddish brown liquid all over my work table and the floor. *^&%* Stupid me zap test it and OMG my tongue tingled for like 30 minutes after that. I just didn't know what to do with it. So I stick a bunch of paper towles under there and ask DH to clean up the lye( I had a bad cut on my hand). Soap gels. More lye leaks.

Next day I go to cut it up to rebatch, but the smell morphed and it stunk so bad. It was very burnt smokey tabacco type scent. Before there was a nice floral to round that out. That's now gone. Dh comes down and says that stuff stinks, just throw it away. So I did. If it had been a nice scent, I would have tried to save it, but my gut was like, you are not going to be able to save that mess.

I don't know if it was because I added the fagrance to the oils before the lye or if it would have had the same outcome no matter what. I have about 1.5 oz left. I might try it to just to see.

Oh, I also putting in my application to the Texas renaissance festival. I e-mailed them and she says if I'm willing to do the demos, there is a good chance I could get in (pending approval of my product of course) Fingers crossed. This could be a really big deal. the Texas Renaissance festival is HUGE!!!!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Oh Morgaine! How heartbreaking! It sounds as if you did everything you could to save it but it was just doomed to not work. If I was you, I would definitely try again with the remaining fragrance. I'm going to guess that this fragrance-to-oils thing should probably be reserved for well-behaved fragrances and those that tend to seize will need to be added at the absolute LAST moment - once you know you've definitely headed into trace. It's hard to struggle with a batch (still waiting on the vanilla - almost there) but to have to actually toss it . . .

Thank goodness that the Scent Review Board is there to help figure out which fragrances should be treated with kid gloves.

Is there Clove Leaf in that fragrance? I hear that's the one that gets ya into trouble.

Remember that we both received that sample for the Marrakesh? That's another one that's supposed to be tricky but people have been able to do it by doing exactly what you tried to do with this batch (full water/low temps), but by adding it waaaay at the end when they know they can move fast to get it into the mold, knowing they're already at trace. I loved that smell so much I'd like to try it one of these days, but I may get someone to add it for me as I use the hand blender so that I can get it combined as quickly as possible.

Oh! I hope that the Texas Renaissance Festival works out for you! That would be amazing! When is it? You may have to be a soaping fiend between now and then!

 

[chiknwhisperer]

One of my DH's cousins were at the family arty yesterday and said that her friend was interested in my soap! The lady is a hairdresser. I wonder if she would consider carrying my soaps to sell.

 

[TM Chickens]

Does anyone have a Logan Bear Candle soap mold?